As we head into gift-giving season, Here & Now’s go-to book expert, Traci Thomas of “The Stacks” podcast, has book gift suggestions.
A holiday book-buying guide, from Traci Thomas
Book suggestions for the father with Alzheimer’s:
- “The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet” by John Green
- “World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments” by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
- “Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks” by Patrick Radden Keefe
For the nonfiction fan who likes big history books on big characters:
- “Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom” by David W. Blight
- “Mark Twain” by Ron Chernow
- “Baldwin: A Love Story” by Nicholas Boggs
- “King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation” by Scott Anderson
Fantasy for adults who liked “Harry Potter” and “Game of Thrones”:
- “The Poppy War” trilogy by R.F. Kuang
- The “Broken Earth” trilogy by N. K. Jemisin
- Brandon Sanderson as an author in general
Books for a lawyer daughter who needs a break:
- “A Love Song for Ricki Wilde” by Tia Williams
- “Woodworking” by Emily St. James
- “The Final Revival of Opal and Nev” by Dawnie Walton
Books for a young 13-year-old:
- “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” by Judy Blume
- “Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks” by Jason Reynolds
- “One Crazy Summer” by Rita Williams-Garcia
- Road Dahl‘s books
Historical fiction with a lot of action:
- “City of Thieves” by David Benioff
- “The Lilac People” by Milo Todd
- “The Mountains Sing” by Nguyen Phan Que Mai
- Any of Khaled Hosseini‘s books
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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