Some folks say it’s better to give than to receive, but when it comes to books, I prefer a little bit of both, to be quite honest. And in the spirit of the just-concluded holiday season, I thought it might be fun for all of us to post the best tomes we found beneath our trees, and the best ones we wrapped up for our loved ones.
On the giving side, I got Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri’s gorgeous, Pulitzer prize-winning collection of short-stories, for my sister Nancy (thus completing my mission to get it into the hands of pretty much every person in my life). On the receiving side, I just finished tearing through Lee Child’s Die Trying (from my sister Debby), a trashy-good thriller that I managed to finish in less than a week. Admittedly, it’s not a Great Work of Literature, but you can bet the value of all your holiday gift cards combined that I’ll be checking out the other entries in the Jack Reacher series.
Okay, your turn: Which books topped your holiday gift list? Hurry, I need ideas for a couple of fast-approaching January birthdays!
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Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield…A great book for anyone who loves music, my favorite book of 2007
drella66, I agree that Love is a Mixed Tape is a great book! But until my bf finds time to read more, I won’t be getting it for him. lol. This year I got him Teacher Man by Frank McCourt b/c both men are teachers. I received Wicked by Gregory Maguire. A word of warning, if you are a hardcore fan of the musical, this book is NOT the musical.
I actually just finished rereading “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens – absolutely hilarious, and even though I already knew the ending I was still surprised by how nicely everything tied together.
Currently reading “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Safran Foer – fantastic so far.
I received the Kite Runner, book and movie. Beautiful!
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i got the omnivore’s dilemma for my dad….
I just finished reading The devil wears Prada, which is much better than the movie, except for anything that revolves around Meryl Streep ! I want to read The Kite Runner, next !
Tom Brokaw’s “Boom” is an excellent reminiscence of the political and cultural climate of 1968, one of the most cataclysmic years ever. Hard to believe how different things are 40 years later.
I wanted Born Standing Up, the Steve Martin memoir, but didn’t get it so I’ll have to wait til my birthday.
A Thousand Splendid Suns by the guy that wrote The Kite Runner. I LOOOOOVED it, maybe even more than The Kite Runner. I got Stephen Colbert’s book, also. Have to say, I’m not loving it, and I love his show.
“The Thirteenth Tale” by Diane Setterfield, a fabulous gothic mystery
“A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini, which rivals “The Kite Runner”
I got my husband The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy: and Other Stories by Tim Burton.
I received, read and loved I Love You Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle. It did drag at parts, but I can’t remember laughing so much while reading a book. I decided that my 13 year old daughter was old enough for King’s The Stand, but I balanced that out with The Book for Daring Girls and Saving Charlie (a Heroes novelization). I gave my into my partner’s desires (rather than my own sense of taste) and gave her the latest books by Tess Gerritson and Patricia Cornwell.
Among books I gave: All Aunt Hagar’s Children, Service Included (good for foodies), Best American Non-Required Reading (good for 20somethings), Born Standing Up, I Am America. Book I got: Suite Francaise. Xmas gifts to self: Then We Came to an End, How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read. The last one is hilarious so far and I recommend it to anyone who, like me, resolves to read more in ‘08. I humbly submit that the Edward Jones stories (All Aunt Hagar’s…) would be a good gift to everyone upon whom you’ve foisted the fantastic Lahiri. Jones’s stories are totally different but equally brilliant. Also on my wish list: Junot Diaz novel. I’ll add this because, uh, the package was shaped almost like a book: the most well-received gift I gave was Friday Night Lights season 1. Three new converts!!
Glad to see you discovered Lee Child! I’m a huge fan of his and that one was actually the book that reigned me in. They may not change history, but definitely worth a good read. Have fun, Michael!
I also have to give a shout out to Love Is A Mix Tape. Thoroughly enjoyed it!
Received: Rhett Butler’s People, Saturday, & Pillars of the Earth.
