A Slightly Better Gift Guide: Books Are Awesome.

I did this last year and it confirmed that some of y'all are definitely my book-nerd people, so I thought  I'd make some new recommendations. I am one of those people that love getting books for Christmas because nothing makes me feel more content than a stack of new, as yet unread, books. YESSS. 

For the lover of beautiful-yet-devastating:

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. 

What if you had the chance to live your life again and again, until you finally got it right? This is a WWII story told in a post-modern multiverse timeline. This sounds complicated, but at the heart of this book is a compelling story and wonderful characters that feel like real people. Atkinson's follow up, A God In Ruins is also ridiculously good. 

For the dreamy little girl in your life:

Mandy by Julie Edward (aka Julie Andrews!) 

This is better than The Secret Garden. Yeah, I said that. It was a favorite of mine as a kid because it has everything: orphans, a hidden cottage, secret passages, and a brooding handsome dad character. I mean, Julie Andrews wrote this! 

For the closet supernatural/sci-fi fan, I have two suggestions:

The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

This was O'Malley's debut novel and it's a little X-Files and a little Buffy and a lot of fun. Great for dudes but I also really loved it and I wish he would quit his day job and get to writing book #2. (Edited to add: Oops, book #2 comes out next summer. Well done, O'Malley.)

Time and Again by Jack Finney. 

This one is a classic time travel story (historical fiction complete with photos/illustrations) and, delightfully, has never been made into a movie even though Robert Redford really, really wanted to. It's a favorite of mine that I re-read it every 4-5 years. It's completely satisfying. 

For Fashion-Forward Folks: 

D.V. by Diana Vreeland. 

You cannot go wrong with Vreeland. She was just so crazyballs and I adore her. Diana Vreeland Memos: The Vogue Years also looks like a good time and, if you haven't see this documentary I highly recommend it.