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The luckiest of us have natural talent for gift-gifting. I live with one of these magicians.
My partner has perfect intuition in knowing just the right thing for the occasion- new acquaintances and teenagers included. It boggles the mind.
Is it luck? Practice? Process?
I’ve had to develop a strategy to get to the same level- a section of iphone notes and a gallery of photos saved for Christmas, a drawer in our living room dedicated to small things picked up on travel.
Part of that strategy is books- my go-to for gifting occasions where you feel the need to have a physical gift to give but….
….we really just started dating two months before Christmas?
….the hostess doesn’t drink and is allergic to flowers?
….my mother-in-law doesn’t need anything but I have to do something for her birthday!
Easy to wrap, last-minute ready, and- with the right send off (we’ll get to that later)- immensely personal, this list is filled with gems that have come through for me time and time again. So often, in fact, that I’ve taken to scanning bookstore shelves for new or gently used copies of these specific titles when out- just to stash in my book case for last-minute gifts.
Whether or not you’ve a talent for gift-giving, keeping this list on hand will make you look and feel like a stellar giver.
Gifting Books- A Meaningful Part of My Entire Life.
My graduate school parents- juggling a toddler and no disposable income- hauled out to the WaldenBooks as a way to keep us entertained. Mom said “There’s always money for books.” (even when there clearly wasn’t.)
My partner and I have a tradition of giving each other a cookbook every Christmas. We’ll spend the following year working our way through recipes together, taking notes and jotting down jokes and memories in the margins.
Our first post-pandemic dinner, between the long hugs and a waterfall of conversation, a friend of mine gifted me a copy of Paul Hollywood’s 100 Great Breads as a nod to our collective Great British Baking Show lockdown binge.
The beauty of books is they work just as well in new relationships as they do with our most intimate connections.
Short on cash? Book.
Any book on this list will impress more than a $50 bottle of wine- and at under ½ the price.
Don’t know the person? Book.
Try Sally Nixon’s “Houseplants and Hotsauce”.…an addictive, nostalgia-filled seek-n-find anyone with personality will enjoy.
Want to impress them? Book.
A copy of Alian De Botton’s “The Architecture of Happiness” compliments the receiver’s taste in beautiful spaces- or gift his work “Status Anxiety” to a colleague/boss for an entertaining, business-adjacent philosophical dive.
But it has to be the right book.
That’s where it can get tricky.
New businesses, new babies- there’s a million reasons why your recipient might be too busy to read right now. In this case, giving the latest bestselling novel implies “I’ll check back and ask you about this soon.” It’s more burden than gift.
Or perhaps you’re buying for an enthusiastic reader with a dozen books waiting at their desk queue. Don’t add to the guilty stack of a bibliophile’s unread acquisitions. Great “gifting books” are easy to pick up, put down. (Bonus if they’re non-sequential.)
Can you give books to a non-reader? Absolutely. Printing quality is just as important as the content in a great book to give. A beautifully printed book has all the luxury of a fine art print in one’s home or office.
The best part of gifting a book? Is getting to read it yourself first. Grab a copy to read through…then grab another for filling those last-minute gift opportunities with ease and elegance.
Seven Great Books that Make Great Gifts:
The Book of The Moon- Our Guide To Our Closest Neighbor
By Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Science, poetry, and mythology meet in this beautiful book by British scientist Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock. This book is a reflection of her own young experiences with the night sky, paired with brilliant facts of what we know…and what’s still left to be discovered…of our closest neighbor: the moon. Dr. Aderin-Pocock’s narrative style is at once informative and engaging, with all the fun of your favorite university professor.
I first picked this book up on a whim from The Kabine and couldn’t resist peppering every conversation with moon facts for two straight weeks.
What Makes This Book A Great Gift: This small book is beautifully printed with a velvety navy cover texture and foil accents. Thick creamy pages make browsing through to cherry-pick scientific fact and history a real treat.
Who It’s For: Star Gazers, History Lovers, Night Owls
Nothing Fancy
By New York Times Food Writer Alison Roman
My partner has a fan-boy crush on Alison Roman. Is it her New York chic home movie channel? Her classic red manicure and matching Glossier zip red lipstick? When he requested this title as his Christmas book, I couldn’t help tease by drawing a mustache on her back-cover photo.
Yet, I too fell in love with Miss Roman after walking through a dozen recipes in Nothing Fancy without disappointment. Hip photography and hilarious prose aside…the recipes are just downright good. As an added bonus, they’ll challenge you to fall in love with some of the most mundane stock in your kitchen (I’m looking at you, celery).
Simple enough for new chefs with plenty of surprises for pros, Miss Roman also offers interludes of entertaining tips for anyone who throws a great soiree.
What Makes This Book A Great Gift: I don’t usually gift large-size books- they can feel too much like a commitment. I’ll make an exception for this one. It’s heavy pages have a gloss finish which makes wiping off stray anchovy oil easy.
Who It’s For: Hosts/Hostesses, Binge-Watchers of Food Network, The Wall Street Journal Types, and Anyone Who Loves Cooking At Home
Invisible Cities
By Italo Calvino
What is this book? Part mythological travelogue, part philosophy- this book is a magical dive into a fictional story where Kublai Khan tasks Marco Polo to travel his domain to report on the details of his expansive empire. What emerges from their conversation is an imagination-fueled philosophical discussion of time, memory, culture, and the human experience.
This book breaks my gifting rule of “not necessary to read to enjoy” because there is just no not reading it. Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities has led a bounty of late-night discussions among friends and lovers. Read it for yourself- and pass it along.
