By Cole Cronk | Special to the NB Indy
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis once said “There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.”
Children, and adults, can enlarge their worlds with a book from Lido Village Books in Newport Beach. Lido Village Books has a perfect gift to give any reader this Christmas, and shopping local is also a gift for Newport retailers.
Here are 10 books – five for adults and five for children – that the folks at Lido Village Books say are either big sellers or come personally recommended by Lido Village Books.
Adults
“Taste” by Stanley Tucci (Memoir): “Taste” is a great pick for anyone who is a foodie, or a fan of prominent actor Stanley Tucci. Although it is a memoir, food is the spotlight here. It has recipes, anecdotes about fantastic restaurants, and is written with Tucci’s comedic voice. Some of its most fascinating chapters cover Tucci’s exploration of food in different cultures when he was filming projects abroad.
“The Lincoln Highway” by Amor Towles (Historical-Fiction): The year is 1954, and eighteen-year-old Emmett returns home from a work farm to get his older brother and head West to build a new life. However, things get complicated when Emmett discovers that two of his friends have snuck out of the work farm and followed Emmett home. Now, the four of them take the Lincoln Highway, hoping to find a new home in California.
“Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens (Historical-Fiction): Odds are that this isn’t the first time you’ve heard of this fantastic novel. It has been on many best-seller lists and is in the process of being adapted into a movie. The protagonist, Kya, is a young girl who lives off of the land near a fishing village. Despite being a smart and kind soul, the villagers believe her to be a savage. When a prominent figure is murdered right when Kya is beginning to connect with the townspeople, her world begins to change drastically.
“Bewilderment” by Richard Powers (Fiction): You might recognize this author’s name from his last novel, “The Overstory,” which won the Pulitzer Prize for best fiction novel in 2019. “Bewilderment” is the story of Theo, an astrobiologist who is raising his son, Robin, after the death of his wife. Although Robin is a gifted boy, he begins to lash out and get in trouble at school. In an effort to help Robin with his emotions, Theo signs Robin up for an experimental treatment that involves his deceased mother. This is a book about the ferocious love that a parent has for their child, even in grief.
“Crossroads” by Jonathon Franzen (Historical-Fiction): Russ is a pastor in Chicago 1971 with an extremely complicated family. A failing marriage, rebellious children, and differing morals makes every relationship between these characters vivid and life-like.
Children and Young Adults
“Clarice the Brave” by Lisa McMann (Middle/Juvenile): Clarice and her brother, Charles, are mice on a ship in the sea. They’ve learned to be very careful, but disaster strikes and Clarice finds herself stranded on a small boat with a cat and handful of sailors. To survive this new environment and reunite with her brother, Clarise must learn to be brave and take risks in a way she never has.
“You’ll Be the Death of Me” by Karen M. McManus (Young Adult Mystery): In high school, friends can sometimes drift apart. This is exactly what happens to Cal, Mateo, and Ivy. When the group is reunited on what seems like a normal day at school, they plan on ditching together like old times. But when their school outing leads them to the murder scene of another student, they begin to turn on each other and uncover the secrets they aren’t telling.
“A Snake Falls to Earth” by Darcie Little Badger (Fantasy Middle/Juvenile): This fantasy novel has two narrators. One is Nina, a Lipan Apache girl in our world who loves stories, especially the ones from her native american roots. The other narrator is Oli, a snake from another world where there are animals that can shift into humans. When one of Oli’s friends get sick, he turns to Nina’s world, Earth, for answers.
“The Smart Cookie” by Jory John (Children Picture): This picture book is about a cookie who feels self-conscious about her intelligence compared to the other pastries in her bakery. Throughout the book, she learns that being smart isn’t all about having the right answers. This is one of many witty books in John’s line, including “The Bad Seed,” “The Couch Potato,” and “The Good Egg.”
“Amos McGee Misses The Bus” by Phillip Stead (Children Picture): A decade after Stead’s Caldecott Medal winner “Amos McGee Takes a Sick Day,” we return to Amos’s character in a new tale. In this picture book, Amos the zookeeper misses the bus and has to rely on his animal friends to help him out.
Lido Village Books is at 3424 Via Oporto #102 in Newport Beach. Visit https://www.lidovillagebooks.com/ for more information.
