‘Tis the season of giving, I know. We spend so much time and effort thinking of the perfect gift for each individual on our lists. We shop around, fight the crowds, and hope we find it. And when we do… Oh man, I love that feeling! I get giddy knowing that I found THE best present for someone.
This year, I spent some time thinking of books to give. I really don’t give that many because I think it’s a shame to give a gift that’s only got “maybe” potential instead of a “sure thing.” If I know for certain that the intended recipient wanted a particular book or enjoys a particular author, that’s great. But oftentimes, I have no clue what they like and, sadly, so many people these days seem not to have time to read. (blasphemy, I say.)
But recently, I flipped my thinking around and thought about what it’s like to be on the receiving end of a book gift. Some gift books I didn’t like much. A couple took me a long time to read. Yet I keep every one on my keeper shelf. There is a piece of the giver in each one of those books, something that struck a chord and resonated. Something they wanted me to find and experience. I look at them, and try to see what it is that the giver wanted to share with me. It is that — the gift of the giver’s inner self — that I love and cherish.
I’m honestly a different person today because of some of the books I’ve received. My first romance novel was a gift from my mother. Over the years it was lost, but I found it on eBay one day and bought it. It’s in nearly pristine condition after all these years. I read it again and smiled. It’s so old school — overbearing, rapist hero and abused heroine who falls in love with him anyway. Still, it’s the book that hooked me into a lifelong love of romance novels. She also gave me Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Memoirs of a Geisha, and The Dragon King’s Palace. My stepmother gave me The Catcher in the Rye, In Cold Blood, The Brothers Karamazov, and Postcards.
If you’re familiar with these titles, maybe you’ll see a pattern emerge and glimpse a bit of the giver in their selections. I’ve learned so much about both my mother and my stepmother through their gift books. Which led me to reconsider how I give books to others. Yes, it’s wonderful to give a “sure thing” book that brings happiness to the receiver, even if it means nothing to you. But I think it’s also wonderful to give a book that you love, thereby sharing a part of yourself that you couldn’t share any other way.
How about you? What are some of the books you’ve received as gifts that you cherish?
No one buys me books because they know if I want one, I’ve preordered it months in advance. I’m also the group screener–everybody reads based on my recommendations, since they “don’t have time” to browse and try new things unless they’re encouraged in that direction. (Like I have more time than they do? Yes, I’ve worked out a special deal with Chronos so that I have 36 hours in a day. My secret is out…
)
I get a lot of B&N gift cards, which are met with tremendous appreciation. That gift says to me, “I know your addiction and am happy to enable you.”
by Kerry Allen December 13th, 2007 at 7:31 amHappy Holidays!
by Laurie G December 13th, 2007 at 7:53 amI’ve received the Debra Macomber Christmas hardcovers and Nora Robert’s Christmas hardcovers from my kids.
In college I received a box set of JR Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy from my parents.
Books are a hard thing to give to an adult but I love buying books for children. That’s what I remember most about my mother as I was raising my children. Every time she saw them she had a book for them. They loved it and wanted them read right away which my mother was always happy to do.
by Maureen December 13th, 2007 at 7:56 amEvery year, my mother usually gets me a book from Joyce Meyers, but my favorite book(s) was given to me as a child. Reader’s Digest used to put out some great story books for kids and they did a series of fairytales that I absolutely loved. Nowadays, the best books are the ones I “give” to myself - I’m hoping to get Luxe and Rhett Butler’s People this year.
by Margay December 13th, 2007 at 8:44 amNo one gives me books as a gift now, but as a child I received Bambi as a Christmas present . I still have it fifty five years later.
by Estella December 13th, 2007 at 8:45 amMostly I receive gift cards so I can go and buy which books I want. I will get books handed down to me when they have read them. But my most treasured are the books I get signed by the author. Those books are forever keepers!
by Tammy G. December 13th, 2007 at 8:58 amNo one gives me books either. They all say I have to many books and read too much. LOL
by Kimmy L December 13th, 2007 at 9:07 amGrowing up poor, we haunted the libraries
so I didn’t often get books as a present.
