Holiday Gift Ideas for Book Lovers

Hosted by the Friends of the Milton Public Library Saturday, November 23, 2013

Books for Children Childrens Librarian Elaine Weischedel

For older children Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck by Jeff Kinney House of Hades by Rick Riordan Stick Dog Wants a Hot Dog by Tom Watson Nancy Clancy Sees the Future by Jane OConnor Infinity Ring: Behind Enemy Lines by Jennifer Nielsen (pub date 11/26) The Mystery of Meerkat Hill: a Precious Ramotswe Mystery by Alexander McCall Smith And, if you dont already have a copy in the house The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson For little ones Pete the Cat and his Magic Sunglasses by Kimberly and James Dean Pete the Cat Saves Christmas by Eric Litwin and James Dean. Im a frog by Mo Willems The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt Old Mikamba had a farm by Rachel Isadora Playtime Rhymes: a Treasury for Families to Learn and Play Together, by Marc Brown For family sharing: Giving Thanks: Poems, Prayers, and Praise Songs of Thanksgiving. Edited and with Reflections by Katherine Paterson The Folk Tale Classics Treasury, Retold and Illustrated by Paul Galdone The Family Christmas Treasury: Tales of Anticipation, Celebration, and Joy. Edited by Cathy Hapka. A Childs Christmas in New England, by Robert Sullivan

Books for History Buffs Library Director, Will Adamczyk

The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin The newest offering by one of our times greatest historians. This book looks at the dawn of the Progressive Age and the relationship between Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. Camelots Court: Inside the Kennedy White House by Robert Dallek As we remember what happened in Dallas 50 years ago, this is a fresh look at the men behind JFK. Double Down: Game Change 2012 by Mark Halperin & John Heilemann A follow up to Game Change, this is a look behind the scenes of the 2012 election. The authors follow the Romney and Obama camps on the campaign trail. The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss We all know the stories of Alexandre Dumas (The Count of Monte Cristo & The Three Musketeers), but what we didnt know is that his father, General Alex Dumas, was his inspiration. This book tracks the unlikely story of the son of a black slave who rises to command armies. In paperback. An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa: 1942 1943 by Rick Atkinson For the World War II buff on your list. This book looks at the Allies movements in northern Africa in 1942 -1943 as they sowed the seeds for the liberation of Europe. In paperback. Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944-1956 by Anne Applebaum The book details how the liberation of Europe quickly led to the spread of Communism by Stalin and his secret police. In paperback.

Books for Inspiration- Author Suzette Standring

Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers by Anne Lamott Author Anne Lamott shares hilarious and wrenching tales that embody the three major themes of prayer to inspire others to pray anytime, anywhere, and in any way. Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife by Eben Alexander, M.D A trained neurosurgeon is almost brain dead in a coma, during which he experiences that God and the soul are real and that death is not the end of personal existence but only a transition. His documented recovery is a medical miracle. Reduced to Joy by Mark Nepo A collection of 73 poems about the nature of working with what were given till it wears us through to joy. Nepo is the New York Times bestselling author of Awakening. Buddy: How a Rooster Made Me a Family Man by Brian McGory Boston Globe journalist marries a woman with two kids and multiple pets, and the self-assured family rooster hates his guts. Its a classic story of love, acceptance and change as one mans nemesis becomes his madcap mentor. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho the magical story of Santiago, a shepherd boy who travels from Spain to Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert in search of extravagant treasure, and his fateful encounter with the alchemist. The charmed fable is about following ones dreams and learning to read the omens strewn along lifes path.

Books for Crime Fiction Readers- Author Hallie Ephron

The Silent Wife by A. S. A. Harrison (Penguin Books) - Perfect for readers who loved "Gone Girl," this was was Harrison's first novel. She died a few weeks before the book was published. The story of Jodi Brett who lives in a lovely house making lovely meals for her husband Todd who makes her perfect martinis. A psychotherapist, all day long Jodi listens to self-deluding patients, all the while in a state of denial herself as she puts up with being married to man who is not good at monogamy. Until she snaps. Dark. Wicked. Help for the Haunted by John Searles (Wm. Morrow) - For readers with a taste for haunted basements, creepy always-smiling dolls, and weirdly dysfunctional families. Fourteen-year-old Sylvie Mason is the good sister. Her mother, an evangelist with the power to calm troubled souls, says that Sylvie has "the gift," too. Sylvie's older sister Rose is rebellious, with a twisted soul that no prayers or ministrations can return to righteousness. Their parents are murdered. Rage Against the Dying by Becky Masterman (Minotaur) -In this compelling thriller, protagonist Brigid Quinn is fifty-nine(!), retired FBI who burned out after years of working undercover, and is disgraced because she killed an unarmed perp. Her specialty: investigating sexual homicides. Retired and recently married to a man who doesn't know she was a Fed, she's haunted by the disappearance of a young protge whom she trained to decoy a serial killer. A new series of killings lures her out of retirement. A Tap on the Window by Linwood Barclay (NAL) - On a dismal, rainy night in front of a bar in a suburb of Buffalo, a teenage girl outside a bar taps on a middle-aged guy's car window. Familiar territory, right? Creepy guy, desperate girl. Or maybe clueless guy, larcenous girl? She says the only thing that would get Cal, the driver and a former cop slash private detective, to give her a lift. One bad decision leads to the next for a man who is already mired in bad decisions and the attendant guilt. Family drama and solid detective work. Don't read the jacket copy before you start. The Tenth Witness by Len Rosen (The Permanent Press) - Justice and true love are at loggerheads as Henri Poincar, a deeply ethical man who lost relatives in the Holocaust, falls in love with the daughter of former Nazi Otto Von Kraus who stoked his steel foundries during the war with concentration camp labor. A complex novel and a fascinating exploration of what happens when good and evil reside under the same roof. There Was an Old Woman by Hallie Ephron (Wm. Morrow paperback) - Ninety-one-year-old Mina Yetner lives in the Bronx neighborhood of Higgs Point where narrow shotgun houses perch on waterfront with a view of marsh, water, and in the distance the Manhattan sky.

