I would love a set of Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles. These have been hard to find since his death.

 

A book we pass around and read aloud every Christmas is A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote. When one of us starts blubbering, we just pass it to the next person until eventually we make it through it. I've also given this to people as a Christmas present.

 

Filmish: A Graphic Journey Through Film  by Edward Ross, a new history of cinema told in graphic-book format. The format fascinates me, and the subject matter ranges from the technical history of film to examinations of set design, the star system, and even representations of food in film!

 

League of Dragons by Naomi Novak. The final installment of her enormously entertaining Temeraire series, an unlikely blend of Napoleonic-era historical fiction (think Patrick O'Brian - of Master and Commander fame - meets Jane Austen) combined with talking dragons, which shouldn't work but somehow manages to, undoubtedly due to the character of Temeraire the dragon. Think of the most noble, most charming, and most loving dog or cat you ever had, but the size of a house and able to talk and fly. And Temeraire is able to (forced to) grapple with moral questions like slavery - whether he, as an "animal" and so technically someone's property, is actually a slave. Why would I like this for Christmas? Because that would mean it was coming out in December of 2015, instead of May of 2016.

 

I would like to receive the plays of Sophocles, Germania by Simon Winder, and Samuel Beckett's plays and essays: Stirrings Still and Ohio Impromptu.

 

The Everyman's Library Classics set. I absolutely love the feel, the look, the quality of these editions. I have several older editions. Just holding one in my hands feels right. And the editorial committee of the set has done a good job of mining classics, known and not so well known!

 

This list of new pubs from the Medievalverse has books that would probably interest a number of OLLI-ites.

 

Perhaps, a copy of Winston Churchill's Thoughts and Adventures. One of his lesser-known volumes, it's a collection of articles and reminiscences from his life before WWII. While I've a fairly complete collection of Churchill's works, this one has eluded me.

 

I'll admit it. I am a Mad Men superfan. Having worked in television and advertising during the late 60s and 70s, I was amazed how accurately this TV series portrayed the business environment and time period. What memories it evoked! A new comprehensive companion book, Mad Men Carousel by Matt Zoller Seitz and Max Dalton, which has just been published this month is a "must have" on my Christmas list. In keeping with this Madison Avenue nostalgia, I'd also like to complete my decade-by-decade collection of All-American Ads with the volume featuring advertisements from the 70s (edited by Jim Heimann).

 

I am not sure what book I might like, but I know what I might give! It would be The Mulberry Bush by Charles McCarry. McCarry is the best for espionage, at least in my opinion. He has been publishing since 1971 and is greatly underappreciated. This book is one of his best. This effort can be liked by any reader because of his great prose and development of his characters.

 

Since taking Dr. Mahaffey's OLLI courses - Ulysses and Dubliners - I want these two for Christmas: Collaborative Dubliners: Joyce in Dialogue and Reauthorizing Joyce, both by Vicky Mahaffey.

 

I would love to receive This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein. She proved herself a world-class thinker, researcher and writer in The Shock Doctrine. The New York Times' short 'blip' on this latest book is that "an energetic exploration of issues surrounding climate change vociferously advocates immediate, radical reforms." This is one of those books where a hard copy is needed so I can read, reread, underline, make notes...and then reread again. I also am always surprised and joyful at ANY book either of my sons gives me for they are always excellent and ones I would not choose for myself.

 

The Gin Closet by Leslie Jamison.

 

Flood of Fire, third volume of the Ibis trilogy, by Amitav Ghosh.

 

I've been practicing Tai Chi and meditation for several years and have wanted to learn more about mindfulness meditation for children. Many school districts have introduced mindfulness training to help students focus and reduce anxiety and stress. Some studies claim that mindfulness training can also improve the quality of sleep. When I read a review of the book Sitting Still Like a Frog: Mindfulness Exercises for Kids (and Their Parents) by Eline Snel, I knew that I wanted to read it and introduce some of these practices to my granddaughter. This book also includes a 60-minute audio CD of guided exercises. Should be fun!

 

After taking the Mansfield Park class, I'd love to own a set of Jane Austen's novels as well as a compilation of her letters. Prior to class I wasn't that interested in her. I didn't know what I was missing. 

 

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt is a marvelous book and a perfect story to get immersed in as the cold, grey and dreary days of winter set in around us. It's a BIG book, a BIG story; reviewers have used the term "Dickensian," which I think is apt because of its breadth and depth -- but the story itself is thoroughly 21st century.

There is a special area in my bookcase and in my heart for Christmas books my daughters would get me. I used to ask for books that would impress them, like The Death of Comedy by Erich Segal. Then I switched to books that would impress myself, like Gold and Iron by Fritz Stern and Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia by Christopher Clark. Now, generally, I ask for books with big print.

 

As a group, they would like to receive Roundhouse by Louise Erdrich, and two books by OLLI members: Burnt Siena by Sarah Wisseman and Come the Revolution by Frank Chadwick.