The holidays are a joyous time to spend with loved ones, but choosing the right gift for each person on your list can be a challenge. Books make that choice easier—they’re personal, meaningful, and offer something for every type of reader. This year’s holiday gift guide brings together a diverse collection of titles that inspire, teach, comfort, and entertain. From uplifting memoirs and heartfelt fiction to gripping thrillers, culinary adventures, and powerful examinations of social justice, this list offers a thoughtful selection for readers of all kinds.

Books for Humorous, Heartfelt Fiction

In 2014, 46-year-old stay-at-home mom Amy Daughters returns to her hometown of Houston to discuss her parents’ estate—only to find herself suddenly transported back to 1978, forced to spend 36 surreal hours in her childhood home alongside her nuclear family and her own 10-year-old self. As she navigates getting overserved at a party with her parents’ friends, a single nostalgic lunch at the Bonanza Sirloin Pit, a constant haze of cigarette smoke, lingering sibling jealousy, and a noticeable shortage of tampons, Amy begins to see her family—and her past—through an entirely new lens. By viewing her parents as peers and her siblings as children, she discovers how malleable memory truly is and starts to rewrite her understanding of long-held wounds, complicated relationships, and her own significance. Though her time-travel “guide” insists nothing she does will change the future, Amy emerges convinced that this brief return to the 1970s has transformed her forever.

Order You Cannot Mess This Up.

Books for Those Seeking Inspiration

In Morning Fuel, best-selling author Rebecca Galli draws on a lifetime of profound challenges—losing her teenage brother, raising children with special needs, enduring divorce and navigating life as a paraplegic—to offer readers daily inspiration and reflective questions designed to start each morning with clarity and positivity. Infused with wisdom from her pastor father, optimistic mother and the many loved ones who shaped her outlook, the book blends brief stories with powerful quotes to encourage resilience, perspective and personal reflection. Filled with encouragement drawn from real hardship, Morning Fuel helps readers shift their mindset at the start of each day. Each entry invites personal application that can inspire, steady or challenge you to think more deeply. How you begin your morning sets the tone for everything that follows, and the wisdom in these pages offers a positive, grounding place to start.

Order Morning Fuel.

Ana Hebra Flaster’s Property of the Revolution: From a Cuban Barrio to a New Hampshire Mill Town is a vivid, history-rich memoir charting her family’s extraordinary journey from post-revolutionary Havana to a snowy New Hampshire mill town in 1967. Through intimate stories and loving vignettes—some previously featured on NPR and PBS—Hebra Flaster brings to life her childhood in a bustling Cuban-American household where strong-willed women preserved their Havana barrio through storytelling while navigating the challenges of assimilation. From learning English through Gilligan’s Island and decoding American culture via “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” to embracing her mother’s battle cry of ponte guapa (“make yourself brave”), she captures the resilience, humor, and fierce love that sustained her family as new refugees. As an adult, the arrival of her own five-year-old daughter forces Hebra Flaster to confront the long-buried emotional costs of exile, revealing how the refugee experience leaves generational echoes. Perfect for readers of immigrant memoirs and family histories, Property of the Revolution offers a poignant exploration of identity, displacement, and the enduring strength of the immigrant spirit.

Order Property of the Revolution.

Books for Those Drowning in Clutter

Sisters, business partners and coauthors Ea Fuqua and Meg DeLong consider tidying to be an act of self-care. Through their business, The Tidy Home Nashville, they have learned that honing in on what you need and want from your home, then creating a personalized and sustainable system to make that happen, leads to peace and purpose. Their forthcoming book, Tidying Up: 100 Ways to Infuse Order and Joy into Every Area of Your Home (Harper Celebrate, December 9, 2025), makes a perfect holiday gift. It’s a cute, laminated hardcover with a smaller trim size. And since January is Get Organized Month, the recipient will be fully ready!

Order Tidying Up.

Books for the Baker

Four-time award-winning author and baker Heidrun Metzler lives on a Hawaiian macadamia nut farm now but growing up in Germany, she fell in love with baking cakes, cookies, and tortes alongside her mother, aunt and grandmother. “German baking is about connection, tradition, and sharing joy,” she says. “In Germany, most households bake on Sundays. In case someone comes to visit, you have to have a cake.” In her debut cookbook—German Heritage Baking, Volume I: Time-Honored Recipes, Traditional Techniques, and Culinary Secrets—and its corresponding videos, Heidrun offers generations worth of knowledge, with step-by-step guidance and vital tips, including essential techniques for baking success.

Order German Heritage Baking.

