So far I haven’t been inspired by the holiday picks on Amazon and Indigo. At least the Globe and Mail top 100 books had some interesting selections, as did the New York Times. In general though, there were books I thought should be on the list and weren’t.
Here are my reads and picks for the year.
Monique’s Teen, Tween and Kid Picks
I only have 5 picks because a lot of teens and tweens read adult books. But these are the books I read this year and thought were fun. My favourite is You’re a Bad Man, Mr. Gum by Andy Stanton. The jacket copy says, “Good evening. Mr Gum is a complete horror who hates children, animals, fun, and corn on the cob. This book’s all about him. And an angry fairy who lives in his bathtub. And Jake the dog, and a little girl called Polly and an evil, stinky butcher all covered in guts. And there’s heroes and sweets and adventures and everything.”
But if you don’t like my choices, check out Indigo’s Junior Advisor Book Picks: these tweens and teens have picked and reviewed the books they like. If you want to know what to buy for people aged 12-17 then go to the source.
Monique’s Fiction Picks
My number one pick is James’ novel Up in Ontario. I think the storytelling is superb and I’m not just saying that because we live together. It’s a good story for male and female readers. I point that out because men often are reluctant to pick up fiction titles. They tend to prefer nonfiction titles. But this is a good boy story. I highly recommend it.
I have 12 picks in total. All are books I’ve read or am going to read. Highlights are Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman, The Garneau Block by Todd Babiak, A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon, and Margarettown by Gabrielle Zevin.
Monique’s Nonfiction Picks
I have 10 picks here. My ultimate favourite book this year was Made to Break by Giles Slade. It’s the book for people interested in things, how they work, and where and why we do things the way we do. Saying it’s a history of consumerism makes it seem less interesting than it is, but think about how you’d describe Freakonomics or The Tipping Point. This is a book of ideas.
My other fav is A Year of Adventures by Lonely Planet. It’s a coffee table book with beautiful photos and inspiration for every day of the year. The book answers the question: If you could be anywhere in the world today, where would the best place be and what would you be doing?
What’s the book you want to receive as a gift? What book do you want to buy for everyone on your list?
Tell me your holiday picks.