"What is the book (or books) you've given most as a gift, and why? Or what are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life? When I give a book, I always try to find something that I loved, and most important, speaks to the person's dreams, yearnings, or challenges they are facing. For friends who have faced or are facing cancer, I often give them The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee, because this beautifully written book weaves together science and story so elegantly, and helped me understand cancer--the history, causes, and innovative treatment--when my son had cancer. For new cooks I give Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything because it delivers exactly what it promises! For New York City geeks--and I know a lot of them--I gave Nonstop Metropolis by Rebecca Solnit. For a great novel that I have read three times, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. For young women, I get The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir, which I read when I was studying in Paris. "One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman." And for those who struggle with productivity and taking control of their lives, The 4-Hour Workweek, of course!"