Each year NWTLC staff recommend books that we have read through the last year, books we are planning to give as gifts this holiday season, and books we hope to read over our holiday. We have a mix of children’s books, non-fiction, biographies, fiction and more. Check out all three of our blogs in December to find great book suggestions. This week we focus on books for gifts that keep giving.
For this year, there are two books that caught my interest and I want to share them with my family. The first book is Do You Really Need It? by Pierre-Yves McSween. I am going to give this book to my son to help him to make smart financial decisions as he begins his adult life. This book is a light read despite its content. It offers lots of good ideas on how to save money and spend less. It is funny and never boring. I know my son will read it till the last page.
I want to give my sister Soar, by T. D. Jakes, to inspire her as she ventures into entrepreneurship. My sister makes awesome and delicious pastries and wants to turn her passion into a business. This book is sure to be a helpful starter’s guide for aspiring entrepreneurs. My sister will enjoy this book as she reads the author’s personal anecdotes of his own journey to entrepreneurship. The author uses the quest of the Wright Brothers as his theme. The story of how they built their vision from the ground up, and their uphill battle to the day they finally saw their airplane soar into the sky, is truly a template for success. The scriptural references woven into the lessons make this book even more significant. This book is easy on the eyes and lightens the heart.
For an avid knitter or crafter in your life, the Saltwater Knits series, by Christine LeGrow and Shirley A. Scott, are a welcome addition to a library. The three books in the series are Saltwater Classics, Saltwater Mittens and Saltwater Gifts. The books show classic Newfoundland knitting patterns, many of which have not existed in written form before. Christine and Shirley have researched many heritage knitting patterns from trigger mitts to gloves, hats, socks and “vamps” (slippers). I’ve made myself a pair of Brigus Boot Socks and I love them! The patterns are classics made from hard wearing wool from mills such as Briggs & Little Woolen Mills from York Mills, New Brunswick. By giving the knitter in your life one of these books, you may be surprised to find a knitted gift under your tree next year!
I’ll Walk with You, by Carol Lynn Pearson, explores the ways that children can show love to those who may be different from them. The narrator explores racial, religious, ability, sexuality, economic and other diversities as they show the different ways they will walk with all of the other characters. This has been a great book to read with my two early elementary school-aged kids to start conversations about how they have “walked” with friends each day, or the friends who walk with them as well.