Now books top my list of gifts to get
by Kimber Chin December 13th, 2007 at 9:16 am(though I end up donating them to the library,
giving back as I was given to in the past).
I don’t care what books I get
as long as they reside in one of my two favorite genres,
business or romance.
Usually nobody buys me books. But last year my little boy age 11 bought me Jacob by Jacqueline Frank cause he loved the name lol. Turns out to be one of the best books I read last year. Turned me on to a autobuy author.
by Pamk December 13th, 2007 at 9:55 amNobody really gives me books for Christmas because I’m the all year round dumping ground LOL. My best gifts are my signed ones from all the fabulous writers out there,and I will let my mother in law and sister in law borrow them of course with the strict rule “I GET THIS BACK!”
by Candy Gorcsi December 13th, 2007 at 9:58 amI have never recieved a book for Christmas. I DO get alot of gift cards for Amazon, BN, and BAM though. I do the same for my sister because we don’t always like the same books.
by brownone December 13th, 2007 at 10:20 amThat is probably the one gift I know will be under the tree, just about every relative sends me books, and every year my mother gets me between 5-10 books. So pretty much any book I get for Christmas I love. Though some years it would benice not to know what ur getting
by Shauna December 13th, 2007 at 10:57 amMy favourite gift book is a non-traditional book… Nick Bantock’s Griffin and Sabine. There’s now a whole series of these books, which are beautifully illustrated letters (in real envelopes that you open) with a mysterious and romantic story.
by Emily B December 13th, 2007 at 11:33 amI’ve received a few non-fiction books I’ve loved for Christmas. They are usually on witches, or mythology, or dragons. Things I love to read about. One year an old friend of mine, bought me a book he knew I was looking for, it was for research. We both worked at the same bookstore so he found out I had ordered it, but he had found a way to get one sooner and gave it to me.
by Vivi Anna December 13th, 2007 at 12:08 pmI usually get Borders gift cards as gifts. I do like giving books, I’ve given my grandma books that she thought she wouldn’t read and ended up loving them.
by danette December 13th, 2007 at 1:18 pmHi, “The Little Prince” is my favorite book that was given to me by my sister. She knew it matched me to a tee. I could tell you where it is right at this moment. Of course, she always signs the book with a special thought, the date and her signature. Thanks,Cind
by Cindi Hoppes December 13th, 2007 at 1:52 pmHi, “The Little Prince” is the best gift book ever given to me. My sister gave it to me when I was in sixth grade. She put a note,date and signed it for me. I could tell you where the book is now. Thanks,Cindi
by Cindi Hoppes December 13th, 2007 at 1:54 pmNobody really buys me books because they know if I want it, I’ll get it myself. My best friend did buy me Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon because she’d been raving about the dark-hunter novels and I’d never read them. She definitely got me hooked ~ I own all of them now.
by Dev December 13th, 2007 at 2:15 pmI usually get gift cards but I always hear complaints about having and buying way too many books!
by Eva December 13th, 2007 at 2:34 pmToday I get gift cards because, like so many others, I order/buy the books I really want. When I was a child I always got books - Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, etc.
by Karen B December 13th, 2007 at 2:49 pmI don’t receive too many books for gifts. If someone wants to get me a book as a gift, they usually get me a gift card so I can pick out the book I want. However, I did receive a couple of the books from the Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series a few years ago. I love this series so it was a great gift.
by Stacia Helpman December 13th, 2007 at 3:06 pmI love books but as an adult no one buys me books because I have so many and they don’t know what to buy. One year my husband got me a $100.00 gift card to Borders!! I loved it!! But when I was young my mom and dad got me a book called a “Gift for a Gift”. I can’t remember the author’s name but I loved that book and read it over and over. One of my fav. gifts to give kids is books. I always hope that it will start a love of reading.
by Kelli December 13th, 2007 at 3:11 pmI’m an old-fashioned book giver…my favorite one to give is The Princess Bride by William Goldman. I discovered it when I was a teenager and I reread it every couple of years. It’s just as fresh and funny as the first time I read it.
