My 2022 Book Lovers Gift Guide (Updated for 2025)

To maximize efficiency with this gift guide, start with my Editor’s Picks for can’t-miss gifts (mini-reviews just below), then dive into the category lists for taste-specific options. Add a handwritten note and-boom-instant meaningful gift.

Every season I hear, “I want a book they’ll actually love.” Same. This 2022 guide keeps the spirit of the original but makes choosing fast: clear picks, clean categories, and zero fluff-so you finish gifting and get back to the cozy.

How to Use This Guide (30 seconds)

• Pick from Editor’s Picks if you’re in a rush.
• Browse Categories to match genre, vibe, or age.
• When possible, buy from your local indie (or order online + curbside pickup).

Editor’s Picks (With Mini-Reviews)

The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty

In a fading Indiana housing complex, brilliant, restless Blandine claws toward transcendence while the town hums with loneliness and strange grace; I chose it for its chorus of voices and the way it asks what it means to be seen-perfect for literary-fiction readers who like big feelings and bold form. I closed it stunned and a little breathless.

All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews

New grad Sneha rebuilds a life in Milwaukee-job, friends, love-while learning the difference between safety and belonging; I picked it for its generous, messy search for community-great for fans of found-family stories and queer coming-of-adulthood arcs. It left me warm, tender, and texting quotes to friends.

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

A green-card marriage between Cleo and Frank spins into a web of friendships, addictions, and almost-choices; I included it for its glamorous-gritty honesty about love and damage-ideal for readers who like Sally Rooney with more New York chaos. I felt captivated and emotionally nosy in the best way.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

Xingyin, hidden daughter of the moon goddess, journeys across immortal courts to free her mother-choosing between love, honor, and destiny; I chose it for lush world-building and heroine-forward momentum-perfect for readers who love romantic fantasy adventures. It made me swoon and stay up far too late.

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

Linked stories follow people reshaping life after an ancient virus thaws-grief expanding into wonder, purpose, and art; I picked it for its humane, inventive scope-great for readers who like Black Mirror with heart. I finished hopeful, not hollow.

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li

Five Chinese American students plan audacious museum heists to repatriate looted art; beyond the caper, each confronts family, identity, and ambition; I chose it for high-concept fun plus questions that linger-ideal for heist lovers and smart contemporary fiction readers. It made me grin and root for the crew.

A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin

Broke but brilliant Kitty sets out to secure a husband and save her sisters-sparring delightfully with a suspicious lord; I included it for sparkling banter and competence-porn-perfect for Bridgerton fans and romance readers who want wit with warmth. I smiled the whole way through.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

Single-mom novelist Finlay is mistaken for a hitwoman, improvises wildly, and somehow writes herself a better life; I chose it for propulsive plotting + comedic heart-great for mystery readers who want laughs with stakes. I cackled, then cheered.

White Horse by Erika T. Wurth

Kari, a metalhead in Denver, is haunted-literally-into investigating her Indigenous mother’s disappearance, confronting generational trauma with grit and love; I picked it for horror that heals-ideal for readers who like gothic chills with cultural depth. It left me spooked and soft.

Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang

Daiyu is kidnapped from China and trafficked to the American West, reinventing herself again and again to survive; I chose it for voice, history, and the question of who gets to name you-perfect for fans of literary historical epics. It broke me and rebuilt me.

Go-To Dinners by Ina Garten

Not fiction, but a lifesaver: streamlined mains and smart make-ahead moves that free your evenings for reading; I included it because the holidays need easy wins-great for home cooks who want reliable joy. It made dinner feel calm again.

Stay True by Hua Hsu

A luminous memoir of friendship, grief, and becoming-Hsu’s bond with Ken shapes the writer he is; I chose it for precision and heart-ideal for memoir lovers and book-club nonfiction. It left me quiet and grateful.

