Reader TTS

BooksA Book For Everyone On Your Holiday List Give A Book That Says A Little Bit About Both You And The Receiver This Season

Milwaukee. Photo courtesy of Daniel Goldin

To help narrow down the myriad of choices, bookseller Daniel Goldin of Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee shared his top picks for this season’s holiday gifting.

“I think a good book to gift is one that has the gift receiver in mind, but also the giver,” said Goldin. “There should be a little bit of the giver in the gift.”

For his guide to great books to give this holiday, Goldin selected from multiple genres, both fiction and nonfiction. He also included some selections for kids. Here are 11 of his favorites:

Stay connected to Wisconsin news — your way Get trustworthy reporting and unique local stories from WPR delivered directly to your inbox.

Email EmailThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. ‘The Envious Siblings and Other Morbid Nursery Rhymes’ by Landis Blair

While this book may look like it’s for children at first glance, this is a different kind of nursery rhyme book. Described as “deeply disturbing,” Goldin recommends this graphic novel to

fans of Edward Gorey, calling it “a little obsessed with death.”

Author Landis Blair also illustrated the book “From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death,” written by popular author, mortician and death acceptance advocate Caitlin

Doughty.

‘Peek-A-Who Too?’ by Elsa Mroziewicz

This triangular-shaped board book for children offers an animal question on each page with a flap that reveals the answer. Children’s board books like this one are a great option to purchase

rather than borrow from a library. This book is very sturdy, good for infants to 2- or 3-year-olds when kids are able to handle pages on their own, Goldin said.

“These days a lot of children’s books don’t go into paperback after hardcover,” explained Goldin. “Instead they go into board book.”

“Peek-A-Who Too?” is published only as a board book, but Goldin also recommends the book “Winter is Here“ by Kevin Henkes and Laura Dronzek, recently republished as a board book.

‘The Bookish Life of Nina Hill’ by Abbi Waxman

Romance novels are making a comeback with some changes for current times, like more diversity, disability inclusion and female agency and empowerment, Goldin said. This romance novel focuses

on Nina who works in a struggling bookstore, plays competitive trivia in her free time and, after growing up with just her mom, finds herself inheriting a whole family when her estranged

father passes away and puts her in his will.

“This woman’s voice (Nina Hill) really harkens back to ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary,’ or more recently ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine,’ in that the voice so draws you in so that you just

love the character and everything else is gravy,” said Goldin.

‘The Years That Matter Most: How College Makes Or Breaks Us’ by Paul Tough

Goldin loves to read narrative nonfiction with some social impact. He even has an entire shelf in his book case just for education-focused ones.

Author Paul Tough studies what the early moments of college are like for first year and first generation students, from testing to admission to what kind of support they receive that

freshman year. This book provides his findings that despite what advocates for meritocracy say, a lot of programs put into place don’t really help first generation students, Goldin said.

Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2025, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.

Related Stories From a Milwaukee children’s book author: ‘Dear Black Girl: I See You’Wisconsin-based horror novel, AI nonfiction make list of best book gifts this holiday seasonDaniel

Goldin’s summer book list takes readers on a trip around the world