When we enter the second half of December every year, gift-givers are coming down to the deadline. I operate on, or rather live by, deadlines and my love language is books so it’s natural that I’m giving books every year.

So don’t think of this yet as my 2025 reading recap YET (that will come closer to 2026), but here’s some GREAT reads you can gift without even having read them yourself (but you might think about picking up a second copy for some holiday reading so you can talk about it with the person you’re giving it to!)… so without further ado.
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Books to Give

Playworld WHAT: An epic coming-of-age story of a young man in 1980s Upper West Side New York, finding his way and figuring out what he really wants in life. WHO: The person in your life that used to read every Jonathan Franzen novel, with cinema sensibilities akin to Wes Anderson meets Richard Linklater. Review

The Fish that Ate the Whale WHAT: A comprehensive, sprawling, and engaging non-fiction history of told through one remarkable immigrant’s rise to become the ‘Banana King.’ WHO: Any history buffs, business readers, and incredible bios of people you don’t know that shaped everything you take for granted today. The Power Broker of Central America, perfect for readers of Robert Caro and Erik Larson. Review

Perfection WHAT: Modern day digital-nomad couple move to Berlin to live their best expat life, but eventually realizing they’re still the same people no matter where and how they live. WHO: The post-college twenty year old considering who they want to be, the thirty-something rethinking their own identity, and the forty-some that wouldn’t really trade anything they have now to start over. Review

Most books, especially new books, are easy to order or pick up in any bookstore (my recommendation – support your local indie always!) and adding that book to someone’s bookshelf ensures they’ll think of me whenever they see it and eventually pick it up and finally thank me maybe years down the road.

Full reviews for everything I read get posted on Goodreads. It’s where the real thoughts and reactions live, beyond just the quick recommendations.

But as everyone (including me) waits for my full 2025 reading recap and my favorite nine books from this year, you can find those every recap and ongoing list of my favorite books since 2010 on my site: