Instead of giving someone just a book this holiday season, add one on as gift accessory. Here’s the thing you specifically asked for that I ordered months ago when you sent it to me, but also here is a book I think you’d like.
Because there’s nothing better than someone saying “I think you’d like.”
For fiction people:
They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey
About familial drama, professional ballerinas, and slowly learning about the events that led up to a “fateful summer 19 years ago,” this one is for my hour-long prestige TV/White Lotus girlies.
About a woman in Tokyo who, upon discovering that as a woman she is required to do the menial tasks in her workplace, like washing the dishes, tells her coworkers she’s pregnant and can’t. But she isn’t. Chaos ensues.
Hokuloa Road by Elizabeth Hand
Okay, another one for the White Lotus people, but also the thriller people: a man takes a job as a caretaker at a remote estate in Hawaii on a whim, and we know he’s either going to find love with a quirky local OR discover that people have been going missing there for months without a trace…I’ll let you decide from the cover which one it is.
Normal Distance by Elisa Gabbert
A delightful book of poetry!
For food people:
My First Popsicle, edited by Zosia Mamet
A collection of essays about food and life by celebrities, authors and the like; what could be more cozy to read in a comfy corner chair while avoiding family drama.
First Generation by Frankie Gaw
A gorgeous cookbook by a former designer that explores the connection between food and identity for first-generation kids, with delicious and visually stunning Taiwanese-American recipes throughout.
For all the people still powering through with pandemic sourdough or struggling to begin (me).
Cook As You Are by Ruby Tandoh
A read-cover-to-cover cookbook with delicious easy recipes.
For nonfiction people:
I Want To Die But I Want To Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee
An intimate memoir about a woman who suffers from an undiagnosed mental illness but who can always muster excitement and joy for her favorite food, tteokbokki. Also part self-help book, Sehee records her journey with her psychiatrist and supplements her reflections on the process, showing how it is possible to live with darkness and light.
Cheap Land Colorado by Ted Conover
The author spent five years living among off-gridders in the San Luis Valley to write this book. For fans of Nomadland and nonfiction that delves deep into the fringes of society.
This Is The Story Of A Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett
A delightful, thought-provoking, and inquisitive set of essays by novelist and bookstore owner Ann Patchett. It’s hardly about marriage: my favorite essay is the one about her project to join the LAPD and write a book about it, inspired by her father’s lifelong dedication to the force and their downfall after Rodney King.
Tell Everyone On This Train I Love Them by Maeve Higgins
A funny and heartwarming memoir by the Irish comedian who you may have heard on Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me. Listen to this one on your road trip home.
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