With most of you, I’ve been shopping this week. I searched three toy stores (unsuccessfully) for the Rockin’ Sockin’ Boxer Game and stood in line at Walmart for the latest must-have video game. I bought jackets at the Gap and exercise stuff at Sportmart. Then, with delight, I finally staggered into my favorite bookstore to do the shopping I like best, and decided to share some of the results with you. A book is the perfect gift: one size fits all, you don’t have to feed it, and it’s easy to wrap and ship. As a special treat, consider buying a beautiful, hardback copy of a classic work of literature rather than the paperback. (It’s nice to pass a book along to one’s children with the cover still attached!) I was delighted recently to see my nephew receive a beautiful leather-bound copy of his favorite novel (The Count of Monte Cristo) from his new bride for his birthday. I thought that a very nice tradition for a new family.
Here then, are a few great books that most people would love to own, and that you might want to put on your personal wish list:
Books for Men:
The Old Man and the Boy, by Robert Ruark: A sweet tale about a boy raised by his grandfather in rural North Carolina. (I’m giving this to my Dad this year; don’t tell him.)
We Were Soldiers Once, and Young, by Harold G. Moore: The true account of the first major battle of Vietnam, by the man who led it. You’ll believe in heroes again.
All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque: Wrenching saga of WWI, and one of the greatest war novels ever written.
The Three Musketeers, Alexander Dumas: Don’t be fooled by its vintage; Dumas has today’s bestsellers beat for action and intrigue. Any man who likes to read will love it.
A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson: Perfect for an outdoorsman with a sense of humor.
Books for Women:
A Gift from the Sea, Anne Morrow Lindbergh: A classic, always inspiring. For a thoughtful reader you might pair it with No More Words, by Reeve Lindbergh, the account of the last two years of Anne’s life. Anyone who has experienced caring for an elderly, ailing parent will relate to her honest, moving memoir.
Delta Wedding, Eudora Welty: Welty is my new favorite Southerner. A gorgeous book for someone who loves great writing.
A Room With a View, E.M. Forster: A beautiful tribute to true love, and funny besides. Forster captures an England that now exists only in fiction.
How Green Was My Valley, Richard Llwellyn: A story to savor, a family you want to know, and a part of the world that supplied many of the early pioneers.
O, Pioneers! Willa Cather: Any book of Cather’s is a joy to read; this is one of her best.
Books for Both:
The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy: PBS just did a miniseries of this. The “saga” is actually three novels about a prosperous English family, and a big, wonderful read.
Keys of the Kingdom, A.J. Cronin: This book drew the most responses of any book we read in the Best Books Club. Cronin’s story of a humble priest is life-changing.
The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck: A book just doesn’t get any better than this. If you haven’t read this as an adult it will speak to you in a new way.
Books for Smart Kids:
If you have a child who loved Harry Potter and the Ring Trilogy as much as mine did, I recommend some classic tales of adventure and fantasy.
Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson: Still great, and a nice book to give in hardback.
King Solomon’s Mines, H. Rider Haggard: We could not put this book down. A kid who likes Indiana Jones will go nuts over this, and get a little smarter while reading it.
The Neverending Story, Michael Ende: A beautiful fantasy with a wonderful message, great characters and thrilling action sequences. We love this book at our house.
David Copperfield, Charles Dickens: A teenager can read this book, and should. Dickens (like tomatoes or cottage cheese) is delicious, but requires a certain maturity of taste.
In addition to the old favorites, there are a couple of new books that look very promising. Harry Potter’s crossover appeal to adults has inspired several writers of adult fiction to write for younger readers. Foremost among the new offerings is Summerland, by Michael Chabon, a story about baseball and saving the world. This is listed as one of the best new books of 2002 in several journals. Though I haven’t yet read it, I bought this for my son for Christmas. Also, there is a German author named Cornelia Funko who is being hailed as the next J.K. Rowling. Her book, The Thief Lord, is now available in English and might interest your young reader. Of course, you’ll want to preview these last two selections.
This is just a sampling of books that might touch a reader in your life. If you have a difficult someone to please, drop me a line and I’ll see if I can help you. I’m most happy to get books for Christmas, and I’m sure many people on your list would rather have a good book than another tie or a fruit basket!
Well, my fellow readers, I have been writing these articles for two years now. I am going to devote some time to putting them into a book about classic literature, so I’ll only turn up in Meridian now and then with something of interest. Thank you for your letters about the selections you have enjoyed. You can reach me at bestbooks@meridianmagazine“>bestbooks@meridianmagazine>, so please continue to write me with your thoughts about books, and keep reading!
