Giving books as holiday presents should be more popular. Unfortunately books reading books for pleasure is at an all-time low, but we can change that, can’t we?
The WWII Dad:
I always thought that my fascination with World War II was unique and special. Neither me, nor my interests are. My kids told me that all dads my age are World War II buffs, and that at this point it’s a meme.
- Leaves of Fire by Simcha Guterman is a firsthand historical account bearing witness and documenting the fate of Polish Jews during World War IIThe author has a healthy sense of humor, which I would assume is good to have in such dire circumstances…more
Buy Leaves of Fire from Amazon.com*
- A Place to Hide by Ronald H. Balson is a historical fiction story following a US State Department diplomat during the Nazi occupation of Holland.The book focuses on the groups of Dutch citizens who, at great personal risk, made a positive difference to save lives…more
Buy A Place to Hide from Amazon.com*
The Philosopher:
The person who likes new ideas and deep thoughts. These books need to be read, reread, and pondered upon.
- Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI by Yuval Noah Harari- steeped in history, about the power of stories and the lessons we should learn in the age of Artificial Intelligence
Nexus is not a quick read, I thought that much of it are worth rereading and internalizing…more
Buy Nexus from Amazon.com*
The Movie Buff
I love movies, and I love to read about movies I love. Many books about movies gives you insight about the process, the actors, and frankly the miracle that the movie was even made.
- Sideways Uncorked: The Perfect Pairing of Film & Wine by Mira Advani Honeycutt and Kirk Honeycutt – this small, independent movie not only was a huge success, but also had a huge effect on California’s wine industry. Your movie will become a wine snob – so buyer beware!I thought that Sideways Uncorked effectively interweaves two compelling narratives: the making of the film and the rise of Pinot Noir in the United States…more
Buy Sideways Uncorked from Amazon.com* - A Long Time Ago in a Cutting Room Far, Far Away: My Fifty Years Editing Hollywood Hits—Star Wars, Carrie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Mission: Impossible, and More by Paul Hirsch is a memoir that takes a behind-the-scenes look at the job of a movie editor … more
Buy A Long Time Ago in a Cutting Room Far, Far Away from Amazon.com*
Gaming – it’s not just a waste of time
- Red Dead’s History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America’s Violent Past by Tore C. Olsson looks at American history using the award-winning video game as a starting pointThe author provides context within and outside the game, not just raw history, but political and social constructs and implications at the time
Buy Red Dead’s History from Amazon.com*
Wicked…ish?
- After Oz by Gordon McAlpine tells of what happens to Dorothy Gale after she returns from Oz with a remarkable story.Dorothy is back in Kansas, framed for murder, and promptly sent to a psychiatric hospital…more
Buy After Oz from Amazon.com*
Wick..ish!!!
- Shibumi by Trevanian is a classic spy novel, following an assassin who is ethnically white, but raised in JapanThis book got a boost in 2014 when it was shown in John Wick, and the creators said it was an influence…more
Buy Shibumi from Amazon.com*
Huck, yeah!
- James by Percival Everett is the reimagining of the story of Huck Finn’s runaway adventure, from the viewpoint of the enslaved person Jim.A remarkable novel, that shows self-awareness and irony, sometimes in the same scene…more
Buy James from Amazon.com*
The Musician
- Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska by Warren Zanes documents how, and why the artist created his well-known solo albumThe research is impeccable, and his discussions with Springsteen and the musicians the album influenced delve into its making in depth…more
Buy Deliver Me From Nowhere from Amazon.com*
The Pre-Law / Social Justice Warrior
- Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey tells of egregious miscarriages of justice and State-sponsored perjuries.Frankly, Framed was more more enraging, alarming, and terrifying than “astonishing”…more
Buy Framed from Amazon.com*
The Sci-Fi / Fantasy Lover
While these books might not take place in our reality, or even our world, they can certainly teach us about ourselves.
- The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami is a magical-realism novel about a young couple trying to find themselves between worlds that might or might not, exist.The whole story has a dreamlike feeling, I was never sure what’s real and what’s not, or if everything is real or not… more
Buy The City and Its Uncertain Walls from Amazon.com* - Allegiance by Erika Raskin takes place in the near future, when the United States is on the brink of fascism.Allegiance is intense but has much humor woven in. It’s easy to read as well as a page-turner… more
Buy Allegiance from Amazon.com* - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett is a murder/mystery/fantasy story taking place in an Empire under threat…more
Buy The Tainted Cup from Amazon.com*
The One Who Loves to Laugh
For those who need a good laugh these days… and let’s be honest, it’s most of us.
