Books for Christmas

So Australian/US editor Jonathan Strahan suggested a meme for this Christmas and addressed it in part as a way to help book publishers during the current global financial crisis. In essence, he suggested we recommend books published in 2008 as gifts.

Well, at least I'm step ahead of everyone there as my motto all-year round is (whether birthday or Christmas): "your gift is good but we need books!" But still, that's a good idea: giving people books instead of getting them. So here's a handful of books I read-- published in 2008-- that I'd seriously push into other people's hands.

And to help you make your mind, am linking these books to previous reviews that I've done on them:

1. Last Dragon by JM McDermott- An experiment in the grandest sense by McDermott, not for everyone (or at least for those who want an easy read). But for those who want to try fantasy that is pushing the the envelope a bit, you can't go wrong with this book. You may not like it after but definitely you won't get the usual fantasy tropes or forms.

2. Caine Black Knife by Matthew Stover-Kickass action. Kickass drama. Kickass philosophizing. Stover is undeniably one of the underdogs of the genre in terms of popularity and bestselling books (not discounting his Star Wars books and barely even). That he isn't popular or bestselling is a major crime.

3. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman- On the other hand, popular and bestselling author Gaiman is truly in form with his latest book. Say what you will about his long form but his novels are definite crowd-pleasers. A good book to read during the long holiday vacation break especially if you want your brain to take a break.

4. The Ten Thousand by Paul Kearney- I've always liked Kearney's work ever since his Monarchies of God series and will heartily recommend his stuff for those who're feeling lost with the delay over George R.R. Martin's A Sword of Fire and Ice. With this book, you'll get armies clashing and war and comradeship and betrayals and impossible odds-- all stuffed in just one book.

For my recommendation of a bookstore, go check out booktopia, an independent bookshop in Libis C-5 near Eastwood. They have a great selection of fantasy, SF, and horror on their shelves and they're friendly with their customers. In terms of online buying, check out avalon (whether the shop or the auction) for some great finds. People can even order local stuff from the site and the owner jasper's a really cool guy.

So go out and buy books, people. When you buy a book, an author gets its wings (well, more like the possibility of an author getting published again).