(Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish. Want to make your own list? Clicking the image will take you to this week’s post. Happy listing!)
I recommend books to friends all the time, but I rarely give books as gifts (unless the person has asked for a specific one). I’ve read one too many bad books that I was supposedly “sure to love,” and I don’t want to do that to anyone! In a perfect world, people would love the books I bought them. Here’s ten I’d love to give.
1. The Wee Free Men (Terry Pratchett) – This would go to a friend who loves fantasy and a kick-ass kid heroine.
2. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation (Lauren Willig) – This would go to my cousin, Dawn. She and I were super close growing up, and we bonded even more over the 1982 film adaptation “The Scarlet Pimpernel.” I think she’d like this series.
3. Under the Tuscan Sun (Frances Mayes) – To anyone who loves travel and history and food.
4. Cinderella Ate My Daughter (Peggy Orenstein) – My mother-in-law has been wanting to read this, so of course I’d lend it to her.
5. The Eyre Affair (Jasper Fforde) – I recommend this book to everyone, but especially to people who love books.
6. The Name of the Wind (Patrick Rothfuss) – I think my father-in-law would enjoy this book.
7. Married with Zombies (Jesse Petersen) – This is the first in a great series for those who are new to zombies. There’s plenty of the guts and gore for which the genre is known, but there’s a great relationship plot too.
8. Love Wins (Rob Bell) – For anyone who isn’t happy with modern religion.
9. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) – For those who don’t want to forget their childlike wonder (or who need to get it back).
10. Lies My Teacher Told Me (James W. Loewen) – For the people who say they hated history in school.
What books would you give as gifts?
As a fan of Bronte’s JANE EYRE, I shall have to pick THE EYRE AFFAIR, though it sounds intense from the summary I read.
Yay, a potential Jasper Fforde convert! It is an intense novel, but it’s so amazing — and the series just keeps getting better and better.
Love Wins looks especially intriguing to me. I seem to be on a perpetual spiritual journey, and perhaps Rob Bell would make a fine companion for a stretch…
Many thanks for your list, amiga.
I really do love Bell’s writing and teaching. Have you seen any of his NOOMA videos? I think there are some on his website you can watch for free. I was in a Bible Study in college that covered the videos, and they were all great. Some really thought-provoking stuff.
Thank you for your list, too!
I’m thinking I’d like half you list in my stocking! I’m meant to be getting Name of the Wind for sure, so I can’t wait since everyone seems to think they’re mesmerising. I’m also tempted by the Eyre Affair, but I’m worried that I might not like it at the same time. Maybe I’ll take the plunge after my Christmas Books.
I feel disappointed in myself though: I haven’t read any of them!
Don’t be disappointed with yourself, Alex — I saw a lot of books on people’s lists that I haven’t read, either. There’s just too many! 🙁
Name of the Wind is amazing; I hadn’t read such a great high fantasy in several years, and it totally reignited my passion for them.
If you like puns, wordplay, allusions to literature both excellent and horrible, humor, and general kick-assery, you’ll love The Eyre Affair and every other book Fforde writes. His Nursery Crimes series is also excellent.
I can’t help it. As you say under your title, it’s extremely hard to read everything, but we try nonetheless. I may give up on sleeping one day to cash in on the reading time!
Since I finished Eddings (here I go again…) I haven’t read a fantasy I’ve loved just as much or devoured with such speed and adoration. I’m not expecting too much from Name of the Wind since I’ll only be disappointed, but I’ve had it recommended almost every time fantasy readers recommend books. Ought to be good, for sure.
I’d adore the allusions to literature, definitely the humour and also the simple enjoyment of ‘kiss-assery’ which is just a wonderful. I’ll buy it as soon as it is polite to (don’t want to insult those who buy me books for Christmas)!
It is hard to not try and read everything ever all at once. 🙂 I’d give up sleeping too, but apparently it’s crucial to life or something.
I was kind of worried about Name of the Wind as well. The first high fantasy series I read was by Andres Norton and Mercedes Lackey (Halfblood Chronicles) and I was worried that Rothfuss’ story wouldn’t be as good. It was, but in different ways. Usually “talking head” stories—where it’s just one character rambling on about his/her own thoughts for chapters at a time—are boring, but Rothfuss struck a perfect balance between Kvothe’s inner monologue and external characters and action.
Yes, get The Eyre Affair! And read it so we can fangirl/fanboy all about it!
I would love to read “Cinderella Ate My Daugther”.
It was a great read, Willa. I highly recommend it.
Ahhh! I luuurve the Pink Carnation series – so much fun! Also, you can never go wrong with gifting some Patrick Rothfuss! I’ve heard great things about Married with Zombies and Cinderella Ate My Daughter – I would love to receive either as a gift! Fantastic list!
I have The Masque of the Black Tulip calling to me from the shelf, but I’ve got several library/loaner books I need to finish first. It’s like torture!
Married with Zombies was fantastic! More gory than the stuff I usually read, but par for the course for zombie books, I’d wager. Plus there’s enough other stuff going on that the gore doesn’t take the main focus.
I just loaned my copy of Cinderella Ate My Daughter to my mother-in-law. My father-in-law saw the title and laughed out loud. He said he has no idea what it’s about, but the title certainly makes it sound interesting.
Thanks for stopping by, Kat — I hope you get every book on your wishlist!