BOOKS: Annual Christmas List

Yes, boys and girls it is once again time for Auntie Santa to help you with your Christmas gift giving and to get a hint or two in for Auntie Santa herself. Starting with the young, especially the young in heart-- I find that some of the best books published are in this group:

THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak is still on my favorite- of- all -time list. No matter for what the age, this book is brilliant.

I really enjoyed THE HUNGER GAMES series by Susanne Collins. These books have actually been out for some time, but if not already read, a good choice for the futuristic fan.

Our granddaughter has asked for LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green. She has never led me wrong and from the reviews, this does sound good. Maybe she will loan me her copy.

I personally am excited that Justin Cronin’s follow-up to THE PASSAGE is out, and on the best- seller lists. The title is THE TWELVE and I am going to be checking under the tree for this one with my name on the tag.

Again for the reader who enjoys something different consider WORLD WAR Z by Max Brooks. Max is the son of Mel Brooks, so you know to expect something unusual. It has been around for some time, but I see that The New York Times has it on one of their list. It is definitely different!

For history buffs the selection is always rich. My husband read Bill O’Reilly’s KILLING LINCOLN and enjoyed it. He had been warned that the author may have taken some liberties with the facts.

Laura Hillenbrand’s UNBROKEN is the true story of a prisoner of war during the Second World War. I really got caught up in this one.

From the earliest days of our country comes UNWISE PASSIONS by Alan Pell Crawford. Taking his facts from letters and diaries, this book gave me a new understanding of some of our founding fathers. This was a fascinating read even for those of us who are more interested in characters than history.

Two “just good reads” were David E. Hinton’s KINGS OF COLORADO and Emma Donoghue’s ROOM. I loved both of these although they are very different. Either would be appreciated by the readers on your list.

A specialized book on my list would be I HAD BRAIN SURGERY, WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE? by Suzy Becker. This would be a good “up-lifter” for the reader going through any type of health problem. It is funny-- odd, but funny.

Remember the classics still work; after all, they ARE classics. With all of the publicity for the movie LES MISERABLES, and the local high school doing their production of it, it might be a good idea to go back to read the original by Victor Hugo. It has lasted over time for a reason.

The choices are so plentiful, but I am taking too much space. So, that leaves me with just enough time to mention four of my favorite authors and a bit of advice; try them. Greg Iles. I am waiting for him to recover from his accident and get done with his Penn Cage series.

Sharon Sala. Her books are sometimes OK and sometimes terrific. The terrific are worth waiting for.

Margaret Coel. If modern day Native American mysteries are of interest, give her a try. I cannot understand why she is not on every reading list.

Judy Coopey. Her third book will be out in January, but REDFIELD FARM and WATERPROOF are good choices.

My sincere wish for all of us is that we spend Christmas Day with a new book that we can NOT put down long enough to open the rest of our gifts.