The Best Books to Give as Gifts for Everyone on Your List
Books are some of the best gifts to give, no matter the occasion. Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day, Father's Day—or simply because you found a book that made you think of someone—a great book feels personal without being complicated.
We have friends with a Christmas tradition I've always loved. Instead of buying a bunch of random presents, everyone in the family gets four gifts:
- something you want
- something you need
- something to wear
- something to read
And really, who doesn't love having something new to read?
So we pulled together some of the best books to give as gifts for all kinds of people in your life. These aren't books we found on a "best seller" list just to fill out a gift guide. They're books we've actually read (or, in one case, written!) and still love.
From kids and history buffs to fantasy lovers, memoir readers, outdoor adventurers and more, here are 12 of our favorite books to give—and hopefully a few that will be perfect for someone on your list.
For the Fantasy Lover
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
Bill and about 80% of his friend group are obsessed with this series. If you have a person in your life that dabbles into the fantasy genre or loves a good RPG get them Dungeon Crawler Carl.
For the Nature Kid
Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World
by Julia Rothman
Really the Nature Anatomy book (and all of Julia Rothman's books in this series) are an excellent gift for kids or adults. The illustrations are beautiful and the random facts are so fun to learn.
For the History Buff
The Small and Mighty by Sharon McMahon
This compilation of historical stories is such a great read and will fill any history buff with a bit of hope for the future. The Small and Mighty is an easy read and a perfect gift for a history buff or anyone who just loves interesting stories.
For the Athlete
Just Add Water by Katie Ledecky
Even if your kid or friend isn't a swimmer, Katie Ledecky's Just Add Water is a great book for any young athlete. Her dedication to the sport, practical life advice, and stories of going to the Olympics at 16 are excellent for anyone.
For the Fact Lover
Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green
This is one of those books that leaves you saying, 'wow, that really happened'. Everything Is Tuberculosis is a great book for anyone who loves interesting history or random facts.
For the Young Kiddos
Iggy Peck, Architect (The Questioneers) by Andrea Beaty
This is the first book in The Questioneers series, all of them are AMAZING. We still love these books and they're our favorite gift for anyone with a young kid.
For the Teens
The Dragonet Prophecy: Wings of Fire, Book #1 by Tui T. Sutherland
Wings of Fire is an excellent series for preteens and teens alike. If your teen is more of a graphic novel fan, they have those too.
For the TX State Park Lover Texas State Park Journal
by Christina Sizemore
Did I write this book? Yep. Do I still think it's the perfect gift for the Texas State Park lover on your list? Also Yep. Texas State Park Journal gives the reader a place to record their travels.
For the Memoir Readers
Be Ready When Luck Happens by Ina Garten
This is a great book for anyone who likes an interesting memoir or if you're someone who's watched Ina's Barefoot Contessa show on Food Network. How she got to the show, super interesting story.
For the Alice Lover
Alice and The Hidden 150 by Bridgette Mongeon
Take an inside look into Bridgette's famous sculpture Move One Place On as well as explore the digital sculpting process and the 150 nods to the original story she hid in the sculpture.
For the Artist
The Reverse Coloring Book
by Kendra Norton
Not so much a book, not so much a coloring book, but a Reverse Coloring Book. This is a great book for kids and adults and challenges the reader to add the line back to color already on the page.
For the Nature Lover
Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America
We mentioned this book before in our best field guides post, but it's so good, it's worth a second mention here. If there is anyone in your life remotely interested in birds, they will want this bird guide.
Part of the Gifts for People Who Do Things Series
Forget more stuff for the sake of stuff. Our gift guides are filled with things that help the people you love get outside, make something, grow something, learn something or plan their next adventure. These are gifts we've used, loved and would be genuinely happy to unwrap ourselves.
Please note these are all products we've used. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. These small commissions help fund our adventures, or at least they can buy us a coffee along the road.