Ho-ho-ho! Books for all your holiday needs!

Um, that was me being Santa.

So, 2008 was another wonderful reading year! Whenever I really loved a book, I did my best to interview that author--check out my squeetus exclusives for those interviews. (I have a few more interviews brewing, so I'll skip mentioning those books for now.) And since it's Thanksgiving in the US, that means we officially start thinking about buying for the holidays. So here are the rest of my favorite reads of the year to aid in your holiday shopping.

For young fantasy fans:

Charmed Life, by Dianna Wynne Jones

My introduction to the world of Chrestomanci, and I plan to make many return trips. Her Howl's Moving Castle is also an old favorite.

For your favorite third-fifth grader or parents who read to their kids each night:

Whales on Stilts!, by M.T. Anderson

Holy freakin' funny, Batman. A clever romp. This is a terrific middle reader book that adults will gulp up. A great pick for parents reading with kids before bed, and it has sequels!

For that teenager who is hooked on reality TV and thinks reading is boring...and for everyone else:

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

Hands down one of the most compelling reads I've ever read. This book absolutely possessed me. I'm going to brassly assert that this book will suck in almost any reader--kid, teen, adult, no matter your genre of preference. A warning--the story is brutal. It never got too gratuitous for me, but it might for some. Wow...I still miss reading this book. What a disturbing but utterly thrilling adventure. I couldn't stop thinking about it.

For the adult in your life who gets depressed by all the negative news in the world:

Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortensen and David Oliver Relin

Beautiful! What an insightful non-fiction read, and so refreshing. While this story of philanthropy in Pakistan doesn't flinch from some stark realities, it's so full of hope, it makes you want to be a better person. Highly recommended.

For that person who read Twilight twenty times and won't read anything else:

The Host, by Stephenie Meyer

Some have called this "science fiction for people who think they don't like science fiction." Perhaps the most critically acclaimed of Stephenie Meyer's books, it proved she's not a one-note wonder. Intense, lovely, and fascinating.

For a grandmother, neighbor, best friend, or anyone who enjoys a sincere laugh:

A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Under by Richard Peck

These books ostensibly are for children and in fact won a Newbery Honor and Newbery Medal respectively, but I think the publisher would be wise to repackage them as books for adults with book club guides in the back. They are highly accessible to readers of all ages. Besides being hysterical, they're sweet and fun and moving too. Tight, fast reads, and the best grandmother character in all of literature. Can't recommend these enough.

For any six-through-sixteen-year olds, especially the ones who struggle getting through a traditional novel:

Rapunzel's Revenge, by Hale (3)

What do you mean by "shameless self-promotion"? I'm thinking of the illustrator Nathan Hale (no relation) and his poor starving children! Truly, I am so proud of this book, and I couldn't be more pleased with the response. Every day I hear from parents who tell me something like this: "My son/daughter hates to read, but I brought home this book and he/she read it in one (two/three/four) sittings and has read it several times since." Because of all the visual exploring a reader can do in a graphic novel, kids tend to reread them more than other books. And with a teenaged hero and heroine but a story that can pull in much younger readers as well, this is a true family book, one that can be enjoyed by almost anyone. (See, I'm not over-selling it--I did qualify that last sentence with "almost.")

I put Amazon links on the books because people have often asked me to, but let me also put in a plug for supporting your local bookstores. Mine is the King's English in Salt Lake City and I'll be there on Thursday, December 4 from 5:30-7 pm.

Comments

[Q]

I loved the Richard Peck books--A Year Down Yonder is splendid.

And I really, really, really, need to read The Hunger Games.

[amy]

Thanks for the recommendations! I can't stop thinking about The Hunger Games either- I recommend it to everyone I know, I even recommend it to random people I don't know in stores. I can't wait for the sequel!

[Megan]

I'm so glad that you mentioned Three Cups of Tea! I try to recommend that to everyone, but very few people enjoy reading non-fiction so I don't get many takers. It's so inspiring and informational. I learned so much about a part of the world I knew very little about.

I also love A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder. They're brilliant! If I could have a third grandma, she'd be it! :)

[Heather Z.]

For the boy in your life who doesn't think he likes to read but just hasn't found the right book yet:

The Percy Jackson Series
(The Lightning Thief)
(Sea of Monsters)
(The Titan's Curse)
(The Battle of the Labrynth)
- Its about a boy who discovers he is the son of Poseidon and must unite with other children of famous Greek gods (some good and some bad) to stop a war that could topple and destroy all of Olympus, as their grandfather, Kronos, tries to come back. It's got action, it's funny, you learn about the Greek myths in the most awesome way possible. It is a fantastic read.

[Katie-wa]

The Hunger Games and the Host. Oh, YEAH. Those are on my top 10 list. (Note to self: Make list of top reads) I can't wait for their sequels! (Note to self: Stalk authors of those books endlessly until you get the sequels)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

[Maya]

I've been meaning to read The Hunger Games for so long. I've heard so many good things about it...

I've GOT to make a list of to-read books. I need to. I've wanted to do this for who-knows-how-long.

[Krishel Smith]

i saw that you'd read amazing morice and his educated rodents and wondered if you'd read the wee free men series by Terry pratchet. they seriously made me laugh til my head hurt. i also agree that the percy jackson books are great. my mom suggested them to a lady in my ward for her non reader son... and now she talks to my mom all the time about books because her son cant put them down. he was even concerned that he'd turned into a nerd! (very funny)

[Laurel]

I am Laurel, and I am 9 years old.
I would like you to come to my
school,Morningside Elemetary.I just want to say I love your new
book,Rapunzles(punzie)Revenge.I
know it is a great book and it is
already in my school libary. Please send me a email as soon you can. Thanks,
Laurel

[Jer]

I'm kind of a lurker here on your blog because I love your books. (Also I think it's cool that you're a mom and a published author). Anyway, thanks for all the reading suggestions. Also, I just picked up Rapunzel's Revenge at the bookstore today and read it in one sitting...I LOVED it! It made me laugh, the story was awesome and the illustrations so engaging. I look forward to reading it with my kids when they're a bit older, too. Thank you!

[Emily V.]

The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans is a great book too! I received it as a Christmas Eve present a few years ago and loved it! Just in the past few months my Dad also read it, and he really enjoyed it as well.

[Brinnan]

Oh my gosh, great books:

The Hunger Games
The Host
The Percy Jackson Series
Skulduggery Pleasant
Inkheart Series
Leven Thumps Series
A little book called the Goose Girl that not many people have heard about... ever read that one, Shannon? :D

*sigh* Oh, how I love a good book.

[caribookscoops]

Thanks for the list of books, which I will add to my every growing list of books to be read or gifted to someone. By the way I think you have every reason to be proud of Rapunzel's Revenge. It is great read for the family. As a parent and teacher I love that you are writing with relunctant readers in mind and creating something as you say for almost everyone.

[myrna]

I had a bunch of nieces and nephews passing through my house this week and almost all of them (boys and girls) picked up Rapunzel's Revenge and said it was a great book. I just smiled and agreed with them.

Thanks for the recommendations. I haven't read very many of them (yet), but I do love the two books by Richard Peck.

[Brooke]

I dunno . . . if you have someone on your gift list who won't read anything but the Twilight saga, chances are good that they've already read The Host. In that case, I say give them a copy of Nancy Werlin's Impossible. It's a fantasy novel with a contemporary setting, based on the ballad "Scarborough Fair," and is one heckuva smokin'-hot romance. Whoo.

[Vicarious Reader]

Thank you, Oh creator of books! I enjoy most books (if they do not have pink and yellow covers), but cannot wait to read these selections of yours.

[Elizabeth]

Thanks so much for the suggestions. I'm just sad you don't have anything new coming out this Christmas to put on my list.

[Lois Moss]

Great suggestions! But, sigh, I've read practically all of them already. I guess now is the time to give them as gifts. (New ones, that is--not my old used copies)

That's a great suggestion about the Richard Peck books being packaged for book clubs. My book club read them a few years ago. There is plenty of fodder for discussion, and Grandma Dowdel needs to be known by all. She's one of my all-time favorite characters in literature.

[Melissa]

Thank you for your recommendations, I love adding to my list of books. I just read The Hunger Games yesterday and could not put it down, I am dying for the sequel, I didn't know there was one till the end!!! Thanks again for your wonderful works of writing. I so appreciate a good, clean book that I can recommend. Did I mention how I AM SO EXCITED for your sequel to Austenland. Is it May yet?...

[Miss Erin]

You described the way I felt about Hunger Games perfectly.

[hollybookscoops]

I just finished Peck's books and my sides still hurt from laughing. I really think Grandma Dowdel lived in Eastern Idaho where my grandma grew up. It seems like she would fit that old town to a T. I'm officially adopting her into the family tree.

Thanks for the great recommendations. I've been singing your praises to anyone and everyone who is looking to buy books this Christmas.

[Donea]

This is probably completely irrelevant...reading through posts I saw a recommendation for "Impossible" that piqued my interest. With good reason, apparently. This is honestly the first time I've heard of the book. It's a modern fantasy, dealing with an ancient evil, and a family curse that a 17 year old girl finds out about. For the last almost 2 years I've been writing a fantasy book about a girl who finds out about an age-old curse on her family on her 17th birthday. Of all the recommended books in this list...an extra on the end of a random comment drew me in and dashed my dreams a little. How does one cope with finding another book out there - recent - with, ok - not necessarily the exact same premise, but enough that some readers might view it as a rip off of another writer's idea?

Again - not relevant to the post. I love your books, Shannon. Thank you for the recommendations. The Hunger Games looks particulary fascinating.

[Melissa]

LOVED, LOVED, Rapunzel's Revenge. When I find a book that my son is begging me to read or not stop reading then I know I have hit the jackpot with reading for him. He has a hard time sitting long enough to read a book but this book, when we are not reading it together, he is off on his own thumbing through the pages reading and examining the illustrations which are fantastic! We just checked out Calamity Jack, and the first thing my son did when he got home from school was sit on the couch with the book, he sat there for a very long time, miracle in my eyes for him. So I will definitely be adding these books to my own little home library. Wish you had more like them!