Gift guide 2026
Christmas Gifts for Book Lovers
Looking for Christmas gift ideas for the book lovers in your life? Our 2026 gift guide has something for every kind of reader: pocket-size stocking stuffers, gentle guides to qigong and tai chi, books on Japan, stories for long winter evenings, and coloring books. Each book comes with a short note on who it suits, so you can find the right one quickly.
Stocking stuffers
Non-fiction
Zen Like a Cat
Little Sayings for a Calmer Life For cat lovers and busy friends who need permission to slow down. Quiet feline wisdom, one saying per page. Paperback · 150 pages About the book →
Non-fiction
Zen Like a Duck
Little Sayings for a Calmer Life For anyone who could use a smile and a calmer day. Gently funny sayings with line drawings of a small duck, an easy Secret Santa or stocking stuffer. Paperback · 150 pages About the book →For qigong and tai chi fans
Non-fiction
Daily Qigong Wisdom
75 Sayings for Breath, Calm, and Balance For someone curious about qigong, or anyone who'd like one small calm moment a day. Each saying comes with a simple cue to try on the spot. Paperback · 166 pages About the book →
Non-fiction
The Qigong Way — 1
A Guide to the Philosophy Behind the Practice For the reader who wants to understand qigong before they begin: its origins and the Daoist ideas behind it. Paperback · Ebook · 115 pages About the book →
Non-fiction
The Qigong Way — 4
Heal Yourself For a beginner of any age who'd like a simple daily routine: eight movements, no equipment, about ten minutes a day. Paperback · Ebook · 109 pages About the book →
Non-fiction
The Qigong Way — 3
Legends Behind the Practice For the history lover: the legends and sages behind qigong, from the Yellow Emperor to Bodhidharma. Paperback · Ebook · 119 pages About the book →For calm and slow living
Non-fiction
Breathe and Heal
A Simple Way Back to Your Body's Own Repair For anyone who'd like a few simple breathing techniques to reach for, clearly explained and organized by moment: calm, focus, sleep and hard days. Paperback · Ebook · 115 pages About the book →
Non-fiction
Xuanxue
Ancient Chinese Wisdom for Navigating an Uncertain World For the friend who's tired of forcing things: an old Chinese answer, not a productivity program. Paperback · Ebook · 135 pages About the book →For anyone who loves Japan
Non-fiction
The Real Ikigai
What the Four-Circle Diagram Gets Wrong For anyone who has felt guilty about not finding one big life purpose, from an author who lives in Japan. Paperback · Ebook · 70 pages About the book →
Biography
Yodo-dono
The Life and Legend of Chacha, Last Lady of Osaka Castle For readers of Japanese history: the life of Chacha, mother of Hideyoshi's heir, told from the record of her own time rather than the later legend. Paperback · Ebook · 109 pages About the book →
Short Stories
Kachoufugetsu
The Japanese Art of Finding Yourself in the Natural World For readers of quiet Japanese fiction: five people, five moments of stillness in nature. Paperback · Ebook · 129 pages About the book →Stories for winter evenings
Short Stories
Tea Drunk
Singapore Short Stories For lovers of literary short stories, and anyone who has lived far from home: eight stories set in Singapore. Paperback · Ebook · 104 pages About the book →
Novel
The Floor Between Us
For readers of Irish and LGBTQ+ fiction: a tender, sharp debut novel set in Dublin. Paperback · Ebook · 201 pages About the book →
Short Stories
The Qigong Way — 2
Twenty Stories of Slow Movement, Quiet Breath, and a Still Mind For slow evenings: twenty short stories, each followed by a guided reflection. Paperback · Ebook · 107 pages About the book →Coloring books for adults
Coloring Book
Qigong Coloring Book
50 Bold and Easy Designs Through the Five Seasons · Large Print for Adults and Seniors For adults and seniors who love to color but don't want tiny, fiddly designs: 50 bold, easy pages through the five seasons of qigong. Paperback · 108 pages About the book →
Coloring Book
Tai Chi & Qigong Coloring Book
Bold and Easy · Large Print Designs for Adults and Seniors For a friend from tai chi or qigong class: 30 bold-line designs made for markers, no experience needed. Paperback · 68 pages About the book →From Ballsbridge Press
Thought-provoking non-fiction
Academic Non-fiction · Ballsbridge Press
Therapy People
How Bad Science Took Over Our Inner Lives For readers of critical non-fiction who want a skeptical, evidence-based look at therapy culture. Paperback · Ebook · 135 pages About the book →
Essays · Ballsbridge Press
Antisemitism and the Character of America
A Collection of Essays For readers of essays on American politics, culture and higher education. Paperback · Ebook · 127 pages About the book →
Giving in time
Ordering a paperback?
Our paperbacks are printed and shipped by Amazon, so delivery times depend on your country and your Amazon store. Amazon shows the expected delivery date before you order.
Too late to ship? Send an ebook
Where the store offers it, you can send an ebook as a gift by email. On Amazon, choose “Buy for others” on the book's Kindle page; in Apple Books, tap the gift button on the book's page.
Questions about Christmas gifts
Daily Qigong Wisdom by Charlie Hanada pairs 75 short sayings with simple cues to try on the spot. The Tai Chi & Qigong Coloring Book by James Lin has 30 bold-line designs of qigong movements, tai chi postures and calm scenes. For a beginner who wants a daily routine, The Qigong Way, Book 4 by James Lin teaches the Eight Brocades: eight movements, no equipment, about ten minutes a day.
Small gift books work best. Zen Like a Cat and Zen Like a Duck by Charlie Hanada are short books of sayings, one per page, with line drawings of a cat and a duck. Daily Qigong Wisdom belongs to the same Calm Pocket Books series.
The Real Ikigai by Mio Nakagawa, an author living in Japan, explains what ikigai means in Japan, as opposed to the popular four-circle diagram. Yodo-dono, also by Mio Nakagawa, is a short biography of Chacha, mother of Hideyoshi's heir. For fiction, Kachoufugetsu is a collection of five quiet short stories set in contemporary Japan.
The Qigong Coloring Book has 50 bold, easy, large-print designs that follow the five seasons of qigong. The Tai Chi & Qigong Coloring Book by James Lin has 30 designs with thick, even outlines, built for markers. In both, every design is printed on one side of the page only.
Where the store offers it, yes. On Amazon, choose “Buy for others” on the book's Kindle page and the ebook is sent to the recipient by email. In Apple Books, tap the gift button on the book's page. The option is not available in every country. Most books in this gift guide come as ebooks, and each book's page shows where to buy it.
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