“Oh, look,” my teenage niece said. “Aunt Michelle gave me a book and a movie. What a surprise.”

I looked at her and smiled as pleasantly as I could despite my hurt. I had given a lot of thought to what book and movie she would enjoy. Apparently I guessed wrong. I didn’t buy her a book or a movie for years afterwards. Frankly, I think she got the raw end of that deal.

No surprise I give books for gifts–I’m a writer, I work in publishing, I love books and with many of my relatives living far away, books and movies make gifts relatively simple to ship. The trick, however, is matching the book to the reader;  some years I’ve done well and other holidays I’ve flopped.

In the interest of helping those of you hitting Amazon.com today in a last minute flurry, I’m going to provide some “how to choose” suggestions, based on past experience.

1.Think about the loved one’s interests. Basic, I know, but give this one a little consideration. Don’t just go through their list: “Cars II, please,” but consider their interests and how they spend their time. With a young person, see if you can choose a book that honors their dreams, or at least tickles their imagination.

When that aforementioned niece grew up a little, she became a highly-recruited rower (and now crews for UC Berkeley). I scoured the Internet and found a terrific book: The Red Rose Crew: A True Story of Women, Winning, and the Water. The story of how women’s crew became a part of the Olympics and the determination to get there, was a good choice for an ambitious young woman. Score!

2. Consider their near-future plans. Another teenaged niece was headed to France for the summer where she would be immersed in culture by living in a family with three younger girls. I loved this idea: An American in Paris DVD coupled with Harry Potter et l’ecole des Sorciers (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone). The first book in the series was written in simple enough language, her French skills could handle it. Plus, the older daughter in the French family enjoyed the book, too. Très bon!

3. Ask yourself what they really need from a book. One of my relatives needed nothing more than to sit on the beach and get immersed in a story. I thought about her background in eastern Europe, considered my shelf-full of comfort novels, remembered her personal brilliance but also the M.M. Kaye novels she’d read as a young woman. I sent her Eva Ibbotson‘s The Morning Gift–-the romance of a beautiful genius woman spirited out of 1940 Vienna in a marriage of convenience. Full of wit, scientific terms, romance, and fun, it was just what she needed. Ah, success.

4. Get the latest from their favorite author. Astrophysicist Hugh Ross publishes a new book every September, which happens to be my husband’s birthday month. I call them up in August and order Hugh’s latest book, whatever it is. My husband has been happy every year. Why change a good thing? Reach for the stars!

5. Relive a shared experience, or one on their own. My brother and nephew spent two weeks at Philmont Ranch hiking with the boy scouts last summer, a trip of a lifetime. Earlier this week, Warren Cole Smith published a book about a similar experience: I Wanna Go Back: Stories of the Philmont Rangers. With four Eagle scouts in our family, I’ve given away several copies of  Legacy of Honor: The Values and Influence of America’s Eagle Scouts. Give me a badge!

6. Share one of your favorites. Everyone knows the world’s best gift for a two-year-old is P.D. Eastman’s Go, Dog. Go! (You knew that, didn’t you?). My own family with four children, went through five copies–we all loved the book so much. (We don’t really need copies anymore, we can quote the entire book verbatim).

I bought a copy for my adorable grandson and we snuggled together to read it for the first time. As soon as I finished, he slipped from my lap and handed the book to his father. Who, to my delight, read it aloud with similar inflections. When it came time to go, the adorable two-year-old picked up the book and slipped it into his diaper bag. I sent it home with him and bought another copy the next day. And I’ll take a kiss from a toddler, anytime.

7. Canvas your friends. Among the books I’m giving this year: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand; The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel; The Yearling by Marjorie Rawlings; The Sweetest Bible by Diane Stortz; A Distant Melody by Sarah Sundin; A Field Guide to New Mexico; Hidden Treasures in the Book of Job by Hugh Ross; and A Log Cabin Christmas Collection by Me!

How about you? Any suggestions for books this Christmas?