December 18, 2003

Looking for the perfect gift—how about a book?

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

As the gift-giving season gets into full swing, many this year are finding themselves facing two predicaments –what to give and how much to spend given tighter budgetary constraints. Trad-itionally, Americans spend an average of $500 - $1,000 on gifts. This year, that number is expected to drop to $300 - $500 for as many as one third of shoppers and many plan on spending even less. The economy may be starting to turn around, but it is a slow process that hasn’t reached the consumer’s wallet yet.

It’s times like these when people turn to more traditional, less cash intensive gifts and books go a long way in toward fitting the bill during the holiday season. They come in all shapes and sizes, with prices to match that offer a variety of options for every budget.

“Obviously with the economy, people are looking for great deals and looking for more mass market books than hardcover,” says Barnes & Noble Community Relations Manager Mike Koller. “Yet, we have had just as much in the way of sales with a few hardcover books such as The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and Clive Cussler’s latest Trojan Odyssey. Both are on our best seller’s list and are doing quite well.”

For those on a shoestring budget, some of the best deals can be found just inside the Almaden store, where piles of bargain books start at $3.99 and include children’s picture books and books on pets, gardening, cooking, and history, as well as coffee table specialties and seasonal stories. Most of these are extra stock from publishers looking to liquidate excess inventory and offer great values for gift giving.

According to Koller, the one book flying off the shelves this year is Ten Best Gifts for Your Teen ($12.95) by Patt and Steve Sasso. “It’s a great book, a great gift for anyone who has a teenager or knows someone who is dealing with one,” he says. Subtitled Raising Teens with Love and Understanding, this book puts ‘things’ into perspective for parents by teaching and giving the “ten best gifts” to their teenagers, such as respect, receptivity, responsibility, recognition, room, reconciliation, role-modeling, revelation of self, resolve and release. The Sassos combine their expertise as a counselor and high school teacher with “hard knocks wisdom from the parenting trenches,” offering practical and engaging guidance that will enable parents to build strong relationships with their teens.

For memoir readers, Barbara Bush, Reflections, Life After the Whitehouse (currently $22.40) offers an in depth account of the life of the former first lady through her journal entries from 1933 to the present. It offers a personal perspective on her husband and son’s presidencies as well as her thoughts on Sept. 11 and its aftermath. “You get to see who she is as a person too, which is kind of nice,” adds Koller.

Another poignant memoir, Every Second Counts (($24.95) by Lance Armstrong, with Sally Jenkins offers a follow-up to his bestseller It’s Not About the Bike. In this edition, Armstrong’s fight continues as he reveals details about his victories and defeats, both on his bike and with his marriage, as well as being thrust into the celebrity limelight, with emphasis on maintaining a never give up attitude.

For the woman whose husband or boyfriend doesn’t quite know his way around the kitchen, Koller suggests books by popular Food Show Network celebrity Alton Brown. His latest, Alton Brown’s Gear For Your Kitchen ($27.50) follows his popular first release I’m Just Here For the Food and includes helpful hints and personal tidbits for those not yet comfortable in a kitchen environment, but willing to learn. Also available is a great companion to the book, I’m Just Here For the Food Cooks Notes ($14.95), a journal for him to record his progress and maybe add a recipe or two if he gets really inspired.

For a beautiful coffee table book, Koller recommends Tuscany, Inside the Light ($30.00) by photographer Joel Meyerowitz and novelist Maggie Barrett. Although sparse on the narrative, it does well by allowing the many full-color images to speak for themselves. “If you’re looking to go to Italy, it’s a great preview,” says Koller. “It’s also a great gift for people who have been to Tuscany or have roots in its culture.” Not only does the book allow readers to experience the essence of the Italian countryside, it guides them through its rich seasonal changes.

