16 Books That Make for Perfect Gifts
All of your holiday shopping, done in 32 clicks?
If you’re like me, you’re a bit conflicted when it comes to Christmas gifts. While it’s fun to buy people things they like, it’s not always easy to know what those things are. A lot of gifts end up getting thrown out, are never used, or are worn begrudgingly.
Wow, thanks nan! Those are exactly the kind of thick grey woolly socks all the cool kids at school are wearing…
If so, you might be interested in something I’m trying this Christmas: when you find yourself struggling to come up with a meaningful gift idea, consider giving a carefully chosen book. If possible, a used book. Because words don’t go off once they’ve been read, and books don’t run out of batteries.
If the book is good enough, the recipient will be so hooked after one chapter that they might even forget to feel bad about that novelty mug they got you.
Used is the new new.
Which book? Easy. I take it you’ve probably got a friend who spends most of their free time in the gym? Maybe another friend you rarely see because they’re always working? A friend who watches repeats of cooking shows, but is ‘too busy’ to actually cook? A crazy friend with an endless stream of mad ideas?
For each of these friends, I’ve picked out a book they’ll love. Some of the books are bestsellers, others are more niche. Most of these I’ve given as gifts or will be giving this year.
The Fitness Freak
Born to Run — Christopher McDougall
Did you know that primitive humans used to hunt prey not by outsmarting them, but by outrunning them? The only reason they’ll want to stop reading this book is to put their trainers on (or not!) and go running.
The Romantic
The Rosie Project — Graeme Simsion
A look into the mind of adorable autistic academic Don Tillman as he employs questionnaires in his search for a girlfriend. If it’s good enough for Bill Gates’ friends, it should be good enough for yours.
The Traveller
Vagabonding — Rolf Potts
The ultimate guide to long-term travel. If they’ve been thinking about taking some time out to explore, this will help them do it.
“Vagabonding involves taking an extended time-out from your normal life — six weeks, four months, two years — to travel the world on your own terms.”
The Psychologist
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Save them the effort of reading Freakonomics, Malcolm Gladwell, and countless other pop psychology/economics books.
The author of this book spent fifty years doing research in behavioural psychology and every chapter of this book has spawned multiple other books.
The Scientist
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks — Rebecca Skloot
The fascinating true story of the first human immortal cell line that revolutionised medical research.
“Henrietta’s [cells] were different: they reproduced an entire generation every twenty-four hours, and they never stopped. They became the first immortal human cells ever grown in a laboratory.”
The Eco Warrior
How Bad Are Bananas?
Set their facts straight and show them which things actually make a difference, and which are just a waste of time.
“On average, if you used public toilets six times per day, your hand drying would produce around 15 kg per year; equivalent to 1 kg of beef. “
The Outdoors Fan
High Infatuation: A Climber’s Guide to Love and Gravity
Let top climber Steph Davis inspire them as she shares some of her best stories and her outlook on life. On running into a polar bear she writes:
“I am deeply impressed and instantly stop speculating about how to survive a polar bear attack. One look has shown me that if a polar bear wants to eat me, it will, and there’s no point worrying about it.”
The Philosopher
On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are — Alan Watts
An exploration of the self in Eastern philosophy, from a Western point of view.
“There is a growing apprehension that existence is a rat-race in a trap: living organisms, including people, are merely tubes which put things in at one end and let them out at the other, which both keeps them doing it and in the long run wears them out. “
The Big Thinker
A Short History of Nearly Everything — Bill Bryson
Bring them up to speed with this engaging history of science.
“In France, a chemist named Pilatre de Rozier tested the flammability of hydrogen by gulping a mouthful and blowing across an open flame, proving at a stroke that hydrogen is indeed explosively combustible and that eyebrows are not necessarily a permanent feature of one’s face.”
The Business(wo)man
The Little Prince
This book is so short they’ll have no excuse not to read it, and it might even get them to enjoy things and take themselves less seriously.
“Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them”
More great quotes on Buzzfeed.
The Atheist
The Selfish Gene — Richard Dawkins
Show them the fundamental driving forces behind the evolutionary process that has shaped the natural world.
This book puts together the missing pieces in Darwin’s theory to make it so complete and beautiful that it almost seems obvious.
The Food Channel Addict
The Four Hour Chef — Tim Ferriss
Get them cooking with this low-friction zero-to-hero guide that focuses on quick, easy to cook dishes using standard ingredients and tools.
Includes useful (optional) chapters on how to learn any new skill quickly.
The Career-Conflicted Idealist
So Good They Can’t Ignore You — Cal Newport
Show them the path to a job they will love. The author shares his own journey and other interesting case studies.
“Passion comes after you put in the hard work to become excellent at something valuable, not before. In other words, what you do for a living is much less important than how you do it. ”
The Tinkerer
Surely You’re Joking, Mr Feynman!
Give them a new role model in the form of Richard Feynman — Nobel prize-winning physicist, independent thinker, eternal prankster, and master of the bongos.
“You have no responsibility to live up to what other people think you ought to accomplish. I have no responsibility to be like they expect me to be. It’s their mistake, not my failing.”
Thanks for reading! I hope you’ve found a great gift here. Sharing/recommending much appreciated :-)
For more reading tips, check out this article.
