About this episode
<p>The holiday season is here, which means it’s the time to think of great gifts for everyone on your list. While it can feel like a daunting task to choose thoughtful, personalized presents, we’ve got a fix for you: books.</p><p>On this edition of The Sunday Special, Gilbert is joined by Joumana Khatib and Sadie Stein, editors at the Book Review, for a conversation about the best books to give your family and friends. Joumana and Sadie will share what excited them most this year and also provide recommendations for giftees in very specific categories.</p><p>Books mentioned in this episode:</p><p>“The Colony,” Annika Norlin<br />“Perfection,” Vincenzo Latronico<br />“Things: A Story of the 60s,” Georges Perec<br />“The Bee Sting,” Paul Murray<br />“The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny,” Kiran Desai<br />“The Director,” Daniel Kehlmann<br />“Playworld: A Novel,” Adam Ross<br />“A Marriage at Sea,” Sophie Elmhirst<br />“Entertaining is Fun!,” Dorothy Draper<br />“The Thursday Murder Club,” Richard Osman<br />“The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels,” Janice Hallett<br />“Roald Dahl’s Revolting Recipes,” Roald Dahl<br />“Mrs. Manders’ Cook Book,” Sarah Manders, edited by Rumer Godden<br />“Halleluja! The Welcome Table,” Maya Angelou<br />“The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes of My Life,” Pat Conroy<br />“Les diners de Gala,” Salvador Dalí<br />“Diaghilev’s Empire: How the Ballets Russes Enthralled the World,” Rupert Christiansen<br />“Finishing the Hat and Look I Made a Hat,” Stephen Sondheim<br />“Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run,” Peter Ames Carlin<br />“The Uncool: A Memoir,” Cameron Crowe<br />“The Gales of November,” John U. Bacon<br />“The Journals of Ralph Waldo Emerson,” Ralph Waldo Emerson<br />“Cats in Color,” Stevie Smith<br />“Archie and the Strict Baptists,” John Betjeman<br />“Stories 1,2,3,4,” Eugène Ionesco<br />“Trip: A Novel,” Amy Barrodale</p><p><strong>On Today’s Episode:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/joumana-khatib" target="_blank"><strong>Joumana Khatib</strong></a> is an editor at The New York Times Book Review.</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/sadie-stein" target="_blank"><strong>Sadie Stein</strong></a><strong> </strong>is an editor at The New York Times Book Review.</p> <p><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily"><strong>nytimes.com/thedaily</strong></a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p><p> </p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>
Listen to this episode in English to learn English
Podcast episodes are one of the highest-density ways to absorb English at native pace. Sunday Special: Gifting Books for the Holidays from The Daily gives you natural dialogue, unscripted speech, and vocabulary that actually appears in real conversations.
In the Hinto app, every word in the transcript is tappable. Tap an unknown word, see the translation in your language instantly, and keep listening without breaking flow.
Episodes to Learn English
- The Bond Market Is Flipping Out. Here’s Why You Should Care. Sep 15, 2026
- The A.I. Researcher Whose Rebellion Is Changing Everything Sep 14, 2026
- The Good, the Bad and the Good-Bad (Movie) Sep 13, 2026
- Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor Say the End of the World is Now on the Table Sep 12, 2026
- The Lives That 9/11 Keeps Taking Sep 11, 2026
- A Couple Breaks Up. Who Gets Custody of Their Embryos? Sep 10, 2026
- Trump’s War on Mail-In Voting Sep 9, 2026
- ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’: A New Wave of Consumer Debt Sep 8, 2026
- Classical Music Is in Crisis. Gustavo Dudamel Is Here to Save It. Sep 6, 2026
- The Intertwined Legacies of Gloria Steinem and Dolly Parton Sep 4, 2026
- A.I. Is Outsmarting Its Creators Sep 3, 2026
- The Fight for the West Bank Sep 2, 2026
- How a Teenager Found Undiagnosed Brain Injuries in the Military Sep 1, 2026
- How Flock Cameras Took Over America Aug 31, 2026
- Who Will Rule the 2026 U.S. Open? Aug 30, 2026
- Ina Garten Says You Can Either Get on Her Train or Get Out of the Way Aug 29, 2026
- Lindsay Clancy Is on Trial. So Is Postpartum Psychosis. Aug 28, 2026
- A Historic Settlement Over Social Media Addiction Aug 27, 2026
- The Stunning Rise of the Democratic Socialists of America Aug 26, 2026
- Canada Is Done With Trump Aug 25, 2026
- Natalie Harp’s Devotion to Trump Aug 24, 2026
- Think Baseball Is Boring? The Savannah Bananas Are Here to Fix That. Aug 23, 2026
- An Expert on Conflict Says Your Relationships Are Doomed Without It Aug 22, 2026
- When Private Equity Comes for Your Favorite Team Aug 21, 2026
- Who Moves Up, and Who's Pushed Out, in Pete Hegseth's Military Aug 20, 2026
- El Niño Is Back. And Worse Than Ever. Aug 19, 2026
- What Went Wrong on the U.S.S. Lincoln? Aug 18, 2026
- Luigi Mangione’s High-Risk Legal Strategy Aug 17, 2026
- What Makes a Killer Thriller? Aug 16, 2026
- The Charming, Amusing, Surprisingly Low-Confidence Matthew Rhys Aug 15, 2026