Gave: Atonement & The Known World
“ren Fri, Jan 4, 2008 at 11:46 AM EST
I got my husband The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy: and Other Stories by Tim Burton. ”
My co-worker bought me this. I’ve read it three times already!!!!
I think my step brother talked to my mother, (the greatest source of misinformation in my family), because he got me a Dean Koontz book, which was nice of him but I haven’t read Koontz since high school.
I got myself Gravity’s Rainbow and Eggers’ What is the What and I’m attempting to read them concurrently, (and failing miserably in the case of Gravity’s Rainbow).
My brother gave me “Atonement” by Ian McEwan after I told him that I pretty much thought the movie was amazing. I’m looking forward to reading it.
I didn’t receive any books this year – what the heck??? – but my husband got “Musicophilia” by Oliver Sacks which I’m looking forward to reading. I gave my dad “Andy Roddick Beat Me with a Frying Pan” by Todd Gallagher, mostly because the title was so awesome.
Received: Diaries: 1969-1979, The Python Years, Michael Palin
Gave: The Tomb of Zeus, Barbara Cleverly (to my dad, who likes mysteries), Washington Shlepped Here, Christopher Buckley (to my friend who is moving to DC)
The only book I got was a crock pot reciepe book. BOO Hiss.
I gave “The Glass Castle” and “The Memory Kepper’s Daughter” to both my mom and my BFF. They were the best books I read last year.
Looking forward to reading “Atonement” and the book(s) that “The Golden Compass” was based on. I also want to read Diablo Cody’s book cuz I lurrrved Juno and her piece in EW.
I gave my mother a Nicholas Sparks book that she wanted (It doesn’t really matter which one. They all blend together IMHO. True love meets and then one tragically dies. My mom just enjoys sobbing hysterically at the end of her books sometimes.) My little brother got the hardcover editions of the Narnia books and I gave a bunch of James Patterson books to my uncle. (Which shocked me when he said he wanted them because I was honestly not aware he read.)
I recieved 1776 by David McCullough, Washington’s Spies by Alexander Rose, Are We Rome by Cullen Murphy, Till We Have Faces and Miracles, both by C.S. Lewis and Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I also got a Barnes and Nobles gift card, but I’m not quite sure what to get with it yet.
I recieved Atonement,
I gave Love in the time of Cholera, On Beauty, White Teeth
Got: The Bridge of Sighs (Richard Russo’s new novel) and The Nine
Gave: The Glass Castle (excellent!) and The Invention of Hugo Cabret (very cool book for adolescent readers)
Gave my wife the latest Jan Karon book, Home to Holly Springs. Received the latest Grisham, Playing for Pizza. As well as a Border’s giftcard!
Being the Sci Fi/Fantasy buff I am that’s what I got this year. The two-book series The Innocent Mage and The Awakened Mage turned out to be quite good. I also got the graphic novel, The Gunslinger Born, which is basically an adaptation of major events in Wizard and Glass, which was very well done — great artwork. Finally, I also got Elantris by Brandon Sanderson, who’s the author chosen by Robert Jordan’s widow to complete the Wheel of Time series. It’s interesting that you mention Lee Child’s Die Trying. I’ve only recently started reading Child and I really liked The Killing Floor, but just couldn’t get into Die Trying. Hopefully Tripwire will be better.
The new Joy of Cooking for my fiance and step-dad (they’re both avid home-chefs). The Borat travel guide book for my brother. The Tom Petty Runnin’ on a Dream huge coffee table book for my mom, and a Sound of Music companion book for my grandma. I try to let the recipient’s interests guide my choices.
Steve Martin’s “Born Standing Up.” I read it in a few days. Very enjoyable if you like autobiographies and vivid descriptions (without them getting too personal or trashy).
Gave my step-bro a Cormac McCarthy two-fer: ‘No Country for Old Men’ and ‘The Road’.
I got ‘The Yiddish Policemen’s Union’ and am currently completely engrossed in it.
I got Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl, His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik (now I want the other ones!), The Witches of Chiswick by Robert Rankin, Making Money by Terry Pratchett (best. author. ever.), and The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray.