What books did you get for the holidays?

13 years ago

I hit the jackpot on books as gifts this year. I received several that I'd seen here, noted down, and the DH, kids, and sisters did the rest. The new books are:

Seeing Further: The Story of Science, Discovery and the Genius of the Royal Society, edited by Bill Bryson

A History of the Wife by Marilyn Yalom (lemonhead, I think this was your recommendation?)

A Tolkien boxed set including Mr. Baggins and Return to Bag End by John Rateliff and a copy of The Hobbit (thank you for the mention of this one, Rosefolly!).

Tryst by Elswyth Thane.

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman.

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.

Crones Don't Whine by Jean Shinoda Bolen (a remarkable title just too good to pass up -- thanks Yoyobon).

So, what books did you receive for the holidays?

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Comments (12)

lemonhead101
13 years ago
Ooh, Sheri. You rec'd the motherloade of books... Congratulations! :-)

I was lucky enough to receive two books:

* The Edwardian Lady: The Story of Edith Holden, author of The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady - Ina Taylor

and

* The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived: how characters of fiction, myth, legends, TV and movies have shaped our society, changed our behavior, and set the course of history - Allan Lazar, Dan Karlan and Jeremy Salter (each scientists, which I found interesting... Plus this may well be the winner in 2011's "Longest Book Title" list..:-)

