Monday, November 1, 2010

November Book Recommendations

GiftLit has the perfect gifts for the holiday season - book-of-the-month gifts that are hand-selected by literary experts, include personalized bookplates and offer the flexibility to substitute any book. Best of all, 10% of GiftLit’s profits go to organizations that promote literacy.

Books offer an enduring value and in the words of storyteller Garrison Keillor, "A book is a gift you can open again and again."

Happy Reading!

November Book Recommendations

Children's Book Recommendations

Mr. ElephanterMr. Elephanter by Lark Pien – This charming, quirky picture book by acclaimed cartoonist Lark Pien introduces Mr. Elephanter, a loving caregiver to an adorable group of baby elephants. Part of our Great New Picture Books Age 2-5 collection. Browse our gift books for girls and gift books for boys ages 2 to 5.



Children Make Terrible PetsChildren Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown – New York Times-bestselling author Peter Brown delivers a humorous and heartwarming twist on the classic first pet story about a young bear and her favorite pet boy. Part of our Great New Picture Books Age 5-8 collection. Browse our book gifts for girls and book gifts for boys ages 5 to 8.



Funny Business ( Guys Read (Hardcover) #01 )Funny Business ( Guys Read (Hardcover) #01 ) by Jon Scieszka – This wonderful compilation of funny short stories from some of today's top writers, including Kate DiCamillo, Jack Gantos, and Eoin Colfer is guaranteed to amuse and is ideal for reluctant readers. Part of our Favorites for Boys Age 8-10 collection. Browse our book of the month gifts for girls and for boys ages 8 to 10.



Touch BlueTouch Blue by Cynthia Lord – The Newbery Honor winner of Rules introduces Tess, a plucky, articulate girl from coastal Maine, in this tightly woven and uplifting story about loss, luck, family, and belonging. Part of our Favorites for Girls Age 10-12 collection. Browse our childrens book of the month club gifts for ages 10 to 12.



TrashTrash by Andy Mulligan – Three teen boys, who scrape by living and picking trash in the city dump, discover a mysterious bag that triggers a chain of events that involves a secret code, a corrupt politician, and a search for stolen money in this suspenseful adventure and social justice story. Part of our Favorites for Boys Age 12-14 collection. Browse our book gifts for girls and book gifts for boys ages 12 to 14.



Teen Book Recommendations


Matched ( Matched Trilogy )Matched ( Matched Trilogy ) by Ally Condie – Deftly exploring the sacrifices inherent in freedom of choice, Condie's enthralling plot weaves a tale of a world where Society dictates everything: where to work, when to die, and most importantly to Cassia as she turns 17, who to marry. Part of our Fiction for Teen Girls collection. Browse our book of the month gifts for teens.



The OdysseyThe Odyssey by Gareth Hinds – This vivid and exciting graphic novel that masterfully blends art and storytelling is a worthy new interpretation of Homer's epic. Part of our Graphic Novels for Teens collection. Browse our fiction book a month gifts teen.




HushHush by Dana Reinhardt – Reinhardt personalizes a soldier’s traumas in terms a teen can understand in this timely and powerful novel that chronicles a soldier's troubled homecoming as told from his younger brother's point of view. Part of our Multicultural Fiction for Teens collection. Browse our monthly book gifts of adult books for teens.



Adult Book Recommendations


To the End of the LandTo the End of the Land by David Grossman – This powerful meditation on war, friendship, and family written by acclaimed Israeli author Grossman, whose own son was killed during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, is a scorching antiwar novel told directly from the heart. Part of our Great New Hardcover Fiction collection.
Browse our book gifts for women and gifts for moms.


The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and SurvivalThe Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant – An unforgettable true account of the gripping hunt for a man-eating Amur, or Siberian, tiger across Russia's Far East, this story engages readers on political, socioeconomic, and conservation fronts. Part of our Favorites for Men collection. Browse our book of the month gifts for men and book gifts for dad.



The Good DaughtersThe Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard – Told in the alternating voices of Ruth and Dana, this exquisite novel chronicles the unlikely ways two women's lives parallel until past secrets force them to reevaluate themselves and each other. Part of our Favorites for Women collection. Browse our monthly book club gifts for couples.



Where Good Ideas Come from: The Natural History of InnovationWhere Good Ideas Come from: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson – Bestselling author Johnson delivers a sweeping look at innovation that tells the exciting and encouraging story of how the ideas are born that push careers, lives, society, and culture forward. Part of our Great New Hardcover Nonfiction collection. Browse our book of the month club gifts for fiction readers.



Tartine BreadTartine Bread by Chad Robertson – From the co-owner of the famous Tartine Bakery in San Francisco, this gorgeous cookbook offers step-by-step inspiration to baking world class breads, with additional recipes to provide ideas for using every delicious morsel. Part of our Cooking & Entertaining collection. Browse our monthly book gifts for readers.



Family Book Recommendations

The Casebook of Victor FrankensteinThe Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd – Set in 19th-century London, this clever retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein imagines an unlikely friendship between the monomaniacal Victor Frankenstein and the atheist and poet Percy Shelley that results in their ambitious exploration of creation and life. Part of our Parent & Teen Paperback Fiction collection. Browse our book of the month club gifts for families.



Family Meals: Creating Traditions in the Kitchen ( Williams-Sonoma )Family Meals: Creating Traditions in the Kitchen ( Williams-Sonoma ) by Maria Helm Sinskey – From an award-winning chef, author and mother, this creative cookbook filled with traditions, family-friendly recipes, and fun culinary projects will inspire parents and kids to gather in the kitchen to cook. Part of our Family Activities Ages 8-14 collection. Browse our gift books for families to read together.



