Gift book ideas

Books make great Christmas gifts for readers. The New York Times has published their top 10 books of the year, and The Mainstream has added a few additions of our favorite books to guide your shopping.

Mainstream Book Suggestions

1. Fantasy: “Murtagh” by Christopher Paolini, the fourth book in the Eragon series
2. Dystopian: “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” by Suzanne Collins, the prequel to the Hunger Games
3. Dystopian: “The Unwind” series by Neal Shusterman
4. Historical Fiction: “The Button Man” by Andrew Gross about mafia action during the Depression era in New York
5. Ecology Fiction: “Overstory” by Richard Powers, insight into forestry growth and protection
6. Christian Thriller: “The Oath” by Frank Peretti
7. Sports: “The Gambler, Secrets from a Life at Risk” by Billy Walters, a “master class for anyone who wants to improve their odds at betting on sports,” according to Amazon.

New York Times Books of the Year

1. Historical Fiction: “The Bee Sting” by Paul Murray
2. Dystopian Fiction: “Chain-Gang All-Stars” by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, a book about death-row inmates that fight on TV for a chance at freedom.
3. Lyrical, translated from French: “Eastbound” by Maylis de Kerangal
4. Historical Fiction based on a 19^th-century trial: “The Fraud” by Zadie Smith
5. Nonfiction: “North Woods” by Daniel Mason, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize
6. Nonfiction, based on court records and police records: “The Best Minds” by Jonathan Rosen
7. “Unclassifiable”, according to the New York Times: “Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs” by Kerry Howley
8. “Fire Weather” by John Vaillant; a true story about a large fire in Alberta, Canada, in which the fire is the protagonist.
9. Nonfiction: “Master Slave Husband Wife” by Ilyon Woo
10. “Some People Need Killing” by Patricia Evangelista, a true story about extrajudicial killings in the Phillipines between 2016 and 2022.

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