Holiday Gift Guide: 25 Books We Want This Year

Unless you eat dinner using silver spoons or have more zeroes in your bank account than the New York Jets have in their locker room, you're probably watching and conserving every possible dollar. The nation's economy is still struggling, and now that it's officially the holiday season, those personal bank accounts are about to take major hits in the name of present-buying. So what's the best way to still be generous without flirting with bankruptcy? It's simple: Give the gift of words typed on bound pages.

That's right, we're talking about staying away from e-readers and going back to the days when all people clutched novels, non-fiction works, and coffee table novelty reads while traveling or merely chilling at home on a lazy day. Whether you're looking for easy stocking stuffers or affordable items to conceal in festive wrapping paper, these 25 Books We Want This Year should cover your bases when it comes to dropping reasonable bucks on thoughtful gifts the loved ones will truly appreciate.

RELATED: 50 Books to Read Before You Die
RELATED: 50 Movies That are Better Than the Book
RELATED: The 25 Best Horror Novels of the New Millennium

Written by Matt Barone (@MBarone)

Follow @ComplexPopCult

Click here to buy it now at Karmaloop, $55.00

Pharrell Williams has never been the kind of music producer who locks himself in a studio, makes beats, and avoids the limelight. More of a trendsetting celebrity than most of the artists he collaborates with, the outgoing half of The Neptunes routinely dabbles in style, skateboarding culture, toys, film scores, and furniture.

That's all chronicled through Williams' own words in Pharrell: Places and Spaces I've Been, a beautifully packaged memoir that doubles as a stunning photo album and a This is Your Life-style forum for some of his coolest friends (i.e., Jay-Z, Buzz Aldrin, Hans Zimmer, Kanye West, and Anna Wintour) to sing his praises.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $12.95

Let's face it, traveling around the world costs a bucketload of money. We'd all love to be globetrotters, but, unfortunately, the closest most people get to seeing foreign countries is movies and photos on Facebook.

Thankfully, Jason Sacher is here to ease the pain. What's the next best thing to visiting exotic locales? Learning how to say "Your mother is a cow!" in Turkish ("Annen big inek!"). And, of course, telling someone "Fuck your mother!" in Burmese ("Minn may minn lo!"). As useful as it is hilarious, Sacher's How to Swear Around the World teaches readers all kinds of vulgar phrases in dozens of different languages. Feel free to call Expedia and curse out their airfare prices using any of the book's quotes.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $19.95

Everyone has an ESPN junkie on his or her shopping list, right? And there's a good chance that those statistic-obsessed, secondhand athletes think they know everything about every kind of physical competition. To which we say, give them Scott McNeely's pocket-sized but immensely detailed Ultimate Book of Sports and watch their egos crumble at the weight of unknown trivia. Unless, of course, your sporty brother's man-cave is already covered with posters of as many Mongolian wrestlers and jousters as NBA stars and Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $14.00

Parents often chastise their kids for spending too many hours indoors, where the youngsters are glued to couches while playing video games as if their lives depended on beating every Halo level before bedtime. Though it's not exactly an outdoor-promoting alternative, novelist Ernest Cline's tremendously enjoyable Ready Player One could at least get hardcore gamers to put down the controllers and embrace the written word.

Set in a virtual reality heavily inspired by classic fanboy properties like Back to the Future and Blade Runner, Cline's extremely well-received novel follows a chubby, console-obsessed 18-year-old protagonist trying to play the hero in a faux society that understands him more than his real one. Who knows, Ready Player One's Wade Watts might just become your beloved Xbox fiend's new hero.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $26.95

In most cases, the proposition of reading a short story collection filled with "love stories" would leave close-minded dudes laughing while reaching for the nearest copy of Hustler. When it's Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Junot Díaz who's dictating the softened tales, however, there's no need to anticipate hokey sap.

In the Jersey guy's critically acclaimed This is How You Lose Her, with his fluid, sensitive, and often very funny prose, he captures the joys and heartache of people guided by their hearts' compasses, whether it's a lady who's cleaning her married lover's clothes or a hardened woman who views all Dominican men as cheaters.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $26.00

Reading a Mark Z. Danielewski book is a thrillingly confounding experience. His first novel, the exceptionally inventive House of Leaves (2000), tells a story about a possibly haunted house with hundreds of footnotes, dueling narratives, pages that only have four or five words, and text laid out in sideways form. In 2006, he returned with the even more bewildering Only Revolutions, a road trip romance told in two accounts of stream-of-consciousness poetry that require the reader to repeatedly turn the book upside down and flip its covers back and forth.

Danielewski's latest, the novella The Fifty Year Sword (written in 2005 but finally available in wide release here), is just as experimentally executed. It's essentially a ghost story, one presented as something akin to a children's tale and following a seamstress and five orphans who open a mysterious black box that unleashes crazy shit. In standard Danielewski fashion, though, the pages aren't typically rendered, with different colors used for each character's quotes and traditional paragraphs replaced by free-flowing dialogue chunks.

The Fifty Year Sword is only for open-minded and adventurous readers. Trust us, though: They'll be in an eccentric's heaven.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $26.95

If you haven't yet, it's time to catch up with one of literature's most exciting and gifted young authors. Only 37, London native Zadie Smith is already four novels, dozens of non-fiction essays and reported pieces, and 11 short stories deep.

Her latest release, the novel NW, traces the lives of two childhood friends whose differing adult lives intersect in ways that touch upon misunderstandings, empathies, and unexpected bonds that come from multicultural societies. Sometimes a simple human story told in ambitious, insightful prose is needed in order to distract one from the nightmares of everyday life. Like those jerk-filled lines of angry holiday shoppers found inside every retail store in sight.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $28.00

If you're looking to bless that horror fiction reader on your list with the year's best release, make sure they've read author Justin Cronin's The Passage before purchasing its follow-up, The Twelve. If he or she hasn't, then, hell, you've got two gifts to give, both of which should occupy the recipient's days and nights with highly satisfying post-apocalyptic storytelling.

The plot, carried through both novels, isn't anything groundbreaking: Groups of survivors try to stay alive while fending off humans who've become ravenous killing machines due to a devastating viral outbreak. Fortunately, Cronin writes with tireless energy and vivid imagination, giving his best-sellers breathless paces and quasi-vampire antagonists that redefine everything you thought you knew about homicidal blood-drinkers.

Click here to buy it now at Norton Records, $14.95 each

Authors don't come much more prolific than Harlan Ellison, the master of speculative fiction who's written brilliant short story collections (including 1975 anthology Deathbird Stories), inspired episodes of classic anthology TV shows (like The Outer Limits), and been a lighting rod for outspoken criticism.

Before all of that, though, he wrote under the pen name Paul Merchant and scribed tales of urban ruffians, sexually promiscuous dames, and other street toughs for the 1959 collection Sex Gang. And in Kick Books' new Pulling a Train and Getting in the Wind releases, several of his Sex Gang stories have been reissued, with none of the original pornographic edginess and nihilistic storytelling diminished.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $18.00

When was the last time you read a poetry book? And, no, listening to Nas' "Book of Rhymes" doesn't count. If the answer is, say, "Never," might we suggest giving Michael Robbins' funny, pop-culture-savvy collection Alien vs. Predator a try. Labeled by some critics as a "Google poet," Robbins infuses references to hip-hop (i.e., Eric B. & Rakim) and fanboy culture (Star Wars) into whipsmart passages about workplace life, inner city struggles, and other widely accessible topics.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $26.00

In 2010, author Jonathan Franzen's celebrity status kicked into overdrive with the release of Freedom, which ended up at the top of numerous critics' year-end lists. With the public spotlight on him, the Illinois native's strong opinions about everything from social media to e-books were heard and turned him into a controversial figure.

In Farther Away, a collection of essays and speeches Franzen has written and given over the last five years, his passionate thoughts are given an official, unfiltered platform, allowing Franzen to eloquently discuss the suicide of friend and fellow writer David Foster Wallace, opine over the effects of technology on human interactions, and put on his investigative reporter's hat to address the harsh realities he saw firsthand in China.

Those looking to see what all the Jonathan Franzen fuss is about should start here. Once Farther Away's fearless and ever-so-clean prose dominates you, you'll rush to pick up copies of The Corrections and Freedom. Just not in e-book form, of course.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $28.00

Much has been said about the city of Detroit's alarming physical and financial declines in recent years, but the only people who've been fully capable of understanding the situation's gravity are the impoverished Michiganites themselves. That is, until D-town resident Mark Binelli penned Detroit City is the Place to Be, an eye-opening and intensely researched look at the his homeland's current state of affairs, one informed by a candid look at its torrid past. By speaking with city officials, street corner hustlers, and others who've yet to abandon their turf, Binelli crafts a call-to-arms that's undoubtedly fascinating for Michiganders and outsiders alike.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $16.00

Nothing says "holiday spirit" like a harrowing investigation into a brutal, horrific tragedy about a murdered 21-year-old woman. OK, so Richard Lloyd Parry's People Who Eat Darkness is the polar opposite of light holiday reading, but that doesn't make one of 2012's best new releases any less important.

Spending more than 10 years with victim Lucie Blackman's loved ones, Parry got the heart-wrenching bottom of the blonde tourist's disappearance, and eventually revealed murder, in Tokyo back in the summer of 2000. Covering both sides, Parry also explores the psyche of Joji Obara, Blackman's killer and the biggest reason why People Who Eat Darkness should scare you more than any new Stephen King book ever could.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $27.95

An enormous box office smash, the first-class Skyfall is also a critical darling, with some experts and longtime James Bond fans calling it the 50-year-old franchise's best movie to date. To celebrate that half-century mark, the editors at LIFE pooled together their intensive research and love for all things 007 into LIFE 50 Years of James Bond, a one-stop shop for cinema buffs to peep tons of glossy images, test their brains with trivia, and read firsthand accounts from the series' past stars and creators. By the time you're finished it, those "Skyfall >>> every other Bond movie" claims might get modified.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $35.00

Need a reminder about the almighty Hollywood power of Mr. Steven Spielberg? Dude made a talky, long, and historically meticulous Abraham Lincoln biopic (Lincoln) that's about to cross the $100 million box office plateau.

Yes, the guy responsible for E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the Indiana Jones films, and Jurassic Park still has the magic (read: financial) touch. In the new picture-heavy critical analysis book Spielberg: A Retrospective, veteran movie critic Richard Schickel pairs hundreds of rare production stills with examinations into what makes each of the director's greatest flicks uniquely important. And for those who are sticklers for authenticity, there's even a preface by Stevie.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $29.99

Behold what, in our opinion, is the year's bravest and rawest memoir. Kier-La Janisse, a veteran movie programmer and journalist, uses her lifelong fascination with female-character-driven horror cinema to reflect on her own life's darkest episodes and psychological issues in the unflinching House of Psychotic Women. Touching on everything from abandonment to physical abuse, Janisse's closet-cleaning writing is made all the more haunting as she draws parallels to popular flicks (Black Swan, Rosemary's Baby) and more obscure ones (All the Colors of the Dark, Let's Scare Jessica to Death).

In addition to the diary-like chapters, House of Psychotic Women includes 32 pages of accompanying movie posters, as well as a sprawling "reviews" section where Janisse sharply assesses as many women-in-peril horror pictures as humanly possible.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $24.95

One of the remarkable things about AMC's massively successful zombie series The Walking Dead is that it's turned millions of people who'd never give Lucio Fulci's Zombi the time of day into gorehounds hungry for more on-screen carnage. Well, undead late-comers, here's your manual for all things cadaverous and cannibalistic.

This second edition of walker fanatic Glenn Kay's indispensable Zombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide includes over 300 reviews of rejuvenated corpse films dating back to the 1930s, interviews with experts like director Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator) and makeup effects maestro Greg Nicotero, and fun lists ("Zombie-Less Zombie Films," for example). Best of all, Kay's assessments are penned with tons of wit, humor, and playfulness, making Zombie Movies more "knowledgeable fan passion project" than "dry, academic resource."

