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Okay, this is going to be an ongoing project, but since indie bookstores need us to order our xmas gifts NOW, and since books are easy to wrap and store and ship, here's my attempt at a 2020 literary Christmahanukwanzivus gift guide. (thread)
(With the caveat that my judging duties this year keep me from recommending new American fiction, but I know you can find that on your own!)
1) Since we can't travel, do a city package. I 
The Zookeeper's War, about competing zoos in East and West Berlin. Add Ida Hattemer Higgins's under-appreciated The History of History & Isherwood's Berlin Stories. Add pretzel mix, wrap in a map of Berlin. https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781501188497
The Zookeeper's War, about competing zoos in East and West Berlin. Add Ida Hattemer Higgins's under-appreciated The History of History & Isherwood's Berlin Stories. Add pretzel mix, wrap in a map of Berlin. https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781501188497
( @indiebound, btw, will help you find a store local to you OR your giftee. Remember that most indie bookstores wrap!)
YA package: One of these lovely pillows from Etsy, and Field Notes on Love, by @jenesmith or... https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780399559440 https://www.etsy.com/listing/647029503/tv-wedge-pillowgraduation-giftpillows?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=reading+pillow&ref=sr_gallery-1-14&organic_search_click=1&col=1
@MFalkoff's lastest, out in November in hardcover. https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062680266
I'd include some good popcorn or candy in a YA package, and maybe a couple of sheet masks.
I'd include some good popcorn or candy in a YA package, and maybe a couple of sheet masks.
Woops, that was all #2, forgot to say.
3) A package for the emerging (or submerging) writer: A full set of the Paris Review interviews (always my favorite gift for writers) plus... https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780312361754
I mean, you've just gotta. http://walshwhiskey.com/writers-tears-copper-pot/
4) I'm likely preaching to the choir here, but I'd say that @duchessgoldblat's memoir would pair very well with a bottle of strange wine and some stinky cheese (and an explanation to your baffled friend of what's going on here) https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780358216773
I wasn't familiar with the @wildsamguides until I was in the Chicago one earlier this year, but they're brilliant literary/artistic/offbeat guides to cities, appropriate for those who live there OR those who don't. They even have one for the moon. https://wildsam.com/
Oops, that was 5. I'm really better with the letters than the numbers, brain-wise.
6) The book-and-movie combo. A DVD of a classic, plus the brilliant BFI book about that movie (Camilla Paglia writing about The Birds?? omg) OR the book the movie was based on. And... https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781838719401
The @PopcornFactory, a Chicago favorite, lets you put a photo on a bucket of Chicago mix. So you can long-distance watch a movie with the friend you haven't seen since March 11th. https://www.thepopcornfactory.com/?r=09pfgoonon&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2or8BRCNARIsAC_ppyaIN7kPoBAFJv_iRq-ZVyFr1FN-kuZibcrAhf7l4ICgjh4chuTz7B0aAqI4EALw_wcB
Brief intermission to say, check out this @BookBub article for book wrapping ideas! https://www.bookbub.com/blog/gift-wrap-books-for-christmas-ideas
7) You can sign a friend up for @librofm, and buy them a gift card for audiobooks. The sales go directly to the indie bookstore of your choosing! You could tuck the explanatory note inside a cute Etsy case for their AirPods. https://www.etsy.com/listing/867471861/airpod-case-gradient-color-silicone?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=cute+earbuds&ref=sr_gallery-1-19&frs=1&col=1
8) @826CHI has a wonderful curated list of books by Black authors; you can get a big stack of them and support an amazing literary nonprofit as well as these authors and publishers. https://secretagentsupply.com/collections/publications-written-by-black-authors
9) The new Best American Short Stories from @HeidiPitlor and @csittenfeld is out on 11/3. Pair it with a really cute bookmark and a promise to your friend/sister/BIL/neighbor that you'll keep pace with them and discuss each story together, a mini book club https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781328485373
And your local indie is likely to have a bunch of great bookmarks too.
10) A subscription to a book review. We really need book reviews to stay in business. The physical @nytimesbooks in itself is pretty pricey, but maybe that makes it a nice gift for someone you adore...
This PLUS a gift card to an indie bookstore would be an amazing gift.
OR you could give them just one issue (like the 10 best books of the year one) plus the gift card.
