Books are a great gift when they're chosen well and a passive-aggressive gift when they're not. The test for a good book gift: is it genuinely beautiful or genuinely useful, and does the recipient actually want to read it? This list organizes by gift situation so you can match the book to the person instead of just buying something you've been meaning to read yourself.
- Top pickHumans of New York — Brandon Stanton~$22
- Best budgetDiary of a Wimpy Kid — Jeff Kinney~$9
- Worth the splurgeSalt Fat Acid Heat — Samin Nosrat~$25
Coffee table books worth buying
These get displayed. They get picked up and flipped through. They signal something about the taste of the giver. The standard is: beautiful photography, interesting enough to actually read, not so niche as to be confusing.
For the reader who's read everything
The person who already owns all the classics needs something off the beaten path:
For the person who says they don't read
Give them something short, fast-paced, and not intimidating:
For the kid in your life (8–12)
The rule on gifting books
Don't give someone a book you think they should read. Give them a book you think they'll actually enjoy. The difference is everything. The book equivalent of "this sweater would look great on you" is giving someone a self-help book they didn't ask for. When in doubt: ask what they've loved recently and find something in the same category.