Books – Perfect Christmas Gift

Books – The Perfect Christmas Gift!

Books are at the top of my wish list at Christmas time.  I’m an avid reader and whenever my children ask, “What do you want for Christmas mom”? My response is always a book!

I have just finished reading, The Alice Network, by Kate Quinn.  It’s a story inspired by real-life events of a spy network working underground in France during WWI.  I loved it.

 Kate Quinn ,The Alice Network

Portuguese author Anthony De Sa tells the story of a young man, Manuel Rebelo, who seeks to build a better future and moves from his small fishing village in the Azores to Newfoundland and then Toronto’s Portuguese community in the 1970s.  The book is candor in it’s telling of the hardship and struggle of immigrating to a new land.

 Anthony De Sa, Barnacle Love

The Namesake is also a tale of the immigrant experience, the clash of cultures, the conflicts of assimilation, and the tangled ties between generations.

 Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake: A Novel

Joseph Boyden is one of my favourite authors.  The Orenda is a visceral portrait of life at a crossroads with three characters intricately linked to each other in a background of war, cultural differences and loss.  His latest novel is on my Christmas wish list.

 Joseph Boyden, The Orenda

An autobiography, The Boys in the Boat, tells the story of beating the odds and finding hope in desperate times.  It chronicles the life of one extraordinary young man’s personal quest to find his place at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

Daniel James Brown,The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

I am a huge fan of Jodi Picoult and have read all of her books.  The author brings to the forefront thought-provoking and moral dilemma issues that resonate in our society.  In her latest novel, Small Great Things, Picoult tackles race and discrimination in a spell-bounding way that took hold of me until the last page.

Jodi Picoult, Small Great Things

Sometimes I just want something light and funny to read.  This book had me in hysterics and I highly recommend it.  It’s about a centenarian who has a fondness for vodka and decides it’s not too late to start over.  It took me on a journey that was both eccentric and far-fetched in the best possible way.

Jonas Jonasson, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared

The following books are on my Christmas wish list this year.  Hope my children see it!

Wenjack is a powerful look into the world of residential schools in Northern Ontario.

Joseph Boyden, Wenjack

A thriller about a woman who fears for her sanity when she learns that her doppelganger (identical twin) has appeared in a local park.

 Michael Redhill, Bellevue Square

A biography of Leonardo Da Vinci

Walter Isaacson, Leonardo da Vinci

A cookbook with recipes using only five key ingredients to make life simple.

Jamie Oliver, 5 Ingredients; Quick & Easy Food

I’m excited to learn what books interest you.  Do you have a book wish list this Christmas?

Happy reading,

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