Dec. 7, 2009 - Books for Everybody

I always enjoy perusing this gift guide published in the fall by Wordsworth Books in Waterloo. The inside cover describes the guide as "an easy and relaxing way to organize your holiday shopping." It is catalogued by subject such as Fiction, People, History, and Science and Current Issues. The middle section includes a Young Readers' Edition with hand-picked selections of picture books, fiction and non-fiction titles. Each entry shows a picture of the cover and includes a brief synopsis of the book. Many current and popular titles are featured.

So which books intrigued me the most? I tend to stick with my favourite genres - historical fiction, fantasy, and science-fiction. The Twelve Extraordinary Canadians award-winning series written by various authors and sponsored by Macleans magazine is definitely appealing. The series includes books about writers L.M. Montgomery and Stephen Leacock, musician Glenn Gould, artist Emily Carr and former prime ministers Pierre Trudeau and Lester B. Pearson among others.

For Twilight and Vampire Diaries enthusiasts the sequel to Dracula looks interesting. It is written by a descendant of Bram Stoker and endorsed by the Stoker family. Dracula - The UnDead is set in London 25 years after the end of the original novel. Also in the sequel category is The Blythes Are Quoted by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Benjamin Lefebvre. It is a novel that was completed shortly before her death and meant to be the ninth in the Anne of Green Gables series. And Another Thing is the name of the sixth novel in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy. Written by Eoin Colfer of Artemis Fowl fame, the writing of this sequel was approved by Douglas Adams widow, Jane Belson.

Other titles that have been added to my reading list are Under this Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell, The Carnivore by Mark Sinnett, Kanata by Don Gillmor, The Twelve by William Gladstone, The Knife Sharpener's Bell by Rhea Tregebov, and The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse.

In today's busy society, guides such as this one provide an easily accessible way of finding good literature in the comfort of our own homes. Now, when I visit the library, I can quickly find the books I'm interested in without having to spend too much time browsing through the shelves.