Best Book Bets - 1/22/2013

Winter is my favorite time to read, curled up in front of a fire, warmed by a much-loved comforter. Except for Summertime under an umbrella, a sea breeze cooling the shade as I sip a beverage. Fall though, now that's a time I love to read, the woody fragrance of the falling leaves and the bite of the breeze as they eddy at my feet as I turn a page. Then of course there's Spring with its promise of new beginnings and satisfying novel endings. O.K. my favorite time is anytime I can squirrel away to read and if you are reading this I'm sure you are with me. So hears another week of the Bookie's best; another list of winners.This week we have the scary, the thrilling, the heart wrenching, and yes, the funny.Read & enjoy!

(Bloomsbury)

The Uninvited - Liz Jensen

(FICTION/CLOTH) This reads like payback for all the atrocities plaguing our children as of late.A friend mentioned reading an essay explained using children as villains worked so well because of the mating of good and evil as an effective tool for jarring our senses because children are the embodiment of all things good and kind in the world.  There is a world-wide epidemic where children are killing their families. Anthropologist Hesketh Lock uses the observational advantages of his Asperger's Syndrome to discover the cause in hopes of a cure. His stepson Freddy begins to act erratically and he fears he may be coming down with the disease. As Freddy appears to be implicated in a murder Lock has to come to terms with a future where nurturing and parenting becomes a thing of the past. This distopian thriller will make you flinch when you see a young one for days on end.

(St Martins)

Snow White Must Die - Nele Nehaus

(FICTION/CLOTH)  There seems to be a growing facination with mystery writers from other countries (Larsson, Nesbo). Well this novel should make these people very happy. It was an international bestseller (3.5 million copies to date) and its english translation is accessible although possesses that different point of view that makes these foreign entries so compelling. Detectives Kirchhoff and Bodenstein investigate a body that has apparently fallen from a bridge down into a car below. The case brings them to a village of secrets involving the disappearance of a pair of teens years before. The convicted "killer" is released, the accident tied to him and then, another teen goes missing. Its the classic case of community hiding their dirty laundery and the reveals are delicious.

(St Martins)

The Good House - Ann Leary

(FICTION/CLOTH) Here is a more lighthearted story about small towns and the secrets they keep. Hildy Good is a success at everyt role she takes on, real estate agent, motherhood, neighbor, alcoholic. Her family and friends hold an intervention, much to her dismay, but Hildy just feels persecuted and continues living her life on her terms battling the bottle and reality. In her town there is much to drive Hildy to drink and as she is dragged into one of its scandals the book becomes a tug of war between Hildy's desire to drink and the tragic yet at times hysterical events that happen around her that prompt her to tipple. The novel doesn't come off like a Lifetime Movie of the Week, instead its a thoughtful and amusing meditation on why we do what we do and how we choose to live our lives.

(Viking)

Me Before You - Jojo Moyes

(FICTION/CLOTH)  Louisa (Lou) Clark likes her life just as it is but when her job at the tea shop disappears as does her love for her boyfriend she finds herself a care assistant for someone else who has lost the value to there life. Her client Will is a quadriplegic due to a motorcycle accident. His life is as joyless as Lou's. Their oil and vinegar relationship tests each of them but after a few verbal shake-ups they begin to fill the darkness in each others lives. This has already been a big success in England where they call such stories "weepies." What makes this novel rise above the lot is how real all the characters are on the page (even the acerbic mother of Will.) Bring out the Kleenex and turn the page, this story gives Segal's Love Story a run for its money.

(Free Press)

Y: A Novel - Marjorie Celona

(FICTION/CLOTH)  A remarkable debut novel about unbreakable spirit.Talk about someone born down on their luck, Shannon is dumped at a "Y"MCA in a dirty sweatshirt, armed with a Swiss Army knife. She is also armed with an old soul that takes the foster system head on. She revives abuse and neglect while in the system until she finds a foster parent with as resilient a spirit as hers, Miranda. The novel weaves the similar tales of the two with Miranda's mother, Yula, and celebrates what a brave act being a family can be. “Y. That perfect letter. The wishbone, fork in the road, empty wineglass. The question we ask over and over. Why? . . . My life begins at the Y.”Seriously, how cool is that?

