Vancouver Trendz [THURSDAY]

Readers-a-Reading

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Books are perfect gifts because you can always find one to match a person's taste and personality perfectly. Sometimes, scary perfect. But with such infinite options, the process of shopping can be a little daunting. Here are some suggestions that may help you whittle down your list.

Off Duty: The World's Greatest Chefs Cook at Home ($45) - One of the recommendations from the staff at the cookbook paradise that is Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks (1740 West 2nd Avenue, near Burrard), this book collects favourite recipes from top chefs designed for easy, at-home cooking. Other cookbook suggestions from Barbara-Jo's include Kitchen Sense: More than 600 Recipes to Make You a Great Home Cook ($48.50) and Great Women Chefs of Europe ($65). Even better, you can buy gift certificates that can be used for any of Barbara Jo's upcoming events. Your giftee can attend an evening cooking seminar with a world-class chef and get a copy of a featured book.

The Onion Presents: Homeland Insecurity ($24.95) - The bittersweet satire of The Onion newspaper and website is the pinnacle of humour. And this latest compendium of its fake news and hilarious fictional columnists is the kind of book you pick up for a five-minute read and end up putting down two hours later.

U2 By U2 ($50) - The biggest band in the world get the coffee-table book treatment including gorgeous photos and text written by the rockers themselves. Find out everything you want to know about these superstars, like why Bono and Edge have nicknames and the other guys don’t.

The Geist Atlas of Canada ($24.95) - Local literary mag Geist serves up one of the country's funniest pages every issue with their ongoing maps of Canada series. All those wacky place names you guffawed over in high school are highlighted in maps celebrating the hockey-, erotic- and doughnut-themed geography of our great nation.

In Style Instant Style ($36.95) - That helpful gang at In Style magazine provides this bible of fashion do's and don'ts. Styles for all shapes, sizes and tastes are highlighted using helpful celebrity examples. Let's just hope they didn't put Britney Spears in charge of the underwear section. Yikes!

Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales ($52) - Whether it's due to the delightful stories, the charming art or the memorable characters, Beatrix Potter's work is irrefutably loveable. This tome is an essential addition to any child's bookshelf, whether it's an actual kid or just a grown-up who sometimes wishes they were one.

Find these selections at your nearest bookstore, or visit Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks for our cookbook selections, and if you order online from Amazon.ca by the 15th your gifts are guaranteed in time for Christmas.

And tomorrow we help solve the pressing problem of what to stuff in your stockings this year - and socks are NOT on our list!

Visit our previous gift guides for more great gift ideas:

• Girls-a-Making-up
• Cooks-a-Cooking
• Thumbs-a-Thumping