All purpose books for gift

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

To whit, books i have read that can be passed about that all will enjoy, Xmas shpping should start eventually…

(I like books, CD’s, and booze for gifts. Here’s some books.)

The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan. The coevolution of humans, tulips, apples, potatoes, amd reefer as if your best friend from elementary school turned out to be the most charming writer ever. Had a thought, seen a plant, were they connected? Get this book.

Ballad of the Whisky Robber, look up the author yerself. Hockey goalie Johnnie Walker slugging landlord being border jumping Romanian jail escaping Robin Hood being superhero criminal extraordinaire to be eventually be played by Messr. Depp holy cow hero to the dumbfounded this book is great.

Emma, Jane Austen. 'I saw you mommy and your mommy was dead!" I think the Misfits had a significant contribution to Western Civilization. This book about a lonely conniving upper Brit socialite interested in her self probably did as well.

the Deptford Trilogy, Robertson Davies: [Caution, Canadian LIT!!!] will make someone disappear for awhile, they will come back strangely fulfilled with circus tales.

Lamb, the Gospel according to Biff, Christopher Moore: 'f*** ‘em if they can’t take as joke."- Dobbs. Jesus’ missing years with hot kung on fu action.

A Prayer for Owen Meany, john Irving; a 600 page set up for a good line.

A Confederacy of Dunces, author available to quick searches, hot dogs and valves.

2

I love Michael Pollan and enjoyed *The Omnivore’s Dilemma *as much as The Botany of Desire. High fructose corn syrup. 'nuff said.

3

My copy snuck off to Costa Rica amidst the Maize extrapolation. Second nature is also choice material from Messrs. Pollan.

4

Damnit! I was coming in to post “Botany of Desire.”

Or Omnivore’s Dilemma.

Um…NOT “One Thousand Years of Solitude.” Tried twice, can’t get through it.

Oooh! “Stiff”, the secret life of cadavers. Mary Roach I think? It’s creepy and funny and enlightening.

My most loaned out book is “Atlas Shrugged.” Along with the disclaimer that she can get preachy and it is ok to skip about 100 pages of John Galt’s speech.

5

I couldn’t put down The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and I have The Botany of Desire ready to dive into over the holiday. Or should I wait for spring, when gardening fever begins to grow?

The Deptford Trilogy… Well, I picked up Fifth Business for a first year English course and started reading it ahead of the class timeline one night, as I had nothing else to read that appealed. Wow!

I’ve read A Prayer for Owen Meany about five times.

So… I think I will take a serious look at your other suggestions. I am so ashamed that I’ve never actually manage to finish an Austen.

6

I’d like to add Redmond O’Hanlon, a pudgy British naturalist trying to find out if the blak rhino has a cross shaped penis while toting long hundred year old field guides and trying not to be killed from near fatal incompetence.

Graham Greene, the Comedians. Watch out for Tontons Macoute! (not Star Wars related)

Nikos Kazantzakis, The last Temptation of Christ. An utterly beautiful and moving story I have read many times (I’m an atheist to boot)

Thor Heyerdahl, the voyage of the Kon Tiki. The guy built a balsa raft and floated across the south pacific having a wonderful time eating krill with his buddies because the heads on Easter Island look like some in South America. Heyedahl gets a bad-ass rating of 5 in my book.

7

I have three perennial non-fiction standbys for these types of gifts:

Salt by Mark Kurlansky. It’s hard to believe that a book about salt’s role in history could be a page-turner, but trust me… this one is.

Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw by Will Ferguson. A collection of travelogues than span Canada from coast to coast, but always about a smaller town rather than the expected big cities.

*A Short History of Nearly Everything * by Bill Bryson. Imagine if a very entertaining uncle sat you down and proceeded to casually explain science to you, with a liberal sprinkling of silly anecdotes. I know that sometimes Bryson has been a little inacurrate in a few of his attempts to make difficult scientific concepts easier to understand, but this is meant to be a good read rather than the definitive primer.

Also, anything by Margaret Visser, but most especially Much Depends on Dinner.

8

I was going to suggest The Thunderbolt Kid. It’s the funniest of his, I think.
**
Auntbeast**, I loved Stiff!

9

I’ve read several and reread Emma a few times. One might say I have Austen powers.

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*The Joy of Cooking * – a must-have reference book in every library. The best and most used gift book I have. I’ve even taken to giving it as a wedding present (in addition to $$$) at siblings’/friends’ weddings.

11

*Salt * and Botany of Desire for sure. I have to say that I hated A Prayer for Owen Meany–it was hundrends of pages of lecturing punctuated by shouting. I plowed through it but would not subject anyone to it.

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Tent Life in Siberia by George Kennan is a rousing true adventure story. I’ve bought and given away probably 6 copies over the years. Time to reread it myself.

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Ballad of the Whiskey Robber by Julian Rubinstein. A Transylvanian hockey goalie drunkard escape artist robber and hero of the people in Budapest. One of themost inept criminal masterminds ever. This is a must read.

14

There is a pretty good series of books written by this guy Cecil Adams, maybe you have heard of them. (Seriously, who doesn’t love SD books?)

15

The entire collection was presented to the dear Ms. Kuboydal a few years ago.

Thanks, half.com.

16

Groan!

Seconding Vissar, too.