A book for every type of friend
Because books are the best gifts
It’s that time of year again.
The time when gift guides fly into my email inbox faster than I can refresh it—and I’m an inbox-zero girl.
While these fun listicles serve their purpose of telling people what to buy their friends, family, or that random brother-in-law for the holidays, I start to feel consumer fatigue early on in the season each year.
Don’t get me wrong, gifts are absolutely part of my love language. I relish the process of choosing presents for my friends and family, digging into their interests or recalling something they casually mentioned, and then watching their faces as they unwrap them.
I love the gesture of a gift—how it reflects the care and thought you have for someone and the meaning an object can carry. Despite the fatigue that often comes with the consumerism of December’s holiday rituals, I hold fast to one belief: there’s no such thing as too many books. A book is one of the most meaningful gifts you can give. By giving someone a book, you’re offering them a new point of view, a story they can escape into, and magic in the form of bounded pages.
This season, I encourage you to give the gift of a book. Here’s a selection I wholeheartedly recommend. There’s something here for every kind of friend.
1) A book for your friend who is in a reading rut:
This modern-day Little Women is a page-turner about sisterhood, addiction, loss, and recovery.
2) A book for your friend who wants to take a social media break:
A haunting but hilarious portrayal of modern-day influencer culture.
3) A book for your friend who loves martinis:
And more importantly one of Greta Gerwig’s favorites.
4) A book for your friend who often gets lost in thought:
For all of my philosophical baddies.
5) A book for your friend who may have voted for a fascist (who won’t be named):
An important examination of how stories expose and distort our realities.
6) A book for your friend who could use a new perspective:
The title essay will make you weep—but in a good way.
7) A book for your friend who is feeling blue:
From Brandon Stosuy, my editor at The Creative Independent, reminding us all that crying is beautiful actually.
8) A book for your friend who wants to be more creative:
Reading this book is an adventure like no other.
9) A book for your friend who frequently questions reality:
Are we living in a simulation? Ling Ma says maybe so.
10) A book for your friend who is going through a crisis:
The best book I’ve read this year. It’s hard to be knocked down when you’re on all fours.
11) A book for your best friend:
A beautiful piece of nonfiction on the alchemy of friendship.
I’ve linked all these books to Bookshop.org, a site supporting independent bookstores. ❤️
Happy Holidays.
xoxo,
-Jess
A terrific selection with a broad range! Thank you, Jess. Truly something for everyone (and me too.)