So you want to get someone a book for Christmas. I highly recommend this, especially for people who are hard to shop for. After all, there’s a book about EVERYthing! Whether you’re looking for a book for a kid who doesn’t like books, or a book for a grown up who reads everything, I’ve got suggestions.

“The Lorax” is a great Dr. Seuss book for parents and kids who care about the environment. This book works for all ages.

Kids who don’t like to read usually LOVE “The Giver” by Lois Lowry (appropriate for ages 10+). Hayden (13) usually hates reading but he recommends ”The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins. It’s a fine alternative to the “Twilight” series, though it’s at least that violent. But “Games” asks some strong moral questions that even tweens will find impossible to ignore.

Kids who like Sci-Fi/Fantasy will enjoy “Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo” by Obert Skye (this book could be read to younger kids or read by kids over 9 or so), “The Golden Compass” by Phillip Pullman “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card or “Dragonriders of Pern” by Anne McCaffrey. All of them would be readable by kids in the 4th grade and up.

I can’t hardly think of a kid who wouldn’t like “Mort” by Terry Pratchett, be forewarned that it’s about the Grim Reaper (it is meant to be very funny and it is) so some parents may not appreciate the humor. “Good Omens” by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett is in the same vein and I think it’s appropriate for kids over 12.

For teens, I would get girls “A Walk to Remember” by Nicholas Sparks. Even if they’ve seen the movie, the book is even more touching and enjoyable. That’s also a great book for men and women who want to read something that’s just a beautiful story (warning: this is a tear jerker book, do NOT attempt to read it at work or at school).

“Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson” is another great book for teens that can help get them focused on others (instead of always on themselves). “Do Hard Things” is a GREAT non-fiction option for teenagers (male and female).

If you’ve got a teen boy in your life, there’s a good bet he would enjoy “The Lord of the Rings: 50th Anniversary, One Vol. Edition“. If he hasn’t read “The Hobbit” get him that one too. You have GOT to read “The Hobbit” before you read “The Lord of the Rings”!

Almost any American man will enjoy either “Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follet (historical fiction), “Game of Thrones” by George RR Martin (fantasy) or “Fatal Vision” by Joe McGinnis (non-fiction, true crime). Both offer multiple points of view, intrigue and imagination.

Know a sensitive guy? Get him “The Notebook” by Nicholas Sparks or “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini and watch the tears flow.

I think most American women would enjoy “Bridget Jones’ Diary” by Joy Fielding (good for a laugh), “Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon (good for romance, does have fantastical elements), “Memoirs of a Geisha” by Arthur Golden or ”The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs And Men in a Race Against an Epidemic” by Gay and Laney Salisbury (non-fiction).

And anyone in the world can benefit from reading Randy Paulsen’s book “The Last Lecture“.

Christian Recommendations

Any kids, will love the “The Chronicles of Narnia“, but they resonate strongly with Christian children. I encourage parents to read these aloud to little ones, they are fun and wonderful books to read.

For Christian teens, get them “The Great Divorce” by C. S. Lewis. It isn’t about the divorce of a marriage, it’s actually an intriguing fiction book (very slender novel) about a bus load of people who leave purgatory to check out heaven. Will they choose to stay or go back to purgatory?

If you have a Christian friend, there are a lot of great books to choose from. My favorite fiction is “In Search of Eden“. For worriers, try “Running Scared: Fear, Worry & the God of Rest“. For those who feel hopeless, “When God Doesn’t Answer Your Prayer: Insights to Keep You Praying with Greater Faith & Deeper Hope“.

Let me know if you’re looking for other suggestions! I love to recommend books and to hear what people thought of what they read.