Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Books for Christmas

We're done traveling (for a few days), so I wanted to share with you all the books we got for Christmas!  Books are a favorite gift at our house and for extended family.  Here's a summary of the grown-up books we gave and received; to see what kids/teen books we exchanged, check out Great Books for Kids and Teens.
  • My husband, Ken, thrilled me on Christmas morning with several books I've been dying to read.  I've already started Great House by Nicole Krauss.  I really loved her earlier novel, The History of Love, so I've been looking forward to reading this one.  It's a little rambly and confusing so far, but I'm only 14 pages in.
  • He also gave me Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks.  I have loved every one of Brooks' novels and can't wait to read this one!
  • And he gave me Time and Again by Jack Finney because he knows how much I love novels with a time travel plot.  I heard about this one when my favorite podcast, Books On the Nightstand, did a recent show on time travel books.
  • I gave Ken the latest Harry Bosch novel, The Drop by Michael Connelly (we both enjoy his novels).
  • I also gave Ken Erik Larson's latest, In the Garden of Beasts.  He and I both really enjoyed Larson's Devil in the White City.  I will probably read this one when he is done!
  • And I gave Ken a Kindle Fire!  He travels quite a bit and doesn't really have his own computer for home (just a work laptop), so he is really having fun with this.  He downloaded a 99 cent suspense novel for this trip.
  • I gave my mom, who is an avid reader, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, because I'd heard so many fabulous reviews and figured it was new enough that she hasn't read it yet.  I suspect I will be borrowing it from her at some point!  Isn't that the best kind of gift??
  • And we gave her husband, a football fan, 100 Yards of Glory: The Greatest Moments in NFL History, a huge coffee table book filled with pictures and text.
How about you?  What books and book-related items did YOU get for the holidays?  Hope you are enjoying some time off with your family.

4 comments:

  1. Hmmm so many books so little time!
    This Christmas I received a book called The Monsoon Bride by Michelle Aung Thin which was set in Burma in the 30s..a place I'd never read about before. It was a good read partly because of that. My husband received Panic by David Marr, a collection of political essays about fear-mongering in Australian...he loved it...and a collection of Paul Keating's post PrimeMinisterial speeches. Our kids received about 6 books which I won't list all of but it was a v good Christmas for all! I also bought for my mum (and read!) Death Comes To Pemberley...the PD James novel set in Darcy and Elizabeth's house! Fun read, especially for Pride and Prejudice fans! I have Stephanie Plum 18 on my bedside table now....and recovered CFS sufferer Alastair Lynch's book on the ipad! Love holiday reading!

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  2. Wow, Annie, you're right - lot of good books! I've been hearing lots of good things about Death Comes to Pemberley, but I suppose I should read a Jane Austen novel first!

    Stephanie Plum is always fun for holiday or summer reading!

    The book by the recovered CFS person sounds interesting - let me know if you learn anything good!

    Sue

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  3. Books are the perfect gift aren't they. You got some good ones and your husband has a generous wife --Kindle Fire --way to go!

    Happy New Years Sue.

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  4. Books as gifts, to give and receive, are fantastic, aren't they? Happy New Year :)

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