Do books make good gifts?
Tuesday, December 14, 2021 at 02:19PM
I love books. I love presents. But I have mixed feelings about both giving and receiving books as gifts.
People should have books. As a librarian, English teacher, author, and reader, I want people to have access to as many books as possible. Experts now say that we should spend our money on experiences, not things, in order to achieve happiness. In a very real sense, giving or getting a book is giving or getting an “experience.” Sometimes, as with coffee table books, the object of the book is the point, but most of the time the story, the ideas, or the information that the object itself contains that are the reason we shell out the bucks for a book. For many people, books become keepsakes, items of sentimental value. I still have a copy of the literature textbook I used during my first year teaching. Books can be selected easily if one knows and understands the tastes or interests of the recipient. Books can be shared among family members, through “little libraries,” or donated to the public library or various charities that redistribute them to schools in developing nations.
So what could possibly be wrong giving someone a book for Christmas?
Perhaps I am the only one who feels this way, but a gifted book is always accompanied by a sense of obligation to read it. And I really, really don’t much care to be told what to read. (Yes, that’s ironic for an English teacher to feel this way.) I do however want the person who gives me a book to feel good about making a good choice. So most gift books I go right ahead and read out of guilt.
Perhaps a gift card to a local bookstore with an explicit statement that it is to be used to buy a book just might be a better choice for that friend or relative one wishes to gift. Not only can they choose the titles they wish, but the format as well - hardback, paperback, or ebook. Or do what I do and give a donation in a person's name to a Friends of Library group .
Should I give physical books in the future, I will add this inscription: You won’t hurt my feelings if you don’t read this book.
Oh, the photo above* is of Grandson Paul receiving a box set of Harry Potter books for ninth birthday on 2010. I knew he was reading the series and he was excited about the gift. It was not just the full seven book series in hardback, they came in a cool treasure chest-like box as well. It was only years later that Paul told me that he never finished reading the whole series. I am glad he didn’t and I am glad he told me. I would not have wanted him to feel the same sense of obligation I do when being so gifted.
I sincerely hope I didn’t hurt too many people’s feelings with this post. I am grateful for every gift I receive.
*Damn, it took me longer to find the photo than it did to write this post!
Reader Comments (5)
Not just gifted books, but hand-me-downs. I hate when friends (usually teachers) hand me a book that they thought was great. They don’t even ASK if I want to read it. They just expect that I will. And they come back later and ask what I thought about it.
Hmmmm, so I am not the only "ingrate"! Thanks for empathizing, Annette.
Doug
I'm feeling very insecure about all the books I bought for gifts now. Hmmmmmmm.
Ah, mission accomplished!
Floyd, I wish you a great holiday season (and that you receive a lot of books).
Doug
I tend to give reference type books. The kind you just like to browse through. Usually they are celebrity written cookbooks for friends that are fans, or local travel books for friends who are day trippers, or books about local history, etc. I am always open to suggestions, but generally enjoy picking my own fiction. My favorite book this year has been Klara and the Sun.