My Favorite Books to Give: Thrillers

My fiancé and I have had the following conversation more times than I can count:

• Him: Let’s watch XX movie.
• Me: That’s a war movie. I don’t like war movies.
• Him: It’s not REALLY about war, it just takes place during a war.
• Me: Still a war movie, dear.

I’m not big on war movies, which would typically (and rightfully) imply that I also don’t read a lot of books about war. And yet, this is a book I’ve read several times and love, despite the war as a backdrop.

The Wolf’s Hour is about a Russian national turned British spy during WWII… who happens to be a werewolf. Michael/Mikhail is enlisted by the Brits and the Americans to track down some troubling news out of Paris regarding a new weapon that threatens the fate of D-Day. He meets some amazing fellow spies and truly ruthless Nazi’s along the way.

And yet, what I love about this book isn’t the super exciting WWII thriller stuff… it’s the secondary story of how Mikhail was made a werewolf. After seeing his family executed during the Russian Revolution, he flees into the woods and is bitten by a wolf. As he changes, he is taken in by the wolf pack, headed up by Wiktor. Wiktor teaches him Latin, the classics, and how to be a wolf.

The author is truly gifted in crafting a simultaneously lilting and brutal narrative. This is a great book for history buffs, thrill seekers, and horror-lovers. It is not, however, a good gift for anyone with a weak stomach due to some very, very gory moments.

My Favorite Books to Give: Modern Classics

 Some might argue that this title is just a classic. Period. I wouldn’t argue back.

Though he is known as one of the founding fathers of magical realism, Gabriel Garcia Marquez wrote one of my favorite romance novels of all time. Put away thoughts of Harlequin books with torn-shirted men on the cover and think of real, true, passionate, timeless love.

And there you have Love in the Time of Cholera. If you know someone who reads too much Danielle Steele or believes Nicholas Spark to be the ultimate expert on love, I strongly suggest giving her (or him, I suppose) this book.

Here is the Amazon description, which is pretty spot on:

In their youth, Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza fall passionately in love. When Fermina eventually chooses to marry a wealthy, well-born doctor, Florentino is devastated, but he is a romantic. As he rises in his business career he whiles away the years in 622 affairs--yet he reserves his heart for Fermina. Her husband dies at last, and Florentino purposefully attends the funeral. Fifty years, nine months, and four days after he first declared his love for Fermina, he will do so again.

Seriously… it’s a bit slow to get into, but it will make women everywhere swoon in a far more genuine way than Ryan Gosling rowing a boat in a lake of swans (for real, Nicholas Sparks, for real?).

My Favorite Books to Give: Women’s Fiction

Women’s fiction is such a tricky genre to classify. I’ve found that this term tends to make people think more Sex and the City instead of The Handmaid’s Tale. I use it to describe the latter—strong literary fiction written by a strong woman, and often (but not always) containing themes related to feminism. Based on my personal definition, women’s fiction is one of my very favorite genres.

And this is one of my new-found favorite books in this genre.

The Hours by Michael Cunningham has something in common with The Keep (from my last entry): I saw the movie first. I enjoyed the film, especially Nicole Kidman’s portrayal of Virginia Woolf. Again, like The Keep, I later saw the book at Goodwill and picked it up for later.

Later, as it turns out, was over Thanksgiving. I ripped through this novel in three days. Or, I should say, this book ripped through me. As good as the film was at showing the superficial action of the book in the form of the intertwining stories of three women, it did little to capture the subtle and riveting undertones of love, mortality, and despair that permeate this novel.

If you have any Margaret Atwood fans in your life, I strongly suggest The Hours as a holiday gift. It is a book that grabs you, holds you, and then stays with you long after you close the cover.

My Favorite Books to Give: Adult Paranormal

And my December series on the best books to give marches on.

I originally started this post with “I don’t read a lot of horror…” and then began listing the exceptions. As I moved rapidly through that list, I actually realized that I do, in fact, read a lot of horror. However, I must clarify that my initial assertion against the genre should actually be “I don’t read a lot of books that scare me.”

This one is an exception.

My first exposure to F. Paul Wilson’s The Keep was in high school. I randomly stumbled on the direct-to-VHS movie version of this book, which is rich with now-famous faces (including Jurgen Prachnow, Scott Glenn, and a fairly young Ian McKellan) as well as an awesomely bad soundtrack by Tangerine Dream. My lifelong love of bad horror movies meant that this rather awful film had be at the first weird synthesizer note.