We hope you share our love of literature and passion to inspire people of all ages to read and will consider GiftLit for your next gift purchase.

www.giftlit.com

Friday, October 1, 2010

October Book Recommendations

Get a jump start on your holiday shopping and check out our great gifts for children, teens, adults, and families. Books make great gifts and with GiftLit the books are chosen by literary experts, come with personalized bookplates and offer complete flexibility to substitute any selection.

This month we have some terrific recommendations from award-winning authors to share with you..

Happy Reading!

October Book Recommendations

Children's Book Recommendations

ZeroZero by Kathryn Otoshi – When Zero looks at herself she sees a big round number that has no value until she realizes that she counts too in this beautifully executed picture book that teaches young readers counting and self-esteem. Part of our Educational Picture Books Age 2-5 collection. Browse our gift books for girls and gift books for boys ages 2 to 5.



Art & MaxArt & Max by David Wiesner – This comedic and thought-provoking exploration of the creative process, from three time Caldecott winner Wiesner, begins when Max paints his friend Art - literally. Is he still "Art" when Max paints his skin blue or when Max douses him with water and the color drains out of him? Part of our Poetry and the Arts Age 5-8 collection. Browse our book gifts for girls and book gifts for boys ages 5 to 8.



The Fantastic Secret of Owen JesterThe Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester by Barbara O’Connor – Owen Jester has a fantastic secret, and it isn't that he just slipped his superbly slimy bullfrog into the soup, but it does lead him into a funny and ingenious adventure that teaches him a few things about friends, enemies, and listening to your inner voice. Part of our Favorites for Boys Age 8-10 collection. Browse our book of the month gifts for girls and for boys ages 8 to 10.



The Danger BoxThe Danger Box by Blue Balliett – From the bestselling author of Chasing Vermeer comes a new mystery that delves into the life of Charles Darwin when 12-year-old Zoomy investigates a stolen scientific notebook. Part of our Mysteries Age 10-12 collection. Browse our childrens book of the month club gifts for ages 10 to 12.



AccompliceAccomplice by Eireann Corrigan – This fascinating, complex, and heart-wrenchingly plausible thriller begins when Finn and her best friend Cloe hatch a scheme to stand out in competitive college admissions and fake Cloe's disappearance. Part of our Favorites for Girls Age 12-14 collection. Browse our book gifts for girls and book gifts for boys ages 12 to 14.



Teen Book Recommendations


Confessions of the Sullivan SistersConfessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford – Offering something more than the usual novel about teens with money to burn, this delightful, character-driven tale unfolds as the Sullivan sisters write confessions to their grandmother to prevent being cut out of her will. Part of our Fiction for Teen Girls collection. Browse our book of the month gifts for teens.



The Things a Brother KnowsThe Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt – Reinhardt personalizes a soldier’s traumas in terms a teen can understand in this timely and powerful novel that chronicles a soldier's troubled homecoming as told from his younger brother's point of view. Part of our Fiction for Teen Boys collection. Browse our fiction book a month gifts teen.



Adult Book Recommendations

RoomRoom by Emma Donoghue – This brilliant novel, told by five-year-old Jack who has spent his entire life in one room with his mother, is a stunning portrait of survival in captivity and a celebration of the bonds between parent and child. Part of our Great New Hardcover Fiction collection.
Browse our book gifts for women and gifts for moms.



I'd Know You AnywhereI'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman – In this outstanding psychological suspense novel from award-winner Lippman, a married mother of two receives a cryptic letter from the man on death row who kidnapped her when she was 15, forcing her to face her long-buried past. Part of our Favorites for Women collection. Browse our book of the month gifts for men and book gifts for dad.



The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's ChildhoodThe Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood by Jane Leavy – This masterful sports biography explores the life of Mickey Mantle from his start in the mines of Oklahoma to center stage at Yankee Stadium and through his tragic descent into alcoholism. Part of our Nonfiction for Men collection. Browse our monthly book club gifts for couples.



The ReversalThe Reversal by Michael Connelly – Combining multidimensional characters, a well-constructed plot, and plenty of surprises, best-selling author Michael Connelly delivers an engaging thriller that is one of his best. Part of our Mysteries & Thrillers collection. Browse our book of the month club gifts for fiction readers.




Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to HarvardBreaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard by Liz Murray – Neither sensationalizing nor soliciting pity, Liz Murray tells her unforgettable and motivating story of turning her life around from living on the streets at age 15 to being accepted into Harvard. Part of our Biographies & Memoirs collection. Browse our monthly book gifts for readers.



Family Book Recommendations

Fame: A Novel in Nine EpisodesFame: A Novel in Nine Episodes by Daniel Kehlmann – This surprising and wickedly funny novel explores fame, obscurity, and the effects of technology on our perceptions of reality in nine interconnected stories that begin when a movie star's cell phone number is reassigned to a lowly computer technician. Part of our Parent & Teen Hardcover Fiction collection. Browse our book of the month club gifts for families.



The Children's Baking Book: More Than 50 Delicious Step-By-Step RecipesThe Children's Baking Book: More Than 50 Delicious Step-By-Step Recipes by Denise Smart – Spend some family time in the kitchen with this easy-to-follow cookbook that offers step-by-step instructions that will inspire children to bake. Part of our Family Activities Ages 8-14 collection. Browse our gift books for families to read together.



We hope you share our love of literature and passion to inspire people of all ages to read and will consider GiftLit for your next gift purchase.

www.giftlit.com