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The Grammarly Holiday Gift Guide to Books

Updated on January 14, 2021Lifestyle
Holiday Gift Guide to Books

It should probably come as no surprise that at Grammarly, the team behind the digital writing assistant is enamored of booksso much so, that books are perennially a favorite holiday gift to give. Whether a glossy coffee table art tome, an engrossing novel, a nonfiction read on the state of the English language, or a cookbook filled with recipes we want to cook all year, we’re a genre-inclusive bunch. Here are the ever-so-giftable titles our staff recommends, with options for every bibliophile on your list.

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For the Tenenbaums-obsessed

“From the Instagram of the same name, Accidentally Wes Anderson is a coffee table book with stunning photos, great travel tips, and, for movie buffs, it brings Wes Anderson’s worlds to life.”

Shane Collins, Senior Public Relations Manager

For the budding home cook

“For folks who want to learn how to cook, I’ve gifted Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. The diagram of global taste profiles and spices is beautiful and instructive!”

Brady Donaldson, Manager, People

For the timely fiction fan

“A novel following the intersecting lives of a young Black babysitter and her wealthy, White female employer, Such a Fun Age explores the ways relationships are held together and fractured by race and privilege. It’s a quick, satisfying read that’s incredibly topical for our times.”

—Cat Chiang, Social Media Associate

For the language trends tracker

“I’ve recommended Because Internet to so many people. It’s a great non-technical introduction to a lot of linguistic concepts!”

Swini Garimella, Computational Linguist

For the decorative book collector

“Penguin [the publisher] has pretty leatherbound editions of more than half a dozen classics like Frankenstein, A Great Expectations, and Jane Eyre. The volumes are beautiful and pleasant to the touch, printed on quality paper in a comfortably large font, and lightweight despite the size.”

Anna Petruk, Product Manager

>>READ MORE: How to Write a Perfect Holiday Greeting

For the memoir devourer

Untamed is both memoir and self-help, focusing on themes of liberation and stepping into one’s true wild self. This book has many eye-opening, quotable moments, so it could pair nicely with some colorful Sharpie pens or sticky notes as a gift to a loved one.

Parisa Pourhabib, Social Media Manager

For the street style celebrator

I recommend Chinatown Pretty [also originally an Instagram account] because it captures the vibrancy of Chinatown’s community that can sometimes be overlooked. The authors do an amazing job narrating the rich history of various cities’ Chinatowns through interviews and stunning photography. Also, all the outfits are so inspirational!”

Alex Chang, Display Marketing Manager

For the classics enthusiast

“I am a big fan of Anne of Green Gables (and the rest of the series, of course). These books emanate a lot of kindness, and I find them especially nice for now because they really allow one to get distracted from the uncertainty and gloom of quarantine.”

Nastia Osidach, Engineering Manager 

For the sci-fi newbie

“The books I’ve gifted the most have been in the category of sci-fi for people who don’t read sci-fi, because I think science fiction is often overlooked and underrated. The gift is twofold: the book itself AND the recipient learning that they love the genre! My go-tos are The Three-Body Problem and Seveneves.”

—B.D.

For the inclusive foodie

We Are La Cocina is a cookbook featuring stories and recipes from immigrant chefs in America. La Cocina is an SF-founded incubator that seeks to cultivate low-income food entrepreneurs in an effort to create a more diverse and equitable food industry. I’m not a great cook, but I love the stories.”

Senka Hadzimuratovic, Head of Communications

For the creative cat

In Progress [by award-winning hand-lettering pro Jessica Hische] is about the overall creative process, approach to work, and, more specifically, design and lettering. I recommend it to people who are into creativity or design.”

A.P.

For the retro gamer

Ready Player One is a witty sci-fi jaunt into a post-apocalyptic future where the only things worth living for are virtual. I’d recommend this novel to anyone, at any age! I first read it as a kid; when I reread it as an adult, I enjoyed it even more. Bonus points if your gift recipient likes ‘80s arcade games trivia—the Easter eggs are endless.”

