Staff Picks
What Our Staff Is Giving This Holiday
We’re excited to share the books we’re loving and giving this season.
We’re here to help you find the perfect gift for everyone on your list! For this special edition of Staff Picks, we’re sharing what we’re actually giving our best friends, parents, children, and other loved ones this holiday season. These thoughtful and memorable present ideas are sure to delight.
Haley Larson, Marketing Manager, Consumer Marketing
Michelle Obama’s last book, Becoming, was one of the most insightful, inspiring, and downright compelling books I’ve read in the past several years. Her latest work, The Light We Carry, could not have come at a better time. With its empowering messages and real strategies to find hope and connection in today’s world, it truly is the perfect pick this holiday season, and one I’m definitely going to be giving to multiple people this year.
Find more of Haley’s book recommendations here.
Lulu Martinez, Marketing Director, One World
Javier Zamora left El Salvador when he was nine years old to make the trek to the United States and reunite with his parents. We follow this journey through his young eyes: the fear, sadness, and horrors Javier lived, as well as the love and hope he found in the kind souls that helped him. This is a book that will transform how you see the world and those around you. I think everyone should read Solito.
Find more of Lulu’s book recommendations here.
Abbe Wright, Creative Development Lead, Content Marketing
My husband, Nick, is a huge baseball fan and adores the work of Roger Angell, the essayist and famed baseball writer, who passed away in May of 2022 at the age of 101. Nick has a few volumes of Angell’s writings on baseball (including a signed copy he once found in a used bookstore!), but for the holidays this year, I’m getting him Roger Angell’s This Old Man. It’s a collection of essays that Angell compiled in 2016, at the tender age of 95. The essays are both humorous and wise, and reflect on Angell’s life well lived.
Find more of Abbe’s book recommendations here.
Emilia Pisani, VP, Director, Online Marketplace
You don’t live under a rock, so you know about the Magic Tree House series. But did you also know that there are graphic novel editions of these addictive adventure stories? My five-year-old recently discovered Dinosaurs Before Dark Graphic Novel, and she is now staying up past her bedtime every night “reading” it — she can’t actually read yet — via headlamp. As someone who routinely falls asleep with a book on my face, this warms my heart to no end. So you can bet that book #2 in the series, The Knight at Dawn Graphic Novel, will be in my daughter’s Christmas stocking this year.
Find more of Emilia’s book recommendations here.
Sarah Mangiola, Associate Director, Content Marketing & Editorial Strategy
This is such a great gift – even if the recipient isn’t a big reader. Mindy Kaling’s voice shines in this collection of hilarious essays. I would truly read anything she writes and recommend giving this to your friend who is a fan of her work, including The Office, The Mindy Project, and Never Have I Ever. They’ll get a behind the scenes look at some of their favorite shows and laugh-out-loud stories from one of the best comedy writers around.
Find more of Sarah’s book recommendations here.
Victoria Squirlock, Manager, Social Media
Perfect for the person who is Marvel Universe obsessed! I bought this for my boyfriend for his birthday this year and he sat on the couch, legs crisscross applesauce for hours yelling “woah!” and “cooooooool.” He is 32 and the excitement he expressed was that of a child, and it was so cute to see! He was so impressed with the book, the details of the images and information inside, and was so appreciative of me for gifting it. It also makes the perfect non-conventional coffee book table since the book itself is huge and a less intimidating conversation starter compared to some of the more typical coffee table books I see.
Dani Young, Manager, Ad Operations
My go-to book to gift is Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. The first time I read it I was completely sucked into the story from chapter one and only got more invested from there! This story has suspenseful high-stakes action, hilarious comedy, and heart-warming companionship. A perfect book for sci-fi newbies and lovers alike. It opened my eyes to how immersive and fantastic sci-fi books are and I hope to give friends and family that same realization by gifting it this year.
Natasha Minoso, Senior Manager, Social Media
If a book disrupts my sleep schedule, it becomes an automatic favorite read — Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow did just that. An incredible story about grief and the complexities of relationships, both romantic and platonic. It also made me so nostalgic for games in a way I didn’t think was possible. This is perfect for your gamer friend or anyone who love stories about friendship that span across the most formative years of our lives.
Lizzi Deneen, Senior Associate, Performance Marketing
I’m purchasing HYPERtheticals as a gift because it has brought me hours of entertainment and started some really thought provoking conversations with my friends, colleagues, and family! This gift is perfect for anyone who loves good ice breakers, has a great imagination, and/or never stops asking “what if?”
Anne Bono, VP & Director, Growth Marketing
This book was so absolutely beloved by my then seven-year-old (now nine-year-old) that I’ve had to purchase multiple replacement copies as each one gets read until it’s fallen apart! We’ve purchased every other book in the series, and are on pins and needles waiting for the next one, Book 9, to be released in February 2023. He loves it because it is chock-full of adventure, puns, and action. I love it because the characters are diverse, the vocabulary is challenging, and the storyline is entertaining and full of heart. I would recommend the Hilo series to anyone with a young reader who loves adventure and comics!
I read this book in one sitting (and that never happens!). I often pick up a romance to “clear the cache” and indulge in a predictably happy ending that leaves me feeling fulfilled and entertained. I got so much more with One to Watch: The heroine is smart, multifaceted, and fully human. The story is equal parts sweet and poignant. This book felt like hanging out with a good friend. It’s a no-brainer gift for romance lovers looking for a tale that’s a cut above and a heroine that you root for and identify with wholeheartedly.
Kathryn Monaco, Manager, Content Marketing
I originally bought this cookbook for myself, and I loved it so much I’m giving a copy to my sister this year. She cooks dishes from all over the world, and I can’t wait to see (and eat) the dishes she’ll make from it. This cookbook shares recipes by women from eight East African countries and the culmination is the perfect blend of recipes, history, and personal stories. This is the gift for the traveler or chef in your life!
