Books We’d Like to Get: 8 Bookish Gifts We’re Excited to Unwrap This Year

December 17 2018
Share Books We’d Like to Get: 8 Bookish Gifts We’re Excited to Unwrap This Year

Buying a bookish gift for the book recommender in your life can be a paralyzing task—we get it. What do you get a book lover who seems to have all the books in the world? Here at Off the Shelf, we spend all year looking for new exciting reads and suggesting old favorites . . . and even giving many away. You might be under the impression that we’ve got all we could ever want. But there’s always room on our bookshelves and these are just a few of the books still on our wish lists (hint, hint).

Us Against You
by Fredrik Backman

I remember the first time I finished BEARTOWN. I was left completely astounded. The characters were so well done, the town so realistic. Fredrik Backman has a writing style and voice that feels unique to him compared to the rest of his contemporaries. I would read anything he writes (and have so far!). I just haven’t had a chance to pick this one up, so I hope someone gives me this fantastic next book in the Beartown universe!
—Will

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
Us Against You
Fredrik Backman

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

Books We’d Like to Get: 8 Bookish Gifts We’re Excited to Unwrap This Year

By Off the Shelf Staff | December 17, 2018

Close
The Books of Earthsea
by Ursula K. Le Guin

This is a tome, and I’m well aware of it, but this is the complete Illustrated Edition of the EarthSea books and its perfect for any book lover. I usually ask for an Illustrated Edition of something as a Christmas gift because they are a little bit more expensive and I find that at any point in the year I can take them out and sort of look through them. For the past few years I’ve been receiving the Harry Potter Illustrated Editions as gifts, but since they aren’t doing a new one this year, Le Guin’s book is the one I am most looking forward to.
—Stu

Amazon logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Bookshop logo
The Books of Earthsea
Ursula K. Le Guin

Amazon logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

My Favorite Badass Heroines in Epic Fantasy

By Lisbeth Campbell | September 10, 2020

In Memoriam: 16 Authors We Lost Too Soon in 2018

By Sarah Jane Abbott | December 28, 2018

Books We’d Like to Get: 8 Bookish Gifts We’re Excited to Unwrap This Year

By Off the Shelf Staff | December 17, 2018

Books We Like to Give: 9 Books We’re Sharing with the Readers In Our Lives

By Off the Shelf Staff | December 4, 2018

Close
Sea Prayer
by Khaled Hosseini

Have I mentioned that A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS is my all-time favorite book? So, you could imagine the scene I made on the subway when I found out about Khaled Hosseini’s new book SEA PRAYER. Haunted by some of the tragic images from the Syrian war, Hosseini felt compelled to write this short, but timely, read in response to the refugee crisis. Written in letter form, a father addresses his son on the eve of their dangerous sea-crossing journey. SEA PRAYER is just under 50 pages, but its moving message is accompanied by gorgeous and vibrant illustrations that add to an already powerful reading experience. I love everything Khaled Hosseini writes, and if the gift givers in my life are paying any attention to my personal library, they’ll see a gaping hole in the shape of this book.
—Tolani

Amazon logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Sea Prayer
Khaled Hosseini

Amazon logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

Books We’d Like to Get: 8 Bookish Gifts We’re Excited to Unwrap This Year

By Off the Shelf Staff | December 17, 2018

Close
Whiskey in a Teacup
by Reese Witherspoon

When ordering books for my family, I absolutely hated myself because I forgot to get myself a copy of WHISKEY IN A TEACUP. It’s got everything—tips on decorating, fashion, southern recipes, hairstyles, and all of it is from eternal being and role model of my lifetime Reese Witherspoon. It’s gorgeous and actually useful for your everyday life. So if anyone wanted to use this guide as my holiday registry, I would very much appreciate it. I would be remiss if I didn’t thank everyone in advance, like I imagine Reese would tell me to do. But I don’t know. Hopefully someone gets this for me, so I can find out.
—Leora

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
Whiskey in a Teacup
Reese Witherspoon

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

10 December 2021 eBook Deals for Quiet Nights by the Fire

By Off the Shelf Staff | December 2, 2021

Tis’ The Season: The Best Books You Received As Gifts

By Off the Shelf Staff | December 17, 2019

Books We’d Like to Get: 8 Bookish Gifts We’re Excited to Unwrap This Year

By Off the Shelf Staff | December 17, 2018

Fall into September with These 8 Reads

By Get Literary | September 3, 2018

7 Reese Witherspoon Book Picks to Read While Waiting for Whiskey in a Teacup

By Saimah Haque | August 30, 2018

Reese Witherspoon Announces Whiskey in a Teacup Book Tour

By Saimah Haque | July 11, 2018

Close
Sula
by Toni Morrison

A few years ago, after finishing Elena Ferrante’s THE NEAPOLITAN NOVELS I came across SULA in a list about books to read next. So, in an effort to find a replacement Lenù and Lila, it was immediately added to the never-ending TBR note on my phone. Several months ago, I passed on a dollar copy at a used bookstore, and have been kicking myself ever since. Then, a few weeks ago at dinner with friends, someone mentioned they had recently read and loved SULA. After recovering from the stun of serendipity, the book was swiftly added to my holiday wish list. This way family and friends can get me the exact book the universe believes I should read. —Ana