(Doubleday/Talese)

The Drowning House - Elizabeth Black

(FICTION/CLOTH)  Here is another notable debut author. Black presents to us Clare Porterfield, a successful photographer who impending divorce overshadows a death in her family. To avoid the inevitable in her personal life she jumps at the chance to escape back to her hometown,Galveston, Texas, to participate in an exhibition and tend to family affairs.  Her story parallels the tale of Stella Carraday who, legend has it drown in her family house during the hurricane of 1900 when her hair got tangled in a chandelier as the water rose. The truths behind both there fates turn dark and interwoven as Clare comes to terms with her family secrets and her life going forwards. A powerful talent that weaves a tone of Southern Gothic to the tale-telling.

(Palgrave/Macmillan)

The Forgotten Writings of Bram Stoker - edited by John Edgar Browning

(NON-FICTION/CLOTH)  Granted this collection is probably more exciting for us literature nerds out there than for the casual reader, these previously unpublished works shed new light on the man who combined horror, romance and the fear of foreign influence into the classic Dracula. There is fiction, an assortment of poems, journal writings, even a listing of the contents of his personal library. A little more dry but just as enlightening are some pieces done on Stoker from back in the day. As a whole they reveal his interests and influences, the underpinning to his classic work and further advocate his importance as an architect of Gothic literature.

(Atria)

For the Love of Letters: The Joy of Slow Communication - John O'Connell

(NON-FICTION/CLOTH) I'm getting on my soap box for a moment. Letterwriting and the practice of cursive writing has been the key to civilization's soul. Has anyone anywhere, paused before their keyboard or mobile device, to construct the words that would describe the beatings of one's heart as you would when composing a letter? If you say yes then sorry, you're lying. Keyboards are cold and thumbs texting as knumb as the calluses such practice creates. That said, here's a fine book that celebrates letter writing. It is a collection of writings from Churchill to Austen to Dunne; all fine examples of the many values of what was once the only mode of communication, now an art form. To quote Natalie Goldberg from her book Writing Down the Bones "Handwriting is closest to the beat of the heart." Amen, sister!

(Amulet)

Splintered - A.G. Howard

(YOUNG ADULT/CLOTH)  Re-imagings are all the rage, especially with young adult titles and their subsequent film adaptations. Most are dreck but every once in a while an author takes the term to heart. Howard rebuilds the legend of Alice in Wonderland from the ground up with such attention to detail and pathos it would make Rick Burton blush. Alyssa hears the thoughts of bugs and flowers but don't tell anyone, it landed her Mom in an institution years before. She is an ancestor of Alice Liddell, the girl Lewis Carroll based his novel on. What Alyssa learns is that the tale wasn't woven of fantasy and whimsy but facts. Yes there will be a tea party and a bandersnatch but this psychedelic grotesque is now your mother's wonderland. 

(St. Martin’s/Griffin)

Uses For Boys - Erica Lorraine Scheidt

(YOUNG ADULT/CLOTH)   Growing up and becoming sexually aware can be such a drag. On the surface not so for Anna who uses her relationships with the boys in her life as a substitute for the lack of family in her life. Her Mom is busy dealing with her life in a similar fashion, man to man. The girls in school consider Anna the school slut. Her routine of using boys by being used herself changes when she meets Sam, who has a well-grounded family who enjoys each others company. She learns what is missing in her life and what it will take to fill it. Tough, gritty and as real as the sexually changed world teens live in. Its really about breaking through all that noise and finding what counts in life.

(Philomel)

This Moose Belongs to Me - Oliver Jeffers

(INDEPENDENT READER) (Philomel) The classic tale of boy meets moose that has taken the NY Times bestseller list by storm!. Wait a second isn't that usually a dog? Jeffers is no slouch when it comes to children's literature and his chops are well used here. Confession, I love moose (mooses? moseses?) so I was smitten by this tale immediately. Wilfred, probably a little OCD, loves order in his young life. Rules are rules, dot the "i"s. Moose is the perfect companion for young Wilfred. He never barks for example. What Wilfred doesn't realize is that a moose can be very obstinent, especially one that doesn't know that it is owned by a little boy. Still the two strike a bound that works for both of them, for Wilfred companionship and for moose, apples (O.K. a little companionship as well to be truthful.)

