Gift Books for Bibliophiles

The bibliophile will love any book related item you buy for them to this holiday season. However, if you are like me and would like to give a gift that has some special meaning behind the gesture, there is no better way to profess your thoughtfulness than a gift book. And in this crazy year of 2020, a lot of great themed gift books were released this year that will make the bibliophile in your life’s eyes sparkle:

Gender Swapped Fairy Tales by Karrie Fransman and Jonathan Plackett

In this beautifully illustrated book, the fairytales that we know and love, get a new twist by swapping the genders. If you are tired of reading the same old fairytales and want to show a more diverse and feminist retellings with beautiful illustrations along with it, then this is the book for you.

I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider

It’s no secret, but we are judged by our bookshelves. We learn to read at an early age, and as we grow older we shed our beloved books for new ones. But some of us surround ourselves with books. We collect them, decorate with them, are inspired by them, and treat our books as sacred objects. In this lighthearted collection of one- and two-page comics, writer-artist Grant Snider explores bookishness in all its forms, and the love of writing and reading, building on the beloved literary comics featured on his website, Incidental Comics. With a striking package including a die-cut cover, I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf is the perfect gift for bookworms of all ages. (Credit: Abrams ComicArts)

The Book of Hopes: Words and Pictures to Comfort, Inspire and Entertain Children in Lockdown edited by Katherine Rundell 

This book was published during the perfect time. What people need during stressful times is hope and that is what this anthology provides. This is an extraordinary collection of short stories, poems, essays and pictures has contributions from more than 110 children’s writers and illustrators. Perfect for any reader looking for inspirational stories and illustrations.

Ex Libris: 100+ Books to Read and Reread by Michiko Kakutani and illustrated by Dana Tanamachi 

Readers will discover novels and memoirs by some of the most gifted writers working today; favorite classics worth reading or rereading; and nonfiction works, both old and new, that illuminate our social and political landscape and some of today’s most pressing issues, from climate change to medicine to the consequences of digital innovation. There are essential works in American history (The Federalist Papers, The Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.); books that address timely cultural dynamics (Elizabeth Kolbert’s The Sixth Extinction, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale); classics of children’s literature (the Harry Potter novels, Where the Wild Things Are); and novels by acclaimed contemporary writers like Don DeLillo, William Gibson, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Ian McEwan.

With richly detailed illustrations by lettering artist Dana Tanamachi that evoke vintage bookplates, Ex Libris is an impassioned reminder of why reading matters more than ever. (Credit: Clarkson Potter Publishers)

Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books by Cathy Rentzenbrink

‘Reading has saved my life, again and again, and has held my hand through every difficult time’

For as long as she can remember, Cathy Rentzenbrink has lost and found herself in stories. Growing up she was rarely seen without her nose in a book and read in secret long after lights out. When tragedy struck, books kept her afloat. Eventually they lit the way to a new path, first as a bookseller and then as a writer. No matter what the future holds, reading will always help.

Dear Reader is a moving, funny and joyous exploration of how books can change the course of your life, packed with recommendations from one reader to another. (Credit: Picador)

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Two Great Books by Mairi Kidd

Looking for biographies about fierce and feisty Celtic Women? Then these detailed anthologies are just the ticket, perfect books to read together as a family and to learn more about “HERstory”.

The Madman’s Library: The Greatest Curiosities of Literature by Edward Brooke-Hitching

This is a madman’s library of eccentric and extraordinary volumes from around the world, many of which have been completely forgotten. Books written in blood and books that kill, books of the insane and books that hoaxed the globe, books invisible to the naked eye and books so long they could destroy the Universe, books worn into battle, books of code and cypher whose secrets remain undiscovered… and a few others that are just plain weird. (Credit: Simon & Schuster UK)

The Golden Age of British Short Stories 1890-1914 edited by Philip Hensher 

Perfect for the English major and Anglophile in your life.

The quarter century or so before the outbreak of the First World War saw an extraordinary boom in the popularity and quality of short stories in Britain. Fuelled by a large new magazine readership and vigorous competition to acquire new stories and develop the careers of some of our greatest writers, these years were ones where the normal rule-of-thumb (novels sell, short stories don’t) was inverted.

This was the era of Sherlock Holmes, of Kipling’s most famous stories, of M. R. James, Katherine Mansfield and Joyce’s Dubliners . Some of the greatest writers of the period – particularly Conrad and James – found that the effort that went into their shorter works was more rewarded during their lifetimes than their now famous novels. Writers such as Mansfield, Chesterton, Beerbohm, Lawrence and Saki produced some of their greatest work. (Credit: Penguin Books)

Jane Was Here: An Illustrated Guide to Jane Austen’s England by Nicole Jacobsen, Devynn MacLennan and Lexi Nilson

This is beautifully and breathtaking illustrated guide is perfect for the Jane Austen lover in your life. When I read this, I felt that I was walking in the wonderful footsteps of Austen. As of right now, we are limited in travelling and this wonderful book makes up for all the limitations that 2020 has brought us. This useful guide has all the necessities that will ensure the reader will have an enchanting adventure of through the world of Jane Austen.

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