2011 gift guide {books}

It's no secret that I'm completely obsessed with books. My house is filled with them, I'm literally running out of places to stack them, there's only so many chairs, tables, and benches. However, I keep asking for books as gifts, and buying a few for myself, I just can't help it. I suppose I could have worse buying habits, at least these are relatively affordable and can serve two purposes: reading and decorating.

The coffee table book should be something that looks lovely displayed and can be a conversation piece. From fashion, to decorating, to photography, and travel, these titles would be fantastic gifts for loved ones. Books as gifts are really great because you can tailor them to fit your friend's personality, and in doing so, you make it a really personal, heart-felt gift.

{From Left to right} Row 1: 1. New Treehouses of the World, Peter Nelson; Dogs, Lewis Blackwell; 3. Typography Sketchbooks, Steven Heller; 4. Vanity Fair Portraits, Graydon Carter, David Friend, Christopher Hitchens; 5. Alexander Girard, Todd Oldham, Kiera Coffee, Alexander Girard

Row 2: 1. Alexander Mcqueen: Savage Beauty, Andrew Bolton, Solve Sundsbo, Tim Blanks,Susannah Frankel; 2. Flea Market Style, Emily Chalmers, Debi Treloar; 3. The Sartorialist, Scott Schuman; 4. Martha's Entertaining, Martha Stewart; 5. Nomad, Jelle Brandt Corstius, Jeroen Toirkens

Row 3: 1. Design*Sponge at Home, Grace Bonney; 2. Maps, Paula Scher; 3. Undecorate, Christiane Lemieux, Rumaan Alam; 4. Pantone: The Twentieth Century in Color, Leatrice Eiseman, Keith Recker; 5.Handmade Home, Mark Bailey, Sally Bailey; 6. Farm Anatomy, Julia Rothman; 7. Pulled, Mike Perry

For the bookworm in your life.

Row 1: 1. Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me?, Mindy Kaling; 2. The Help, Kathryn Stockett; 3. Vaclav & Lena, Haley Tanner; 4. The Collected Works of Charles Dickens

Row 2: 1. Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson; 2. Bossypants, Tina Fey; 3. The Beekeeper's Bible,Richard A. Jones, Sharon Sweeney-Lynch; 4. The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin

Row 3: 1. The Hunger Games Trilogy, Suzanne Collins; 2. Catherine the Great, Robert Massif; 3. Mycophilia, Eugenia Bone; 4. The Wordy Shipmates, Sarah Vowell

Ah, I love all books, but these have a special place in my heart.

Row 1: 1. Les Petits Macarons: Colorful French Confections to Make at Home, Anne E. McBride and Kathryn Gordon; 2. Homemade, Yvette Van Boven; 3. Tartine Bread, Chad Robertson, Eric Wolfinger; 4. Speakeasy, Jason Kosmas, Dushan Zaric; 5. The Fearless Baker, Emily Luchetti, Lisa Weiss; 6. Mission Street Food, Anthony Myint, Karen Leibowitz

Row 2: Whole Beast Butchery, Ryan Farr, Brigit Binns, Ed Anderson; 2. Baking Style, Lisa Yockelson; 3. The Geometry of Pasta, Caz Hildebrand, Jacob Kenedy; 4. The Cheesemonger's Kitchen, Chester Hastings, Joseph De Leo; 5. Miette, Meg Ray, Frankie Frankeny, Leslie Jonath

Row 3: 1. The Whole Hog Cookbook, Libby Summers; 2. The Craft of Stone Brewing Co., Greg Koch, Steve Wagner, Randy Clemens; 3. Volt Ink, Micheal and Bryan Voltaggio; 4. The Oxford Companion to Beer, Garrett Oliver, Tom Colicchio; 5. What to Cook & How to Cook It, Jane Hornby; 6. Home Cooking with Jean-George, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Genevieve Ko

Row 4: 1. The Mozza Cookbook, Nancy Silverton; 2. The Art of the Bar, Jeff Hollinger, Rob Schwartz, Frankie Frankeny, Georgeanne Brennan