The best books to give as gifts this holiday season

Everyone knows the best gifts are the ones that are thoughtful and a wink to the gift recipient’s personality. Forget those generic gift cards and go for one of these fun books. Whether you’re looking for something for your office Secret Santa party, for the guy or girl you’re kind of into or for your best friend, you’re sure to win some points with one of these picks.

Picador Modern Classics, $16 each

These pocket-sized titles are stunning, and even though they’re tiny, the font isn’t ridiculouslysmall or hard to read. Books as good as Jeffrey Eugenides’ “The Virgin Suicides” and “Housekeeping” by Marilynne Robinson deserve covers as amazing as the stories inside. They make the perfect stocking stuffers!

“Contraband Cocktails” by Paul Dickson, $19.95

Give your favorite drinking buddy a recipe book for cocktails made popular during the Prohibition. Just because consuming alcoholic beverages was illegal didn’t stop people from drinking; there were over 32,000 speakeasies in New York City alone. “Drunk”author Paul Dickson serves up some fascinating history of some of the era’s most notorious drunks, photographs from the Prohibition Era, and of course lots of recipes that will keep you warm throughout the winter.

“The Rap Year Book” by Shea Serrano, $18.95

This new book highlights the pivotal moments in rap music from the past 36 years. Biggie, Tupac, Sugarhill Gang, Drake — they’re all in here. And with an intro by Ice-T and colorful pages packed with quizzes, lyric maps, artist portraits and infographics, it’s way cooler than any history book you’ve ever seen.