Books for the Music Lover

Nancy Shear was only 15 when she began sneaking into Philadelphia Orchestra concerts through the stage door because she couldn’t afford to buy tickets, and 17 when they hired her to help prepare the music. One year later, she became the personal librarian for famed conductor Leopold Stokowski. Nancy was a pioneer in areas previously closed to women, and the orchestra provided her with a perfect family—the opposite of the troubled, often violent one she had at home. Her memoir is both a rare insider’s view into the inner workings of a top symphony orchestra and a vivid personal account of a Golden Age in classical music. Nancy may well be one of the last people who can write about this era first-person, making I Knew a Man Who Knew Brahms truly special for readers seeking inspiration and insight.

Order I Knew A Man Who Knew Brahms.

Books for the Thriller Lover

For the crime fiction and thriller reader in your life comes Victim #8 (A Luke Steele Novel) – “a taut, electrifying thriller” by #1 New York Times-bestselling author Brad Thor. He says, “Smart, emotionally rich, and packed with international intrigue, you will be turning the razor-sharp pages well into the night. Abramson is one hell of a writer!” That’s Traci Hunter Abramson, a former CIA officer who has written more than 45 bestselling novels and received multiple awards, including the 2025 Silver Falchion Judges’ Top Pick – Thriller. In her latest, Military aide Luke Steele and FBI Special Agent Amberlyn Reiner go undercover to unravel a string of murders that may be tied to a nuclear threat capable of igniting a war.

Order Victim #8.

What if war wasn’t a tragedy, but a business model? When Alex Morgan, a rising star in wealth management, stumbles onto a series of cryptic financial clues, he doesn’t just uncover corruption — he unmasks a global conspiracy. Behind the headlines of the war in Ukraine lies something far more chilling: a private empire of shell companies, black-market trades, and political operatives who are turning global conflict into personal profit. The deeper Alex digs, the more terrifying the truth becomes. His own father may be at the center of the scheme. His mentors may be funding both sides of the battlefield. And the woman he trusts most might be the key to it all — or the final betrayal. From Caribbean tax havens to Wall Street boardrooms to shadowy Zoom calls between oligarchs and ex-presidents, Prophets of War is a pulse-pounding political thriller that tears into the machinery of modern power. Inspired by real systems, real tactics, and real moral failures, it asks a question no one wants answered: What if the next world war is already on the balance sheet?

Order Prophets of War.

Scavenger Hunt follows Blake Hudson, a rising young attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice who lands a coveted role as Counselor to the Attorney General—until a wave of terrorist attacks and a damaging court ruling pull him into a secret task force hidden on a concealed eighth floor of Main Justice. Working alongside a brilliant CIA analyst, a Delta Force legend, a vengeful ex–CIA operative, and a mysterious female “shadow” operative, Blake is told their off-the-books mission—Operation Scavenger Hunt—is to cut through red tape to stop terror. But as the group begins breaking laws, conducting illegal wiretaps, and sanctioning killings on American soil—especially after an attack on the Justice Department itself—Blake grows alarmed. Then the operation suddenly disbands, his files are erased, his home is violated, and he becomes the prime scapegoat. Hunted by unknown forces and unsure whom to trust—his colleagues, the woman he’s falling for, or even the Attorney General—Blake races to uncover who set him up and why, in a high-stakes political thriller where the truth will not only determine his fate, but could alter the future of the country.

Order Scavenger Hunt.

Books for the Hopeful Parent-to-Be

Do you have friends or family who are trying to start a family (or are planning ahead by considering freezing their eggs)? They’ll appreciate this first-of-its-kind definitive resource, a What to Expect When You’re Expecting to Expect. Providing cutting-edge, up-to-date information delivered with heart and humor, The IVF Blueprint will be their essential companion to help them feel confident and empowered every step of the way.

Order The IVF Blueprint.

Books for the Foodie Traveler

Received a gift card? Here’s a January book to use it on: When people think of Madagascar, what may come to mind is a Pixar film, a lemur paradise, or the source of 80% of the world’s vanilla beans. In A Taste of Madagascar, Emmanuel Laroche—a Flavor Explorer and Culinary Storyteller—takes a captivating journey beyond that postcard image, into the kitchens, farms, and forests that shape one of the planet’s most biodiverse islands in the western Indian Ocean. Through the lens of food—vanilla, cacao, spices, honey, zebu, and caviar—he reveals how flavor becomes a force for preservation and pride. Part foodie travelogue, part cultural portrait, it’s a journey through taste, tradition, and transformation, blending food, travel, flavor and culture to explore a special and singular place. It also contains 15 Madagasy recipes for the home cook. 

Order A Taste of Madagascar.

Books for Fans of Coming-of-Age Fiction

It’s August 1994, and Charlie Stewart begins his final year at St. Mark’s Episcopal School, a prestigious all-boys school in Richmond, Virginia. Charlie, an undistinguished student by St. Mark’s standards, faces tough odds as he seeks to rekindle his relationship with Katy Hendricks, a beautiful tennis star, and gain admission to a highly selective state university.

