Merry Bookmas Vol 3: Other Friends

We’ve already covered family and college friends,  and now we move on to Other Friends- equally important but not nearly as impressed by Thomas Jefferson.

For your dear friend you met in high school who continues to be one of your very closest friends. She’s a professional journalist with a critical eye and is difficult to please depsite her sentimental Taylor Swift loving heart.

Emily Post’s Etiquette, 18th Edition.  Written by Peggy Post, Anna Post, and Lizzie Post. Let me be clear: my friend is in no way rude. In fact, she’s quite attuned to Doing The Right Thing.  I just got tired of trying to think of a book that she wouldn’t hate.  This is a good practical book for every polite person to own and it’s so, so pretty in person.  Also: helpfully answers when it is okay to unfriend someone on Facebook. Finally!

 

 

 

For your fun-loving neighbor with whom you’ve spent many a night drinking red wine and watching horrible reality TV.  Always quick  with an amusing story from her day, she likes her books fast and easy.
Legend.  Written by Marie Lu. It would be easy to offer my friend a frothy tale of crossed lovers, but I would take a chance with this one. She liked The Hunger Games and this has  a similiar dystopian vibe, but with some differences.  It follows the story of a logical teen girl detective tracking down a “criminal” teen boy who is subverting their Big Brother style government. Naturally, sparks fly. It’s a quick read with lots of action.

For your fun loving neighbor’s husband who is extremely difficult to please and who dislikes most people on sight.  You’re quite honored that he seems to find you acceptable and you often share pizzas.

A 6 pack of craft beer with a red bow on top. I’m not even going to try to think of a book he might like.  Probably something about sports, and I’m out of my depth there.

 

 

 

 

 

For your  writing partner/pop-culture soul mate who lives in Canada and has a completely adorable baby.   She appreciates a well-crafted novel but will happily suck up a schmaltzy YA drama, which is why you are friends.

from barnesandnoble.com

Entwined. Written by Heather Dixon.  This is one of my favorite YA reads of the year even though it’s a fairy tale story : a re-telling of the 12 Dancing Princesses. I’ve been waiting for someone else to read it so we can be excited about the fun sisters in the story and the author’s refreshing choices in changing the usual story line.  There’s a genuinely creepy villain and the love interest is a nice guy who doesn’t brood and act dis-interested, for once.

 

 

 

 

 

For your sweet as sugar history PhD candidate friend (yes, another one!) who is quiet on the surface but roils with deep and important thoughts underneath.  Loves 30 Rock, is always game for a movie night, and has strong opinions when at Book Club.

The Agency: A Spy in the House. Written by YS Lee.  This book  lacks the gravitas of my friend’s usual reading list, which is why I am choosing it.   She needs a little light escape, and this book might appeal to her history interests. It features a strong female protagonist  in 19th century England who works for a shadowy women-only spy agency.   The love interest is pretty dishy too.

 

 

 

For another high school friend with whom you love gossiping about everyone else from high school. She’s a budding professional photographer with an artful eye and a talent for picking excatly the right outfit.

I Was Told There Would Be Cake. Written by Sloane Crosley.   Crosley writes in the same style as Mindy Kaling: real life experiences of a mostly normal girl except that she is much, much wittier.  My friend will like this snortful laughter  book of essays and will especially like her 80s nostalgia.  There’s a piece about being the bridesmaid that I think she will enjoy.

 

 

 

For two of your inseperable friends who invite you to Vampire Diaries viewing parties and heartily encourage embracing all things cheesy.   There’s almost no one more fun with whom you can go dancing.

Modelland. Written (allegedly) by Tyra Banks. You guys. We have got to read this and then get together over fancy cocktails to dicuss how terrible it is. According to the Forever YA twitter feed, she actually did write it herself after she hated what the ghost writer produced.  Reviews are shredding it and calling it nearly incomprehenisble.  I almost can’t wait.

 

 

 

For your athletic teacher friend who loves her students but hates their parents.  She has plenty of good bad date stories and understands your devotion to your pet dog.

Jane Austen in Scarsdale: Or Love, Death, and the SATs.  Written by Paula Marantz Cohen.   No! Don’t run away! I know that Austen sequels, re-writes, variations, etc can be tiresome but this story would be lovely even if you didn’t read Persuasion first (which I didn’t).  The heroine is a high school guidance counselor and she spends much of her time dealing with her high strung students and their parents, and she’s also dealing with the return of a lost love.  A sweet, satisfying light romance.

 

 

 

For your former roommate and high school pal who likes you depsite all odds since she  probably thinks your love for YA lit and teen dramas are ridiculous.  Living the good life as a documentarian in Cali, she has a love for the absurd and the darkly comic.

The Basic Eight. Written by Daniel Handler.  This book is a hard sell for some people. It’s a murder mystery even though you alreay know whodunit.  It’s darker than a black hole in its humor but laugh-out-loud funny with some of the jabs taken at pop culture and high school.  I love it for the totally unreliable narrator and her list of “discussion questions” at the end of each chapter.

 

 

 

For a super nice guy friend who appreciates good cuisine, knows a good cheese, and seems to know something about everything.   Generous to a fault and always ready to have a good time.

  Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. Written by Anthony Bourdain. I would be shocked if he doesn’t already have this on his shelf, but every foodie needs to take a gander.  Bourdain is infamous in the culinary world for his acerberic wit and his willingness to try almost anything.

 

 

 

 

For your extremely bright high school friend who really embraces that organic  life style with her vegan Toms and her political bumper stickers.  She loves animals and dislikes hypocrisy.

BabyCakes Covers the Classics. Written by Erin McKenna.  BabyCakes is aNYC-based bakery that specializes in mostly vegan and gluten-free desserts.  I have the first cookbook they released with their famous cupcake recipe, but I always struggled to find all the obscure ingredients. My friend may be more industrious here and I think she would like the challenge.

 

 

 

For your former roommate and social work buddy whom you don’t see often but whom you really like because she’s quite genuine.  Always busy with one of her many extra-curriculars, she’s getting married next spring and you would love to meet up with her for some wine.

Crazy: A Feather’s Search through American’s Mental Health Madness. Written by Pete Earley.   Okay, so my friend might want an escape from mental health issues during the holidays, but I think she would love this one. An engrossing read for anyone, not just a counselor, it’s written by the father of a young adult with bipolar. He wrote the book as an investigation of treatment options and it turned into an expose of how our mental health system is totally effed.

 

 

 

For your newlywed friends whose wedding you missed and feel quite awful as a result.  They love a good funny movie, introduced you to the wonders of the Wii, and have a most charming little house with an excitable dog.

Awkward Family Pet Photos. Edited by Mike Bender. Have you seen the hilarious awkwardfamilyphotos.com? The site released this book just in time for Christmas, and it’s a great coffee table book and ice breaker. My friends will like flipping through it and chuckling to themselves.

 

 

 

For your very tall friend who will get married next sping to someone equally tall.  She doesn’t mind being outdoors (even when it’s hot) and she travels like she’s Matt Lauer trying to get the public to guess where he is next.

 Will and Kate’s Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. Written by Rory Alex.  Another reluctant reader. She would rather be rowing, so it’s hard to make her sit still long enough to crack a book. I think she would rather flip through something funny, and I think this would fit the bill. I have absolutely no idea what it’s about, but the sight of Duchess Kate in a pink prom dress is enough for me.

Next time: The Others.