Books as Gifts

It's that time of year again, the gift-giving season. One of my favorite gifts to give and get are books. I love to share a good book that I've found and Christmas is the perfect time to do that. So, here's my favorite go-to books for the year.

For younger readers: Elliot and the Goblin War by Jennifer A. Nielsen. Elliot inadvertantly starts an interspecies war after rescuing a brownie on Halloween. The artwork is as fun as the prose. Great book for kids 8+ or to read to younger children. Trust me, you'll enjoy it as much as they do.

For older kids: The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. Loved, loved these books. Loved the movie too (it's on my wish list). Perfect combo gift for a preteen or young teen, the DVD and the first book. But beware, once they read the first book, they will want the next one, and the next one...I just finished The Lost Hero, and highly recommend it as well.

For teenagers: I'm jumping on the Hunger Games trilogy bandwagon. The books by Suzanne Collins are intense, action-packed, and leave you wondering how you'd handle the games. If they haven't read it, they should. You all should. Great books.

For your best friend, I'd recommend any Sarah Addison Allen book, starting with Garden Spells, moving onto The Sugar Queen and her latest book, The Girl Who Chased The Moon. Each one is a lovely, magical little journey.

Kristin Hannah's The Winter Garden was also one of my favorites this year. Not as light, but I couldn't put it down. And it made me think.

Lucy by Lawrence Gonzales is a good book for those on your list who are missing Michael Crichton about now. It reminded me of the best of Crichton's work, the ones that had a combination of action and heart.

I could go on and on. But these are just a few of my favorites and I hope you find something you'd like to give to someone on your list. And if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them, because I'm always open to a new book, a new author, a new obsession.