Okay, I actually buy books all the time.
I am counting on the fact that my wife never reads my musings, because this topic is one we argue about regularly. She doesn’t understand why I am forever buying books and taking up space all over the house (but primarily in my office, so wtf).
This post, however, is about Christmas. I harken back to when I was a child. I always loved to read, and Aunt Phyllis knew and encouraged that. She owned and ran a bookstore on Cape Cod, called the Owl’s something or other (i can’t remember). Every year on my birthday I knew I would receive a book from her. I loved Aunt Phyl, she was fun and she loved books. I miss her now.
I am now (mostly) grown up, and have a wife and four grown kids. Buying christmas gifts is always a challenge for me. Some people love it, and are truly excellent at coming up with creative gifts for everyone on their list. I struggle with it…but have settled into my own strategy: Books.
I buy a book for everyone in the family. (at least one book for each). This is a lot more involved than it seems – it’s not just a simple point and click or one quick visit to Barnes & Noble. I need to think carefully about each person’s interests and choose just as carefully, Nothing is worse than buying a book for someone that they don’t care to read. (Okay, some things are worse, but you get what I mean.)
My wife prefers fiction, mysteries and other easy to read fiction. Her reading is an escape and a distraction. In fact she now prefers audiobooks, which she listens to while she’s doing whatever, but I still get her a real book. My daughters love to read as much as I do. They like both fiction and non-fiction and I choose carefully to grab books of substance for them. Girl #2 particularly loves Booker prize nominees. I need to choose one that she hasn’t already finished, of course. They both care about causes like racism, some politics and other reasonably liberal views. Thus, I can choose non-fiction for them also, but it needs to be written well and engrossing for them to read. I never struggle finding good books for them. Sample authors might be Hanya Yanagihara, Elizabeth Strout, Malcolm Gladwell, Amor Towles, Michael Lewis…
My older son is in medical school. This makes the choice a rifle shot because he is extremely busy. My girls are too as they have good jobs, but med school is another level, i think. He likes books about medical topics (Emporer of All Maladies, for example), but he also likes to escape with fantasy and “spooky” movies and books. I am buying him one of each this year. I got him Mukherjee’s new book, about the Gene. I hope he likes it.
My youngest is also easy – he’s a history kid. He’s been a history kid since he was in elementary school and we read books about WWII together. I rarely give him fiction, as he prefers history. I can choose some politics (this year he will get the new Abe Lincoln book by Meacham, and one or two others).
We now are getting “significant others” joining us for Christmas in Connecticut. This means a bit more research. I ask my kids – “what does Ian like to read? What does Katy like to read?” I need that intelligence before I can expand my program properly.
*Of course I deserve a book at Christmas time too! People don’t seem to give me books. I suspect that’s because they don’t know whether I’ve already bought it for myself 🙂
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