Books are perfect gifts for the holidays
Still searching for that just-right gift for the holidays? Books make great gifts, so here are some recommendations from the book experts — your neighborhood librarians. You can pick up a complete list of the library’s Holiday Gift Book Guide at any library branch. Since these are gifts to give away, you’ll have to purchase them through your favorite retailer!
Picture books: “I Am Not a Chair!” by Ross Burach; “The Giant Jumperee” by Julia Donaldson, illustrated Helen Oxenbury.
Middle grades: “The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora” by Pablo Cartaya; “Ghost” by Jason Reynolds.
Young adult: “Warcross” by Marie Lu; “When Dimple Met Rishi,” by Sandhya Menon.
Adult fiction: “Exit West” by Mohsin Hamid; “Anything is Possible” by Elizabeth Strout.
Cozy reads: “The Story of Arthur Truluv: A Novel” by Elizabeth Berg; “How to Find Love in a Bookshop” by Veronica Henry.
Coffee table books: “Going Into Town: A Love Letter to New York” by Roz Chast; “National Geographic The Photo Ark: One Man’s Quest to Document the World’s Animals” by Joel Sartore and Douglas H. Chadwick.
Cookbooks: “Smitten Kitchen Everyday: Triumphant and Unfussy New Favorites” by Deb Perelman; “America the Great Cookbook: The Food We Make for the People We Love from 100 of our Finest Chefs and Food Heroes” by Joe Yonan.
Books about books: “My Life with Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues” by Pamela Paul; “Dear Fahrenheit 451: A Librarian’s Love Letters and Break-Up Notes to the Books in Her Life” by Annie Spence.
Adult nonfiction: “The Moth Presents All These Wonders: True Stories About Facing the Unknown” by Catherine Burns; “Killers of the Flower Moon” by David Grann.
Biography/memoir: “Grant” by Ron Chernow; “Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery” by Scott Kelly.
Sci-fi/fantasy/horror: “The Power” by Naomi Alderman; “Meddling Kids” by Edgar Cantero.
Graphic novels: “Adulthood is a Myth” by Sarah Andersen; “My Favorite Thing is Monsters” by Emil Ferris.
Mystery/thriller: “Are You Sleeping” by Kathleen Barber; “Magpie Murders” by Anthony Horowitz.
Kathleen O’Dell is community relations director of the Springfield-Greene County Library District. She can be reached at kathleeno@thelibrary.org.