If you’ve got a book-lover in your family, check out this book gift guide to get the best book ideas for every personality and preference! 

Do you have trouble buying books for other people? 

As much as I love books, I sometimes struggle to find the right book for each person. I have a preference for particular genres. If the person I’m shopping for isn’t into that genre, then I don’t know where to go from there. 

I want to share with you some of my top picks for all of my favourite book genres so that if you happen to have a friend who’s really into that genre, too, they will definitely love it. Each recommendation will come with a brief explanation of the book and who it’s good for. So if you are in need of ideas, this book gift guide is bound to have something that can help! 

Note: Some of these books have been out for years, while others are new releases.

Books for Gamers who love Action

Click here to get Ready Player One on Amazon

Ready Player One and Ready Player Two

If you’ve got a friend who’s really into VR or likes treasure hunts, these books are perfect for them! It’s basically a Virtual Reality Scavenger hunt that is packed with action, adventure, and retro videogame references. Perfect for the gamer in your life! 

Click here to get Ender’s Game on Amazon

Ender’s Game

This one is more of a military-based book, where young children are trained to be military strategists. It follows a particularly bright boy named Ender, and it is a nonstop adventure the whole way! 

Books for Jane Austen Fans

If you’ve got a Jane Austen fan in your life, it never hurts to buy them a Jane Austen book they haven’t read yet. However, if they have read them all, you still have a lot of Jane Austen spinoffs to choose from! Each of the following stories takes a Jane Austen book (all of the examples are about Pride and Prejudice, a fan favourite) and retells the story from a different character’s perspective. So far, these have been my favourites: 

Click here to get the Jane Austen box set on Amazon

• Longbourn (Pride and Prejudice from the perspective of a servant at Longbourn)
• Manga Classics: Pride and Prejudice (a retelling of the story in Manga)
• Death Comes to Pemberley (a sequel to Pride and Prejudice where Mr. Wickham is murdered, an outcome most Jane Austen fans dream of) 
• Mr. Darcy’s Diary (a retelling of Pride and prejudice from Mr. Darcy’s perspective)

Quick Classics

For the busy reader in your life, these two books from the book gift guide are a perfect choice! They are well-known and can be read quickly for people with little time for reading. 

Click here to get The Great Gatsby on Amazon

The Great Gatsby

A story about one man’s experience with a man named Gatsby, this story is full of romance and mystery. 

Click here to get Animal Farm on Amazon

Animal Farm

A story about animals that grow enough sentience to run their own farming system, this book can be read in a single afternoon. 

Philosophy

These books are for people who like to ask philosophical questions or broaden their perspectives through stories and travel. 

Click here to get Fifteen Dogs on Amazon

Fifteen Dogs

This book is about fifteen dogs that gain the power of human thought. It is a beautifully written book all about human nature. 

Click here to get Tuesdays with Morrie on Amazon

Tuesdays with Morrie

Really, anything from Mitch Albom is a great choice if you’re into philosophy. He’s got a lot of really interesting ideas about life that help you see things from different perspectives.

Click here to get Eat, Pray, Love on Amazon

Eat, Pray, Love

This book is for the traveller in your life! I know it was already really popular a long time ago, but I’ve returned to this one so many times to get a taste of travel without leaving my house. If you know someone who hasn’t yet read this book, I’d recommend it! 

Graphic Novels

Graphic novels can often make for really special gifts since it’s not something people usually buy for themselves. I’ve got a few personal favourites listed here. 

Click here to get Watchmen on Amazon

Watchmen

This is a graphic novel classic. It puts a twist on your generic superhero story, and it ends with a bit of a philosophical question. It’s a great book to read more than once, so it’s a smart purchase. 

Click here to get the full Scott Pilgrim set on Amazon

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

This series is easily the quirkiest graphic novel I’ve ever read, and I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t love it! About an average boy who falls in love and has to battle all of the girl’s ex-boyfriends, this series is such a blast! 

Click here to get The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins on Amazon

The Adventure Zone Comic Series

If you’ve got anyone who loves dungeons and dragons, this one is the best book gift for them! The comic is an illustration of what happened in a real-life Dungeons and Dragons podcast. It is a ton of fun and hilariously light. If funny is what you’re after, look no further! 

