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Katie Yee Recommends Great Books for Holiday Gifting
When life throws her lemons, one woman chooses to find humor in heartbreak. Witty, full of heart and beautiful poetic prose — with a side of Chinese folklore — Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee is perfect for fans of short literary fiction.
Read on for three exclusive recommendations from Katie. When you stop by your local B&N to grab your copy of Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar this holiday season, be sure to check out these great giftable reads.
Gift-giving is serious business. It’s not just a social nicety or a kind gesture. When you give a gift, even a little one, you are saying something about its recipient and your relationship to them.
Books, in particular, are tricky, because it’s not just “This color will look great on you” or “This smelled good.” (Though I do think most books smell good.) When you give someone a book, I really think you’re trying to give them a story that will speak to them at this particular point in their life.
Bonus points if the book is beautiful. Book as coveted object. Something they’ll want to put on their coffee table or display on their shelf.
The books I’ve chosen here are ones that say a lot and look good doing it. They’re the ones I’ve found myself wrapping up on more than one occasion and pressing lovingly into the hands of my favorite people. I hope your favorite people will like them, too.
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Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (now in a gorgeous 40th anniversary edition!) follows a girl named Jeanette who is adopted by a deeply religious family; as she explores her sexuality, she begins to re-examine the narratives she’s been told—even structuring this story like the Bible in a fantastic feat of reclamation. The first time I read Jeanette Winterson I was in college, wanting to be a writer and wanting to write about love, but not really knowing how. This is the book that broke all the rules, that made me fall in love with the possibilities of storytelling again.
Best for: romantics, writers, loved ones who might need a reminder that they are in charge of their own story.
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This book probably needs no introduction or explanation. It’s a compilation of all things Nora Ephron: from her whip-smart essays about everything under the sun to recipes to the screenplay for When Harry Met Sally (which you know we’re all rewatching right about now). Giving someone this book is sort of like giving them Nora Ephron’s brain, which is to say you are giving someone the gift of good company.
Best for: people who need a laugh, that one friend that is good at everything, rom-com afficionados, someone nursing a broken heart, writers. (Writers again? Yes. We’re very needy.)
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Edward Gorey is a personal favorite, and I was delighted to find this collection of fifty envelopes and letters that he had written to his friend, Tom, over the course of a year after their meeting in 1974. Full of Edward Gorey original sketches and glimpses of his personal ruminations, this book is playful, honest, unique. But it’s also a beautiful ode to friendship and the delights of checking in.
Best for: fans of marginalia, old souls, long-distance friends you miss dearly.