As they say, “write what you know.” I decided to try something new this year and create a gift guide all about reading. To the surprise of no one, I loved creating this gift guide more than any others. Of course I’ve got a variety books for the ladies, but I also worked hard to come up with a few I think the fellas might enjoy. And even teens! No guarantees on those as I cannot get my children to read for the life of me. But, I keep trying. Persistence pays off, right?
I’ll start with the books I curated for the gents. I read countless reviews and landed on these two. Billion Dollar Whale by Bradley Hope and Tom Wright sounds like a book I could possibly get Ben to read. It sounds fascinating! The Amazon blurb states:
Named a Best Book of 2018 by the Financial Times and Fortune, this “thrilling” (Bill Gates) New York Times bestseller exposes how a “modern Gatsby” swindled over $5 billion with the aid of Goldman Sachs in “the heist of the century” (Axios).
Now a #1 international bestseller, Billion Dollar Whale is “an epic tale of white-collar crime on a global scale” (Publishers Weekly), revealing how a young social climber from Malaysia pulled off one of the biggest heists in history.
In 2009, a chubby, mild-mannered graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business named Jho Low set in motion a fraud of unprecedented gall and magnitude–one that would come to symbolize the next great threat to the global financial system. Over a decade, Low, with the aid of Goldman Sachs and others, siphoned billions of dollars from an investment fund–right under the nose of global financial industry watchdogs. Low used the money to finance elections, purchase luxury real estate, throw champagne-drenched parties, and even to finance Hollywood films like The Wolf of Wall Street.
By early 2019, with his yacht and private jet reportedly seized by authorities and facing criminal charges in Malaysia and in the United States, Low had become an international fugitive, even as the U.S. Department of Justice continued its investigation.
Billion Dollar Whale has joined the ranks of Liar’s Poker, Den of Thieves, and Bad Blood as a classic harrowing parable of hubris and greed in the financial world.
Side note: I read Bad Blood two years ago and it might be my favorite non-fiction book ever. I couldn’t put it down. The fact that it’s mentioned in the review of Billion Dollar Whale is a good sign. Buy it here: https://amzn.to/46bWcB3
My second selection for the gents is The River by Peter Heller. This sounds like the perfect blend of adventures and thrills. According to Amazon:
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the author of The Guide and The Dog Stars comes the story of two college students on a wilderness canoe trip—a gripping tale of a friendship tested by fire, white water, and violence.
“A fiery tour de force … I could not put this book down. It truly was terrifying and unutterably beautiful.”—The Denver Post
Wynn and Jack have been best friends since college orientation, bonded by their shared love of mountains, books, and fishing. Wynn is a gentle giant, a Vermont kid never happier than when his feet are in the water. Jack is more rugged, raised on a ranch in Colorado where sleeping under the stars and cooking on a fire came as naturally to him as breathing. When they decide to canoe the Maskwa River in northern Canada, they anticipate long days of leisurely paddling and picking blueberries, and nights of stargazing and reading paperback Westerns. But a wildfire making its way across the forest adds unexpected urgency to the journey.
One night, with the fire advancing, they hear a man and woman arguing on the fog-shrouded riverbank; the next day, a man appears on the river, paddling alone. Is this the same man they heard? And if he is, where is the woman? From this charged beginning, master storyteller Peter Heller unspools a headlong, heart-pounding story of desperate wilderness survival. Read it here: https://amzn.to/3QmQS7P
My book wish list is growing by the day. I already shared two books I want from my Santa in my ladies’ gift guide (https://emerybodie.com/gift-guide-ladies-edition/), but I’ve added to it. The newest book on my list is The Senator’s Wife by Liv Constantine. This is my usual domestic thriller genre, but with a political twist. I’m fascinated by Washington DC’s behind the scenes operations, so this is right up my alley. I cannot wait to cozy up with this book.
Amazon’s blurb:
In this town, anyone is replaceable. . . .
After a tragic chain of events led to the deaths of their spouses two years ago, D.C. philanthropist Sloane Chase and Senator Whit Montgomery are finally starting to move on. The horrifying ordeal drew them together, and now they’re ready to settle down again—with each other.
As Sloane returns to the world of White House dinners and political small talk, this time with her new husband, she’s also preparing for an upcoming hip replacement—the latest reminder of the lupus she’s managed since her twenties. With their hectic schedules, they decide that hiring a home health aide will give Sloane the support and independence she needs postsurgery. And they find the perfect fit in Athena Karras.
Seemingly a godsend, Athena tends to Sloane and even helps her run her charitable foundation. But Sloane slowly begins to deteriorate—a complication, Athena explains, of Sloane’s lupus. As weeks go by, Sloane becomes sicker, and her uncertainty quickly turns to paranoia as she begins to suspect the worst. Why is Athena asking her so many probing questions about her foundation—as well as about her past? And could Sloane be imagining the sultry looks between Athena and her new husband?
Riveting, fast-paced, and full of unbelievable twists, The Senator’s Wife is a psychological thriller that upends the private lives of those who walk the halls of power. Because when you have it all, you have everything to lose.
It’s available here: https://amzn.to/471HrBR
Any story involving aviation grabs my attention, especially when female pilots are involved. I’ve been obsessed with Amelia Earhart’s disappearance since I first learned of it in elementary school. This next novel is a perfect fit for me. I think this would make a good book club selection for my Book B*tches, as many of us enjoy historical fiction. I’m referring to Her Last Flight by Beatriz Williams. This is not a new book (published in 2020), but I somehow never heard about it until recently.