And a healthy Amazon gift card for my b-day (not too long ago) - lucky me.
woodnymph2_gw
13 years ago
Two that I absolutely am enjoying -- both from dear friends: A book with scenes of Paris from the Impressionist artists' point of view, illustrated in color, with maps of neighborhoods they illustrated. Also, a non-fiction book about the old Gaol here in my adopted city of Charleston. The gaol is still standing (ca. 1802) a gothic structure, just around the corner from me, and is being restored by students at the nearby college. The book is well-researched, and illustrated with old drawings and b & w photos from the Civil War days and afterward.
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Get dressed as soon as you get up and get out of the house for whatever reason! I find myself wanting to hibernate this time of year now that the holidays are over. At least 3 days a week, I meet my friends to run - we meet after dropping our kids off at school. But on the days that dh takes the kids, I find it very hard to get motivated. Only thing that saves me is if I don't let myself sit down after they are out the door (either putting on my exercise clothes as soon as I get out of bed and make myself go to the gym or immediately get started on whatever chore needs to be taken care of). Of course, here I sit on my computer while I should be finally taking my tree down LOL, however, I did run 5 miles this morning, got my car washed and went to the grocery store b/f coming home. I sat at my computer while eating my lunch, and now can't get motivated to do my tree.... Make a list before you go to bed of what you need to do. When you get up, get dressed/showered, so you are ready to go and then get started on the list. I find that when I take the time to make a list, it feels good each time I cross something off. I have a list for immediate tasks and long-term tasks. I do find there are days when I need to take a break and just hibernate though. I have four young kids so some days, I feel like I'm on the go the entire day and don't rest until they go to bed but by then I'm exhausted. So every once in a while, I do have a day that I don't feel guilty if I don't do a thing (that was Monday this week for me, though I did run 4 miles first, then came home and folded laundry while I watched Downton Abbey and The Good Wife since I fell asleep on them the night before!). But I felt extremely guilty as I had planned to take down our tree on Monday and here it is Wednesday and it's still here. Ugh!
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Some nonfiction books that I enjoyed: All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House by David Giffels --really liked this book. About a young couple who bought an old and very dilapidated fixer upper in Ohio. Aside from the obvious appeal to anyone who reads this board :), it was a tender and thoughtful look at becoming a family. The Motion of the Ocean: 1 Small Boat, 2 Average Lovers, and a Woman's Search for the Meaning of Wife by Janna Cawrse Esarey -- for anyone who has ever dreamed of or dreaded the idea of setting sail on the high seas, another good book on several levels. The author dishes about lots of the real details of doing that kind of adventure but there is, as with my first recommendation, a very heartfelt look at finding one's true love, getting married and discovering what marriage means. About Alice by Calvin Trillin -- one of the sweetest, most loving books I've ever read by a fabulous writer, about the love of his life, his late wife Alice. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls -- this was a bestseller and deservedly so. A portrait of an almost mythically dysfunctional set of parents by one of the kids who grew up in the direst poverty, but survived to become a journalist and now author. Wonderful book. When Skateboards Will Be Free: A Memoir of a Political Childhood by Sa Sayrafiezadeh -- another growing up memoir. The author's parents, though divorced, were both staunch socialists/communists and his tale of growing up in America through that filter is engrossing. Girlbomb: A Halfway Homeless Memoir and Have You Found Her both by Janice Erlbaum -- I advise reading these in order; the first is the true story of a girl growing up in NYC who ends up in a homeless shelter, the second is a follow up from the same woman, now grown, who befriends a runaway while volunteering at the same shelter. Great writing style, excellent books. Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant: Confessions of Cooking for One and Dining Alone by Jenni Ferrari-Adler --a set of essays on just what the title says! Very enjoyable light reading. Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon-And the Journey of a Generation by Sheila Weller -- this one resonated with me because all three artists are of my generation, and I grew up listening and loving their music. A very entertaining read; lots of insider tidbits about the 60s-70s-80s music scene. Helping Me Help Myself: One Skeptic, Ten Self-Help Gurus, and a Year on the Brink of the Comfort Zone by Beth Lisick -- very funny book about a series of adventures undertaken by the author. A slimdown cruise with Richard Simmons, now THERE'S a concept! And many more hilarious experiences. Money Changes Everything: Twenty-Two Writers Tackle the Last Taboo with Tales of Sudden Windfalls, Staggering Debts, and Other Surprising Turns of Fortune by Jenny Offill and Elissa Schappell -- pretty much just what the title says! Very easy read too, would be a good airport companion. Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine -- thought provoking book about a woman who quit buying. Makes you wonder...could YOU go a year without shopping?! OK, enough for now! Happy page-turning, Ann
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I had a very quiet Christmas, and just as well because it was a stinking hot day (35C at 7am!) and there was no energy to breathe, much less anything else. My son and his lady came for breakfast, the first of many visits they had scheduled for the day. This was just fine by me. I got them when they were full of Christmas spirit, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and by the time they left their appetites were ruined for everyone else's food! The best part of the breakfast was that THEY did all the cooking - I just 'supervised' and provided the food. We had a lot of fun and laughter together exchanging our little gifts, and when they left, I was able to recuperate by sleeping most of the day in front of the fan, or beginning to read one of the several books they gave me (from a list I'd prepared of Must Haves). My sleep was, however, disturbed by a number of phone calls from interstate friends, all very welcome. And in the evening a friend visited, ostensibly to watch Dancesport on TV with me (we are both into ballroom dancing), but mostly to escape her rowdy family at home after a mountain of a day. (She often uses my place as a refuge when things get A Bit Much.) In between these interuptions, I had the opportunity of watching all those silly little Christmas shows on TV. You know, Frosty the Snowman, The Little Drummer Boy and so on. I have a sneaking liking for these little things - maybe I'm in my second childhood! All very pleasant indeed, thank you.
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Hey Kathi~ I decorate Americana too. I love anything old and prim so there's kind of a mixture there with my stuff. I have my old raggety doll that an aunt made me when I was small sitting on a shelf. My kitchen has cows, but I'm getting ready to paint it red so it will make the transition from living room to kitchen better. I've got to get started on the scarecrow. I found the pattern I want to use yesterday so hopefully I can get started on it today. Luvs~ I've really enjoyed chatting with ya'll too! Just wish we could get some more painters interested. May just take a while for people to see that it's active here again?? And maybe the change in the weather will make a difference too?
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lauramarie_gardener
13 years ago
"The Case of the Gilded Fly" -- Edmund Crispin -- 1945 classic, set at Oxford U.

