Meeting the Challenge of Holiday Book Giving

Retailers have replaced the Halloween decorations with Christmas glitter, and I just realized that books, which used to be at the top of my holiday shopping list, have slipped from favor this year. In the past, I had an algorithm for selecting gift reading material: I started with the recipient's personal basics (sex, age, politics, favorite pastimes, etc.) and added in our relationship (close enough for me to know fiction preferences or distant enough that a generic "desserts of the world" was more apropos). Then I divided the sum of factors into the recommended best-sellers and, voila, several potential book gifts were calculated. My selection sometimes missed the mark, but it was often better, or at least no worse, than a sweater in the wrong size and color or an unneeded gadget. This year, I face several complicating factors. Many people now opt for e-books over paper copies, so I need to know not only preferred reading content but preferred reading format. Also, more and more people tell me they don't have the time or inclination to read hours of prose. Scratch them from the book gift list. I'm seeing in my own life that many how-to books (cook books, gardening guides, medical manuals, etc.) have been reduced to clutter now that I can get information as needed from Google search, Pinterest and Wikipedia. How about those beautiful "coffee table" picture books about French chateaus, Picasso or tropical birds? Well, the formal living room where people sat down to converse in front of a coffee table is becoming passé. It's about casual, open-plan living, and parties with the kitchen and a flat-screen TV as focal points; oversized books in that environment are just magnets for wine stains. That said, I assure you that I do have books on my holiday shopping list--just for a smaller and more select group than in the past. A book that opens up worlds of imagination, knowledge and inspiration, in whatever format delivered, is one of the most thoughtful and long-lasting pleasures I have received, and I'm sure others will agree. Of course, Amazon.com offers a trove of recommendations for holiday book gifts, but here is a shorter list from squidoo.com to get your 2013 shopping started: http://www.squidoo.com/top-books-for-christmas