I love to give books for Christmas and I put a lot of thought into my purchases.
Like all recommendations, your choice could be open to interpretation. Last year I gave my daughter Cheap by Ellen Ruppel Shell. No, I wasn’t commenting on her spending habits, it’s a book subtitled The High Cost of Discount Culture, and she thought it would be worth reading. Another year, we gave each other the same book. I always give my grandson a book and wonder if he actually reads it. For my 17-year-old granddaughter, I’m reluctant to give her books about rebellious teenagers and I absolutely refuse to give her books about vampires.
No matter, I will be giving mostly books this year, some hits, some misses. I almost consider it my duty, since I want to encourage the reading and purchase of books.
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Laura Miller of Salon.com had an interesting article Monday morning, “Support your indie bookstore!” Really, the title tells you what you need to know. Here in Decatur we are blessed with The Blue Elephant, Little Shop of Stories, Books Again, and Eagle Eye. The temptation is to save a few bucks and buy from Amazon but nothing beats browsing an actual bookstore.
The New York Times has listed 100 best books of 2011 with a short description that is fun to look over and might give you some ideas.
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When it comes to my five-year-old granddaughter, her mother and I love to ponder what are the best books for her. One of her all time favorites is The Napping House by Audrey Wood and illustrated by Don Wood. The book comes with a CD. Wow, books with a CD—what a great idea!
This year, instead of fuzzy slippers or a sweater, think about buying a book for those on your list.
