10 last-minute gift ideas that are all books you can buy the day before Christmas
Well, you’ve done it again. You’re a thoughtless piece of human garbage who couldn’t get your shit together enough to purchase or make a thoughtful, personal gift for the only people in the world who love and care about you. This procrastinator’s gift guide is for you. You can find all of these fine books wherever fine books are sold. Pick them up at your local independent bookstore, or find one at the airport on your way home to your loved ones.
Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood
Who would like it? Lapsed Catholics, anyone who appreciates bawdy wordplay.
Why? In her memoir chronicling her life growing up with a married Catholic priest for a father, poet Patricia Lockwood displays a preternatural ability for comedy, her language mashing up sex and religion with so much humor and verve that readers will find themselves highlighting nearly every passage. Lockwood’s prog-rock-playing father/Father is one of the funniest (real-life) characters of the year.
Word By Word by Kory Stamper
Who would like it? Anyone who considers themselves a student of the English language; actual students of the English language (i.e., English majors); people who freak out about the word “irregardless.”
Why? Kory Stamper crafts a surprisingly thrilling exposé about the life and times of a lexicographer. Word By Word has chapters about defining the word “bitch,” the life-sapping story about a janitor disrupting months of work while at Merriam-Webster, and, yes, a compelling defense of the word “irregardless.” If these sound like thrilling topics, Word By Word delivers on the goods and then some. You’ll never look at the word “take” the same way.
Turtles All The Way Down by John Green
Who would like it? People with anxiety and/or OCD; people who have friends or family with anxiety and/or OCD; readers who like smart, concise prose; fans of YA; people who think they hate YA.
Why? John Green occupies a coveted sweet spot in YA fiction, with books that often appeal to as many adults as they do teenagers. Turtles All The Way Down treats mental illness with a lot of empathy and heart without whitewashing its oft-debilitating effects. If that sounds like a drag, don’t worry—there’s also a mystery to solve, relationships to reckon with, and a mysterious New Zealand lizard.
