Next up in this year’s holiday gift guides: Books! Read about a few of our favorites from 2016. The GeekMom guides will run each week on Tuesday mornings.
Image: Chronicle BooksThin Slices of Anxiety
Suggested By: Jenny Bristol
Mfg: Chronicle Books
Price: $10.30
Purchase: Thin Slices of Anxiety
This has been a challenging year for many of us, especially those of us with anxiety. Reading this book can be an occasional balm. Read it one page at a time, or as a complete—but very short—narrative. It addresses specific anxiety triggers, numbering them for reference. Perhaps one of them will speak to you, or maybe you will identify your experiences in one of its pictures or drawings. Pay attention to your triggers and learn to minimize them, or at least keep them at a dull roar. Read my full review.
Image: Insight EditionsWorld of Warcraft: The Official Cookbook
Suggested By: Rory Bristol
Mfg: Insight Editions
Price: $21.93
Purchase: World of Warcraft: The Official Cookbook
An instant bestseller, World of Warcraft: The Official Cookbook, is full of bizarre recipes that are quirky, nerdy, and fun, if a bit odd. It is so much more, though. This amazingly well designed collection of 100 WoW recipes is thoughtfully assembled with features that make accommodating eaters of all stripes a snap. Also, every bite of it is delicious. It’s also a great gift for budding cooks, as it covers everything from spice blends to perfect family meals. As parents are all too aware, sometimes, putting a brand on a product makes kids want it. Take advantage of that with this on-point cookbook for your geek, and watch the culinary world (of Warcraft) blossom in your kitchen.
Image Credit: Quirk BooksFind Momo: Coast to Coast by Andrew Knapp
Suggested By: Patricia Vollmer
Mfg: Quirk Books
Price: $14.95
Purchase: Find Momo: Coast to Coast by Andrew Knapp
After falling in love with the original Find Momo last year, where Andrew Knapp and his Instagram sensation border collie, Momo, play hide and seek with readers. Fans of ages will enjoy the follow-up. Momo travels the US and Canada, showing up at such attractions as the White House, New York’s Grand Central Station, and near the Giant Nickel in Sudbury, Ontario. Our family can’t wrap our head around how patient Momo is to pose as well as he does, since our own border collie couldn’t sit still to save his life.
This book is a fun gift for kids, especially if you want to incorporate some fun geography lessons into your reading.
Image: Quirk BooksCrafting With Feminism by Bonnie Burton
Suggested By: Jenny Bristol
Mfg: Quirk Books
Price: $11.24
Purchase: Crafting With Feminism
Geek icon Bonnie Burton has a new book out this year, one full of craft projects celebrating feminism. Whether crafting is a solitary pursuit for you, or you like to invite all of your feminist friends over for a theme night complete with crafts, music, books, and movies, this book will help you set out your crafting plans. Make a Ruth Bader Ginsburg felt finger puppet, a feminist merit badge, a plush uterus, or one of a variety of other types of crafts. See my full review.
Image credit: Grand Central PublishingSee Me by Nicholas Sparks
Suggested By: Patricia Vollmer
Mfg: Grand Central Publishing
Price: $15.99 (paperback)
Purchase: See Me by Nicholas Sparks
Set in Wilmington, North Carolina, and the nearby beach communities, See Me tells the story of a troubled soul, Colin Hancock, as he tries to turn a tough childhood into a fruitful life. Colin and Maria meet on a rainy night, where the two seem like opposites. With plenty of encouragement from her sister, Maria and Colin end up hitting it off, and from there readers are sent on a roller coaster of romance, skeletons in Maria and Colin’s respective closets, and ultimately a showdown that shows that one can truly turn a life of poor choices into something wonderful.
Image: Wizards of the CoastDungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook
Suggested By: Rory Bristol
Mfg: Wizards of the Coast
Price: $29.74
Purchase: Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook
There is nothing like the love of a good story. But why should the story always be the same? And who should tell the story? Introduce your geek to the world of roleplaying games, and change their world forever. The chance to play as their heroes, destroy the Big Bad, and save the day is every geek’s dream. Surprise your geek with everything they need in order to create the heroes of their dreams, or bring to life characters they’re obsessed with. With one book, a player can join thousands of games in cities across the world. Or they could start their own group, and play with friends. Whether your geek needs a muse, a creative outlet, a hobby, or just something new to obsess over, The Dungeons and Dragons Players Handbook is everything they need for their next epic journey.