(Harper)

Jinx - Sage Blackwood

(INDEPENDENT READER)  Witches, werewolves and trolls, oh my! Welcome to Urwald, the world of Jinx. It is a magical world where wizards are not to be trusted. Jinx knows that but against everything he had been told he takes the advise of crotchety wizard Simon Magnus and ventures off the safe path in search of magical powers. There lies the aforementioned monsters and more in every shadow. His worldly experiences build his knowledge in magic and the more he delves into the unknown the more good looks evil and evil, well, evil still looks even but maybe not so much. In the end Jinx must rely on the magic within. Beautifully rendered world with classic overtones makes this journey a treat.

Best Book Bets -1/15/2013

The new year is starting with a bang in the publishing world. Here's this week's perfectas as chosen by the all-knowing bookie. For the kiddos check out the last recommend on the list, a storybook by Newbury award winning author Neil Gaiman. (the panda is mischievous by not creepy as you might expect from the macabre master.

(Harper)

The Death of Bees - Lisa O'Donnell
(FICTION/CLOTH) A couple of years back the novel Swamplandia! rocked my world. Here's another novel that takes a humorous look at the underbelly of suburbia and how ones actions come back to haunt you. Marnie and her sis Ellie bury their parents in their back yard on Christmas eve. What happened to their parents is a mystery to all THEN things start to get creepy. Their story is told by each of them as lies break down, secrets are revealed and you stop reading only to find that hours have past. This is a tale of need and lost as the girls and the old man they befriend search light in the dark Glasgow night. 

(William/Morrow)

The One I Left Behind - Jennifer McMahon

(FICTION/CLOTH) McMahon weaves a disturbing investigative thriller about a serial killer who's M.O. is leaving the hand of his victims as evidence. 25 years ago when Reggie was just a teen his mother was abducted by the monster, a hand left, but no body ever found. Then one day his mother is found alive in a women's shelter. The now successful architect who had buried his past now makes it his mission to find the killer who spared his mother before he can strike again. It is a grisly tale told masterfully that combines dread and compulsion to read on. As the mystery unravels the author does not disappoint as she leads us down into the depravity of criminal Reggie seeks.

(Europa)

The Threads of the Heart - Carole Martinez

(FICTION/CLOTH) I love a novel that has fantasy elements that are firmly entrenched in the real world. Here we have Frasquita who has a unique gift that has been handed down from her family of sorcerers. She is able to fabricate the most beautiful garments that have the power to find one's flaws and deformities. Her village labels her a witch or worse, an adulteress and she is banished. With her familyt under her wings she travels through Spain into Africa searching for a new life devoid of her history of magic. This is a mythic tale of the need for rebirth, for new beginnings, the same incantation as the clothes she weaves. Beautiful and poetic, her adventure will speak to your heart.

(TOR)

A Memory of Light - Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson

(FICTION/CLOTH) When Robert B. Parker passed, I felt for the author chosen to continue his legacy. How do you continue the work of a man with such a distinctive style without aping his lexicon? Same pains are felt for Sanderson as he tackles Jordan's monumental body of work. Based on the notes and incomplete manuscript for the last chapter in the Wheel of Time odyssey the author estate has decided to release the ending in three parts entitled A Memory of Light. Tarmon Gai’don, the Last Battle, is at hand. The Dragon Reborn rises. The man of the hour, Egwene, is locked away in the white tower. Let it begin!

(Morrow)

The Intercept - Dick Wolf

(FICTION/CLOTH) Law & Order has become the most success drama in television history with its countless spin-offs and reworkings. The brainchild of this juggernaut is Dick Wolf who's first novel is a a throw back to classic international thrillers. It has more twists and cliffhangers than the best episodes of his television work but with a distinctly different voice. Its NYC, the One World Trade Center at Ground Zero is celebrated and intelligence agencies fear a new threat is planned to commemorate the ceremony. Two agents, Fisk and Gersten, fight against the clock following one false lead after another before a new American nightmare is unleashed. As the clues are revealed all that is needed is the teeth-clenching steel chords that pre-empt a commercial break to make it complete. Tick, tick, tick... reveal (da-dummm!)

