One of my favorite gifts as a kid was a brand new book (I was obsessed with the Baby-Sitters Club series!), and as I’ve gotten older my love of reading hasn’t really gone away. Even though I had to read a lot while getting my MBA, I still choose to read books about marketing and entrepreneurship for work, and I also love a good beach read for vacations or to help me fall asleep at night. Here is a breakdown of some of my favorite books and who I would gift them to.
For your mom, mother-in-law, or friend:
My Paris Dream by Kate Betts
MAUDE by Donna Mabry
GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn
ORPHAN TRAIN by Christina Baker Klein
INSIDE THE O’BRIENS by Lisa Genova
WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND by Ellen Marie Wiseman
THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP by Marie Kondo
THE GOLDFINCH by Donna Tartt
All Souls: A Family Story from Southie by Michael McDonald (perfect if she’s from Boston!)
Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman (bonus points if she loves history)
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J.B. West
For your best friend or sister:
IN HER SHOES by Jennifer Weiner
THE ROYAL WE by Heather Cocks (great for teens, too!)
MODERN GIRLS by Jennifer S. Brown
PRIMATES OF PARK AVENUE by Wednesday Martin
Coming Clean by Kimberly Rae Miller
The Vacationers by Emma Straub
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse
For your coworker:
I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This by Kate White
Getting Things Done: The Stress-Free Art of Productivity by David Allen
BY INVITATION ONLY: HOW WE BUILT GILT AND CHANGED THE WAY MILLIONS SHOP by Alexis Maybank
Bargain Fever: Our Obsession with Getting More for Less by Mark Ellwood
Also see: Gifts under $100, gifts for the girls, gifts for the guys
Savvy WorkingGal says
I wish you were my co-worker! I’m adding both By Invitation Only and Bargain Fever to my reading list.
FeathersAndStripes says
They’re both great reads!
Alyssa Loring says
They’re both great reads!
Allie says
Great ideas! Thanks for the suggestions.
XO,
Allie
https://alliesfashionalley.com
Alyssa Loring says
Thanks for stopping by!
Rachel Gordon says
I think if I gave my mom the life changing magic of tidying up, she’d take it as a personal insult, lol. But great list!
FeathersAndStripes says
Aw haha! I know some people who haven’t read it yet and have been meaning to, so it definitely depends on who the person is!
Alyssa Loring says
haha! I know my mom would take it as something helpful – just depends on the person, I guess!
Lauren Kunin says
Thank you for this list! I was actually looking for a blog post like this.
Lauren
TheZenFashionista.com
FeathersAndStripes says
Glad it was helpful!
Alyssa Loring says
Glad you found it helpful!
The Adored Life says
We are both talking about books today! Although mine are cookbooks so they aren’t quite the same, but I love your recs!
The Adored Life
Alyssa Loring says
I love a good cookbook! I’ll swing over and check it out 🙂