 Well Hannukah is in full swing, Christmas is imminent, and you still need to buy a few gifts. You also need a few books for yourself to read either after the relatives have left, or to escape a bit in the midst of the lovely chaos the next few weeks will bring. Luckily, we have a few ideas and share them below.  Erosion: Essays of Undoing by Terry Tempest Williams (2019). Reading this book of essays is like taking a long walk through the American West with your most passionate, poetic, and eloquent environmentalist friend. Williams writes with honesty and grace but also with gravity. This is not an uplifting work nor is it meant to be. She is deeply concerned about the future of her beloved Utah, democracy, disappearing birds, Bears Ears National Monument, and the management of public lands. These are serious essays about tea ceremonies in the dessert post-election 2016, the loss of loved ones and beloved places, and the degradation of important legislation. But Williams always notices the beauty around her and encourages her readers to appreciate it as well. This book is for the naturalist in your life. Its message will continue to have an impact long after the last page is turned, inspiring action, preservation and “do-ing.” ~ Lisa Cadow  British Library Crime Classics by assorted authors (assorted years). I recently read somewhere (I wish I could remember where) that readership of mysteries and thrillers increases dramatically during troubled and uncertain times (see previous Terry Tempest Williams review). The article had numerous theories as to why, which I will skip and get straight to this review of great books to give and get. Luckily for those of us troubled by headlines of bad behavior by so many people, British Library Crime Classics exists. Poison Pen Press has reissued classic mysteries by a variety of British authors in lovely paperback forms. These make perfect stocking stuffers or host/hostess gifts for all the holiday parties in your future. Or, give them to anyone who likes a well plotted mystery, who needs something to be solved in a neatly and timely fashion, or to yourself for some diversions. If a British mystery isn't your (or your loved ones') cup of tea, try the American Mystery Classics Series by Penzler Press and The SOHO Crime series. ~ Lisa Christie  Frankly In Love by David Yoon (2019) - This novel is one of the best YA books I have read in a long time. I was surprised how this apparently simple (and honestly familiar) story of first love that does not meet with parental approval (hello Romeo and Juliet), as well as of navigating the final year of high school made me smile and tear-up a bit. Some plot points: Frank Li and Joy Song have been friends since childhood, attending regularly scheduled dinners with a larger group of Korean-American families in Los Angeles for as long as they have a memory of any event. As they navigate senior year, they are both in love with the wrong ("not-Korean") person. They decide to fake that they are dating each other to keep their parents happy, while still seeing their true loves. Their elaborate scheming provides the plot for this novel's terrific cast of characters. (I truly loved Frank's superb best friend.) And while Buzzfeed aptly stated, “Yoon's stellar debut expertly and authentically tackles racism, privilege, and characters who are trying to navigate their Korean-American identity”, I would argue you should read it for the fun. Give it to your favorite teen or your favorite adult in need of a smile or two (and distraction from the news). ~ Lisa Christie  A Cloud a Day: 365 Skies from the Cloud Appreciation Society by Gavin Pretor-Pinney (2019). Clouds are poetry in the sky. Stop! Look up! With this inspiring coffee table book, Pretor-Pinney and his British Cloud Appreciation Society encourage us to do just this. These cloud passionistas want us to understand that we “live in the sky - not beneath it, but within it.” Flipping through it’s 368-pages, the reader is exposed to the heavens : from the marvel of lenticularis clouds - “the smoothest of clouds” - to a survey of art history in which painters portray status, cumulus, and cirrus clouds with centuries of white brush strokes, to awe-inspiring photographic images taken by the society’s members and shared from all over the world. This book is sure to open eyes and minds in 2020 and to help us mere mortals to see the sky in a different way - instead of staring down at our phones, it reminds us to look up, and with wonder. I learned of this book in a recent lovely New York Times piece. If you are looking for the perfect last minute gift for just about anyone on your list, look no further. This is it. And when I last checked, they still had a few ethereal copies left at The Norwich Bookstore. ~ Lisa Cadow  Dark Is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper (assorted years). Finally for the kids in your lives, a great family read aloud or chapter book for some youngster to devour alone. This series was first published in 1964 and has been going strong ever since. In it, the three Drew children, while on vacation in Cornwall, discover they are important players in the fight against evil in the world. This sequence consists of five fabulous books filled with adventure and hope. Thank you Liam for reminding us of their existence when you recommended them during BOOK BUZZ. ~ Lisa Cadow and Lisa Christie May 2020 bring amazing adventures and many, many great books. 
 For the fifth December in a row, as part of BOOK BUZZ, students and a few teachers at the Marion Cross School in our hometown of Norwich, Vermont, spent an evening recommending their favorite books for giving and getting during the holidays. (Thank you Marion Cross School PTO and teachers for your support of this program.) For those of you unable to be there in person to hear them, you are in luck. Their picks and their reviews are listed below. Enjoy!  Books for your friends who don’t like to read but who would love a great story
Guts by Raina Telgemeir (2019). Being sick is not always bad. ~ Selected by AJ Drama by Raina Telgemeir (2012). Drama and romance complicate stage crew. ~ Selected by Asher Superb books you would assign to your favorite adult (teacher, aunt, parent) as required reading.
Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger (2013). Sophie Foster Becomes an Elf. ~ Selected by Ava The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin (2015). Girl loses friend and blames jellyfish. ~ Selected by Sophie Best family read-a-louds
The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris (2017). Adventures with kid magicians. Fun read! ~ Selected by Paisley Eggbert: The Slightly Cracked Egg by Tom Ross and Rex Barron (1997). Slightly cracked egg travels the world. ~ Selected by Mr Gonyaw Welcome Comfort by Patricia Polacco (1999). "Seeing is believing" - foster child's Christmas. ~ Selected by Ms. White
Perfect books to help you ignore the fact you are waiting for your sister or brother to finish hockey practice Deep Water by Watt Key (2018). A lost at sea thrill ride. ~ Selected by Jack The Boundless by Kenneth Oppell (2014). Kids protect treasure key on train. ~ Selected by Mary Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling (2017). Friends with disabilities solve a mystery. ~ Selected by Elliot
GREAT Books to give to your friends for their birthdays Spy School by Stuart Gibbs (2012). Boy in spy school battles evil. ~ Selected by Will A Tale of Magic by Chris Colfer (2019). Girl goes to magic school. ~ Selected by Phoebe  Picture Books to read with your reading buddy (or younger sister or brother) Ish by Peter Reynolds (2019). Artist learns to appreciate his skills. ~ Selected by Mrs. French  A book that will make you laugh away your troubles The Midnight Gang by David Walliams & Tony Ross. (2018). Kids make other kids’ dreams reality. ~ Selected by Ryan  Sports books that are about so much more Say It Ain’t So: Book 2 in the Lenny and the Mikes series by Josh Berk (2014). Boy plays baseball. Solves two mysteries. ~ Selected by Dominick
A series you won't be able to put down, or what to read when you run out of Wimpy Kid books Dark Is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper (asst. years). Three siblings discover map to grail. ~ Selected by Liam The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan (asst. years). Great Apollo or Lester Popodopolis? ~ Selected by Evan  BOOK BUZZ presenters STUDENTS AJ, 6th grade Asher, 4th grade Ava, 6th grade Dominick, 5th grade Elliot, 5th grade Evan, 6th grade Jack, 6th grade Liam, 6th grade Mary, 6th grade Paisley, 5th grade Phoebe, 4th grade Ryan, 4th grade Sophie, 5th grade Will, 4th grade TEACHERS Mrs. French, 4th grade Mr. Gonyaw, principal Ms. White, 5th and 6th grade  |
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