Give a Book and Eat a Cookie...
A grand collection of books for giving + receiving, along with tasty treats for all!
This is a very special post of Reading While Parenting. It is so full of great links, it might now get cut off in your email. Don’t miss out on a thing! You can click “View entire message” and read all of the good stuff here. There is no audio this week either since it’s full of links.
Dear readers, this is a delicious post I have to share with you. I am so excited to give you some wonderful book ideas to give to those you love or add to your own wish lists, along with some delicious holiday treats.
I reached out to a group of writers and creators to ask them about book gift ideas, what’s on their book wishlists, and their favorite holiday treats. When I think of books and cookies, I think of connection. Think of that book you give, knowing that the recipient will love it. Or how you feel when someone knows you well and gives you that perfect read. Think of the plate of cookies you bring to your neighbor to say, “I’m thinking of you.” These are tools of connection. So really, this is a collection of connections to be made in your future. We have something for everyone…non-fiction, cozy mystery, romantasy, art, and kids’ picks (for both adults and kids to enjoy). And then we have an array of delicious treats to accompany all of these great books. Maybe you find a gift for someone in your life, something to add to your 2026 TBR, or pick up a new holiday recipe to try. This post is jam-packed, so enjoy!
For the adults…
Psychologist Yael Schonbrun, writes Relational Riffs, and she is gifting this year: “Right now, my book gift of choice is Demon Copperhead* by Barbara Kingsolver. It’s a great read for anyone who loves beautiful writing, dark humor, and deeply human characters. Plus, it weaves in this powerful analysis of poverty, addiction, and Appalachian culture that stays with you long after you finish.” Yael is looking forward to her 2026 reading: “I just finished reading ‘How to Think Like a Roman Emperor.’* I loved it so much, but I don’t have time right now to read ‘How to Think Like Socrates,’* also Donald Robertson, so that’s in the queue for early 2026.”
Science and parenting writer, Melinda Wenner Moyer who is the author of the Substack Now What, loves to give gifts that support parents, “I love gifting parenting books. Of course, I’m partial to my own!! But for parents of girls, I also love ‘Sexism and Sensibility’* by Jo-Ann Finkelstein, PhD , and for parents of boys, ‘BoyMom’* by Ruth Whippman and ‘Talk To Your Boys’* by Christopher Pepper and Joanna Schroeder.” And on Melinda’s list for the next year, “This isn’t a new book, but a book on my wish list right now is Kate Manne’s ‘Down Girl.’* I just finished her fabulous book ‘Entitled’* and I’m hungry for more. Kate is brilliant and such an essential feminist voice right now.”
Julie Vick, who writes Humor Me, also has a great parent gift recommendation: “I think a great gift for parents of young kids is Michelle Woo’s book Horizontal Parenting. It is an illustrated book filled with activities to entertain your kid while you are lying down.”
Writer Nancy Reddy, whose Substack is Be Less Careful, likes to start her gift recipients off in a series. “I love to give the first book in a series, in the hopes that it will inspire someone to keep going! A couple of recent gifts: In the Woods*, the first of Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series; Richard Osman, The Thursday Murder Club*; Jesse Q. Sutanto, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers* (her Dial A for Aunties* is also great!).”
Heidi Fiedler just published a lovely gift to give this holiday season, “Quickening: The Art of Being a Creative Mother. It is a great gift for busy moms who want to reconnect with their creative spark.”
Heidi writes the Substack, Nebula Notebook, and, in addition to her book, she shared another gifting recommendation, “I would love to recommend...Field Guide of All the Birds We Found One Year in the United States* by Quentin Reiser. It’s the companion to Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching, and it’s just as charming and laugh-out-loud funny as the documentary.” And here is what is on Heidi’s wishlist: “Hilma af Klint: Paintings of the Future* by Tracey Bashkoff. I could spend all day looking at Klint’s enormous colorscapes.”
Psychologist, Emily Edlynn, who writes Parent Smarter, Not Harder, knows what she is giving her husband this year: “My Friends*, Fredrik Backman: I plan to give this to my husband because his passion is art, and this story centers on artists and themes of art in life. But I think this would be a good gift for anyone because of how uplifting the story is about human connection. That’s something we all need right now!” Emily has some good ones she is hoping to read soon, “I just tried to buy The Correspondent* by Virginia Evans, but my small independent bookstore had just sold the last copy, so now it’s on my wish list. Someone also recommended Mothers and Other Fictional Characters: A Memoir in Personal Essay* by Nicole Graev Lipson, which sounds right up my alley.”
