Practical Person's Gift Guide: Books

Practical Person's Gift Guide: Books

• 12.16.2014

As you may have seen in my gift guides this year, I'm focused on the practical but also the beautiful. I've learned the best gifts are often very personal, selected based on your relationship with the receiver, but are also general enough they can be enjoyed even if you miss the mark a little. As pretty as they are, I don't love giving trinkets and coffee table books that won't be used. So my gift guides this year are for the practical giver and receiver. Written by a practical person, intended for the relatively practical people in your life.

I did a general (or random, I guess) gift guide (with plenty of my actual Christmas list mixed in) and a kitchen stuff gift guide, and here's a great last-minute gift one: books.

This book list includes some faves I've read or my family members have enjoyed plus some I'd like to check out. There's something on here for moms, dads, babies, siblings, friends, and yourself!

(Including some I may have bought for family and friends this year--stop reading, Mom!!!)

You can see lots of my favorite books in my Amazon store here (click on the type of book you're interested in on the left), but here are some that are great gifts this holiday season!

1. Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography just came out December 12. My mom read me the Little House books and I'm sure she'd like getting this book of Laura's autobiography (annotated by a team of researchers) as something we could enjoy together.
2. Eat the Yolks is hilarious and interesting and a great overview of food lies and truths. Liz is the best.
3. Mediterranean Paleo Cooking looks gorgeous and great for my non-Paleo eater friends because the recipes sound so delicious and interesting! 
4. Becoming a Supple Leopard is a fave of husband's and mine, and his dad had to have a copy once he flipped through ours. Even my dad, not big into fitness the way we are, wanted one after looking at it. It's textbook sized but easy to read. Great gift!!
5. A funny autobiography. Depending who you're buying for... I've heard good things about As You Wish, NPH, and Yes Please, all new this year.
6. Overwhelmed--see my review here! I thought about so many of my friends and female relatives when reading this book, and while it's not always super happy, I would give it out of love.
7. Meals Made Simple is the new beautiful tome by Danielle Walker of Against All Grain. (Second book after her first, Against All Grain, which is also amazing but a little more complex so better for a more advanced chef.)
8. The Hormone Cure is another not super fun one, but one that made me think about my loved ones and wish them the best. Could be great for someone who is interested in learning about how we can change our health through how we eat, sleep, move, and supplement. Dr. Sara Gottfried is a Harvard-educated OBGYN who had her own issues and learned to ask the hard questions and find logical solutions.
9. Super Nutrition for Babies is the coolest!! I've heard it recommended multiple times from nutritionists and moms, but not till I ordered it for a friend with a little one did I flip through. It talks about nutritional needs for babies at different phases of their development and includes some really fun historic information about how people feed babies. A great gift for new parents (maybe along with a bib or something cute!).

Another great thing about books? They're flat, they're easy to wrap and pack, and you can buy them anywhere. I love giving and receiving books at the holidays!


You can check out all my gift guides here.