With more than 40 titles to choose from, we have something for every book lover on your list. Gift the gift of a good read this holiday season!
Romance Junkies
Modern love and technology meet cute in Rainbow Rowell’s Attachments. Follow Beth and Lincoln as they charmingly try to resist the inevitable.
Fantasy Fans
The first in a trilogy that will keep you up into the wee hours, Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone takes you to another time, place and state of mind.
Civilization’s end is fast and furious in Michael Buckley’s Undertow. Cut your nails before reading or you will find yourself biting them off.
Buckle up your seatbelt for Veronica Roth’s Allegiant. This conclusion to the trilogy that began with Divergent brings it.
Graphic Novel-Centrics
Billed as a cross between Roald Dahl and Tim Burton, Stephen Collins’ The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil lives up to its praises. Quirky and funny, the story follows Dave, a normal guy overtaken by bizarre and extraordinary circumstances.
An awesome cartoonist, writer and teacher, Lynda Barry brings it all together in Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Professor. Arrestingly packaged to look like a composition notebook, the author’s lesson plans will inspire any budding artist.
Graphic novelist Charles Burns concludes the creepy, surreal trilogy that began with X’ed Out with this heartbreaking finale. Sugar Skull follows Doug, a man hiding from old psychological wounds, as he completes his revelatory journey through a nightmarish dreamworld.
Tender Hearted
From David Nicholls, the writer of the absorbing One Day, comes another affecting novel, Us. The Petersen family’s attempt at family unity, by taking a tour of Europe, has shades of Emily Straub’s The Vacationers.
Young at Heart
Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland is one of the great works of children’s literature. Catherine Nichols explores the legend in the lush and exhaustive Alice’s Wonderland.
Thrill-Seekers
A dead body propels the narrative of Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You. Set in Ohio in the ‘70s, as the Lee family struggles to make sense of the tragedy, the story unpacks in layer after layer to reveal a series of surprises, like matryoshka dolls.
In Searchers After Horror, the premier authority on the weird tale, S.T. Joshi assembles a collection of new stories of the uncanny centered on the theme of the weird place. Old masters like Ramsey Campbell join perennial favorites like Caitlín R. Kiernan and John Shirley for a global tour of strange and unsettling landscapes.
Scare Tacticians
An American original comes to life in the gorgeous Edgar Allan Poe: Stories & Poems. The illustrations, by David Plunkert, underline the creepy tone and subtle horror of classics like The Raven.
Weird fiction veteran Jeff VanderMeer crosses over into the mainstream (sort of) with his epic Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy, now available in one hardcover volume. This creepy tale follows a top-secret organization tasked with exploring the uncanny effects of Area X, a mysterious, otherworldly zone that has sprung up in our world, continuing to defy explanation.
Melancholiacs
For sisters Yoli and Elf, being raised as Mennonites has had a lasting effect. Miriam Toews’ All My Puny Sorrows follows the duo as they struggle to make sense of their lives.
Foodies
Bitter, by Jennifer McLagan, explores the complex and unexamined flavor present in many of our favorite foods. From coffee to chocolate to beer, the book includes recipes, science and anecdotes to explain our love/hate relationship with all things bitter.
Mario Batali’s America Farm to Table capitalizes on a trend that shows no sign of fatigue. With easy-to-execute recipes and loads of fresh produce, this cookbook will see heavy rotation.
If anyone’s on a roll it’s Yotam Ottolenghi. His latest cookbook, Plenty More, takes vegetables to a whole ‘nother level.
Who doesn’t want to cook more efficiently? Mark Bittman shows you how in How to Cook Everything Fast.
A celebration of Americana, Colman Andrews’ The Taste of America documents 250 iconic foods. From matzos to corn tortillas to bialys, the true diversity of food in this country is highlighted to great effect.
A cookbook that might actually inspire you to cook, Nicolaus Balla and Cortney Burns’ Bar Tartine: Techniques & Recipes is simple enough to follow yet inspirational enough to make you want to get busy.
