Give the Gift of Reading

Noble Hustle.

Tis the season to buy a great book for that special someone you know. And please, purchase your gift at local book sellers. We are fortunate to have many independent book stories in Milwaukee, including Boswell Book Company, The Little Read Book, Mystery One Bookstore, Outwords Books, Gifts & Coffee, Rainbow Booksellers, and Woodland Pattern Book Center. They sell myriad volumes with thought and personal service. I hope you will use this holiday season to reward them for their perseverance and reward your friends and family with great reading material.

In an effort to help, I have grouped some of this year’s “Booked Up” recommendations into lists for specific kinds of recipients. You can find my full reviews of these volumes in the “Booked Up” section here on Urban Milwaukee DIAL.

For the Non-Fiction Aficionado: The Noble Hustle, The Sixth Extinction, The Future of the Mind, and David and Goliath.

For the Romance Reader: Lila, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, and Lucky Us.

For the Fan of Historical Fiction: The Invention of Wings, Lucky Us, Frog Music, The Last Kind Words Saloon, Lovers at the Chameleon Club: Paris 1932, and Some Luck.

For the Mystery & Espionage Reader: Midnight in Europe, The Silkworm, and The Cairo Affair.

For the Science Fiction and Fantasy Fan: Grasshopper Jungle, Station Eleven, and The Magician’s Land.

For the Cutting-Edge Reader: The Enchanted, 10:04, To Rise Again at a Decent Hour, and Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage.

For the Young Adult Female: The Book of Unknown Americans; Station Eleven; Boy, Snow, Bird; and The Last Days of California.

Not Just for LGBT Readers: For Today I Am a Boy, Grasshopper Jungle, The Days of Anna Madrigal, The Snow Queen, Frog Music, Lucky Us, and Lovers at the Chameleon Club: Paris 1932.

For Dad or Grandpa: Shotgun Lovesongs, The Last Kind Words Saloon, redeployment, The Cairo Affair, The Silkworm, The Noble Hustle, How About Never – Is Never Good for You?, and Midnight in Europe.

For Mom or Grandma: The Children Act, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, The Invention of Wings, Some Luck, Lila, Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant? and The Cairo Affair.

For the World Reader: Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, The Book of Unknown Americans, Radiance of Tomorrow, and For Today I Am a Boy.

For Humor Buffs: How About Never – Is Never Good for You? and Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant?

For Poetry Lovers: Addicts & Basements, Cloud Pharmacy, Directing Herbert White, Jimmy’s Blues and Other Poems, On the Street of Divine Love, and This River Here: Poems of San Antonio.

These are just general suggestions. Always look at the book yourself before giving. My reviews contain warnings about profanity, violence, and sexual content. Check them out. When in doubt, consult your local bookseller!

Send your book club picks and author event information to me at info@urbanmilwaukee.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/stottsbookedup  And good reading!