This is the twelfth year of the Penguin Hotline, and my fifth year participating in one my favorite holiday traditions. When folks submit a request for a book recommendation, either for themselves or for a loved one, there’s a team of 290 employee volunteers taking the time to research the reader’s interests and match them with the perfect list of new reads. In a world leaning more toward AI, we love that we have humans writing thousands of letters to other humans! We are also publisher and retailer agnostic—we just want to recommend the best books for each reader, regardless of where the books are published or sold. Making a request is free, and for every ticket received, the Penguin Hotline will donate $2 to our partner this year, Room to Read, for a max of $10K. In the past, we’ve partnered with NAMI, ProLiteracy, and NCTE, among others. It’s a win for readers and a win for the organizations we support! Our theme this year is Treat Your Shelf, and in a year that seemed divisive and difficult for so many, I’m thrilled to be able to bring joy in even a small way, by helping someone with their gift list—or with a little self-care in the form of some new reads. The freedom to read is so important to me, and bringing folks together with new books—picked just for them—that have the potential to change, inspire, encourage? What a gift it is for me to enjoy every holiday season.