By Heidi Simmons
When it comes to gift giving, there are four things that make a gift perfect. One, it’s best to find a gift that is personal, thoughtful, intriguing, exciting and fun. Second and third, the gift should be easy to find and easy to wrap. And fourth, best of all, if you can purchase the perfect gift for everyone on your list from age one to 99 at one location! That makes books perfect presents and there are thousands of choices at the local Barnes and Noble.
Here are some ideas for those who ma
Children: Nanette’s Baguette written and illustrated by Mo Willems, The Bear Ate Your Sandwich written and illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach, The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill, Frazzled: Everyday Disasters and Impending Doom written and illustrated by Booki Vivat
Teens: All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige, Holding up the Universe by Jennifer Niven, Rad Women Worldwide: Artists and Athletes, Pirates and Punks, and Other Revolutionaries Who Shaped History by Kate Schatz.
Young Adult: Kids of Appetite by David Arnold, Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow,
Hippie Millennial: Brave New Weed: Adventures Into the Uncharted World of Cannabis by Joe Dolce, Creating Freedom: The Lottery of Birth, The Illusion of Consent and the Fight for Our Future by Raoul Martinez, The Constitution Today: Timeless Lessons for the Issues of Our Era by Akhil Reed Amar,
Cooks and Foodies: Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine by Sarah Lohman, The Ethical Carnivore: My Year Killing to Eat by Louise Gray, Devoured: From Chicken Wings to Kale Smoothies — How We Eat Defines Who We Are by Sophie Egan
Celebrity Junkies: A Life in Parts by Bryan Cranston, Scrappy little Nobody by Anna Kendrick, In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem and Fun in the Sandbox by Carol Burnett, The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son on Life, Love and Loss by Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt.
Readers Who Are Writers: A Lowcountry Heart: Reflections on a Writing Life by Pat Conroy, The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories From My Life John le Carré.
Literary Snobs: Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple, Commonwealth by Ann Patchett, The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, Larose by Louise Erdrich.
Conservative Cousins: Come and Take It: The Gun Printer’s Guide to Thinking Free by Cody Wilson, America The Anxious: How our Pursuit of Happiness is Creating a Nation of Nervous Wrecks by Ruth Whippman, Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the America Right by Arlie Russel Hochschild
Sports Fans: Gunslinger: The remarkable, Improbable, Iconic Life of Brett Favre by Jeff Pearlman, Arnold Palmer: My Stories by Arnold Palmer,
History Buffs: The General Vs. The President: Macarthur and Truman at the Brink of Nuclear War by H.W. Brands, Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, A Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill, The Secret War: Spies, Ciphers and Guerrillas, 1939-1945 by Max Hastings.
Business Folks: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth, Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start-Up Bubble by Dan Lyons, Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg.
Fiction Fans: The Nix by Nathan Hill, Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson, Tom Clancy Duty and Honor by Grant Blackwood, Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler, The Second Life of Nick Mason by Steve Hamilton.
Mystery and Thriller Lovers: The Great Reckoning by Louise Penny, Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, Guilty Minds by Joseph Finder.
Socially Conscious People: The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race by Jesmyn Ward, Adnan’s Story: The Search for Truth and Justice After “Serial” by Rabia Chaudry.
Political people: Trump Revealed: An American Journey of Ambitions, Ego, Money and Power by Michael Kranish and Marc Fisher, Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations by Thomas L. Friedman
Nature and Animal Lovers: Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal, The Unnatural World: The Race to Remake Civilization in Earth’s Newest Age by David Biello.
Sci-fi and Fantasy Fans: Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake, Replica by Lauren Oliver, The Reader by Traci Chee, The Rose and the Dagger by Reneé Ahdieh.
Rock ‘n Rollers: Testimony by Robbie Robertson, I Am Brian Wilson: A Memoir by Brian Wilson and Ben Greenman, Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen.
People Who Love People: American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst by Jeffery Toobin, You’ll Grow Out of It by Jessi Klien, Ray & Joan: The Man Who Made the McDonalds Fortune and the Woman Who Gave It All Away by Lisa Napoli.
Science and Tech Minds: The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee, Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger, The Big Picture: On The Origins of Life, Meaning and the Universe Itself by Sean Carroll.
Short Burst Readers: Paris For One and Other Stories by Jojo Moyes, The View From the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction by Neil Gaiman.
Graphic Novels: The Singing Bones written and illustrated by Shaun Tan, SP4Rx written and illustrated by Wren McDonald.
There is a book for everyone. Merry Christmas.
