These are the books I'm gifting friends and family this year

Stunning novellas, inspiring books about creativity, and the books that fixed me a little bit (+ more!)

Over the past few years, I’ve grown increasingly wary of the way we accumulate stuff—stuff under our beds, stuff in our closets, stuff in our garages, stuff in our desk drawers. It’s a sign of privilege distilled into thoughtless consumerism, this tendency to gift plastic tchotchkes (what I’ve come to call dust collectors) based on whatever fandom is popular at the moment, or to snap up seasonal candles just because they’re on sale.

Last year, this translated into a practice my partner and I called No Junk November, during which we became extremely critical of the items we bought for ourselves or others. If something wasn’t necessary or practical, it rarely made the cut. This year, I’m largely gifting experiences or consumables—think concert tickets, coffee shop gift cards, wine, and yummy-smelling bath products—in the hope that I’ll lessen my impact on the landfills and countries that receive our stuff after we throw it “away.”

No matter how many environmentally (and financially) friendly gifting rules I come up with, though, there will always be one exception: books.

Print books, ebooks, and audiobooks—like mine!—will always be top-tier gifts to me, whether I’m on the giving or receiving end. And while my favorite place to buy books is Changing Hands, an indie bookstore here in Phoenix, another favorite spot is Bookshop.org, which gives a whopping 80% of its profit margin to small bookstores all over the US and UK. Bookshop.org says 78% of its customers claim to have previously purchased books on Amazon prior to discovering the site, which means it’s also helping to funnel income away from Jeff Bezos’s miserable empire.

In anticipation of the holidays, I’ve pieced together some themed lists based on the reads I’m gifting this season, from breathtaking novellas to the books I turn to for a little hope and optimism. I’ve also gathered up a few recommendations for anyone who enjoyed my debut novella, Those Lights at Night.

Happy gifting!

Disclosure: I’m a Bookshop.org affiliate, which means I’ll earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) based on any books you buy via these links. That said, I know of no better platform that lists books and supports indie bookstores, so I’d use Bookshop.org for this even if I weren’t an affiliate.

Stunning novellas

I love novellas. Not because they’re “quick wins” or anything. but because it’s impressive how efficiently some authors can work plot, effective characterization, and resolution into a small form factor. To Be Taught, If Fortunate is such a gorgeous tale about humanity that it made me sob, and The Employees, a bizarre piece of sci-fi told in a series of HR testimonies, is one of the most unique books I’ve ever read.

Creativity & the craft of writing

I love that these books don’t rehash the same old creative/writing advice; they each feel like they have something new to offer. I’ve revisited Letters to a Writer of Color a few times since initially reading it a few years ago, and I just gifted Permission to a friend who sometimes fears the potential ramifications of writing about her personal life. And while I’m still working through the second half of Before and After the Book Deal, I love that Maum writes frankly (and hilariously) about the “taboo” parts of building a writing career, like advances and the awkward feelings that come with showing your work to the world.

For a bit of joy or hope

I can’t emphasize enough how much The Book of Delights—and Ross Gay’s accompanying Inciting Joy—have changed my gratitude practice for the better. The Anthropocene Reviewed also made it onto my “Favorite books of all time” list. If you (or your giftee) enjoy audiobooks, I highly recommend John Green’s narration.

Books that fixed me (a little bit)

Wintering, a book about embracing rest during both literal and personal winters, is a gorgeous gift for this time of year. I’ve loaned out Fear of Missing Out and The Midnight Library more times than I can count; oddly enough, both have been incredibly helpful for my OCD.

If you loved Those Lights at Night

The primary elements of my novella, Those Lights at Night¹, are mystery, humor, tight-knit community, the question of what alien contact might look like IRL, and (of course) Southwest desert vibes. You can find various combinations of these themes in the books above; I particularly adore Desert Oracle (pretty much a book of modern fables and mysteries based in the Southwest) and The Mutual UFO Network.

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Looking for more recommendations? Check out the rest of my curated reading lists—including literary masterpieces, sociopolitical justice primers, and my favorite books of all time—here!

And keep an eye out for a collaborative follow-up to Creativity Under Capitalism’s recent issue about the “cringe” of self-promotion!

1. The ebook version of Those Lights at Night is now out on Kindle, Kobo, Nook, and Apple Books! If you prefer to purchase ebooks through another platform, let me know, and I’ll try to get that hooked up ASAP.