‘95 Gift Guide Pages Are Perfect Presents
A Christmas morning without a book under the tree lacks a certain sparkle. But true book-lovers have the perfect remedy: a new title for everyone on the gift list.
With the help of staff from Auntie’s Bookstore in downtown Spokane, we found a selection of great Christmas books, new writing from regional authors, and other got-to-have gifts.
Christmas books: “Politically Correct Holiday Stories” by James Finn Garner (MacMillan), $9.95. No more patriarchal stereotypes or subjugation of wild animals this Christmas. Rudolph, the Nasally Empowered Reindeer, and other funny tales.
“The Christmas Box” by Richard Paul Evans (Simon & Schuster), $12.95. A young family moves in with a widow and together they learn what Christmas is all about.
“Santa Speaks” (Collins), $9.95. Color photographs and departmentstore Santas. It’s the “wit and wisdom of Santas across the nation.”
Regional authors: “The Salt Dancers” by Ursula Hegi (Simon & Schuster), $22. Forty-one-year-old Julia returns home to Spokane to face her father and the betrayal in her past. Serious novel, but there’s still fun to be had in picking out mentions of swimming in Lake Coeur d’Alene, searching for swans at Cannon Hill Park, and ordering strawberry sundaes “in silver goblets, garnished with lacy wafers” in the restaurant of the Davenport Hotel.
“Snow Falling on Cedars” by David Guterson of Bainbridge Island (Vintage), $12, softcover. This Pen/ Faulkner award-winning first novel is set in the Puget Sound of 1954. The New York Times called it “compelling … heart-stopping. Finely wrought, flawlessly written.”
“The Reservation Blues” by one of Spokane’s favorite celebrity authors, Sherman Alexie (Atlantic Monthly Press), $21. A first novel set on the Spokane Indian Reservation.
“Whispers of Love” by Mitch Finley (Crossroad), $19.95, non-fiction. Amazing stories of people’s encounters with deceased friends and relatives.
Great picks: “Material World: A Global Family Portrait” by Peter Menzel (Sierra Club Books), $20. This fascinating collection is not to be missed. Families are photographed from around the globe, surrounded by every last one of their possessions. Each family is statistically average for their country, and the photos themselves illustrate both the material disparity and the common humanity among us all.
“The Children’s Book of Virtues” edited by William J. Bennett (Simon & Schuster), $20. Bennett’s collection of famous tales from around the globe are beautifully illustrated here by Michael Hague. Perfect for any child in need of the elements of good character: honesty, courage, compassion.
Gift boxes: Consider a selection of four softcover titles from a favorite author, such as “The Complete Fiction” of Barbara Kingsolver. This gift box includes “The Bean Trees,” “Animal Dreams,” “Pigs in Heaven” and “Homeland and Other Stories.”
Stocking stuffers: Tiny paperback books of 60 classics have been published by Penguin USA this Christmas. Perfect for stockings, they include Leo Tolstoy’s “Master and Man,” Henry James’ “Daisy Miller,” and “The Revelation of St. John The Divine,” from The Holy Bible King James Version. They’re called Penguin 60s, and they’re $1.49 apiece.
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