Shopping for Bibliophiles? These Are the Best Books to Gift This Holiday Season
The best books to gift this holiday season offer more than just a good read: Each is an experience, a conversation starter, and a few even make the grade as lifelong keepsakes. Whether you’re shopping for a literature enthusiast, a design lover, a budding host, or a fashion fanatic, this year’s standout books deliver something special for every type of reader.
Lovers of memoir and literary fiction will enjoy Didion Babitz by Lili Anolik, a compelling comparison of two literary icons; Leslie Jamison’s Splinters, a searingly personal memoir; Sally Rooney’s buzzy, Joyce-inspired Intermezzo; and Plum Sykes’s Wives Like Us, a satirical Austen-meets-Instagram romp. Home entertainers will find endless inspiration in Stephanie Nass’s Swing By, a guide to reimagined gatherings, and Katherine Lewin’s Big Night, packed with modern dinner-party ideas. Interior-design aficionados, meanwhile, will adore Ben Pentreath’s An English Vision, celebrating timeless style, or Patrick Mauriès’s Karl Lagerfeld: A Life in Houses, which takes readers inside the late designer’s iconic homes. And fashion lovers will treasure A24’s How Directors Dress, which examines the interplay between style and filmmaking, while photography fans will revel in Ethan James Green’s Bombshell and Norman Parkinson: Style Photographs for Vogue.
All these and more recommendations, below.
Books for the Discerning Literati
Shopping for a reader with a touch of pretension? They won’t be disappointed by any of the following selections—which just so happen to rank among Vogue’s best books of the year (that is, unless they already own them). Lili Anolik’s Didion Babitz examines the surprising parallels between Joan Didion’s cool detachment and Eve Babitz’s hedonistic glamour, serving up a dual portrait of two cultural icons. Leslie Jamison’s memoir, Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story, unpacks the emotional transformations of divorce and motherhood with raw, unflinching honesty. Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo follows two brothers navigating grief in Dublin, blending James Joyce–inspired depth with poignant reflections on life’s unpredictability. Finally, Plum Sykes’s Wives Like Us is a witty Austen-esque satire of privilege in the Instagram age.
Cookbooks for Marthas in the Making
So, they streamed the Martha doc and want to become their own homemaking billionaire extraordinaire. Send them straight to the source with Martha Stewart’s Favorite Recipes and Lessons for a Lifetime of Entertaining, which just so happens to be her 100th book! Then there is Stephanie Nass’s Swing By!: Entertaining Recipes and the New Art of Gathering—a chic guide to modern hosting, filled with inventive recipes—and Katherine Lewin’s Big Night: Dinners, Parties, and Dinner Parties, which simplifies hosting with approachable, delicious dishes. Your giftee may also appreciate Ina Garten’s much-talked-about memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Life in Hospitality, a treasure trove of heartfelt advice and juicy personal insights from the Barefoot Contessa herself.
