Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
This week’s topic is books we’d give as gifts. Since I have nearly no one in my real life who appreciates a good book, I’m giving imaginary gifts to imaginary people. Such is my life.
1. To the hater of science fiction: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card – my first sci-fi love affair and a book I still love to reread. Ender will make a believer out of you!
2. To the Twilight hater: The Harry Potter series by Jo Rowling – It’s always good to help solidify Twilight loathing by reading worthwhile books.
3. To the non-fiction hater: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote – This story will suck you in and consume you in a massive google search for even more information on these infamous murders.
4. To the classics hater: Emma by Jane Austen – Mr. Knightley is superior to Mr. Darcy in every way, plus you’ll have another reason to revisit Clueless and enjoy a young Paul Rudd.
5. To the young adult hater: Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty – I don’t actually think these novels are young adult, but the first one reads as a young adult, but with a slightly smarter tone. I think modern young adult fiction has reached this same standard.
6. To the poetry hater: Marge Piercy’s work – Piercy writes novels as well, but she’s the first poet that I’ve ever read like a novelist – from page one all the way through to the end in one sitting.
7. To the Shakespeare hater: Richard III – Or really any of the history plays, this particular one just happens to be my favorite. The histories are filled with drama and humor but much more accessible to the common reader. A great place to start!
8. To the fiction hater: The Secret History by Donna Tartt – For me, this book was superb and stands out as one of my favorite all-time reads. For the first time, when I finished this story I immediately wanted to reread it. Also, my sister liked this book even when she claimed to hate reading.
9 & 10. To the history hater: Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe and The Reader by Bernhard Schlink – I know these novels are fiction, but often fictional historical accounts win readers because of the human connection they bring to the story. When we’re better engaged and feel intimately connected to the characters, we’re much more receptive to the lessons woven into the plot. Both of these novels are exceptional in this respect.
The Blog of Litwits 
Excellent list. I like how you’ve chosen books designed to appeal to the haters 🙂
I keep hearing about Sloppy Firsts and that is one I need to pick up finally in the new year. Ender’s Game is another one I’ve been meaning to read.
I enjoyed The Secret History and In Cold Blood too, but it’s been a while since I’ve read them.
Sloppy Firsts is a must read and Ender’s Game is one that’s been close to my heart since i was 14! I need to finish the Sloppy First series – only read the first two because the others hadn’t been written at the time. Perhaps in 2012!
Great list. This could be helpful for a lot of gift-givers! Thank you.
Here’s my Top Ten Books I Want to Give as Gifts.
I just bought the first 4 Jessica Darling books for myself, but haven’t read them yet. My library has them in young adult, but the last one is in adult fiction. Here is my list http://wp.me/pzUn5-H0