New releases, old classics and fantastic gifts for the holiday season

When the holidays start rolling around, it’s a common problem: What do I get for my best friend who already has everything? Is it just a copout to give my dad yet another tie? Does Mom have this Hummel already? I’ve taken to a particular tactic this year. I’m leaning toward giving all my friends and family books. To me – and this may be because I am a complete and total geek – this is a gift that keeps giving. So this week, I’ve decided to compile a few gift ideas for those of you out there leaning toward the same idea. Happy book hunting!

“The Complete Annotated Grateful

Dead Lyrics” by David Dodd

I’m sure there are at least a handful of you out there with parents who were children of the 1960s like mine. This fantastic table book is just what it guarantees: every song written and played by the Grateful Dead, one of the most monumental bands of the hippy generation. Beautifully illustrated and heavily bound, the stories and memories recollected within are sure to be a delight to anyone who ever dared tread on the name Deadhead.

“In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash”

by Jean Shepherd

“You’ll shoot your eye out!” I, like many of my peers, grew up on “A Christmas Story” every holiday season. My family has gotten to the point of being able to quote the story verbatim, and as I grew older I decided to pick up the book that started it all. I actually feel like I appreciate it more now given all the memories I have from dysfunctional Christmas’ in my lifetime. For those of you not in the mood for a piece of nostalgic Americana, for the other two-thirds of the book after the section particularly covering the events of the movie, I’ve also seen that many booksellers have a version that just compiles what inspired the movie with Peter Billingsley.

“Skipping Christmas” by John Grisham

From the mind that brought such dramatic New York Times bestsellers such as “The Pelican Brief,” “The Broker” and “The Testament,” this is the cheeky, fun read that inspired “Christmas with the Kranks.” The book has a lot of what the movie has been told to lack in the realm of wit after Mr. and Mrs. Krank decide that when their daughter goes out to work in the Peace Corps, they will skip the hustle and bustle of one of the most commercialist holidays ever invented by Hallmark. But when the neighborhood decides to ostracize them for their lack of holiday spirit, will Luther and Nora crack under the pressure? This is a fun novella that can be read practically Christmas Eve.

“The Complete Calvin and Hobbes”

by Bill Watterson

I have yet to find someone who has not, at some point, loved the strips chronicling the story of a young boy and his stuffed tiger as they go on adventure after adventure tormenting the neighbor girl, defeating aliens and avoiding killer snowmen, to name a few. A bit pricey, this collection is the hardcover collection of every strip from 1985 to its unfortunate retirement a decade later. Definitely for anyone who has ever loved being a kid. Well, a disturbed, satire-minded kid. Or something.

“The Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S. Lewis

Not that I am ever one to jump on the bandwagon, the release of the fantastic new movie has made me very nostalgic for years and years ago when I was first introduced to “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.” Even today, this classic story is entertaining both this generation and ones past with its archetypes of good and evil, life and death. Whether you’re reading it for its fairy tale quality or the religious undertones, this is a fantastic collection that continues its momentum even today.

“Necklace of Kisses” by Francesca Lia Block

What holiday isn’t complete without a bit of magic? As the final book on my list, this is a fantastically whimsical, beautifully written story that hails from the series the author began in the late 1980s about Weetzie Bat, a creative spirit who has mystical adventures in Los Angeles with her movie-making comrades and husband, My Secret Agent Lover Man. But when Weetzie feels the passion fading from her life as she approaches middle age, will she find her answers in a magical hotel deep in the heart of her beloved city? Block’s books are lyrical in their style and take a very different perspective on serious social issues such as transgender, coming of age and sexuality. This book and any others by the author are sure to please.