Holiday Gift Guide #1

Books I can’t stop recommending!

Most people I know are aware that I read a lot of books. So, when someone asks me for a book recommendation I often ask what their preferred genre is. I want to make sure that my recommendations are going to align with their tastes. Sometimes the books that are fresh in my mind to recommend will change and evolve the more I read. But there are a few books that I will recommend no matter what. These are books whose stories are so dear to me that I will never stop shouting their praises from the rooftops. The imprint of each story is held so deep in my heart that their appeal will never fade. Here are those books.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

I had been a fan of Matt Haig for many years before The Midnight Library came out and while I have enjoyed his stories immensely before, he outdid himself with The Midnight Library. This book put Matt Haig on the map, rightfully so. It is a beautiful story about a library that lives between life and death. Each book in the library is a chance at seeing how your life could have been different had you made a different choice. It is fantasy, it is about finding what is important, it is about appreciating what you have, and it is about second chances. This story has deep meaning and can speak to any reader regardless of what their preferred genre is. 

The Night Circus by Eric Mortgenstern

This is a beautiful story about a traveling circus that is only open at night. Full of magic and wonder, the circus is also the stage for a dangerous competition between two young performers, who have been trained their whole life for this battle of magic by their instructors. It is a story about magic, about love, and about consequences. The imagery in this book is immaculate and I can still to this day, a decade after reading it, remember sharply in my mind what The Night Circus looks like. 

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

I know what you’re thinking, Under the Whispering Door is NOT the book that everyone talks about from TJ Klune. While I agree that his book featuring a title referencing a body of water with a specific shade of blue was amazing, it didn’t hold a candle to Under the Whispering Door. This book is about loss and grief, it’s about found family (as his books tend to be), and it’s about finding closure and moving on. This book will need it’s own post because I love it that much but for now I think it’s the book everyone should be buying each other as holiday gifts.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

I picked this book for it’s cover and read it on a flight to Australia shortly after it came out and ended up with a story that moved me to the core and has stayed with me almost 15 years later. The story alternates between a young girl and the older female concierge of the building where the young girl resides. It’s a book about the search for the meaning of life, about finding companionship where you least expect it, and has a poetic ending that ripped my heart out in the best way possible. I honestly don’t know if there is a book I have recommended more over the years than this one.

The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen 83 ¼ Years Old

Lastly, I give you the Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen. This story is told through the diary entries of Hendrik who is living out his days in a retirement home. Through the entries, Hendrik tells the tales of friendship and companionship found between select residents of the retirement home as they ban together for adventure and experience as they near the end of their life. With it you experience the loneliness and frustration that comes with the end stages of life and the grief one experiences as the ones you love and hold on to quickly start to slip away from you. This story was endearing and heartbreaking and puts things into perspective as we think about our own mortality and the grief that will surround us in those final days. 

So there you have it, these are 5 books that I truly feel can find an audience anywhere. With the holidays near, I can’t think of a better gift than any of these titles.