Last Minute Gift Guide: Books for Adults

Uprooted Naomi Novik Del Rey 2009

Earlier this week we shared our last minute gift guide for the young readers on your list. Now we’re continuing our recommending spree for the adult readers you’re still planning on buying for. Whether they like fantasy, horror, or are looking to join the adult colouring book craze, WWAC has you covered.

LagoonLagoon Nnedi Okorafor Hodder & Stoughton 2014
Nnedi Okorafor
Hodder & Stoughton

Lagoon is an unsettling, gorgeously crafted novel that combines elements of monster stories, alien abduction tales, and Nigerian folklore. On a strange, fateful night, three strangers meet on Bar Beach in Lagos, Nigeria. When something BIG crashes into the ocean, they are pulled into the waters and become part of an event that will drastically change the world. As the narrative switches between Adaora, Anthony, and Agu’s perspectives – and occasionally to those of bystanders, political officials and even ocean creatures – the reader slowly realizes how deeply the mysterious events occurring around Bar Beach are affecting Lagos. Okorafor always excels at creating fantasy and sci fi narratives that contain very real horrors, but this book does an exceptional job of exploring the wonderful and terrible acts humans are capable of committing. The hardcore sci fi and horror lovers in your life will adore Lagoon.

–Alenka Figa

UprootedUprooted Naomi Novik Del Rey 2009
Naomi Novik
Del Rey

A mysterious wood that only occasionally eats people, and they should have known better anyway. A wizard called the Dragon who takes the best girls to live with him in his tower. And a regular girl who never expected to be taken. They all come together to in Novik’s lovely fairy tale that draws upon Eastern European folklore and mythology. A great gift for anyone who likes their fairy tales deceptively cozy. And trees. You’re going to want someone who is fond, but wary, of trees.

–Anna Tschetter

Unicorns Are Jerks: A coloring book exposing the cold, hard, sparkly truthUnicorns Are Jerks: A coloring book exposing the cold, hard, sparkly truth Theo Nicole Lorenz CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2012
Theo Nicole Lorenz
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Coloring books are gaining in popularity among adults, but if butterflies, paisley swirls, or Victorian houses aren’t your thing, then I can bet rude, obnoxious unicorns will be. This book includes eighteen coloring pages showcasing unicorns at their worst. They text in theaters, borrow clothes without asking, and pout when you don’t let them drive. This gift is perfect for the person on your list who complains about everything. Now they’ll have a reason to complain about unicorns too.

–Melinda Pierce

Heart-Shaped BoxHeart Shaped Box Joe Hill William Morrow February 13 2007
Joe Hill
William Morrow Paperbacks

A few months ago one of my brothers asked me for a book suggestion. He said he has been reading nothing but manuals on solar power for his work, and wanted something completely different to get into; a page-turner that he wouldn’t be able to put down for even the sleekest solar panel brochure. I suggested Joe Hill’s Heart-Shaped Box and he promptly forgot our ten second reader’s advisory consultation. I made a mental note of our conversation for his next present. This book is relentlessly suspenseful, with elements of the afterlife, psychic manipulation, guilt, love, and sacrifice rolled together. It follows the story of Jude Coyne, a famous musician who is also a collector of the macabre. His attention is brought to an online auction of a dead man’s suit, plus the ghost that inhabits it. His package arrives, and everything goes straight to shit. But as rough and dreary as this book can be, it’s also a lovely tear-jerker with a lot of genuine laughs to be had. There’s no putting this book down, and with that I introduce the perfect $5 gift.

–Romona Williams

Fifteen DogsFifteen Dogs, Andre Alexis, Coach House Books, 2015
Andre Alexis
Coach House Books

There’s a good chance this Giller Award winning novel is already on a number of people’s gift list. It’s a heart-felt take on the apologue, in which Hermes and Apollo make a bet on whether or not fifteen dogs, gifted with human consciousness, will live happier lives. What starts as an interesting premise soon evolves into a beautifully written meditation on what it means to be human and how we treat those around us. When I first read this book I was worried it would be a bit too gimmicky but it ended up being one of my favourite novels of the year. An absolute must of the literary pet lover on your list.

–Christa Seeley

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Christa Seeley

Christa Seeley

Publishing Consultant. Book Lover. Amateur Cook.

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