—C.C.

For the mythology maven

Song of Achilles makes the heart ache in the best way. This electrifying retelling of the Trojan War explores the tender and wrenching relationship between ‘the best of all the Greeks’ Achilles and the exiled prince Patroclus. Prepare to be entranced and moved.”

Mira Khanna, Product Marketing Manager

For the armchair scientist

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind is the latest mind-blowing book by Israeli professor, philosopher, and historian Yuval Noah Harari. The author has a rare talent for making the complicated subjects of evolution, genetics, and technology extremely digestible, interesting, and best of all, funny.”

—Ellie Lupo, Recruiting Coordinator 

For the kid (and the kid inside us all)

Our Wild Tails: The Adventures of Henry & Baloo is the perfect, feel-good coffee table book that’s great for kids or readers of all ages. The characters are adorable, and the message that ‘love is universal’ is the perfect feel-good theme for the holidays.”

Nellie Luna, B2B Copywriter

For the art aficionado

“One of the most visually-arresting art installations of recent years was JR’s ‘Chronicles of San Francisco.’ The digital mural, displayed at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, was a collage of video footage the artist took across 22 locations and of 1,200 people in the City by the Bay. If you didn’t make it to the stunning exhibit, you can relish the artistry in coffee table book form.”

Jessica Mordo, Content Marketing Lead

For the dark dystopia enthusiast 

“What do you gift your favorite book lover during a pandemic? A book about a pandemic, of course. Severance is about a young woman in New York who goes to work, day in and day out, as the rest of the city succumbs to a disease that turns people into zombies. It’s the millennial zombie novel you didn’t know you needed.”

—C.C.

For the poet who doesn’t even know it

Poetry by Heart: A Treasury of Poems to Read Aloud is a collection of poems from medieval to modern times. It’s a great fit for people who don’t generally read poetry, as it provides an excellent overview. Also, for each piece included in the collection, there’s info about the poet and the poem in the back of the book. This context makes the reading richer and is helpful to people who aren’t super knowledgeable about poetry.”

A.P.

For the shorter-form adherent

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang is a wonderful story collection. The main short story is the inspiration for the movie Arrival, and it’s really beautifully written (and easier to follow than the movie). The other stories are very thoughtful explorations of the intersections of science and society, which is what the best sci-fi does.”

S.G. 

For the vegetarian

Plenty is one of my fave cookbooks! It’s written by the Israeli-English chef Yotam Ottolenghi who famously writes mostly vegetarian and vegan recipes even though he’s an omnivore. His recipes are unique, flavor-packed, and creative, and I can safely say he has forever changed the way I think about zucchini, eggplant, squash, and many more vegetables.”

—E.L.

For the romantic at heart

Love Letters from Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets is a collection of real love letters written by famous people like Oscar Wilde and Mozart.”

—A.P.

For the multilingual speaker

In Other Words is a memoir of Jhumpa Lahiri’s experience living in Italy and learning Italian. It’s written in both Italian and English, and she talks a lot about the challenges of learning a new language and writing in it, with observations about the difficulties of translation. It’s a fascinating look into what the process was for her, especially as a well-known writer.”

—S.G.

For the film adaptation follower

Dune is a highly engrossing 1965 sci-fi novel about a family trying to survive on a hostile desert planet. I excitedly told my parents about it, thinking I was introducing them to the hottest new book trend, and they kindly informed me they both read it 40 years ago. Clearly, that’s evidence that this thrilling tale has survived the test of time, a sentiment only reinforced by the fact that a second film version is coming out in October of 2021.”

—E.L.

For the person who reads to feel things

“If your recipient hasn’t read Celeste Ng yet, do them a favor and gift them Little Fires Everywhere. The novel touches on moving themes such as motherhood, class, and race with Ng’s skillful and empathetic writing.”

—C.C.

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