Podcast Summary: The Daily – Sunday Special: Gifting Books for the Holidays

Date: November 30, 2025
Host: Gilbert Cruz
Guests: Joumana Khatib (Book Review Editor), Sadie Stein (Book Review Editor)

Overview

In this festive Sunday Special, The Daily’s Gilbert Cruz is joined by Book Review editors Joumana Khatib and Sadie Stein to tackle the perennial holiday question: what book should I give as a gift? The trio delivers an immersive discussion of their favorite reads from the year, personal book-gifting philosophies, and rapid-fire recommendations tailored to ultra-specific recipients. They also play a lively game based on bookish survey results, filled with literary in-jokes and relatable moments. The tone is warm, witty, and highly literary, offering useful insight for both book lovers and reluctant gifters.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Joy & Challenge of Gifting Books

Timestamps: 00:28–04:07

• Gilbert Cruz opens with the argument that "books are the best gifts" for anyone, regardless of their reading habits.
• Introduces guests Joumana and Sadie, lauding their expertise in discerning book recommendations.

2. Personal Pleasures: Reading for Editors

Timestamps: 01:25–04:07

• Joumana Khatib admits: “I will read any book that doesn't have a plot. … I salivate at translated fiction... And I like a book that really surprises me. Oh, and also the dialogue can't be bad.” (01:34)
• Sadie Stein: “I do like eclectic books. I like anything about dolls and ghosts ... I like things about crafts. I like interiors. ... I think I can break an algorithm.” (02:48)
• Banter on differing tastes: Sadie dislikes “novels about mothers and children”; Joumana counters, “That’s all I read.” (03:31–03:36)

3. Best Books of the Year: Standout Choices & Why They Work

Timestamps: 04:07–13:32

• Editors share top picks from the NYT’s “100 Notable Books of 2025,” with passionate summaries:

  Joumana:

  • The Colony by Annika Norlin (translated from Swedish): “This is the kind of book that reminded me why reading is exciting. … I made contact with that childlike sense of joy.” (05:09–05:48)
  • On translated literature: “Translators... toil in invisibility, and I think it’s one of the hardest things to do.” (06:16)

  Sadie:

  • Perfection by Vincenzo Tranico: “It goes through their lives object by object, signifier by signifier. And it is a novel ... could only have been written this year. ... It’s short, too.” (07:04–08:09)
  • Play World by Adam Ross: “It is about growing up too fast. It is about parental ego. ... An old-fashioned book, but very much of the moment.” (13:32–15:08)

  Gilbert:

  • The Director by Daniel Kelman: “It’s about the compromises that are required when you have to make art sometimes. ... Pabst is an amazing character ... There are a couple of incredibly tense scenes and then ... funny Orwellian bureaucratic scenes.” (11:21–12:45)

  Joumana (Long Novel Fan):

  • The Loneliness of Sonja and Sunny by Kiran Desai: “This is ... a sweeping, time-spanning, continent-jumping, rich kind of romantic epic... I was so absorbed in this book that I did not notice that the neighbor's orchard was on fire.” (09:24–10:55)

4. Targeted Recommendations: Books for Everyone on Your List

Timestamps: 22:25–37:36 The trio dispenses ultra-specific book recommendations, organized below by recipient:

- Person who has everything

• Sadie: “Always be shopping ... always have a shelf going of books for these situations.” (23:36–24:44)
• Recs: Unusual antique guides or art books; Entertaining is Fun by Dorothy Draper (“cheery and eccentric and fun but not weird”). (25:03–25:38)
• Joumana: “The person who has everything does not yet have a window into how you look at them...” (24:28)

- Mom seeking a new cozy crime series

• Joumana: Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman — “About octogenarians solving ... and sometimes perpetuating crimes ... Cozy, funny.” (26:45–27:14)
• Sadie: Janice Hallett’s “puzzle boxy” mysteries, especially The Mysterious Case of the Albertan Angels.

- The Foodie Reader (non-cookbook)

• Joumana: Toast by Nigel Slater — “Really about his childhood and his development of his taste and palate...” (28:15–29:10)
• Sadie: “Celebrity cookbooks” like Roald Dahl or Pat Conroy’s; also Dinners de Gala (Gala Dalí’s cookbook): “The most stunning book ... elaborate, absurd, over the top.” (29:10–30:13)

- Grandmothers who love the performing arts

• Sadie: Diaghilev's Empire (about the Ballets Russes) — “Really gossipy and fun ... ballet lover would also appreciate this.” (30:31–31:01)
• Gilbert: Stephen Sondheim’s Finishing the Hat and Look, I Made a Hat — collections of Sondheim’s lyrics with commentary. (31:05–31:58)

