Blogger Book Boost

'Tis the season for giving and receiving, and what better gift to give or receive than that of a book. In the age of over-consumerism and economic meltdown, a book is a gift that will be cost effective as well as entertain, transport, and be thought provoking. Books are the perfect gift of the young and the old and everyone in between. Even my one year old is a book lover and will sit and page through a book by herself. Of course, she also sometimes likes to eat her books, but we're working on that.

Sarah, at Sarah Laurence Blog, has come up with a great way to share book recommendations this holiday season. Click on the link to her blog and you will find her recommendations. Be sure to read the comments as well, because they are filled with more info and links to other Blogger Book Boost posts. If you don't know what to buy, this is a good starting point.

As I mentioned, I have a young daughter and so most of my book buying of late has been for her. One of her most beloved books and one that is very engaging is "Baby Says Peekaboo!" by DK Publishing. This was her favorite book when she was between six and nine months old, and she still picks it up at least once a day.



One of her current favorites is "One Snowy Night" by M. Christina Butler and Tina Macnaughton. This is a touch and feel board book with a winter gift-giving theme. Lillian loves the different textures.



I recently had the good fortune to acquire the garden book "Planthropology" by Ken Druse. This is a great choice for any plant lover or gardener on your list. Not only are there beautiful pictures, but there is so much information about the history of plants, the mathematics in plants, and plants in art.



These last two selections are novels that I enjoyed, although I read both of them some time ago. The first, "Ocean Sea" by Alessandro Baricco, I read so long ago (probably eight years), I can't even describe to you what it is about. I just remember that I loved the language of this book and it was one that I saved to re-read some day.



The second is a book I bought because I love Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" and thought it would be an interesting companion book to P&P. It is "Mr. Darcy's Diary" by Amanda Grange. I loved reading about the characters I had come to know and love from a different perspective and would recommend this to all Austenite's.



Thus concludes my list. Although I would also like to mention one book that is on my list to receive this year. "Hello, Cupcake" by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson is the foodie book I must have. Cupcakes seem to be the hot item these days and I love the artistry of cake decorating. This book just looks fun to me.