We are casual about the holidays. We put up the tree, eat a turkey dinner, take a long walk, and read aloud from American Christmas Stories (Library of America).
But this happens after the hassle of shopping for book nerds. And it is a hassle even if you’re a bibliophile. You moan, “She has read everything!” “Which P. G. Wodehouse books hasn’t he read?”or “Oh my God, are all the copies of The Bee Sting sold out?” At that t point you reach for Haagen-Daz or the expired Advil you are saving for the apocalypse.
We can help. Really, we can.
It’s all about creative pairing and tying everything up with ribbons. Read on!
Academic Satires for Scholars & Dilettantes
Everyone is nostalgic for university days, but nothing is funnier than an academic satire. I recommend Kingsley Amis’s Lucky Jim, Julie Schumacher’s The English Experience, Mary McCarthy’s The Groves of Academe, Randall Jarrell’s Pictures from an Institution, Don Delillo’s White Noise, and David Lodge’s Small World. You can buy them new or used, wrap up a pair, or make an entire set. Don’t bother with wrapping paper: just tie them up with a ribbon.
A Booker Prize Finalist and the Maugham Stories That Inspired It
Tan Twan Eng’s Booker-longlisted novel, The House of Doors, set in Penang in Malaysia, is beautifully-written and absorbing. W. Somerset Maugham is one of the main characters, and two of his short stories, “Rain” and “The Letter,” are inspired by events related by his fictional hostess, Lesley. I recommend pairing Maugham’s Collected Stories (Everyman’s Library) with Eng’s novel. A lovely gift of two great books !
A Starter Thomas Hardy Set
Wordsworth Editions publishes affordable classics (usually between $4 and $10). You can buy an attractive six-volume Best of Thomas Hardy collection, tied up with a red ribbon. The Best of Hardy includes Far From the Madding Crowd, The Mayor of Casterbridge, A Pair of Blue Eyes, The Return of the Native, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, and The Well-beloved. Wordsworth also sells many other other Best of collections.
Dystopia Now!
We are living in Dystopia, what with climate change, water shortages, wild fires, and pandemics. The following books give us a sense of what is happening now and what may lie ahead: I was fascinated by Emily Mandel St. John’s Sea of Tranquillity, T. C. Boyles’s Blue Skies, John Christopher’s The Death of Grass, and a nonfiction book, Jeff Goodell’s The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet.
Library of America Classic Crime
In recent years Library of America has published a number of anthologies of classic crime and noir. Here are two of my favorites.
Women Crime Writers: Four Suspense Novels of the 1940s
Laura, Vera Caspary | The Horizontal Man, Helen Eustis | In a Lonely Place, Dorothy B. Hughes | The Blank Wall, Elisabeth Sanxay Holding
Women Crime Writers: Four Suspense Novels of the 1950s
Mischief, Charlotte Armstrong | The Blunderer, Patricia Highsmith | Beast in View, Margaret Millar | Fools’ Gold, Dolores Hitchens
Both volumes are edited by Sarah Weinman.
The Library of America has an eclectic collection these days, and also features many women writers.
And so… Happy Christmas shopping! Any recommendations for discouraged shoppers?
