Treat yourself or make someone’s holiday extra merry with one of our recommended reads.
The holidays are in full swing with all the joys of the season! Twinkling lights are aglow, festive music filters through the brisk night air, and everyone is looking for that perfect holiday gift.
For many, gifting can be stressful, especially for the person who has everything or lives a minimalist lifestyle. There are lots of ways to show you care while still being eco-friendly. I am a big fan of practical, consumable gifts like homemade jam, fruit shrubs, or cookies. But my most favorite thing to give (and receive) is a good book.
Books are an inexpensive way to offer a recipient a new perspective to consider, a practical guide to learn something new, a look back at history, or a window into a new or unknown world. Make your gift even more sustainable by gifting gently used books, by presenting your gift in a handmade reusable tote, or by purchasing a subscription for the giftee to access books electronically.
Our 2023 Holiday Book Gift Guide
Books for a Better World:
We are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast By Jonathan Safran Foer
Personal and deeply compelling, Foer asserts that the climate crisis is a crisis of belief, requiring us to believe enough to act. He challenges us to change our eating habits to alleviate the impending climate disaster.
The Human Planet By George Steinmetz
Steinmetz’s aerial photos capture our natural places, harvesting throughout the biosphere, our cities and dwellings, and other human changes to our planet. A beautiful birds-eye view of the world through a photographer’s lens.
The Ideal City Edited by Gestalten
A hopeful and powerful book of global projects, The Ideal City discusses what it would take to transform our cities into progressive metropolises that meet the needs of many while valuing earth’s resources.
Books for Nature Lovers:
An Immense World By Ed Yong
Discover the many unique ways animals use their senses to guide how they live, feed, procreate, and experience the world around them. Yong brings the reader along on a dazzling adventure of organism umwelt, allowing us to see the world as they experience it.
Islands of Abandonment By Cal Flyn
Journey to some of the most desolate places on earth where nature is slowly thriving, recovering, and healing itself from man’s wreckage. This book is proof of nature’s power to persevere.
What It’s Like to Be a Bird By David Allen Sibley
Learn more about the natural world around you and the wonder of birds. These creatures have prehistoric ancestry and have evolved incredibly; discover what they eat, why they sing, how they fly, where they nest, and more!
Books for the Foodie in Your Life:
Rebel Chef: In Search of What Matters By Dominique Crenn
Dominique shares her life journey that has led her to become the unique, creative chef she is today. Adopted into a French family and trained in San Francisco’s culinary world, Crenn believes artfully elevated local ingredients can create an otherworldly dining experience.
A History of the World in 6 Glasses By: Tom Standage
Take a hydrating tour of humanity and discover the innovative ways in which humans quenched their thirst over the centuries: beer in Mesopotamia and Egypt, wine in Greece and Rome, spirits in the colonial period, coffee in the age of reason, tea in the British Empire, and Coca-Cola.
Salt: A World History By Mark Kurlansky
Discover how salt – the only rock we eat – is vital to our lives and how it has shaped our world. Learn how this indispensable ingredient changed the course of history from ancient Egypt to the age of global exploration, to the American salt and independence wars, and much more.
Still looking for more? There are many ways you can sustainably gift this year:
- Create fond new memories with the gift of an experience you can enjoy together.
- Check out our sustainable philanthropic gift guide for ideas and organizations you can donate to in your recipient’s name.
- Start your giftee on a path to more sustainable living with our travel utensil sets, handmade tote bags, insulated reusable water bottles, or one of OPL’s exclusive Eco-Journey Starter Kits.
All of us at One Planet Life wish you a happy, sustainable holiday this year!
Written by Kristina Shane
Editor and OPL Content Contributor
“I’ve always had a strong inclination to protect and nurture the people and living things around me; especially after having kids, I became passionate about conserving our planet for future generations. It’s my duty to teach my children, through words and actions, how to be good citizens and thoughtful stewards for our planet. Joining One Planet Life felt like a natural next-step for me, and I’m thrilled to support their mission and strengthen my own sustainability efforts.”
