Weekly geeks #25

For your churchgoing grandma:

Too Long a Stranger by Janette Oke:
When her husband dies, a woman has to support her infant daughter by doing a man's work. When she sends her daughter off to boarding school, she loses touch with the person she has worked so hard to provide for.

For your teenage niece:

Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn:
The first book in a triology with an eclectic bunch of characters and faces issues like the emotional side of abortion, fighting with parents, homosexuality, and divorce in a very realistic way (particularly for this genre). I was very impressed how the book was entertaining chick lit but still had a dose of reality. It would probably be most appreciated by a 15 or 16 year old.

For the horse-crazy girl:

The Winnie the Horse Gentler series:
This series is not just about horses. It deals with the narrator's every day life and how horses help her in her most recent move. Without a mother, Winnie lives with her sister and dad, who is an inventor. The characters in these books are very entertaining! (Note: if the girl is under 10 or 11 you may not want to giver her these books. One deals with how Winnie has to be in a school debate about abortion)

For the muscial nut:
Forever Liesl by Charmian Carr.
You can read by review of it here: http://bookwormsarah.blogspot.com/2008/10/ghost-of-books-past-forever-liesl-by.html

For the WWII obsessed uncle:
Schiesshaus Luck by Pierre Berg: http://bookwormsarah.blogspot.com/2008/10/schiesshaus-luck-by-pierre-berg.html

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: http://bookwormsarah.blogspot.com/2008/10/book-thief-by-markus-zusak.html

For anyone who enjoys contemporary Christian music:

The Way I Was Made by Chris Tomlin: This is one of my favorite books ever. I love Chris Tomlin's music. This book is about his life and how some of his most popular songs came to be. Most of the songs mentioned are from his album Arriving.

For the aunt who only reads novels bought in airports or drugstores:

No Fear Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet:
Even people who think Shakespeare should only be read in its Elizabethan language will have to admit that this is better than the books your aunt is reading now. Romeo and Juliet is romantic and sometimes trashy (for lack of a better word) as her other reading is!