(Tyrant)

Sky Saw - Blake Butler
(FICTION/CLOTH) Alot of what is considered experimental fiction turns out to be literary thumb twiddling but some authors can hone in the fruits of there efforts into some chilling visions. Butler's word choice and sentence structure gets under your skin. The novel reads like a fever dream Butler's novel births the lovechild of George Orwell and Clive Barker in this troubling vision of the future where books rule over man and one's welcome euthanasia is denied. People are literally numbers for words are stronger than they are. Books even reappear after you destroy them. Man is ruled by the faceless Universal Ceiling makes Big Brother feel wimpy. What's more tortuous than losing your humanity? Find out by reading on.
Butler has penned four other novels and is the editor of the literary blog HTMLGIANTe.

(Viking)

Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes - Maria Konnikova
(NON-FICTION/CLOTH) Many of the Bookie's fanbase as mystery novel lovers so when this book hit the shelves we knew we had to give it a shout-out. Sherlock Holmes deductive reasoning is the benchmark of analytical thought. Was his gift the trick of an author's pen or is it something systematic that any of us mere mortals in the real world can master? Konnikova hones her journalistic skills analyszing the concept of a brain attic, a place where we store and label data and builds strategies on how we too can be a mastermind. She is also a psychiatrist and is able to back up her theory with neuroscience. Insightful and informative (hunter's hat, magnifying glass, and pipe not included.)

(Mysterious)

Return of The Thin Man - Dashiell Hammet, editor Richard Laymen
(NON-FICTION/CLOTH) Another classic of the who-dunnit is Dashiell Hammett's erasable Thin Man. Martinis were never more enjoyed or crimes more gracefully solved than by Nick and Nora. The novel was Hammet's biggest payday. The 1934 film was an even bigger hit and he was commisioned to kick out sequels that became "After the Thin Man" and "Another Thin Man". They started as novellas first and finally we get to read them as prose not screenplay. This is a grand swan song from a true master in his field. Chill the shaker, add gin and bitters and enjoy reading. The stories are more than an appetizer, they are a main course.

(Razorbill)

Paper Valentine - Brenna Yovanoff
(YOUNG ADULT/CLOTH) Of all the authors weaving dark romances for young adults Yovanoff has the most Gothic heart. Her tales of doomed misfits, like Mackie in her novel The Replacements,  pluck at the heartstrings while they gnaw at the gut. The key is that she draws real teens first then allows the macabre world to cast shadows over them and again she tops herself with this tale of Hannah, a girl who mourns the death of her best friend who know haunts her. All she wants is normal but that will never be until she makes things right and brings her BFF's killer to justice. Yes, tale's been told many times before but read through the author's style, the literary equivalent of charcoal drawings, the story seeps in to your own fears.

(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

The Wrap-Up List - Steven Arntson
(YOUNG ADULT/CLOTH)  How's this for a new way to approach the apocalypse? In the distopian future just around the corner your mortality will be announced to you by eight foot grey reapers called Deaths. Once your days are numbered you have to scurry to fulfill your personal bucket list before you kick it. The novel is both spooky and sentimental as we follow teenager Gabriela as she receives her letter and she is forced to jump start her emotional life. First crush, friends, family and  in the end, the meaning of life are all met head on as the sickle nears.

(Knopf)

Hokey Pokey - Jerry Spinelli
(INDEPENDENT READER) Spinelli is one of the most recoginized authors of children's chapter books but it has been a while since his last book. It was worth the wait for he returns at the top of his form delivering a fantastic fable of a town called Hokey Pokey, where childhood is captured in all of its innoscent perfection. Ride a bike, climb a tree, have an adventure. There are no adults, its a young child's vision of heaven. There are almost no rules in Hokey Pokey... almost. A young girl steals the bike of jack, one of the older children in town. A rule is broken and what was once bliss veers into chaos. In the distance they hear a train, nearing, but that can't be. There are no trains there. so it begins.