Books for Fiction Readers Library Trustee Frank Schroth

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson the story of a woman who is fated to be born, die, and do it all over again. Ursula Todd is born in 1910 Britain and lives through the horrors of the 20 th century, over and over again. The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout Strout relates the stories of a family fleeing from each other and their past. After a terrible childhood event scars the Burgess family, they seek new beginnings and new lives. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt 13 year old Theo Deckers life is thrown off course when he is left as the heir to a priceless Dutch masterwork. Bobcat and Other Stories by Rebecca Lee The characters and locales vary in this story collection, exploring friendship, marriage, hardship, and hubris. In paperback.

Books for Sports Fans Library Director, Will Adamczyk

The System: The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football by Jeff Benedict & Armen Keteyian. A look at all of the good and bad that have come as a result of the big time money flowing into college football today. Orr: My Story by Bobby Orr For the Bruins fan in the family. This is Orrs first ever memoir. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown the University of Washingtons crew team and their hopes for Olympic glory. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall Why do smart people run so far? McDougall enters the world of ultramarathoners, searching for answers. In paperback. Soccernomics: Why England Loses, Why Spain, Germany, and Brazil Win, and why the US, Japan, Australia, Turkey and Even Iraq are Destined to Become the Kings of the Worlds Most Popular Sport by Simon Kuper & Stefan Szymanski For the soccer fan on your list, who is preparing for World Cup 2014, this stat filled book is a classic. In paperback. Francona: The Red Sox Years by Terry Francona & Dan Shaughnessy While we are still basking in the glow of victory, this book takes us back to when the curse was still a thing. In paperback.

Cookbooks Cooking Coach Connie Spiros

The Mini Minimalist: Simple Recipes for Satisfying Meals by Mark Bittman. 160 recipes ideal for the harried chef who is still interested in serving delicious meals. A great housewarming or holiday gift for the everyday gourmand or novice chef. Parties by Ina Garten The Barefoot Contessas first cookbook from 2001, but a definite go to for parties of all sizes and occasions. The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook by Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell. Dessert recipes collected by the Beekmans owners from across the generations of their family, from
Brents grandmothers Fourth of July Fruitcake to Joshs mothers Hot Chocolate Dum plings.

Super Natural Everyday: Well-Loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen by Heidi Swanson. A James Beard Award Winner, this cookbook offers recipes for nutritionally packed meals that are approachable and delicious. Beautifully illustrated with over 100 photos. Lidias Favorite Recipes, 100 Foolproof, Italian Dishes from Basic Sauces to Irresistible Entrees by Lidia Bastianich. A beloved chef and author, Lidia gathers recipes that have become go-to meals for her family. Cooking For Isaiah by Silvana Nardone. This Editor in Chief of Every Day with Rachel Ray Magazine, is also the mother of a child with food intolerances to gluten and dairy. Her book is intended to help the 12 million Americans with food sensitivities, create tasty and simple alternatives for their families. Edible Boston, a local foodie magazine. Ilene Bezahler, worked at Allendale Farm before starting up the Boston version of the magazine which is all about local products to eat and enjoy. For a subscription visit: www.edibleboston.com/subscribe. NOTE: Advertisers like Thacher Farm distribute the publication to their customers. Cooking Light 2014 Recipe Calendar creates family favorite recipes with less fat and fewer calories, but still BIG flavor. 150 recipes with color photos, easy instructions and nutritional values. Other options: The Chew featuring celebrity chefs, and the Crock Pot Calendar, daily recipes.

Books from Milton Reads 2013

The Gardner Heist: The True Story of the Worlds Largest Unsolved Art Theft by Ulrich Boser a glimpse into the world of art crime and the possible culprits behind this local robbery. Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists by Anthony Amore & Tom Mashberg Gardner Head of Security, Amore, tells the tales of some of the art worlds biggest crimes and erases some of the mythology associated with the thieves.