My very first DVD purchase was The Princess Bride…The movie is cute…but the book is better (as is often the truth!)
by Ericka Scott December 13th, 2007 at 3:34 pmAs most others here, I don’t receive too many books any more because my family knows I’m book crazy and will likely have it already.
However, when I was younger (late teens/early twenties) I was very into Danielle Steele. My Mom used to get me the newest release in hardcover every Christmas and I always knew I would get it, but still loved it. Then I got tired of Danielle Steele (sorry
) and moved on to other authors.
I do have a friend who tries to get me the latest Sue Grafton alphabet series when it first comes out in hardcover. We don’t exchange Christmas gifts but my birthday is the day after Christmas so she gives it to me then.
by MG Braden December 13th, 2007 at 3:45 pmMy cousin gave me “The Bride” by Julie Garwood. It was my first romance novel and is one of my all time favorites. My friend a couple of years back gave me a beautiful, coffee table book of Egypt. My friend knew that I was fascinated with Egypt and so she got me a book that had big, nice pictures.
by Jane December 13th, 2007 at 3:59 pmI give my dad and grandmother each a book each Christmas that was among those I enjoyed most in the past year. Since I read so much there quite a lot to choose from and I take a special joy in selecting something I think each of them will enjoy, knowing that we have read something in common.
My very first hardcover book received was “Bedknob and Broomstick” from my aunt when I was five. It sits on my shelf, tattered dust jacket tucked inside the front cover, waiting until my son is old enough for us to read it together.
People don’t give me books any longer. I wish they did. Though the gift cards are appreciated.
by Susan December 13th, 2007 at 4:06 pmMy favorite book I received was ‘A Treasure of Memories’ which was a gift from my mother years ago. Whenever I look thru it many wonderful moments from things my mom and I did come back and bring a smile to my face. Usually, instead of books my friends give me gift certificates to a bookstore so I can pick out my favorites…I like it this way.
by Shari C December 13th, 2007 at 4:18 pmThese are some great books to add to my reading list.
by Sandra December 13th, 2007 at 4:28 pmMy parents gave me a copy of Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree a few years ago…what made this so special and worth cherishing was that it was the first book I ever read on my own. They bought me my very own copy for nostalgia purposes since I didn’t have a copy.
I also remember a book I received as a child that I loved…it was a Little Golden Book called The Store-Bought Doll. I read that book many, many times.
by Jennifer Y. December 13th, 2007 at 4:48 pmMy Mom, my neice and I share a common bond in books. Also my sister sends me devotional books and books she knows I will love every year. My neice sent me my first set of the Sister Chick books. I loved them. Also that same neice sent me my first Janette Oke book and since I’ve collected many and sent her some. Now I send her romance books as she’s so busy with three kids and needs the break. My Mom is in her 70s but still loves to read and since we like the same type of books, I send her some. My daughter hooked me on Mary Higgins Clark which I never would have read.
by Jane Squires December 13th, 2007 at 5:10 pmI am reading Amy Grant Mosaics right now as my daughter sang her songs since she was 10 (now 27).
I have a love for books about the Amish as I live in an area where they are, prairie books, good romance, and some mystery.