A(Harper)

Chu's Day - Neil Gaiman, illus. Adam Rex
(CHILDREN STORYBOOK) Neil Gaimen, yes, THE Neil Gaimen. Yes, he did win the Newbury Award for The Graveyard Shift which was an independent reader novel BUT it did have a knife-wielding socio-path hunting down an orphan child. So what horrible things happen in this book for toddlers you may ask? A sneeze. No knives, no boogeymen. Chu is a rolly-pilly, cute as all get-out panda who can sneeze like nobodies business and everything seems to make him do so, books, diners, the circus... I bet you can see the punchline coming... Ahhhh-Chu!

Best Book Bets - 1/8/2013

 Welcome to year 2 of the Best Book Bets as chosen by the ubiquitous Literary Bookie. Each week we provide concise recommendations based on analysis of the publishing market, consensus of reviewers and the Bookie's insight into authors and, of course, the Bookie's "gut" feeling, and above all else, the books themselves. Sign up for weekly e-mail reminders (only 1 post a week and the Bookie only shares his hunches, never names) Coming out of the gate we have some goodies to add to your "to be read" book pile.

(Orbit)

The Folly of the World - Jesse Bullington
(FICTION/CLOTH) It seems that distopian fiction has become all the rage every since Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Here we have a fantastic tale of the end of days that takes place in... 1421? Holland's low countries are devastated by the raging sea in essence destroying the world as they know it.  Opportunity and survival lead the hand of both con men and locals as they attempt to wallow in the desolation. I especially like the feral girl who is more equipt to persevere than those with all their faculties. It is a battle of society at its worst and at its most brave that is hauntingly described and meticulasly researched. A great adventure to start the new year giving thanks.

(W.W.Norton)

Finding Camlann - Sean Pidgeon

(FICTION/CLOTH) Anyone with a love for sword and sorcery caught the bug when they first read Mallory's tales of King Arthur, his knights, and the mythical Camelot. Here is paydirt, a detective story for the fantasy loving bibliophile. A Welsh poem is unearthed providing new eveidence that King Arthur indeed walked the moors and entices literary scholars and archeologists alike. What follows is a celebration of research and revelation as the characters follow their hearts as well as their intellectual curiosity as they strive to prove the legend real. The intricacies of the splendid storytelling is an homage to the great tale tellers of yore as the archeologist Donald Gladstone teams up with Julia Llewllyn, a linguist shares passions for their crafts and each other. As intricate as a Dan Brown novel but fueled more by heart than by curiosity.

(Bloomsbury)

Life! Death! Prizes! - Stephen Ma

(FICTION/CLOTH) This is the type of story that builds heroes (just look at Batman.) In the last year of his teens Billy's mother is killed in a botched robbery and he finds himself the heir apparent to his younger brother Oscar. There are adults in his life, an aunt, teachers, a father abstinentia, but Billy knows what's best for his brother. His child-rearing skills is enough to make a social worker's hair turn grey but it is all out of love. Along with his dedication comes an obsession over his mother's killer and as he continues to obsess over him the more he puts his brother at risk. Billy's desperation is palpable as he fumbles through an adult world as only a teenager would. As you read you hope that his life lessons don't come too late.  

(E.P. Dutton)

The Last Runaway - Tracy Chevalier

(FICTION/CLOTH) Akin to Philippa Gregory, this is one of those authors who write historical dramas that are as effortlessly accurate as they are compelling. Her bestseller Girl With a Pearl Earring captured the imagination of the world a while back. Now she takes her gift of historical narrative and focuses on America during the time of the Underground Railroad. Honor Bright flees England and is taken in by religious do-gooders who find nothing wrong with slavery. It is then that she is introduced to the Railroad and the brave freedom fighters. Will she be able to defy convention and liberate herself while seeking justice for all? An era is captured in meticulous detail driven by the conflicting emotions of a troubled era in our history.

(Touchstone)

Truth In Advertising - John Kenney
(FICTION/CLOTH) This sharp debut novel will move you and make you laugh. You might be able to succeed in business without really trying but Finbar Dolan begins to realize that it doesn't apply to life. He pulled himself by his bootstaps, left his meager beginnings in Boston behind to become the top of his field. As a super bowl commercial account's deadline approaches his personal life begins tWith a strong sense of humor and pointy irony, Finbar has to come to terms with what is truly important in his life. Its all about life, family life, love life, business life. Oh, let us not forget, its alot about diapers.