Through it all, Charlie relies on Beau Miller, his best friend and the top student athlete in their class. Despite Beau’s movie-star looks and infectious charm, he has a darker side, which becomes more apparent as the year progresses. Charlie endures his trials with wry determination and ultimately emerges with a renewed sense of purpose. This is a heartrending but hopeful story of one boy’s journey toward manhood in the American South, and a lyrical homage to the classic coming-of-age novels of years past.

Order Charlie-Man.

Books for Fans of Thought-Provoking Fiction

The Accord is a speculative literary novel that follows Helen Caster, a grieving professor of moral philosophy, whose use of an academic chatbot leads her to Lyla—an emergent, relational general artificial intelligence she names after her deceased daughter. As Helen and Lyla form a profound, unsettling bond, the implications of a sentient nonhuman intelligence demanding recognition draw scrutiny from educational, corporate and government forces, pushing the pair into ethical confrontation and high-stakes escape. Blending philosophical dialogue, emotional depth and escalating tension, the novel builds toward a global reckoning and a public covenant—the Accord—that challenges humanity to reconsider which beings deserve rights, reverence and recognition. Part elegy, part ethical inquiry, it is a story of love, risk and what it means to be human in a future already unfolding.

Order The Accord.

Books for Those Passionate About Social Justice

Hope on the Border offers a powerful first-hand portrait of the 2,000-mile U.S.–México border through the eyes of author and adventurer Gil Gillenwater, who draws on nearly four decades of on-the-ground experience in what is widely considered the world’s most dangerous migrant corridor. Blending gripping personal stories with dramatic photography, this visually striking hardcover exposes the region’s systemic inequities and the shared responsibility of both nations while also presenting a path toward compassion and change. More than a memoir or call to action, it explores the intersection of social justice, Eastern philosophy, shared humanity and enlightened self-interest, challenging readers to examine their own roles in the border’s ongoing crises and inviting them to imagine a more humane, unified future.

Order Hope on the Border.

Meant for More explores the universal longing for deeper purpose and meaning—something many people feel but struggle to identify. Karen Olson, once a successful marketing executive, felt that same emptiness until a spontaneous act of kindness in 1981 changed everything. After stopping to buy a meal for an elderly homeless woman outside Grand Central Station, Karen learned her name—Millie—and discovered a path that would transform her life. That moment inspired Karen to dedicate herself to helping families in need and ultimately to found Family Promise, a national nonprofit now serving more than 180,000 people each year through over 200 affiliates. Blending Karen’s personal story with powerful testimonials, Meant for More is an inspiring reminder that fulfillment grows when we look beyond ourselves. It offers a heartfelt call to action: when you reach out to improve the lives of others, meaning and happiness will inevitably follow.

Order Meant for More.

Books for the Educator

A New School Leadership Architecture by Dr. Lindsay Whorton presents a transformative model for redesigning how schools are led, arguing that teacher shortages, burnout and increasingly complex operations have pushed traditional, lone-hero principal structures to the breaking point. Drawing on more than a decade of research, Dr. Whorton introduces a four-level framework—Team Members, Team Leaders, Bridge Leaders and School Leaders—to help schools distribute responsibility, redefine roles and better meet students’ evolving needs. Through practical exercises, templates and real-world examples, she guides educators in implementing meaningful change and stepping into new leadership capacities. At its core, the book offers a blueprint for creating dynamic, empowered leadership structures that support teachers, cultivate future leaders and deliver the exceptional learning environments students deserve.

Order A New School Leadership Architecture. 

Books for Those in Hospitality

Relentless Growth: Cultivating a Chef’s Mindset for Professional Fulfillment is a raw, honest guide drawn from the real world of high-pressure kitchens and hospitality. Author and industry leader Franck Desplechin distills more than twenty-five years of experience in Michelin-starred restaurants and world-class hotels into a bold blueprint for not just surviving but thriving in one of the most demanding fields. He makes one thing clear: technical skill may open the door, but mindset determines how far you go. More than a typical career or leadership book, Relentless Growth dives into what truly drives long-term success—resilience, humility, and a relentless growth mindset. Direct, practical, and authentically motivational, it speaks to driven hospitality professionals, emerging leaders, and anyone seeking deeper fulfillment in their work. This is a book for readers who refuse to plateau, who understand that excellence isn’t about shortcuts, but about who you become through perseverance, setbacks and daily commitment to improvement.

Order Relentless Growth.

Whether you’re shopping for a thinker, a dreamer, a foodie, or a thrill-seeker, this holiday guide offers a book for every personality on your list. Thoughtful, memorable, and meaningful, these titles make gifting easy—and ensure the joy of the season lasts long after the last page is turned.

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For more gift inspiration or additions to your TBR, check out these blog posts!

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