There are few things I love more than a good book. Receiving a great book as a gift is definitely on the top of my list – it’s thoughtful, and when it’s a book the gifter themselves truly loves, it’s a little piece of them that they are gifting to you.

A good book doesn’t have to mean the next best novel, a good book is recognizing that it is one you know the recipient will love. Also, not for nothing, but it’s a great last minute gift, either with Amazon Prime or running out to your local bookstore.

Here are our top picks for the best books to gift this holiday season, in no particular order:

I Am Malala, Malala Yousafzai

This is a book everyone should read! I will admit, it did make me feel like a complete underachiever who really needs to figure out what mark she will ever leave on the world.

Malala is a young woman from the Swat Valley in Pakistan. She attended school, which the Taliban believes women should not be able to do, and was shot – in the face – by a Taliban fighter. Malala has since won the Nobel Prize and continues to fight for women’s rights to education.

The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead

Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2017 and has been a New York Times bestseller this year. The novel depicts a young slave’s adventure escaping slavery in the south. Not having read the novel yet, I couldn’t do it justice and highly recommend reading the description and reviews. It sounds like a book that will enrapture you with heartbreak and suck you in from the first page.

Shoe Dog, Phil Knight

With $50, Knight started a company that would become one of the biggest companies in the world. The memoir is a riveting account of how Knight started Nike and became an iconic brand.

The Drunken Botanist, Amy Stewart & Colleen Marlow

The perfect gift for your friend who loves to entertain-make cocktails-learn about food-and garden. You know, that friend. Stewart and Marlow’s book talks about the plants that make some of the most famous cocktails, recipes for cocktails and growing tips for gardeners. I think I need this!

Today Will be Different, Maria Semple

Semple’s second novel, Today Will be Different, is about reinvention and facing up to your former self to really start living. The novel got all. the. accolades. in 2016 – if your recipient hasn’t read it yet, it’s a great gift! I highly recommend Semple’s first novel, Where’d You Go Bernadette?, too!

The House that Pinterest Built, Diane Keaton

Yes, even Diane Keaton uses Pinterest to decorate. A style manual, inspiration guide and I mean, just a great book from Diane Keaton that every woman needs, that makes a great gift.

Also, Diane Keaton really uses Pinterest and you can follow her right here.

The Paper Time Machine, Wolfgang Wild and Jordan Lloyd

This coffee table book is my favorite gift this season! The Paper Time Machine takes old black and white photos and puts color to them. The images really come to life in a totally new way – we have this on our own coffee table now and I love to pick it up and reimagine the past in an actually very colorful way!

Ali A Life, Jonathan Eig

A definitive biography on Muhammad Ali by a best-selling author with incredible access to Ali’s circle. This is the first complete (unauthorized) biography of its kind, and uses over 500 interviews, FBI files, Justice Department files and never before heard audio interviews from the 1960s.

We Should All be Feminists, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Adichie’s essay, adapted from this famous TEDx that you must watch, gives a perspective on feminism for the 21st century.

The Sun and Her Flowers, Rupi Kaur

Kaur’s second book of poerty talks about growth, healing and honoring your family’s ancestry. Perfect for the poetry lover in your life!

F in Exams, The Very Best Totally Wrong Text Answers, Richard Benson

We all love those memes of funny test answers. Gift all that funny in one book!

Fifty Dresses That Changed the World, Design Museum

This amazing collection from the Design Museum talks about what gave these 50 garments their iconic status that changed society. The book features Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana and more.

All in Good Taste, Kate Spade New York

I love everything Kate Spade stands for, like drinking champagne and dancing on tables, eating off the fine china, because seriously life is too short. This entertaining guide is perfect for the hostess with the mostest in your life!

In each of our guides, I’ve talked about gifting based on what you think that person really wants and wouldn’t gift themselves. I don’t particularly enjoy gifting money, but I do remember as a teenager always loving having my own money and I do know my nephews appreciate hard cold cash more than any gift I would give them at this point.

