Gift That Keeps On Giving

I have discovered that if I don’t force myself to write, then I won’t write. It is easier to talk myself out of writing than it is to string together a coherent thought.  I am going to go back to a blog post a day for a little bit to try and jump starts some good habits.  

I know I had mentioned in a previous blog a book gift idea list.  That is an incredibly hard thing to do. I have a love affair with books, and it is hard to pick a favorite one or two.  Instead I have broken it down into two lists.   One list is going to be a list of series to check out and which book to start with in that series and the other is going to be a list of ten books that I have most often gifted. I think between the two lists, that there is something for everyone. 

While composing this list, I realized that when I think of series, I mostly think of Science Fiction Fantasy. If you are not into Science Fiction or Fantasy this will hold no appeal to you and I recommend you to try back tomorrow on my most gifted books list. 

Book Series

1.        Dune- Frank Herbert- There is a total of 8 books in this classic Sci-Fi series.  I have probably watched every movie adaptation of this book, but I still have a love for the first book that set the entire stage. If you have someone just getting into Sci-Fi this is a great book to start with. 

2.       Small Gods- Terry Pratchett- There is a huge debate on where a person should start in the wonderful fantasy world of Discworld, and it could be a little daunting since there are 41 books within this series.  . Small Gods is the one that I started with and it opens the door to other characters without making you wish you had a back story. I look at it as the gateway book that ultimately lets you get a feel for the writers’ style and is massively entertaining. (In case you were wondering, a general search on the internet shows that Color of Magic is the book to start with, and I disagree.)

3.       Howl’s Moving Castle- Diane Wynne Jones- A fair number of people have seen the animated movie that was based off of the first book in this series. I have a great love for the movie (and almost anything Studio Ghibli) and a deep love for the book by the same name. Very rarely do I love a book and movie equally, but this is one of those rare times. There are a total of 3 books in this young adult series and each novel is a breath fresh air. 

4.       Summon the Keeper- Tanya Huff- I debated between two different series by Tanya Huff. I was debating between the Keeper Chronicles (3 books) and the Blood Books (6 books in total). I love both series and they are both radically different from each other. The Blood Books is a gritty vampire detective series and the Keeper Chronicles is a tongue in cheek sci-fi fairy tale romantic comedy. When it came down to it, I decided to go with the Keeper Chronicles, because I love the way that series makes me smile at the mental images it presents. 

5.        Darwin’s Radio- Greg Bear- There is only two books in this science fiction series, and it almost didn’t make this list. I put it on the lis///t because it isn’t light and fluffy. I read a lot of light and fluffy and find it relaxing, but this book is a far cry from my usual and if you like something a bit more serious and steeped in science then you will most likely love this book.  I like how this book made me think and is a good palate cleanse on some of the overly fluffy options out there.