I’m a Book Pusher. It’s not enough to buy myself more books than I can ever read in a lifetime… I’m not ok with letting a friend or family member advance into a new year of their life or go through the holiday season without a new book purchased by me and given to them with anticipation. Plus, most books are incredibly easy to wrap.

This year I’ve given a lot of books as gifts. Every single one of them was purchased at an independent bookstore. That’s important to me. I value being able to go into a bookstore and pick up their books and snoop through them until I find one or two or three that want to come home with me. I value the shelves in BookCourt that show what books people in my neighborhood have been buying the most. I value the handwritten index card recommendations. I value the curated tables at Greenlight Books that always hold a new surprise. I value walking out of a gray rainy day into a brightly lit bookstore with a cup of coffee. I value the tall shelves in Strand that make me feel like I can gain not just information but knowledge from the books they hold. I value all of these things, so I “vote” with my dollars to keep them there. They are not always cheaper than Amazon or buying online, but they are real, and they shelter my soul in a way that Amazon never will.

So here’s a small sample of the books I gave this year to friends and family that I love, from the bookstores I love. This isn’t so much a gift guide as a small tribute to sharing books and shopping locally.

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. I got this book for several people this year, and I’ll probably get it for several more before I’m quite finished. I can’t imagine anyone not liking this novel. It’s probably happened, but I can’t imagine it. It’s about baseball and it’s also not about baseball at all. I did not want to read a baseball novel, but I read this novel and was so engrossed in it that I did not turn my phone back on the minute my plane landed, like I usually do. In fact, I read it all the way through baggage claim, the taxi line, and only turned put it down because it was too dark to read in the back of the cab. It’s good.

36 Hours: 125 Weekends in Europe edited by Barbara Ireland. I have the USA & Canada edition of this (now two book) series, and it makes the best armchair traveling and/or trip planning. The new Europe version that came out this year is just as wonderful, plus a little more exotic. If you could live inside a book, this would be a good one to choose.

Rotis: Roasts for Every Day of the Week by Stephane Reynaud, Frederic Lucano and Melissa McMahon. Roasts are delicious, so giving this book to a friend you like to cook with is très intelligent.

Otherwise Known as the Human Condition: Selected Essays and Reviews by Geoff Dyer. Do you know a human who likes art, photography, culture, music, books, and other excellent things? If so, that human will like you more if you introduce them to Geoff Dyer, should they not already be acquainted.

What books did you give as gifts this year?

My TBR list is always hundreds of titles long, but here’s a peek at some of the books that I could not leave behind at the bookstore most recently:

Yoga for People Who Can’t Be Bothered to Do It by Geoff Dyer: I brought this travel/memoir at Brooklyn Flea, because I’m currently reading & am obsessed with Dyer’s collection of essays, Working the Room. I want to read everything Geoff Dyer’s ever written. Also, the title is pretty amazing.

You Deserve Nothing by Alexander Maksik: This was an impulse purchase at Strand, I had never heard of it before I saw it in their basement bins of new paperbacks. Three factors: a 50% off price tag, intriguing jacket copy, and the fact that I’ve never been steered wrong by a Europe Edition combined forces and this one had to come home with me.

Wendy and the Lost Boys by Julie Salamon: This is a pretty fantastic book cover, yes? But of course we would never buy a book just because it has a pretty cover, would we? We’d also flip through it and think that the subject matter looks fascinating and that we’d enjoy reading it. This was one of those times where instead of putting it back down and pondering it for a few more days/weeks/months/until paperback release, I just went for it and purchased it.

Paris: The Collected Traveler, An Inspired Companion Guide, edited by Barrie Kerper: This is one in a newish series of books (all under “The Collected Traveler” title) that looks fantastic. It’s a non-traditional guidebook that combines in-depth articles and history with essays and interviews with many writers & experts of the city. There’s a little seed recently planted in my head that’s telling me to go to Paris next year for my vacation, and I’m indulging it with books while I ponder the potential trip.

Walk the Blue Fields by Claire Keegan: I read this article on NPR, and then I absolutely needed this book. I miss Ireland very much, and reading literature about the beautiful countryside, quaint towns, and rich culture helps make up for the fact that I’m not still driving through the green hills in the little red rental car with Emma, stopping frequently to stare at the view in amazement.