Wondering what to get the traveler on your list this holiday season? Books can inspire feelings of nostalgia for a place you’ve been before, or ignite the spark for planning your next trip—making them perfect gifts for your jet-setting friends or loved ones.
From fiction novels with a strong sense of place to nonfiction travelogues with a culinary twist, here are 11 books to buy this holiday season. (P.S. Pick up one for yourself, too.)
1. Still Life by Sarah Winman
Sarah Winman’s Still Life is historical fiction at its finest. You’ll fall in love with Florence, Italy, and the cast of characters—chosen family—who call it home.
2. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Set in Northern Michigan, a mother replays her past, recalling the lifetime of choices that led her to her happily ever after. Tom Lake is yet another masterclass in character-driven storytelling led by the talented Ann Patchett.
3. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
In upstate New York, the daughter of a wealthy family goes missing from her summer camp—more than a decade after her brother’s mysterious disappearance. In the race to find her, long-kept family secrets are unearthed.
TL;DR: The God of the Woods is decidedly unputdownable.
4. Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez
In Anita de Monte Laughs Last, first-generation Ivy Leaguer Raquel unearths the story of Anita de Monte–a talented artist murdered by her lover decades before in New York City—and finds herself in the process.
5. National Geographic Bucket List Family Travel: Share the World with Your Kids on 50 Adventures of a Lifetime by Jessica Gee
Family travel expert Jessica Gee, of The Bucket List Family, has traveled to more than 90 countries with her family of five. In this guide, she shares her tips for making the most of family adventures, including 50 must-visit destinations.
6. Cold Kitchen: A Year of Culinary Travels by Caroline Eden
From her kitchen in Edinburgh, Caroline Eden details her travels through Eastern Europe and Central Asia—told through the lens of cuisine, community, and culture.
7. The Wedding People by Alison Espach
In The Wedding People, a divorced woman befriends a bride-to-be during her wedding week in historic Newport, Rhode Island. The two become an unlikely pair, but their new friendship saves each woman in different ways.
8. Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
In New Zealand, a collective of guerilla farming activists–aptly named Birnam Wood—teams up with an American billionaire. But, who’s playing who?
9. Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time by Jeff Speck
For the traveler, urban planner, or anyone who thrives in a walkable city (i.e., everyone who’s visited Europe) on your list—Jeff Speck’s Walkable City details the vision for turning America’s cities into walkable places that foster stronger communities and economies.
10. Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune
In this sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune instantly transports readers back to magical Marsyas Island. It’s home to an enchanting family who must, once again, overcome outsider misconceptions and resist close-minded notions that being different is a flaw—when it’s indeed a superpower.
11. The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza
The Sicilian Inheritance is a told tale in two parts: by Serafina in the early 1900s, and Sara in modern-day Sicily. Chapter by chapter, their stories converge—revealing the enduring power of female friendships.
