BOOKS:
The universal and timeless gift

Christmas is almost upon us and, once again, as for the last 200 years
or so, a book will be one of the most popular gifts. Particularly one of the
most popular last-minute gifts!! Here are a few suggestions for Christmas 2007.

For children, I recommend several books associated with movies that will be showing in theatres this Christmas season. For younger children
(5 – 10 years) there are 4 or 5 books associated with the upcoming
movie “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium”, starring Dustin Hoffman. Mr. Magoriums’s Emporium is the most amazing toy store anywhere in the world, where stuffed animals and toys come to life and you can find anything you want just by looking in THE BIG BOOK. The store is adored by customers and staff alike, but things begin to go wrong and become very interesting when Mr. Magorium announces his retirement and the store is taken over by his young assistant Molly Mahoney. I won’t spoil the story, but I can confidently predict a happy ending. There are many books out for this movie but “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder
Emporium: Magical Movie Storybook” (Scholastic, $10.99, Hardcover) makes a very nice gift.

For older children (10 – 15 years), particularly those suffering from post-Harry Potter depression, there are two upcoming fantasy movies. The first is “The Golden Compass”. This is a movie of the first book in a trilogy written by Phillip Pullman. The three books, which have been major bestsellers all over the world, have been critically acclaimed. They are especially recommended for the depiction of the characters involved. In addition to “The Golden Compass” there are two other books in the series: “The Subtle Knife” and “The Amber Spyglass”. The books may be purchased individually or in a 3-in-one edition (Random House, $27.99)
which makes an excellent gift.

Arguably, an even better known book is “Inkheart” by Cornelia Funke (Scholastic, $9.99), also the first book in a trilogy. “Inkheart” was published in 2003 and has also been a bestseller. It is aimed at the same age group (10 – 15) as “The Golden Compass”. The essence of the story is of a young girl (Maggie) who reads a book with her Grandfather and the characters come to life. Since some of the characters are particularly unpleasant the stories involve getting the characters back where they belong… between the pages. Great stuff this and full of suspense. Should make a great movie and an appropriate gift.

Finally, for kids, a series which caught our eye is from Scholastic. The books are oversize, highly decorative and are reminiscent of the “Griffen and Sabine” books from years gone by. There are two books
so far in the series, “The Windmaker’s Journal” and “The Time Traveler’s Journal” (Scholastic, $27.99). They are not just books, they are works of art. They have be-jewelled covers, envelopes to open, maps to follow,
letters to read. A wonderful gift for anyone from 2 to 92! Well, maybe
7 to 92!

For adults in your life, I highly recommend the following list of books.
1. “World Without End” by Ken Follett (Dutton, $42.00, Hardcover).
This is the must-read book of the year. A long awaited sequel to “The
Pillars of the Earth” (paperback $10.99). Written in 1989, “The Pillars of the Earth” has never been out of print and is still hugely popular. It is the fictionalized story of the building of a cathedral in 12th Century England. Renowned for its wonderfully researched detail, I recommend
it as much as the sequel. The sequel is set in the same town. With the Cathedral and Priory as the backdrop, the action takes place 200
years later in Medieval times. A good book from a great writer. Of
interest to anyone.

2. “The Quest” by Wilbur Smith (Macmillan, $34.95, Hardcover). This wonderful author returns to the setting of his Egyptian series (“River God”, “The Seventh Scroll”, “Warlock”). What a great guy Wilbur Smith must be. In my opinion he has never written a bad book. An absolute must gift for the man in your life.

3. “Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade” by Diana Gabaldon
(Doubleday, $34.00, Hardcover). The latest in Diana Gabaldon’s hugely popular series. You cannot make a mistake by giving this book to any woman for whom you need to buy something she will enjoy reading.

4. “Bad Dogs Have More Fun” by John Grogan (Vanguard Press, $23.00, Hardcover). Know anyone fond of dogs? This is a great gift with the cutest cover you can imagine (if you are a Dog Lover). Actually this is a sequel to “Marley & Me” which is still a big hit in its own right.

5. “Playing for Pizza” by John Grisham (Doubleday, $26.95, Hardcover). Looking for something to warm the cockles of your heart? This is it! It’s about an ex-NFL player who goes to play American Football in Italy!?!? Yes, he does. A nice, pleasant, but inspiring tale.

6. “Friend of the Devil” by Peter Robinson (Hodder & Stoughton, $32.95, Hardcover). Canada’s most popular writer of Detective Fiction, Peter Robinson, has written another great Inspector Bunks novel. This time a double murder needs to be solved. Strictly for the person in your life who likes Detective novels set in Britain. There are plenty of those.

That’s all folks! Except for my annual admonition to customers and readers alike: please don’t write in your books! Merry Christmas!