Last January, you loaded up.
You loaded up on all the leftover, on-sale, clearance-priced Christmas wrapping paper you could lay your hands on. You bought Hanukkah bags, Santa wrap, gifty things with poinsettias and reindeer and holly, and you put it all away because you knew darn well that you’d use it in due time.
Well, now’s the time.
You got the paper out. You just need to find things to use it with.
But sometimes, it’s hard to find just the right thing for everybody on your list, isn’t it? There’s always somebody who’s impossible to buy for — and that’s when you should head to the bookstore to look for these great reads.
Novels
Set in Minnesota as the last century began, “The Lighthouse Road” by Peter Geye is a book about homesickness, love, survival and life the way our ancestors lived. This novel is set in the winter, and is so evocative you’ll want an extra blanket when you take it by the fireplace to read.
And speaking of snow, here’s another cold-weather novel to give: “The Vanishing Act” by Mette Jakobsen. It’s the story of a father and daughter who live on a snow-covered island. When a dead boy washes up on the shore one day, the young girl tries to learn the truth about him and about her mother’s death.
So your giftee loves his (or her) cell phone above all else? Then wrap up “Hidden Things” by Doyce Testerman. When a mysterious text message arrives from her best friend, a woman wonders what he’s talking about — and then the police arrive. Her BFF is dead. So how did he leave her a message an hour before he died? (I’m not telling. Give the book).
Another book about friendship and dastardly secrets is “The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D.” by Nichole Bernier. It’s the story of a journal found when a woman dies, and the realization of the woman’s best friend that she never knew the woman at all.
Novel lovers will be so happy when they unwrap “Motherland” by Amy Sohn. This is a book about five mothers and fathers in various places around New York City, and how they deal with modern marriage and relationships. This book is perfect when teamed with a new mug and a box of hot cocoa.
Another book novel-lovers will eat up is “One Last Thing Before I Go” by Jonathan Tropper, which is the story of one man’s last days and his attempt to fix what’s broken before he’s gone.
Is someone on your list bereft because there’s no new “Twilight” book this season? Fear not, and wrap up “Dark Frost” by Jennifer Estep. This book — the next in the Mythos Academy series — is dark, mysterious and romantic, and it’s just the thing for your favorite undead novel-lover.
Another book to try is “The Taken” by Vicki Pettersson. That’s a mystery set between mortal and immortal worlds, where whodunit might be more like WHATdunit.
What would your giftee do if she knew the future? Would she know you wrapped up “The Lost Prince” by Selden Edwards for her? This is the story of a woman who believes that she knows every historical event that will happen for the rest of her life. So will she let things happen, or will she try to change the way events unfold?
You know how much your friends love to read. So why not wrap up “Heft” by Liz Moore? This is a novel about an unlikely friendship between a 550-pound man and a 17-year-old kid who is living a life he never expected. Give it to your friend – then borrow it back.
Another book about a friendship – this one, not what it seems – is “Man in the Blue Moon” by Michael Morris. It’s the story of a single mother who befriends a banker who offers to help, but he’s no help at all…
Somewhere on your list is a person who loves street lit. That’s the person who wants to see “Murderville: The Epidemic” by Ashley & JaQuavis beneath the tree. This is a shoot-em-up thriller about gangstas, girls, and grit but beware: this ain’t Grandma’s murder mystery!
Another book to try is “You Get What You Play For” by Jeff Farley. That’s the story of a Brooklyn girl with dreams, and what happens when she gives them up for the love of a boy who’s wrong for her.
