The Best Books To Buy At McNally Jackson This Holiday

Find the perfect gift for every reader on your list at McNally Jackson’s newest full branch, a cozy oasis at the Seaport.

For the history buff: “How to Hide an Empire” by Daniel Immerwahr
In crackling, fast-paced prose, Immerwahr tells the story of the United States outside of the United States, tracing its “empire” power throughout the world. A Publishers Weekly best book of 2019 and a 2019 NPR staff pick.

For the ambitious: “How To Do Nothing” by Jenny Odell
Doing “nothing” is powerful and needed in a time of 24/7 data productivity and efficiency. Smart, complex and persuasive, this book redefines the value of attention. Named one of the best books of the year by Time, NPR, GQ, Elle, Vulture and Fortune.

For the lover of memoir: “In The Yellow House” by Sarah M. Broom
This haunting, brilliant memoir traces a hundred years of Broom’s family in New Orleans, powerfully engaging with place, class and race in one of America’s most mythologized cities. An NYT bestseller and winner of the 2019 National Book Award for nonfiction.

For the animal lover: “On Dogs: An Anthology” (ed. Tracy Ullman)
Internationally acclaimed comic Ullman gathers an outstanding variety of writing from Charles Dickens, Vita Sackville-West, Shakespeare and more on our favorite four-legged friends.

For the voracious fiction reader: “Trust Exercise” by Susan Choi
Choi crafts a captivating, mind-bending puzzle box set in a competitive arts school in the 1980s. Read to question truth and narrative in a teenage romance that takes a dark edge. Winner of the 2019 National Book Award for fiction.

For the small kid: “Grumpy Monkey” by Suzanne Lang and Max Lang
It’s okay to be down sometimes! That’s the important message in this engrossing and NYT-bestselling picture book about the importance of feeling your feelings. Best for toddlers.

For the tall kid: “Dog Man: Fetch 22” by Dav Pilkey
In the eighth book of the “Dog Man” series, Dog Man and Petey the Cat must put aside their bad history (fighting like cats and dogs) to learn teamwork. An elementary school hit!

For the child at heart: “The Good Neighbor: The Life and Times of Fred Rogers” by Maxwell King
A must-read for fans of Fred Rogers. Explore his life through the testimony of family and friends, and discover what drove his kindness, compassion and sense of mission.

For the person who’s read everything: “Lucky Per” by Henrik Pontoppidan
Newly released in English, this neglected masterpiece by the 1917 Nobel Prize winner reflects the social, religious and political textures of historic Copenhagen.

McNally Jackson at the Seaport is located at 4 Fulton Street, open daily from 11a to 9p (10am to 10pm on select days).