“You take delight not in a city’s seven or seventy wonders, but in the answer it gives to a question of yours.”
What Makes This Book A Great Gift: This book perfectly says, “I love the way you think- and I want to explore with you.”
Who It’s For: Philosophers, Free-Thinkers, Travelers, A New Lover
World of Wonders- In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments
By Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Hands-down, the best short-story style book published in 2020- and a welcome escape from the pandemic news when published that September.
Miss Nezhukumatathil’s grounds her experiences in childhood, immigration, motherhood, and professional science with revelations of the natural world- interspersed with museum-quality illustrations of plants and animals.
“What the peacock can do,” she tells us, “is remind you of a home you will run away from and run back to all of your life.”
What Makes This Book A Great Gift: Aimee’s non-sequential vignette style makes this book perfect for the quick “pick up/put down” of a go-to bedside stand read. And the illustrations? Top Notch.
Who It’s For: Natural History Lovers, Graduates, Animal Lovers, Immigrants, Introverts, and Magical Thinkers
The Secret Lives of Color
By Kassia St. Clair
Science and art come together in this brilliant publication exploring the mythology, use, process, and history of the colors surrounding us.
In the opening chapters, St. Clair profiles seven kinds of white alone. My personal favorite? Ivory- used to showcase the discovery of Lewis Chessmen, a 12th century walrus tusk antiquity holding unexpected surprises. This book leads the reader through overlooked and overseen shades, opening your eyes with gossipy history that quips along at an easy pace.
What Makes This Book A Great Gift: Every section is just a page or two long, making for a discovery read that can last as little or as long as you please. The cover is thick, modern, and punch printed for a tactile luxury- engaging your recipient from the moment it’s unwrapped.
Who It’s For: Art + Science Lovers, Renaissance Thinkers, Curious Types, and People Who Like Trivia
Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness
By Dr .Qing Li
Work from home life starting to wear on the soul? You need this full-color, definitive guide to shinrin-yoku– the Japanese practice of forest bathing- in your life.
After reading this and watching our infant son run gleefully barefoot in the grass, I cultivated the habit of ditching my own shoes in our yard as often as possible. Does grounding work to reduce anxiety and promote happiness? Am I now considering a tree-planting campaign in our neighborhood? Shhh…
If this book doesn’t convince you to hop a plane to the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Kyoto, it’s coffee table placement serves as a great reminder that sometimes we all just need a break.
What Makes This Book A Great Gift: It’s subject is sure to please a wide range of interests and life experiences. This book has been received with appreciation from business colleagues, gamer friends, and cancer survivors alike.
Who It’s For: Corporate Climbers, Workaholics, City Planners, Naturalists, Hikers, Alternative Medicine Seekers, Get-Well Gifts
The Summer Book
By Tove Jansson
This is the story of a six-year old girl waking up to existence. She’s guided by her grandmother who is nearing the end of her own story. Their relationship is written in deceptively simple, non-sequential vignettes as they spend the summer on an island in the Gulf of Finland.
Poetic, beautiful, and punctuated with moments of hilarity. In one instance Grandma takes Sofia in a boat to a neighboring island to break into their new neighbor’s house….and gets caught. You won’t even realize how profound Jansson’s work is until it’s too late.
You know that feeling where you binge a story until you come to a hard stop in wonderment? This is that book.
My favorite gift for women, old and young, who feel the connection of their generational legacy.
What Makes This Book A Great Gift: Short and approachable, this book gifts like a beach read- but is filled with unexpected treasure.
Who It’s For: Grandmother & Mother Figures, Salt-Water Friends, Mother’s Day Gifts, Baby Shower Gifts, Travelers, Seekers Of Small Wonders
Giving Books: How To Make The Most of Your Gift
Most of the books on this list are so beautifully printed that no wrapping is required.
But let’s talk about inscriptions.
To write in your gifted book- or not to write?
To strangers? No need to write inside of the book if you don’t wish. I keep a collection of art museum postcards in my desk. I slip these into the front cover of a gifted book. This allows me to personalize the gift while allowing them to read and pass it along.
When gifting to friends and family for an occasion, I do write with a medium point sharpie inside the cover of the books I give.
What do you write in a book cover?
If I’m breaking out the sharpie, I’ll always include their name (or a relationship notifier), the year, and a few sentences that encapsulate this moment in time. It’s a real pleasure to look back through gifted books. You can relive the inside jokes, relationship ebbs and flows, and points of personal history.
Some of my favorites have been the post-covid inscriptions- given both to and from me- that include references like
“To my friend- Fat on bread, but still not dead! Happy 2020.”
And “Making up for lost time, see you for dinner in 2021.”
Simple statements that cement the book you’re gifting to a point in time add a beautiful dimension when gifting a book. Of course, feel free to get creative- too. Drawings, cartoons, and quotes can all be great additions to a cover inscription. One of the best books I was given was a copy of the D&D Player’s Handbook. My friends made the “To” line out to every character name I had ever played in that group over eight years- many of which I didn’t recall myself!
What if I don’t know the person well?
Don’t pressure yourself to write the perfect clever thing in the front cover. Opt instead for a simple note- slid into the first few pages- that says “ this made me think of you because” or “I thought you’d like (this part)”
Or go super casual. Grab a post-it and flag an important page or two. When handing over the gift, simply say “I marked this (chapter/point/etc)- enjoy!”
This simple gesture turns last minute shelf-grab into a truly appreciated gift.
Want more great reads, gifts, and finds? Visit the RBH shop and discover what you’ve been searching for.
Cheers!
Meredith Gernigin
Lead Editor
