2025's Most Popular Gift Books

Our new poll unveils book-giving trends this holiday season

We love reading! It's our favorite pastime, so it's only natural that we want to share this experience with our loved ones. That's why we often turn to books as gifts. But choosing a book for someone else is a complicated process. There are many things to take into consideration. Obviously, what we enjoy reading may not be the right choice for all of our recipients.  

Conducted by Talker Research and commissioned by Thriftbooks, our newest survey of 2,000 American readers helps us answer some of the questions about how to choose gift books. It also unveils the most popular titles getting wrapped up this season.

We may gift books we haven't read!

While one might assume that we give people the books we have enjoyed, it turns out that is often not the case. The majority of respondents (72%) admitted that they sometimes gift books that they haven't read. This actually makes sense  because when you give someone a book, you're choosing it based on their specific interests and reading habits. To select these titles, readers relied a variety of sources including:

• Recommendations from friends and family (49%)
• Bestseller lists (36%)
• Book seller websites (31%)
• Goodreads (26%)
• Author recommendations (18%)

"As the study proved, books make excellent, timeless gifts," said Barbara Hagen, vice president of marketing at ThriftBooks. "But picking the right book for someone is important, and there are so many good places to look for the perfect read.

The Bookstagram/BookTok gift guide?

With sites like TikTok and Instagram becoming major drivers of book sales, many of us are finding our favorite reads on social media. A significant number of respondents (28%) said that they plan to gift books that went viral this year. Here are some of 2025's most popular internet books:

• Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros—The third installment in The Empyrean series, the dragon-riding romantasy hit that has taken readers by storm.
• Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins—Haymitch takes center stage in the new prequel to The Hunger Games
• Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry—Two writers fight their undeniable attraction as they compete for the same job.
• Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez—What happens when you meet the perfect person at the absolute wrong time?
• Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid—A high-octane page-turner from the bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
• Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix—A horror novel set in a 1970s Florida maternity home.
• Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by E. Schwab—A vampire mystery set across many centuries.
• The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong—A bighearted novel about chosen family, unexpected friendship, and the secrets of survival.

The gift that keeps on giving

While books tend to offer an affordable option for gift-giving, many readers feel that their most treasured books are truly invaluable. As gifts, their impact can be enormous. Six in 10 (60%) of those surveyed said that books are one of their favorite presents to give. And 40 percent of all respondents said a book is the most cherished gift they’ve ever been given.

The results also found that books can strengthen bonds between givers and recipients. According to the findings, the majority of respondents (76%) feel deeply moved when someone gives them a book that perfectly suits their taste.

And the intentionality goes both ways with book gifters expressing that they wanted to share something they love with the recipient (48%) as their top motivation for gifting books.

Books invite us to relax and unwind

Nearly three in four respondents (73%) also said books feel more meaningful than other types of gifts with almost all respondents (89%) reporting that with the rise of AI, they feel it's more important than ever to cultivate the habit of reading, both for themselves and others.

Perhaps this explains why younger generations are more likely to value books as gifts. When it comes to giving books as gifts, millennials came out on top at 70 percent with Gen Z as a close second at 63 percent. They also most like to receive books as gifts with millennials at 49 percent and Gen Z, 48 percent.

This tracks with several of our other surveys. Having been raised in the era of constant connectivity, it makes perfect sense that these younger generations most value books as an opportunity to unplug and decompress.

And with all the screen time we have in our lives, it's no wonder that people still prefer actual hard-copy books. Most respondents said they would rather give (95%) and receive (89%) printed titles as gifts, rather than digital versions.

Here's an idea: book Advent calendars! 

Looking at how this shows up in gifting trends this season, book Advent calendars are popular, with 39 percent of respondents saying they’d love to receive a book Advent calendar and more than a quarter (27%) planning to give them as gifts this year. If this is something you'd like to give (or receive), here are some popular options to consider:

• The Girl Who Found Christmas: An Advent Calendar Storybook—A one-of a kind holiday treasure with 25 Christmas bedtime stories.
• Entrance of Santa Claus Advent Calendar—Enjoy the countdown to Christmas and reveal a picture to help you get in the festive spirit!
• Advent Calendar Coloring Book—Countdown to Christmas with creativity with a new picture to color each day.
• Elf: The Official Advent Calendar—Ring in the holiday with Buddy, Jovie, Papa Elf, Santa Claus, and others!
• Gilmore Girls Premium Advent Calendar—This all-new, collector's edition calendar is a treasure trove of exclusive items from Stars Hollow.
• Wicked: Premium Advent Calendar—This "amazafying" advent calendar is just the darlingest addition to the festivities of any fan.
• Bibliophile Advent Calendar—Based on Jane Mount's beloved Bibliophile books and artwork, this is an irresistible treasure trove of bookish delights.

“It’s clear that this year, people want to both give and receive intentional gifts that offer a little bit of escapism, along with groundedness and practicality,” said Hagen. “Books are perfect for this, and if you’re so inclined, book Advent calendars.”

2025's top 10 gift books

We asked readers to share specific titles they are gifting this year and the top ten responses make for a pretty eclectic list. In our next post, we'll tell you more about each title, as well as some of the honorable mentions. We'll also provide some good gifting options, including special editions and box sets for series.

Without further ado, here are the top ten gift books for 2025!

1. The Harry Potter series by K. Rowling
2. The Bible
3. Atomic Habits by James Clear
4. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
5. The Twilight Saga series by Stephenie Meyer
6. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
7. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
8. It by Stephen King
9. Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
10. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Are books a part of your holiday gift plans? Let us know which titles you plan to give (or hope to get!) this year. Also be sure to tune in for our next blog as we discuss the top ten gift books, share some of the honorable mentions, and more.

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Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans who will celebrate a winter holiday in 2025 who have access to the internet; the survey was commissioned by ThriftBooks and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Oct. 16 and Oct. 22, 2025.

Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon