Giving away books...

From Booking Through Thursday:

Buy a Friend a Book Week is October 1-7 (as well as the first weeks of January, April, and July). During this week, you’re encouraged to buy a friend a book for no good reason. Not for their birthday, not because it’s a holiday, not to cheer them up–just because it’s a book.

What book would you choose to give to a friend and why?

And, if you’re feeling generous enough–head on over to amazon and actually send one on its way!

I approve in principle: I love giving books to my friends. But who would I choose? and how? The book I should choose would depend on what friend I would choose. For instance, josanpq and I seem to relate well to the same authors (Dorothy Dunnett, Lois McMaster Bujold), and giving or recommending to her some of my favourite books of recent years - like The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner, or Warchild by Karin Lowachee - was and would be a good thing to do. But conversely, maaboroshi didn't read Cagebird, and walkingowl hated Warchild - I wonder if she might have liked Cagebird or Burndive more? Probably not.

My point being, it's often tricky to recommend or give fiction, and often not a great idea to give books that are so very much my favourites. I try to make a point never to recommend Dorothy Dunnett to anyone. I'm just not objective enough.

So - does that make non-fiction a better, safer choice? I'm not sure. walkingowl has done a rather good job of choosing books for me that I would like, usually but by no means exclusively non-fiction. Ditto Tasia and Donna and - many friends. Interesting how I and my circle so often give books as gifts.

Okay, okay, I'll pick one friend and one gift. The friend - no, wait, I want to make this a surprise. I'll tell about it after the fact.