Not a gift -- began reading Xmas morn. Had me so intrigued from pg 1 -- felt like a gift !

About a murder among a London acting troupe -- at Oxford doing a play try-out. One of the dons is helping investigate. Problem is -- everyone despises the murdered girl -- they hope police decide it's suicide -- including the don.
veer
13 years ago
Only one proper 'Christmas present' was Mrs Gaskell's Wives and Daughters. I had heard an adaptation on the BBC, had enjoyed Cranford and wanted to try another of her works.
A US cousin, visiting for DD's wedding gave me Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna. Has anyone here read/enjoyed it?
twobigdogs
13 years ago
As you all know, I am a martial artist. Many of my books were about the martial arts.

The Overlook Martial Arts Handbook by David Mitchell, (No, not THAT David Mitchell)

Becoming a Complete Martial Artist by Tristan Sutrisno

The Samurai and the Sacred (a history of the Samurai) by Stephen Turnbull

The Shaolin Grandmasters Text: History, Philosophy and Gung Fu of Shaolin Ch'an by the Order of Shaolin Ch'an

Ninjutsu: the art of the invisible warrior by Stephen B. Hayes

yea, I know.. I live in the sweet little place of Chocolatetown and study all of this stuff... what an oxymoron, huh?

I also received Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson, a book about sailing (my other passion),a $25 B&N gift card, a $50 Visa gift card which shall go toward books naturally, $35 in Border's gift cards, and $25 for Starbucks where I shall sip decaf tea and read. Oh, and I got an e-reader from my mom pre-loaded with 100 classics!

An embarassment of riches, to be sure.
PAM
carolyn_ky
13 years ago
The only book I got for Christmas was Laura's Album, compiled by her historian William Anderson, about the Little House books author Laura Ingalls Wilder. I wrote a note about it on the December Reading thread. It is a delight.
vickitg
13 years ago
I only received one book for Christmas -- my family won't buy me books for fear of duplicating what I've already read. But I did receive Rolling Stone magazine's "The Beatles: 100 Greatest Songs." It lists the group's best tracks, according to Rolling Stone's editors, and tells the stories behind each song. It also has special sections at the back that list the group's own favorites. Very fun read.
martin_z
13 years ago
The Looking-Glass Wars by Frank Beddor, from my twelve-year-old daughter - she loved it, and thinks I will too. She may well be right - the premise is good.

The new autobiography of Keith Richards.

Can't remember the title of the third, but it's a book about the building of the London tube system - which I suspect will also be very interesting.
veronicae
13 years ago
Ellis' First Family
Ackroyd's biography of Shakespeare
Fairy Houses of the Maine Coast

This was one of my best book Christmas's in a while.

So, I need to finish Abigail and John and The Soloist - or at least the latter- so I can sit in front of a fire and snack, and read on New Year's Day.
yoyobon_gw
13 years ago
Fairy houses!!
That brings back sweet memories when my first grandchildren were young we used to go into our woods and gather all kinds of materials to create little fairy houses.
Usually I'd get an inexpensive wood birdhouse or something like that from a local craft store and use it as a base.
They loved these outings so much......and now, after so many years , I treasure the memories of those times.

*sigh*
veronicae
13 years ago
Yoyobon...what a great idea for the next time they visit! Or we visit there. Thank you. V
annpan
13 years ago
I had to go to the 'drop-in-and-wait' emergency dental clinic (broken tooth, always happens in the holiday period!) so, after registering, nipped out to the nearby Salvos charity shop and bought "Certain Women" by Jennifer Weiner, which is the follow up to "Good in Bed" and has been on my "Must get around to reading it" mental list. Could not use the gift voucher I got from my son there of course!

(I bought a DVD with three of my favourite Agatha Christie books instead. The Joan Hickson TV series of course. By far the best Miss Marple in my view.)

What books did you get for the holidays?

Comments (12)

lemonhead101

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