Plus The Best Ways to Give Them
It's December 2nd and that means that it is OFFICIALLY the holiday season, its time to do the jingle bell rock and drink cocoa and BUY PRESENTS! One of my favorite parts of the holidays is shopping for my loved ones, picking put the perfect present and wrapping them and finally seeing their face when they open it. I also ask for at least two books every year when I write my list to Santa, yes I still do that. (if you write a list at Macy's like I do they donate a dollar to the Make-A-Wish Foundation)
These are my top eight book recommendations to put on your list, plus a few fun ways to make giving a book more than just a book.
1. American Royals
The books is a twist on American history, after winning the revolutionary war, George Washington became a king. The rules to succession were changed, making a first born daughter the first female ruler. America's princesses Beatrice and Samantha, the heir and spare respectively, and their brother Prince Jefferson show how different America would be with a monarchy, The drama between the siblings of House of Washington, a mere two and half centuries after Washington himself ruled, is strong, but the age of monarchy has dulled in the modern world. The role Beatrice has prepared for her whole life now seems like too much, but will love be able to change history?
How to gift it: This book is perfect for your friend most obsessed with the royal family, pair it with some fun earrings or a crown ring like on the books cover.
2. Girls Like Us
The books follows four girls from different lives through their experiences with teenage pregnancy in 1960's America, before the legalization of abortion. While the girls all come from different walks of life, their stories intertwine to create a moving novel. Each chapter shows a different experience through a different narrator. Ola and Izella are daughter of a strict evangelist mother. Despite only a year younger in age, Izella is years more mature and decides to help her pregnant 16 year old sister find a solution. Mississippi is sent to Chicago by her father to be cared for until she gives birth, here she becomes best friends with Susan, the daughter of a US Senator, who came to Chicago to escape her father and the baby's father. The book is riveting and difficult to put down once you start.
How to gift it: This book is perfect for your feminist best friend, pair it with a witty feminist tee or a charitable donation to Planned Parenthood in their honor.
3. The Grace Year
This book is an adventure from the first page. In the county, its believed that women possess a powerful magic, strong enough to lure men away from their marriage and to drive other women crazy. Because of this magic all girls are sent out of the county and to remote enclosed location during their 16th year, they are to find and lose their magic before they return or risk being disowned and sent to the outskirts. Tiereny dreams of being able to chose love, to have friends, and doesn't believe in the magic. During her grace year, she is ostracized because of her beliefs from the others girls. But what she finds in the woods isn't the magic she is expecting, and what she return to, and with, is even more draw dropping.
How to gift it: This book is perfect for any friend, especially one who loves adventure, pair it with a cute mug and some soothing tea, the books is such a roller-coaster they might need some.
4. The Great Gatsby
Only a few days after Christmas is New Year', and the start of 2020. The second roaring 20's is going to be amazing so why not kick it off by reading the book we are all going to live by as we part like Gatsby? The Great Gatsby is a complex and often confusing love story, that leaves you with lot of questions, but ultimately, every girl wants to be looked at how Gatsby looked at Daisy. The story is told through the eyes of Nick Caraway, Gatsby's neighbor. Nick, himself, also knows rumors of how Gatsby came into money or who he truly is. But one thing is for sure, Gatsby looks at the world through daisy colored glasses seeing only her, his green light guiding him.
How to gift it: Pair it with champagne, old chap! And a bouquet of daisies, for what ever friend you give this too, because everyone loves flowers.
5. Frankly in Love
Frank Li is a Korean-American teenager, his parents want him to date a Korean girl. He wants to be allowed to follow his heart. As he and friends, all of whom are in Advanced Placements, they call themselves apeys, struggle through their senior year and the trials and tribulations of the SAT and college admissions, Frank finds himself falling in love. But since his family would never approve, he makes an agreement with a family friend, a Korean girl. As they fake-date each other so they can find their own tribe and their own love. The book shows the struggle of a high school senior as he juggles family, friends, school and love.
How to gift it: Pair it with a gift card to local coffee shop or Starbucks, since Frank Li and his friend always gather at theirs.
6. This is Not a Fashion Story
Danielle Bernstein of @WeWoreWhat, has become one of the most recognizable names in fashion. At 19, she was a college drop put living in a shoe box on the West Side, with only 6 months to prove herself. 10 years later, she is huge online and in the world of fashion. This is her story, of how she left Long Island and made it in New York City. Right now, the book is only available for pre-order on Amazon, it won't be out until May 2020. However, this will be a must-read because of her inspirational and relatable story. Just so you know the synopsis on Amazon says "WARNING: This book contains multiple references to Bernstein’s wild, romantic and hilarious sex life. She apologizes in advance."
How to gift it: Pair it with a fashionable gift, a purse, a pair of sunglasses or pair it with a pair of Danielle's jean from collab with Joe's Jeans or one of her swimsuits from @shopweworewhat.
7. Playing With Matches
After Sasha graduates from NYU with a journalism degree, life seems perfect. She is living with her best friend Caroline and is dating a finance-bro named Jonathan. However, when her dream job doesn't workout she lands a job at New York matchmaking service called Bliss, despite having no experience. She launches herself into her new job, spending time scrolling through Tinder looking for matches for her clients. When Jonathan betrays her, she falls into the arms of a handsome writer, with a Southern accent she originally found as a match for her clients, breaking the most important rule.
How to gift it: Pair with a cozy blanket, like the image below, to create a cozy set for your friend who is a hopeless romantic. The book could also be paired with a fun or cute phone case, since Sasha spends so much time scrolling through her own.
8. The Paris Seamstress
The book is split between the point of view of Estella in 1940 and her granddaughter Fabienne in 2015. Estella leaves war-torn Paris for Manhattan in 1940, with only a few francs, her sewing machine and a big dream, to have her own atelier. She quickly makes friends and falls in love, but the complexities of American life and war create secrets that last generations. Decades later her granddaughter, Fabienne, travels to New York from her Australia home to see her grandmother's collection at the Met Gala. During her time in America, she too finds love and uncovers family secrets from the war and life after, making her question everything she has every known.
How to gift it: Create a little spa gift set for your most stressed out friend, put some face masks, scented lotion and nail polish together in a cute bag to create a perfect holiday set. For a friend who loves to sew, pair the book with a gift card to a fabric store, or some fun fabric and cool thread. for their next project.
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