A perfect gift that you can get fast and locally, or overnighted by Amazon (if not Barnes and Noble, who will give free expedited shipping on orders of over $75 till midnight on 12/22). Please shop your local Mom and Pop bookstore if you can.
I'm taking short cuts from my normal way of doing posts just because it's getting so late into December. Click on the Bolded Amazon or Barnes and Noble for each book to go to the page to check for pricing or read more reviews.
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A popular story that was heavily in the news but should also be read, that tells of the heroism of Sully Sullenberger, the pilot who safely landed a jet with a damaged engine (due to striking a flock of Canada geese) in the Hudson River on the west side of New York City.
Barnes and Noble says: Sully's story is one of dedication, hope, and preparedness, revealing the important lessons he learned through his life, in his military service, and in his work as an airline pilot. It reminds us all that, even in these days of conflict, tragedy and uncertainty, there are values still worth fighting for—that life's challenges can be met if we're ready for them.
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Barnes and Noble description: The extraordinary New York Times bestselling account of James Garfield's rise from poverty to the American presidency, and the dramatic history of his assassination and legacy, from bestselling author of The River of Doubt, Candice Millard. (Author's note: ALSO A GREAT READ ABOUT TEDDY ROOSEVELT)
James Abram Garfield was one of the most extraordinary men ever elected president. Born into abject poverty, he rose to become a wunderkind scholar, a Civil War hero, a renowned congressman, and a reluctant presidential candidate who took on the nation's corrupt political establishment. But four months after Garfield's inauguration in 1881, he was shot in the back by a deranged office-seeker named Charles Guiteau. Garfield survived the attack, but become the object of bitter, behind-the-scenes struggles for power—over his administration, over the nation's future, and, hauntingly, over his medical care. Meticulously researched, epic in scope, and pulsating with an intimate human focus and high-velocity narrative drive, The Destiny of the Republic brings alive a forgotten chapter of U.S. history.
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I found this in a local store known for their supreme taste in gifts - and it's amazing I left without it for myself! A really wonderful book - sure to be a HIT!
Amazon says: This collection of over 100 mouthwatering recipes inspired by the traditions of the farmhouse kitchen—with a modern twist—captures the true taste of today's country cooking and brings the fresh ingredients and seasonal flavors of a farmhouse kitchen into your own home. Stuffed full of details on selecting the best ingredients, eating seasonally, and foraging, this book is an invaluable source of information as well as a celebration of modern country living and how to get involved with the land and the food you eat.
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Here's a fun read for the right person on your list. Between You and Me is for the lover of the language, the writer, the reader, or that person in your life who is always pointing out your text or FB typos...
Amazon Description: Mary Norris has spent more than three decades in The New Yorker's copy department, maintaining its celebrated high standards. Now she brings her vast experience, good cheer, and finely sharpened pencils to help the rest of us in a boisterous language book as full of life as it is of practical advice.
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Amazon Description: THE KINGDOM OF SPEECH is a captivating, paradigm-shifting argument that speech--not evolution--is responsible for humanity's complex societies and achievements.
From Alfred Russel Wallace, the Englishman who beat Darwin to the theory of natural selection but later renounced it, and through the controversial work of modern-day anthropologist Daniel Everett, who defies the current wisdom that language is hard-wired in humans, Wolfe examines the solemn, long-faced, laugh-out-loud zig-zags of Darwinism, old and Neo, and finds it irrelevant here in the Kingdom of Speech.
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This for a the person on your list who likes international intrigue with a bit of depth. The newest from David Baldacci, who has published 30 novels (Best know for Absolute Power), all international bestsellers, and several have been adapted for film and television. An engrossing story about a lethal assassin struggling internally.
Amazon Description: Will Robie is the government's most professional, disciplined, and lethal assassin. He infiltrates the most hostile countries in the world, defeats our enemies' advanced security measures, and eliminates threats before they ever reach our shores.
But now, his skills have left him. Sent overseas on a critical assignment, he fails, unable to pull the trigger. Absent his talents, Robie is a man without a mission, and without a purpose.
To recover what he has lost, Robie must confront what he has tried to forget for over twenty years: his own past.
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I've seen Joel Osteen many times live and on TV and he's just got that something about him that reached out and touches people. This is his latest, and not a bad thing to give as we start a new year. (Sorry about the obstructive discount sticker!)
Barnes and Noble's description: Your mind has incredible power over your success or failure. THINK BETTER, LIVE BETTER offers a simple yet life-changing strategy for erasing the thoughts that keep you down and reprogramming your mind with positive!
I'm taking short cuts from my normal way of doing posts just because it's getting so late into December. Click on the Bolded Amazon or Barnes and Noble for each book to go to the page to check for pricing or read more reviews.
Hillbilly Elegy is very timely after our recent election, and has gotten incredible reviews:
"You will not read a more important book about America this year."—The Economist
"A riveting book."—The Wall Street Journal
"Essential reading."—David Brooks, New York Times
Amazon description: From a former marine and Yale Law School graduate, a powerful account of growing up in a poor Rust Belt town that offers a broader, probing look at the struggles of America’s white working class
Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The decline of this group, a demographic of our country that has been slowly disintegrating over forty years, has been reported on with growing frequency and alarm, but has never before been written about as searingly from the inside. J. D. Vance tells the true story of what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were born with it hung around your neck.
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A popular story that was heavily in the news but should also be read, that tells of the heroism of Sully Sullenberger, the pilot who safely landed a jet with a damaged engine (due to striking a flock of Canada geese) in the Hudson River on the west side of New York City.
Barnes and Noble says: Sully's story is one of dedication, hope, and preparedness, revealing the important lessons he learned through his life, in his military service, and in his work as an airline pilot. It reminds us all that, even in these days of conflict, tragedy and uncertainty, there are values still worth fighting for—that life's challenges can be met if we're ready for them.
__________________________________________________________________
Barnes and Noble description: The extraordinary New York Times bestselling account of James Garfield's rise from poverty to the American presidency, and the dramatic history of his assassination and legacy, from bestselling author of The River of Doubt, Candice Millard. (Author's note: ALSO A GREAT READ ABOUT TEDDY ROOSEVELT)
James Abram Garfield was one of the most extraordinary men ever elected president. Born into abject poverty, he rose to become a wunderkind scholar, a Civil War hero, a renowned congressman, and a reluctant presidential candidate who took on the nation's corrupt political establishment. But four months after Garfield's inauguration in 1881, he was shot in the back by a deranged office-seeker named Charles Guiteau. Garfield survived the attack, but become the object of bitter, behind-the-scenes struggles for power—over his administration, over the nation's future, and, hauntingly, over his medical care. Meticulously researched, epic in scope, and pulsating with an intimate human focus and high-velocity narrative drive, The Destiny of the Republic brings alive a forgotten chapter of U.S. history.
__________________________________________________________________
I found this in a local store known for their supreme taste in gifts - and it's amazing I left without it for myself! A really wonderful book - sure to be a HIT!
Amazon says: This collection of over 100 mouthwatering recipes inspired by the traditions of the farmhouse kitchen—with a modern twist—captures the true taste of today's country cooking and brings the fresh ingredients and seasonal flavors of a farmhouse kitchen into your own home. Stuffed full of details on selecting the best ingredients, eating seasonally, and foraging, this book is an invaluable source of information as well as a celebration of modern country living and how to get involved with the land and the food you eat.
__________________________________________________________________
Here's a fun read for the right person on your list. Between You and Me is for the lover of the language, the writer, the reader, or that person in your life who is always pointing out your text or FB typos...
Amazon Description: Mary Norris has spent more than three decades in The New Yorker's copy department, maintaining its celebrated high standards. Now she brings her vast experience, good cheer, and finely sharpened pencils to help the rest of us in a boisterous language book as full of life as it is of practical advice.
__________________________________________________________________
Amazon Description: THE KINGDOM OF SPEECH is a captivating, paradigm-shifting argument that speech--not evolution--is responsible for humanity's complex societies and achievements.
From Alfred Russel Wallace, the Englishman who beat Darwin to the theory of natural selection but later renounced it, and through the controversial work of modern-day anthropologist Daniel Everett, who defies the current wisdom that language is hard-wired in humans, Wolfe examines the solemn, long-faced, laugh-out-loud zig-zags of Darwinism, old and Neo, and finds it irrelevant here in the Kingdom of Speech.
__________________________________________________________________
This for a the person on your list who likes international intrigue with a bit of depth. The newest from David Baldacci, who has published 30 novels (Best know for Absolute Power), all international bestsellers, and several have been adapted for film and television. An engrossing story about a lethal assassin struggling internally.
Amazon Description: Will Robie is the government's most professional, disciplined, and lethal assassin. He infiltrates the most hostile countries in the world, defeats our enemies' advanced security measures, and eliminates threats before they ever reach our shores.
But now, his skills have left him. Sent overseas on a critical assignment, he fails, unable to pull the trigger. Absent his talents, Robie is a man without a mission, and without a purpose.
To recover what he has lost, Robie must confront what he has tried to forget for over twenty years: his own past.
_________________________________________________________________
I've seen Joel Osteen many times live and on TV and he's just got that something about him that reached out and touches people. This is his latest, and not a bad thing to give as we start a new year. (Sorry about the obstructive discount sticker!)
Barnes and Noble's description: Your mind has incredible power over your success or failure. THINK BETTER, LIVE BETTER offers a simple yet life-changing strategy for erasing the thoughts that keep you down and reprogramming your mind with positive!
More to come tomorrow... See ALL my recommendations for books by clicking HERE!
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