Holiday Gift Giving Book Recommendation Thread:

[Earth_First]

I thought that a thread to help folks like myself find suggestions on gift giving in book form would be a great help...

If at all possible, please provide as much information on the selection as possible and a brief synopsis if you're feeling up to it...

THANKS to all who participate, I hope this thread will be of benefit to many...

[fishnfla]

1. I would recommend a functional book like a cookbook

and I would recommend the new cookbook by Gourmet magazine. The Gourmet Cookbook, edited by Ruth Reichel.

With cookbooks, you can personalize them to the persons taste as well

[XemaSab]

2. "The botany of desire"

by michael pollan.

It's a book about how humans have altered 4 plants: apples, pot, tulips, and potatoes.

Very informative, thought provoking, easy to read, and frequently VERY funny.

[GumboYaYa]

3. At the risk of self-promotion....here is one I highly recommend

When I dream Too Slow www.whenidreamtooslow.com

Who am I? How did I get here? What should I do now?

The quest to answer these fundamental questions is the locomotion of history.

Science uses one approach to find a solution; religion another. Philosophy and mythology are attempts to reconcile the resulting disharmony.

"When I Dream Too Slow" is one such reconciliation, a tale told by a woman from the Fast, traveling with a library multitude, appearing in the Slow once every four years.

She voices a cherished story-populated by a highly unusual cast of human and non-human characters-to anyone ready to hear.

Who is ready? Anyone with spiritual hunger and scientific curiosity. Anyone who desires to overcome fear and hate, to trust love, and to live with others who seek the same.

The book's balanced blending of scientific, religious, mythological, psychological, artistic, and philosophical insights provides a visionary overview much needed in the current era, and addresses a question asked during every age:

Does love have the power to overcome fear and hate?

FULL DISCLOSURE: I am working with the publisher of this book. It is my first foray into the publication world. The author is a close and dear friend.

[KitchenWitch]

4. For baseball fans (particularly Twins and Dodgers fans)

Cool of the Evening - it is a documentary about the 1965 Twins and the 1965 World Series (Twins versus Dodgers).

[pitohui]

5. let me give you an anti-recommend

don't give any type of self-improvement book

that means no diet books, no exercise books, and for the love of all the little green fishes in the sea, NO GEE-DEE INSPIRATIONAL BOOKS

no chicken soup for anybody's soul

no prophecies from anywhere at any time

no how to clean, get organized, or be more efficient

no communications from outer space or life after death

no people you meet in heaven

none

NO GEE-DEE INSPIRATIONAL BOOKS EVER

it is just plain rude, because i am not good enough, spiritual enough, or religious enough to suit you apparently, and it is also
BOR-ING

i just can't state this too strongly

and this rule goes DOUBLE if the recipient has or has ever had a serious illness

NO INSPIRATIONAL BOOKS!!!!! DON'T EVEN THINK IT!!!!!! it would be better to forget to give the person a gift altogether than to insult them in this way

[Earth_First]

6. kick!