My favorite gift that was a book was a copy of To Kill A Mockingbird. Everyone had said it was such a classic and a must read that I assumed it wouldn’t be such fun to read. After all it deals with some very difficult issues. It is in my top 5 favorite books of all time. Am so glad I received it.
by Little Lamb Lost December 13th, 2007 at 6:26 pmThe Littlest Angel since it’s Christmas time. My father-in-law sent it as a gift when my children were very young and the tradition is for me to read it every Christmas Eve - It is now the family tradition that mom is going to sob her heart out. I cannot get through that book. My girls come with the kleenex box. Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. And honestly I’m not the crying type but this gets me every time.
by jeanne December 13th, 2007 at 6:51 pmA definite favorite is The Complete Works of Jane Austen that my twin sister gave me years ago. I love it. I think the best thing to do when you give a book is not let it be the only item you give. I gave a book to my mother-in-law along with other goodies I know she likes like a candle, chocolates, etc. in a gift basket. She loved it.
by Cherie J December 13th, 2007 at 7:25 pmI received gift cards which I proceeded to buy Samhain and EC titles. No one has given me a book per se as a gift lately. I have given “Embraced by the Light” to several friends/family members who lost dear ones. It really helps with the grieving process.
by Laura K December 13th, 2007 at 7:41 pmI received Good Night Moon when I was pregnant, and it became one of my boys’ favorite stories. I’ve held onto all these years, hoping to pass it along to my first grandchild.
by Cathy M December 13th, 2007 at 7:54 pmMy favorite book that I’ve received is Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. I’ve read it 3 times now and I still love it. I’ve always been interested in the Civil War era. My mom knows me so well
by Nicole Price December 13th, 2007 at 8:56 pmLike everyone else, I buy whatever I want to read so nobody gives me books. But a few years ago, my husband went to my favorite bookstore (they have a lot of author visits and always have a great selection of autographed books) and got me an assortment of books that he thought I’d like to use in Storytime, including a Big Book (I’m a children’s librarian.) The fact that I already had a couple of the books or maybe the stories were too long to use in a program didn’t mean a thing to me — the fact that he walked the aisles and chose books for me is all that matters. Those books are the best I ever received and hold a place of honor in one of my bookcases.
by Kelly G December 13th, 2007 at 9:03 pmAs much as I love books, nobody ever gives them to me as gifts. The closest I’ve ever come to receiving books is a gift card my brother gave me once to Borders.
by yesy December 13th, 2007 at 11:18 pmI’ve given books as gifts, but I haven’t received books myself other than from authors themselves. I really enjoy participating in book discussions and book promotions so winning a book is a bonus.
by Sue A. December 13th, 2007 at 11:32 pmI would have to say… my favorite gift books are from my sister. For a while, every Christmas and my birthday, she would give me a hardcover copy of a Jane Austen book. She would make sure that the cover picture looked good, etc. Some of them by happenstance turned out to be collector’s editions as well.
by JSL December 14th, 2007 at 12:09 amI don’t remember receiving books as gifts. But one of the memorable book gifts would be getting print books from all the authors such as Sylvia Day, Alyssa Brooks, and many more, or buying them at the library book sale.
by Amelia December 14th, 2007 at 12:58 amI’ve never recieved books as gifts from anyone. But I have given books to My Father since he’s a Jean Auel fan and also a fan of John Grisham which I gave him “Playing for Pizza” for his birthday in Hardback and another Grisham in Paperback can’t remember the name. I’d love to recieve the whole Harry Potter Collection for Christmas since I have some of the books in Paperback and 1 in Hardback, but want it so I can reread it again and again.
by Deborah J December 14th, 2007 at 1:09 amDh has given me Sandra Brown’s Texas Trilogy which I love. My girlfriend sends me books for my bd or Christmas ever so often.
by RobynL December 14th, 2007 at 1:13 amMy sister gave me an anthology of poems and inside the front cover she wrote all of these wonderful memories from our childhood. It was so touching to read them and remember the great times.
by Georgie Lee December 14th, 2007 at 2:15 ami made a wish for fridends and my fridend gave me janelle denison books.
by kim h December 15th, 2007 at 5:08 amI don’t recall anyone giving me books for Christmas. And no one reads in my family so I haven’t bought anyone books for Christmas.
by Amy S. December 15th, 2007 at 5:50 pm