Books from the 2022 Holiday Gift Guide

2022 Debut Fiction

Literary Fiction

• What the Fireflies Knew by Kai Harris
• Vladimir by Julia May Jonas
• A Very Nice Girl by Imogen Crimp
• Nobody’s Magic by Destiny O. Birdsong
• A Novel Obsession by Caitlin Barasch
• When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
• Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou
• Probably Ruby by Lisa Bird-Wilson
• Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda
• We Do What We Do in the Dark by Michelle Hart
• Little Rabbit by Alyssa Songsiridej
• Holding Her Breath by Eimear Ryan
• Neruda on the Park by Cleyvis Natera
• An Olive Grove in Ends by Moses McKenzie
• Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
• The Girls in Queens by Christine Kandic Torres
• Body Grammar by Jules Ohman
• Sirens & Muses by Antonia Angress
• All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews
• The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty
• Paul by Daisy Lafarge
• Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm by Laura Warrell
• The Impatient by Djaili Amadou Amal, translated by Emma Ramadan
• Small Game by Blair Braverman

Family & Friendship

• Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades
• Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
• Cover Story by Susan Rigetti
• The Caretakers by Amanda Bestor-Siegal
• The Patron Saint of Second Chances by Christine Simon
• Hope and Glory by Jendella Benson
• Acts of Service by Lillian Fishman
• Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
• First Time for Everything by Henry Fry
• Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe
• The Mutual Friend by Carter Bays
• The Catch by Alison Fairbrother
• Not Exactly What I Had in Mind by Kate Brook
• Keya Das’s Second Act by Sopan Deb
• Groupies by Sarah Priscus
• Nothing But the Truth by Holly James
• The Work Wife by Alison B. Hart
• The Making of Her by Bernadette Jiwa
• Perish by LaToya Watkins
• All That’s Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien
• The Old Place by Bobby Finger
• Out of Esau by Michelle Webster-Hein
• When We Were Sisters by Fatimah Asghar
• To Fill a Yellow House by Sussie Anie

Science Fiction & Fantasy

• Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
• How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
• A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
• The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller
• The Blood Trials by N. E. Davenport
• Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel
• Black Tide by K. C. Jones
• The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi
• The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings
• Bindle Punk Bruja by Desideria Mesa
• Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott
• The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore

Romance

• Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly
• Getting His Game Back by Gia De Cadenet
• Lease on Love by Falon Ballard
• In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer
• Set on You by Amy Lea
• A Proposal They Can’t Refuse by Natalie Caña
• A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin
• How to Fake It in Hollywood by Ava Wilder
• The Accidental Pinup by Danielle Jackson
• In the Event of Love by Courtney Kae
• The Make-Up Test by Jenny L. Howe
• Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne

Mysteries & Thrillers

• Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner
• Shadows of Pecan Hollow by Caroline Frost
• Beneath the Stairs by Jennifer Fawcett
• Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li
• Blood Sugar by Sascha Rothchild
• Are You Sara? by S. C. Lalli
• All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers
• Wake by Shelley Burr
• Jackal by Erin E. Adams

Gothic & Horror

• Tripping Arcadia by Kit Mayquist
• Sign Here by Claudia Lux
• White Horse by Erika T. Wurth

Historical Fiction

• The Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers
• Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang
• Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya Deane
• The Twilight World by Werner Herzog, translated by Michael Hofmann
• Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter by Lizzie Pook
• The Scent of Burnt Flowers by Blitz Bazawule
• Mademoiselle Revolution by Zoe Sivak
• The Circus Train by Amita Parikh

Books about Books

• How to Read Now by Elaine Castillo
• Rejected Books by Graham Johnson and Rob Hibbert
• Portable Magic by Emma Smith
• Great Short Books by Kenneth C. Davis

Wellness

• Mindful Moments by Deepak Chopra, MD
• The Gospel of Wellness by Rina Raphael
• Life Is Hard by Kieran Setiya
• The Vagabond’s Way by Rolf Potts
• The Seven Circles by Chelsey Luger and Thosh Collins
• Coffee Self-Talk by Kristen Helmstetter

Nature

• Return to Nature by Emma Loewe
• Pig Years by Ellyn Gaydos
• Sacred Nature by Karen Armstrong
• Pests by Bethany Brookshire

Travel

• My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy by Clint Hill and Lisa McCubbin Hill
• The Amur River by Colin Thubron
• Imagine a City by Mark Vanhoenacker
• Empire of Ice and Stone by Buddy Levy

