What Novel You Would Buy and Give Away To Others?

Hello Everyone,

Since the last book review I posted on my blog, The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, I have bought several copies and given them away.

Here's my latest blog post wondering what novel would buy and give away to others:

http://kammbia1.wordpress.com/2013/01/19/wisdom-of-kammbia-3-14-what-is-the-nove...

Enjoy,
Marion

I have bought several copies of Johnny Got His Gun just so that I could give them away. I have lent The Sparrow to several students also. But I only have the one copy and I want it back!

I have bought and given away The Beekeeper's Apprentice and recently Love Saves the Day.

I have also bought copies of either The Case for Faith or The Case for Christ and given them away.

Fuzzi,

I enjoyed reading The Case For Faith and The Case For Christ.

Thanks for your response.

Marion

I've given Prodigal Summer and Traveling Mercies several times each. I would also give The Night Circus, although all those I know who'd love it have already discovered it!

I just bought and gave away The Dalai Lama's Cat as a present.

84 Charing Cross Road

A Room of One's Own

Various poets

And yes, Traveling Mercies

Also, Miss Rumphius, as well as any Robert McCloskey

This thread makes me think of Victorian travellers handing out Evangelical tracts to the natives! There are many books that I love and would like to share, but buying a stack of copies to hand out to all your friends is a very different thing from giving a particular book to a specific person. It looks like a rather aggressive, superior act, rather than the gesture of friendship you probably intend it to be.

Having said that, I find poetry books much better than novels as things to give away to people you don't know extremely well. For one thing, they're less likely to have them already, and for another, poetry isn't asking the reader for such a long-term commitment. You can dip into a poetry collection and read one poem, then put the book down again for six months, if you want. People who are not book-minded often seem to like the idea of having poetry about the place, and leave it on a visible shelf somewhere, whilst last year's novels are ruthlessly sent off to the charity shop or put in boxes in the spare room out of the way.

I've given a few copies of Gift From the Sea. One of my favorites.

Thanks for your comments, Thoroid.

However, I have to disagree that giving a book you like to your friends or family is an aggressive act.

You are sharing something you like and there's a risk that friend or other person won't like it.

I believe it's a risk worth taking for art.

Marion

#9 - I was given a copy of Gift From the Sea!

"The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll get me a book I ain't read."
--Abraham Lincoln --

I would agree with 'thorold' that just giving books to strangers is rather pushie. I often (as I'm sure most of us do) recomend books to people and friends that I think they may enjoy based on what they say thet have read. But that's not the same as giving a copy of a book because I like the book.

Having said that it's an interesting idea, so I'll throw my hat into the ring. I'm having trouble choosing between these books;

East of Eden by John Stienbeck
Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis

>10 Kammbia1:
Just to clarify, I don't think there's anything wrong with giving books to other people. Au contraire! Giving someone a book because I liked it and I am convinced, from what I know of their tastes, that they will like it too is a double pleasure. I'm only uncomfortable with giving the same book indiscriminately to multiple people. I don't know anyone who has identical tastes to someone else in my circle of friends and relatives.

I did it with Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Silk (though only to people who I know share my reading tastes). I do rather love the idea of the World Book Night Giveaways (http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/dec/02/world-book-night-1m-free-books) though I'd want the list abolished so that we could choose our own books to give. In that case and as a fairly indiscriminate 'everyone should read this ' idea I'd love to be able to do it with The God Delusion in the hopes it might act as a tiny counterbalance to all the Bibles that have been pushed onto people throughout the ages.

From LT's facebook feed there is the Unglued project - Unglued FAQ

Don't just giove away one copy to friends, give away the ebook to everyone inf hte world (whilst simultaineously respecting the author's rights!)

I've given several people copies of The Fault in Our Stars and The Psychopath Test.

The Uncommon Reader and Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader are ones I give to people who like to read. Learned about both here on LT.

Ex Libris is one of my favorite books! I think anyone who loves to read would enjoy that one.

I want to thank everyone for their responses to this topic. Really appreciate it!

It's interesting to see what books people hold dear to them and are willing to give away to others.

Marion

When my niece Sofie (Sophie) turned fourteen, I gave her "Sophie's world" by Jostein Gaarder, which was pretty much as personal as possible.

#20 In fact, that's another one I gave to several people - wonderful book whether your name is Sofie or not!

I'm another giver of Lindbergh's Gift From the Sea as well as Writing A Woman's Life by Heilbrun and A Natural History of Senses by Ackerman.

PS. Since my librarian is a member of this group I have to say...next time you give a book, ask your librarian for a title for the library! (Just doing my bit, BookyVT!)

Well, the OP says novels. I don't read many novels anymore, nor do I recommend books to friends and family, let alone give them as surpise gifts. My own taste is so specific, I can't trust anyone to give me something I didn't request.