Mystery and legal intrigue fans of John Grisham, Patricia Cornwell and Harlan Coben will want to check out the Perri O’Shaughnessy series, written by sisters Pamela and Mary O’Shaughnessy. Their current release, Presumption of Death ($24.95) like the others, grabs the readers and pulls them into the soul of the story. “It’s got everything,” says Koller. “Action, adventure, legal ease and a little romance. They literally make their characters spring off the page and you never see what’s coming in terms of the ending.” This is the ninth in the Nina Reilly series and is a tough, passionate thriller set in Lake Tahoe, yet takes the attorney back to her roots in Monterey, California on a quest to confront her estranged father as well as her past. “If you’re looking for a roller-coaster ride, you’ll find it in this book,” Koller adds.

Children’s books are always popular gift items and Koller highly recommends a couple of sure hits that will delight parents and children alike this year.

I’m Gonna Like Me, Letting off a Little Self-Esteem ($15.99) by the best-selling team of Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell focuses on celebrating children’s self-esteem and confidence through hard times such giving the wrong answer in class or loosing a tooth that leaves an awkward space, cheerfully reminding kids that there are better ways to look at their highs and lows of life. “I’m gonna like me ‘cause I’m loved and I know it, and liking myself is the best way to show it,” Curtis writes. “Being an individual and being proud of who you are is the prevailing theme throughout this book,” says Koller. “Grownups will enjoy this book too.”

Quickly becoming a classic holiday book, Olive, the Other Reindeer ($14.95) is a delightful picture book featuring a dog named Olive who hears an old favorite about Rudolph, the red nosed reindeer one Christmas, and interprets “all of the other reindeer” to mean that she must in fact be a reindeer, so she decides to try and join Santa’s team. “It’s filled with great illustrations that are very bright and welcoming,” Koller says.

For older children, Koller recommends Holes ($6.50) by Louis Sachar. This book has received the Newbery Medal, the National Book Award, and the New York Times Book Review Notable Children’s Book of the Year and has been made into a successful movie. This unusual story places Stanley, an overweight teenage loner in a detention camp through a wrongful stealing conviction. Camp Green Lake is neither green nor wet, rather a dried up lake in Texas where the boys are expected to dig holes all day. Sachar exhibits the ability to look at life through Stanley’s eyes from a humorous perspective. “This book takes the notion of building character through hard work,” says Koller. A great read for young audiences ages 10 and up.

Although Koller says he can’t recommend the Harry Potter series enough, those looking for the next best thing in fantasy will love Eragon ($18.95), a debut novel by teen author Christopher Paolina that introduces readers to Eragon, a peasant boy who finds a polished blue stone that thrusts him into a world filled with dragons, magic and power. It is the first in the 15-year old author’s fantasy series, The Inheritance Trilogy and will leave readers waiting for the next. Recommended for tenth through twelfth graders. “It’s a great alternative for those who are waiting for the sixth Harry Potter book,” Koller adds

For romance enthusiasts, Koller recommends Remember When ($25.95) by Nora Roberts, who, along with her alter ego, J.D. Robb creates a futuristic mystery filled with crime, punishment, romance and stolen diamonds. The book is divided into two parts, the later of which fast forwards 50 years into the future and a case with ties to Laine and Max, the main characters in book one through an interesting 2-in-1 concept.

Baseball fans, especially those who follow the San Francisco Giants will love the Giants Encyclopedia ($39.95) by Tom Schott and Nick Peters. Filled with highlights, reviews, history, stats, and controversy that dates back to the first pitch thrown at the Polo Grounds in 1883 and leading up to Barry Bonds’ 600th home run at Pacific Bell Park. The book offers a comprehensive history of the club, with biographies of more than 100 players, managers, broadcasters and club executives.

Koller also recommends World Series, an Opinionated Chronicle ($39.99) by Joseph Wallace, author of the Autobiography of Baseball and Tiger Woods’ How I Play Golf ($9.99), a coffee table book for those interested in the game of golf.

And finally, for those who have come to dread what used to be a season of celebration and companionship filled with tradition, rather than an obsession with present-buying, try Bill McKibben’s book Hundred Dollar Holiday, The Case for a More Joyful Christmas. In his book, McKibben contends that most would love to refocus on the more intimate aspects of the holidays, instead of the stress and burnout that often accompanies them.