19 Books to Gift to Every Bookworm in Your Life This Christmas

Christmas season is upon us! While we’re nearing the most wonderful time of the year, we have to admit: choosing what to give to your friends, families, and loved ones can sometimes be a tricky task. Good thing, there’s a perfect book for every book lover.

From titles that span fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, and more, here’s a list of some titles from the Fully Booked 2021 Gift Guide that every bookworm in your life will adore.

Dream A Little Dream: Books to Read With Children

When Lola Visits by Michelle Sterling

An evocative picture book that celebrates gentle bonds of familial love that spans oceans and generations, this book shares the simple joy of togetherness: funny stories of baking mishaps, the aroma of mango jam, and sweet tunes in Tagalog. It’s the perfect book to connect with young children or kids starting to read.

The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (As Told by His Brother) by David Levithan

Aidan mysteriously disappears for six days. Then, just as suddenly as he vanished, Aidan reappears and the story Aidan tells of his disappearance is simply impossible. Will he get his brother to believe him? David Levithan takes young readers on a twisting journey through truth, reality, fantasy, and belief; a touching middle-grade book that is centered on self-discovery, trust, and brotherhood.

I Am Human by Susan Verde, Peter H. Reynolds

A hopeful meditation on all the great and challenging parts of being human, I Am Human is a picture book that celebrates empathy and compassion—showing that it’s okay to make mistakes while also emphasizing the power of good choices by offering a kind word or smile. 

A Starry Night: Books That Spark Hope

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

This beautiful read that features 100 colored and black-and-white drawings offers inspiration and hope in uncertain times, following the tale of four protagonists and exploring life’s universal lessons—sharing their biggest fears, greatest discoveries about vulnerability, kindness, hope, friendship, and love.

Looking Back Life Was Beautiful by Chan Jae Lee

What started as an intimate family project, Grandpa Chan and Grandma Marina’s Instagram page has attracted a large following; this book inspired by their Instagram page features Chan's watercolors accompanied by Marina's texts. A testament to the great wisdom only grandparents can provide to younger generations, Looking Back Life Was Beautiful will inspire families to always stay close and connected. 

Publisher Recommendations: Penguin Random House

Ikigai by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia

Most people are always in pursuit of happiness and want to live life to the fullest. Ikigai is a concept that embodies the idea of happiness in living. According to the residents of the Japanese island of Okinawa—the world’s longest-living people—finding it is the key to a longer and more fulfilled life. Inspiring and comforting, this book will give you the life-changing tools to uncover your personal ikigai. 

The Comfort Book by Matt Haig

Years ago, Matt Haig began writing notes to his future self. These notes were meant as gifts: offerings of hope to help himself through anything from the not-so-great days to the darkest periods of his life. The Comfort Book is a small book for anyone in search of hope, looking for a path to a more meaningful life, or in need of encouragement. 

The  Simple Living by Shunmyo Masuno

In clear, practical and easy to follow lessons—one a day for 100 days—renowned Buddhist monk Shunmyo Masuno draws on centuries of wisdom to show you how to apply the essence of Zen to modern life. The Art of Simple Living will help bookworms to simplify life with the art of Zen, and learn how to feel more relaxed, fulfilled, and with a renewed sense of peace.

A Wonderful World: Books That Dive Into Stories

Wing of the Locust by Joel Donato Ching Jacob

Tuan escaped his mundane life to become a mambabarang. As he dives deeper to become a person who practices applications in espionage, sabotage, and assassinations, Tuan is overcome by conflicting emotions that cause him to question his new life. The Wing of the Locust doesn’t only offer a coming-of-age story told with boldness and grace; it also teaches values and offers new perspectives to life which young and even mature readers could relate to.

Aristotle and Dante Dive Into The Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Two boys who fell in love must now discover what it means to stay in love and build a relationship in a world that seems to challenge their very existence. The highly anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed, multiple award-winning novel Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is an achingly romantic, tender tale sure to captivate fans of Adam Silvera and Mary H.K. Choi.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time. Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a beautiful, moving story that explores the age-old question: what would you change if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time? 

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

Anthony Doerr’s Cloud Cuckoo Land follows five unforgettable characters, despite spanning nearly six centuries, who are bound together by the power of literature. Dedicated to “the librarians then, now, and in the years to come,” this book is a paean to the extraordinary human capacity to transmit stories from generation to generation and a novel about stewardship—of books, of our shared planet, and of the human heart.

Holiday Warmth: Books That Help Us Heal

Goodbye, Again by Jonny Sunc

A collection of essays featuring Jonny Sun’s funny and heartfelt style, the pieces from Goodbye, Again range from long meditations on topics like loneliness and being an outsider, to short humor pieces, conversations, and memorable one-liners. Jonny's honest writings about his struggles with feeling productive, as well as his difficulties with anxiety and depression will connect deeply with his fans as well as anyone attempting to create in our chaotic world. 

It’s OK to Feel Things Deeply by Carissa Potter

Times can get tough, and this book is here to support women through those moments. Its uplifting and positive message helps women cope with depression, grief, anxiety and stress. Through practical guidance, meaningful messages of empathy, honesty, art and humor, It's Okay to Feel Things Deeply gives women the encouragement they need exactly when they need it. 

Nothing Much Happens by Kathryn Nicolai

Busy minds need a place to rest. Whether you find yourself struggling to sleep, awake in the middle of the night, or even just anxious as you move through the day, Kathryn Nicolai offers a healthy way to ease the mind before bed: through the timeless appeal of classic bedtime stories. Nothing Much Happens offers a rich sensory experience that quietly teaches mindfulness and self-compassion, soothes frayed nerves, and builds solid habits for nurturing sleep.

Publisher Recommendations: HarperCollinsPublishers

The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm

Most people are unable to love on the only level that truly matters: love that is compounded of maturity, self-knowledge, and courage. As with every art, love demands practice and concentration, as well as genuine insight and understanding. The Art of Loving explores love in all its aspects—not only romantic love, steeped in false conceptions and lofty expectations, but also brotherly love, erotic love, self-love, the love of God, and the love of parents for their children.

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

Mateo and Rufus receive some bad news: they’re going to die today. They are total strangers, but, for different reasons, both are looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: there’s an app called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day. Adam Silvera reminds us that there’s no life without death and no love without loss in this devastating yet uplifting story about two people whose lives change over the course of one unforgettable day.

Festive Learnings: Books That Teach Us

Becoming Better Grownups by Brad Montague

Beautifully designed and featuring Brad Montague's own whimsical four-color illustrations that appeal to the kid in all of us, Becoming Better Grownups shares the purpose and meaning we can all discover merely by listening, and reveals that—in a world that seems increasingly childish—the secret to joy is in fact to become more childlike. This book is filled with lessons of success, fear, regret, gratitude, love, happiness, and dreams to reveal the true reason we are here: to fly, and to help others fly.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Universe by Daniel Whiteson and Jorge Cham

With their signature blend of humor and oh-now-I-get-it clarity, Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson offer short, accessible, and lighthearted answers to some of the most common, most outrageous, and most profound questions about the universe they've received. This witty, entertaining, and fully illustrated book is an essential troubleshooting guide for the perplexing aspects of reality, big and small, from the invisible particles that make up your body to the identical version of you currently reading this exact sentence in the corner of some other galaxy.