(Soho)

Little Wolves - Thomas Maltman
(FICTION/CLOTH) This novel has the same unsettling tone as Daniel Woodrell's Winter's Bone as it scours the prarie of Minnesota trying to unearth the truth behind the vicious murder committed by the son of the town's pastor. It is much more than your conventional rural mystery, it delves into the mythos such events evoke, a tone, possibly a fate, its people can't overcome. Using the pastor's wife's knowledge of folklore and mythology the author paints the impact of such lurid events in broad epic strokes. This is a mystery novel that would be more appropriately placed in the literature section of your bookstore.

(FSG/Farber&Farber)

Bad Pharma: How Drug Companies Mislead Doctors and Harm Patients - Ben Goldacre 
(NON-FICTION/CLOTH)Have you read Stiff? Hop about Spook? You must have read Bonk. Yes? Then you will freak out over this author's latest entry in his catalog of crazy, creepy nonfiction science books. This time he pulls the veil from the pharmaceutical industry revealing it in all its greed based ineptitude. He shows us with countless evidence how impossible it is to fix the health care industry when it is run by the drug makers. Even the education of our health care professionals is funded by them and the thoroughness of their education is on a need to know basis. Dr. Goldacre gives us all the gory details with an entertaining presentation. His forensic obsessions will make you question everything you thought you knew about health care and will fill you with caution next time you reach for a bottle of pills.

(Blue Rider)

The Dude and the Zen Master - Jeff Bridges , Bernie Glassman 
(NON-FICTION/CLOTH) The world according to The Big Lebowski. 'nuff said? It has been noted that the lead character of that Coen brothers comedy was indeed a zen master. Here's a book that delves into Bridge's inspiration that made every line sound like a parable. It is equal part meditation and chuckle-fest as the actor and his guru friend meander about Buddhism, the connectivity of all things and the joyful joke of this thing called life. Be in the moment, even in hard times, find your smile, except your place in the punch line, and above all else, let your inner Dude abide.

(Random/Schwartz & Wade)

Peanut - Ayun Halliday
(YOUNG ADULT/CLOTH) What if you don't stand out? What if you have had it being part of the wallpaper? In the case of Sadie, you pretend to have an allergy. A lie as broad as that is hard to keep up in a world where peanuts are, like, everywhere. The novelist is the hippest mommy in the business; a world traveller that gave us the hysterical Don't Touch Monkey and the alterna-mom memoir The Big Rumpus. She uses her humorous writing style to deliver a novel that is smart enough for adults and snarky enough for teens this novel is equal parts tragic and comic this coming-of-age tale rings true in its pathetic desperation to be somebody, anybody, even a person who's kryptonite is lagumes.

(Scholastic)

Dead and Buried - Kim Harrington
(YOUNG ADULT/CLOTH) Its a real joy when you see a novelist write to her potential. Harrington always had the goods.  Her Clarity series for the YA paranormal romancers out there and her Nancy Drew inspired Sleuth or Dare chapter books mysteries of Darcy and Nora are written in a nonthreatening narrative style that reflects her audience. She again tells a tale with the voice of her readers in this stand alone but this time combines her talents with a classic Gothic haunted house vibe and the strength of her writing soars. The problems of being a new girl at school fade in comparison to being visited by the restless soul of a murdered girl who seeks to avenge her death. The parallels of the two girls situations, both wanting to move on, be it in life or in afterlife gives the story a deep resonnence that reflects the teen wallflower. Did I mention that Jade's encounters and subsequent investigation is creepy as all get out?

(Simon/Schuster)

They Call Me a Hero: A Memoir of My Youth - Daniel Hernandez with usan Goldman Rubin
(INDEPENDENT READER NON-FICTION/CLOTH) I can't think of a more timely memior for kids in the aftermath of the tragedy in Newtown. Daniel was by the side of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and is credited with helping save her life. He doesn't see it that way. He wasn't a hero, he just did what needed to be done. Its his selfless perspective that rises in this inspiring memoir. We follow him through his life, the moments that led him to the tragic events and his work since that fateful day. It is as much about caring on after such events as it is about his brush with fate. Daniel says that, "Heroes are people who spend a lifetime committed to helping others.” If that's the case he is well on the way and by telling his story he hopefully will inspire a legion of heroes.

