Book Gift Suggestions Part Two

 Here’s Part Two of my holiday gift book suggestions (be sure to check out Part One if you missed it).

Books make amazing gifts. Here are some that will make the recipients want to kiss you! (You know...if that’s appropriate. Or they may just feel really warm and grateful, and that’s okay, too).

Just finished THE ROUND HOUSE by Louise Erdrich and was crazy in love with it. Just gorgeous and haunting, like her works always are. After a brutal attack on a woman living on an Objiwe reservation in North Dakota, the novel is narrated by the woman’s thirteen-year-old son Joe. Joe’s father is a tribal judge, but when the quest for justice bogs down in complications, Joe sets out to get answers and justice of his own. One reviewer said this will come to be known as the “Native American TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD” and I think that’s perfect. Note: don't skip or skim ANY of it (why would you want to?!). Every single detail, image & story counts and is vital to the plot. Genius.    

 Looking for inspiration? Kick-ass advice? Need a gift for a reader who never sits still long enough for a novel? Then pick up TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS by Cheryl Strayed. A compilation of the “Dear Sugar” advice columns on The Rumpus. Don’t know “Dear Sugar” at the Rumpus? Oh, do yourself a favor and remedy that, Sweet Pea. Full of quotes like “Nobody will protect you from your suffering,” “Forgiveness doesn’t just sit there like a pretty boy in a bar,” and “Be brave enough to break your own heart.” I now own a coffee mug with my personal favorite quote on it: “Write like a motherfucker.”

Kristina Riggle’s latest THINGS WE DIDN’T SAY is fantastic. (As would be ANY of her previous novels). You know when you hold things in and keep secrets and bite your tongue? You know how none of those things are sustainable and eventually something has to give? Well, this is a gorgeous, moving book about what happens when a woman hits the point where she has to start speaking the words no one else will say. (And Kris Riggle is a fun, warm, wonderful person in “real life.” I love when we’re at book events together, but I don’t envy folks trying to introduce us—our names together sound like a comedy act!)

Have someone on your list who loves historical fiction? You can’t go wrong with the newest novel from Kelly O’Connor McNees. I was lucky enough to read a galley of IN NEED OF A GOOD WIFE and fell head over heels for it. Set in the American West, centering around main character Clara Bixby’s business venture into mail-order brides for an isolated Nebraska town, this is a book about second chances and new beginnings. I was honored to write a blurb for this book! The three central, compelling women are each, in turn, terribly lost and deeply brave. I adored them all and rooted for them in their struggles.

So…if you're considering buying one of my books as a gift, not only would I be eternally grateful, but I'd happily personalize it for you. If you’re local, email me at katrinakittle (at) gmail.com and we’ll make arrangements.


If you’re in another state, please check out the wonderful bookstore Saturn Booksellers in Gaylord, MI. They have all my titles, already signed, and will ship anywhere!

Where ever you are, always do your best to patronize your independent book stores!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS & HAPPY READING!