This Part III of the Plant Hearted Vegan Holiday Gift Guide series contains readable gift suggestions for the vegans, vegetarians and veg-curious people in your life. From magazines and coffee table books to cookbooks and philosophical essays, veg literature offers an array of excellent and affordable gift options. There is a plethora of fantastic material available these days, and this list will highlight just a few of my favourites, which I think your gift recipient will love as well.
For a few more suggestions on books and other vegan publications or information sources, check out the Plant Hearted Resources Page.
As I mentioned in Part I: Clothing and Accessories and Part II: Kitchen Tools, the prices quoted below are estimates, and prices will, of course, vary. Also, none of the companies or authors below are sponsoring me or have given me anything in return for including them on this list and saying nice things about them. These are just my favourite things to read, and I think that your vegan friends and family will love to read them too.
1. Subscription to Laika Magazine
Laika is a quarterly vegan lifestyle magazine. It’s full of food, fashion, inspiration, stories, stunning photo essays, and more. A full annual subscription is $50, which includes print and digital editions, as well as digital back issues and bonus content. You can also purchase print and digital subscriptions separately. I’ve been subscribed to Laika since its inception a couple of years ago and I have loved every edition so far!
2. Becoming Vegan: Comprehensive Edition
Becoming Vegan: Comprehensive Edition ($27) by Brenda Davis, R.D. and Vesanto Melina, M.S., R.D. is an updated version of an old favourite of mine, Becoming Vegan (by the same authors), which offers analysis of research findings, and presents nutrition information in a clear, easily digestible manner. I would argue this might be the most important book for a vegan to own, in order to ensure that in reflecting our ethical values, we have the tools to maintain a commitment to healthful living.
3. We Animals by Jo-Anne McArthur
We Animals is the perfect vegan coffee table book. This beautiful hard cover book ($40) features the stunning, often haunting, photography of Jo-Anne McArthur, depicting animals in the human environment.
4. Miyoko’s Artisan Vegan Cheese
If you’re buying for someone that is adventurous in the kitchen, Miyoko’s Artisan Vegan Cheese ($21) may be a perfect gift. I especially love the idea of putting together a vegan cheesemaking starter kit around the recipe book. This will allow its owner to make delectable vegan cheese in their own kitchen, with just this book, a few additional items and some patience. The starter kit could include the book, a few cups of raw cashews, some cheesecloth and a bag of nutritional yeast, and will help the recipient start on an exciting and rewarding new culinary adventure!
5. The 30-Day Vegan Challenge
The 30-Day Vegan Challenge is an informative guide to eating healthfully and living compassionately, created by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. It is geared toward the veg-curious, providing daily inspiration, tips and information, but is also a great program for a vegan to enjoy as well. It offers recipes, shopping tips, nutritional information, and so much more. The 30-Day Vegan Challenge is available as a beautiful hardcover or paperback book (for $60 or $20, respectively) or as an online program, with daily emails, videos and podcasts (for $40).
And check out the Joyful Vegan for numerous other excellent books and cookbooks by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, including The Vegan Table ($16), The Joy of Vegan Baking ($20), On Being Vegan ($10), Color Me Vegan ($20) and many more.
6. A Cookbook
Flipping through the pages of a new cookbook, drooling over the pictures and being inspired by the creativity is such a wonderful feeling. There are so many amazing recipe blogs and cookbooks available these days, I couldn’t possibly list all the great ones here. But here are a few of my favourites. In addition to the Joyful Vegan recipe books mentioned above, I suggest you check out the following: Oh She Glows (here for $14), Thug Kitchen (here for $15), But I Could Never Go Vegan! (here for $15) and Pure Vegan (here for $36). To make the gift extra special and personalized, you can flip through it and add post-it notes to some of the pages, noting if you’ve tried a recipe, or think one sounds especially delicious, or whatever.
7. Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
Eating Animals (available here for just $12) by Jonathan Safran Foer chronicles the author’s journey as he examines our modern day eating habits, and the language, traditions, and moral questions inherent in them. With the same eloquence brought to the novels that made Foer a beloved writer among many, this book makes its readers laugh and cry in this one-of-a-kind look at the way we eat.
I hope that you’ve found these magazine and book gift ideas helpful. And don’t forget to check out the other Gift Guide posts for more suggestions!