(Knof)

The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket - John Boyne, illus. by Oliver Jeffers
(INDEPENDENT READER/CLOTH) Don't all tweens feel different? They all will then relate to Barnaby, an  8-year-old boy who floats. That's right, the laws of gravity are not for him. His family wishes he was just like everybody else but Barnaby is just, well, Barnaby the floating boy. Then, you guessed it, its time for a whirlwind (literally) adventure around the globe and beyond where he eventually discovers himself in all his uniqueness. The novel's quirky approach to individuality is refreshing and makes for a satisfying read for tweens everywhere. Normal is sooo over-rated!

A Lighthouse in Wintertide

Sean Harris BGN

In lieu of a Best Bets post for the holidays, The Literary Bookie offers you a meditation on our times by S.E. Toon. Just click the Tales by Toon tab at the top of the page and enjoy. If it touches you in any way please comment and share with others. 
Wishing you a blessed new year. 
I encourage you to sign up for the email alert so that each time there is a new post you will be notified. Don't worry, its only once a week and we DO NOT share lists. (If you are signed in through Google you can join us that way. The Bookie will resume giving you the best bets for new books starting January 8th.

Best Book Bets - LAST MINUTE LISTS

Here are a few extra Best Bets to finish your Holiday shopping.

No diatribe, no clever phrasing, Just suggestions for Holiday-themed Gift Books (the good list) and people on your list that jumped on the 50 Shades of Grey bandwagon (the very naughty list). For more lists check out the last two weeks posts.

Have a blessed holiday season, hold your loved ones close, and please, please either read to them or with them. It is there you will find the hearth to keep you warm and light your way.

  Christmas Gift Books

(Gotham)

 Being Santa Claus:What I Learned About the True Meaning of Christmas 
by Sal Lizard, Jonathan Lane
Truth told, the Literary Bookie was a mall Santa one year but fades in comparison to this hand core Kris Kringle. 20 year veteran Sal Lizard (what a great alias for Santa, right?) tell us the funny and emotional tales of his years in the big chair. For him being Santa is year round state of mind. After you you read this, Virgina, you will finally believe.

(Little Brown)

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
Dear is the darker side of working the Enchanted Village. Reading Sedaris’s take on his year as an elf at Macy’s elf has become an annual tradition (as is reading Dicken's A Christmas Carol but I digress) You get Halloween and Easter stories in the lot but his fictionalized memoirs of the Christmas season is worth the scratch. This new edition also includes 6 tales previously unpublished. (the bookie might have to buy it again just for that and donate the other copy to a charity...ALWAYS a good idea!)

(William/Morrow)

Scared of Santa: Scenes of Terror in Toyland 
by Denise Joyce and Nancy Watkins 
I think the reason that the film A Christmas Story has become so popular is the dream sequence of getting your picture taken with the Man in Red (OK, that and the pole scene). The almost always traumatic event is captured in found photographs making for a hilarious stocking stuffer. Relive the horrors of your past or the fresh ones you just subjected your young'uns to.

(Abrams/Harry M)

Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Book: The Definitive Guide to Getting Your Ugly On  
by Brian Miller, Adam Paulson, Kevin Wool, Glenn Gontha
One of the two party themes I've always wanted to do is the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party (The other is a Christmas in August party). Here is the guide book to throwing your own event. It is also a Rogue's Gallery of hideous weaving with sic names like  Scarf Face, Wreath Witherspoon, and Ryan Treecrest. Join team ugly and get your ug on!

