IS IT BETTER TO GIVE OR TO RECEIVE? WITH THE holidays almost upon us and long gift lists waiting to be completed, we wanted to recommend the simple pleasure of a book. And remember, sometimes taking the time to indulge yourself and escape in a good book is really the best way to keep your spirits high. Here to help, Newsweek staff have gathered together to recommend the perfect reading material for anyone on your gift list-yourself included!-with a roundup of our own favorite books from the past year.
Our offerings run the gamut from rom-coms to truecrime, politics to music, investigative journalism to humor and more. Find the ideal story to give or to add to your own wishlist!
Fiction
Lessons in Chemistry
By Bonnie Garmus | DOUBLEDAY | $29
Elizabeth Zott is a brilliant scientist trying to make it in a man's world in the 1960s. Out of a job when she gets pregnant, she uses her talent for chemistry to land herself in the unlikeliest of places as the beloved host of Supper at Six, an unusual cooking show with a distinctly feminist point of view. Chock-full of historical details and endearing characters, you'll cheer on Zott and her distinctive show sign-off: "Children, set the table. Your mother needs a moment to herself." ▸ Meredith Wolf Schizer, Senior Editor
Book Lovers
By Emily Henry BERKLEY | $27
In Book Lovers, Emily Henry both embraces and breaks the classic rom-com mold with a heroine who navigates romantic and familial love in the most beautiful way, but doesn't have to change what makes her strong, ambitious and unique in order to get there. This novel is gripping, hilarious and touching on every page.
▸ Zoe Strozewski, Politics Reporter
The Maid
By Nita Prose BALLANTINE BOOKS | $27
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Julia Stiles
“What’s funny is that I did everything as a director that I swore I would never do to my actors.”
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Marianne Jean-Baptiste
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An Iron Dome for America
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Paris Hilton & Nicole Richie
PARIS HILTON AND NICOLE RICHIE ARE READY TO BRING A LITTLE “SANASA” to the world with Peacock's Paris & Nicole: The Encore, their first project together since their reality show The Simple Life ended in 2007. What's “sanasa”? It's a song and phrase the longtime friends created as kids and popularized on The Simple Life. The show, a cultural phenomenon in the early days of reality TV, followed them over a series of blue-collar jobs. Now they're bringing it back as an opera. “I know this is just going to make people laugh, have fun, be nostalgic and just celebrate our friendship,” Hilton said. While Richie acknowledged “you can't do Simple Life again,” she said now “felt like the right time.” The famous pair also revisit some old jobs in Arkansas, like fast-food chain Sonic, where they now have drinks named for them. “I think that there is a part of our friend- ship that the show ended up showing that people connect to,” Richie said. As for this new special, Hilton is glad to do something positive for their fans. “It's been such a crazy past couple years, and I just feel like the world needs more joy.”
