We already know that books make the best birthday gifts. But I also think a book is the perfect gift for any occasion. (Including when there isn't even one.) And who easier to buy a book for than your BFF?
For example, one of my BFFs recently had a baby. I'm going to visit her soon, and I plan on bringing some Joyce Wan titles that she and her daughter can enjoy: You Are My Cupcake and We Belong Together. They're cute with bright colors appealing to baby, plus it's a quick, easy read aloud for momma.
The books we give our BFFs are just as special as they are. Maybe you're gifting a certain book for a fun reason, a serious reason, an inside-joke reason, or maybe no reason at all! Or maybe you just read a book you know your BFF would love. We all have our reasons, and they're all different.
I asked my fellow OOMers about the books they'd give their BFFs and why. Here's what they shared!
Julia: Here is a book I actually gave my BFF.
My best friend and I both waited tables when we were younger, and would spend hours talking about the very bizarre and dramatic world of restaurant work. Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential was the first book I ever read that captured that work in a way that rang true (at least in spirit, if not the exact particulars). I gave Kitchen Confidential to her, because whatever your experience, it’s always nice to feel recognized in a book.
Mariana: I would give my BFF The Girl on the Train, because it’s where I met her for the first time, and A Thousand Splendid Suns, just because it was one of the best books I ever read.
Stefany: I recommended Disrupting Thinking to a teacher friend of mine. She's currently working on a book with a college of hers and the book outlines a lot of the teaching techniques the two of them try to implement in their high school classrooms. She bought it the next day!
Brittany: I love giving my friends books that have helped me grow in my career! This includes #Girlboss, by Sophia Amoruso and Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg.
Loribelle: My BFF is my sis – I would give her Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. She struggles with actually finishing a book once she’s started reading it but I think this could be an easy read for her since she already loves the movie so much! It’s one of her faves.
Jo: A friend of mine recently went through a breakup, so to help her get her mind off of sad thoughts, I gave her a variety of titles: Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older for a great fantasy/escapism read, Unbecoming by Jenny Downham in case she wanted a good cry and story about identity, and Beauty Queens by Libba Bray for a funny/satirical read.
Here's a trend I noticed among these responses! Buying a house = the perfect time to help your friends build a new-home library.
Alex: This summer, my best friend (and a new-ish homeowner) planted her very first flower and vegetable garden. With this in mind, I would give her the book The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle.
Emily: My BFF just bought her first house, and she now has a beautiful garden! To remind her to always see the beauty that’s in front of her, I would gift her The Secret Garden.
