Readers’ Hearts Like Open Books

   One of the best gifts one can give or receive is a book. And that’s not just my opinion. Many GDP readers agree and have shared books they loved receiving and books they love giving.
   Letter-to-the-editor writers Gordon Curtis and Tony Rivera both love history. At the top of Curtis’ list is The Day Christ Died by Jim Bishop, whom Curtis notes is a “fantastic researcher.” Rivera recommends The Century by Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster. “What I love is that for every event on the timeline, there is an interview with a person who actually lived the event. It’s a history lesson, and most importantly a connection to people.”
   Judge Warren Davis is giving Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything for Christmas this year. “Every adult who plans to visit a museum of natural history should read it. Extraordinary chronicle of science.” If it’s anywhere near as good as Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods, I’d say His Honor shows good judgement.
   David Jahner, head of Gwinnett County Foreign Language Program makes a living broadening students’ horizons. However, when it comes to books, his heart is close to home. “One of my fondest memories is receiving a complete set of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House books when I was in third grade. Since I grew up in South Dakota there was a natural interest in those stories and I still have them today.”
   Heather Leo of Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful recommends The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. “I’m giving it to my son Jack as his first Christmas present with a written message inside about the importance of giving. Plus, it’s about trees!”
   Middle school boys can be hard to buy books for, but Judson Bridges, Gwinnett Teacher of the Year, comes to the rescue. “I was in the fifth or sixth grade when I read Where the Red Fern Grows. It was the first time I realized the power of the written word and how language can be used to bring out such strong emotions in people.”
   Emotion is a strong pull for Colleen Loving, first grade teacher at Sugar Hill and Carol Murphy, a Duluth librarian. Loving recommends The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, a picture book by Susan Wojeciechowski, about a woodcarver who lost his wife and son, then meets a woman with a child who helps him pull his life back together. For adults, Murphy suggests My Cat Spit McGee by Willie Morris, about a cat-hating man whose dog dies, and well, you can guess the rest.
   Both are touching stories, but for those who’ve truly suffered a loss this year and will be spending their first Christmas without their child, Kathy Malone of The Compassionate Friends recommends When There are No Words by Gwinnett author Charlie Walton.
   Whatever the topic, the best gift anyone can open for Christmas is a book.

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