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $24.95

Fans of stalk-and-kill cinema are a loyal, knowledgeable bunch, steeped in decades' worth of Italian giallos, grindhouse exploitation, glossier '80s flicks, and post-Scream Hollywood productions. Chances are, though, that even the proudest of aficionados will learn a thing or two from English writer J.A. Kerswell's exhaustive and lively The Slasher Movie Book, featuring mini reviews of every slasher film, essays about the cultural influences that shaped each decade's unique output, and hundreds of lavish, sometimes out-of-print movie posters.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $19.95

2012 will forever be remembered as the year Joss Whedon destroyed box offices with Marvel's The Avengers—unless you're talking to a horror movie fan. In the monster movie circle, it's the Whedon-backed The Cabin in the Woods (which he produced and co-wrote with director Drew Goddard) that'll be discussed for years to come. The best meta-horror-comedy since Scream, The Cabin in the Woods breaks down the genre's many conventions and expectations with a shrewd, ballsy screenplay and a third act that's an all-out creature feature on steroids.

In this Whedon/Goddard-approved book, said script is available in its entirety, along with a lengthy Q&A with both filmmakers, a plethora of production photos, and candid insights from the cast and the crew.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $27.00

Face it, gents: Women are actually funnier than men nowadays. More than just a byproduct of the Bridesmaids juggernaut, the current renaissance of estrogen-powered comedy can be seen on TV (Parks and Recreation, New Girl), independent cinema (Safety Not Guaranteed, Bachelorette), and stand-up venues (Louis C.K.'s favorite comedian, Tig Notaro).

Author Yaek Kohen interviewed 150-plus people—including comedy club owners, writers, and funny women of all success levels—to chronicle the girly ascension in We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy, and the result is a comprehensive, vibrant, and informative oral history. Consider it a battle cry for an era owned by Kristen Wiig, Amy Poehler, and countless other chicks with endless jokes.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $40.00

For the most part, people who watch and adore HBO's adaptation of author George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones saga (released in book form via the A Song of Fire and Ice series) do so largely, though still pleasantly, in the dark. Give any random viewer a pop quiz with questions about which character belongs to which family, and how to spell characters' names, and the grades would be sub-par at best.

Thankfully, the dense story lines are much easier to sift through and grasp thanks to Inside HBO's Game of Thrones. Combining in-depth cast and crew interviews with Martin's own insight, it's 192 pages of Westeros overload, perfect for a few months of catching up and/or refreshing before the show returns for its third season in March.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $29.95

On Sunday summer nights for the past four years, households across the land have turned into True Blood viewing party venues, where folks infatuated with the HBO show's campy, sexually perverse storytelling convene and wish they could sip some of that bottled blood sold at Fangtasia and Merlotte's Bar and Grill.

Here's the perfect gift for them: A Southern-minded cookbook overseen by former True Blood showrunner Alan Ball that offers over 80 recipes and 150 photos of their favorite characters. Help your friends' sixth season bashes (kicking off next June) get even freakier with dishes like Stake and Eggs and I Wanna Snapper in Two and some Dead on the Beach cocktails.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $29.95

Anyone whose formative childhood years happened during the 1970s and '80s owes a great deal to Mr. Jim Henson, the puppeteering genius behind The Muppets, Fraggle Rock, and Labyrinth, amongst other creative endeavors.

Throughout his iconic career, Henson kept a detailed, honest journal, and, finally, it's now available for fans and historians alike in the form of Imagination Illustrated, taken directly from The Jim Henson Company archives. As visually driven as it is narratively charged, the gorgeous 192-page book also includes tons of never-before-seen sketches, storyboards, and on-set pictures.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $27.00

As Joss Whedon's triumphant big-screen take on The Avengers reminded us this past summer, Marvel Comics is unstoppable these days, both on the page and in celluloid form. But how many people who purchased tickets to see Scarlett Johansson don Black Widow's leather garb really know the company's long, troubled, and drama-filled history?

Former Entertainment Weekly writer Sean Howe provides an open-door look at all of the brand's highs and lows in Marvel Comics: The Untold Story. Deeply researched and passionately assembled, this revealing page-turner pulls over 100 originals interviews together to look back on the hard work and stressful efforts of impact players like Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Click here to buy it now at Amazon, $29.95

Robert Crumb and Aline Kominsky truly are a match made in heaven. Both members of the married couple are known for creating exceedingly quirky and daring comic book work, with R. Crumb's output (most notably, Fritz the Cat) recognized by a wider range of funny page readers. And in Drawn Together, the Crumbs self-compile a large amount of their memorable artwork, favorite stories, and candid recollections of what's made their union so functional. All of which tells a heartwarming love tale while consistently impressing with wonderful illustrations.