6 Awesome Books to Give to Your Family and Friends

Christmas is almost here, and you might find choosing gifts for your friends and family a challenging task if you’ve left things to the last minute. Especially if you don’t want to give yet another expensive perfume to your dad or another nice crochet kit to your mom. One idea would be to purchase fantastic books you choose specifically for them, something they’d enjoy reading before they fall to sleep or something to keep up with their interests—whether your loved one is a calligrapher or cook, a gardener or a gamer.

Books will always be great gift options. There are thousands upon thousands of titles to choose from, with various topics that would tickle your friends’ and family members’ fancy. Novels are a bit hard to pick out, because you never know which they might already have read. But the self-help and hobbies section of the book store may prove to be your secret stash of giftables, and you’d definitely find something for anyone on your Christmas list if you just think about their personality and interests. Below, we’ve listed down six awesome books you can easily pick up at the bookstore and share with your loved ones. Happy shopping!

• For DIY Fanatics: The Colette Sewing Handbook by Sarai Mitnick (P1,260 at Fully Booked)

If you feel like your mom could use a new hobby, then this book is perfect for her. The Colette Sewing Handbook discusses the fundamentals of sewing and choosing fabric for various projects. Get your mom or sister or BFF a new sewing machine to go with this gift, if you want to really surprise her, so she can fully enjoy what she learns from this book. Who knows? Once she starts designing and sewing her own couture, you might just be the lucky beneficiary of some of her fashionable pieces!

• For Wine Lovers: The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Experts by Richard Betts (P799 at Fully Booked)

The art of understanding and appreciating wine is a rather intricate passion, and I bet your vino-fanatic dad or any sommelier wannabe friends would love it they could finally brag about their knowledge of overpriced wine over dinner with friends. The Essential Scratch and Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert includes a blow-by-blow account of how you could differentiate one wine from another, what cheese goes with which wine, and so on.

• For Passionate Soul-Searchers: The Art of Asking, Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help by Amanda Palmer (P559 from National Book Store)

When you have nothing in your pocket but your passion and confidence, sometimes, you have to go out of your way to ask—ask people for help, advice, and support. In this book, crowd-funding success story and singer, songwriter, and musician Amanda Palmer shares her journey as she struggled to make her own way to greatness through asking. This TED speaker, rock star, and author will surely inspire you to become a stronger person, and motivate you to stop worrying and start accepting the help people are willing to give you.

• For the Stressed-Out or Spontaneous: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg (P533.19 at National Book Store)

The Power of Habit dives into the amazing world of patterns and neurosciences and how paying enough attention to these can actually change someone’s life. Charles Duhigg uses powerful narratives to explain various ideas behind habit-making and how these can help you deal with issues you might be experiencing and succeed in different aspects of your life.

• For the Single Ladies: The Single Woman: Life, Love and a Dash of Sass by Mandy Hale (P595 at National Book Store)

Being single might mean that you have no one to cuddle with during the cool nights before Christmas, and no one to kiss when the New Year’s ball finally drops. But being single also means freedom to do whatever you want, and maybe even having the time of your life as you do so. While your single friends (whether recently single or single since birth) impatiently wait for their knights in shining armor, encourage them to experience unfettered life in a way that fulfills them and builds their confidence. The Single Woman by Mandy Hale offers the perfect motivation to become the feisty and fabulous single women they want to be.

• For Shutterbugs: Masters of Photography by Reuel Golden (P695 at National Book Store)

Your boyfriend or one of your kabarkadas might be fascinated by beautiful pictures, and he might occasionally take nice photographs every now and then, but that does not mean he has to stop there. Help him jumpstart any New Year’s resolutions to be more serious about his hobby by buying him this book by Reuel Golden. Masters of Photography guides you through tricks of the trade by showing you works of well-known photographers, helping you understand the intricacy of the art of taking pictures. This book will let you give the gift of learning—learning more about composition, lighting, and how to take photos in spur of the moment.