Which books to gift this season
(BPT) - There are few things more pleasurable than curling up with a good book on a cold winter day, and if you have a reader on your holiday gift list, you’ll likely want to create that experience for them. With so many great books out there, how do you find the right book for the right person?
To help you in your search, the Amazon Books Editors have chosen a list of their favorite titles from this year for readers of all types. As part of their work, each of the Amazon Books Editors read more than 500 books a year and the team has narrowed that list down to the titles that truly grabbed their attention.
“After much voracious reading and carefully passionate discussions, the editorial team has settled on this list of favorite 2014 books,” says Sara Nelson, Editorial Director of Books and Kindle at Amazon.com. “Choosing our picks is a long, interesting process that we love.”
The book for the person who has everything
True bookworms can be the hardest to shop for as they already seem to have everything. For this person on your list, try and find an unexpected way to match the book to their interests. For example, a people watcher will find the picture book, Humans of New York, a great choice. Another option is Little Humans, a warm and vivid collection of street photography and interviews with some of the diverse children of New York City. For the movie buff, there’s the beautiful The Making of Gone with the Wind that celebrates the 75th anniversary of one of the most popular films of all time. Another movie pick is the fascinating, Boyhood: Twelve Years on Film, which chronicles the making of this unusual film about 12 years in the life of a family, complete with photos of the actors as they aged.
Non-fiction and great gifts for Dad
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace is a must-read for every man who has ever been or ever will be the father of a college student. It centers on two boys, one poor and black, one white and well to do, and their friendship at an Ivy League University. One survived and thrived, and the other flamed out; it’s sad, moving, personal and reportorial, all at once.
For the dad who is an adventurer, armchair and otherwise, try In the Kingdom of Ice, which is an old-fashioned boys’ adventure story. Similar to titles such as The Perfect Storm and Lost City of Z, the book chronicles a famous historical incident, both from the point of view of the people adventuring and those left behind.
Cookbooks for the cooks and foodies on your list
America’s thriving food culture has inspired great new cookbooks to give as gifts. Which delicious book should you give your favorite chef?
The Pollan Family Table has great recipes, pictures and writing all by the family of Corky Pollan. She practically invented food coverage in New York Magazine, and one of her daughters is Tracy Pollan, the actress married to Michael J Fox.
Prune by Gabrielle Hamilton is yet more proof that great cooks can also be good writers – something established by Hamilton’s earlier memoir Blood Bones and Butter. This cookbook explores how she invented the menu for her award-winning New York City restaurant of the same name. Complete with more than 250 recipes and 250 color photographs, home cooks will find Prune’s most requested recipes to try themselves.
Books to encourage kids to read
Encouraging little readers can be tough, but the right choice can inspire them to drop the video game for time reading on the couch. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the boxed set or the latest installment, The Long Haul, all make great options for reading gifts. Long revered for helping reluctant readers learn to read, the drawings and writing will appeal to any young reader, reluctant or not.
Best fiction picks
Everything I Never Told You is a searing, emotional novel by Celeste Ng. This book was the Amazon Editors top pick of the year, and it is reminiscent of The Lovely Bones. Euphoria by Lily King, a prizewinning take on the life of an anthropologist, her husband and her lover, is another fantastic choice.
Best book to gift yourself this year
Who says you can’t get a book of your own this season? Young women are crowding around Lena Dunham’s Not That Kind of Girl whether they love her or hate her. For the class clown, Martin Short’s autobiography, I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend, is gentle and funny. For the mystery-seeker, Anthony Horowitz’s Moriarty continues the adventure between Sherlock Holmes and his evil nemesis, Professor James Moriarty.
You can learn more about each of these titles by visiting www.amazon.com/books, and don’t forget the Kindle e-book option, giving even the biggest procrastinators the chance to gift a great read at the last minute.