A few years later, I came across the novel at a yard sale and instantly purchased it. I was immediately drawn into the story of a garrison of German soldiers staying at a remote keep in Romania during World War II. The keep is something of a mystery, as its walls are lined with nickel crosses and the structure appears as if it was built to keep something in instead of out.

In this keep, the soldiers learn to fear the dark as they are murdered by an unseen force one by one. The Reich sends in back up in the form of the SS, and a Jewish history professor with a special knowledge of the keep.

Beyond a simple scare, this book has a rich story full of moral questions, and lessons on how life is so seldom black and white.

My Favorite Books to Give: Paranormal YA

When I was 10, I gave everyone in my family books for Christmas. At that age, Christmas is still something magical and nebulous. To me, the holiday extended beyond the gifts under the tree and Amy Grant’s Christmas album playing on repeat in the background. Christmas was a feeling, an excitement that was almost tangible. As such, books represented the perfect gift to me—something that could also create that infinite feeling.

I’m older now, with somewhat more practical concerns. Nonetheless, I am still a frequent book-giver, and still hope that my gifts will impart a little of that infinite feeling to the receivers.

Thus, what better way to blog through December than a list of my favorite books to give? Today’s edition… for your paranormal YA lover.

Have you seen a YA reader in your life reading Twilight… and grimaced? I admit to devouring Meyer’s whole series when in my 20’s (and secretly loving it), but I hate the idea of young girls reading Bella Swan. Young women should have strong female characters in their life! And so, I am happy to recommend Chasing Memories by my good friend Tia Bach.

Take a break from vampires and zombies and check out this novel with a hint of Lycan and a whole bunch of girl power. Bach’s main character Reagan is OK with saying no to her sex-starved boyfriend, and much more worried about the changes she is facing after a strange animal attack than about what the hottest trend is.

For the 13 and over in your life, Chasing Memories is an engrossing read, and a delightful gift!

Recommendations for Friday Fun- The Gift Edition, Volume 2

Onward with my theme of my favorite gifts that I have given and recieved!

Given: 
My nephew was born during a tumultuous time in my family. My sister lived on another continent, and my Mom's battle with cancer was not going well. When we planned to do an early baby shower for her when she was in town, I knew I wanted to put together a gift that was great.

What I ended up giving my nephew was memories. I made copies of dozens of old photographs, and wrote an introduction to each member of the family he was joining. He's still way too young to even understand it, but I will be very happy when one day he can.

Recieved:
When I was fourteen my grandfather took me to my first Broadway show, The Sound of Music. I tried to catalog every single sensation from that day and lock it into memory. I remember the crowd on the street in front of the theater, the smell of the concession stand, what I was wearing (which included very impractical shoes), and how amazingly clear Maria's voice rang out through the auditorium. It is truly a day I will cherish forever.

Now that we're almost to December and the official gift giving season, what are your favorites?

Recommendations for Friday Fun

Today, my recommendation is simple: Stay home! Unless you are one of the nut jobs that lives for Black Friday sales, in which case, enjoy the insanity!

To me, this Friday is always fun because it is the Friday where I start to fill my house with Christmas cheer. I love Christmas so much, and wait impatiently all year for this time to begin so I can indulge in one of my favorite activities-- gift giving! I love few things that delight me more than thinking of, procuring, wrapping, and giving those I love gifts.

So instead of my normal Friday Fun, for the next month, I want to honor some of my favorite gifts, those I have given and those I have received. And I would love for everyone else to share theirs as well! Here goes:

Given:
Last year, one of my very best friends was involved in a long term relationship. She missed the man who was a continent away, and was dealing with some tough issues here. I wanted to give her something that would make her laugh, so I assembled a collection of mini boyfriend tokens. For her love of Eric Northman, there was a bathroom window cling in his likeness. To address her adoration of the Battlestar Gallactica flight suit, there was a Lee Adama action figure. And just in case she needed more, I found a "Grow a Boyfriend" kit in Vegas that reminded me of sea monkeys. I was so excited to give it to her, and even more excited that I succeeded in making her laugh!

Recieved: 
My mom was sort of infamous for giving bizarre presents. She shared my love of gift-giving, and about 70% of the time, she picked amazing gifts. The other 30% of the time... well, she once put tampons in my Easter Basket. The year she first got sick, she crocheted me this beautiful black and white shawl. I am so afraid something will happen to it that I almost never wear it. But she worked so hard on it and it was 100% my taste and I loved her for the effort, as well as for her excitement about it!