Book Notes

Sure-to-please gift suggestions for adults, teens

By: Joan Ruddiman
   For those "must send a gift" adults on your list who are "impossible to buy for," why not give a book? But then the doubts set in. What does she like? What hasn’t he read? The following is intended to be helpful in offering some titles that have been well received in my reading circle and which may spur other titles that could be the perfect fit.
   The intent here is to offer a range of genres, some that are gender specific, some not. Think, too, of older teen readers — high school and college age — who read for fun.
   All the notables have new titles out just in time for the big buying season. A quick run down the bestseller list offers some gift ideas.
   For the romantic two who turn on the tears have brand new titles. Mitch Albom’s "For One More Day" (Hyperion, 2006) and Nicholas Sparks’ "Dear John" (Warner, 2006) will make those sweet ladies (old or young) on your list sigh and smile. Package with a box tissues.
   Who could imagine a Stephen King novel in the romance aisle? Mr. Horror is a dedicated writer who dabbles in a range of genres — children’s books, graphic novels, westerns — and now with "Lisey’s Story" (Scribner, 2006), a supernatural thriller/romance. The book has gathered strong reviews and accolades for this daring storyteller.
   A neat gift for readers of Jan Karon’s Mitford series is "The Mitford Bedside Companion" (Viking Adult, 2006). The full title of this book says it all: "A Treasury of Favorite Mitford Moments, Author Reflections on the Bestselling Series and More, Much More." Since 1996, over the span of nine novels, fans have embraced lovable Father Tim, his lovely Cynthia and some 700 townsfolk of Mitford. With their own personal companion, readers can relive favorite scenes, review casts of characters, do a crossword puzzle, try out some recipes — it is a fan’s delight.
   A Midwesterner in my circle reads Sandra Dallas, a Midwest native. Ms. Dallas covers a range of historical eras, all with strong female characters and a lot of crafting. Her books are really popular in the West. I’m trying her out with East Coast friends and recently enjoyed "Alice’s Tulips" (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2000), which is like "Cold Mountain," but goes down easier. Newly-wed Alice is barely 18 years old when she moves in with her mother-in-law — the imposing Mother Bullock — while her husband goes off to fight Johnny Reb.
   Ms. Dallas is known for creating characters that tell their story and the stories of those around them in powerful first-person voice. The details of daily life of women left to farm, raise children and defend themselves and the little they own are vividly conveyed in the letters Alice writes to her sister throughout the duration of the Civil War. Central to the story is Alice’s quilting that preserves her patience and aides the soldiers who receive hand-stitched quilts from the town’s sewing circle. Ms. Dallas infuses tidbits about quilt patterns and history of quilting in each chapter.
   Emily Giffin does her own version of "Sex in the City" with fluffy romances that have an underlying redeeming edge of reality. Darcy, the perfect woman, loses out to her plain-Jane pal in "Something Borrowed" (St. Martin’s Press, 2005) and then finds her new and better self in the equally fun romance "Something Blue" (2006). If your friend likes these, follow up in the next round of gift-giving with "Baby Proof" (2006).
   For those who prefer edgier characters and plots, there’s an array of styles from which to choose.
   Carl Hiaasen’s stuff is hard to classify, but easy to enjoy. He may be the funniest thing about Florida — after the drivers and voters, as the joke goes. His latest, "Nature Girl" (Knopf, 2006), mixes manic characters with hi-jinks in the Everglades. Forgive the silly plot. Hiaasen aptly entertains as he skewers social norms in laugh-out-loud scenes.
   Also in a class by himself is Jasper Fforde who now romps through fairy tales in a very adult way. The puns, literary allusions and wicked parody he used to great affect with classic literature — beginning with "The Eyre Affair" (Penguin, 2003), the first in his Thursday Next series — he now applies to his Nursery Crime series. In "The Fourth Bear" (Viking Penguin, 2006) the reader finds Jack Spratt, an investigator with the Nursery Crime Division of the Reading Police Department, tangling with the sadistic Gingerbreadman. Share Mr. Fforde’s work with older teens, who will love you for it.
   Older teens will also enjoy the re-tooled Oz by Gregory Maguire. Mr. Maguire’s spoof of the Wizard of Oz story, "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" (Regan Books, 1995), has been around for a while and even made it to Broadway. "Wicked" and "Son of a Witch," (Regan Books, 2005) are the flip side to Frank Baum’s classic tale with heroic Dorothy, in which witches have feelings, too, and a complete social and psychological history thanks to Mr. Maguire’s richly created fantasies.
   For those who think fantasy reading is silly and just for kids, the great Lloyd Alexander said, "Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality, it’s a way to understanding it." Nonetheless, if your gift recipient would be more receptive to realism, there are good mysteries galore.
   A teen reader in my circle recommends books in David Baldacci’s international espionage action series. "The Collectors" (Warner, 2006), is the sequel to "The Camel Club," (2005) where a group of old-timers step in to keep a CIA renegade at bay. A murder at the Library of Congress, a sleazy Atlantic City casino owner and double-crossing double agents make for a fast-paced, contemporary mystery.
   Baldacci writes in the style of early John Grisham novels. Mr. Grisham, on the other hand, has taken his legal thrillers to a new realm with his first non-fiction, "The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town" (Doubleday, 2006). Grisham couldn’t pass up this case that he found to be better than fiction.
   James Patterson is back with "Cross" (Little, Brown and Co., 2006), his baker’s dozen. For long-time readers, his 13th book finally returns to the story of investigator Alex Cross’s wife, who was murdered in 1993. The violence is ugly and the bad guy is really scary, but good-guy Alex is tenacious in digging up the truth.
   For horror with a supernatural bent, Dean Koontz is king. "Brother Odd" (Bantam, 2006), the third in his Odd Thomas series, is another for the older adolescent readers, given that Odd Thomas is now 21.
   For the hard-to-please guy, who sometimes likes to read, Michael Crichton’s "Next" (Harper Collins, 2006) might be just the thing. Crichton freaks us out with his wild blend of facts and science fiction. He’s tackled global warming and nanotechnology, now Mr. Crichton launches into the potential and perils of gene therapy.
   So there you have a variety of ideas to jump-start some shopping. Next week look for non-fiction for adults who just love to read.
   Joan Ruddiman, Ed. D., is a teacher and friend of the Allentown Public Library. She is also a reading specialist who is always happy to share reading ideas.