Home & Garden

• Plants Are My Favorite People by Alessia Resta
• You Grow, Gurl! by Christopher Griffin
• 150 Best All New House Ideas by Francesc Zamora
• The Art of Living with White by Chrissie Rucker and The White Company
• AphroChic by Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason
• How to Live with Objects by Monica Khemsurov and Jill Singer
• Marie Kondo’s Kurashi at Home by Marie Kondo
• Home Therapy by Anita Yokota

Cookbooks

Everyday Cookbooks

• Sunday Best by Adrienne Cheatham with Sarah Zorn
• Homestead Recipes by Amanda Rettke
• I Dream of Dinner (So You Don’t Have To) by Ali Slagle
• Snacks for Dinner by Lukas Volger
• The I Don’t Want to Cook Book by Alyssa Brantley
• Simple Pasta by Odette Williams
• Dinner in One by Melissa Clark
• Go-To Dinners by Ina Garten

Vegan & Vegetarian

• Mission Vegan by Danny Bowien with J. J. Goode
• Cooking from the Spirit by Tabitha Brown
• The Vegan Chinese Kitchen by Hannah Che
• Listen to Your Vegetables by Sarah Grueneberg and Kate Heddings

Regional Cuisine

• Korean American by Eric Kim
• Arabiyya by Reem Assil
• Mi Cocina by Rick Martinez
• My America by Kwame Onwuachi and Joshua David Stein
• Turkey and the Wolf by Mason Hereford with J. J. Goode
• Simply Japanese by Maori Murota
• The Mediterranean Dish by Suzy Karadsheh
• Rambutan by Cynthia Shanmugalingam
• The Siete Table by The Garza Family
• Diasporican by Illyanna Maisonet
• Tanya Holland’s California Soul by Tanya Holland
• The Woks of Life by Bill, Kaitlin, Judy, and Sarah Leung

Baking

• Sweet Paris by Frank Adrian Barron
• The Red Truck Bakery Farmhouse Cookbook by Brian Noyes
• Simply Vegan Baking by Freya Cox
• Nadiya’s Everyday Baking by Nadiya Hussain
• Gateau by Aleksandra Crapanzano
• Savory Baking by Erin Jeanne McDowell
• Justice of the Pies by Maya-Camille Broussard
• Baking by Feel by Becca Rea-Tucker
• Delectable by Claudia Fleming
• Chicano Bakes by Esteban Castillo
• What’s for Dessert by Claire Saffitz
• Baking Bread with Kids by Jennifer Latham

Drinks & Wine

• Drink Lightly by Natasha David
• Vino by Joe Campanale and Joshua David Stein
• Modern Classic Cocktails by Robert Simonson
• Cocktail Time! by Paul Feig

Society & Culture

• Off with Her Head by Eleanor Herman
• The Bonobo Sisterhood by Diane Rosenfeld
• Emily Post’s Etiquette (Centennial Edition) by Lizzie Post and Daniel Post Senning
• My People by Charlayne Hunter-Gault
• Black Women Will Save the World by April Ryan
• White Women by Regina Jackson and Saira Rao
• Cheap Land Colorado by Ted Conover
• Once Upon a Time We Ate Animals by Roanne van Voorst, translated by Scott Emblen-Jarrett
• Screaming on the Inside by Jessica Grose

Music, TV, Film & The Arts

• God, Family, Country by Craig Morgan with Jim DeFelice
• The Lives of Brian by Brian Johnson
• Madly, Deeply by Alan Rickman (contributions by Emma Thompson)
• Martha Graham by Neil Baldwin
• Inside Bridgerton by Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers
• Finale by D. T. Max
• Musical Revolutions by Stuart Isacoff
• On Writing (and Writers) by C. S. Lewis
• Elizabeth Taylor by Kate Andersen Brower

History

• We Carry Their Bones by Erin Kimmerle
• Mussolini’s Daughter by Caroline Moorehead
• The Sassoons by Joseph Sassoon
• The Tudors in Love by Sarah Gristwood

Sports

• The Grandest Stage by Tyler Kepner
• One Jump at a Time by Nathan Chen
• Pride of a Nation by Gwendolyn Oxenham (with foreword by Julie Foudy)
• Pickleball for All by Rachel Simon
• Messi vs. Ronaldo by Jonathan Clegg and Joshua Robinson
• Born to Run 2 by Christopher McDougall and Eric Orton

