More impressive (or at least, weighty) than a gift card, and less basic than gym socks (thanks, Nana!), the book as a gift is making a comeback. This is the year of the book. Why? Why not? This year is different. There are so many truly wonderful books that many will surely go on to be perennial gifts for years to come. And you, thoughtful reader and even more thoughtful holiday-gift buyer, were keen enough to introduce your kith and kin to future literary classics of the present day.
This was a year filled with spectacular debuts, long-awaited finales, sequels longed for, and coveted story collections. Even better: at least one of these books may be the most easily wrappable gift you’ve ever paid the teenager in the elf hat at the mall to wrap on the way to the holiday party. Everybody wins.
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BEST BOOKS TO GIVE SOMEONE YOU’VE NEVER MET
The Story of the Lost Child (Europa Editions)
By Elena Ferrante
Knausgaard is so 2014. This year was all about Ferrante. The fourth and last book in her blockbuster Neapolitan series finally reaches our shores and shelves. Chances are most people have at least glanced at one of these in a tidy bookstore before.
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BEST BOOKS FOR BEST FRIENDS
The Story of the Lost Child (Europa Editions)
By Elena Ferrante
Worth a mention twice on any “Best of 2015” list, Ferrante’s series chronicles the relationship of two childhood best friends, as their lives diverge and come together in adulthood.
