Books make great gifts! Whether you're shopping for a parent, sibling, friend, teacher, coworker, or mailman, the variety of genres make the literary gift all-purpose and all-occasion. Unfortunately, this variety also makes it difficult to choose the right book for the right person. Which one works for the person you have in mind? Let's consider a few:
General or Literary Fiction
General Fiction is that which doesn't easily fit into a particular genre, although it may contain elements of various genres. Often a book falls into this category because it is hard to define. This is often a good place to look if you don't know that a person leans particularly towards a genre.
Historical Fiction
Historical Fiction can range from the Holocaust to Sherlock Holmes to China's Cultural Revolution and so on and so on... In short, there's something for everyone.
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Science Fiction and Fantasy have come a long way from Isaac Asimov and J.R.R. Tolkien. Sub genres have spawned more sub genres and readers have worlds upon worlds to choose from.
Mystery & Suspense
Dark, dangerous, gripping: Mystery, suspense and thriller fiction is known for its ability to heighten the tension and wrack the reader with expectation and anxiety.
Young Adult Literature
Not just for kids!! Much YA literature written today, including most obviously J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, has had crossover appeal to an adult audience.
Short Fiction
It's short and often very appealing for this reason.
Biography & Memoir
A great alternative to fiction. I love to read about the lives of great historical figures, artists, and ordinary people. Learning about others has the power to illuminate things in our own lives.
Creative Nonfiction
Creative Nonfiction has broad appeal as the cornerstone of longtime periodicals like The New Yorker and The Atlantic Monthly, and edgier journals like McSweeney's.
