What to buy the avid reader

The Times may earn a commission if you buy any of these gifts through links on our site. The items were independently selected.

See all lists →

FICTION

“Find Me” by André Aciman, the followup to his bestselling novel-turned-Academy-Award-winning film “Call Me by Your Name,” revisits the enduring, yet hidden love of Elio and Oliver years after their tryst in northern Italy. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 272 pp.

$18.90. Purchase here→

In “Little Weirds,” Jenny Slate, the polymathic actress, writer and comic, presents a delightfully odd assemblage of vignettes whose magical-realist absurdity is a style all her own. Little, Brown and Company, 240 pp.

$18.90. Purchase here→

John le Carré, the master of espionage tales returns with his 25th novel, “Agent Running in the Field,” this time following an aging agent, whose motley crew of spies enact one last mission backdropped by the turmoil of Brexit and Russian meddling. Viking, 288 pp.

$17.49. Purchase here→

“The Shadow King” by Maaza Mengiste is set against the backdrop of Mussolini invading Ethiopia in 1935, and revolves around a soldier who stands up for her people. The author of this empowering novel can trace her own roots to Addis Ababa. W. W. Norton & Company, 428 pp.

$26.97. Purchase here→

NONFICTION

Author of the bestselling memoir “Shrill” that inspired Hulu’s acclaimed show, Lindy West’s new book of essays, “The Witches Are Coming,” call-out misogyny and flaunt her biting wit and off-kilter humor. Hachette, 272 pp.

$18.90. Purchase here→

Female animators worked tirelessly behind the scenes at the Disney studios. “The Queens of Animation: The Untold Story of the Women Who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic History” by Nathalia Holt gives those animators their due in this meticulous history casting light on the overshadowed artists who brought many iconic characters to life. Little, Brown and Company, 400 pp.

$20.49. Purchase here→

MEMOIR

In “Me: Elton John Official Autobiography,” the larger-than-life pop star shares intimate moments from his awkward youth outside London, his apex of fame and his later efforts to get clean and settle down as a father. Henry Holt and Co., 384 pp.

$17.60. Purchase here→

In “Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, and Advice for Living Your Best Life,” L.A.-based comedian and actress Ali Wong pens letters to her daughters on the humorous lessons she learned on and off the stage, from her youth in San Francisco to her perseverance in the male-dominated comedy world. Random House, 240 pp.

$16.20. Purchase here→

Buzzed-about essayist and horror author Carmen Maria Machado’s memoir — “In the Dream House: A Memoir” — artfully documents a relationship that slowly turned into a trap of manipulation. Graywolf Press, 272 pp.

$21.31. Purchase here→

POETRY

“An American Sunrise,” the latest collection by Joy Harjo, the first Native American Poet Laureate of the U.S., reveals glimpses of life in Oklahoma’s Muscogee Creek Nation alongside delicately rendered ruminations on memory, family and healing. W. W. Norton & Company, 144 pp.

$18.06. Purchase here→

FOOD

In “American Cuisine: And How It Got This Way,” food historian Paul Freedman embarks on an ambitious exploration of a seemingly impossible question: What is American food? Combing through 200 years of cookbooks and archives, Freedman charts a captivating history of our country told through the meals we make. Liveright, 528 pp.

$29.99. Purchase here→

ARCHITECTURE

“Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Houses” by Dominic Bradbury is a lavish compendium of more than 400 sleekly designed homes, this photographic journey spanning continents and decades offers insights into visionary architects from the time when less was more. Phaidon, 440 pp.

$96.99. Purchase here→

More than 200 buildings by female architects are presented in big beautiful photos in Jane Hall’s “Breaking Ground: Architecture by Women.” Among the expansive roster: Hearst Castle designer Julia Morgan, Brazilian modernist Lina Bo Bardi and Broad Museum’s Elizabeth Diller. Phaidon, 224 pp.

$35.18. Purchase here→

ART

“The Graphic Art of Tattoo Lettering” by B.J. Betts and Nick Schonberger is an exquisitely illustrated look at the evolution of tattoo calligraphy and typography, delving into the history of West and East Coast styles, with lessons on how to sketch the scripts yourself. Thames & Hudson, 272 pp.

$25.49. Purchase here→

“Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness” by Peter Kuper is a haunting, graphic novel adaptation that filters the 1899 classic through a modern lens, reexamining colonialism and xenophobia, while still focusing on the story’s core theme: the battle against oneself. W. W. Norton & Company, 160 pp.

$21.95. Purchase here→

PHOTOGRAPHY

Capturing the jaw-dropping splendor California’s crown jewel, the crisp photos and essays in “The Nature of Yosemite: A Visual Journey” by Robb Hirsch inspires the naturalist in all of us. All sales directly support Yosemite National Park too. Yosemite Conservancy, 144 pp.

$34.99. Purchase here→

FASHION

In “Fashion in LA,” edited by Tania Fares and Krista Smith, dozens of studio visits and interviews map the luminaries of Los Angeles’ city-wide fashion design community, including Rodarte’s boundary-breaking Mulleavy sisters, handbag hero Clare Vivier, as well as Apolis’ menswear designers Shea and Raan Parton. Phaidon, 280 pp.

$79.95. Purchase here→

Through archival images, essays and letters, “1950s in Vogue: The Jessica Daves Years, 1952-1962” by Rebecca C. Tuite traces the tidal shift at the essential magazine during the editorship of Jessica Daves, who not only featured fashion but also the cultural output of artists and literary figures, laying the groundwork for the brand that still thrives today. Thames & Hudson, 256 pp.

$95. Purchase here→