Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 13
  1. #1
    bisous is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    .
    Posts
    14,564

    Default Recommend some good books...

    I’ve decided kids in my life get Legos and adults and teens get books for special holidays (Christmas, birthdays, etc.) I’ve got everyone taken care of except my new SIL and my Stepmom. This is the side of the family that I’m least close to and this is the group for whom gifts convey messages of how much you care! So, books for these people.

    Stepmom is an extremely liberal environmentalist that loves Sci Fi (Kurt Vonnegut) and cooking. She’s raved over some of the cookbooks I’ve purchased over the past few years but I’m wondering if it’s time to change it up?

    New SIL is a champion marathon runner and data consultant for a large corporation. She’s very humble and nice and has a dog and that’s about all that i know about her.

    Any ideas??

  2. #2
    bisous is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    .
    Posts
    14,564

    Default

    Oops wrong forum! Sorry!

  3. #3
    Philly Mom is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Posts
    5,487

    Default

    For SIL, Running with the Buffaloes. Great book. Boys on the Boat also great.

    Does your step mom have Al Gore’s latest movie?


    Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains

  4. #4
    lizzywednesday is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Central NJ
    Posts
    13,754

    Default

    I like Mary Roach books, though they're not sci-fi; they're nonfic. I recommend all of them unreservedly EXCEPT Spook because of the subject matter and Mary's approach to it. However, it's a far more interesting read when you need to refresh your memories of the "spiritualist" movement like I did while reading Things Half in Shadow by Alan Finn. (Recommended, by the way.) If I had to pick one, either Packing for Mars or Stiff would be my first choices for a step-mom.

    Right now, I'm reading a lot of nonfic and fantasy (Dresden Files series, though it's more like ... fantasy-noir) with a few author binges (Neil Gaiman) thrown in for fun. Not sure if Gaiman is your family's speed, but my current Gaiman faves are American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book. The last two are marketed as YA, so YMMV.

    The only sci-fi I've read is Starship Troopers by Robert A Heinlein ... and some Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain), though I've been meaning to check out Ursula K LeGuin (although she doesn't consider her stuff sci-fi) and Octavia Butler for quite some time now.

    I recently read Kindred by Octavia Butler, but that's less straight-up sci-fi and more time-travel/historical fiction (but not in a feel-good way) and I do recommend it, but not as a Christmas present!

    For your SIL, what about something you enjoyed reading for fun? When I want fun, I turn to fluffy books, like the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella or the Heather Wells mysteries by Meg Cabot. Those might be decent bets without knowing your SIL's taste - they're short and pretty funny.
    ==========================================
    Liz
    DD (3/2010)

    "Make mistakes! Get messy!" - Miss Frizzle

  5. #5
    petesgirl is online now Emerald level (3000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Utah
    Posts
    3,723

    Default

    Would either of them enjoy Wonder or Hidden Figures?
    Mama to :
    DS1 (July 2011)
    DD (Feb 2014-June 2015)
    DS2 (Apr 2017)

    "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...Until you climb inside his skin and walk around in it."
    --Atticus Finch (To Kill A Mockingbird)

  6. #6
    bisous is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    .
    Posts
    14,564

    Default

    These are all great. I like the idea of Running with the Buffaloes for my SIL. I've always wanted to read a Mary Roach book but haven't. Packing for Mars sounds good. Isn't Stiff about death? Sending a book about death to my Stepmom might give the wrong kind of impression, lol. She's actually bought Neil Gaiman for DS1 before so I know she's a fan. I wonder if there is anything new by him. Hmm.

    Thanks for all the great recommendations!

  7. #7
    bisous is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    .
    Posts
    14,564

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by petesgirl View Post
    Would either of them enjoy Wonder or Hidden Figures?
    I think my Stepmom gave both of these to DS1! So yes, I'm sure she'd love them but she has probably read them.

    You guys are definitely on the right track!

    Funny thing about this "side" of the family. We are constantly giving out the same books to eachother. Both my sister and I gave my Dad Unbroken the same year for his birthday. Then that Christmas my sister gave my brother Cloud Atlas and he gave the same book back to her, lol.

  8. #8
    Corie's Avatar
    Corie is offline Pink Diamond level (15,000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    15,436

    Default

    For your SIL, how about Pre: The Story of America's Greatest Running Legend, Steve Prefontaine
    by Tom Jordan?

    I really liked it.
    Corie

    "A smile is a curve that can set a lot of things straight."
    -fortune cookie

  9. #9
    Corie's Avatar
    Corie is offline Pink Diamond level (15,000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    15,436

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by lizzywednesday View Post
    though I've been meaning to check out Ursula K LeGuin (although she doesn't consider her stuff sci-fi) and Octavia Butler for quite some time now.

    I recently read Kindred by Octavia Butler, but that's less straight-up sci-fi and more time-travel/historical fiction (but not in a feel-good way) and I do recommend it, but not as a Christmas present!

    I read Fledgling by Octavia Butler. It's about vampires. Really liked it.
    Corie

    "A smile is a curve that can set a lot of things straight."
    -fortune cookie

  10. #10
    erosenst is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    .
    Posts
    2,554

    Default

    For your SIL - Data A Love Story. Geeky and fun read at the same time.

    For stepmom - Kitchen Confidential. Or if you want to venture towards fiction Life from Scratch. There's a sequel that was good too.

Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •