3 Books Perfect as Christmas Gifts

Christmas is at the doors, and, there are always birthdays coming out from everywhere. A bit like mashrooms in summer. And there you are, wondering what to figt your family, or friends. Or, if you're friendless like me, you're wondering what to gift yourself this chrismas.

Maybe, you or a buddy have decided to begin reading. Perhaps they intended to resume reading. Perhaps they would like to read more but lack the time. Or they simply read a lot.

Books may also be daunting, not to mention the choice paralysis that can arise from the realisation that there may be more books on the planet than people. So, you've arrived in search of the ideal mister. Book or miss. Book... Actually, why am I even attempting to ascribe a gender to books in the first place?

Here I am, in full advising mode, to tell you about three books I think you should get and why.

1

Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being

The book follows the lives of Tomás, Tereza, Sabina, Franz, and Karenin. The characters' trip through an Eastern European "cold war" adds to the novel's rich intellectual backdrop. The title alludes to the book's conceptual core: Unbearable Lightness of Being. The remainder will be of the same calibre.

War, insurgency, spies, rain, dreams, and excessive quantities of adulterous sex

Why should you bother reading it? It's philosophy condensed via storytelling, it's a fast read, and it may give plenty of food for thought.

2

Yon and Mu's Cat Diary by Junji Ito

They'll (or you'll) read it quickly. They'll burst out laughing.

The comic follows J-kun, a horror manga artist, as he adjusts to living with two cats: Yon, whom his girlfriend brings with them to their new house, and Mu, a Norwegian Forest cat rescued as a kitten by the duo. Junji Ito's Cat Diary is based on anecdotes from Ito's own interactions with cats.

When it was released, the manga had a strong critical and commercial reaction. It received generally outstanding reviews from critics, who commended it as a cat-centered manga whose comedy originated from the focus on the cat owner's behaviour rather than the cat's.

Perhaps the ideal Christmas present. Just keep in mind that if the recipient has never read a manga, you'll need to explain how everything is read from right to left and "back to front."

3

A Little History of Poetry

By John Carey

An essential, engaging, and very enjoyable introduction to poetry from antiquity to the present.

John Carey investigates the stories behind the world's best poetry, from the oldest known poem written over four thousand years ago until present. The book traces the evolution of poetry via Dante, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Whitman, and Yeats, whose works have influenced our perspectives of the world. Bringing us all the way up to modern poets like Derek Walcott, Marianne Moore, and Maya Angelou, who have begun to question the definition of a poem.

This brief history sheds insight on the complexities of the poetic world — as well as the enigmatic component that makes them all the more appealing. Okay, okay, okay. This would also make an excellent present.

Why Gift a Book these Holidays?

First of all, when you donate a book you're giving someone the entire universe. Plus, b ooks are not expensive. They also endure forever, are re-giftable (you may pass them down as "heirlooms"), and there is one for everyone. Yes, even those who believe they despise reading.

Graphic novels are perfect for individuals who grow weary of reading. You know... like your brother who says he falls asleep when reading. Slap them with a manga. Not hentai though. Unless that's their thing...and they're adults of course!

Last but not least, books are simple to wrap!!