🤖 AI Summary
Overview
This episode dives into the art of gifting books during the holiday season, offering tailored recommendations for various personalities and interests. Editors Joumana Khatib and Sadie Stein share their favorite reads of the year and suggest books for specific categories of giftees, from foodies to mystery lovers.
Notable Quotes
- Books are the best gifts. You can literally find a book for every single person on your list, no matter what they're into, no matter if they even read books.
- Gilbert Cruz, on the versatility of books as gifts.
- If a book could have a smell, this book smells like a 1989 Gristedes on Columbus Avenue.
- Joumana Khatib, describing the evocative atmosphere of Playworld by Adam Ross.
- The person who has everything does not yet have a window into how you look at them.
- Joumana Khatib, on the personal touch of gifting books.
📚 Reading for Pleasure
- Joumana Khatib gravitates toward translated fiction, books without plots, and works with strong dialogue. She avoids true crime but loves surprises in storytelling.
- Sadie Stein enjoys eclectic reads, including books about crafts, interiors, ghosts, and food. She appreciates nostalgic and quirky titles that defy algorithms.
🌟 Favorite Books of the Year
- Joumana Khatib highlights The Colony by Annika Norlin, a Swedish novel about burnout and unexpected connections, and The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai, a sweeping immigrant epic.
- Sadie Stein recommends Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, a modern reimagining of Georges Perec’s Things, and Playworld by Adam Ross, a coming-of-age tale set in 1980s New York.
- Gilbert Cruz praises The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, a historical fiction exploring art and authoritarianism during Nazi Germany.
🎁 Gift Ideas for Specific Categories
- For the person who has everything: Art books, gardening books, or quirky finds like Entertaining is Fun! by Dorothy Draper.
- For cozy mystery lovers: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman and The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett.
- For foodies: Toast by Nigel Slater, Roald Dahl’s cookbook, or Salvador Dalí’s Les diners de Gala.
- For performing arts enthusiasts: Diaghilev’s Empire by Rupert Christiansen and Stephen Sondheim’s lyric collections Finishing the Hat and Look I Made a Hat.
- For dads: The Gales of November by John U. Bacon (on the Edmund Fitzgerald tragedy) and Tonight in Jungleland by Peter Ames Carlin (on Bruce Springsteen).
📖 Books People Say They’ll Read but Don’t
Survey results reveal classics like Moby Dick, War and Peace, and The Bible as titles people aspire to read but often leave unfinished.
AI-generated content may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon as a sole source of truth.
📋 Episode Description
The holiday season is here, which means it’s the time to think of great gifts for everyone on your list. While it can feel like a daunting task to choose thoughtful, personalized presents, we’ve got a fix for you: books.
On this edition of The Sunday Special, Gilbert is joined by Joumana Khatib and Sadie Stein, editors at the Book Review, for a conversation about the best books to give your family and friends. Joumana and Sadie will share what excited them most this year and also provide recommendations for giftees in very specific categories.
Books mentioned in this episode:
“The Colony,” Annika Norlin
“Perfection,” Vincenzo Latronico
“Things: A Story of the 60s,” Georges Perec
“The Bee Sting,” Paul Murray
“The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny,” Kiran Desai
“The Director,” Daniel Kehlmann
“Playworld: A Novel,” Adam Ross
“A Marriage at Sea,” Sophie Elmhirst
“Entertaining is Fun!,” Dorothy Draper
“The Thursday Murder Club,” Richard Osman
“The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels,” Janice Hallett
“Roald Dahl’s Revolting Recipes,” Roald Dahl
“Mrs. Manders’ Cook Book,” Sarah Manders, edited by Rumer Godden
“Halleluja! The Welcome Table,” Maya Angelou
“The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes of My Life,” Pat Conroy
“Les diners de Gala,” Salvador Dalí
“Diaghilev’s Empire: How the Ballets Russes Enthralled the World,” Rupert Christiansen
“Finishing the Hat and Look I Made a Hat,” Stephen Sondheim
“Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run,” Peter Ames Carlin
“The Uncool: A Memoir,” Cameron Crowe
“The Gales of November,” John U. Bacon
“The Journals of Ralph Waldo Emerson,” Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Cats in Color,” Stevie Smith
“Archie and the Strict Baptists,” John Betjeman
“Stories 1,2,3,4,” Eugène Ionesco
“Trip: A Novel,” Amy Barrodale
On Today’s Episode:
Joumana Khatib is an editor at The New York Times Book Review.
Sadie Stein is an editor at The New York Times Book Review.
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