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Sula
Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison’s address to the Wellesley graduates of 2004 overflows with sage advice and inspiring quotes to live by. Morrison’s books will provide you with enough life lessons to get you through life’s most challenging seasons. SULA is a novel about friendship, unforgivable betrayal, and how a friendship survives through sharply divergent paths of womanhood.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Close
An Atlas of Natural Beauty
by Victoire de Taillac and Ramdane Touhami

Every new year, I tell myself that I’m going to be better about my skincare and beauty routines and focus on quality over quantity or fads. And 2019 is going to be the year that I finally follow through with it. Luckily, AN ATLAS OF NATURAL BEAUTY, produced by the legendary Parisian apothecary L’Officine Universelle Buly, has everything a person could need: beautiful illustrations, simple recipes that you can make with grocery items like avocado, lemon, or coconut, and proven results.
—Julianna

Amazon logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
An Atlas of Natural Beauty
Victoire de Taillac and Ramdane Touhami

Amazon logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

Books We’d Like to Get: 8 Bookish Gifts We’re Excited to Unwrap This Year

By Off the Shelf Staff | December 17, 2018

Close
All the Missing Girls
by Megan Miranda

As a devoted listener of the My Favorite Murder podcast who ate up HBO’s Sharp Objects adaptation with a spoon, I have Megan Miranda’s ALL THE MISSING GIRLS on my holiday wish list. A psychological thriller about the disappearance of two women a decade apart, the story centers on Nicolette Farrell, who heads back to her rural hometown 10 years after her best friend’s disappearance, now a cold case. Nic and her friends were under investigation for their involvement back then, and those old suspicions resurface when, mere days after Nic’s return to Cooley Ridge, another member of the group goes missing. Told in reverse chronological order from the day the second woman goes missing, this book promises all the twists and turns that I crave in true crime accounts, but without the horror and heartbreak of knowing it’s a real-life tragedy. Sign me up.
—Heather

Read the full review of ALL THE MISSING GIRLS.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
All the Missing Girls
Megan Miranda

A spellbinding psychological thriller told in reverse, Megan Miranda’s first novel for adult readers is about the connected disappearances of two young women ten years apart in the same small town. Miranda has an uncanny talent for suspense. Megan Miranda’s new novel, THE PERFECT STRANGER, is just out.

Read a review of the book Megan Miranda can’t stop recommending.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

12 Modern Classics of the Thriller Genre

By Maddie Nelson | September 13, 2023

10 Unique Thrillers Unlike Anything I’ve Read Before

By Sara Roncero-Menendez | August 18, 2022

8 Books I’ll Always Remember Reading in My 20s

By Jordyn Martinez | December 29, 2021

Small Towns, Big Secrets: 7 Gripping Novels Rife with Scandal

By Anna Bailey | July 20, 2021

Indie Bookseller Picks: 5 Gripping Novels I Recommend to Add Some Suspense to Your Summer

By Alyssa Raymond | July 8, 2020

7 Books With Striking Green Covers to Read This St. Paddy’s Day

By Off the Shelf Staff | March 17, 2020

Close
My Own Words
by Ruth Bader Ginsburg

I’ve had Ruth Bader Ginsburg on my mind a lot lately—because seriously, how amazing is she?!—so I’d love to have this book of her writings on my shelf. In it, she talks about a wide range of topics like gender equality, the workings of the Supreme Court, being Jewish, law and lawyers in opera, and the value of looking beyond US shores when interpreting the US Constitution. What better way to appreciate the great RBG than by reading her works, selected and organized by the Justice herself?
—Sarah Jane

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
My Own Words
Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

I Dissent: 8 Books About the Unstoppable Ruth Bader Ginsburg

By Erin Madison | December 20, 2018

Books We’d Like to Get: 8 Bookish Gifts We’re Excited to Unwrap This Year

By Off the Shelf Staff | December 17, 2018

11 Books to Read Before They Hit the Silver Screen This Summer

By Julianna Haubner | May 29, 2018

10 American Icons: In Their Own Words

By Julianna Haubner | December 1, 2017

Close

You must be logged in to add books to your shelf.

Please log in or sign up now.