Bestselling author of The Sicilian Inheritance* and Everyone is Lying to You*, Jo Piazza, is always prepared with a book-ish present. “When I go to book events, I usually buy ten copies and have authors sign them, and then I wrap them up and give them as holiday and dinner party presents. Right now I am giving Dan Pelosi’s Let’s Party*.” She’s also gifting these beautiful books from QuiteLiterallyBooks. Jo is looking forward to reading The Fountain* by Casey Scieszka, releasing in spring 2026.
Psychologist and writer Vanessa Scaringi, PhD loves to gift, “Romantacy series! From Blood and Ash (Armentrout) to anyone who read ACOTR.” Her own wishlist is all about fantasy, including the book, Red Rising*.
Writer of What Do We Do Now That We’re Here, Rosie Spinks, has the perfect gift. “In the UK, the author Lia Leendertz publishes a seasonal almanac every year. You can read just a few pages on the first day of each month to give you a sense of what’s going on with the seasons, the tide, the moon, and the old rituals that can bind us to them. It’s honestly the perfect gift; I buy them in bulk every December. I’m sure there is a similar version of this in the US!” And she has some books she wants to get to soon, “I really want to read Zadie Smith’s new essay collection, Dead and Alive*, and Arundhati Roy’s new memoir, Mother Mary Comes To Me.*”
Katie Hawkins-Gaar of My Sweet Dumb Brain loves to gift one of my favorites, “Wintering* by Katherine May is always a wonderful, seasonally appropriate gift. It’s perfect for the person in your life who wants to slow down and reconnect with what matters most.”
Here is another recommendation with seasonal ties from Lisa Sibbett, who writes The Auntie Bulletin: “I think Tove Jansson’s The Summer Book* makes a good gift for so many different readers, even -- or perhaps especially -- in the dark of winter. It’s a beautifully written, unsentimental, very funny series of stories about a child and her grandmother who spend every summer on a small island in Finland -- a gorgeous exploration of youth, old age, and extended family.” And for 2026, Lisa has a book on her list that has some alloparent representation in it, “I’m really looking forward to the final installment in Tana French’s Cal Hooper mystery trilogy, titled The Keeper*. There’s a beautiful, supportive alloparental relationship at the heart of this series -- an American former detective and an Irish teenager who lives in the small village where he has retired. I’m always excited for more representations of Aunties and alloparents in literature!”
Sri Juneja of Readable Moments has one for the friends, “For my friends, I love ‘The Other Significant Others*’ by Rhaina Cohen.” Any friends gifting to Sri? She loves a coffee table book for herself, “I’ve become strangely obsessed with coffee table books over the past few years, so anything along the lines of travel, design, fashion, would be something I’d be very into! And, I actually do sit down and read them.”
Tyler Moore, aka Tidy Dad, who writes The Tidy Times on Substack, has a great gift book for the season, “Tidy Up Your Life*: by me, Tyler Moore! It makes an excellent hostess or holiday gift to help anyone start the new year feeling calm, clear, and organized.” Tyler is looking forward to Jo Piazza’s upcoming book, The Parisian Heist*(me, too, Tyler, me too!) in summer 2026.
Clarkie Doster who writes Book Party, has a perfect recommendation for adults as we move towards recommendations for kids, “For caregivers who are into children’s books, I love giving DEAR GENIUS: THE LETTERS OF URSULA NORDSTROM*. You can pick it up and put it down, and it’s so much fun to learn about the life of the iconic editor and the authors you think you know so well.” And Clarkie has How To Read Now* by Elaine Castillo on her wishlist this year.
For the kids…from younger-ish to older-ish recs
“Beautiful Oops”* by Barney Saltzberg is a favorite board book of mine because it teaches kids that mistakes are not only normal, but can also spark beauty and creativity,” says Melinda Wenner Moyer.
Heidi Fiedler’s kid recommendation is, “This Is Orange by Rachel Poliquin covers a lot of ground, touching on everything from foxes to astronaut survival suits. It’s a sophisticated picture book that will hold a lot of interest for adults too, even on the thousandth reading.”