The Silver Spoon’s Comic Cookbook, Chop, Sizzle, Wow steals the bright panels of comic books to illustrate simple, easy-to-follow instructions. The Italian-centric recipes, like Linguine with Pesto, will beguile just about anyone with an appetite.
There’s a certain type of person who yearns for a simpler time, if only in their head. The Sugar Season by Douglas Whynott tells of life on a maple syrup harvesting farm, complete with all the seasonal ups and downs.
Photo Enthusiasists
Outsider artists usually bring a unique point of view to the art world and Vivian Maier: Street Photographer proves the point. An amateur with a keen eye discovered posthumously, Maier’s vision is truly singular.
Aspiring Artists
The Drawing Club by Bob Kato focuses on learning to create characters from actual people. With specific instructions on turning 3D figures into 2D, this book is a treasure.
Maira Kalman always makes it look easy. In her new book of illustrations, My Favorite Things, Kalman brings simple pleasures to life, like broken chairs to pocket watches, with her delightful drawings.
Music Fans
Gorgeously appointed, Mat Snow’s U2: Revolution takes you right into the action. “The complete photographic history” along with history, anecdotes and timelines make this book perfect for any lover of the band.
Striptease Artists
Charlie Brown never goes out of style. Enjoy the entire bunch with Charles Schulz’s spectacular The Complete Peanuts 1993-1994.
Fanboys
The wonder that is Star Wars gets captured to perfection in Star Wars Art: Posters. This is the fifth book in the series and features incredible works from such artists as Howard Chaykin and Roger Kastel.
Film Connoisseur
The Coen Brothers Encyclopedia by Lynne Chapman King tells you everything you want to know about the filmmaking duo. From Blood Simple to Inside Llewyn Davis, the directors’ catalog is covered.
Stargazers
Anjelica Huston lays herself bare in Watch Me. This autobiography recounts the middle part of her life, including romances with such luminaries as Jack Nicholson and Ryan O’Neal.
All the gossip comes to life in William J. Mann’s Tinseltown. Lurid and juicy, the stories range from morphine to murder at a time when Hollywood was just beginning.
Gossip Girls
Having cornered the market on a certain kind of reality TV, Andy Cohen brings himself to the table with The Andy Cohen Diaries. Can it be long before the talk show host becomes a bonafide Bravo-lebrity himself?
Food & Cinema Lovers
Pleasure layering takes center stage in Tom Hertweck’s Food on Film. The author explores depictions of food from the earliest days of movies up to the present.
Cozymakers
Dana Cowin makes cooking accessible with Mastering My Mistakes. This cookbook includes recipes for simple dishes, like bran muffins and chicken soup, and provides tips on execution from master chefs such as Bobby Flay, Thomas Keller and Marcus Samuelsson.
Anna Quindlen’s writing appeals to book club lovers everywhere. Still Life with Bread Crumbs is no exception.
Kitsch-masters
Embrace your inner doll with Louis Bou’s The Doll Scene. Straddling the cute/creepy threshold with pictures of hundreds of custom designed dolls, this book is hard to look away from.
Sophisticates
The more complicated the cocktail, the better people like it these days. Learn how to impress with Jennifer Fielder’s The Essential Bar Book.
The greatest pop artist of all time comes alive in The Andy Warhol Diaries. Edited by Pat Hackett 25 years ago, these journal entries still have the power to shock and awe.
Miss Manners
Learn to mind your Ps and Qs with the Downton Abbey Rules for Household Staff. Based on actual guidelines from the period, this book will to teach you how to wait on table, buttle and pour a proper tea tray.
Post-Post-Post Feminists
The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore sheds some serious light on the man and women behind the legend. Created by William Moulton Marston with plenty of inspiration from his two “wives,” the story of an American icon is a pageturner.
Francophiles
Take a mini vacay to France with Ann Mah’s Mastering the Art of French Eating. This delicious journey makes the most of its location, traveling through Paris, Provence and other romantic locations.
Word lovers everywhere can revel in etymology with Clotilde Dusoulier’s Edible French. This charming book translates French sayings, with delicious illustration by Melina Josserand.
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