Need ideas for that avid reader on your list this year? Look no further than our list of ten titles that the book lovers of MEDIA CONNECT have on their own holiday wishlists.
1. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Crown, 2012) for Alexandra Israel, Publicist
One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn. -Amazon
2. Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller (Penguin Press, 2011) for Alexandra Israel, Publicist
A story of survival and war, love and madness, loyalty and forgiveness, Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness is an intimate exploration of Fuller’s parents and of the price of being possessed by Africa’s uncompromising, fertile, death-dealing land. We follow Tim and Nicola Fuller hopscotching the continent, restlessly trying to establish a home. War, hardship, and tragedy follow the family even as Nicola fights to hold on to her children, her land, her sanity. But just when it seems that Nicola has been broken by the continent she loves, it is the African earth that revives and nurtures her. Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness is Fuller at her very best. -Amazon
3. So Audrey: 59 Ways to Put a Little Hepburn in Your Step by Cindy De La Hoz (Running Press, 2011) for Corinne Cagide, Assistant Digital Publicist
“So Audrey” is the most coveted of compliments among women who emulate Audrey Hepburn. To her legions of female fans, from teens on up, she is a paragon of class and style.Little black dress? That’s So Audrey! Ballet flats? So Audrey! of you! A generous spirit? Well, it doesn’t get any more Audrey! than that. Legendary superstar, trendsetter, and humanitarian Audrey Hepburn remains the epitome of style, charm, and humility in the face of enviable beauty for women of all ages. Filled with fashion and beauty advice inspired by Audrey, paired with gorgeous photos, this book imparts 59 little ways to put some Hepburn in your step. -Amazon
4. And the Mountian’s Echoed by Khaled Hossin (Riverhead, 2013) for Chris Ulluth, Assistant to the Publicity Team
Khaled Hosseini, the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, has written a new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how the choices we make resonate through generations. In this tale revolving around not just parents and children but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most. Following its characters and the ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe—from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos—the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each turning page. -Amazon
5. Tune In: The Beatles: All These Years by Mark Lewisohn (Crown/Archetype, 2013). The nearly 1,000-page first installment of a proposed definitive trilogy on the history of the Beatles only goes until 1962 for Steve Matteo, Publicity Manager
Tune In is the first volume of All These Years—a highly-anticipated, groundbreaking biographical trilogy by the world’s leading Beatles historian. Mark Lewisohn uses his unprecedented archival access and hundreds of new interviews to construct the full story of the lives and work of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. -Amazon
6. Eleanor Catton’s The Luminaries (Man Booker winner) or Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane for Rianna Folds, Assistant to the Publicity Team
It is 1866, and young Walter Moody has come to make his fortune upon the New Zealand goldfields. On the stormy night of his arrival, he stumbles across a tense gathering of twelve local men who have men in secret to discuss a series of unexplained events: A wealthy man has vanished, a prostitute has tried to end her life, and an enormous fortune has been discovered in the home of a luckless drunk. Moody is soon drawn into the mystery: a network of fates and fortunes that is as complex and exquisitely ornate as the night sky. -Amazon
A brilliantly imaginative and poignant fairy tale from the modern master of wonder and terror, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is Neil Gaiman’s first new novel for adults since his #1 New York Times bestseller Anansi Boys. This bewitching and harrowing tale of mystery and survival, and memory and magic, makes the impossible all too real. -Amazon
7. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (Little Brown 2013) for Kristin Clifford, Director of MC Satellite
The Goldfinch is a novel of shocking narrative energy and power. It combines unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and breathtaking suspense, while plumbing with a philosopher’s calm the deepest mysteries of love, identity, and art. It is a beautiful, stay-up-all-night and tell-all-your-friends triumph, an old-fashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention, and the ruthless machinations of fate. -Amazon
8. Someone Else’s Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson (William Marrow, 2013) for Karissa Hearn, Publicist
Someone Else’s Love Story is beloved and highly acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson’s funny, charming, and poignant novel about science and miracles, secrets and truths, faith and forgiveness; about falling in love, and learning that things aren’t always what they seem—or what we hope they will be. -Amazon
9. Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir by Linda Ronstadt (Simon & Schuster, 2013) for Dee Donavanik, Publicity Director
Tracing the timeline of her remarkable life, Linda Ronstadt, whose forty-five year career has encompassed a wide array of musical styles, weaves together a captivating story of her origins in Tucson, Arizona, and her rise to stardom in the Southern California music scene of the 1960s and ’70s. -Amazon
10. Printer’s Devil by Stona Finch (Two Ravens Press, 2009) for Emily Labes, Assistant to the Publicity Team
An unholy marriage of the classic American road narrative combined with the slyest moments of Thomas Pynchon, Give + Take is one part caper, one part social satire. Disillusioned after years of conspicuous consumption, jazz pianist Ross Clifton has become a talented thief, robbing from the rich to give to the poor. But when his teenage nephew, Cray, turns up to join him, his life on the road is turned upside down. Between his nephew’s criminal aspirations and Ross’ romance with an enigmatic singer, his grifter lifestyle is about to be in serious jeopardy. -Amazon
