Are you giving anyone any books for Christmas? I think it is

My sister gets a book because she turned me onto literature. Also she's my sister so I know what she'll like.

Dad gets a book because he turned me on to mid-century sci-fi. That one is harder because he has read most of it already.

Best friend gets a book because he is a pleb and needs to fix his shit before he gets old and dies. What book should I give him?

>>8759599
The Fault in Our Stars

>>8759604
I loved Looking for Alaska so I might do that

>>8759580
Bought my friend A Brief History of 7 Killings last Christmas and he raved about it.
Got my girlfriend Wild by Cheryl Strayed and she seemed to enjoy it.
I got her Wolf Hall two Christmasses ago and she wasn't as into it

>>8759580
>I think it is usually the worst thing to give someone, unless you really know them very well

Agreed. So much non-fiction (and fiction) is incredibly niche or fits with specific personal biases. People are likely to be completely uninterested or even offended depending on what you give them.

My brother is into some seriously retarded conspiracy shit and keeps giving the family all these propaganda books written by far-right media sensationalists. We've expressly told him we don't subscribe to any of that shit and would like to keep politics out of the holidays, but that never stops him from proselytizing. We just end up throwing the books in the trash anymore.

>>8759599
>My sister gets a book because she turned me onto literature. Also she's my sister so I know what she'll like.
>Also she's my sister so I know what she'll like.
>I know what she'll like.
>like.

hhhhhhhh

>>8759704
i thnk it works best if you know someone who has read everything by an author, and then get the authors newest book

of if you get someone one of the universal classics b/c you know they're going through top 100 lists or something

>>8759580
2 years ago I gifted a copy of Infinite Jest to all 17 people on my gift list. Last year I was gifted a copy of Infinite Jest by 14 of those 17 people - not a crack in any of the spines. I now have Christmas gifts for 14 people this year already.

>"surprising" people with books as gifts
>not researching their interests at the very least
>nor just asking them what kind of book they'd like

Wew.

>friend never reads any books
>can't even get him to read short stories
>he only "reads" manga

What book should I get him?

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>giving people gifts

>>8759806
Give him the Battle Royale novel

I'm doing the LibraryThing secret santa. While I'm happy to pick out a book for someone, I'm kind of hoping that they just buy off my wishlist.

>>8759580
Books are usually a bad gift unless you have a good grasp of their taste. My 6 year old niece is getting "old possums book of practical cats" though.

>>8759931

Please do bore your sister with T.S. "LOL" Eliot

>>8759931
Give her the original Latin version of Dante's Inferno with a Dore book full of illustrations

You folks have weird family and friends. I buy books for everyone, and it's usually easy to determine what would be a good fit, if they didn't give me a request. I don't associate with non-readers at all.

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>>8759950
>original Latin version of Dante's Inferno
>Latin

>>8759950
Nice subtle troll. Dialetto Toscano, ffs.

>>8759935
Even if you think Eliots serious poetry is boring, the cat poems are not.

>>8759580

>want to get gifts for friends
>the ones closest to me live 5+ hours away
>acquaintances are 1+
>don't know what they'd want anyway

Should I just donate a bunch of shit to charity then?

>>8760133
Travel a few hours for Christmas?

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>>8759811
>Don't buy anything for anyone
>Still receive presents since they thought I would get them something as well
This Christmas is going to be good

>>8759599
finnegans wake

But really, get him a patrician book. Getting him a pleb book wont stop him from being a pleb, strike hard at the cannon. By him several, as public domain books can be cheap.

>>8760206
*buy, stupid typo hippos.

I have a secret Santa in my workplace and I've been assigned a 45 year old upper class white guy. I was thinking of giving him either Stoner or Augustus. Would this be autistic?

>>8760222
Does he enjoy reading?

>>8760206
But what patrician book? I was thinking Hemingway or Steinbeck since they are easy to get into. The Old Man and the Sea might be a good starting place but it might be too easy to blaze through it then go back to reading trash.

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>>8759811
Welcome to the NHK

>>8760264
This one is supposed to link to >>8759806
Sorry.

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>>8759580
might give watership down to my niece
i fucking loved that book when i was her age

I always think giving a book is the most personal gift someone can receive and should warrant a read based on the fact that the person who gave it to you trout you'd enjoy it. But then I am reminded that no one I know reads or would appreciate a book, and they'd probably think I was pretentious or pushing my views off onto them or something. I wish someone would gift me a book though. I'd read it regardless.

>>8759580
None of my family read, so no, but they're giving me some books. I always give them a wishlist.

>>8761743
because the battery lasts for weeks on one charge

my book group does a lucky dip for the christmas party each year where we all buy a book to put in and i bought borges book of imaginary beings for that. asides from that i stick to people's wishlists

>>8759806
What about the Legend of the Galactic Heroes books?

>>8759951

>You folks have weird family and friends.
No, this unfortunately is what most of the regular world is like. It is precisely the norm.

>I don't associate with non-readers at all.
You're the one that sounds like the weirdo homeschooled kid m8.

>>8761743

>I wish someone would gift me a book though. I'd read it regardless.

what if it was really really pleb. i mean dystopian YA romance book written by a girl in her early 20s tier pleb. would you read it then?