My literary gift guide

From the heartbroken friend to your toxic boss, there's a book for everyone

*Mariah Carey falsetto* It’s tiiiiiiime! Welcome, holiday shoppers, to my annual Literary Gift Guide.

Below, you’ll find a list of books for all kinds of different people in your life. From the chronically online reader to your stylish but unemployed friend, I’ve got pretty much everyone covered. I’ll be happy to share more recommendations for anyone I might’ve missed in the comments section, so feel free to leave your requests there.

My list is broken into four main categories: friends, lovers, kin and foes. Don’t pay too much attention to the categories; it was just a fun way for me to put the list together. The recommendations aren’t at all shaped by the relationship the book buyer has with the recipient, so I do encourage you to consider the list as a whole, even if the musician in your life is a lover and not a friend.

If the sub-sections sound weirdly specific to you, it’s because they are; I had help from my readers and bookstagram followers, who were encouraged to submit the kind of people they wanted to buy books for this year. Thank you to everyone who contributed! I hope this guide makes your gift shopping process a little easier.

Friends features…

the pop culture-obsessed / the 20-something feminist with zero attention span / the impossibly stylish, often unemployed friend / the girlypop / the one who is always heartbroken / the one who doesn’t read / the friend who cares about everything (a little too much) / the social butterfly / the musician / the one obsessed with ancient philosophy and contemporary poetry / the gory horror lover / the artist

1. Let’s give the pop-culture-obsessed something to be excited about, shall we? I know they’ll freak out if they get the new Cher memoir hot off the presses, or this essay collection by women writers on sex, desire and cinema.

2. TikTok attention span? No problem. Go for something quick and punchy. I bet your feminist friend will love this collection of short fiction by Malika Moustadraf, a cult feminist icon in contemporary Moroccan literature who was, and is, celebrated for her uncompromising, troubling depiction of life on the margins, as well as her stark interrogation of gender and sexuality in North Africa. For something not less serious, but a little more unserious, get them this essay collection about beauty and vanity by journalist and former Allure editor Sable Yong.

3. What do you buy that unemployed friend who is mysteriously sipping mimosas at a 5-star hotel at 11 a.m. on a Tuesday? Something to yap about, or at least feature on their socials. Rouge if they’re beauty-obsessed and can’t stop talking about The Substance, Bad Taste for a piece of sharp, stylish non-fiction.

4. Girlypops tend to have a thing for the early 2000s, so give them a coming-of-age novel following a fictional pop star navigating fame during that era. For something a little more… grown, Sugar, Baby follows a (you guessed it!) sugar baby living it up. And down. And then up some more.

5. This recommendation comes directly from my friends to your heartbroken one; they have so many wonderful things to say about Conversations on Love and the ways this book helped them consider the subject in a different light. If you’d rather give them fiction, this is probably a bit of an unorthodox recommendation, but Cinema Love is a tender epic about gay men in rural China and the women who marry them. It’s a novel about the complexities of love and longing, and the many forms these feelings can take.

6. If this person doesn’t read, but you want to give them books anyway, my go-to piece of advice is to find something aligned with their interests or tastes when it comes to movies, for instance (if they love horror movies, get them horror, and so on and so forth). I don’t know what this particular friend of yours likes, so I chose one of my favorite thrillers and a book that I read in 24 hours, They Never Learn. However, what I would probably get them is a Libro.fm subscription.

1. I had limited information about the friend who cares about everything, so I assume they’re a sensitive soul. For someone like that, Little Weirds is 100% the way to go. But if you’re looking for something a little less popular, The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break is a quirky little book about a deeply human Minotaur.

2. I know the social butterfly in your life will love something gritty and fun. Get them Perfume & Pain, a hilarious nod to 1950s lesbian pulp fiction, or Accidental Darlings for something decadent and a little weird.

3. I’m assuming the musician probably owns all the music memoirs already, so I recommend the very aptly named The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic or Taste in Music, a cool essay collection about music artists being—and eating—on tour.

4. These might sound like random recommendations for someone obsessed with ancient philosophy and contemporary poetry, but I wouldn’t want to get them just any philosophy or poetry book. Martyr! is a poetry-infused work of literary fiction that addresses none other than the man’s search for meaning. Isn’t it perfect?! I’m really proud of this pick. Anyway, there’s also Glorious Exploits, which, while not directly about philosophy or poetry, is meant to be a riotously funny celebration of humanity set on the island of Sicily amid the Peloponnesian War.

