Tantalizing Tales — Holiday Gift Guide Edition

Is it too early to start making lists for holiday gift-giving? Not if you’re a planner like I am! And let’s be honest, I just keep a perpetual year-round list that I add and subtract from as occasions come and go. I do strongly believe that good gift-giving is an art, and that one should Be Prepared. Why yes, I was a Girl Scout, why do you ask?

Anyway, in the spirit of giving, here are some really great collections and books to keep in mind with the holiday season and massive sales just on the horizon!

First up is Mindworks, a fascinating compendium of speculative short fiction from celebrated author Neal Shusterman. Perfect for any fan of both the author himself and of quality science fiction and fantasy writing, this volume contains nearly all of his published shorter work to date. Whether dealing with a pizza delivery from the underworld or a time-warping attic, a dolphin with lofty ambitions or a hot tub with something monstrous lurking just beneath the bubbles, there are plenty of inventive, thought-provoking stories perfect for fans of Black Mirror or The Twilight Zone. There are also four brand new stories included, two of which are set in his bestselling Arc Of A Scythe universe.

To add to your gift-giving options, Mindworks will be publishing on November 18th in three simultaneous first editions. There’s a standard hardback edition and a deluxe paperback which, in this printing, will come with stained and stenciled edges, as well as French flaps. There’s also a limited edition deluxe hardback that comes with slipcase, ribbon marker and stenciled, sprayed edges. Each volume of this collector’s edition is also signed and numbered by the author himself!

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If the person you’re buying a gift for (who could totally be yourself, btw, because you deserve love too!) is more of a mystery fan, check out another collection, Best Of The Strand Magazine! Edited by siblings Andrew F Gulli and Lamia J Gulli, this carefully curated compendium gathers the best of the magazine’s past 25 years, celebrating the publication’s rich legacy of crime, mystery and thriller fiction.

The volume opens with a foreword by Alexander McCall Smith, before presenting 25 terrific stories from internationally bestselling authors and literary legends. With writers as diverse as Ruth Ware, Ray Bradbury, Jo Nesbo, Shirley Jackson, Walter Mosley, RL Stine and John Mortimer, there’s something for every mystery aficionado to discover and delight in within these pages.

And with the gift-giving season in mind, definitely check out the gorgeous hardcover version of this book. In addition to illustrations from the magazine itself, the hardback comes with beautifully stenciled, sprayed edges. I’m a sucker for a pretty book, and while I don’t necessarily judge a book by its cover, I always appreciate something nice to look at and show off, especially when I know that the contents will 100% live up to the gorgeous outward appearance.

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For younger mystery fans, consider James Ponti’s Framed! Crime Fighting Collection. This collectible paperback boxed set includes the first three books of the action-packed series: Framed!, Vanished! and Trapped!, with gorgeous new cover art for all three.

Middle school in a new city is hard enough without being on the Director of the FBI’s speed dial. What’s a smart kid like Florian Bates supposed to do when he’s in the middle of his homework but the FBI keeps blowing up his phone, asking for help solving cases?

Fortunately, Florian has a new friend, Margaret, who’s willing to help him out by learning and applying his Theory Of All Small Things, the technique he invented to help him answer life’s questions… that just so happens to be a crucial crime-fighting aid, too. Together, they foil crooks, help the good guys and keep their grades up, even as they embark on wild adventures through my beloved Washington DC!

I’m super looking forward to reading this series with my kids soon, not just because of the setting but because James Ponti is one of my very favorite Middle Grade authors.

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If non-fiction is more your thing, check out the latest two installments of the Pocket Portraits series! These hardcover biographies are all perfectly sized for portability, while punching well above their weight in terms of content, durability and looks.

Janet Lewis Saidi’s study of one of the greatest authors of all time has the provocative title Jane Austen: The Original Romance Novelist. While scholars may agree to disagree on who truly deserves the designation of that subtitle, there’s no denying the impact that Ms Austen has had on literature since her work exploded in popularity after her death. Ms Saidi’s biography not only chronicles her life, taking readers through moments both well- and little-known, but links these incidents to Ms Austen’s writing.

Ms Saidi further makes sure to include insight on the social commentary that forms such an important part of Ms Austen’s novels, excerpts of which are also included. The ongoing impact of Ms Austen’s works on culture through the ages is also addressed, in a volume that’s a must-have for any completist, as well as for anyone just getting to know Ms Austen’s brilliance.

Our other biography was written by Don Marshall, a man known across the Internet as The Obscure Lord of the Rings Facts Guy. Unsurprisingly, his book is titled J R R Tolkien: The Father Of Modern Fantasy.

This volume is a deep exploration of Mr Tolkien’s life, from his birth in South Africa through the lifelong motivations, struggles and inspirations that led to the publication of, most famously, The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings. This includes, ofc, his experiences in both World Wars I and II, and the profound impact they had on him as a person and as a writer. The book also covers the linguistic influences that helped him create entire languages and worlds, an effort that would redefine fantasy storytelling through the ages. And it isn’t just literature that owes a debt to Mr Tolkien’s work: stars, planets, fish and even insects have been named after his many characters! This and more trivia lie between the covers of this fascinating work.

As with the other books in the series, both of these volumes feature beautiful die-cut covers, foil accents and original illustrations, making them great gifts for the literature lovers in your life.

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Finally, we have perhaps the most seasonally thematic boxed set on today’s list, The Essential Christmas Classics Collection!

This festive paperback boxed set contains three volumes that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. No classic Christmas set would be complete, ofc, without a copy of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, the novella where a rich miser is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve and shown what will happen if he doesn’t mend his grasping ways.

Accompanying this is another work that inspired a ballet often performed around this time of year, ETA Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker. The original story has fewer fairy tale characters than in Tchaikovsky’s staging, but still features a young girl and the Christmas gift that comes to life to save her from the sinister mouse king.

Rounding out this set is a book that collects twelve holiday short stories and poems in a volume simply titled Twelve Christmas Classics. It contains works as famed as Clement C Moore’s A Visit From St Nicholas and O Henry’s Gift Of The Magi, as well as lesser known but still excellent and thematic pieces from Louisa May Alcott, F Scott Fitzgerald and the Brothers Grimm, among others.

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All these books are available, either now or for pre-order, so let me know if you’re able to get to them before I do, dear readers! I’d love to hear your opinions, and see if that will spur me to push any of them higher up the mountain range that is my To Be Read pile.

And, as always, you can check out the list of my favorite books in my Bookshop storefront linked below!