No. 1 A Lumee phone case, this one is doublesided with lights for ultimate photo taking // No. 2 The ONLY way I’m gifting $$$ this year! If we are giving money, we are giving it in a creative way & I love these can safes. // No. 3 Create Your Life notebook, for those cerebral teens & soon-to-be-graduates // No. 4 Headphone earmuffs (you can also find headphone beanies for the fellas) // No. 5 Lightbox // No. 6 Sugarfina treats // No. 7 Polaroid instant print camera! I might need to add this to my own wishlist // No. 8 Sonos compact speaker

After all, it’s the thought that counts, isn’t it?

This year, my letter to Santa has a little bit of everything, from beauty to clothes to accessories to my favorite pan I cannot live without (so I obviously need a second one).

No. 1 Dyson hairdryer // No. 2 Ruffle blouse // No. 3 My favorite All Clad pan (similar)- total workhorse in my kitchen and I would just love love love to have a second one // No. 4 A subscription to Magnolia Journal because JoJo is my homegirl // No. 5 A cozy pair of slippers // No. 6 A pretty scarf in neutral colors // No. 7 The Waterford New Years Ornament I ask “Santa” aka “Hubby” for every year // No. 8 Fittingly the iPhone 8 – you don’t even want to see my phone screen right now…// No. 9 Burberry lippy in military red // No. 10 A new pair of black flats, because the pup ate my good pair.

One gift not on this list that was a huge hit from last year was two nights in Washington DC and dinner at our favorite restaurant. I picked a weekend, booked a hotel, and made a reservation for us – it was the perfect, thoughtful gift, and something I knew we would both really enjoy. It would go perfectly in the duffel bag below!

No. 1 A sharp looking fleece // No. 2 A leather watch, because he has a dressy steel one, but he neeeeds a casual leather watch! // No. 3 The Nest thermostat, which he received last year and LOVES – big hit! // No. 4 Bose noise cancelling (wireless) headphones // No. 5 A beer making kit – who doesn’t love a new hobby?! // No. 6 For his nicest of bourbons (Pair with a nice bottle of his favorite liquor for a brother or father or father in law gift!) // No. 7 A duffel bag – for a quick weekend getaway // No. 8 A more fashionable pair of sunglasses – don’t ask

Bringing hostesses a little something for themselves is one of my favorite gifting opportunities. It’s a way to show how grateful you are to that person for having you in their home and for the gift of their time. It doesn’t have to be a big or expensive gesture, and often something you love is the perfect gift – they’ll think of you whenever they see it!

No. 1 Potholder set // No. 2 Pretty gold bluetooth speaker // No. 3 Pine scented dish soap & lotion // No. 4 Sweet little honeypot // No. 5 Rewined candles – champagne is THE BEST scent // No. 6 Rosemary trees – Trader Joe’s has them! // No. 7 A beautiful ornament – my FAVORITE gift to receive // No. 8 A light box // No. 9 Gold mixing bowl set // No. 10 Your favorite home made cookies in a pretty jar

If you’re like me and not that into gifting cash for the holidays, I have two simple tips when thinking about gifts for the ladies (which really works for everyone):

1. Think about what she’s really into (does she love to get her hair blown out, go for manicures, take photos, cook?)
2. What would she probably not buy for herself, but still love to receive?

No. 1 A luxe bag in a neutral color to be worn year round // No. 2 Gloves with an extra special detail, like a sweet bow // No. 3 A beautiful pot for her kitchen // No. 4 The fresh sugar lip suite – I love these, want to try them all, but just can never bring myself to buy them for me // No. 5 A beautifully designed aromatherapy diffuser // No. 6 Fun and trendy earrings in a seasonal color // No. 7 Treats from Sugarfina // No. 8 Cozy slippers in a neutral color to go with all her favorite pj’s