Three more books to give this Christmas
Part two of the Well Read gift guide, plus the last chance to get your tailored recommendations.
Happy December all! With this month always being a quiet one for new releases, I’m back with a short-but-sweet second instalment of a bookish gift guide. (Part one is here, if you missed it.)
It’s also your last chance to get some tailored recommendations to help you find the perfect book for someone special. Just scroll down to the end of this email to find out how.
Then, in a fortnight’s time - the final edition of Well Read in 2021 - I’ll be sharing my favourite novels that have been published this year. (Although right now, I’m struggling to whittle it down!)
In the meantime, here’s some more Christmas inspiration…
Three books which make brilliant gifts
Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman
I had actual goosebumps when Amanda Gorman stood on the podium at the start of this year at the Biden-Harris inauguration, and delivered her epic poem ‘The Hill We Climb’.
So, I’m very excited that the 23-year-old (!!) is about to publish her first poetry collection, Call Us What We Carry. Touching on themes of identity, memory, and hope, it’s destined to be a classic - although it’s almost deserving of a spot beneath the tree for that gorgeous cover alone.
Gift it to: fans of brilliant poetry collections by brilliant women, whether it’s Maya Angelou, Mary Oliver or Rupi Kaur.
Taste by Stanley Tucci
I didn’t know it until it was published, but a food memoir from the inordinately smooth Italian American actor and expert cocktail maker is exactly what I needed in my life.
From coq au vin on his first date with his late wife Kate, to dinner with Meryl Streep in the depths of France, this book is filled with stories of Tucci’s most memorable meals - with a side order of musings on love, loss, family, and Italy. Taste is charming, life-affirming, and incredibly moreish.
Gift it to: lovers of food, drink, Italy, and the - let’s face it - swoon-worthy man himself.
Conversations on Love by Natasha Lunn
Interspersing Lunn’s personal stories of finding, sustaining and losing love with interviews with the likes of Philippa Perry, Dolly Alderton, Roxanne Gay, Esther Perel and Candice Carty-Williams, this is a book about being attentive to the many forms of love.
I think what’s so special about CoL is that somehow, it manages to be a book for single people as much as it is for those in long-term relationships; a book for people who are grieving as much as it is for those who are fizzy with a newfound love; a book for anyone who’s lonely as much as it is for those who are surrounded by supportive friends.
Also, Brie Larson posted a photo of her reading it:
She has great taste!
Gift it to: fans of Dolly Alderton’s Everything I Know About Love, Cheryl Strayd’s Tiny Beautiful Things and anyone who needs to feel a bit more hopeful.
And finally…
Once again I’m offering my help if you’re still looking for a book to gift someone. You have until Friday 10th December to fill in this Google form here, telling me a little bit about the person and their tastes, and I’ll come back to you with some specific suggestions. As I said last time, there’s no cost or catch – I just really like the idea of spreading the book love!
thanks of the recommendations. Didn't know about the Tucci and the Lunn book.