From that cousin you see once or twice a year to the random co-worker you’re paired with for Secret Santa, it can sometimes be difficult to come up with a perfect gift. Books are a great way to show someone you know what they like.
This is where this month’s Words on the Street come in.
There are local, independent bookstores you can support with your purchase. Some of my favorites are:
- Elizabeth’s Bookshop & Writing Centre, which is located in the Northside Marketplace at 21 Furnace St. in Akron.
- The Learned Owl Book Shop at 204 N. Main St. in Hudson.
- Shelf Life at 2115 Front St., Suite L, in Cuyahoga Falls.
- Woven Words Bookshop in Bath at 843 N. Cleveland Massillon Road, Suite 4.
Local stores also sell at bookshop.org.
From the history buff in your life to your favorite foodie, these suggestions will make holiday shopping smoother and help you check everyone off your list.
Suggested Reading
Must-read romance, for those who love a love story
“A Love Song for Ricki Wilde” by Tia Williams
Ricki is the wild child of her family. While her sisters all joined the family business, a successful chain of funeral homes in New York, she opted not to. Instead, when Ricki is offered the chance to make her dream a reality and open a flower shop in Harlem, she does it. There, she ends up meeting Ezra, a mysterious stranger. This book is not just a love story but also a love note to Harlem, past and present.
“Just for the Summer” by Abby Jimenez
Emma and Justin have bad luck with dating. Whenever one of them breaks up with their partner, the person their ex starts dating immediately after is inevitably the person they’ll marry. To break this curse, the two decide they will date, break up and find their actual soulmates. As to be expected, this plan becomes far more complicated than either of them anticipated.
“Funny Story” by Emily Henry
Emily Henry’s books are funny and warm and her characters are written in a way that makes them jump off the page. This book in particular stuck out to me due to how complex it is: cheating, a fake dating situation, and a tangled web of a plot that Henry somehow unravels at the end. Though the book centers on Daphne and Miles, two opposites who are brought together by their cheating fiances, the wide cast of characters, from Daphne’s best friend to Miles’ mom, establishes a broad community that makes this stick out from other romances.
Fantasy recommendations, for those who like to dream
“Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil” by V.E. Schwab
Multiple timelines, jumps through numerous historical periods, interactions with vampires and so much more. This book is both a love story and a story of grief. It follows three women who choose to become undead as a means to escape oppression. They then have to grapple with the fate of eternal life. The book asks questions about autonomy and what happens when time becomes infinite. What if the world around these women doesn’t want them to be fully free?
“The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig
What if the realm between life and death was a library? This is where Nora Seed finds herself after deciding to take her own life. The books she’s surrounded by detail what her life would have been like had she made different decisions and chosen other paths. This book not only asks us to think about the what-ifs but also to appreciate the decisions we’ve made that led us to now.
“Katabasis” by R.F. Kuang
This book chronicles the journey of two rival graduate students, Alice and Peter, as they venture to rescue their professor’s soul from hell. “Katabasis” is full of characters with morally questionable motives and littered with literary references and philosophical quandaries. The writing itself is sparse, but everything from the dynamic between the rivals to exploring what really brought them both to the underworld is incredibly complex.
Unforgettable stories, for those who love a memorable main character
“Parable of the Sower” by Octavia E. Butler
This dystopian novel follows Lauren Oya Olamina, a young girl who lives just outside Los Angeles, a city now in ruins. She must evacuate when her community, one of the few that is still secure, is attacked by outsiders. Lauren decides her best hope to find safety and work is to go north, perhaps as far as Canada. This 1993 book has continued to stay relevant due to its political and cultural themes and because Lauren is such a wise and unique character.
“The Emperor of Gladness” by Ocean Vuong
Ocean Vuong is one of my favorite authors because of the way he describes ordinary things, such as the glow of a fall day or work in the service industry, in a way that feels fresh and intriguing. This book is no exception. Here we follow our main character, 19-year-old Hai, who, when he is close to taking his life, is saved by an old woman named Grazina. Their friendship transcends their age gap and the differences in their backgrounds.
“Martyr!” by Kaveh Akbar
Cyrus Shams is an addict, a writer and a man who is plagued by his past. His mother’s plane was shot down by Americans over the Persian Gulf and his father, having relocated to Indiana, is absorbed by the pain of his job processing chicken at a factory. This leads to Cyrus’ fascination with martyrs, an obsession that leads him to an art gallery in Brooklyn and an artist in residence who may know more about his mother’s senseless death.
History and historical fiction, for those who love to learn
“Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection” by John Green
If you’ve ever watched one of Green’s “Crash Course” videos on YouTube, you’ll quickly see how much of that format is found in this book. Green is skilled at transporting you into a topic and making you feel like an expert without making your head spin. This book is light while also communicating the complexities of a disease that is preventable yet still prominent. Green also highlights his relationship with a young patient who suffers from the effects of tuberculosis, which humanizes the disease in a way that only its history could not.
“James” by Percival Everett
A reimagining of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, this work of historical fiction is narrated by the fugitive slave Jim or, as he’s known to the community of other slaves, James. This brilliant book reimagines James’ character, giving him agency and depth while maintaining the original plot of Twain’s classic novel. Instead of the stereotyped enslaved personTwain made him out to be, this James is a source of wisdom for his community and a father who will do whatever it takes to be reunited with his family.
“Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson
This book leaves you thinking long after you’ve finished it because of how Wilkerson looks at the way our society operates. Wilkerson argues that the way we treat race in America is no different than the caste system present, or once present, in India or Nazi Germany. She not only uses research and historical accounts to make her argument, she also focuses on the lives of specific people to exemplify this insidious system — including her own story.
Books for amateur cooks and foodies, for those who like to cook and eat
“Salt Fat Acid Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking” by Samin Nosrat
Written by a chef who has taught everyone from professional chefs to middle schoolers how to cook, this cookbook claims the key to cooking is mastering the use of four things: salt, fat, acid and heat. It’s perfect for a novice cook, those who are more advanced and want to learn more about the fundamentals, and every young adult who relies on their microwave. It breaks down the science of cooking into something tangible and easy to understand.
“Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees” by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Part memoir, part poetry, part history lesson about foods from an assortment of cultures, this book takes us through the history of foods as common as mint and strawberries and as unique as mangosteen and kaong. This book is rich and full of mouth-watering details that connect the reader to a range of cultures.
“What Can I Bring?: Recipes to Help You Live Your Guest Life” by Casey Elsass
This is the cookbook for the person who can’t arrive anywhere empty-handed. Full of tons of elevated potluck dishes, this cookbook is one that will help you be the talk of any party. Plus, there are tons of options and adaptations for those who have allergies, don’t eat gluten or nuts or are vegan or vegetarian.
Books about change, for the teen/young adult in your life
“They Both Die at the End” by Adam Silvera
What would you do if you knew you only had 24 hours to live? This is the reality for Mateo, Rufus and everyone else who has received the call from Death Cast, a service that informs people when they will die. Receiving that dreadful call brings Mateo and Rufus together. It helps each of them have a last day that becomes a big adventure — and that leads both characters to go outside their comfort zones and form a friendship that is both unexpected and heartwarming.
“Firekeeper’s Daughter” by Angeline Boulley
Something I admire about young adult fiction is its ability to address heavy topics with grace and care in a way that audiences from teens on up can easily grasp. This book is a perfect example. It follows Daunis Fontaine, a biracial, unenrolled member of the Native American Ojibwe tribe in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula who, when tragedy strikes, puts her life on hold to help her family. This book has intricate, layered character development for Daunis and others in the story, like her brother’s charming friend Jamie. It also thoroughly discusses Native American culture.
“I Am Not Jessica Chen” by Ann Liang
Jenna Chen has always lived in the shadows of her cousin Jessica. No matter how hard she tries, she can never be as smart, as successful or as generous. When Jenna receives a rejection from Harvard, she makes a wish on a comet to switch places with Jessica. It comes true, but Jessica discovers her cousin’s life isn’t as perfect as she once thought.
Books that will make you cry happy tears, for readers ages 8-12 and those who are young at heart
“Swim Team” by Johnnie Christmas
After moving to a new state, Bree is nervous and excited about starting at her new school. That is, until she learns she has to take the dreaded Swim 101 class. Unable to swim, Bree turns to her neighbors and community for support. This graphic novel blends fact with fiction, telling Bree’s story while also discussing why many Black people historically have not learned how to swim. This book contains many relevant themes, like friendship being found in unexpected places and learning to face your fears.
“Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All” by Chanel Miller
Magnolia lives in New York with her parents, who own a laundromat. There, she tacks up missing socks left by patrons in the hopes they will find their match. When Magnolia realizes no one is paying attention to her mission, she ventures into the city with her new friend, Iris, determined to return the socks to their homes. This book is a whimsical, heartwarming and wholesome story about friendship and finding community.
“A Rover’s Story” by Jasmine Warga
Resilience, or Res, is ready to fulfill the mission he’s been training for and go to Mars! However, once the rover gets there, he realizes Mars is scarier than he thought and begins to make decisions that go against how he was programmed. This book is science fiction at its most unique; it blends a heartwarming story about a rover who becomes sentient with information about space, NASA and engineering.
Picture books, for those with a little one in their lives
“Cranky” by Phuc Tran
Some days, you wake up grumpy and it seems like no matter what anyone says or does, nothing can get you out of that funk. Cranky the crane truck is feeling, well, cranky. No matter what his friends say or do, nothing will change his bad mood. This book is great for conversations about communication and feelings, even the bad ones you don’t want to feel.
“I Promise” by LeBron James
Inspired by James’ I Promise School and its founding beliefs of perseverance and having to work hard for what you want, this book encourages everyone, young and old, to always strive for greatness and try their best. Not only is the message behind this book wonderful, but so are the vibrant illustrations. This book is perfect for kids three years old or older but also for those graduating or entering a new chapter of their lives.
“You Can Be a Good Friend (No Matter What!)” by Taraji P. Henson
Lil TJ is ready for her first day of school. However, when the first day comes and goes and she is teased by her peers for her unique style and her outgoing personality, TJ remembers her Grandma Patsy’s advice to show kindness to all, even those who make it difficult to be the bigger person. It helps relieve her anxiety about going back to school and possibly being bullied the next day. This book is perfect to read to children who will soon be going to school or daycare.