Looking for the perfect gift for the book lover in your life? You’re in the right place! I’ve curated a thoughtful book gift guide featuring captivating reads that explore music, self-discovery, luxury, and more. These titles are sure to delight and inspire—read on to find the perfect addition to any bookshelf.
1. “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver
Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens’ anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can’t imagine leaving behind. Buy it here.
2. “The Women” by Kristin Hannah
The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on the story of all women who put themselves in harm’s way to help others. Women whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has all too often been forgotten. A novel of searing insight and lyric beauty, The Women is a profoundly emotional, richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose extraordinary idealism and courage under fire define a generation. Buy it here.
3. “The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir” by Griffin Dunne
The Friday Afternoon Club is no mere celebrity memoir. It is, down to its bones, a family story that embraces the poignant absurdities and best and worst efforts of its loveable, infuriating, funny, and moving characters—its author most of all. Buy it here.
4. “There There” by Tommy Orange
A book with “so much jangling energy and brings so much news from a distinct corner of American life that it’s a revelation” (The New York Times). It is fierce, funny, suspenseful, and impossible to put down–full of poetry and rage, exploding onto the page with urgency and force. There There is at once poignant and unflinching, utterly contemporary and truly unforgettable. Buy it here.
5. “The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder” by David Grann
The Wager is a grand tale of human behavior at the extremes told by one of our greatest nonfiction writers. Grann’s recreation of the hidden world on a British warship rivals the work of Patrick O’Brian, his portrayal of the castaways’ desperate straits stands up to the classics of survival writing such as The Endurance, and his account of the court martial has the savvy of a Scott Turow thriller. As always with Grann’s work, the incredible twists of the narrative hold the reader spellbound. Buy it here.
6. “Crossroads” by Jonathan Franzen
Jonathan Franzen’s novels are celebrated for their unforgettably vivid characters and for their keen-eyed take on contemporary America. Now, in Crossroads, Franzen ventures back into the past and explores the history of two generations. With characteristic humor and complexity, and with even greater warmth, he conjures a world that resonates powerfully with our own. Buy it here.
I hope this gift guide helps you find the perfect book for the special readers in your life—or even inspires a little treat for yourself! Books make timeless and thoughtful gifts, offering a chance to escape, reflect, or explore something new. Please feel free to email your favorites to me at juliette(dotted)hohnen(at)elliman(dotted)com. And if you enjoyed any of these recommendations from my holiday book gift guide, I’d love to hear about it! Click here to check out last year’s recommendations.
Happy gifting and happy reading!