A great book is the gift that keeps on giving; here's a cool last-minute guide to book gifting
Katie Freeman
Free of an old media job, I don't have to write a tech gift guide this year! So instead, I’m taking a writer’s privilege today, to do something that I hope will help people read.
Scrambling for last-minute holiday gifts? Books are great emergency presents. And they are easy to wrap.
A friend who works in the book business had a fun job recently: She worked a free phone line at the publisher Penguin for folks looking for gift advice. So I put her to the test. I’ve anonymized my requests, and tried to cover some basic categories, but here are her great book gifting ideas. (NOTE: In the spirit of the season, she includes non-Penguin titles in here). Here is Katie Freeman’s last-minute book gift buying guide.
For a woman who reads everything, but particularly loves historic novels. All the better if they are set in Ireland.
I would heartily recommend THE PAYING GUESTS by Sarah Waters, which is on all the year-end best-of lists for good reason- it's a propulsive historical narrative, set in Britain after World War I. I know, England rather than Ireland, but I promise it's a completely entrancing read. Staying with hot historical novels, I'd also suggest Elizabeth Rosner's ELECTRIC CITY, set in upstate New York across the twentieth century, a book that movingly explores how invention can affect the fate of communities and a country. For an equally affecting story, Matthew Thomas's bestselling WE ARE NOT OURSELVES offers the perfect gift - the profound portrait of an Irish-American family that illuminates a changing America. An epic that earned all its accolades, Thomas's work is a must-read. And finally two piercing and gorgeous novelists that your mother has perhaps read, but in case not: Alice McDermott, whose most recent novel SOMEONE came out last year and has one of my favorite paragraphs in all fiction (a scene that shows the achingly beautiful ways we care for one another, both strangers and family); and Joseph O'Connor, whose GHOST LIGHT tells the fictional story of Irish playwright John Synge and actress Molly Allgood. All these are novels by exquisite storytellers, debut and seasoned writers whose compassion for their characters pairs perfectly with the strength and scope of their captivating books.
For a friend who secretly loves romantic novels:
There’s a little romance is nearly everything! Sarah Waters, who I suggested above, would be an excellent choice (unless your friend would only be interested in heterosexual love) – there’s a lot of romance novel aspects to Waters’ work, along with thrilling narratives -- as NPR said about The Paying Guests: “Forget about Fifty Shades of Grey; this novel is one of the most sensual you will ever read, and all without sacrificing either good taste or a "G" rating.” As for other choices – if it’s romance (as opposed to romantic in general) novels she’s lies about liking, it’s hard to gift one without a clichéd cover; Heroes are My Weakness by Susan Elizabeth Phillips would fit the bill – it’s got great reviews and you could tell her a friend recommended it. On a different, very sweet front, Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell is a captivating novel of romantic teenage love – I don’t know anyone who’s read it that hasn’t adored it. Finally, a classic with a beautiful cover would be a perfect choice –from Austen to Bronte to Lady Chatterley’s Lover, the Penguin hardcover classics line make for gorgeous gifts and no wrong message would be read into such a present.
For a friend who usually only reads sports books
Let’s just assume (she/he) is a big everything-sports fan – I’m a fan myself of the Best American series, and the sports anthologies are always excellent. This year’s Best American Sports Writing was edited by Christopher McDougall (who wrote the fascinating Born to Run) and includes David Merrill on “The One-Legged Wrestler Who Conquered His Sport, Then Left It Behind,” Johnathan Mahler on “The Coach Who Exploded,” and more. If you want to stay in that vein but go bigger year-wise, David Halberstam edited The Best American Sports Writing of the Century, which includes many classic sports journalism pieces and is a great gift book. If your friend has any interest in fantasy sports (or even if he doesn’t!), Fantasy Life: The Outrageous, Uplifting and Heartbreaking World of Fantasy Sports from the Guy Who’s Lived It by ESPN Senior Fantasy Sports Analyst Matthew Berry would be a perfect, delightful choice – Berry delves into the fantasy sports world from bizarre draft day locations to insane tattoos for the losers and everything in between. And finally, the editors of Sports Illustrated this year put together Any Given Number: Who Wore It Best, from 00 to 99, a look through pictures and essays at the greatest athletes who wore each number – fun to look at, fun to read, and excellent for debating every number choice.
For your friend who hasn't bought a book in years and needs to be converted
So open ended! Goodness! The world is one’s reading oyster with this one. For converting purposes, I’d suggest a couple of trilogies (but wouldn’t mention they are trilogies!) – then if s/he loves the first, s/he would have an easy choice for what to read next. Lev Grossman’s The Magicians and Jeff Vandermeer’s Annihilation (The Southern Reach Trilogy) are compulsive reading set in new worlds (Grossman’s in magical worlds, Vandermeer’s in the future). Peter Heller’s The Dog Stars is in the vein of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road – post-apocalyptic, a man and his dog searching for life beyond the airplane hangar they survive in – a friend read this book when it first came out and STILL talks about its power. Other novels that pull readers deeply in include last year’s National Book Award-winning The Good Lord Bird, by James McBride, a comic novel about slavery that resonates strongly, Khaled Hosseini’s And the Mountains Echoed (and of course his classic The Kite Runner, both of which present gorgeous, heartbreaking and empathetic storytelling), and this year’s bestselling, historical novel All The Light We Cannot See by the great Anthony Doerr. On the contemporary comic front, Jonathan Tropper is a fabulous choice – This is Where I Leave You is wicked funny, looking at the aftermath of a marriage exploding. Richard Russo’s Straight Man is also delightful and sharp, set in the academic world – any of Russo’s marvelous books could cause falling-in-love-with-reading. Finally, should you want to go the nonfiction narrative route, Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief, Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken, David James Brown’s The Boys in the Boat, and Richard Lloyd Parry’s People Who Eat Darkness all present enthralling narratives (from obsessions to World War II storylines) that could have the same effect as any of the above novels.
Back to me: While you’re at the bookstore, you should feel free to pick up a copy of Gotcha Capitalism or Getting Unstuck, of course. Or any of my books you see over to the right there.
And finally – and you’ll be hearing more from me about this soon – friend and brilliant writer has a book coming out in a couple of week called The Opposite of Spoiled, which aims to help parents talk with their kids about money, and use money to teach our most important values. If you order one now, from his page, you will get a free $27 DonorsChoose.org gift card. Which kind of makes his great book free. And helps the book live out its own message. The donation, and the promise of the book, would be a great gift for a friend.
NOTE: If you click on many of this links in this story, I get a few pennies through an affiliate relationship with Amazon. Of course you are free to buy the books anywhere.