A brief summary:
In 1947, photographer and war correspondent Janey Everett arrives at a remote surfing village on the Hawaiian island of Kauai to research a planned biography of forgotten aviation pioneer Sam Mallory, who joined the loyalist forces in the Spanish Civil War and never returned. Obsessed with Sam’s fate, Janey has tracked down Irene Lindquist, the owner of a local island-hopping airline, whom she believes might actually be the legendary Irene Foster, Mallory’s onetime student and flying partner. Foster’s disappearance during a round-the-world flight in 1937 remains one of the world’s greatest unsolved mysteries.
At first, the flinty Mrs. Lindquist denies any connection to Foster. But Janey informs her that the wreck of Sam Mallory’s airplane has recently been discovered in a Spanish desert, and piece by piece, the details of Foster’s extraordinary life emerge: from the beginnings of her flying career in Southern California, to her complicated, passionate relationship with Mallory, to the collapse of her marriage to her aggressive career manager, the publishing scion George Morrow.
As Irene spins her tale to its searing conclusion, Janey’s past gathers its own power. The duel between the two women takes a heartstopping turn. To whom does Mallory rightfully belong? Can we ever come to terms with the loss of those we love, and the lives we might have lived?
You can order it here: https://amzn.to/460gEoj
My third and final suggestion for the ladies comes from my sister. Alison is a huge Mary Kay Andrews fan and said The Homewreckers is her favorite of all of them. That is some seriously high praise. This is a lighter option for us readers who need a fluffy escape for a while. It’s southern chick lit at its finest.
Hattie Kavanaugh went to work restoring homes for Kavanaugh & Son Restorations at eighteen, married the boss’s son at twenty, and became a widow at twenty-five. Now, she’s passionate about her work, but that’s the only passion in her life. “Never love something that can’t love you back,” is advice her father-in-law gives her, but Hattie doesn’t follow it and falls head-over-heels for a money pit of a house. She’s determined to make it work, but disaster after disaster occurs, and Hattie’s dream might cost Kavanaugh & Son their livelihood. Hattie needs money, and fast.
When a slick Hollywood producer shows up in her hometown of Savannah, Georgia, she gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: star in a beach house renovation reality show called The Homewreckers, cast against a male lead who may be a love interest, or may be the ultimate antagonist. Soon, there’s more at stake than bad pipes and dry rot: during the demolition, evidence comes to light that points to the mysterious disappearance of a young wife and mother years before.
With a burned out detective investigating the case, an arsonist on the loose, two men playing with her emotions, and layers upon layers of vintage wallpaper causing havoc, it’s a question of who will flip, who will flop, and if Hattie will ever get her happily-ever-after.
We all need a little romance, right? Linked here: https://amzn.to/3QHB8gW
Finding books that my children will enjoy is an impossible feat. However, I keep trying. I am determined to turn them into readers. Reading brings me such joy and I want them to discover a love for books like me. Bodie is not into fantasy. Unfortunately, many books for boys his age fall into this genre. However, I managed to find two non-fantasy books for his age group with fabulous reviews and they are both by Gordon Korman. The first is The Fort. This sounds like a great adventure story with a mix of war and natural disaster that I think Bodie will actually enjoy.
From Amazon:
The morning after Hurricane Leo rips through the town of Canaan, residents awaken to widespread destruction — power outages, downed branches, uprooted trees, broken windows and damaged roofs. Four eighth-grade friends — Evan, Jason, Mitchell, and CJ — meet to explore the devastation. The tight-knit group is dismayed to find that Evan has brought along a stray — Ricky, who is new to their town and school, and doesn’t have any friends yet.
Ricky is the one to find the strange trap door that’s appeared in the middle of the woods — the door to an old bomb shelter, unearthed by the hurricane. Inside, the boys find a completely intact underground lair, complete with electricity, food, and entertainment (in the form of videocassettes). The boys vow to keep the place’s existence to themselves.
Things soon get tense. Some bad locals keep snooping around. And what started out as a fun place to escape soon becomes a serious refuge for one of the kids who is trying to avoid an abusive home situation. In order to save the shelter, the friends must keep its secret… and in order to save themselves, they’re going to have to share their individual secrets, and build the safest place they can.
If you have a middle school boy (or an elementary aged son who is an advanced reader), click here: https://amzn.to/3QIGtEZ
The next book by Gordon Korman is Ungifted. This book is almost ten years old, but I think it’s still relevant. If I had to choose just one book for Bodie, I think I would get The Fort. However, if you are shopping for a fella who really enjoys reading, grab both. The reviews are wonderful.
When Donovan Curtis pulls a major prank at his middle school, he thinks he’s finally gone too far. But thanks to a mix-up by one of the administrators, instead of getting in trouble, Donovan is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, a special program for gifted and talented students.
Although it wasn’t exactly what Donovan had intended, the ASD couldn’t be a more perfectly unexpected hideout for someone like him. But as the students and teachers of ASD grow to realize that Donovan may not be good at math or science (or just about anything), he shows that his gifts may be exactly what the ASD students never knew they needed.
Ungifted is available here: https://amzn.to/3QKp1zG
Emery actually read a bit this summer, so I have high hopes she’ll read A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. To be honest, I would read this! Sometimes YA books are just as juicy as adult novels. This is part of a series, so I will happily buy more if she enjoys this.
Everyone in Fairview knows the story.
Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.
But she can’t shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?
Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn’t want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.
Add to cart here: https://amzn.to/47hgMk9. If you want the sequel (Good Girl, Bad Blood), click here next: https://amzn.to/3Sm7XBx. The third and final book in the trilogy (Good As Dead) is available here: https://amzn.to/3FHrxAH. The reviews for all three books are fabulous.
If you tend to read at bedtime like me, you’ll need a book light. I have this one and it makes a great stocking stuffer. I love that it’s rechargeable and comes in a variety of colors. Purchase here: https://amzn.to/47c3xRM
Happy shopping AND happy reading! TGIF!
