As I’m getting together my own holiday lists, I thought I’d take some time to suggest gifts for those of you who are about to head out to the stores. As a writer, its probably a bit self-serving of me to mention that books make great gifts, but they do. They’re easy to order, easier to wrap, and can be highly personalized for those that you love. Bookstores are wonderful places to shop–most of them have gadgets, goodies, and hot holiday drinks like egg nog lattes!
Dads & Grandpas
Andrew Schaffer’s Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love. I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew at a recent convention, and he’s a fun guy with a quirky sense of humor that I think will carry over beautifully into his book. I cracked up just reading some of the blurb anecdotes.
Moms & Grandmas
Kristina McMorris’ Letters from Home is a World War II love story based on letters that her grandparents exchanged. It’s already won a dozen national literary awards and it hasn’t even been released yet! You can pre-order it now at Amazon, but if you need something to wrap up and put under the tree, I also recommend Furious Love, the story of Liz Taylor and Richard Burton’s relationship. It’s filled with juicy details that puts the current obsession with Brangelina to shame. It also has a nostalgia for the sixties that will make you want to watch Mad Men when you’re done.
Friends, Sisters & Daughters
You didn’t think I’d get through this post without recommending that you buy Lily of the Nile: A Novel of Cleopatra’s Daughter, did you? The reviews are starting to trickle in and they’re all stellar. Obviously, I think it’s a very special book about a young girl’s journey from prisoner to queen. You can pre-order it now, but again, if you’re in dire need of something to put under the tree, I have about a bajillion recommendations but the top two I’m going to recommend either Philippa Gregory’s The Red Queen or Mindy Klasky’s As You Wish series. The former is deep, dark, historical fiction. The latter is light fantastical romantic comedy!