Holiday Gift Guide for the Book Lover

To me, Christmas just isn’t Christmas without a stack of must reads on my nightstand. Just like summer reading, it’s one of my favourite times of the year to plunk down on the sofa with a cup of coffee and devour book after book. So in light of that, I just HAD to do one final round up and this time it’s a holiday gift guide for the book lover in your life, like yours truly! I own the majority of these narratives, novels and cookbooks and so, I compiled this list with a lot of thought, trying to showcase new works, while including some tried and true oldies too. I hope you can find at least one new read for someone special on your list!

Our Souls at Night – Making a lot of “Best Books of 2015” lists, this novel is not to be missed. Written as he knew his life was coming to an end, Kent Haruf delivers a profound final novel about finding love in the final chapter of our lives.

Shadow of the Wind – One of my favourite reads of all time, this harrowing novel is set in a 1945 Gothic Barcelona and centres around a mysterious author and book. Quite simply, it is a story filled with murder, mystery, madness and doomed love. You won’t put it down, trust me.

Hausfrau – See how I felt about this book in one of my Inspired Reads posts. This one is also making a lot of “best of” lists and I can definitely see why. I very sensual yet sad tale of a woman torn between her familial duty, intense desires and dark despairs that drive her to the brink.

Fifteen Dogs – Perhaps this book can be known as the Award Winner! SO many accolades are coming in for this novel about a bet between the Gods Hermes and Apollo, that leads them to grant human consciousness and language to a group of dogs. And I love dogs, so an easy win in my books!

#GIRLBOSS – It’s safe to say that most gals have read this one but if it hasn’t made it’s way into your home, I highly recommend it! The founder of Nasty Gal offers a pretty sassy yet inspirational manifesto about channeling your passion and doing meaningful work. Love that!

Furiously Happy – ‘We’re all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it.’ Yes, this book IS about mental illness, but under the surface it’s about embracing joy in fantastic and outrageous ways-and who doesn’t need a bit more of that? (same author who wrote Let’s Pretend this Never Happened).

Big Magic – I love Elizabeth Gilbert and yes, I have read every one of her books. I am so happy that she chose to write about the mysterious nature of inspiration. I know that I want to live my most creative life, as I’m sure many of us do, and this work is an honest discussion, a big dose of inspiration and an overall joy to read, as I navigate what it means to be creative.

Why Not Me? – Sure to make you chuckle, Mindy Kaling does it again with her second book. Very readable, relatable and just the right amount of inspirational. 

Paris – I have read all of Edward Rutherfurd’s incredible historical fictions and this one is my favourite. A dazzling read about the history of the city of lights, told through various characters all connected through time by this mesmerizing city.

The Nightingale – I wrote a whole post about how much I loved this novel. Check it out here.

Z – A look into the Jazz age and the tumultuous relationship between Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Maybe it’s simply because of the appeal of this revolutionary time period but I loved getting a glimpse into this world. And, Therese Anne Fowler did her research!! Beautifully done!

The Josephine B Trilogy – The most epic historical fiction trilogy I have ever come across. Josephine’s incredible life, told through diary entries, completely came alive for me, so much so that this series still remains my favourite to this day. It is one that, despite its volume, I revisit regularly, even though it will never compare to the first time I read its pages in Paris itself. Sheer magic! 

3 Times a Day – What started with a blog, became a gorgeous cookbook whose aim was to transform the relationship people have with food for the better – and to encourage them to take a fun and unpretentious approach to how and what we eat.

Back to Basics – After meeting Chef Michael Smith this fall, I simply had to include one of his cookbooks. I love his approach…100 simple recipes with a twist means anyone can cook! Even me!

Thug Kitchen: Party Grub – cooking may not get any more fun than this! Quite simply, the recipes are great and the commentary is hilarious.

Duchess Bake Shop – I received this baking book last year for Christmas and I have to admit it is the most gorgeous cookbook I have ever owned and looks picture perfect sitting on my shelf. But the recipes are divine too and perfect for anyone who can’t get to Duchess here in the city for their heavenly creations. 

And finally, some of my favourite classics. You really can’t go wrong with any choice but I absolutely love One Hundred Years of Solitude, A Tale of Two Cities, The Handmaid’s Tale and March.

So run to Chapters or your local bookstore and pick up a book or two! Happy reading and happy holidays! xo