Bookish Edits Gift Guide!
Gift guides are a dime a dozen, so I’ll keep mine short and sweet. I have plenty of book recommendations plus a handful of book-adjacent gifts that will delight the heart of any reader. Let’s dive in! (And yes, some of these links are affiliate links, which give me a small kickback at no additional cost to you. Thank you for helping fund my own book hoarding.)
For your aunt who loves thoughtful story and the Scottish highlands
Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
Rosamunde Pilcher is easily one of my favorite personal discoveries of the past couple of years. Her books were big in the 80s and 90s, and this one is perfect for Christmas. Five barely connected people, each with their own griefs and sorrows, head to Scotland for Christmas. This book reminded me that at the core, people are beautiful and complicated and deserving of grace in all their brokenness.
For your college-aged sister who needs a good Christmas-break binge
The Bergman Brothers series by Chloe Liese
The Bergman Brothers is a romance series that is so much more than the happily-ever-after (though we can count on that too!). Liese believes that everybody deserves a love story and brings in authentic and often own-voices representation into her stories. These five books can technically be read in any order, but I recommend starting at the beginning with Only When It’s Us. (And heads up for some steam🔥. Liese writes open-door romance—meaning that you can “see” the sexy times—but if it’s not your thing, you can easily skip over it.)
For your dad / brother/ uncle / guy friend who is hard to buy for
I have recommended these books literally dozens of times, and only one person said it wasn’t their thing. Red Rising combines Ender’s Game and Hunger Games for a science fiction, dystopian, intergalactic saga that will pull you in and have you ordering book two as soon as you’ve finished. Red Rising has excellent character development, a well-paced plot, and extraordinarily crafted political schemes. (These books, read by a man with a distinct Irish brogue, are also fantastic on audio.)
For the fancy children in your life
Claris: the Chicest Mouse in Paris by Megan Hess
I stumbled on this exquisite picture book at my local indie several years ago and am still obsessed. Claris is a mouse who loves fashion and moves to Paris, where she must navigate the cat who lives in the apartment outside her mouse hole. Written in pristine verse, you will love reading these books as much as your child will enjoy listening. The pictures are a delight, the pages are edged in gold foil, and you’ll find yourself secretly paging through just to stare at the fashion illustrations done by the author. (Claris has several more adventures in different books, and I may be slightly devastated that my own fancy daughter is rapidly outgrowing picture books.)
For your friend who loves mystery with substance
The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
I read this book back in February of this year, and I still think about it. Ray McMillian is a Black violinist on the rise to stardom when his family heirloom Stradivarius disappears. We go back and forth between the hunt for Ray’s instrument and the events that brought the Stradivarius to Ray in the first place. This book both opens you to the racist underbelly of classical music and delivers a compelling mystery that will keep you reading up past your bedtime.
For your feminist teenage daughter
I came to know Kate Baer through her Instagram account where she takes DMs and comments from trolls and transforms them into poignant poetry. Baer taps into soft femininity and fierce womanhood that will resonate with young women and grown women alike as we all navigate a world built on patriarchy.
For your new friend you don’t know super well
Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
This book is one of my go-to recommendations. Cornelia, manager of a Philadelphia coffee shop, crosses paths with a man who will forever change her life (and not in the way you’re thinking, I promise), bringing into orbit with eleven-year-old Clare Hobbs, a lost and lonely girl who needs some love. Every time I revisit this book I’m amazed at how deftly Santos weaves in different stories and characters into a whole that will make your heart burst with all the best feelings.
Book-adjacent gifting wins
AirPods for audiobook listening
Gift card to your local independent bookstore
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, happy holidays to everyone who celebrates something special this season. I hope this gave you some good ideas, and I hope that you are surprised by some bookish goodness of your own!
