Holiday shopping can be tough. But as the bookish person I am, I believe that everyone can be satisfied with the right book. Whether it’s a book about the Civil War for Grandpa or Dillard’s lingerie section for your younger brother. Just kidding! (That’s not a book.) I asked the ever-ready book community to COME AT ME with their holiday wishlists, and this is what I gathered.
Collectible Favorites
By and large the most wanted gifts are collector’s edition books. Probably because these books tend to run a little pricey (I’m on to you, bookstagrammers!), and also because they make really special, memorable gifts that will make every bookshelf sing.
Remarkable Books: The World’s Most Beautiful and Historic Works
The Puffin in Bloom Collection
Penguin Drop Caps
Harry Potter House Sets
Agatha Christie Mystery SetThese books sets are so beautiful, they’re fit for a King! Which is great because only Kings can afford them. Keep in mind that you can usually find a book or two from the set and buy them individually. Maybe he/she would like a Penguin Drop Caps edition of Jane Eyre? You can buy that at Barnes and Noble for $15.22.
Individual Special Edition Favorites
Gone with the Wind
The Name of the Wind, 10th Anniversary Edition
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban : Illustrated Edition
The most popularly requested books that are not special/collector’s editions
The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden (Books #1 and #2)
Genre: Fantasy
Book blurb: For a young woman in medieval Russia, the choices are stark: marriage or a life in a convent. Vasya will choose a third way: magic… The court of the Grand Prince of Moscow is plagued by power struggles and rumours of unrest. Meanwhile bandits roam the countryside, burning the villages and kidnapping its daughters. Setting out to defeat the raiders, the Prince and his trusted companion come across a young man riding a magnificent horse. Only Sasha, a priest with a warrior’s training, recognises this ‘boy’ as his younger sister, thought to be dead or a witch by her village. But when Vasya proves herself in battle, riding with remarkable skill and inexplicable power, Sasha realises he must keep her secret as she may be the only way to save the city from threats both human and fantastical…
We were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehesi Coates
Genre: Non Fiction, Essays
Book blurb: In these “urgently relevant essays,”* the National Book Award-winning author of Between the World and Me “reflects on race, Barack Obama’s presidency and its jarring aftermath”*–including the election of Donald Trump. “We were eight years in power” was the lament of Reconstruction-era black politicians as the American experiment in multiracial democracy ended with the return of white supremacist rule in the South. In this sweeping collection of new and selected essays, Ta-Nehisi Coates explores the tragic echoes of that history in our own time: the unprecedented election of a black president followed by a vicious backlash that fueled the election of the man Coates argues is America’s “first white president.” But the story of these present-day eight years is not just about presidential politics. This book also examines the new voices, ideas, and movements for justice that emerged over this period–and the effects of the persistent, haunting shadow of our nation’s old and unreconciled history.
Books I’m adding to my list because of your suggestions
Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance, Ruth Emmie Lang
Genre: Fantasy
Average Rating: 4.25
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Irin Carmon
Genre: Non Fiction
Average Rating: 4.22
Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore, Matthew Sullivan
Genre: Mystery
Average Rating: 3.82
Burial Rites, Hannah Kent
Genre: Historical Fiction
Average Rating: 4.01
Everything else
| Title | Author | Genre | Average Rating |
| Bear Town | Backman, Fredrik | Contemporary Fiction | 4.31 |
| My Absolute Darling | Tallent, Gabriel | Contemporary Fiction | 3.8 |
| This is a Story of a Happy Marriage | Patchett, Ann | Essays | 4.03 |
| The Rules of Magic | Hoffman, Alice | Fantasy | 4.11 |
| The Alice Network | Quinn, Kate | Historical Fiction | 4.27 |
| All the Light We Cannot See | Doerr, Anthony | Historical Fiction | 4.32 |
| The Ghost Writer | Roth, Philip | Literary Fiction | 3.81 |
| The War I Finally Won (#2) | Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker | Middle Grade, Historical Fiction | 4.58 |
| Inspector Gamache Series | Penny, Louise | Mystery | 3.89 |
| Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore | Sullivan, Matthew | Mystery | 3.82 |
| Origin (#5) | Brown, Dan | Mystery | 3.85 |
| The Letters of Sylvia Plath | Plath, Sylvia | Non Fiction | 4.15 |
| What it Means When a Man Falls From the Sky | Arimah, Lesley Nneka | Short Stories | 4.33 |
| The Becoming of Noah Shaw | Hodkin, Michelle | Young Adult, Fantasy | 3.87 |
| His Dark Materials Series | Pullman, Philip | Young Adult, Fantasy | 3.94 |
| Wonder Woman: Warbringer | Bardugo, Leigh | Young Adult, Fantasy | 4.16 |
| Nevernight | Kristoff, Jay | Young Adult, Fantasy | 4.25 |
I do encourage everyone to visit their local bookstores — support indie sellers! My links to these books are to larger sites like Book Depository and Barnes & Noble because I don’t live where you live.
I was honestly so inspired (and surprised!) by the suggestions sent in. Thank you all for participating. Sure, we can always read the NYT bestseller list or the Goodreads votes, but I wanted a more personalized wishlist from our beloved book community. You delivered!
Happy Holidays!
– Maggie
mugandnook 