(Croen)

A Christmas Home by Greg Kincaid
 A little bit of Christmas Cheese but just the thing for the dog lover with a hankering for inspirational romance. A dog named Christmas bounds his troubled owner Todd to Laura, a woman with disabilities that Christmas is trained to help. The cliff looms in this book too causing people to abandon dogs at Todd's shelter, then his funding falls through and he has to find homes for his wards by New Years. Sniff. Sniff. (yes, even the bookie can squeak a tear)

McCray, hero of A Dog Named Christmas, is now twenty-four years old and working at a local animal shelter, where he meets and quickly becomes best friends with Laura, a young volunteer. Laura, like Todd, has disabilities of her own, but her struggles are more physical than developmental. Their friendship is sealed when Todd—with the help of his trusted companion, the tenacious Labrador retriever named Christmas—trains a beautiful dog named Gracie to help Laura with the day-to-day life tasks that are difficult for her.
            Life seems good for Todd, but all is not well in his hometown. Struggling families unable to make ends meet are abandoning more and more dogs, and the shelter is swelling to capacity.  The local government is struggling to meet its obligations too, and in early December, on the cusp of another holiday season, Todd’s boss delivers the bad news.  Due to funding problems, the shelter will close its doors before the end of the year.  But what will happen to all the animals?
   As the Christmas holiday approaches, Todd has limited time to find homes for all the dogs. Not to mention that he needs to secure a new job and figure out what to do when his friendship with Laura takes an unexpected romantic turn. All this seems overwhelming unless you’ve got a loving family, dedicated friends, and a couple of very special dogs behind you. In which case, nothing is impossible.
Christmas Parade by Sandra Boynton
Biddy BOOM, Biddy BOOM, Biddy BOOM! As noisy as a child's Christmas present with a fresh pack of batteries this new classic from the master of drawing funny animals. Its a parade so this book should be read loud and boisterous, kiddos encouraged to join in the fracas. Big plus, the little ones learn animals and musical instruments. This is one book you will be asked to read again and again until you are compelled to hide it away for a while

50 Shades of Christmas

(Clarkson Potter)

Fifty Shades of Chicken by F L Fowler
Dripping Thighs,  Bacon-Bound Wings, Spatchcock Chicken, Learning-to-Truss-You Chicken, Mustard-Spanked Chicken, you get the picture. Not just the titles get the S&M treatment, even the descriptions are written in a saucy manner."This isn’t just about getting me hot till my juices run clear, and then a little rest. There’s pulling, jerking, stuffing, trussing." Part spoof joke gift for the E.L. James fan on your list and part recipe book with legitimately decent recipes, this twisted documentation of the education of  Miss Chicken is sure to be the hit of your office party (if its a family gathering, keep it on the hush-hush)

(Cleis Press)

Thrones of Desire: Erotic Tales of Swords, Mist and Fire 
edited by Mitzi Szereto
 Where this might not hold up well to critics of sword and socery fiction or for that fact fans of erotic writing, it will prove a hoot for fans of Game of Thrones AND 50 Shades of Grey. Kings and Queens, knights and princesses, even mystical beings; they all get their groove on in this collection of overheated romances. You will crack a smile when the narrative switches from conventional storytelling to the erotic. Naughty fun for the Dungeon and Dragons crowd.

(St. Martin's)

Jane Eyre Laid Bare by Eve Sinclair
I'm with you, I'm am so sick of the the latest trend of mash-up novels, books that combine polar opposte styles together (example, Pride Prejudice and Zombies) Her we have a lierary classic getting the 50 Shades treatment. Again, give this book as more of a novelty than as a legitimate read. Brontë's writing was steamy and passionate enough before but wowzie, this version of Jane's seuxal education under the hands of Mr. Rodchester, I mean Rochester will make you blush.

(Ballentine)

Story of O by Pauline Réage
You can actually find a free version of this novel online if you choose. If you really liked 50 Shades of Grey then its time to stop reading glorified fan fiction and real the real thing. Once banned, this tale of the willful debasement of a young Parisian beauty who wants nothing more than to be a slave to her lover, sets the standard that all erotic literature must be measured by. E.L. James may have broken all kinds of records for the sale of trade paperbacks but her writing fades when compared to a master.

(Penguin Classics)

Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
Here's where it began, the novel as the grand taboo. Less whip me, beat me, make me give bad presents, more unbridled passion that reads from the page with such honesty that the controversial novel is considered one of the most significant literary works of its time. Anybody have a cigarette?