10 Best Books to Gift your Favorite Bookworm

I don’t know about you, but all this time spent at home has made me devour more than a fair share of books. With the help of my favorite app audible (seriously one of the best investments I made), I was able to breeze through so many amazing books this year. Below is a list of some of the best I have read and would recommend gifting. If you have an avid reader in your life or someone looking for a page turner to snuggle up with, you won’t go wrong with these picks.

10 Best Books to Gift your Favorite Bookworm

The Top Thriller Picks

1. One by One by Ruth Ware

Typically, during this time of the year, you may find yourself jetting off to the French Alps to ski and enjoy a little rest & relaxation in a cozy rustic chalet. Sounds dreamy right? Well, what if the trip included 8 contentious coworkers, a disastrous avalanche and series of murders? What begins as a luxurious company retreat for a hip tech company ends up in a battle for survival where no one is safe or can be trusted.

One by One by Ruth Ware, brings out the best in this genre. Ruth creates an engaging and well paced plot, and lively characters that add dimension and personality to the “whodunnit” plot line. Highly recommend for the crime/murder mystery lover ready for a new binge read.

2. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Alicia seems to have it all, a thriving art career, an adoring husband and grand house in an upscale London neighborhood where she spends her days painting. Yet she soon goes from famous to notorious after shooting her husband point blank and never again uttering a single word.

Her silence intrigues a psychotherapist Theo Faber. And he will stop at nothing to get Alicia talking again and get to the bottom of what really happened, even if it threatens to destroy him.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is incredibly captivating , and will keep you on your toes until the very end. A must for anyone who loves a psychological thriller.

3. The Night Before by Wendy Walker

Haunted by a defining event in her teens, Laura Lochner never felt lucky in love. After her last failed relationship she leaves her finance job in New York City and moves back in with her sister Rosie, who still lives in the Connecticut suburb they both grew up in. Determined to move on from her latest heartbreak, she tries online dating, but never comes home after a blind date. As Rosie begins a desperate search for Laura, she worries not only for Laura’s safety, but perhaps even more so for Laura’s mystery date.

I had zero expectations, when starting this book, but was immediately sucked in by the brilliant writing and engaging plot. The Night Before by Wendy Walker is a welcome addition to anyone looking for a heart thumping page turner.

The Top Biography Picks

4. A promised Land by Barack Obama

Full disclosure: I am only about a quarter of the way through, but I can already tell that this book is a must for our times. In the stirring, beautifully written first volume of Barak Obama’s presidential memoirs, he details the story of his extraordinary journey from a young man in search of his identity to ascending to the highest office as president of the United States.

Obama describes his path to the presidency in compelling detail and reflects on many pivotal moments of his presidency. Volume I of A promised Land by Barack Obama is over 700 pages or 29 hours if you choose the audio version as I did. It is rich in detail, and totally worth it for anyone engaged in politics, history or appreciative of soaking in the brilliant words of a captivating writer.

5. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

Before Trevor Noah sat behind the desk at The Daily Show, he was a young man from South Africa, who’s very existence was considered a crime. Being born to a Swiss father and a Black Xhosa mother, Trevor’s mixed race was evidence of his parent’s rebellion in the face of the Apartheid.

In this jarring, extraordinary and frequently hilarious tale, Trevor recounts stories from his childhood up to adulthood. Trevor discusses his difficulty fitting in, the dread of living with an alcoholic and abusive step-father and the love he has for his mother, who was a rebel that envisioned a better life for her and her son away from the confines of the Apartheid regime.

I highly recommend buying the audio version of this book. Trevor brilliantly bring his stories to life in vivid voices and accents in the way only he can.

The Classics Pick

6. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

In a tale that follows the rise and fall of the residents of a mythical town of Macondo over a century, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez tells a dazzling story through its characters’ tumultuous lives.

One Hundred Years of Solitude is hard to describe in any way that does it justice. It’s worth another read if you read it as part of a literature class years ago. Or makes the perfect gift for someone looking for a mesmerizing story to transport them to another world.

The Top Fiction Picks

7. Watch Me Disappear: A Novel by Janelle Brown

During an ordinary afternoon, young Olive has a vision of her mother, Billie Flanagan, who’s been presumed dead after disappearing during a solitary hike. Convinced that her vision is a sign that her mother is very much alive, Olive begins a quest to uncover her mother’s whereabouts. While her father grapples with his grief and writes a memoir about his dead wife.

Watch Me Disappear is a beautifully written book that questions how well we really know those closest to us. And how we want to be perceived. You will keep guessing what really happened to Billie until the very end.

8. All the birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

I am recommending this book not only because of its originality and witty writing, but because I can personally attest, that it was a joy to receive this as a gift. My dear friend Kate gifted me this book as part of her very thoughtful quarantine care package earlier this year. And it quickly became one of my favorite reads of the year.

Set in San Francisco, All the birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders follows two childhood friends who grow up to be on opposite sides of an epic battle between magic and science that threatens to destroy the world as we know it.

All the Birds in the Sky was an absolute delight to read. It blends adventure, romance, mystery and humor. For anyone looking for a fun read, this will be a shoe in.

The Top Personal Development Picks

9. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

This book helped me so much in understanding my creative process. For anyone looking to tap into their creativity and embrace their own generative process, this book is a stellar pick.

In Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert you will gain insight into how to create without the “suffering” for you craft. Instead, you will find how to do what you love without fear or stress muddying the creative journey. Part pragmatic, part whimsical, Elizabeth offers a brilliant perspective on how to follow your passion, uncover your gifts and live everyday in alignment with your best self.

I recommend this book to anyone, starting an entrepreneurial journey or who wants to engage with their artistic side.

10. Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

After over a decade researching vulnerability, Brené Brown PhD, LMSW, eradicates the belief that vulnerability is weakness and argues instead that the highest manifestation of courage. It forces the reader to come face to face with their deepest fears and prevail with tools to become a more open.

The book explains the science and the benefits of embracing vulnerability and shows us how it can make us more connected and better human beings. Give this book to someone you love and who enjoys learning about how to better themselves.

What great books have you read this year? I would love to hear in the comments.

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