The holidays are here and people are busily preparing, buying gifts for friends and family. I’ve been pretty good this year, so I gave Santa a list of the books and literary-inspired movies I would like to see under my tree come Christmas morning.
- Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel – this Booker prize-winning novel details the mystery and intrigue surrounding the court of King Henry VIII as seen through the eyes of one of his most trusted advisors, Thomas Cromwell.
- The Magicians by Lev Grossman – billed as “Harry Potter for adults,” this engaging debut novel mixes the magic of children’s fantasy with the reality of collegiate life as one lonely boy discovers that magic – and the enchanted land of his favorite books – are real.
- Going Bovine by Libba Bray – from one of my favorite authors comes a wild ride that involves mad cow disease, hallucinations, a modern-day Don Quixote journey, angels and a Mexican-American dwarf with a fondness for video games.
- Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld – a steampunk revisionist novel set during an alternative World War I-era world, where two teenagers find each other and must rely on themselves to survive. A bit of a departure from Westerfeld’s previous novels.
- Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins – the exciting and nail-biting second book in the successful Hunger Games series, in which Katniss and Peeta must carefully navigate their way through the world after beating the government at its own game. But the government just might have some surprises for them as well.
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (movie) – with each new movie adaptation, we get closer and closer to the final showdown, which on film promises to be spectacular. The HP6 movie focused more on the love lives of the core trio, but also delved into the murky past of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
- Julie and Julia (movie) – based on both Julie Powell’s memoir of the same name and Julia Child’s My Life in France, this movie flashes back and forth between two very different – and yet very similar – women who find their passion in the art of cooking.
What literary gifts are on your Christmas list this year?
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