The Gift of Books

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! Tis the season of hope, joy, peace, and gift giving! Some people know exactly what they want to give to everyone on their lists, but others…well, we’re last minute shoppers. So, to help all of you scrambling to come up with ideas. May I suggest you buy them a book?

“Ugh, a book? Who reads books anymore?” Well, a lot of people, and if you ask me: the world could use more readers. A quick google search will tell you that there are a BUNCH of benefits to reading! It improves mental stimulation, decreases stress (and Lord knows these are stressful times), increases knowledge and vocabulary, empowers you to empathize, fights depressions, lowers blood pressure and heart rate, aids sleep, and prevents cognitive decline as you age. That’s a lot of benefits!

“But, Nikki, what if the person on my list doesn’t like reading?” I believe, the answer to that is that they just haven’t read enough. Sometimes, people don’t like reading because they never really cared for the books they read in the past. Take all those books we were forced to read in school: Fahrenheit 451, Lord of Flies, and Shakespeare. No offense to Shakespeare, but those stories aren’t exactly fun and easy to read when you’re in the confusing age of young adulthood. If you were to gift the person on your list a book that sweeps them away in a way that school books couldn’t, they might start picking up others to read. It never hurts to gift a book, because a book doesn’t expire or go out of style. It doesn’t need batteries, or extra downloads. They won’t glitch or fade. A book will always be waiting for someone to open its pages and delve into the adventure within.

“Ok. So, what book do I buy?” Easiest answer: your favorite book. Everyone can think of at least one book that they enjoyed reading. So, if you enjoyed it, why not share it? You could pass that story on and support the author. If you don’t want to do that, just think about what the person on your list is into. What movies or shows do they watch? What activities do they like? Based off of all that, you could narrow down a genre for them: fantasy, sports, mystery, sci-fi, romance, etc. You could even gift a book you’ve never read before! I know I would enjoy finding out someone put in effort to find me a book based off my likes.

So, give the gift of books this Christmas. I do have a Book Review page if you’d like to browse some of the ones I’ve read–I apologize for not updating it in a while. I’ve featured a few of the books on my shelves in the cover photo of this web post. Otherwise, go support your local bookstore and browse the shelves for that special, unique gift for all the loved ones on your list.