There are so many sales on so many things going on this week.
There’s the long tail of Black Friday, then Cyber Monday and Small Tuesday and Giving Wednesday and keeping up with it makes me want to lie down in the dark.
But I thought about it for a bit (in the dark of course) and in response I have one request for this week’s gift guide:
Please name a book that makes a good gift,
and tell us the name of your local independent bookstore.
NB: Each title will link to the Bookshop listing, with additional retailers afterward should you wish to shop there! Some of our links are affiliate coded, which sends a portion of your purchase back to us at no additional cost. It’s an important revenue stream for us, so thank you in advance for using our links!
Elyse: My local bookstore is Lion’s Mouth in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
I have gifted many copies of Legends and Lattes ( A | BN | K ) because it’s such a beautiful, cozy read when you need something unstressful.
Amanda: Floriography ( A | BN | K | AB ) or Ornithography by Jessica Roux. Gorgeously illustrated and perfect for the right nerd.
Shoutout to Belmont Books in Belmont, MA, where I used to work!
Shana: I love gifting Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory ( A | BN | K | G | AB ), it works for anglophiles, social workers, and travel fans..and I have plenty of all three in my life.
Underground Books in Sacramento, CA, always has a cookbook and kids book that needs to go home with me.
Carrie: I second Underground Books and Legends & Lattes, or pretty collectible editions of classics like this edition of Sense and Sensibility ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au ).
Lara: I know it’s viewed as a boring suggestion but I absolutely love receiving vouchers for book stores. The endless possibilities of what I might choose! The freedom!
Sarah: And Bookshop.org has gift certificates!
Sneezy: A continent or two too far to be my local bookstores now, but I have to shout out Pandemonium and Bakka Phoenix!!!
Bakka Phoenix focuses on sci-fi and fantasy, and Pandemonium was one of my favourite used bookstores ever. It’s just so chill there.
I’d recommend Shadows by Robin McKinley ( A | BN | K | AB ). It’s spooky, it’s chill, it’s got crazy kids being crazy kids, and is just a lot of fun.
Ed. note: I can only find this book at Bookshop’s UK outlet, and not in the US store. Sorry!
Kiki: Okay, stick with me: From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to find the Good Death ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) by Caitlin Doughty.
Yes, it’s about death, but every person I’ve recommended this to has been shocked by how much they liked it.
Amanda: What a great suggestion, Kiki! I love that book!
Kiki: Alternatively: the latest Best American Poetry is always a fantastic sample of modern American poetry and a new edition comes out each year.
My local bookstore is Porter Square Books and they just moved to a beautiful and bigger Cambridge location!
Sarah: My local is Loyalty Books in Silver Spring and Washington DC NW, with a big cheer for East City Bookshop in DC, and for Friends to Lovers in Alexandria VA, recovering from a fire the day they opened that destroyed their brand new inventory (check out their GoFundMe for more details).
As for books I have gifted, I’ll start with the first book recommended to me as a gift for someone Going Through It: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society ( A | K | AB | Au ) by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.
It’s a very absorbing book populated with people who feel very real while you’re reading.
I’ve also gifted many cookbooks, including Amanda’s favorite, Snacking Cakes ( A | BN | K | AB ) by Yossi Arefi.
I’ve had very happy feedback from friends for whom I bought The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin ( A | BN | K | AB ). Anyone who likes science fiction, speculative fiction, fantasy, or loves NYC likes this book. (We did cocktails about it, too!)
If you’re not sure about what book you might gift someone, we have some Bookshop lists to help you, including Warmest, Fuzziest Coziest Romance and Un-putdownable Books. And I did a list for this post of Giftable Books, too, should you wish to bookmark it!
And don’t forget, if audiobooks are your thing, Libro.fm offers a similar opportunity to support local bookstores through audiobook purchases. You can buy a credit bundle as a gift, too, so they can shop for themselves!
What about you? What book do you love to gift to people, and what’s your local bookshop?
English (US) · 