I need help with finding 3 really interesting books for a Christmas present for my mom who also loves to read. I usually get her gift cards to borders or one of the local book stores in the area but this year she surprised me by saying she wants me to pick the books out myself. Any recommendations? My mom will read just about any book there is which is why I'm having such a hard time picking out just 3. I wouldn't even know where to begin! If you could help me out I'd really appreciate it. Post anything you can think of...

1.I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith
2. Red Dust: A Novel - Gillian Slovo as I'm really enjoying this book at the moment.
3. The Constant Gardener - John le Carré

There's too many you know Amber!

Does she read fantasy, young adult? Any particular interests not just book related?

GUERNSEY definitely! The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - I guarantee she will love it.

My mom loves loves loves Pride & Prejudice, she also likes almost anything by Gore Vidal. If she is a politics fan (as my mom is), how about Obama's book or a book written by or about a President she likes?

Hmm...Prodigal Summer is another fantastic one. My mom loved Poisonwood Bible too, although I couldn't stomach that one all the way thru to the end.

What about the Thorn Birds (or as my husband calls it, The Horny Birds? Nice love story.)

Hope this helps!

She mostly likes to read either mystery novels or books based off of history. She likes stories that are based off of truth and books that have been written and turned into movies. She loves to compare the movie to the book. I know I could probably give her any 3 books and she would love them but I want to try to find some that get really good reviews. So far the only book I've come up with is "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck because my mother loves his style of writing.

My mom has read all of Steinbecks, so you might want to consider that she may have read it - or maybe you already have. Just throwing it out there.

She'll love Gore Vidal then - historical fiction.

Mysteries that are really funny - I got my mom hooked on Sue Grafton. They are all alphabetical, so A is for Alibi is the first one. Fast reads, funny, good mysteries.

Poisonwood Bible is very good - I enjoyed that.

Memoirs of a Geisha is very good too err...

The American Boy - Andrew Taylor - though it's called something else in the US... can't remember. It has Unforgettable in the title I think.

An Unpardonable Crime: A Novel << that's it. Very good and I love that author. Check out his Roth trilogy as well by starting with:

The Judgement of Strangers

My Mum likes a lot of crime, though I've been introducing her to other stuff otherwise all she'd read is crime.

The Glass Palace: A Novel - Amitav Ghosh is good, although you tend to go away with a history lesson from that author. It's set in Burma, India and a bit in Thailand. It's set during the British colonisation in India and Burma - from 1880-late forties. Very interesting.

how bout Suite Francaise by Irene Nimerovsky

or one of Belinda Alexandra's White Gardenia or Silver Wattle or Wild Lavender?

The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)?

Laura,
I'll definately check out Thorn Birds and Pride and Prejudice. My mom isn't much into politics but I am so I think I've found another book to add to my TBR list haha. Thanks for the recommendations!

Amber, The American Boy/An Unpardonable Crime is a mystery and history and a very good one.

The Constant Gardener is a kind of mystery and a movie of course.

The Judgement of Strangers has been made into a TV series over here.

Red Dust is a court room drama type thing set in SA and is a movie also.

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Bleak House - Charles Dickens - there's an element of mystery there.

My Mum loved The Thorn Birds too.

If you or your mum like Pride and Prejudice check out North and South and anything by Elizabeth Gaskell.

Well I suggest Doctor Zhivago. Not sure who the author is, but it's a historical romance set during the Russian Revolution. They made it into a movie as well. So she can compare them. :D

A historical mystery she might like is Dissolution, by C.J. Sansom. It's set in an English monastery at the time of Henry VIII, in 1537.

She might like Dennis Lehane's new one The Given Day: A Novel
It takes place in Boston during the Police strike of the early 20th century. It's pretty good.

Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer is very good.

I LOVED Audition: A Memoir
by Barbara Walters...

Kane and Abel is terrific.
Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans.
Simple Truth by David Baldacci
OR To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee.
(If your mom likes tragedies/romances, Nicholas Evans or Nicholas Sparks is a good choice)

I vote for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
or
These Is My Words
I have given both to my mom and she loved them!!

Labyrinth

Any Patricia Cornwell books form the Scarpetta serie, starting with the first

Some classic book


Amber, maybe you can give three different kind of books. Like a classic, a mystery and a totally different fiction book?

Amber,
here are two of my favorite novels.
They are unlike most other novels, and both are movies (the second will be coming out after thanksgiving)

Blindness
The Road

Beautiful haunting novels!

The Other Boleyn Girl and other books by Phillipa Gregory sound like they might be something your mom would enjoy.

Great Tudor period historical ficton.

I've given Three Cups of Tea to many people this year, and they've all really liked it!

Thanks for taking the time to help me out and for all your suggestions. Now I'll be able to go to the bookstore armed with a whole list of books to choose from. I still have some time left before x-mas so I should be able to decide by then...hopefully!

Night by Elie Wiesel is excellant! Based on true story quick read very sweet. But buy her a box of tissues too.......

Amber
Be sure to share with us what you picked out!!

Yes, tell us what you get, and if she likes them!!

For a great mystery read - The Double Bind - Chris Bohjalian and for a great history read - Skeletons at the Feast - same author. Also, really, really loved The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz-Zafon.

I went looking in all the different little book shops around the area and I think that I'm going to end up getting her

1) The Thorn Birds
2) Red Dust
3) Blindness

Thank you all for your suggestions! I'll be checking out the other suggestions for myself. My TBR list just keeps on growing :).

YAY She'll probably love the Horny Birds. I know my MIL did. My mom too! And the TV movie that came out years ago - they both fell for that one.

Yay Red Dust - I hope your mum likes it Amber. It's really good.