Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Tis the Season for Spreading Cheer Book Contest!


I know, I know! I'm jumping the gun. I'm the person that complains when stores put Christmas decorations up in July. Give Labor Day, Halloween and Thanksgiving their time to shine before you start decking those halls.

On the other hand, I'm also the person that starts playing Christmas music the day before Thanksgiving, while I'm up cooking. I was going to wait until then to spring my holiday layout on you, but I couldn't wait! Blame Donny Hathaway's This Christmas, but I felt the need to share it with you today.

Anyway, let's get to the point of this blog. I love giving gifts that I think people will truly enjoy and I give plenty of books at Christmas. I'll be compiling a list of books for all ages and both sexes to enjoy and sharing it with the blogosphere.

Here's where I need your help. Tell me what books you've enjoyed, either this year or in previous years, , a brief synopsis and who else would enjoy reading them. Leave your suggestions here in the comments section or email me at Reads4Pleasure@gmail.com by December 5th. A compiled list will be posted on December 9th, giving you plenty of time to complete your holiday shopping for the readers in your life.

What do you get out of this? One person, chosen at random, will win a $ 25 Amazon.com giftcard.

Well what are you waiting on? Get to commenting!

8 comments :

  1. I gave Wicked Lovely (a YA urban fantasy book about a high school girl who draws the unwanted notice of a faerie prince) to my sister last year, who doesn't read for pleasure but who told me she wanted to try again, and she loved it so much she's now read the other two in the series. :) So I think that'd be a great choice for an older teen/20s reluctant girl reader.

    For readers who enjoy international fiction, I'd suggest trying a Caribbean author-I hadn't read any before this year, but I've read several wonderful ones: The Book of Night Women by Marlon James (about a group of slave women in Jamaica plotting their escape), Cereus Blooms at Night by Shani Mootoo (essentially a gothic multigeneration family saga), and The New Moon's Arms by Nalo Hopkinson (a book about a woman going through menopause who is forced to reexamine her life and values after realising mermaids are real-trust me, it's handled wonderfully).

    And for those who love nonfiction, I'd highly recommend Atul Gawande's medical essays (he has two volumes-Complications and Better...the latter has slightly more interesting topics), anything by Oliver Sacks (my favourite is his memoir of loving chemistry as a boy called Uncle Tungsten), or Red, White, and Drunk All Over by Natalie McClean for a foodie you might know (a wonderful book about wine-not at all pretentious and McClean's love for it shines through).

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  2. Great idea for a give-a-away. I'll have to come back to actually write a thoughtful comment.

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  3. For YA readers I recommend
    1) Liar by Justine Larbalestier. It's about a girl who lies. A lot. It's suspenseful and keeps you guessing. I loved it.
    2) For guys especially I recommend Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher (older novel from 2001). It's about a multiracial sarcastic smart athletic guy who decides to make a bunch of misfits popular. A poignant, hysterical read. I also recommend anything by Walter Dean Mosley.
    3) A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott-For all the historical fiction/fantasy readers. About a girl from 21st Brooklyn's time travel to the Civil War Brooklyn. Amazing.
    I also recommend Flygirl, Mare's War, She's So Money, Marcelo in the Real World (beautiful book about a boy with a form of autism) and The Making of Dr. Truelove (for guys it's very funny, very hormone-driven!).
    Love this idea!

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  4. As a mom of 3 boys, it is a challenge to find books that will hold their interest and mesmerize them like the latest video game, but I happen to luck up on a few books here and there. One of their faves is "The Underneath". Mean, old Gar-face abuses his poor lil' animals so much so that the only place they can find solace is underneath the house. The story deals with animal mistreatment, but also teaches friendship can be found in the unlikeliest of places - in this case among a dog and a cat. This is a great book to read aloud or with an older child perhaps 2nd grade or above.

    Another fave for the 2nd grade and above is "Testing the Ice". I actually rec'd a copy of this book and fell in love with it. It's written by Sharon Robinson - Jackie Robinson's daughter - and is a wonderful tale of history, hope, faith and love. It was a welcome addition to our family library and an even greater addition to my kids' school library - as we purchased an add'l. copy to donate.

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  5. Oh I love to give books as presents as well. Somehow it's one of my things to give (how come? lol). And slowly I'm getting more and more into the spirit of the season!

    Although I cannot participate in your contest (don't live in the US) your blog brought me memories of books and Christmas and so I thought I'd give you my two cents anyway.

    One of my favourite books to read at Christmas is The story of Holly and Ivy. It's such a sweet story to read and it gives me that ambiance that so belongs with the season right away. So I'm reading it again and again!

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  6. For young adults, I would suggest two books in the Lip Gloss Chronicles series: The Ultimate Test and Splitsville.

    For adults, I would suggest Children of the Waters by Carleen Brice.

    email ebonyeyes1968 at aol dot com

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  7. well..u know i thoroughly enjoyed The Help. But I also loved Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold and the entire Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer.

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  8. I really fell in love with Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl which just came out a few days ago. It was an amazing paranormal read and about as long as one of the Twilight books.

    Also, I really got a kick out of Donut Days by Lara Zielin. It was a great story about families, church, and friendship.

    Great contest!

    dragonzgoil at gmail dot com

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