PECKERWOOD BOOK CLUB: What Books Are You Giving For The Holidays? Plus "The Cherry Robbers!"

As the winter holidays sneak up, I'm making my lists, making them twice, then making a batch of peanut butter cookies 'cause they're my favorite and it's a good distraction from making lists-lists-lists. But make them I must. I love giving books as gifts - frequently two or three to the same person - especially to my nieces and nephews, who've learned over the years that their Bawdy Foul-Mouthed Uncle™ knows from books and gives really good ones. And, yes, I slip a twenty in between the pages because it's fun (and paper money is so retro).

Do you give books as gifts? Do you like giving big, hefty, delightfully oversized tombs (I'm thinking of giving this to a friend who's into horror)? Or do you prefer giving the latest bestsellers? Personally, I avoid those, if only because you never know if the recipient hasn't already read them. I've also given Kindles in the past, but only if I know that the person will be into it, because many, like me, prefer actual books (I know, I know, but it's just the way I am). I've also given Audible gift subscriptions to friends and family who have long commutes, which, I promise, is always a hit. 

But mostly, I like picking a book which I think perfectly matches the receiver. Like "The Cherry Robbers," which I'll be gifting to my 15 year-old niece who mostly dresses in all black, compliments her look with black lipstick and is devoted to J-Horror, as the kids say, or movies like "Ju-on: The Grudge." 

But then "The Cherry Robbers" is a mesmerizing read for anyone on my list. In this hair-raising arena, an artist recalls her life with her sisters in the 1950s, all of whom begin dying from mysterious ailments seemingly brought on by impending marriage or sex. Consistently spine-chilling, and with memorable characters throughout, the novel is best looked upon as the gothic flip-side of those cheery, 1950s romances, like "My Sister Eileen," which highlighted budding romances in pastoral eras. But the outcome here is radically different, to put it mildly.

The heroine, Iris, is both our eyes into the past and a seriously spooked participant. She's the only one of her sisters who actually believes her mother, Belinda, when she announces that all of her daughters are doomed. Yet all the characters make an impression, most notably Rosalind, a lively, hard-nosed young woman – she’s known as the “fizz” of the family - who has no patience for her mother’s eerie proclamations. 

Also of note is Henry, the daughters' father, a gun manufacturing baron who coldly sends his wife to an insane asylum and is prepared to do the same to Iris. The violence in this novel is wholly internal, just beyond reach, and never labeled, which makes it all the more frightening. 

Meanwhile, what will you get for your Bibliophile Bendy Boy™? And by that I mean books, since he has plenty of undies (which he prefers not to wear, as you know). And what books will you give to your family and friends? We all need suggestions, so let let 'er rip!

Photo Credits: AP, Harper