5. The gory horror lover needs Our Share of Night (my current read! It’s gross!) on their shelves. If they already have it, an anthology of body autonomy horror will be the perfect addition to their collection.

6. You can get the artist a photography book, sure, but you know what the artist loves? The artist loves to think, to yap, to learn, and they love to be surprised. Hence my recommendations: an essay collection that explores the aesthetics of class aspiration, the complications of creating art and fashion, and the limits of identity politics, and a memoir that delves into the complexities of physical pain and investigates the dynamics of violence, power and desire.

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Lovers features…

the one who has read everything already / the hopelessly romantic / the boyfriend who only reads non-fiction and needs an intervention / the dark fantasy lover / the sports-obsessed / the nerdy partner

1. The person who has read everything probably hasn’t read these yet, but when in doubt, stalk their book tracking platform of choice first, because they definitely keep theirs updated. Our Evenings is one of those sweeping epics that has the makings to become a future classic, and Any Person Is the Only Self is an essay collection about your gift recipient’s favorite thing: reading.

2. Now, I’m not the best person to recommend romance, but I did enjoy Tia Williams’ Seven Days in June, so I think the hopeless romantic in your life will devour A Love Song for Ricki Wilde if they haven’t already. For the lovers of the short & sweet novella, go with Big Fan.

3. What does one get the non-fiction bro? Ideally, something that aligns with their other interests, but since I don’t know a lot about this person, I would get them something that is already well-loved and vetted by the world at large, because the non-fiction lover is bound to check the book’s credentials before diving in. Never Let Me Go is an incredible dystopian classic or, if you want the equivalent of chick-lit but for dudes, try getting them something by Blake Crouch.

4. The dark fantasy lover in your life will be giggling and kicking their feet if they get either one of these (Necrology, Ink Blood Sister Scribe).

5. If your person loves ze sportz, here are two books they probably haven’t read yet: The Sons of El Rey is a multi-generational epic spanning 1960s Mexico City to contemporary Los Angeles that follows a family of Luchadores (how cool is that!!), and There's Always This Year is an essay collection-memoir exploring basketball, what it means to make it, who we think deserves success, the tensions between excellence and expectation, and the very notion of role models.

6. What is your partner nerdy about? Since I’m not sure, I’ll assume they are someone who loves to learn, to dive deep rather than skim through the surface. I think these two titles have that in common: Sudden Death is a mind-bending novel beginning with a brutal tennis match between historical figures that could decide the fate of the world; there are assassinations and executions, hallucinogenic mushrooms, utopias, carnal liaisons, papal dramas, and more. The Other Valley is a literary speculative novel about an isolated town neighbored by the exact same town on both sides—to the east, the town is twenty years ahead in time, and to the west, it’s twenty years behind.

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Kin features…

the chronically online sibling / the millennial sister / the mom who likes cozy reading / the foodie parent / the communist brother-in-law / the fiction-loving father who’s into spiritual self-development and (overwhelming) positivity / the young adult niece who wants to improve her English / the sister with a big laugh / the type A perfectionist sibling / the grandma who loves historical fiction / the sophisticated stepmom / the 10-year-old niece with a Wednesday Addams obsession

1. Your chronically online sibling is going to love I’m a Fan, a quick novel about a woman who stalks another woman on social media. Alternatively, you could get them Mood Swings, which sounds as chaotic as my FYP: In a pre-apocalyptic world not unlike our own, a young Instagram poet starts an affair with a California billionaire who's promised a time machine that will make everything normal again—whatever that means.

2. This one was tricky; Millennials are vastly different, apart from the two main common denominators (can’t afford a home, are generally exhausted). Here’s what I’ve got: Eliza Clark’s new short story collection about hunger (to be a Millennial is to be hungry) and Woo Woo, a novel about what it means to make art as a woman, and the powerful forces of voyeurism, power, obsession, and online performance (another one fit for the chronically online sibling).

3. I don’t know how cozy these are, but here are two titles your mother might enjoy: Ann Patchett’s nostalgic essay collection These Precious Days, and Nothing to See Here, a quirky exploration of the complexities of family and friendship.

4. I’m sure the foodie in your life would love a cookbook, but since I don’t know much about their preferences or skills, I’d suggest giving them a nice essay collection (Bite by Bite) or memoir (Save Me the Plums). There are so many great books about food that aren’t cookbooks!

