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Dec
09
Help me out!
2008 at 11am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
I’m giving a book talk at a local high school this afternoon, and I’ll have 20 minutes to talk to their faculty about book gift suggestions for the holidays. I’ve consulted the lists over at Buy Books for the Holidays, and I’ve seen great ideas on several blogs lately, but I thought it would be fun to collect some here.
I’ve been working on my list for a while, but I figured many heads are better than one, right? So tell me, if you had to recommend one book for each of these categories, what would it be?
- Children’s picture book
- Young readers/chapter book
- Young Adult Fiction
- Memoir/Biography
- Literary Fiction
- Creative Nonfiction
- History
- Sci-Fi/Fantasy
I’ll let you know what the final list looks like later today.
And thanks!
Related posts:
I don’t want to seem oddor conceaded, but I’ll recommend mine for YA Fantasy/Fiction…
though it won’t release until January 31
but otherwise I do love the golden compass series, and theres always twilight which likely they’ve all read already…
and then the J.K Rawlings book though its short
Definitely The Forever War for history, I think. It seems to be the #1 pick on all of the lists for non fiction.
Young Readers Chapter Book – Dragon in the Sock Drawer was a huge hit with my daughter’s 3rd and 4th grade classes.
Memoir/Bio – the Barbara Walters was published in May, but it is a very, very good book.
Literary Fiction – A Mercy, of course! Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri for short stories, Edgar Sawtelle would probably be my pick for genral fiction, as well, though I haven’t yet read it.
Good luck!
For what they’re worth, here are a few of my favorites!:
Children’s picture book:
“I Love You Through and Through” — not sure of the author?
Young readers/chapter book –
“Walk Two Moons” by Sharon Creech
“Eleven,” “Twelve” and “Thirteen” by Lauren Myracle
Young Adult Fiction –
“Sweethearts” by Sara Zarr
“Cracked Up To Be” by Courtney Summers (releases next week, I believe)
“Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist” by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Memoir/Biography –
“The Longest Trip Home” by John Grogan (you probably have that suggestion ready to go already!)
Literary Fiction –
“Belong To Me” by Marisa de los Santos (ditto this one)
“The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri
History –
“American Lion” — the new Jefferson biography
“Manhunt” — the John Wilkes Booth bio
Sci-Fi/Fantasy –
Anything by Terry Brooks. I haven’t read his work myself, but my father and many other folks I know are huge fans. Plus, he’s a heck of a nice guy!
Children’s Picture Book:
Aliens Love Underpants (Claire Freedman & Ben Cort)
Young Readers/Chapter Book:
Tunnels (Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams)
Young Adult Fiction:
The Owl Service (by Alan Garner)
Literary Fiction:
The House of Leaves (by Mark Z. Danielewski)
History:
The Colony (by John Tayman)
Sci-Fi/Fantasy:
The Scar (by China Mieville)
Sci-Fi/Fantasy:
Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
Young Adult / Young Readers Chapter Fiction:
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
YA Fiction – Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher
My thoughts -
* History
I would suggest Great Tales from English History by Robert Lacey – two volumes, can go with either, very easy and entertaining introduction to many true and not so true events in English history.
* Sci-Fi/Fantasy
I’d suggest Guy Gavriel Kay – he has a number of stand-alone works for people who are shy of fantasy as well as a series or two. Highest on the list would be The Lions of al-Rassan. Or, for a more typical fantasy, Brandon Sanderson’s Elantris is engaging and also stand-alone for new fantasy readers.
Here are some poetry recommendations:
For the adult crowd–
Human Dark With Sugar by Brenda Shaughnessy
Sex at Noon Taxes by sally van doren
Trying to Understand the Lunar Eclipse by Carol Dine
For those interested in the Beat Generation:
Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s Coney Island of the Mind
For the kiddos:
Hip Hop Speaks to Children by Nikki Giovanni
Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Where the sidewalk ends by Shel Silverstein
Check this list:
http://necromancyneverpays.blogspot.com/2008/12/book-buying-meme.html
Check this listing as well:
http://savvyverseandwit.blogspot.com/2008/11/weekly-geeks-25-book-buying-tips-for.html
* Literary Fiction
Margaret Atwood–The Blind Assassin
* Creative Nonfiction
Anything by David Sedaris.
* Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Kazuo Ishiguro–Never Let Me Go. It’s categorized under fiction, but I think it’s fairly sci-fi-ish.
Children’s picture book:
Mattland by Hazel Hutchins and Gail Herbert
Animals are Sleeping by Suzanne Slade
The Dragonfly Secret by John and Clea Adams
The Barenaked Book by Kathy Stinson
Young readers/chapter book
Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix (also for fantasy)
Young Adult Fiction
Leslie’s Journal by Allan Strattond
Pact of the Wolves by Nina Blazon
Swimming in the Monsoon Sea by Shyam Selvadurai
Sisters of Misery by Megan Kellley Hall
Memoir/Biography
The Sky Isn’t VIsible From Here by Felicia Sullivan
I Sleep at Red Lights by Bruce Stockler
One Child by Torey L. Hayden
Have You Found Her by Janice Erlbaum
Literary Fiction
(don’t know what literary fiction is but for fiction:)
The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
Chasing the Dead by Joe Schreiber
Creative Nonfiction
(what’s creative nonfiction? For nonfiction:)
Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
Is it Hot in Here or Is It me? by Gayle Sands
Woman: An Intimate Geography by Natalie Angier
Hope that helps a bit.
You’ve probably given the talk already, but I figured I’d jump in anyways!
Children’s picture books:
Frankenstein Takes the Cake by Adam Rex
The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
Young Adult Fiction
The Unnameables by Ellen Booraem (this might be more towards the middle grade level, though)
Flora Segunda by Ysabeau S. Wilce
Literary Fiction
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres. It’s an older title, but it’s so worth it.
Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald. Ditto.
Creative Nonfiction
The Meaning of Everything by Simon Winchester
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
I’ve got tons of fantasy suggestions for adults, young adults and children up on my blog.
[...] Help me out! [...]