OR you could give them just one issue (like the 10 best books of the year one) plus the gift card.
Okay STAY TUNED because I'm just getting started but I really should shower and walk the dog.
11) A book advent calendar for a picture-book aged child. This one is particularly great for grandparents...
One particular favorite of mine is Ox Cart Man by Donald Hall. https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780140504415
Another is The Quiltmakerâs Gift https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780439309103
And of course JuliĂĄn is a Mermaid by Jessica Love https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780763690458
12) Do book-and-food pairings. Highsmithâs the Price of Salt, plus Mark Kulanskiâs amazing history of salt (really!) plus a box of smoked Maldon sea salt. https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781469971872
Thatâd be Kurlansky, rather, and hereâs the book. Itâs from a while back, and itâs one of the more fascinating nonfiction books Iâve read. https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780142001615
And if you havenât joined the cult yet: https://www.thespicehouse.com/products/maldon-smoked-english-sea-salt?npclid=Cj0KCQjw2or8BRCNARIsAC_ppyYlCBIHxi7NqY5XCWCzyyAozwgYsaD0VISF93YXjRzk6gZb5Lrp8oYaAoMaEALw_wcB&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=&utm_campaign=DSA%20Campaign&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2or8BRCNARIsAC_ppyYlCBIHxi7NqY5XCWCzyyAozwgYsaD0VISF93YXjRzk6gZb5Lrp8oYaAoMaEALw_wcB
13) Do a year theme. This one is great for bdays, too; if your grandfather was born in 1940, get him a bunch of books published that year (plus movies, etc)
14) Long-distance book club. Find a book you love or want to read; send copies to far-flung friends, along with an invite to a Zoom book club for a certain night AND a recipe card for a relevant cocktail.
So for instance, you send them Sarah Broomâs The Yellow House (great nonfic for book clubs) along with a recipe for a Sazerac. https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780802125088
15) Save the Post Office! A lot of indies have great greeting card sections. ( @wcfbook has the best in Chicago.) Give someone a stack of 20 hand-picked cards and a sheet of 20 stamps that are relevant to their obsessions. https://store.usps.com/store/results/stamps/_/N-9y93lv
16) For middle-grade readers: You could buy a small shelf like this on Etsy and fill it with wrapped books. https://www.etsy.com/listing/848397014/white-desktop-bookcase-bookshelf-small?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=small+bookcase&ref=sr_gallery-1-12&organic_search_click=1&pro=1&frs=1
You could also do the shelf on the first night of Hanukkah, then add things to it every night.
You know whatâs held up remarkably well is The Egypt Game. https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781416990512
My 10-y-o recommends Brown Girl Dreaming by @jackiewoodson, a modern classic. https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780147515827
17) I tweeted recently about this beautiful new custom bookplate company. Great gift for writers, but also for readers. Custom bookplates + three hardcover books from the past year would be a LOVELY gift. https://twitter.com/rebeccamakkai/status/1313675198055542785
18) Many indie bookstores have gorgeous tote bags, and a tote stuffed with wrapped books is a very cool gift. These ones from @UnabridgedBooks are a classic. https://www.unabridgedbookstore.com/product/classic-tote-bag
19) Another location-specific one: Tana French's new Dublin Murder Squad book, plus Sally Rooney's Normal People, plus... https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780735224650
... fancy Irish tea and Irish wool socks.
https://www.carrollsirishgifts.com/usa/irish-breakfast-tea-celtic-peacock-irish-weave-designed-tin/18082.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw2or8BRCNARIsAC_ppyYTO0II1FTgM-9Bs4veJ5_VLsY-Df1GUesUGrqc1_G7qY1FDy6xHvEaAivgEALw_wcB
https://www.carrollsirishgifts.com/usa/irish-breakfast-tea-celtic-peacock-irish-weave-designed-tin/18082.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw2or8BRCNARIsAC_ppyYTO0II1FTgM-9Bs4veJ5_VLsY-Df1GUesUGrqc1_G7qY1FDy6xHvEaAivgEALw_wcB
20) Have way too much fun with a theme. I love this @goodreads list of books with years for titles. Give someone 1066 AND ALL THAT, and 1491, and 1776, and 1968, and 1984, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Wrap them in calendar pages. https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/18187.Books_With_a_Year_For_a_Title
21) A little free library would be an amazing gift for someone with a yard. Fill it with wrapped books for that person, and they can refill it with ones they've read. https://www.etsy.com/listing/801844036/little-free-library-cedar-mini?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=little+free+library&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&organic_search_click=1&frs=1&cns=1
22) Box sets for kids. This @PuffinBooks one would be great for a 10-year-old OR for a newborn who can grow into them all. https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780425289570
23) Very small classics, for stockings or advent calendars or tiny care packages. The Pocket Penguins series is gorgeous AND they have a lot of classics in translation. https://www.pocketpenguins.com/
24) @wordscience and Lindy West both have new essay collections out this year, and they'd go really well together.
