Followed by the inevitable articles on why you should read them, give them to someone else to read, or simply care at all.
If that's something you're into, I don't see it as a problem in any sense whatsoever. However, if you're on the fence about whether to dive into one of these, or add them to your holiday shopping list, allow me to give you some reasons to think twice.
1. Books aren't blenders.
Want a good blender? Here you go. There's virtually no one who wouldn't be happy with one of those blenders. Books are a different story-- and not just literally. People have their own preferred genres, tastes, and topics, and one size definitely does not fit all.
2. Bill Gates is not your friend.
I don't mean he's not friendly. He undoubtedly is. What I'm saying is that he's a stranger with no real insight into what kind of reading would be valuable to your life. And not just a stranger, but frankly out of touch with the average person's life, period. The man thinks a box of pizza rolls costs $20(which isn't surprising, given that he probably hasn't shopped for his own groceries in 30 years).
3. It's the thought that counts.
We can agree that if you give a gift, you thought about it. But surely we can also agree that there's a big difference in a hand-stitched quilt, for instance, and a gift card. Books can make wonderful gifts for all occasions but pulling one from a list just because someone successful plugged it doesn't exactly make me want to bestow my squeeziest hug on you. So, if it's the thought that counts, maybe err on the side of more thinking and less resorting to celebrity recommendations?
Nobody's saying you should judge a book by its cover.
Okay, well, technically I am, but ... maybe your giftee is a bonafide Bill Gates fan club member. Or maybe you just need a last-minute Secret Santa present and a hardcover happens to fit the bill.(Fit the bill-- hehe.) Consider this simply a well-intentioned public service reminder that better gifts do exist, and they're more likely to come from the heart than the cart.
P.S. Show of hands here, and be honest-- who knew'squeeziest' was a real word?
1. Books aren't blenders.
2. Bill Gates is not your friend.
3. It's the thought that counts.
Nobody's saying you should judge a book by its cover.