Holiday Gift Ideas: Books

If you need a holiday gift idea, check out these suggestions for books:

Our friends at Wellesley Books offer suggestions in a range of genres:

The Reason You’re Alive by Matthew Quick (the author of The Silver Lining Playbook)  is an irreverent yet incredibly heartfelt story about a Vietnam vet trying to make amends and set his life right after waking up from serious brain surgery.  David Granger is a seemingly crusty old, conservative, racist who has had one rift too many with his vegan, liberal son.  Once you peel the layers, however, and learn about Granger, his friends and actions speak louder than his politically incorrect words.  A great study in human nature and the need to know people for who they really are deep down inside.

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Gann is a remarkable true story of the tragedy the American government inflicted on the Osage people through a program of self-serving guardianship requirements.  Gann tells the actual history so well and then goes beyond to uncover a widespread conspiracy to embezzle the Osage oil wealth.  A series of interconnected murders drew national attention from the Bureau for Indian Affairs which became the FBI under the leadership of J. Edgar Hoover. Fascinating history!

The Dinner Party by Joshua Ferris is a somewhat edgy and totally wonderful collection of character driven short stories.  Wide ranging in perspective, location, and situation, these tales all deal with human nature often in uncomfortable situations.  Ferris’ trademark wit and humor are evident throughout.  Excellent reading!

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi is an epic novel tracing the lives and descendants of two half-sisters born in Ghana in the 1700s.  Each chapter is a targeted look at the times and struggles of a new generation carrying the burdens of the generation before yet attempting to live in current social-political conditions both in the US and in Ghana. A tragic, heartfelt, beautifully written novel with far-reaching goals and emotions.

The World of Tomorrow by Brendan Mathews is a fast-paced novel set during a single week in June, 1939 in New York City.  An Irishman on the run under the alias of a Scottish Lord, a Czech photographer about to be deported home, an ex-gangster fulfilling one more obligation and an African American trumpeter trying to make it big in the Harlem jazz scene—what do all of these characters have in common?  You will not be able to stop reading until the final page to see how it all turns out!  Great read!