Meme: Giving and Getting Books

Penguin asked a bunch of their authors what books they're giving and what books they'd like to get this holiday season. Someone turned it into a meme. Someone tagged me. Soooooo, here we go. First, some initial rules:

1. Post a link to the original list from the Penguin Group.
2. Tell us what books you're planning (or would like to) give this holiday season.
3. Tell us what books you'd like to receive this holiday season.
4. Tag others, if you so choose.

GIVE

House of Leaves

Everyone should read this book. Not just fans of horror or of experimental fiction, but everyone. It should be handed out to literate people like candy to kids at Halloween. If I'm ever a millionaire, maybe I'll give this book out to people at Halloween instead of candy.

Dune

One of the classics of science fiction, this book changed the way I looked at the world, government, people, religion ... if ever there was a life-changing tome, this would be it for me. I always suggest it to friends, but aside from Tony, nobody I regularly talk to ever actually read it.

Postsecret

Postsecret is an ongoing art project that almost everyone already knows about. If you don't, go HERE and see what all the fuss is about. The site has a new batch every Sunday, but the older ones go offline. When looking through these printed archives, the amount of sharing and honesty and beauty and fear and everything else is ... very impressive. It's worth seeing and experiencing.

GET

Sandman

I really really really want to read these. Everything I've heard has made me want to read it more and more. But ... well, I'm not going to spend the money on them. They're expensive and there are a lot of them. The perfect gift is something I would never buy for myself, but want. This is the pristine example.

Only Revolutions

By the same man who wrote House of Leaves. I'm not sure why I haven't picked this up, but I'm pretty sure whoever was so kind as to get it for me would become my new favorite person.

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness

This is kind of an odd-ball on the list. It's a nonfiction book about decision making and how our minds are influenced by an infinite variety of stimulus that we aren't even consciously aware of. I don't normally read nonfiction, but I read an article about the author in Esquire and wanted it ever since. I would have bought it, but for now it's only in hardback and as a rule I don't buy any book in hardback if I can help it.

And that's it. Short, but I haven't been in a reading mood these past few months and so it's hard to get particularly engaged in this meme. I think the only person I'll tag for this one is Morgetron, who will have to get off her bum and blog for once.