thePULSEGreat Gift Ideas: Books!
By Annette Cinelli
The holidays are right around the corner and if there’s anything more stressful than trying to find a parking space on a Saturday afternoon at the mall, it’s trying to find the perfect gift for all of your friends and family. Well, skip the mall and head straight to the bookstore (or to Amazon.com) for the perfect gift for everyone on your list.
The Rocker
Looking for the something cool to get your roommate the music lover? Or your dad, the Cream fan? Then pick up Clapton: The Autobiography, penned by the guitar legend himself. The book spans his life, covering his childhood, early career as a musician, drug problem, and ultimate recovery. There are excerpts from some of his diaries and interesting insights into his songs, fellow musicians, and love life. He talks about his relationship with Pattie Boyde, George Harrison’s first wife, and reveals that it was “…not the incredibly romantic affair it has been portrayed as being.” This book is a great read and a thoughtful gift for the rock-n-roll fan in your life.
The Engaged Girlfriend
Altared: Bridezillas, Bewilderment, Big Love, Breakups, and What Women Really Think About Contemporary Weddings, edited by Colleen Curran, is not only good for your engaged best friend, it’s good for anyone who’s daydreamed about getting married or who’s been a guest or bridesmaid at a wedding. The compilation is filled with stories from a variety of contemporary female authors and topics range from Samina Ali’s traditional and arranged Hyderabadi Muslim wedding to Anne Carle’s story Weddings Aren’t Just For Straight People Anymore. There’s also Lori Leibovich’s My So-Called Indie Wedding in which she talks about her manifesto that urges brides to “…break free from the tulle handcuffs that had been binding women for centuries and make sure that our weddings reflected our fiery, feminist selves.” She then goes on to describe her traditional wedding at a restored barn in Western MA, complete with a white wedding dress and “…a cathedral-length piece of tulle” on top of her head. The stories are funny and moving and a great read for over the holidays.
The Traveler
For your friend who loves to travel, pick up The Best American Travel Writing 2007 by Susan Orlean (editor) and Jason Wilson (series editor). This collection includes amazing travel stories previously featured in the New Yorker, Los Angeles Times Magazine, and GQ, including one about a trip to Africa that involved chewing Khat, a stimulant that causes extreme euphoria. It also includes a profile of an overweight man who treks across the country to lose weight and find happiness. The adventurer in your life is sure to love this showcase of the best travel writing from 2006.
The Funny Guy (or Gal)
If you are looking for a gift for the friend or relative who loves to laugh, why not pick up comedian Stephen Colbert’s I Am America (And So Can You!), a satirical look at hot button topics like religion, higher education, and immigration. Fans of Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report” will definitely enjoy this book, as it is written in the same style as the hilariously scathing show. Just make sure not to give the book to a right-winged friend, he or she may not see the joke!
The All-Around Book Lover
If you are looking to pick up a great book for the friend (male or female) who simply loves to read, pick up Tom Perrotta’s latest novel, The Abstinence Teacher. Best known for his New York Times bestselling novel Little Children, Perrotta once again explores trouble in suburbia. The story centers around Ruth, a divorced mother of two Sex Ed teacher who gets in trouble when she informs her class of high school freshman that some people enjoy oral sex. The local church group gets in an uproar and before she knows it she’s in the midst of a crisis. Things get worse when she catches a church member, her daughter’s soccer coach, leading the team in prayer. Perrotta’s books, with their departure from stereotypical characters and saccharine endings, are insightful and well written, a welcome change from the fluff that is out there. You might want to pick up a copy for yourself, too!
