Thursday, December 10, 2009

Prithee, Inform Me: Welcome to the North Poll

Because I love gathering information almost as much as disseminating it, I've got another fancy poll for you (and by "fancy" I mean "decidedly low-tech," as the question doesn't really lend itself to the choose-your-own answer format). Today's question:

What's on your Top Five/Ten/Twenty-Five/&c "Must-Have Gifts" list for the holiday season?

This includes books you want for the holidays, books you've got to get for that special someone, &c, &c.

If you're interested, my Top Ten (patent pending) are below:

1. Let the Great World Spin, Colum McCann
2. Werewolves in Their Youth, Michael Chabon
3. Strike Anywhere, Dean Young
4. Zeitoun, Dave Eggers
5. The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood
6. Say You're One of Them, Uwem Akpan
7. The Feynman Lectures on Physics, Richard Feynman
8. The Greatest Show on Earth, Richard Dawkins
9. Ein König für Deutschland, Andreas Eschbach
10. Shells, Craig Arnold

13 comments:

  1. The Greatest Show on Earth, by Dawkins
    The Lost Symbol, by Brown
    Stones into Schools, by Greg Mortenson
    Push, by Sapphire
    The Last Olympian, by Rick Riordan

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  2. The only book actually on my list is the new Edward Gorey edition of Bram Stoker's Dracula. But I just discovered the Guild of Specialists trilogy, and will need to own them as soon as possible.

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  3. I met Colum a few years ago in Aspen. His short story "Everything in this Country Must" is a must read. More about Colum and LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN at www.pagelambert.blogspot.com. Such fun to see him on the top of your list too!

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  4. My favorites for this year are The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

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  5. Total Oblivion, More or Less by Alan DeNiro
    Interworld by Neil Gaiman
    The Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen

    That was mostly it for books, but my birthday is in Feb so i hold back a bit

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  6. Hey Eric,

    Are you an avid reader of German? I was surprised to see Eschbach in your Top Ten! Just curious...

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  7. Drown by Junot Diaz
    Because They Wanted To by Mary Gaitskill
    Special Topics In Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl


    And I own this already, but I'm really excited to read Shoplifting At American Apparel by Tao Lin

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  8. Dream list of must reads :):

    RAMPANT by Diana Peterfreund (killer unicorns!)
    FIRE by Kristin Cashore (fantasy w/ superpowers!)
    SIMPLE WISHES by Lisa Dale (touching women's fic)
    CHASING SMOKE by Bill Cameron (Portland Noir!)

    My husband also is dying to read THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy!

    Guilty pleasure pic? HEAT WAVE "by" Richard Castle ;). I know, I know. I can't help myself.

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  9. I've read so many YA and MG book lately I'm starting a backlash.
    This is my catch-up list -
    The Wave Theory of Angels by Alison Macleod
    Hopscotch by Julio Cortazar
    Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
    and
    A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

    I've never read any Hemingway. I think that's odd because he has been on my must-get-around-to list for ages so 2010 must be the year.

    Lastly, your Werewolves in Their Youth suggestion takes my fifth place!

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  10. Hi Hauke,

    Yes, I am, though I have relatively few books in German. I'm trying to remedy that ASAP!


    E

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  11. There are LOTS of books I want to read and I have several in my TBR pile, but the two I've asked for this year are Stephen King's "Under the Dome" and the new Dean Koontz novel. I've been a fan of both of them for years and my children always know it's a safe bet to get those books for Christmas.

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  12. The only thing currently on my wishlist is a big old advance check.

    Oh, and a new copy of The Alphabet of Manliness by Maddox and You Suck by Chris Moore (the covers of both of mine went "the way of the baby" as I say. (Meaning, my son got ahold of them.)

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  13. I'm reading "Let the Great World Spin" right now--managed to snag it at a writer's Christmas book exchange party--and it is amazing. The other book on my list is "Under the Dome." That should keep me busy for awhile.

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