Hoi! This is my bookish Christmas gift guide.
This year I decided to do a bookish one and a non-bookish one
and as you might be able to tell this is the bookish one.
I'm going to be recommend a bunch of different books
I've got some graphic novels, I've got some YA, I've got some literary fiction
And hopefully some of these books would make a great present for someone in your life.
Or for yourself!
I'm going to start off with two YA ones.
First of all there is "Lorali" by Laura Dockrill
Whenever I think of books that would make good Christmas gifts
I try and look at obviously the content but also the outside because someone will be unwrapping it.
This is one of the most gorgeous covers I have ever seen.
This is set in Hastings, it's about a mermaid princess
who gets washed up on shore, no longer a mermaid.
And about what happens when the pirates who are after her come visit Hastings.
It's a really nice blend of the sort of fantasy world and the real world.
Also, one of the perspectives this story is told from is the ocean.
Which is probably my favorite.
Number two is, "The Square Root of Summer" by Harriet Reuter Hapgood.
I read this quite a while ago, really really enjoyed it.
If you like time travel, and wormholes, and bits of German in between,
and a bit of romance, and bit of grief then this is a really good YA choice.
Also, again, really nice cover to gift to someone.
Next, continuing with the fun, "The Improbability of Love" which I also read this year.
This was nominated for the Bailey's prize.
It is about an old painting that has sort of gotten lost over time, people don't know
that this painting's worth so much money.
It accidentally ends up in the hands of a heartbroken girl
who's not doing too well with her life and ends up being a chef for a really rich family
and it really delves into the art world but sort of the most extravagent, ridiculous side of it.
And I think this might be a good gift to give to someone if you're entirely sure about their reading habits.
Ok, next we're going into slightly sad territory
but I think sometimes a book that can make you experience
sadness and grief can just really really stick with you for a long time.
First of all there's "Grief is The Thing With Feathers" by Max Porter which is poetry.
So this is about a father and two boys and they've just lost their mother
and they're trying to deal with their grief and then one day a crow shows up.
It is quite thin so again, this is a good one for
if you know someone likes maybe sort of the more literary side
but you don't want to commit them to, like, a 600 page book.
Then, the film for "A Monster Calls" comes out next year
so now is the right moment to give it to someone for Christmas
so they can read it before the film comes out.
Again, this is a really sad story but it is beautifully illustrated
and especially this edition makes for a fantastic gift.
And also quite appropriate for, like, a slightly younger reader.
Next up I have three graphic novels
obviously they couldn't be missing from my Christmas gift guide.
Again, if people aren't huge readers or if they want to get more into graphic novels
all of these would work perfectly.
This is "The Gigantic Beard That was Evil" by Stephen Collins
It's about a man who lives on an island where everything
is just kind of normal, everyday, and then one day his beard starts growing and it will not stop
It's about how he and the people on the island learn to deal with it.
Interestingly there's basically no text in this.
Next there is "Killing and Dying" by Adrian Tomine
This edition is gorgeous and I think obviously it would make for a really nice gift, look at that!
I also read this, this year and it has six stories in it.
It has a more of a sort of observant tone, I guess.
And I think it would make for a very interesting gift for an adult who has never read any graphic novels before.
And finally, my fave, Isabel Greenberg has a new book out
As you guys might know "The Encyclopedia of Early Earth" is my favorite graphic novel ever
and this is "The One Hundred Nights of Hero"
It is extremely gorgeous, it is witty as always
If somebody really likes history, or myths and legends, or folktales then this is perfect.
This is obviously a slightly pricier, sort of bigger gift but imagine unwrapping this.
Ok, the last three ones are fiction novels
So first of all I have "The Girls" by Emma Cline
this is one you have probably heard loads about this year.
I feel like this crosses over between YA and adult
There's some pretty violent, graphic stuff in here
so keep that in mind when you're giving this as a gift.
It sort of flashes back to the sixties
where the main character sort of accidentally ended up
being part of this cult or sort of observing them and getting entwined into this group.
I think this is a really good group if that person likes something a little bit different and a little bit edgy.
Then there is one of my favorite discoveries of the year, "Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit" by Jeanette Winterson.
This is again, like, quite dark and quite funny.
It's about a girl called Jeanette who is adopted by this
woman who's an evangelical Christian and she basically raises her to be a missionary.
It feels like such a caricature, one of my favorite scenes
is when they can hear noise coming from the neighbors
then the Mom puts a glass on the wall and she's like, "They're fornicating! On a Sunday!"
Also this story covers Jeanette discovering and coming to terms with that she's a lesbian
which you can only imagine how that goes over.
This is perfect for a good laugh but also some food for thought.
And finally there is "Hag-Seed" by Margaret Atwood.
Which, as you can see, I am reading right now.
This is one of the Hogarth Shakespeare series
it is based on "The Tempest".
A lot of the books I mentioned in this video are quite new
so hopefully the person that you're buying it for won't have them yet.
This is a revenge plot set in a prison
that's kind of all I want to say about it but it is a fantastic read.
Alright, so, that is my selection of books that I think would make for great gifts.
Let me know if you're planning on buying any of these as a gift in the comments below.
And I hope you guys have a nice Christmas with lots of bookish presents. Doei!