Holiday Gift Guide: Part 2

As an avid reader and self-professed bibliophile, I adore getting books as gifts. I also love to give books to people. I consider them to be the ultimate gift; providing entertainment, mental stimulation, culture, all in a convenient 6”x9” rectangle that is super easy to wrap! ;)

BUT it is not enough to just grab a book off the shelf and wrap it and be done. Books are like… wands (been itching to see the new JK Rowling film adaptation; can you tell?), they sort of chose their readers, which makes it very difficult to chose books for other people. Difficult but not impossible, it’s a matter of swigging down a metaphorical polyjuice potion (another HP reference, I swear I’m not even trying!), putting yourself in their shoes and figuring out what sort of book they would most enjoy!

Now, to give you a few examples of this, I’ll showcase how I would buy books for the fantastic 4 members of my immediate family !

Mom

a light-hearted read

Personality: caring, clever, big romantic

Book preferences: historical fiction, romance, classic literature, chick lit

Book: The Bridget Jones’ Baby Diary by Helen Fielding

Price: $29.95 CND

Reason: While I debated reserving a copy of Lisa See’s new book The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, it doesn’t come out until March 2017 and I prefer to give people something concrete. Also my mom and I adore Bridget Jones, it’s a bit of a classic for us, so when I heard this follow-up came out I figured it was a perfect fit! Bridget Jones is a perfect blend of funny, entertaining, sly, and feel-good! This is sure to be a well-received gift! Plus, even if she has already seen the movie (likely) she will be happy to read the book too, because it’s a well known fact that the book is always better! ;)

Dad

critically-acclaimed read

Personality: busy-body, loves to learn, like big ideas

Book preferences: Non-fiction, books that make you think

Book: something from the 2017 Canada Reads list

Price: $20.00-$40.00 CDN

Reason: My dad is a slow reader, but a thoughtful one, he likes to read books that increase his knowledge or understanding of some aspect of life or culture. For the past few years he has been very interested by the Canada Reads books – he tries to read them all before the program airs in January, but the list only comes out in late December! Last year I made it a game to buy him one of the books from the list – turns out I actually picked the winning book, The Illegal by Lawrence Hill! Reading the book backs was enough to give me a sense of what he might like. Matching people to books is a big task, but this list helps narrow it down! ;)

Brother (middle child)

a gripping drama

Personality: the kindest person you’ll ever meet, sensitive, social

Book preferences: dramatic fiction, short stories, poetry

Book: The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall

Price: $22.95 CDN

Reason: This brother is not a very big reader, he needs a book that really pulls him into it, and this one seems to have a lot of complex elements going on! The drama is one that is very grounded in reality and seems to challenge how we separate the ideas of being a good person but making a bad choice and the repercussions thereof – an interesting idea to explore! Plus it’s a Giller Prize Finalist, which means it’s got to have some insight to it! While dramas are engrossing I think he would appreciate an overall happy ending - might do some research (ie: read the last few pages) to ensure this one ends on a happy note! ;)

Baby brother

a humorous and educational read

Personality: Social guy, trendy, chatterbox, like to laugh

Book preferences: Biographies and memoirs

Book: Canada by Mike Myers

Price: $39.95

Reason: This one was almost too easy! My brother doesn’t read much, but has taken a liking to biographies and memoirs. He is also very proud to be Canadian (I’m talking when he was younger he painted a Canadian flag on one of the walls of his bedroom - the whole wall!) and fan of Mike Myers (Shrek, Austin Powers). As Mike Myers is a comedian, the tone of this text is sure to be humorous and wildly entertaining, and perhaps a little educational too – bonus! I’m sure it’s interesting to see Mike Myers’ perspective on what it means to be Canadian!

Wrap-up (Get it? ;) )

Note: the prices for most of these books is for the hardcover, so, it might be possible to find them cheaper if you opt for the paperback copy! So those are my suggestions for getting books for family members! Are you planning to buy books for anyone on your Christmas list? What is your strategy for buying books for others? Do you have a go-to author or book that is always a hit?