Here is a gift idea for kids (and parents) from Katie Hawkins-Gaar, “All Around Bustletown, these illustrated books are such a delight! My daughter has the Winter* and Fall* books and loves to follow characters’ journeys and compare the books to each other. She’ll look at them for many, many minutes at a time — a true gift! Any of the Bustletown books are great picks for not-yet-readers.”
These next book recs have been ever-present in my house. For kids, Lisa Sibbett recommends: “I love Sandra Boynton’s board books for new parents, who may not yet realize how often they’ll be having to read the same books over and over. Boynton’s books manage to stay legitimately funny for parents over many re-reads. My faves are The Belly Button Book*, One Two Three*, and Hippos Go Berserk*!”
The kid pick for Vanessa Scaringi, PhD is, “What if everybody did that* (Javernick). Great for families to read together and refer to.”
Zoë Bisbing who writes Body-Positive Home recommends Bodies Are Cool* by Tyler Feder for kids (but also for adults, too).
Yael Schonbrun says when it comes to gifting to kids, “My favorite book series to gift kids (ages 5-8; and their parents!) is Dory Fantasmagory* by Abby Hanlon. Dory is a hilarious, highly imaginative little kid who asks questions like ‘What is the opposite of a sandwich?’ and creates elaborate fantasy worlds that drive her older siblings and parents crazy. These books are laugh-out-loud funny for both parents and kids, and they’ve left my family with years of inside jokes that only readers will understand.”
Who doesn’t love to laugh? Here is Clarkie Doster’s kids’ gift recommendation: “Kids who love to laugh and are at the verge of reading on their own: CABIN HEAD AND TREE HEAD* by Scott Campbell is on my list to give this year. It’s hilarious, and they can have it read to them, but it’s also accessible for when they’re ready to read on their own. The creative conversations to come from it are an added bonus!”
I got this book for my kids this year, recommended by Jo Piazza, “What is Color* by Steven Weinberg. I’m obsessed with this book on the history and science of color, and I love it as much as my kids.”
This book might be a kids’ book, but Erin Miller who writes Unpopular Parent, recommends this one for more than the young ones: “The Paper Bag Princess” by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Michael Martchenko. I love giving this book to tween, teen, and young adult girls—and on a few occasions, to grown women as well. It was first gifted to me in college by a dear friend, right when I needed a reminder that I was fully capable of slaying my own dragons. It’s an especially great gift for any girl navigating heartbreak—maybe even her first—and a powerful nudge back toward her own strength.”
Nancy Reddy continues her gifting practice of giving a great series, “I *love* the Wild Robot books and would give the whole series to a kid who’s not quite reading chapter books independently, but could be drawn in to the story and illustrations. I think my kids were in kindergarten and second when we read the first book.” And here is another intriguing book at the beginning of a series from Nancy, “I just started reading Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier at my 5th grader’s suggestion. It would be a great book for a kid with a taste for magic and drama.”
In writing Readable Moments, Sri Juneja has some experience in the kids’ book department. She has a great idea for gifting kids’ books (because there are just too many to choose from): “I don’t have a particular one, but I LOVE gifting really nice editions of children’s book classics. For my niece, I’m eyeing a leather-bound edition of Anne of Green Gables. For my 4-year-old, I got her the Complete Brambly Hedge book.”
Any soccer players on your list? Emily Edlynn has a recommendation for you: “The Academy series* for middle readers! Our mutual friend Yael Schonbrun recommended them, and my 11-year-old soccer player tore through each book. I highly recommend it for all young athletes, but especially all of those passionate soccer kids out there!”
I can attest to Julie Vick’s kid pick here, these are a favorite of my oldest kid, “My kids love the Nathan Hale Hazardous Tales graphic novels, and I think this one is a great gift for kids who are into graphic novels or Hamilton: Lafayette! (Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales #8) by Nathan Hale*.
And Rosie Spinks and I share the same practice in gifting to kids and teens, “I decided a year ago that any time I have to buy a present for a kid (birthday party, Christmas presents for relatives, etc), I will buy the same thing: A gift card to a bookstore. Everybody wins in this scenario: I do less mental labor and can buy these in bulk! The parents of the child get a free activity to do on some boring day in the future: let’s go to the bookstore and pick out a book! The kids barely notice because they are overwhelmed by presents anyway.”
Don’t forget the delicious treats!
In my own fantasy land, a group of wonderful writers could gather for an epic book-swapping event and enjoy a delicious table of delights.
And it might just look something like this with some of everyone’s favorites…
Anna Maltby who writes, How to Move, starts us off right when it comes to cookies—reminding us that it’s about fun, “Don’t laugh: My favorite holiday cookies to make are the Pillsbury Ready to Bake cookies with the little holiday pictures (snowmen, Christmas trees, etc.). I love to cook, but I am absolutely *not* a baker: I don’t have the patience or the precision, and it just isn’t fun for me. My children know this, and I don’t think they feel all that deprived, because we live in an area with fantastic bakeries (and we always keep the cabinet stocked with plenty of Oreos and Tate’s). But at least once a holiday season, I’ll buy these little festive ready-to-bake packets of dough at the supermarket, and my kids think it’s absolutely magical. The cookies aren’t even that good, but they don’t care! The fun of smelling the cookies baking and anticipating the results is truly a joy for us all. It’s a great reminder that making things festive and magical really doesn’t have to take a ton of effort.”
Yael Schonbrun shared her love for a classic, “I love a good chocolate chip cookie (link to recipe). I make it more fun by switching up chips. Sometimes I use butterscotch chips, sometimes peanut butter, and once I used espresso chips. Nothing like a delicious, gooey chocolate chip cookie to dip into milk by the fire!”
On a good cookie plate, there is room for all kinds of flavors. Melinda Wenner Moyer brings us a little savory to the mix, “I’m a big fan of savory plus sweet, and cookies with unusual flavors. So I adore these curry and coriander shorties.”
Nancy Reddy is bringing brown butter to the mix. “The last couple of years, I’ve made tons of the Smitten Kitchen brown butter brown sugar shortbread. I’m excited to try her brown butter snickerdoodles soon, too!”
If you’re not a fan of cookies, Rosie Spinks has something to delight you. “I am terrible at baking. I prefer to be a little looser in the kitchen, and it requires too much precision. A few years ago, I came across this recipe for candied nuts. You can make them with any fresh herbs you have, and put them in little jars you’ve saved throughout the year. The perfect gift, they’re super easy, and everyone loves them.”
And here is another tempting nut recipe from Katie Hawkins-Gaar, “I’m breaking the rules and including a recipe for nuts instead! My favorite edible treat to make and gift is Ina Garten’s rosemary roasted cashews. It’s a nice compliment to all those delicious cookies!”
Heidi Fiedler is bringing the cheer, “These are SO cheery!
Julie Vick has a throwback, “I am a sucker for these cornflake holiday wreaths that I grew up eating around the holidays.”
Your freezer can augment this cookie classic according to Erin Miller, “Our go-to holiday cookie is Peanut Butter Blossoms—we store them in the freezer and let them thaw for just a few minutes and eat them extra cold, so yummy!” And Emily Edlynn shares this holiday favorite with Erin. So double up the blossoms.
And adding in a few more flavor favorites to our array: Jo Piazza goes for chewy gingersnaps, Sri Juneja loves her mom’s sesame seed cookie, Tidy Dad votes for a classic iced sugar cookie, and Lisa Sibbett is looking forward to “those old-fashioned almond butterball cookies made with tons of butter and powdered sugar. My aunt makes them every Christmas, and I always look forward to them!”
Zoë Bisbing is currently hyperfixated on Sally’s Baking Addiction Gingerbread cookies.
And Clarkie Doster and I have pretty much the same opinion on favorite cookies, “I love all cookies and always wish I baked more often. I love hearing about holiday family recipes! (We don’t have any for cookies -- yet!!).”
This list is just wow! Almost all of the book recommendations can be found here on Bookshop.org in a helpful list, so you can learn more about them, or if you are more of a visual shopper. There are about 50+ titles!
My deep gratitude to all of the writers who contributed to this amazing collection. It is truly delightful!
Okay dear readers, may you give and receive wonderful books this year,
Back to the cookies—because they aren’t going to eat themselves,
Kathryn
Don't forget to share any of your favorites book gifts, wishlist books...and of course, your favorite holiday treat!
There is soooooo much good stuff in here!!! What a gift for all of us!