Fantasy

I won’t lie- I’m super biased in this genre. If you have someone who’s into fantasy, I would look no further than the author Brandon Sanderson. He has come out with nothing but fantasy gold for years now! A lot (if not all) of his books happen in the same universe but in different worlds. You can get a range of stand-alone books, trilogies, or a ten-book series. I’m currently reading through his biggest writing project, the Stormlight Archives Series. Honestly, his stuff is amazing! 

Click here to get The Way of Kings: Book One of the Stormlight Archive on Amazon

Mysteries and Psychological Thrillers

If your friend is always talking about Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train, they will definitely be into these books! For the sake of keeping the suspense, I won’t be revealing any information about the book itself. Instead, I will just tell you my general thoughts on the books. 

Click here to get An Anonymous Girl on Amazon

An Anonymous Girl

It’s a quick read and involves a good level of mystery right from the beginning. Great for people who are into psychology. 

Click here to get Big Little Lies on Amazon

Big Little Lies

The narration is really fun in this story, and a lot of the characters are really likeable. It’s a great read for people who like the trope of rich, beautiful people with something to hide. It also has a television series they can enjoy after reading. 

Click here to get Little Fires Everywhere on Amazon

Little Fires Everywhere

This story is great for people who like to read about complicated family dynamics and moral grey areas. It also has a television series to watch afterwards. 

Stories about real people

I’ll be honest, my suggestions here are geographically biased. Because I was living in China this past year, I had taken an interest in Asian culture, so all but one suggestion are from Asian cultures. That being said, they are all truly great reads! 

Click here to get Educated on Amazon

Educated

This memoir is the only book in this genre that takes place in the USA. It’s about a girl’s strange upbringing in a family that didn’t believe in giving them a typical education. It’s fascinating and well-written. For people who liked Glass Castle, this is a safe choice. 

Click here to get Memoirs of a Geisha on Amazon

Memoirs of a Geisha

A story about a girl’s life growing up in a Geisha house, this book is a classic. It gives us a glimpse of a secretive culture that people almost never talk about. For those interested in Japanese culture or love stories, this is a great choice! 

Click here to get Shanghai Girls on Amazon

Shanghai Girls

This story is not a true story but a fabrication of what this author felt might have happened with many Chinese citizens in 1937. It follows two sisters who flee China due to the war and become Chinese Immigrants in America. It is incredibly well-written and teaches a lot of history from this time period. 

Click here to get The Girl with Seven Names on Amazon

The Girl with Seven Names

This is an incredible story of one woman’s journey from North Korea to China to South Korea to America. I really loved the way it was written, and it gave so much insight into the daily struggles of a person who was born and raised in North Korea. My favourite thing about this book is that the author is rather fond of different aspects of every place. She shows both the bad and the good of North Korea, an opinion we don’t often hear. 

Aboriginal Stories

For the reader in your life who enjoys Aboriginal history, I’ve got two books I’ve read this year that I would highly recommend! 

Click here to get From the Ashes on Amazon

From the Ashes

This is a memoir that follows the life of a Canadian Metis aboriginal who doesn’t know exactly how he identifies himself in the context of his heritage and his current situation in life. It is a truly inspiring story and very well told. 

Click here to get Indians on Vacation on Amazon

Anything from Thomas King

For anyone who likes Kurt Vonnegut, I’d say that Thomas King’s books are very similar in the style of narration. They are a little dark, but also incredibly humorous. He’s a personal favourite of mine. 

Something outside of the norm

Here are a couple of ideas of books that don’t tell a traditional story that are fun to give. 

Click here to get Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: The Shooting Script on Amazon

Written scripts of shows, plays, or movies

I’ve got a copy of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind that I absolutely love! If your friend has a movie or a play that they really love, it might be a cool gift to give them a script of that thing. 

Artistic Books

Some books are meant to simply be viewed and not so much read. These books are often filled with beautiful pictures and pieces of artful writing and prose. These are good books for people interested in a particular topic but who don’t necessarily want to read a non-fiction book about it. 

Click here to get How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are on Amazon

Conclusion

You may have noticed that this is a bit of an eclectic mix.

I didn’t choose these books because the reviews were good.

These are all books that I have read in the past year or so and have loved. Because really, what better way to get good recommendations than from real people? You can feel confident that I actually read through all of these books and personally enjoyed them. These are all personal recommendations from my own 2020 reading. I hope you found something that piqued your interest in this book gift guide today! 

What books did you read this year that you would add to this book gift guide? Add them to the comments list below! I’d love to read your personal favourites!