The Joy of Book Gifting

Our newest poll unwraps our favorite holiday stories

The holidays are upon us and, whether choosing the perfect hostess gift, finding presents for our loved ones, or selecting something fun for a gift exchange, we're all on the hunt for treasures. Conducted by Talker Research and commissioned by Thriftbooks, our newest poll looks at book gifting trends. And we discovered some delightful surprises along the way. Here are some of the compelling stories we unwrapped.

Books are our go-to gifts!  

Of the 2,000 American readers who participated in our survey, more than half (54%) of those planning to exchange gifts this season say they will choose books as presents. But choosing the right book for someone else can be a tricky business. Nonetheless, our respondents seemed pretty sure they could make a good choice with 80 percent saying they felt confident in their book gifting abilities.

"The survey demonstrates that books make priceless gifts," said Barbara Hagen, vice president of marketing at ThriftBooks. "Some respondents shared why they chose to gift books this year and their answers, such as 'to give the gift of reading' and 'every time that person picks up that book they think of you' really speak for why books make for great gifts."

Which genre we choose may vary by generation.

One way we might choose a book for someone is by their preferred genre. Survey results revealed the overall top genre in 2024 to be mystery (45%). But upon closer inspection, we found that this choice varies from one generation to another:

Among GenZ readers, fantasy was the most popular choice at 52 percent. Here are some of our top fantasy picks right now:

• The House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
• Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune
• Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
• The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch

Millennial readers favored action and adventure (41%). Here are some current titles they might enjoy:

• Games Untold by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan
• James by Percival Everett
• Eruption by Michael Chrichton and James Patterson

Thriller and suspense was the top genre for Gen X respondents (42%). Popular titles in this genre include.

• The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden
• To Die For by David Baldacci
• The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
• The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

For baby boomers, the winning choice was mystery (29%). Here are some of the current favorites for them:

• The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny
• Now or Never by Janet Evanovich
• We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
• The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore

Don't look a gift book in the mouth.

According to the poll, a third (33%) of readers have received a book from someone that was an unexpected choice. Here are a few of the odd titles respondents reported receiving.

• The Gift of Failure by Dan Bongino
• Snakes in Suits: Understanding and Surviving the Psychopaths in Your Office by Paul Babiak and Robert D. Hare
• When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
• MI6 Spy Skills for Civilians: A Former British Agent Reveals How to Live Like a Spy—Smarter, Sneakier and Ready for Anything by Red Riley
• Oswald's Tale by Norman Mailer
• When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? by George Carlin
• In Praise of Shadows by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki

And while some reported being perplexed by such quirky selections, others were pleasantly surprised, saying an unexpected book they’ve received was an "utter delight" and "taught me to live in the moment."

Tradition often demands a reread of our favorite books

Looking at readership during the holiday season, nearly a third of readers (30%) have a tradition where they reread a book or series each holiday season. In a surprising twist, it was the youngest respondents, Gen Z (61%) and millennials (47%), who were more likely than Gen X (33%) or baby boomers (18%) to engage in this tradition.

Although some readers opt for horror or fantasy rereads for their traditional holiday entertainment, Christmas books are the most popular traditional rereads at 45 percent. Top choices include:

• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Seuss
• The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
• A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd

Where we find our books is another thing that may reflect our age.

Over a third of readers (34%) discovered a new favorite book this year, but where they found them differed a bit. When searching for new books to read, Gen Z (52%) and millennial readers (47%) typically browse social media while Gen X (50%) and baby boomers (51%) rely on recommendations from friends and family.

"When picking out a book for someone else, it’s important to not just consider if it’s a book you enjoy, but whether or not it will catch the recipient’s interest," said Hagen. "Social media, book forums and book websites are all great places to look for book gifting ideas."

When it comes to picking gift books, we have thoughts.

Choosing a book for someone else can be difficult. More than half of literary gift givers (51%) said they planned to go with one of their favorite books as a gift, while 49 percent said they try to pick books on topics they know the recipient is interested in. Here are some of our ideas for selecting something your giftee will love.

Pick something based on their pop culture faves, like:

• Ted Lasso
• Barbie
• Bridgerton
• Gilmore Girls
• Shogun
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid
• Taylor Swift, also here and here
• Marvel
• House of the Dragon
• Shows and movies from the '80s and '90s

Score a beautiful limited edition from their favorite genre or series.

For enthusiastic culinary practitioners, choose from the best new cookbooks of the season.

Find something here for your crafty friends.

Choose something from a "best of" list like the New York Times 100 Best Books of the 21st Century or Goodreads' Top Books Published in the Past Five Years.

Here's a post we wrote last year about how to Bookify your Secret Santa.

And you can always peruse The Thriftbooks Blog for any number of other ideas that might help you choose the perfect gift for that special someone.

Let us know if you have any thoughts on the best way to choose gift books.

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Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans who read at least 5-6 books per year; the survey was commissioned by ThriftBooks and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Oct. 4 and Oct. 9, 2024.

Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon