Five perfect coffee table books

The only gift guides you'll ever see from me are for books. Here are five guaranteed hits this holiday season.

Phew, y’all it’s been a week. Actually, it’s been a few weeks.

I finally got a surgery that I’d been putting off for years — a repair of an umbilical hernia and diastasis recti, both consequences of growing and birthing two children. I was fortunate in that they could be done via laparoscopy with robots (what a time to be alive!), but the muscle tear was wayyy worse than I or my surgeon thought. The great news is it’s done, but the early recovery was rough.

At some point I will collect and share thoughts about the surgery — why it took me so long to pull the trigger, what the surgery entailed, and why, ultimately, this ended up being the right time to do it. There is surprisingly little information about this surgery available online (it wasn’t a tummy tuck, for which there is plenty of info to be found) and if I can share even just a few very personal details to help someone else, it’s worth it.

Of course, with a mid-October surgery I blinked and it’s now November. Which, let’s be honest, is the start of holiday season. I’m starting to build out our family gift lists and plan for Christmas, which will be here before we know it! It also means I’m being bombarded with “Gift Guides” from every influencer on the planet. This is my small, humble contribution to the cause.

I love gifting books to people this time of year, but sometimes a single book doesn’t feel like a fancy enough gift — that is, unless the book itself is fancy as hell. In that spirit, today I wanted to share five of my go-to coffee table books.

In my experience, a beautiful book + a bottle of wine = a guaranteed home run gift.

For the foodies

Florentine by Emiko Davies

This book, written by the friend of a friend, is my all-time favorite cookbook. Whenever I’m missing my once-home of Florence, Italy, I pull out this book and make something to ease the sadness. Not only is the book full of delicious, easy-to-follow recipes, but it’s simply beautiful. The marble paper-inspired cover looks as gorgeous on your kitchen counter as it does in your living room. Is it a cookbook? Yes. But it feels like a luxurious coffee table book.

I’d also add that this is a fabulous gift for anyone planning a trip to Florence. The featured dishes are authentic and local. Like many destination cities, Florence (unfortunately) panders pretty hardcore to the tourist palate. Familiarizing yourself with the classic dishes and places to find them (the newest edition of Florentine includes a city guide) will help ensure visitors experience a bit more of the real Florentine culture.

For the Americana fans

Dolly Parton Behind the Seams by Dolly Parton

It doesn’t matter what niche of Americana a person loves, Dolly crosses over into just about all of them. The entire book is bright and fully of energy — just like our girl Dolly. The pages enchant with a visual guide through her outfits and costumes over her six decade career in Nashville. Sprinkled throughout are little notes and mini essays from her about different outfits and fashion eras of her life.

For the home decor lovers

Interiors of a Storyteller by Stephanie Sabbe

Listen, I have a problem when it comes to home decor books — I simply cannot help myself from buying them. There is nothing more calming for me than paging through a beautifully photographed book of gorgeous rooms, homes, and exteriors. My. Happy. Place.

Stephanie’s book is all that and more…much more. In addition to being a wildly talented interior designer, she’s also a great writer and storyteller. I’ve been following her on Insta for years, but the book provides an even deeper window into her career and life. It’s a pretty book, but also surprisingly meaningful, too. Grab a copy for the design junkie in your life!

For the boss ladies

In the Company of Women by Grace Bonney

I’ve gifted this book multiple times since it came out in 2016 (and also had it gifted to me once!) and it always lands well. In the Company of Wisdom is the sort of business book that everyone needs on their shelves. It’s fun to look at, but also filled with insightful advice from women of all ages, at all stages of their creative lives.

Because this book is nearly a decade old, it’s also interesting to now look some of these creators up on Instagram and see how their journeys have changed or stayed course — which is a great lesson to growing and changing with the seasons of life. The follow-up to this book, Collective Wisdom, also makes a fabulous gift.

For the humans of the world

Dear New York by Brandon Stanton

The truth is that any of Brandon’s four NYT bestselling books makes a great gift. Period. You simply can’t go wrong.

This latest release (out just a few weeks ago) is unique in its approach. In addition to being a beautiful book (on the outside) full of deep, resonating stories (on the inside), there is an audiobook companion piece where readers/listeners can hear the individuals featured in the book tell their own stories, in their own voice.

The simply, textural gray cover also makes this a gift for the minimalist in your life for whom the bright pink Dolly book might be a bit much.