31 Books That Make Great Gifts For Friends

Get the real — and often dramatic — dish on what sorority life is really like in Taylor Bell's Dirty Rush ($16). It's the perfect gift for your current or former sorority sisters.

We've all imagined what it would be like to date prince charming, but Rebecca Porter finds this to be her reality when she falls for Prince Nicholas, Great Britain's fictional future king. In The Royal We ($26), an American girl who is out of her depth in the ritzy royal society must find a way to reconcile the man she loves with "the monarch he's fated to become." Any Will-and-Kate-obsessed friend will devour this read.

Don't Worry, It Gets Worse: One Twentysomething's (Mostly Failed) Attempts at Adulthood author Alida Nugent is back with her collection of autobiographical essays titled You Don't Have to Like Me: Essays on Growing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding Feminism ($16). "From the 'scarlet F' thrust upon you if you declare yourself a feminist at a party to how to handle judgmental store clerks when you buy Plan B," this book will warm your feminist friend's heart.

Finding love today is way more complicated than it was for previous generations. Stand-up comedian Aziz Ansari teamed up with sociologist Eric Klinenberg for a look into the evolution of how we love in the modern age, and with a combination of humor and expert knowledge, Modern Romance ($29) is as informative as it is entertaining.

Barbara the Slut and Other People ($28) is a dark, hilarious, and refreshingly honest collection of stories about love, intimacy, family, sex, coming out, and the slut-shaming culture that makes these experiences all the more difficult. Lauren Holmes's genius debut exposes the vulnerabilities of women, as well as their bravery and relatability.

The New York Daily News calls Wednesday Martin's Primates of Park Avenue ($26) — a memoir about marriage and motherhood in New York's prestigious Upper East Side — "juicy, sexy, bawdy stuff."

Lauren Urasek, once named New York Magazine's most sought-after woman in the city, details the ups and downs of online dating in hilarious and cringeworthy essays compiled in her book Popular ($17), cowritten with Laura Barcella.

The Inspired Wedding ($30) is perfect for any future bride looking for a jumping-off point for planning a magical wedding.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North ($27) follows the life of Dorrigo Evans, a POW struggling to not only save his life but also the lives of the men under his command.

Chasers of the Light ($18) is a compilation of acclaimed author Tyler Knott Gregson's most intimate and relatable poetry.

Station Eleven ($25) is a harrowing novel that captures life for a group of captivating characters who are fatefully intertwined with one another in a postapocalyptic world.

Roomies ($10) by Lindy Zart is an adorable and hilarious account of one woman's struggle — she's secretly in love with her handsome roommate . . . but maybe she also has a thing for her roommate's brooding brother.

Acclaimed author Chuck Palahniuk (writer of Fight Club) released Beautiful You ($26) this year, widely regarded as a social satire that forces one to think critically about sex and consumerism, below the surface. More externally, it is about a billionaire's quest for "erotically enabled world domination" through a line of sex toys meant to render women completely and utterly helpless.

George R. R. Martin's The World of Ice & Fire ($50) is an in-depth history of the Seven Kingdoms.

Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography ($26) is perfect for anyone who loves to laugh (or simply loves Neil Patrick Harris).

From the all-around amazing actress and comedian Amy Poehler comes Yes Please ($29), a collection of Poehler's personal stories, photography, poems, and mantras. Each is hilarious and relevant in its own right and "full of words to live by."

Bar Tartine ($40) will undoubtedly be a savory success with any food-lover out there.

Carry On, Warrior ($16) from Glennon Doyle Melton (founder of Momastery) offers up lively and hilarious advice on motherhood, marriage, and friendship.

The Book of Unknown Americans ($25) from author Cristina Henríquez is at once a masterful and profound love story, as well as a poignant and powerful social commentary.

I Am That Girl ($16) from Alexis Jones is all about unapologetic female empowerment. I Am That Girl urges women to stop striving for perfection (i.e. the perfect job, or relationship, or body) and to realize everything they have going for themselves.

Not That Kind of Girl ($28), a highly anticipated and widely discussed memoir from Lena Dunham, is a relatable picture of life for any young woman trying to navigate the throes of love, friendship, and fighting for success.

What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions ($24) is the perfect book for any science enthusiast with a penchant for big questions and a side of humor.

Hyperbole and a Half ($20) from popular blogger Allie Brosh is a hilariously dark, "tell it like it is" collection of thoughts on life. It is complex and simple all at once and intensely relatable.

Be it for your own man, or maybe a friend or brother, Jim Cullum's Let Me Show You How I Love You ($13) is a man's guide to being happily in love and keeping it that way.

We have all had our fair share of heartbreak and disappointment. If you have a friend who has just gone through a breakup or is fearful about a budding new romance, How to Be an Adult in Love ($16) by David Richo is a tender book about learning to love and be loved — the right way.

A collection of poignantly truthful personal essays, The Unspeakable ($26) captures author Meghan Daum's most telling, brutally honest, and relatable thoughts on life and the search for authenticity in modern America.

The Strange Library ($18) is yet another killer soon-to-be-classic from famed bestselling novelist Haruki Murakami. It's an eerie story of a young boy trapped in a nightmarish library — with only one horrific way out.

Dalí Pop-Ups ($30) from Martin Howard and Courtney Watson McCarthy gives new, three-dimensional life to Salvador Dalí's iconic, out-of-this-world classics. This is perfect for any art enthusiasts with a love for all things surreal.

Mountain Modern ($35) is perfect for your friend who obsesses over the latest trends in interior design and architecture. This book captures the most beautiful mountain homes with stunning photos and in-depth descriptions.

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys. ($28) is so much more than its title implies. Author Viv Albertine documents her time as a young female musician who went against the grain of patriarchal conformity.

It ($18) is a peek into the life (and mind) of fashion It girl Alexa Chung. It's a superchic and covetable collection of Chung's own photography, personal musings, art, and fashion insight.