I Asked 11 Authors To Share Their Top Book Gifts for the 2024 Holiday Season
Attention last-minute shoppers: Books are always a win.
It doesn’t matter how many miles long my to-be-read list is, or how high the physical copies are stacked in my home office; books are always on my wishlist.
Within the last two years, I’ve compiled multiple gift guides for avid readers. My list from 2023 included a few titles I believed to be gift-worthy. This year’s list comprised book-ish gifts, but no titles were mentioned.
That was on purpose.
One of my favorite parts of this newsletter is my author interview series. I’ve connected with so many amazing writers to talk about their latest releases and get a peek behind the scenes of their work. During these conversations, I ask a lot of questions, as many as time allows. But it dawned on me recently that there’s a whole other subject matter that I haven’t even begun to explore with these creatives: Their personal reading tastes outside their own stories.
And so, here we are.
This was a light reading year for me, so I reached out to some of my author friends to weigh in on the books they recommend or are gifting to loved ones this holiday season! From feel-good rom-coms to spicy slow burns, an essay collection, and more, this list of 11 titles is an awesome resource of last-minute gifts for book lovers. Check out their recs below, and don’t forget to check their stories out, too!
And let us know in the comments below what books you’ll be gifting this holiday season! Don’t see a title on this book gifts list that would match your recipient’s personality or taste, shoot me an email. I’ll offer some personalized recs based on your specifications.
(**Please note, prices are subject to change as sales start! Plus, Friendly Disclaimer: Beyond My Byline is reader-supported! When you buy through Amazon links in this post, I may earn an affiliate commission.*)
Photo courtesy of Amazon
from $8.99, amazon.com
“Sex, Lies, and Sensibility by Nikki Payne: For the modern woman who loves Jane Austen, Nikki Payne delights in this retelling of a literary classic. It’s sultry, sharp, and will have you alternatively clutching your chest and kicking your feet. This book will warm even the coldest of hearts.” — B.K. Borison, author of First Time Caller (Instagram, X, TikTok)
Photo courtesy of Amazon
from $7.99, amazon.com
“I’m gifting Goodnight Bubbala to all the little ones on my list. Sheryl Hafts’ delicious retelling of Good Night Moon comes with an equally delicious latke recipe from Ina Garten!”— Jane L. Rosen, author of Seven Summer Weekends (Instagram, Facebook)
Photo courtesy of Amazon
from $9.49, amazon.com
“Recently, I flew through The Good Part by Sophie Cousens, which would make a perfect gift for the confused 20-something in your life. Cousens takes a premise familiar from beloved movies like BIG and 13 Going On 30 — what if you could magically skip to the "good" parts of your life? — and applies it to those messy post-college years where it feels like everyone is starting to succeed except you. It's a witty, breezy read that isn't afraid to tackle weightier subjects (you might want to check content warnings), and I loved it.” — Laura Hankin, author of One Star Romance (Instagram, TikTok)
Photo courtesy of Amazon
$14.99, amazon.com
“I started the year with Good Material by Dolly Alderton. And I’m ending it that way. It felt like eating a stew—I got everything I wanted in each bite. Humor. Relatability. Humanity. Heartache. Wonder. Closure. I wanted for nothing more after I had finished, except more time with each character. And more books like it.” - Devon Loftus, author of Dwell: A Journal for Naming, Processing, and Embracing Your Emotions (Instagram)
Photo courtesy of Amazon
from $19.95, amazon.com
“The personal essays that comprise Bequeath, each unto themselves a heartfelt and profound gem threaded with a wry comic wit, come together to create a stunning compilation of sorrow for what’s been lost. Melora Wolff begins with her girlhood as a scholarship student at the elite Brearley School where she is decidedly an outsider. In this stunningly beautiful and highly relatable memoir, she reveals those fleeting moments of life that ultimately shape who we are and who we become.” - Carlie Hoffman, author of When There Was Light (Instagram)
Photo courtesy of Amazon
from $13.99, amazon.com
“Taffy Brodesser-Akner followed up her 2019 smash hit debut, Fleishman is in Trouble with an even more ambitious novel in this year’s bestselling Long Island Compromise. Spanning decades, this complex tale of the benefits and detriments of generational wealth features an ensemble cast of uniquely flawed yet oddly sympathetic characters. With wit and poignancy, Brodesser-Akner strikes the perfect balance between satire and heartbreak. This is a novel that will be treasured by all who read it.”— Renée Rosen, author of Let’s Call Her Barbie (Instagram, Facebook)
Photo courtesy of Amazon
from $6.82, amazon.com
“Open Throat by Henry Hoke. This novella about a queer mountain lion living underneath the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles is a real crowd-pleaser. I’ve recommended it to several people and they’ve all loved it. It’s such a unique book, and it’s so short that you can read it in an afternoon!” - E.K. Sathue, author of Youthjuice (Instagram)
Photo courtesy of Amazon
from $16.99, amazon.com
“I’m giving Julia Turshen’s new cookbook, What Goes With What, to multiple people this holiday season! I love Julia Turshen’s food writing so much: it’s detailed, thoughtful, and accessible to cooks from beginners to advanced. This cookbook is full of charts that make you understand WHY certain recipes work, so you can feel confident both following them and riffing on them. A great cookbook for so many people on your list!” —Jasmine Guillory, author of Flirting Lessons (Instagram, X)
Photo courtesy of Amazon
from $12.35, amazon.com
“If you know someone looking for a literary getaway this holiday season, A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong is the perfect one-way ticket out of town—and out of this century. The first in a time travel series featuring a modern detective who inadvertently finds herself in Victorian Edinburgh, it’s a book filled with fun characters and a whole bunch of mystery (how did Detective Mallory end up in the past? Why do dead bodies keep piling up at her new employer’s doorstep? And is that employer super crush-worthy to anyone else, or is it the time-traveling jet lag talking?). For those on your list who need a break from the doom-scrolling and app-swiping of the modern world, A Rip Through Time offers the perfect escape!” —Maxie Dara, author of A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching A Killer (Instagram, X)
Photo courtesy of Amazon
from $12.99, amazon.com
“The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco by Michelle Chouinard. This is one of several books that I'm giving my fifteen-year-old niece for Christmas, and the only one I picked out myself for her. Every year at Christmastime, I let her pick out a stack of books. I chose this one for her because it's a humorous mystery, which I adore, but has a true crime twist to it. The main character gives serial killer tours of San Francisco and is solving a cold case. I read it before I wrapped it for her and can't wait to talk about when she reads it.” — Amanda Flower, author of Gingerbread Danger (Facebook, Instagram)
Photo courtesy of Amazon
from $4.99, amazon.com
“Wait for It by Mariana Zapata. I love slow burns and she's the queen of them!” - Sara Tallary, author of Above the Truths (Instagram, Threads, TikTok)