Introducing The 2022 Close Reads Christmas Gift Guide
30 gift ideas for the book-lovers in your life
Thanksgiving weekend is now past and it’s officially time to turn our attention to Christmas. Trees can now be chosen, trimmed, and decorated. Carols can be played without sanction. Traditional Christmas movies are fair game once again. And, most importantly, Advent is near, which means it’s time to remember the reason for the season, as it were.
Naturally, we collectively do that, in part, through the giving of gifts, and for any true Bibliophile, Christmas is a special time from that perspective. We get to share the books we love with the people we love. We get to browse with impunity. We get to exercise our curation muscles generously and creatively. That’s easier said than done, of course. There are many books in the world—hundreds more each week—and a person’s taste is both individual and complex, so it can be tough to know what to choose. But perhaps we can help (just a bit).
Below are thirty gift ideas for the Bibliophiles in your life, divided into a few categories. We have books about books, books for children, holiday mysteries, beautiful editions, fancy pencils, and much more. Hopefully there’s something here to give to someone you love. Happy hunting!
Full disclosure: Each of the books, puzzles, and games linked below take you to our Bookshop.org page. The items that are not books, puzzles, or games are just links to products I think are cool and worth giving book lovers.
Category 1: Bookish Puzzles and Games
Few things are more pleasant than building a beautiful puzzle or playing a nerdy game as a family during the holidays.
We particularly love the bookish puzzles from Laurence King, which curate moments from the works of great authors into vivid canvases like this:
Here are a few of our favorites:
A game from the team behind Cranium, Haikubes is perfect for after-dinner entertainment with friends or family.
Okay, so it’s not bookish, per se, but when a game is reviewed as “the Criterion Collection of card games” I have to include it.
Stet!: A Game for Language Lovers, Grammar Geeks, and Biblophiles
You might remember Benjamin Dreyer’s popular book about his work as a copy editor, and this accompanying game is perfect for the true word nerds in your group.
Category 2: Christmas Mysteries
Murder After Christmas, by Rupert Latimer
This mostly lost cult classic is described this way: “First published in 1944, Murder After Christmas is a lively riot of murder, holiday desserts, and misdirection, cleverly twisting the tropes of Golden Age detective fiction to create a pacey, light-hearted package admirably suited for the holiday season.”
When Christmas Comes, by Andrew Klavan
Klavan’s book came out a few years ago but it feels like it could have come out seventy-five years ago. It involves a small town, a brutal murder, an amateur detective, and an eccentric cast of characters. It’s a quick read, perfect for a stocking stuffer.
Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan
One of my favorite books I’ve read in the last few years, Keegan’s novella is not a crime novel, per se, but it is mysterious. It’s brilliant.
Category 3: Books about Writing
Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers
From the copy: “Stephen King once said that books are ‘a uniquely portable magic.’ Here, Emma Smith takes readers on a literary adventure that spans centuries and circles the globe to uncover the reasons behind our obsession with this captivating object.”
On Writing (and Writers): A Miscellany of Advice and Opinions, by C.S. Lewis
For years C.S. Lewis corresponded with readers who wanted his advice on their own writing, and this delightful book curates the best of that advice into a profound and useful handbook for wannabe (better) scribes.
Writer’s Map: An Atlas of Imaginary Lands, ed. by Huw Lewis-Jones
I’ve mentioned this book before, so I apologize for recommending it again, but it’s full of 167 beautiful, full-color pages that any true book-lover will adore. This is, in particular, a great gift for an aspiring young storyteller.
Category 4: New Picture Books
Sophie Blackall’s newest book is my favorite picture book of 2022. It’s nostalgic and old-fashioned in exactly the right way.
Beautiful Useful Things: What William Morris Made, by Beth Kephart
A beautiful book about a maker of beautiful books, perfect for families who love beautiful books.
Children of the Forest, by Matt Myers
It’s whimsical, it’s charming, it’s a tad manic, it involves bows and arrows and backyards. Enough said.
Category 5: Beautiful Editions of Books Worth Owning
Silmarillion: Illustrated by the Author
The perfect gift for the true Tolkien-lover. It’s really a beautiful book: gilded, full-color, highly readable.
The New Annotated Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson
A creepy classic in a great new package with helpful bonus content. Absolutely worth buying for a fan of Stevenson, horror lit, or nineteenth century lit.
Dune: Deluxe Edition, by Frank Herbert
This might be my favorite deluxe edition we carry in the shop, at least in terms of the package. Rarely have publishers captured the vibe of a book as accurately as Ace Books does here.
Roots to the Earth: Poems and a Story, by Wendell Berry
Wesley Bates’ handsome wood engravings are almost as brilliant as Berry’s work collected in this edition, making it a wonderful gift for the Berry fans in your life.
Category 6: Notable New Releases
A Private Spy: The Letters of John LeCarre
This one comes out on 12/6, which is my birthday, a fact I love because few contemporary authors are as important to me as LeCarre. Surely someone in your life feels the same way.
Fall of Numenor: And Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-Earth
“J.R.R. Tolkien's writings on the Second Age of Middle-earth, collected for the first time in one volume complete with new illustrations in watercolor and pencil by renowned artist Alan Lee.”
For the sports fan in your life who likes to argue about rankings, history, and the moments that matter, whether they have loved soccer for years or weeks.
Musical Tables: Poems, by Billy Collins
Billy Collins is the most popular poet in the world and this, his most recent collection, features 125 new poems, many of which are inspired by the short work of poets like William Carlos Williams and W.S. Merwin.
Category 7: Miscellaneous Non-Book Items We Love
Blackwing’s matte pencil is my favorite writing instrument on earth, but all of their products make for great gifts for the artists, writers, diarists, letter writers, sketchers, note takers, or asthetes in your life.
At $100, this pen is somewhat pricey, but it’s remarkably well made and would be a great gift for the loved-one who deserves a truly nice writing instrument that can be kept for years. (I got my hands on one of these by trading a few mid-century tobacco pipes I found when searching for books in an old house).
This fountain pen is designed for everyday use and is durable, handsome, and customizable.
Drawn in a distinctly Tolkien-esque style, Lord of Maps offers a wide variety of prints (and even a book and blankets) that look great in any setting. In fact, we have his North Carolina map hanging in the shop. Would be a great gift for a student heading off to college, a loved one moving into a new home, or a teacher with blank classroom walls.
Not sure what to buy? Why not grab a digital Bookshop.org gift card for the hard-to-buy-for person on your list?
Thank you for this list! The Wendell Berry book and Beautiful Useful Things particularly caught my eye. My family vowed they wouldn't buy me more books after helping me move this summer, but surely those memories have faded...
Is it possible to do a 6-month gift subscription to Close Reads HQ? As I’m clicking around, I only see the option for monthly or for a whole year.