Oh, good heavens, how do I pick?! Which three books, of all the books I’ve read this year, would I recommend you give (or get for yourself)? Well, after due consideration, I suggest:

For the Romance Reader

You just can’t miss with Laura Lee Guhrke! Her Lady True Love series just keeps getting better and better and The Trouble With True Love is no exception. While it came out earlier this year, if the romance reader on your list missed it, they’ll be glad you didn’t.

My other pick: Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley. Just a lovely, beautiful story that will keep you guessing until the very end.

For the Eclectic Reader

A Gentleman in Moscow. Everyone on your list should read this elegant, amazing story. Read it just for the words. Amor Towle’s writing is a master class in elegance. And this story—so wonderfully charming and beautiful. It is the book I cannot stop sharing.

My other favorite? The Alice Network, a WWI timeslip story that moves between the war itself and the years after WWII. Heart-wrenching at times, and at others filled with humanity and a mystery that must be unearthed.

For the Fantasy Reader

Finally, maybe you have someone on your list who loves a bit of magic, a bit of fairy tale, a bit of adventure? I thought I had this category all wrapped up until Thanksgiving weekend when I read, Uprooted by Naomi Novik. What a fresh and unique fairy tale story that surprises all the way through. I was thrilled to have two long flights to just sit and devour this book. Give it for the holidays. And get a copy.

Okay, so that was five books. But it is impossible to stop once you start… You know, when you really love a book—you just want everyone to read it.

What books would you recommend giving this holiday season?