5. Ahh, the communist brother-in-law. I wouldn’t want to give him a book about communism— I’m sure he has other interests and, anyway, he probably has a bunch of them already—, so I tried to find something that still aligned with his interests but in fiction. Goodlord is a fictional memoir of habitation that takes the form of one long email addressed to an estate agent, and The Overstory is an epic work of environmental fiction focused on the world of trees, their intelligence and their central place in our fragile ecosystem.

6. What do you give a dad who loves fiction and who might be a little too much into self-development and spirituality? I found him one work of fiction and one of non-fiction. For fiction, Bitter Water Opera is a unique novel about art, solitude, family, and finding faith in a world without it. For non-fiction, and in an effort to steer him away from the typical self-help for a bit, I think he would enjoy Becoming Kin, a sojourn through Native and settler history, myth, identity, and spirituality that can help us retrace our steps and pick up what was lost along the chances to honor rather than violate treaties, to see the land as a relative rather than a resource, and to unravel the history we have been taught.

1. It sounds like your niece could use some fun, fast-paced YA in her life! Sixteen Minutes is a magical, time-traveling tale exploring themes such as love and the concept of home; The Scarlet Alchemist is a twisty YA fantasy with darker, more visceral themes.

2. Sister Snake’s title alone will get your sister’s big laugh out as soon as she reads it, but you can’t go wrong with Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow, either.

3. This is for the eldest sibling, the Type A sibling, the perfectionist. Headshot is a portrait of the desire, envy, perfectionism, madness, and sheer physical pleasure that motivates young women to fight, while Entitlement is a riveting tale for our new gilded age, a story that confidently considers questions about need and worth, race and privilege, philanthropy and generosity, passion and obsession.

4. Give your historical-fiction-loving grandma something to talk to her friends about with Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, a love letter to city life through the eyes of an 85-year-old New Yorker, or with The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern, a magical realism novel about a retired pharmacist who might just find love, and magic, again.

5. The sophisticated stepmom will love having the new Amor Towles book on her bedside table, or maybe some Zadie Smith.

6. I had so much fun finding books for your little Wednesday Addams fan! I know I would’ve loved these as a kid: The Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents and The Witches of Willow Cove.

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Foes features…

the coworker who is the devil incarnate / the “we’re a family” boss / that random person you got for secret santa / the one you’re breaking up with after the holidays / the toxic family member / your ex

Full disclosure: this category is entirely made up; no one asked me for book recommendations for an ex, and I sure hope none of you are buying gifts for them this holiday season unless you’re really good friends. But I do know that we need to buy secret santa gifts for people we don’t know (or don’t like) sometimes, so maybe these will come in handy.

1. POV: you have to buy a secret santa gift for a coworker you don’t like and, for some reason, you’ve decided to buy them a book. Both of these are title-driven purchases, but buying them might backfire because they both sound really good. Bless Your Heart, Go to Hell.

2. A book for a toxic boss? I’ve got you. Make sure that employment contract is airtight, though. Several People Are Typing, The Factory.

3. I actually took this section seriously because, sometimes, you do get someone you don’t really know for secret santa, either at work or even in a family setting if you get a random distant cousin you haven’t seen in five years. These are not the most conventional of choices, you’re taking a risk, but I’d rather get them something memorable than a book they’ve seen everywhere. Worst case scenario, they hate it and you both get to talk about it later. The Proper Thing and Other Stories is an eccentric, trippy short story collection, while How to Say Babylon is a memoir I’ve heard nothing but great things about.

4. This is unhinged, please don’t do this. But also, you know, both Normal People and Good Material would be decent choices if you were to do something of the sort.

5. I also don’t recommend giving gifts to toxic people but sometimes you have to, and if you have to, I personally would either give them something I got for free somewhere or one of these, knowing they’ll probably never read them: What My Mother and I Don't Talk About, Do You Still Talk to Grandma?.

6. Don’t buy your ex gifts unless you have to or like them! However, if it’s the former, can I recommend Maybe You Should Talk to Someone or Sociopath?

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this gift guide. I think I covered a decent range of people and interests here, but if you have other requests, feel free to leave them in the comments below and I’ll try to find a book recommendation for you in the upcoming days. Happy book shopping!

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A quick note on affiliate links

No affiliate links have been used above. However, if you want to support me by using them, you can use my Libro.fm link for audiobooks and, if you’re purchasing books in Portugal, my WOOK affiliate link and my Bertrand affiliate link. Affiliate links are a way to support your favorite creators, and the companies they choose to endorse, free of charge. Thank you!

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