Susan Blumberg-Kason

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‘Tis the season–to give books

December 21, 2011 By Susan Blumberg-Kason 8 Comments

When I was younger, I would’ve been pissed off if I’d gotten all books for the holidays. I can’t remember what exactly it was that I wanted, but books always seemed boring and a cop out. But now I can’t think of anything I’d rather get.

(Flowers, chocolate, and jewelry might be a Valentine dream come true, but this year my darling husband gave me a Kindle and I just love it!)

As in the past, my kids are going to mainly receive books this holiday season. I figured I may as well buy something they’ll enjoy and get more use from than a piece of plastic that makes noise when they so robotically press a button.

Here’s the eclectic list of books one of them will receive:

Gene Luen Yang’s powerful graphic novel, American Born Chinese (First Second, 2006). Centered around three main characters, the stories are empowering, educational, and witty.

Sherman Alexie’s semi-autobiographical novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Little, Brown, 2009), about a Native American teen who dreams of a life outside the reservation.

Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief (Knopf, 2007), a novel about a girl who steals books in WWII Germany and shares them with her neighbors, including a Jewish man who hides in her basement before he’s sent to Dachau.

And Marie Lu’s debut, Legend (Putnam, 2011), a dystopian novel about two teens who come from opposite socio-economic circles and together fight to learn the truth their government is hiding.

My younger kids will also receive books, along with a few blocks sets. I’ve bought them some Grace Lin picture books, Ni Hao Kai-Lan books, and some nice picture books that tell stories with Chinese characters.

Happy Holidays!

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Misc

Comments

  1. ordinary malaysian says

    December 23, 2011 at 11:55 am

    Looks like a nice selection of books for your kids. Wished I had books as gifts too when I was a kid myself. But alas!

    Reply
    • Susan Blumberg-Kason says

      December 23, 2011 at 8:38 pm

      Yes, never to late, right? Thanks for your comment!!

      Reply
  2. T says

    December 21, 2011 at 9:25 pm

    It’s great that you’re giving your kids books. As a kid, all I wanted for a gift was mindless action figures. (Although, you could argue that action figures can also nurture imagination and creativity.)

    Anyway, Happy Hanukkah!

    Reply
    • Susan Blumberg-Kason says

      December 21, 2011 at 11:00 pm

      Thank you! The kids have been enjoying the books so far. I agree that toys like action figures can be played with in a creative way. When I was young, we didn’t have so many electronic toys like kids have now.

      Reply
  3. Stuart Beaton says

    December 21, 2011 at 5:29 pm

    Books for the holidays – what a novel idea…

    No, seriously, it’s nice to see people giving things to kids that forces them to expand their thinking capacity, even if only for a while.

    When I was a lad, I used to go and seek out the books I wanted, and stress that they’d probably be very educational (they weren’t), and drop monumental hints about how grateful I’d be if I found them under the tree.

    Mind you, being the son of a high school librarian and a primary school teacher, I was usually neck deep in books most of the time. I still have a room full of them in their house in Australia, and a largish overflow library stored at my Nan’s house.

    These days I just fill my iPhone and iPad with eBooks, because they’re a lot lighter (and no one has to post them to China).

    It’s good to see that you’re having a crack at making your kids enjoy a wider sphere than mere video games and sticking blocks up noses.

    Reply
    • Susan Blumberg-Kason says

      December 21, 2011 at 6:10 pm

      Thanks, Stu! My parents were both teachers and were always reading. I guess I rebelled when I was younger, but I do remember receiving some books that I still treasure, like “The Secret Garden”. Our books usually came from the library, except for special occasions, ie gifts.

      During my time in China, I couldn’t find many English books there. Luckily that’s changed, at least in the huge cities.

      Reply
  4. Rashda/Mina says

    December 21, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    What a cool collection of books! Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
    • Susan Blumberg-Kason says

      December 21, 2011 at 1:47 pm

      Thanks so much for reading! I hope you’re keeping warm there in Texas 🙂

      Reply

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