The Least Material of Material Gifts()
December 22, 2006 As an economist, Russell Roberts would prefer that we spread our spending out evenly across the year and avoid debt now. But if we must, he has some books he'd like to recommend....
A Book and a Wish for a Daughter()
December 23, 2005 Journalist and comedian Aaron Freeman has a gift for his daughter, and it's in T.H. White's The Once and Future King. It's the gift of love, shared imagination, and peace, it's inspiration he hopes will last a lifetime.
A Gift in Any Language()
December 20, 2005 To linguist John H. McWhorter, "the magic books" are a series of self-teaching language books that work. Follow the directions, and you speak like a perfectly fluent three-year-old. For him, they're often the perfect gift.
Books for Students of Writing, Language and Life()
December 15, 2005 The gift of beautiful prose, given to someone on the edge of loving words and their arrangements, is an invaluable present, writes commentator and novelist Susan Straight. She shares some of the titles she'll be giving this year.
A Sporting Season()
December 13, 2005 Sportswriter and author Christine Brennan doesn't always choose sports-oriented titles for giving and getting at the holidays, but this years she finds a few titles too good to ignore.
The Gift of a Storyteller()
December 8, 2005 Poet and All Things Considered commentator Andrei Codrescu writes that better than a book is the gift of a storyteller from a storytelling city, New Orleans: "There are masses of humans who just need to stay warm and calm and tell stories."
A Feeling of the Times()
December 6, 2005 Books and records evoke strong reactions in people and can — even years down the road — create a real feeling of the times, of certain places and of friendships. The gift of those memories matter most to commentator Laura Lorson.
Yellowing, Dog-Eared, and Perfect()
December 2, 2005 Commentator Jake Halpern plans on giving Herman Wouk's 1971 classic The Winds of War this holiday season. Written before he was born, the book strengthened his connections to his stepfather and late grandfather.
Bounty for the Nature Nut()
November 29, 2005 A rain barrel is rather tough to wrap, so if you're looking to give nature nut and All Things Considered commentator Julie Zickefoose a gift, here's a list of books and music.
A Beautiful 'Big Day'()
November 23, 2005 The delight of the day is really in the unwrapping, in the discarded wrapping paper lying like the sloughed off skins of Christmas around me, writes All Things Considered commentator Sandip Roy.
About Making a List
NPR commentators write about the holidays, about giving and getting books and music. You'll find some treasures on their wish lists.