Welcome to the fourth and final installment of the Experiment Holiday Gift Guide series! There isn’t much time left in the holiday shopping season, so to give you the most bang for your buck, we’re offering a list with double the ideas—a guide to the perfect book pairings! Just like wine and cheese, some books just belong together, right? Whether you’re buying for a serious animal lover or a total nature junkie, we have the right book pairing to recommend. Gift them, or buy them for yourself and watch the book stack on your nightstand grow!
For more holiday gift inspiration, don’t forget to check out Part 1: Books for Every Personality, Part 2: Staff Picks, and Part 3: How-To Favorites!
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Embrace the Cuteness
Eat. Play. Love. and How to Land on Your Feet
Let’s face it: our pets live the good life. They work reasonable hours (zero), wake up each day to their favorite person (you), and live boldly (until someone starts vacuuming). So why shouldn’t we let them teach us how to live better? In these adorable advice books, learn from cats and dogs of all shapes and sizes dispensing important life lessons, from “don’t be afraid to get messy” to “the best solution to a problem is a nap.” These stocking stuffers go hand-in-hand perfectly for the pet lover in your life.
Expand Horizons (Literally!)
How to Land a Plane and How to Play the Piano
This next book pairing is for the friend seeking a new hobby. The most daring reader will probably start with How to Land a Plane. Author Mark Vanhoenacker covers every step of flying an airplane—from approach to touchdown—with dozens of illustrations to help you become an expert pilot. For the musically motivated, we recommend beginning with How to Play the Piano by acclaimed concert pianist James Rhodes. He shows how anyone with a piano or a keyboard (and forty-five minutes to spare each day) can perform Bach’s Prelude No. 1 in C Major after only six weeks of practice—no prior musical experience required!
Get in Touch with Nature
Into Nature and The Nature Instinct
For the nature lover in your life, this truly is the perfect book combo. Start with The Nature Instinct to learn from expert navigator and adventurer Tristan Gooley how to find direction, sense danger, and “read” nature’s mind. Then, once you’ve regained your natural sixth sense, turn to Into Nature to employ it! With this guided journal, you can unleash your creativity, develop mindfulness, and engage with your natural surroundings on a deeper, more meaningful level.
Take Self-Care to the Next Level
Healthy, Happy You and Dot Journaling—A Practical Guide
As you may know, self-care has gotten big this year—and it’s shaping up to get even bigger in 2020. With that in mind, we’re recommending the perfect combination of books to help you achieve your self-care needs! Start with Healthy, Happy You to build your self-care arsenal with 365 tips and tricks to improve your health, live and love more mindfully, and increase your happiness! Then, using Dot Journaling—A Practical Guide, you can take what you’ve learned to the next level by listing your to-dos and to-don’ts, by planning your day, week, month, or year, and tracking your habits and goals. With these books, you’ll be a self-care master in no time.
Feel Good—Mind and Body
Running Is My Therapy and Clean Enough
Feeling good and taking care of yourself is all about balance. That’s why we’re recommending Running Is My Therapy and Clean Enough. Our first recommendation from longtime runner Scott Douglas is a groundbreaking guide to fighting depression and anxiety—through running! Douglas explores how running is a natural antidepressant that can reinforce the benefits of therapy and trigger lasting positive change. Then, from pastry chef Katzie Guy-Hamilton, we’re offering up a delectable cookbook that’s all about eating well while still leaving room for dessert, by balancing healthful entrées and satisfying treats. This is the perfect combo for the #NewYearNewYou trend.
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We hope you enjoyed The Experiment’s holiday gift guides this season. Have a wonderful holiday, and be on the lookout for more previews, round-ups, and excerpts from The Experiment in 2020!
