In the aftermath of the fires here in Southern California many children have extra long lists for Santa. When interviewing some families who had lost their homes our Relief Society President asked each child which of their possessions they would miss the most. One fifteen-year-old girls answered, “My hard-backed copy of Little Women , and all my other books.” For some reason this wish got passed along to me, and it caused me to sit staring at my shelves, wondering what I would do without my books. And, on the other hand, could I do with a few less so that someone else could enjoy them? All of this brings me to Christmas, and some creative ways we might share the gift of reading with others.
Read the Scriptures for a Friend
First, let’s talk about the best of the best books, the scriptures. Take an inexpensive copy of the Book of Mormon and mark all of your favorite passages in it. Better yet, use it for your scripture study for this coming year and jot your thoughts, questions and comments as you read, then give it next Christmas. This is a marvelous gift for a new convert or someone who is struggling with their faith. You might do the same with a New Testament. One of your children will treasure your thoughts in the margins of a book of scripture, and the notes will keep them turning the pages.
Literary theorists talk about something called “reader response,” referring to the interactive relationship that exists between any reader and the author. I take this rather literally, and tend to “talk” to an author as I read by jotting my thoughts in the margins of some books. If you have a particular book that you love; The Gift from the Sea , by Anne Morrow Lindbergh , or Man’s Search for Meaning , by Victor Frankl , for example, you might consider reading that book again with someone you love in mind. Wouldn’t your sister love to read your thoughts in the margins of Tuesdays with Morrie , by Mitch Albom , or The Four Loves , by C.S. Lewis ? Reading for another takes the gift of a book to a new level.
Build a Best Book Basket
Another way to give a great book gift is to create a reading experience with a basket of book goodies. For example, give your teenage son (the one you wish would read along instead of constantly playing video games) the new Lord of the Rings game that he wants, but put it in a basket with Tolkein’s trilogy and one of the great companion books that are out there. Several books have been written to help readers navigate Middle Earth: there are encyclopedias, books about the symbols and collections of drawings that have been done by artists inspired by Tolkein. I’m not beyond bargaining with kids this age: if you’ll read the book, you can have the game!
My fifteen-year-old fire victim would enjoy a new copy of Little Women , but how much more fun to tuck it in a basket with a warm flannel nightgown, an Itty Bitty Booklight (for sitting up late with it when everyone is asleep) a CD of Christmas music for background, some hot chocolate mix with a mug and some cookies. In this way we do more than give a book, we promote the fun of reading. Have I got your creative juices flowing? Create a best book basket and write me about it. I’ll share your ideas with the readers and we’ll all be way ahead for next year.
Saw the Movie? Read the Book!
There have been some excellent adaptations of books to film, and it’s fun to give a book and a movie together. Here are some of my favorites: Nicholas Nickleby , by Charles Dickens (with wonderful Christopher Plummer as the evil uncle), Possession , by A.S. Byatt, How Green Was My Valley , by Richard Llewellyn, (the old movie is still fabulous and is available on DVD), Emma, Sense and Sensibility , and Persuasion , by Jane Austen. The Once and Future King , by T.H. White, pairs with the Disney adaptation, The Sword in the Stone . A nice edition of The Sound of Music would go well with Maria Von Trapp’s autobiography, The Trapp Family Singers . Finally, this might be a good year to give a nice hardcover copy of J.M Barrie’s Peter Pan , along with two tickets to the movie!
More expensive but worth it are the mini-series adaptations, available through catalogues, Amazon, or (much cheaper) on Ebay. Pride and Prejudice was made into an incredible mini-series, and the French mini-series of The Count of Monte Cristo , with Gerard Depardieu, is the best adaptation I have ever seen. The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy, the old BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre with Timothy Dalton, and the stunning adaptation of Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh are among favorites that I own and have been glad to have when the flu bug finds us.
More Book for your Buck
You’ll spend big bucks for the bestseller, and once read it will just gather dust. Classics, on the other hand, can often be found in the bargain section and will be read over and over and even passed down to future generations. Spend your money on good books and find creative ways to involve your children, grandchildren and others in the joy of reading. This will alleviate that sinking feeling we have on the day after Christmas that we have blown the bank on trifles. We may have blown the bank, but we’ll have gifts worth treasuring through the years.
We’ve been reading together in the Best Books Club for three years. In addition to some mentioned above, the following books have been favorites with our members, and will be perfect for someone on your list:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn , by Betty Smith
The Name of the Rose , by Umberto Eco
Angle of Repose , by Wallace Stegner
This House of Sky , by Ivan Doig
O, Pioneers!, by Willa Cather
Cry, the Beloved Country , by Alan Paton
The Keys of the Kingdom , by A.J. Cronin
The Good Earth , by Pearl S. Buck
Master and Commander, by Patrick O’Brian
Our December selection for the Best Books Club is Dear and Glorious Physician, by Taylor Caldwell. You’ll have to find it in a second-hand bookstore or in the library since it is out of print, but it is worth the search. I’ll be back later this month with a review. Happy holidays!