Biographies & Memoirs

Literary Biographies & Memoirs

• Lorraine Hansberry by Charles J. Shields
• Miss Chloe by A. J. Verdelle
• This Is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch by Tabitha Carvan
• Sister Novelists by Devoney Looser

Celebrity Memoirs

• Hello, Molly! by Molly Shannon with Sean Wilsey
• Finding Me by Viola Davis
• We Were Dreamers by Simu Liu
• Mean Baby by Selma Blair
• I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
• Scenes from My Life by Michael K. Williams with Jon Sternfeld
• Making a Scene by Constance Wu
• Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

General Biographies & Memoirs

• The Naked Don’t Fear the Water by Matthieu Aikins
• Grief Is Love by Marisa Renee Lee
• Dinner for One by Sutanya Dacres
• The Crane Wife by C. J. Hauser
• The Man Who Could Move Clouds by Ingrid Rojas Contreras
• Knocking Myself Up by Michelle Tea
• Year of the Tiger by Alice Wong
• A Visible Man by Edward Enninful
• They Called Me a Lioness by Ahed Tamimi and Dena Takruri
• Stay True by Hua Hsu
• The Family Outing by Jessi Hempel
• Heretic by Jeanna Kadlec

Children’s Books

0-2 Years

• The Adventures of Qai Qai by Serena Williams, illustrated by Yesenia Moises
• CoComelon ABCs by May Nakamura
• Dear Little Princess: My Dreams for You by RH Disney
• There’s a Unicorn in Your Book by Tom Fletcher, illustrated by Greg Abbott

3-5 Years

• Lizzy and the Cloud by Terry Fan and Eric Fan
• Little Blue Truck Makes a Friend by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry
• Busy Betty by Reese Witherspoon, illustrated by Xindi Yan
• The Little Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, illustrated by Rafael López

6-8 Years

• Knight Owl by Christopher Denise
• A Spoonful of Frogs by Casey Lyall, illustrated by Vera Brosgol
• The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen
• The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael López
• I’m So Glad You Were Born by Ainsley Earhardt, illustrated by Kim Barnes
• Paletero Man / ¡Qué Paletero tan Cool! by Lucky Diaz, illustrated by Micah Player, translated by Carmen Tafolla

9-12 Years

• The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead
• Map of Flames by Lisa McMann
• Odder by Katherine Applegate, illustrated by Charles Santoso
• Dust & Grim by Chuck Wendig

Teen & Young Adult

• Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor
• Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah
• The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
• Shades of Rust and Ruin by A. G. Howard
• The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen by Isaac Blum
• I’m the Girl by Courtney Summers
• Seoulmates by Susan Lee
• Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland
• How to Succeed in Witchcraft by Aislinn Brophy
• Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong
• The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park
• Eight Nights of Flirting by Hannah Reynolds
• Strike the Zither by Joan He
• Salt and Sugar by Rebecca Carvalho
• The Luminaries by Susan Dennard
• Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win by Susan Azim Boyer
• By the Book by Amanda Sellet
• Muse by Brittany Cavallaro
• Children of Ragnarok by Cinda Williams Chima
• Reader, I Murdered Him by Betsy Cornwell
• At Midnight (15 Beloved Fairy Tales Reimagined) edited by Dahlia Adler
• Belittled Women by Amanda Sellet
• We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds
• Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales

Journals & Workbooks

• A Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: The Journal by Lori Gottlieb
• The 3-Minute Journal of Joy by Ink & Willow
• Meditations Journal (quotes from Marcus Aurelius)
• The Resilience Journal by Sandra E. Johnson, LMSW

Cards, Puzzles & Games

• Zounds! by Thomas W. Cushing, illustrated by Andy Tuohy
• The Tree of Imagination (3-D Puzzle) by Bob Staake
• The Phantomwise Tarot by Erin Morgenstern
• The Pasta Tarot by Jeff Petriello and Rob Truglia, illustrated by Lindsay Mound
• Papercuts by Electric Literature
• The Questions Hip-Hop Trivia by Sean Kantrowitz

Final Thoughts

Books are tiny care packages that travel through time. If you’re stuck, grab any Editor’s Pick, add two lines about why you chose it, and you’ve just made a personal gift. Who are you shopping for and what’s their vibe (favorites, genres, moods)? Drop it in the comments and I’ll reply with a tailored pick.