Books to Gift Grown Ups
Books make great gifts because there are so many topics that you can find something for almost everyone on your list. They are often very affordable, too. I read a lot of books - over 40 this year - and wanted to share the 26 books I liked the best (I was aiming for 25, but couldn’t narrow it all the way down, so there are 26 on the list). Many of these are backlist books that were published before 2020. The books are listed in the order that I read them.
Although these links are to Amazon for ease on the internet, I encourage you to contact your local bookstores to try to buy locally where possible. Most of these books came from Book Tree in Kirkland, Brick + Mortar in Redmond, and Elliot Bay in Seattle and they all offer curbside pickup and I think they all ship as well.
1. The Nickel Boys
This is an absolutely devastating, but important read about boys at a juvenile detention center and the aftermath in Florida in the 1960s. It is fiction based on a detention center that actually existed.
A charming work of fiction that follows several generations of women in the beer making industry in the Midwest.
3. American Spy
A captivating spy thriller, a heartbreaking family drama, and a romance set in the 1980s.
4. Bad Blood
Bad Blood reads like a guide on "what not to do" when starting and running a company. It tells the story of Elizabeth Holmes, her company, Theranos, and their multi-billion dollar deception of selling blood testing technology that didn't work. Carreyrou was the journalist who received a tip from a Theranos employee, started investigating, and revealed the deception to the world.
Two families are tied together after a mental health crisis leads to a violent tragedy. There are also themes of alcoholism, friendship, and love in the story.
6. Ghost Series
This is a series of four books: Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu. Each book focuses on a middle school age student on an elite track team. Written for middle school students, these are the books I wish were around when I was there age. Worth a read for adults.
Long Bright River mostly takes place in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia and follows a police officer whose sister is missing during a time when a mysterious string of murders is happening. Full of suspense and twists, it is also a gut wrenching story about addiction, family, and fate. There are a lot of difficult subjects - drug addiction, homelessness, abuse, babies born addicted to drugs, police misconduct, absentee parents. The book is a little bit long at 480 pages, but I found it engaging.
8. There There
This book follows 12 stories by 12 Native Americans from different generations, who attend a modern day Powwow in Oakland, CA. The first few chapters seemed a little disjointed, but when I realized the characters are connected in ways both known and unexpected, the book really came together. Each of the characters truly has a different voice and perspective. Full of internal and external conflict, the book deals with a lot of generational grief. Many of the stories are honest, thought provoking, and emotionally heavy. The ending is violent and I felt so invested in each of the characters that it was devastating. This is one of the best debut novels I've ever read.
9. Year of Yes
Shonda Rhimes is a great writer with a knack for mixing humor with difficult topics. The book wasn't groundbreaking, but it includes many keen observations and different parts of it will speak to different people. I particularly liked the chapter “Yes, Thank You” where she notices that even the most successful women struggle with being told “you’re awesome.” The book makes you think about what will happen if you say “Yes” to opportunities that come up instead of a knee jerk “No."
10. Hawaii’s Story
If you enjoy visiting the Hawaiian Islands or if you want to know more about a piece of US history that is often overlooked in school, Hawaii's Story is a must read. It was first published in 1898 as a plea for justice and Hawaii’s independence after the US took control of the islands. This is not an easy read. It is detailed and written in a formal, old style. At times I had difficulty keeping all the players straight. I kept reading and found that each person was not essential to learning the history as it was chronicled through her own experiences and the overall picture of what happened is very clear.
A hilariously irreverent essay collection from Samantha Irby about her take on aging, marriage, settling down with step-children in small-town America, and more. The book really speaks to people in their late 30s/early 40s because there are a lot of cultural references from time periods in Irby's life that make it easy to identify with if you were in the same stage of your life at the time.
12. New Kid
A graphic novel geared for middle grade readers, but it is also great for adults. The story is about a Black boy whose mom makes him transfer to a mostly White private school while he wants to attend art school and follows his journey during the first year at the school. Topics include friendship, family, fitting in, bias, microaggressions, class differences, and more.
13. The Yellow House
A memoir about the author and her extended family who live in a yellow house in New Orleans East. It covers a lot of ground. Broom explores family relationships and history, inequality, living in poverty, race, drugs, the culture of a city, New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina, and more.
14. Our Native Bees
A good introduction to bees. The title is an interesting choice as Embry spends a lot of time talking about honey bees, which apparently - as I only discovered by reading this book - aren't native to North America. The book covers a variety of topics - bees and farming, pesticides, extinction, wild bees, different types of bees, and more. I particularly enjoyed the chapters about colonies and the projects dedicated to helping bees. I found it an interesting read that was wonderfully non-academic but incredibly informative with beautiful pictures and illustrations.
15. Exhalation
Nine creative short stories that focus on the intersection of humanity and technology. SciFi isn’t usually my thing, but I enjoyed this book.
Creatively written as an interview of members of a fictitious band years after they split. The book isn’t particularly deep, but it is a fun read with all the elements of ‘70s rock stars.
17. House on Fire
Perfect for anyone who enjoys a light murder mystery. The story involves a murdered a private detective at the estate of a wealthy family.
Follow the history of gender fluidity in pop music from the early twentieth century to the present day. There are playlists to go along with the music in the book.
The story of Native Americans since the end of the nineteenth century to the present is one of unprecedented resourcefulness and reinvention. I took notes on this book.
The interesting history of the Great Lakes mixed with an examination of the perils they face and the impact on regions beyond the Midwest.
This book examines the disaster on K2 in 2008 from the perspective of the Sherpas.
Historical fiction told from the perspective of four sisters about the murder of three of them in the Dominican Republic in the 1960s.
23. American Kingpin
A fascinating narrative that flowed like a fictitious mystery, but is nonfiction. The book tells the tale of the rise and fall of the creator of the Silk Road website - a “dark web” site that allowed people to buy and sell anything they wanted without regard to government regulation. There were a lot of developments and twists that were all allegedly true. Whether you are interested in tech, law, or true crime, this is a captivating read.
The debut novel of Nev March about the investigation into the murders of two women who die under suspicious circumstances in India in the 1890s.
25. The Searcher
When an American detective moves to a small town in Ireland, he is convinced to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the brother of a kid in the town.
26. Kent State
A graphic novel about the Ohio National Guard shooting of unarmed college students protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State University in 1970.
