Gift suggestions for readers from Traci Thomas of 'The Stacks'

Buying a holiday gift for the readers in your life can be tricky. You may know your friend likes to read, but what kind of book would they like to get as a gift?

If you know their favorite book, Traci Thomas — creator of “The Stacks” podcast — says a first-edition copy of that book would make a special gift. Thomas also suggests not gifting a book at all. Instead, she recommends a cozy blanket to curl up in or a candle to set the mood when reading.

“My current obsession is gifting things that disappear,” Thomas says. “I love a snack, so a snack box or some sort of goodie box or bag of treats that I can have while I'm reading.”

If you do want to pick up a book to gift this season, Thomas says to look at the books your friends recently enjoyed and base your selection on that.

"I picked five of some of the buzziest books of 2024, and I figured if you have a book lover in your life, maybe they've already read one of these, so here's something from the backlist that you could pair with this book," she says. "Maybe they haven't read the backlist option yet, so it would be a good surprise gift that they'll probably like."

If they liked “The Women” by Kristin Hannah

If they liked “James” by Percival Everett

If they liked “All Fours” by Miranda July

If they liked “Be Ready When the Luck Happens” by Ina Garten

If they liked “Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space” by Adam Higginbotham