When in doubt, give books. Our annual list of the best volumes to give—and receive—is sure to inspire.

BOOKS ABOUT SEXY ROMANTIC RIVALS

Not In My Book, Katie Holt, $26

Alcove Press

Romance tropes like enemies-to-lovers scenarios and forced proximity arrangements, when done well, hit the spot. This debut romance is a case in point: When passionate Rosie butts heads in her writing class with surly Aiden one too many times, their professor gives them an assignment to co-author a novel that combines their genres. Working together—and thinking up steamy love scenes—has this opposites-attract couple soon feeling all the feels. 

• Pick-Up, Nora Dahlia, $26
• A Five-Letter Word For Love, Amy James, $24
• Puck and Prejudice, Lia Riley, $24
• The Serpent and the Wolf, Rebecca Robinson, $35
• Lost and Lassoed, Lyla Sage, $25
• Duchess Material, Emily Sullivan, $18

BOOKS ABOUT THRILLING, CHILLING EVENTS

Buried Road, Katie Tallo, $24

Harper Paperbacks

Katie Tallo’s Augusta (Gus) Monet series, and cements the author’s reputation as a crime writer to watch. Told from the viewpoint of Gus’s daughter, Bly, Buried Road centres on the disappearance of Gus’s long-lost love, Howard, a reporter. Mother and daughter venture back to the last place they were with Howard, determined to find out what happened to him—and the explosive story he’d been writing. 

 

• I Might Be In Trouble, Daniel Aleman, $29
• The Close Up, Pip Drysdale, $25
• Now Or Never: A Stephanie Plum Novel, Janet Evanovich, $20
• Midnight and Blue, Ian Rankin, $29
• Pretty Dead Things, Lilian West, $41

 

Books loaded with tasty recipes

 

Some of these culinary geniuses are new authors, some are legends, but they all know their way around the kitchen.

• The Curated Board, Bebe Black Carminito, $32
• Well Plated Every Day, Erin Clarke, $48
• The Bacon, Butter, Bourbon & Chocolate Cookbook, Bruno Feldeisen, $35
• Chuck's Home Cooking, Chuck Hughes, $40
• Easy Wins, Anna Jones, $40
• Salt Hank: A Five Napkin Situation, Henry Laporte, $45
• My Mexican Kitchen, Eva Longoria, $48
• Matty Matheson: Soups, Salads, Sandwiches, Matty Matheson, $48
• Simply Jamie: Fast & Simple Food, Jamie Oliver, $45
• Ottolenghi Comfort, Yotam Ottolenghi, $45
• Good Lookin' Cookin': A Year Of Meals, Dolly Parton and Rachel Parton George, $48
• Not Too Sweet, Jessica Seinfeld, $44
• Martha: The Cookbook, Martha Stewart, $54

 

 

BOOKS ABOUT UNCONVENTIONAL WOMEN WHO’VE BROKEN THE MOLD

Nora Ephron At The Movies, Ilana Kaplan, $63

ABRAMS Books

Visionary writer and director Nora Ephron is synonymous with smart, funny, female-led rom-coms of the ’90s that reflected real women displaying all their insecurities as well as all their charms (think: Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally, Heartburn). This intimate monograph explores her life and legacy through detailed critiques of her work as well as interviews with colleagues. 

• Didion and Babitz, Lili Anolik, $40
• Minus 30, Angela Boehm, $80
• Queen of the Mist, Caroline Cauchi, $26
• Taylor Swift Style: Fashion Through The Eras, Sarah Chapelle, $47
• Cher: The Memoir, Part One, Cher, $45

BOOKS ABOUT THE WORLD AROUND US

THE SERVICEBERRY, Robin Wall Kimmerer, $25

Scribner

Open this rich book and you open a world of possibilities. Robin Wall Kimmerer, revered author of Braiding Sweetgrass, has once again offered up thoughts on a more considered way to live. Taking the serviceberry tree as her archetype, she eschews the current model of global economics—one of market-based competition and stock-piling resources—and instead explores the plant world’s embodiment of reciprocity, connectedness and gratitude. 

• Lost Gardens Of The World, Sandra Lawrence, $30
• The City And Its Uncertain Walls, Haruki Murakami, $42
• The Backyard Stargazer's Bible, Ian Ridpath, Mary McIntyre, Rachel Federman, $50
• Horti Curious, Ann Treneman, $32
• Reconciling History: A Story Of Canada, Jody Wilson-Raybould & Roshan Danesh, $40

BOOKS ABOUT POP CULTURE ICONS 

James Bond Style, Lindy Hemming, $170

Assouline

Is there another style icon that has the enduring appeal of James Bond? We think not. This entry from Assouline, the masters of luxury gift books, gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the business of Bond, James Bond— detailing everything from the fashions (umm...33 bespoke Tom Ford tuxedos for No Time to Die!?!) to the villains, cars, gadgets and destinations. 