https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316449823 https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780525563488
https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316449823 https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780525563488
25) It's not hard to get most authors to inscribe books to your friends/family, and most of us will even write out inside jokes or whatever! Tweet an author to ask what their local indie is; they can often go in and sign, and the store can ship.
26) If you're able to safely gather extended family for holidays: Instead of place cards, put a book at each seat, chosen for each specific guest. You could go with first names (a Julie Otsuka novel for your Aunt Julie) or with topics specific to the person...
... books set in cities where they've lived, etc. Once people guess their seat, they get to keep the book. Good conversation starter, too.
27) If you know a lot of authors personally: Every year we give my MIL a stack of books by authors I know. @ReneeRosen1 was a huge hit. You get to namedrop and THEN your relative gets to namedrop!
28) You know what adults love? Find out their favorite childhood book and then get a gorgeous hardcover illustrated version for them. Michael Hague is one of my favorite illustrators, so I'll link to his Nutcracker here. It'd also be good just for kids. https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781587172540
29) I love picking up books for my kids' classrooms or their school, and if you dropped off a box of the Who Was books for any elementary teacher or school librarian you'd pretty much make their year. https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780448435091
30) I'm sure you all know this, but the LONG-awaited second book from Ally Brosh is out, and you should order it now before they run out of copies. https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781982156947
31) Certain indies are GREAT on stocking stuffers, and they need your money more than Target. Jewelry, baby onesies, Moleskines, pens, magnets, postcards, literary socks, toys, mugs, cool matchbooks, etc. If you're lucky enough to live near @vtbookshop, you're all set.
32) Some bookstores have amazing jigsaw puzzle and game collections ( @lfbooks keeps me so happy)...
33) If you have a family member you can't stop arguing with politically, Ezra Klein's new book would be both an olive branch and, probably, an education... https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781476700328
34) If you really wanted to flood someone with books, go through your indie and pick out an alphabet full -- 26 books, from authors of every letter. I'll help you with the hard letters: Here's Q... https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780802122230
35: You could also besiege someone with biographies of every OTHER president who's not this one. I dare you to give someone 44 biographies. This person's blog is impressively exhaustive. https://bestpresidentialbios.com/curriculum/
36: I'm a huge fan of Spice House in Chicago. (I actually stand by their Hungarian paprika, and I'm a SNOB.) Raid the cookbook section of your indie, then order relevant spices in bottles or small flatpacks (easy for shipping) as go-withs. https://www.thespicehouse.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw2or8BRCNARIsAC_ppyZW2tb_gafVEEKPqe4fVmF3JxtmWIueEidnzz9g0BMkhhAc5SA9MjwaAlmpEALw_wcB
37: There are some indies, including @BookCellar in Chicago, that sell wine by the bottle. A book-and-wine pairing for everyone in your family would be a pretty great gift. (okay, maybe not for the toddlers)
38: For Indigenous Peoples Day, I'm adding this strong recommendation (Louise Erdrich!) for any middle grade reader in your life. I used to do this as a read-aloud when I taught ages 6-9; would work for about 9-12 for kids reading on their own. https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780786814541
39: And for recent adult indigenous fiction, if you want to think beyond There, There (which you should read!) try @bwhobson's 2018 NBA finalist... https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781641290173
40) This one isn't from a bookstore, but it's incredibly cool: A short story advent calendar from small Canadian publisher @hingstonolsen. They just announced some of this year's authors ( @ambernoelle, Jim Shepard, etc.) with more names to be revealed! https://www.hingstonandolsen.com/2020
