It’s that time of the year. Everyone is thinking about the perfect gifts to give. Of course, I’m a big fan of giving books as gifts. Here’s my (shortened) list of ideas for each age group:
Board Books:
*Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos, illustrated by Joy Ang
This book and its sequel, Mustache Baby Meets His Match, are absolutely adorable. My toddler loves them, so I can say with certainty that they’re perfect for that age group. Incidentally, the third book, Arr, Mustache Baby, will be available on May fifth, 2019.
Picture Books:
Bedtime for Batman by Micahel Dahl, illustrated by Ethen Beavers
This book makes the bedtime routine super. Splicing each task with a Batman equivalent (As the boy takes his bath, Batman says “Your dirty deeds are over!”), suddenly going to bed is more fun. There are others that are similar, such as Good Morning, Superman, so it would make a good gift bundle.
The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? by Mo Willems:
No list of good picture books would be complete without a Mo Willems addition. This is my favorite in the Pigeon series, but they’re all great. If your little one hasn’t seen a Pigeon book yet, that must be remedied.
Older Kid Books:
Randoms by David Liss:
My ten year old devoured this book, decided he now loves the sci-fi genre, and is now reading it again. We’ll be buying him the next books in this series for Christmas. I haven’t read this one personally, but I have read adult books by David Liss and he’s a very talented writer.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
I read this as a kid, then I read it with my oldest. It’s well written and a lot of fun. Part adventure, part mystery, all charm. No, it’s not a recent release, but it’s still guaranteed to grab your child’s interest.
Young Adult:
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake: The first three books in this series are now for sale, and the fourth can’t be released soon enough for me. This dark fantasy will suck you in and leave you wanting more. It’s the best YA I’ve read this year, and I’ve read a lot.
Adult fiction:
The 7 1/2 Death of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton: I won’t go into detail here (I talk about this book at length in another post), but this book is incredible. It’ll keep anyone fortunate enough to read it on the edge of their seat.
Adult Nonfiction:
Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher: This books is full of sass and truth. Carrie Fisher had a way of combining hard situations with humor. Her take on bipolar disorder, which I have, is fantastic. While I’ve enjoyed several of Fisher’s books, at the moment Wishful Drinking is my favorite.
I could keep going, but I’ll refrain. What books are you giving as gifts this year? What are you hoping to receive?
These look great. Apart from the kids everyone I know has s kindle now do I buy less books than I used to.
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Some great suggestions! I always buy my kids at least one book
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Right on! I do the same with mine.
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I haven’t heard of these 2 adult books. Both sound interesting! I like to be kept on the edge of my seat!
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The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is the best book I’ve read this year. It is so good!
*It’s called the 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle if you don’t live in the U.S.
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If you haven’t seen the one-woman show version of Wishful Drinking, you should. The book is far better, but it’s worth your time.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is one of those from my youth that I’ve resisted returning to — not sure it’d hold up, you know? But I remember reading it at least a dozen times…
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I’m dying to see the show! I haven’t yet.
I thought it held up well, and my son loved it. It’s always a gamble, rereading an old favorite.
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Thanks for these recommendations! Books make great gifts and my family are definitely getting books this year
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I haven’t read Three Dark Crowns yet! I’m glad you like it. I should really read it soon. I’m not gifting anyone books. I don’t know amyone personally who’ll want books as a gift but I wish I could gift myself Becoming by Michelle Obama 😄
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You should! I’m dying to read it too. I’ve heard it’s fantastic.
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I’ve heard that too! Hopefully, I’ll pick it up soon 😊
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Brilliant suggestions! I love how you’ve included something for every age group 💜
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Thank you! It helps that I have both a toddler and a fifth grader.
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This reminds me I need to read Wishful Drinking! My kids got a HUGE stack of books for Christmas. They were so excited when they saw the green packages from Thrift Books because they knew they were getting some books from their wish lists!
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Books for Christmas are the best!
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