- Dads and New Dads

• Joumana: Tonight in Jungleland (about Bruce Springsteen), The Uncool by Cameron Crowe.
• Gilbert: “I didn’t really understand until recently how dads are obsessed with the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald...” The Gales of November by John U. Bacon. (33:14–34:30)
• Sadie: Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Journals as a moving relic of “how parental love has not changed.” (34:44–35:14)

- General Gifts or Hard-to-Buy-For Recipients

• Sadie: “Look for the twist”: Stevie Smith’s Cats in Color, John Betjeman's Archie and the Strict Baptists, Ionesco children’s books. (35:41–36:17)
• Joumana: For the snob: Trip by Amy Baradale, “kidnapped my consciousness... touches on the finer points of Buddhist ideas about life after death... anti-algorithmic.” (36:28–37:36)

- Nonfiction Pick Everyone Loved

• Sadie: A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhurst — “Not often we run across a book which is sweet ... a story of survival, ... but also a portrait of marriage... I cried. ... Can’t think of anyone who couldn’t derive pleasure from this.” (16:51–19:36)
• Joumana: “Cheaper than premarital counseling... It also made me not want to leave my apartment.” (19:36–19:50)

5. Notable Quotes & Moments

• Joumana on the hypnotic grip of a great book:
  “I was so absorbed in this book that I did not notice that the neighbor’s orchard was on fire.” (10:51)
• Gilbert on dads and shipwrecks:
  “I didn’t really understand until recently how dads are obsessed with the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” (33:14)
• Sadie on “cozy mystery” recommendations:
  “She (Janice Hallett) does different things in each one, but it could be everything from a phone transcript to a bunch of text messages ... it’s ingenious. She’s a brilliant plotter.” (27:29–28:07)
• On book gifting strategy:
  “The person who has everything does not yet have a window into how you look at them. ... When you hand them a book and you say, I thought of you because of X, they’re never going to read it. But they’re going to think, oh, that person pays attention to me. I’m seen by the person giving me a gift.” – Joumana (24:28)
• On literary snobbery:
  “I happen to know a lot of snobs in New York City.” – Joumana (36:17)

Game: "Co-worker Feud" (Literary Family Feud)

Timestamps: 39:45–52:59
A playful, fast-paced quiz game using survey data about books and reading. Some major moments and results:

• High school reading staples: The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, Scarlet Letter, Romeo & Juliet.
• Dads’ favorite reading topics: World War II, history, sports, maritime disasters ("vessels, vehicles, conveyances").
• Books people know they should read but don’t: The Bible, Moby Dick, War and Peace, The Power Broker, Lord of the Rings.
• Rapid-fire questions: “Which Dr. Seuss character would you least like to sit next to on a plane?” — “Cat in the Hat,” “The Lorax,” “The Grinch.”
• Sadie Stein wins the Gilby trophy (a plastic trophy with Gilbert’s face).

Noteworthy Timestamps

• 00:28 – Gilbert’s opening statement on books as universal gifts
• 01:34 – Joumana and Sadie’s personal reading philosophies
• 05:09 – Discussion of The Colony
• 07:04 – Sadie on Perfection
• 09:24 – Joumana on The Loneliness of Sonja and Sunny
• 11:21 – Gilbert on The Director
• 13:32 – Sadie on Play World
• 16:51 – Nonfiction highlight: A Marriage at Sea
• 22:25 – Targeted gift categories begin
• 24:28 – Joumana on the meaning of giving books
• 26:45 – Cozy crime series picks
• 28:15 – Food writing recommendations
• 31:05 – Sondheim gifts
• 33:14 – Dads and the Edmund Fitzgerald
• 39:45 – Start of the "Co-worker Feud" game
• 51:48 – Winner crowned; closing banter

Tone & Takeaways

The episode is playful, deeply bookish, and filled with camaraderie. It offers practical recommendations (with a ready-to-use list in the show notes) and entertains with sharp, sometimes self-deprecating humor about book gifting, literary snobbery, and family reading archetypes. The hosts’ passion for reading, and their ability to connect books to any personality or situation, makes this a valuable guide for holiday shoppers—and a love letter to the pleasure of books themselves.

For the Full Book List:

“Check the show notes for all the books mentioned in this episode.” — The Daily team

Memorable Moment:
“I was so absorbed in this book that I did not notice that the neighbor’s orchard was on fire.”
– Joumana Khatib (10:51)

Winner of the Episode's Literary Feud:
Sadie Stein, awarded the "Gilby" trophy (“my son is very excited about these ... the stuffed animals give each other trophies”).

Bottom Line:
A jam-packed episode for anyone searching for the perfect bookish gift, full of expert guidance, warmth, and literary fun.