But…given all the qualifications and quibbles one could make about the question…

A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin

Another one I want to add to this thread is Doc by Mary Doria Russell.

deniro,

A Soldier of the Great War is one of my favorite novels along with Winter's Tale by Helprin as well.

kammbia1

I've also given Silk to a couple of friends and recommended it to many others.

>24 barney67: I don't think anyone is trying to 'evangelize' their friends... didn't notice the thread was 'novels' - just mentioning the books shared with close friends. Somehow I don't think this thread, or group, is for me!

I've given Three Junes to several people that I knew would love it. I've read it at least five times.

#29 That's on Mount TBR - sounds like I must get round to reading it.

The books I regularly buy to give to people are:

Stone's Fall;
Carter Beats the Devil;
Confederacy of Dunces;
Angelmaker;
Good Strategy Bad Strategy;
The Blind Giant;
1Q84;
Gormenghast

Like Thorold and Booksloth I only give these books to people whom I believe will like and appreciate them.

I have recommended Quiet: The Power of Introverts In a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain to several people. It's an interesting look at how people who are quiet and think things through interact with people who move ahead quickly, and how they can balance each other.

I bought a copy of Water for Elephants to share with others, even though I got my copy out of the library and probably won't re-read it myself. Too violent. But SUCH a good book, I don't regret having read it all and I think many people would enjoy it.

I found a copy of A Christian Manefesto in the local used bookstore, so I passed it on to a young man at church this evening...he was thrilled with it. :)

Thanks for the non-fiction recommendations. However, I wanted to keep it to a novel instead of non-fiction.

Marion

Oops, sorry...

Anytime I find a hard copy of a P. G. Wodehouse novel I pass it on to my nephew. I gave away a copy of To say nothing of the dog at Christmas

I have bought and given away The Wrench by Primo Levi.

Sarah's Key and One Thousand White Women, and now, The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow, Handling Sin, and Ella Minnow Pea.

Although not really a novel, I'm about to purchase a few copies of Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin by Jill Lepore to send to a few women friends who I know will love this unusual and painstakingly researched biography about Benjamin Franklin's youngest sister, with whom he corresponded most of their adult lives into their eighties. Much detail needed to be "guessed," based upon good research, which is why I'm including it in among "novels".

>5 grkmwk: I agree with The Night Circus. I've recently passed my copy to a friend who I thought would like it but can actually think of a few more people for whom it might be suitable as a gift.

I also did that a while back with The Book Thief by Markus Zusak which I was given as a gift and then bought for others.

Hello, Marion and Everyone;

I have given copies of Foucault's Pendulum a few times, with great success. It's a good novel to re-read and discover something new each time.

--A.R.

I have given away copies of these personal favorites -

Beekeeper's apprentice
Book Thief
Uncommon Reader
Guernsey Island Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
Prodigal Summer
Outlander

>1 Kammbia1: I'm like Marion in that the only novel I've ever bought copies of specifically to give to friends was The Sparrow. I have, of course, loaned books to friends/family and even more often verbally pushed urged recommended certain favorite books to friends and family, but The Sparrow was the only one I went out and bought to give away.

I've also given away copies of The Humans by Matt Haig

I've given away several copies of One Hundred Years of Solitude, despite the fact that I haven't read it yet.

There is something about that book that makes people who see it on my bookshelf say, "Oh, I've always wanted to read One Hundred Years of Solitude!" And so I lend it to them. Of course then I don't get it back.

I've made a practice of buying up every copy of The Ladies of Missalonghi that I come across (as long as it's priced $1 or less) and hand them around to my women friends.

Also highly recommend The Sparrow, (which blew me away) but I don't come across copies often.

For graphic novel enthusiasts, I've been buying and giving Local, by Brian Wood, which has a dozen interconnected short stories about a young woman traveling around the U.S. Really well done.

One of mine, too. My mom gave copies to many people over the years.

Here are some titles I've seen posted that I completely am on board with:

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennet

I think those woiuld be enjoyed by almost anyone, and I would add

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morely

More specifically, only for those I knew would be interested:

A Room of One's own by Virginia Woolf

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

If you liked Uncommon Reader try Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn!

Bought a copy of Me Before You by Jojo Moyes to give away.

Books I have given as gifts:

The Alchemist
A Farwell to Arms
in our time
Poisonwood Bible
The Red Tent
I know why the caged bird sings
The secret garden

That's good to read Storeetlir. The Sparrow is such a wonderful novel. Thanks commenting.

Marion

Thanks to everyone who commented on this post. I find it fascinating to see why novel or novels that readers would buy and give away to others. Also, it lets me know about some other good books that I might not have heard of.

Marion

Fascinating thread. Definitely added some books to my TBR pile. I frequently give books as gifts (birthdays, graduations, etc), but I can't say that I have ever been inclined to hand out a book willy nilly.

I love giving Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein books to adults and kids alike. I think their messages ring true for almost any audience. Novels, alternatively to me, seem like a more personal choice, so I try to pick books that I have read and liked and think the other person would enjoy.