- The Netanyahus: An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family by Joshua Cohen is a fictionalized version of an actual event.Funny, philosophical, infuriating, & pretentious, but difficult to put down. It’s also a mediation on Jewish identity by a Jewish historian who is not “a historian of the Jews”…more
Buy The Netanyahus from Amazon.com*
The History Buff
- The Lincoln Miracle: Inside the Republican Convention That Changed History by Edward Achorn tells of the 1860 convention, where Abraham Lincoln was nominated by the Republican Party for presidentWhile a book about a political convention seems like a bore-fest, The Lincoln Miracle is exciting as it is informative…more
Buy The Lincoln Miracle from Amazon.com* - Bandit Heaven: The Hole-in-the-Wall Gangs and the Final Chapter of the Wild West by Tom Calvin tells about remote locations in Wyoming and Utah and the criminals that used to hide at.An engaging book, filled with adventure, history, and wit … more
Buy Bandit Heaven from Amazon.com* - Red Dead’s History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America’s Violent Past by Tore C. Olsson looks at American history using the award-winning video game as a starting pointThe author provides context within and outside the game, not just raw history, but political and social constructs and implications at the time…more
Buy Red Dead’s History from Amazon.com* - The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson is an account of the few months between Abraham Lincoln’s election to the attack of Fort Sumter by the Confederacy…more
Buy The Demon of Unrest from Amazon.com*
Historical Fiction – for the “I love history but don’t want to read history books” person
- The Women by Kristin Hannah paints a portrait of America during, and after, the Vietnam war through the eyes of a combat nurseA moving experience, told with honesty and conviction about the struggles of women veterans…more
Buy The Women from Amazon.com* - Sicilian Avengers by Luigi Natoli is an Italian classic about the Beati Paoli, a secret society of masked avengers in the Kingdom of Sicily.Captures the essence of an era that was brutal but made Sicily what it is today… more
Buy from Amazon.com* - A Place to Hide by Ronald H. Balson is a historical fiction story following a US State Department diplomat during the Nazi occupation of Holland.Focuses on the groups of Dutch citizens who, at great personal risk, made a positive difference to save lives…more
Buy A Place to Hide from Amazon.com* - The Shadow of War: A Novel of the Cuban Missile Crisis by Jeff Shaara takes place in the few days in which the world was on the brink of nuclear warGripping, and surprisingly filled with tension…more
Buy The Shadow of War from Amazon.com* - The Able Archers by Brian J. Morra is a historical fiction novel taking place in 1983 when the United States and the Soviet Union were on the brink of nuclear warA fantastic account of a terrifying event that very few know about…more
Buy The Able Archers from Amazon.com* - I Am Rome (Roma soy yo) by Santiago Posteguillo is the first in a historical fiction series following a young Julius Caesar, making a name for himself and enemies while he’s at it…more
- Buy I Am Rome from Amazon.com*
The Wild Wild West
Who doesn’t love the Wild West? Apparently though, Hollywood lied to us – shocking – but these books are a must read for anyone interested in that era. And seriously, who isn’t?
- Bandit Heaven: The Hole-in-the-Wall Gangs and the Final Chapter of the Wild West by Tom Calvin tells about remote locations in Wyoming and Utah and the criminals that used to hide at.An engaging book, filled with adventure, history, and wit … more
Buy Bandit Heaven from Amazon.com*
- Red Dead’s History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America’s Violent Past by Tore C. Olsson looks at American history using the award-winning video game as a starting pointThe author provides context within and outside the game, not just raw history, but political and social constructs and implications at the time…more
Buy Red Dead’s History from Amazon.com* - The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzales James is a historical fiction western, with some magical realism thrown in…moreBuy The Bullet Swallower from Amazon.com*
Gaming – it’s not just a waste of time
- Red Dead’s History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America’s Violent Past by Tore C. Olsson looks at American history using the award-winning video game as a starting pointThe author provides context within and outside the game, not just raw history, but political and social constructs and implications at the time…more
Buy Red Dead’s History from Amazon.com*
Goin’ explorin’
I love to read memoirs of explorers, road trips, and even hikers. This is especially true about places that I’m likely never to visit
- Wanderlust: An Eccentric Explorer, An Epic Journey, A Lost Age by Reid Mitenbuler is a biography of Peter Freuchen, a Danish adventurer, author, actor, and game show winnerAn interesting book about a remarkable life, led by a swashbuckling man…more
Buy Wanderlust from Amazon.com*
The Technologist
Perfect books for the one who sits in the dinner table, spewing technobabble and thinks in code.
- The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America by Margaret O’Mara tells the history of Silicon Valley, and how it shaped America.A captivating, and educating journey…more
Buy The Code from Amazon.com*
For the “Government is Broken” enthusiast
We all have one person who complains about these issues. And sometimes they’re even right – why not make them “more right?”
- Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley Are Transforming the Future of War is the story of how the authors worked within the cumbersome US government acquisition process.I found this book to be refreshing, entertaining, and frustratingly funny…more
Buy Unit X from Amazon.com* - Allegiance by Erika Raskin a dystopian story takes place in the near future, when the United States is on the brink of fascism.Allegiance is intense but has much humor woven in. It’s easy to read as well as a page-turner… more
Buy Allegiance from Amazon.com*
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2024 Holiday Gift Guide: Books for Everyone
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Check out some book recommendations to be gifted the 2024 holiday season. I'd like to think that these books will cover a wide variety of interests
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Man of la Book
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Man of la Book - A Bookish Blog
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