Need to buy holiday gifts? Texas booksellers have recommendations for you

Today officially kicks off the holiday shopping season. Although some may have already gotten started, others may ended up waiting until the last minute.

For many, buying gifts means stopping in at a bookstore or browsing titles online to find the perfect fit for your loved ones.

For the avid readers in your life, there are some Texas booksellers with a few recommendations.

Jane Estes, the founder and general manager of Lark & Owl Booksellers in Georgetown, says there are certain titles that tend to be especially popular this time of year.

“We sell a lot of classics at the holidays because several publishers have released classics with these gorgeous covers on them,” she said.

But more recent titles – especially with big names attached to them – could also be a draw, she adds.

“Things like Matthew McConaughey’s children’s book – we expect to sell a lot of copies of those, even though that’s been out for a little bit,” Estes said. “But grandparents and aunts and uncles love to buy that type of book for kids for the holiday season.”  

Arlene Kasselman, who owns Seven and One Books in Abilene, says popular titles don’t always translate between different areas. But her store is already seeing an uptick in people purchasing Christmas-themed romance novels — like “The Christmas Tree Farm” by Laurie Gilmore. She also expects “The Third Gilmore Girl,” a memoir by actress Kelly Bishop, to sell well.

“Primarily because the cozy season brings out all the ‘Gilmore Girl’-watchers. And as soon as it gets cold, people rewatch the series,” Kasselman said. “And ‘Gilmore Girls’ fans are so dedicated to the show that I think that that one is going to be big.”

For those looking for books for their fiction-loving friends and family, Kasselman highlighted “The Book of Doors” by Gareth Brown, which came out earlier this year. 

“I just think it is the perfect blend of real-life-meets-magical-realism. And the fantasy is not because it hasn’t got like mythical creatures. I think for those of us that are not like deep fantasy lovers, it’s still so relatable and the twists and turns make it surprising,” Kasselman said. “Just when I thought I knew what was happening – wow, I was thrown a curveball. Like it just stunned me.”

For those seeking nonfiction, Estes recommended “A Walk in the Park” by Kevin Fedarko.

“It is about his trip with a friend who’s a National Geographic photographer, where they walked the floor of the Grand Canyon,” Estes said. “It took them 14 months. It is over 800 and something miles… And it’s a fascinating look at how the canyon is just so different, ecologically, from top to bottom. And then also just what he learned from that trip.”

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Kasselman also had a nonfiction recommendation — this one suited for the sports lover in your life. From Joe Posnanski who wrote “The Baseball 100,” Kasselman suggests “Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments.”

“It hones in on, you know, why is it America’s game and what is it about community,” Kasselman said. “And the love of sport that baseball lovers just are drawn to that’s kind of a cultural icon and more than just a sport.”

Beyond a Christmas theme, Estes says Ali Hazelwood is always a popular author in the wider romance genre.

“She writes romance with a STEM theme through them. So science, technology, engineering and math. And so that’s kind of a different take on the romance novel than had been previously,” Estes said.

“And her books are funny. A little spicy. I always learn something scientific when I read one of her books, and she actually has a Ph.D. in neuroscience. So she knows what she’s talking about.”

Kasselman also shouted another romance option, one of her favorites to recommend as a bookseller this year, called  “For the Love of Mark Twain,” by Kalyn Gensic. 

“It is a cozy romance to professors. It’s got that little touch of academia and it has just been one of my particular bookstore buyer’s favorites,” Kasselman said. “Our customers are loving it. It’s well-written and just all the cozy feels that you want for the winter. 

For those who struggle to buy books for voracious teen readers, Kasselman says there is a new fantasy series teens might enjoy — the “Skandar” series by A.F. Steadman.

“It has taken off like crazy. And I’m starting to see those young readers get attached to Skandar in the way readers got attached to Harry Potter,” she said. “And that’s a big leap to make.

However, it’s got those same elements of sort of a main character with good, main character energy and that I think young readers will attach to. There’s like good found family themes, all of those things that make a good fantasy series popular.”

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Estes says one of her personal favorite reads of the year was a young adult novel called “When the World Tips Over” by Jandy Nelson.

“If you’re not a Jandy Nelson fan yet, you will be when you read this book,” she said. “It is magical. It’s gorgeous, and she is delightful as a human anyway, and as a writer as well. I can’t say enough good things about this book. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It’s magical.”

If you’re shopping with an even younger audience in mind and looking for children’s books, Estes recommended Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey. The brothers are local to the Austin area and write and illustrate picture books.

“I think they have five or six out now, including a graphic novel for kids as well,” she said. “Their first book was ‘The Old Truck,’ and it was about a girl who takes over her family’s farm in these gorgeous pictures.”

Kasselman says, in her experience anecdotally, she’s seen an increase in people buying books as holiday gifts. 

“Holiday book shopping has always been a thing. I mean, we’ve always had the grandparents or the aunties gifted a book. But I think that the trend to give books is growing again,” she said. “I think we have definitely become sort of a standard stock in the Christmas shopping world.

And because people are, I think, becoming more attuned to shop local. And ‘what does it look like to keep these small, independent businesses viable in my town?’ Because that brings in tourism and it helps support a downtown economy.”

Estes says if you still need help finding that exact right book to wrap as a present, you can always ask. 

“We get lots and lots of questions because people are kind of flummoxed sometimes about what to get their loved one who likes to read,” Estes said. “Talk to your local bookseller about what your friend is like or what they’re interested in. And they’ll handpick books for you that will be perfect.”

And if you want more book recommendations from the Texas Standard, make sure you check us out on Instagram and on Goodreads.

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