Gifts

My husband and I have very different gift giving habits. I love giving gifts. He HATES it. He panics. It's a lifestyle, I think. I try to be compassionate, but I don't really get it. But I do acknowledge that it's real.

So this post is for all those people out there like my husband. Here are some pretty awesome books I've read this year that you could give someone for a gift. You know, if there was like a day in December where people expect you to give them a present. That day being the same day it is every year. It doesn't sneak up on you. It has never sneaked up on you. It's literally always the same day. But you are you, and maybe this list will help.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera is a thriller. Actually, most of the books on this list will be thrillers. What this means is that it moves. It doesn't get lost in fifty pages of description about what someone ate for breakfast. The protagonist, Lucy, is from a small Texas town. Years ago her best friend was murdered, and while the case was never solved, people think she did it. Now, a podcaster decides to dig into the case, and Lucy ends up back in her home town with the podcaster. What is so great about this book is that Tintera has great pacing at unveiling the reveals. Just when you think you have a good idea of what's going on, the podcast interviews a new person, and bam, you're along for the ride. This book doesn't break any genre molds, it is just a really, really well done thriller.

The Women by Kristin Hannah follows a young woman, Frankie, who goes to Vietnam to be a combat nurse. When her tours are done, Frankie returns to a country that does not accept her or her service. This book is really good. It talks about women in society, PTSD, and fitting in. It's long, but I binged it, staying up way past my bedtime to read it. You finish it and feel seen.

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson is an Australian whodunit. This is for those of you who would like a little more whimsy and humor in your reads, this is for you. While the bodies pile up, it's funny, doesn't take itself too seriously, and every little detail leads into the bigger picture.

The Gathering by C.J. Tudor was an unexpected favorite of mine. The novel presupposes that vampires do in fact exist, and a special branch of law enforcement deals with vampire attacks. Vampires are relegated to living in isolated colonies, but should a vampire investigator determine that a vampire killed a human, that investigator can authorize the entire vampire colony to be culled. So when Detective Barbara Atkins gets called to a small Alaska town in November, the stakes are high. The town wants the vampires culled, but she isn't sure the murder she's investigating is the work of a vampire.

God of the Woods by Liz Moore, the first book on this list to not have a red cover, focuses on a summer camp in the New York mountains. Told through different points of views in different time periods, it dives into the unsolved disappearances of multiple children. This book is a thriller, but it feels literary in nature, the main characters get page time to develop, but not so much that the action slows.

Whalefall by Daniel Kraus is a meticulously well researched book that follows a teenaged diver who gets swallowed by a whale. He has as long as his oxygen tank lasts to get out alive. I got to see Kraus speak on writing the book, and he said he consulted experts and scientists to construct as scientifically accurate of a story as he could. Get excited, teenaged angst, giant squids, and bioluminescence are all involved.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torz is one of those rare books that is a fantastical thriller grounded in the real world. Spanning from Antarctica to London, Ink Blood Sister Scribe follows several characters who all intersect with the preservation of magical books. I'm not a huge fantasy fan, but I really did like this one. Perfect for those who like fantasy and perfect for those who like thrillers.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers is a delightful little novella that follows a tea monk's unexpected meeting of a robot. I'd term this literary sci-fi. It's short, poetic, and makes you think on the future, wilderness, and AI. You don't need to be a sci-fi lover or aficionado to dive into this one.

I hope this little list helps you in the oncoming gift-giving season. If you are interested, some of these books I learned about through Jordy's Book Club, which I follow on Instagram. I find his recommendations to be pretty good.

I believe in all you non-gift givers out there. You got this!