bump for later
For fiction, I like most of the Dean Koontz books. I'd avoid Intensity, Odd Thomas, and The Bad Place. I haven't read many others of his more recent books, but some of the older ones are great. One of the best is In the Corner of his Eye.
Another pretty good fiction writer is Jonathan Kellerman. He's somewhat liberal on guns in real life, but his books don't show that faulty reasoning very strongly unless one knows to look for it. His books feature a homosexual as one of the primary "good guys." I think he handles the situation well so that it isn't offensive, but some people wouldn't like it.
Oliver North has written a couple of action books. I've read Mission Compromised and found it to be pretty good. It's a little thick in some places, and there's a strong evangelical message.
The John Adams biography that came out a few years ago was pretty good. It was popular then and is likely still widely available.
I enjoy Ann Coulter's books. I recently read Michelle Malkin's Invasion. It was pretty good, but I'd take issue with a few things. I still like her overall message.
If this person is interested in the history of the War Between the States, I'd recommend anything by Dr. James I. Robertson, Jr..
If this person is interested in outdoors and hunting, I'd recommend African Game Trails by Theodore Roosevelt.
Bill
Don't know if you are familiar with Dennis Prager but here is a whole list of books that he recommends--wide variety.
http://dennisprager.com/booksRec.html
All are available on amazon.com
Treason...
"Light This CANDLE"; The Life and Times of Alan Shepard, America's First Spaceman by Neal Thompson. Informative, entertaining and easy to read.
"The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History" by Thomas E. Woods, Jr. Ph.D. Informative, enlightening and ammo for Liberal know-it-alls. It applies the US Constitution to major events. It explains 1)why the US revolution was different and that American 'revolutinairs were actually conservatives, 2) the Puritans did not steal Indian lands, 3)"Landslide Lyndon" Johnson stole his first Senate race, 4) the War on Poverty made poverty worse and 5) reveals the absurdity of the Fourteenth Amendment. Quotations from the Founders, politicians-of-the-era, common partipants, soldiers and historians unite the Constitution and times creating an understandable context. (No relation to author)
Some of my recent favorite reads:
1. "The Illustrated Longitude" by Sobel and Andrewes (Navigation)
2. "Brunelleschi's Dome", by Ross King (Architecture and history)
3. "Clear The Bridge" by RAdm. Dick H. O'Kane (WWII)
4. "Fermats Enigma" by Simon Singh (Math)
5. "Louis Armstrong" by Laurence Bergreen (Music)
6. "The Da Vici Code" by Dan Brown (Fiction)
8. "Reflections on The Art of Living" by Diane Osbon (spiritual path)
8.
Atlas Shrugged by Ayan Rand.
Contains a lot of factual "connections" type information the development of "Natural Phlosophy" (see Scientific Method) in Britain and Europe, i.e. Newton, Liebnitz, Hegel, etc., the American Colonies, plus 17th century religion and politics (synonomous at that time) thrown into a very good story line. It's out in paperback.
The "heavy lifting" math and scientific parts of the story are nicely interspersed with the juicier bits to keep it from becoming too dry.
Particularly if the recipient is a woman, I think Jan Karon's Mitford series can't be beat. Start at the beginning, they build on each other. Wonderful small-town America from the eyes of Father Tim, the Episcopal priest.
Also for a woman: anything by Curtiss Lee Matlock. Life in small-town Oklahoma. She's really good.
And anything by Lee Smith, who writes fiction about life in the Carolinas. She's a wonderful writer.
The BIBLE seems to be an excellent book to give to people for Christmas.
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
George Washington by Joseph Ellis
Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain by Justin Kaplan
The Epic Adventure of Stanley and Livingston by Martin
Dugard
Mussolini by R.J.B.Bosworth
The Case For Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror, by Natan Sharansky
Hating America: The New World Sport, by John Gibson
The Connection: How al Qaeda's Collaboration with Saddam Hussein Has Endangered America, by Stephen F. Hayes
Shadow War: The Untold Story of How Bush Is Winning the War on Terror, by Richard Miniter
A Matter Of Character: Inside The White House Of George W. Bush, by Ronald Kessler
American Soldier, by Tommy Franks
Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry, by John E. O'Neill
Misunderestimated: The President Battles Terrorism, John Kerry, and the Bush Haters, by Bill Sammon
Stolen Valor : How the Vietnam Generation Was Robbed of Its Heroes and Its History, by B. G. Burkett
read later
The Roosevelt Myth
by John T. Flynn
Alexander Hamilton
by Chernow
1000 Places to See Before You Die -- Great book on all the places in the world you need to visit. It's written by an experienced travel writer who did all the travelling herself. REALLY well written and engrossing. If your friend likes travel, they'll love this book.
stephen king books are good,clothes as usual,little gadgets like plug and play games (which takes us adults back to the good old arcade days)