• Could You Survive Midsomer?, Simon Brew, $25
• Rush at 50, Daniel Bukszpan, $53
• ABBA: All The Songs, Benoît Clerc, $75
• Believe: The Untold Story Behind Ted Lasso, Jeremy Egner, $42 
• Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles and Parks and Recreation, Jim O'Heir, $37
• The Official Bridgerton Cookbook, Regula Ysewijn, $48

Books about the holidays

If you're like us, you can't wait for the big day. But that's okay! You can get in the holiday spirit with these festive reads right now.

 

• Christmas Eve Love Story, Ginny Baird, $26
• The Christmas Jigsaw Murders, Alexandra Benedict, $26
• Make The Season Bright, Ashley Herring Blake, $26
• I'll Be Gone For Christmas, Georgia K. Boone, $24
• The Christmas Tree Farm, Melody Carlson, $24
• The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year, Ally Carter, $31
• The Christmas Countdown, Holly Cassidy, $23
• Most Wonderful, Georgia Clark, $25
• Love You A Latke, Amanda Elliot, $26
• I'll Be Home For Mischief, Jacqueline Frost, $41
• All The Jingle Ladies, Beth Garrod, $18
• Christmas With The Queen, Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb, $37
• Christmas In Aspen, Anita Hughes, $24
• The Merriest Misters, Timothy Janovsky, $24
• The Christmas Inn, Pamela M. Kelley, $41
• The Honeymoon Holiday Switch, Julia McKay, $23
• Some Like It Cold, Elle McNicoll, $17
• The Christmas You Found Me, Sarah Morgenthaler, $26
• Christmas In Chestnut Ridge, Nancy Naigle, $25
• The Mistletoe Mystery: A Maid Novella, Nita Prose, $28
• How My Neighbour Stole Christmas, Meghan Quinn, $27
• The Nightmare Before Kissmas, Sara Raasch, $27
• 'Twas The Bite Before Christmas, David Rosenfelt, $24
• Christmas Sweater Weather, Jacqueline Snowe, $18
• Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret, Benjamin Stevenson, $25
• A Winter Wish, Emily Stone, $25
• Snowed In, Catherine Walsh, $18
• Time Of The Child, Niall Williams, $39

BOOKS ABOUT CRAFTY, CLEVER SLEUTHS 

The Author's Guide To Murder, Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, Karen White, $37

William Morrow

The three best-selling authors of this book have come together to create an engaging locked-room tale ideal for those who like a little romance and satire to spice up their mysteries. Williams, Willig and White are clearly having a lot of fun with this one: Picture a remote Scottish castle, a pretentious literary superstar who turns up dead, a crusty local detective and three collaborative writers, each with her own specialty. Let’s hope these clever and witty women have more up their proverbial sleeves. 

• The Secret of the Three Fates, Jess Armstrong, $37
• Ghosts of Waikiki, Jennifer K. Morita, $42
• Booked For Murder, P.J. Nelson, $37
• Deadly Animals, Marie Tierney, $40
• The Coldest Case, Tessa Wegert, $40

BOOKS ABOUT HISTORICAL SHENANIGANS

The Sunflower House, Adriana Allegri, $39

St. Martin’s Press

Second World War stories are a genre we can’t get enough of. This novel centres on the Nazis’ real-life Lebensborn Program, in which SS and Wehrmacht officers were encouraged to have children with women of ‘pure’ bloodlines to ensure the continuation of the Aryan race. In this story, Allina, half-Jewish, is hiding her identity while working at one of the Lebensborn homes, where the pregnant women lived. When Allina discovers the terrifying happenings within, she’s determined to save herself and as many children as she can. 

• Her Knight At The Museum, Bryn Donovan, $26
• The End and the Beginning, K.J. Holdom, $25
• The Champagne Letters, Kate MacIntosh, $37
• The Orphan's Secret Library, Glynis Peters, $25
• The Starlets, Lee Kelly & Jennifer Thorne, $24

BOOKS ABOUT FUN AND FLIRTY ROMANCES

Is She Really Going Out With Him?, Sophie Cousens, $26

G.P. Putnam’s Sons

A recent divorcée writer fearful of losing her regular column pitches a unique story idea to her editors: She’ll go on seven dates, all found offline, chosen by her two children (spoiler alert—hilarity and romance ensue). Anna Appleby has nothing to lose in meeting cute with her mailman, a celebrity crush and a waiter, among others, but when it seems there’s a love connection where she least expected it, she needs to find the courage to risk her heart again. 

• Unexpectedly Yours, C. Chilove, $18
• Love In Bloom, Lucy Eden, $18
• Under Loch & Key, Lana Ferguson, $26
• Mr. Nice Spy, Tiana Smith, $26
• A Legend In The Baking, Jamie Wesley, $24

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