With the arrival of the holidays, choosing the best gift can become a difficult task, being a book the best companion with which to travel throughout the next year. This selection of books to give at Christmas make up the perfect list when choosing the story that best suits each reader: from illustrated classics to contemporary novels.
Wonder: August's Lesson, by RJ Palacio
Wonder's current success, a film starring Julia Roberts, owes its story to this novel by RJ Palacio published in 2012. The protagonist of the story is August Pullman, a boy with a deformed face who must face his first days of high school learning to turn his special characteristic into the best reason to be different. Many already consider it "The antidote to bullying". Quite a triumph.
It, by Stephen King
The premiere of the new version of It, the most famous clown in literature, becomes the perfect excuse to go even more scared with Stephen King's book published in 1986. Considered one of the best works of the king of terror, It evokes the nightmare of a group of seven children in a town in the United States where a dimension returns to free one of the great villains of the world of letters.
Remember that you are going to die. Live by Paul Kalanithi
A priori, it may not be the most pleasant title, but we well know that Christmas, on many occasions, becomes a feared moment for those who have suffered a loss or are somewhat lost. Kalanithi, a surgeon who detected his own cancer and turned it into a novel (and bestseller in the United States) is a song to life suitable for all types of readers.
The Ocean at the End of the Road, by Neil Gaiman
A man returns to his childhood village 40 years later to attend a funeral. A peculiar situation in which he meets again with Lettie, a childhood friend whose farm reveals great mysteries and a pond that seemed to be an ocean, the beginning of all things. Gaiman builds a short story where the real and the imaginary intermingle to give rise to this unique work published in 2016.
The Secret Dinner, by Javier Sierra
A native of Teruel, the winner of the 2017 Planet Award, Javier Sierra, is a storyteller whose goal always tries to unravel those mysteries that humanity has never been able to solve. The Secret Dinner is one of the works that best exposes this need by stating the existence of some letters sent to Pope Alexander VI in which it is revealed the denunciation of Leonardo da Vinci for heresy at his last supper.
The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway
The protagonist of Hemingway's most famous novel he is a Cuban fisherman who was never successful. His last chance to consolidate his pride comes when he enters the waters of the Caribbean in search of the largest fish his eyes have ever seen. One of the most powerful metaphors in XNUMXth century literature soak up this ideal book to give to anyone who still has many dreams to fulfill.
Patria, by Fernando Aramburu
If there is a book that everyone talks about in our country, it is Homeland. The same one that everyone borrows, with the one they wait in front of a store cashier or read on the subway. This is the fever caused by this story set in the days after the ETA ceasefire and that follows in the footsteps of a widowed woman who decides to return to the town where her husband was murdered. Totally recommendable.
Siddharta, by Hermann Hesse
Giving away a self-help book at a holiday party may be a good idea, but perhaps not the best. Instead, we propose Siddharta, the work of the German Hermann Hesse that the introduction of Indian philosophies to the West in the early XNUMXth century. A metaphysical walk through the footsteps of one of the great devotees of Buddha through a country full of mysteries, teachings and a river that can change everything forever.
The Book of Unknown Americans, by Cristina Henríquez
One of my last readings has been this wonderful novel by Cristina Henríquez that addresses the theme of Latin American diaspora in the United States with a unique warmth and simplicity. A book that mixes the love story of two young people, that of the Mexican Maribel and the Panamanian Mayor, with testimonies of characters from different countries after their arrival in the land of opportunities.
Writing Fiction, from Gotham Writer's Workshop
Translated by Jessica Lockhart, Writing Fiction is a compendium of lessons and examples for all those writers who seek to get started in literary creation. Written by the famous Gotham Writers Workshop in New York, the book takes as a reference texts from Cathedral, by Raymond Carver, when it comes to exposing different ways of constructing a character, a story or a perspective. Ideal for artists who are and don't know it yet.
Never Forsake Me, by Kazuo Ishiguro
There is no better occasion than this Christmas to discover the last winner of Literature Nobel. Despite being born in Japan, Ishiguro has British nationality, which is why his stories continually navigate between East and West. Never leave me is one of his best novels and the perfect reflection of a manipulative society through the eyes of three young men raised in Hailsham boarding school.
Platero y yo (illustrated version), by Juan Ramón Jiménez
A couple of Christmases ago this illustrated version of Platero y yo fell into my hands, the classic by Juan Ramón Jiménez that follows the adventures of the author himself and his beloved donkey in the Huelva town of Moguer. A song to nature, rural life and its contemplation whose illustrations and brief chapterss make this version a good way to encourage the little ones to read.
If you want more we have a section of Recommended books
Which of these books to give at Christmas will be your chosen one?