Lo and behold, its that time of the year when we fret on finding the perfect gift for those near and dear. But fear not, there is no reason to rack one’s brain or wreck one’s bank account. This year find a book for a family member or a friend that may inspire, enlighten and even entertain.

We have been long time supporters of gifting books as a thoughtful way to show our appreciation to someone special during the holiday season. This year we’ve curated a list of four books that we believe capture an optimistic tone and that challenges readers to be open minded about the future.

Our first book recommendation is The Longevity Imperative: Building a Better Society for Healthier, Longer Lives by Andrew J. Scott. The book delivers a fantastic gift at the outset in illustrating that as a society we are living longer lives. However, the reaction to this gift from policy makers, health providers and people has been ineffective and it risks being detrimental to public and private finances and the health care ecosystem if a change in mindset is not made.

We appreciated how Scott provided an excellent overview that longevity should be considered an opportunity, and that we should be collectively making choices related to our careers, health and finances to be able to take advantage of more productive lives. The ideas of making younger friends, the benefits of going back to school in your 50s and investing in your health all seem like good ideas in context of living at times decades longer than our ancestors.

Our second recommendation is Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection by Charles Duhigg. There is no doubt that the efficiency of communication  has improved dramatically over the last two decades. On a daily basis, we are carrying powerful digital devices in our pockets that allow us to connect instantaneously with someone across the globe with high resolution images.

Despite the technological advances the impression is that effectiveness of communication has not realized the same benefits. One only needs to reflect on the growing fractured relationship between countries, and the widening disparity of views among people within the same community to acknowledge the opportunity that exist in becoming more effective communicators.

Duigg provides excellent insights and offers sensible strategies to allow people to develop connections and create environments where they can successfully communicate ideas. From distilling conversations into three different categories to highlighting the importance of body language, a reader is sure to become more conscious of how to communicate with confidence in a variety of situations.

The third recommendation was published a number of years ago, nonetheless we believe it would be an awesome gift for the special someone that always seems to be worried about something or another. We agree that there are no shortage of problems facing the world today. The challenges may seem that much more daunting for anyone spending too much time on any forms of media. We found that Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World–and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling to be an insightful and uplifting book.

In Factfulness Rosling’s provides evidence in how wrong our collective view of the world really is. Utilizing a simple questionnaire, we learn that the health and wealth of the global population is not in the dire straits like many believe to be true. With the assistance of Rosling’s son Ola and his wife Anna, the authors outline ten instincts that lead us to make overly dramatic conclusions and create a pessimistic view of the world. In reading the book we saw many similarities in the ten instincts that relate to some of the common biases and blind spots that hinder the decision-making process for investors.

A final recommendation from Frank and Rob (Frank tells me he reported this read three years ago.  If he did, I missed it.  But not any longer!) Atomic Habits by James Clear is a remarkable, clear and proven way to build good habits and break bad ones. James Clear shows you how you can achieve remarkable results by making constant improvements to your learning, training, saving, friendships and caring. “Smart habits don’t just add up… they compound.”

Avoid the headaches and all the trouble of finding gifts that fizzle. Instead consider our book recommendations that will not only entertain but will also bring holiday cheer to your loved ones as well.

A Happy and Healthy Holidays to all!