When it comes to Easter, the real joy is in giving. For this reason, it is important to customize Easter baskets specifically to their recipients.
Literature fans may seem hard to shop for, but they don't have to be. The key is to find out what kind of literature someone enjoys. Is there a certain time where the writers wrote just the way they liked stories to be told? Do they have a favorite writer who has just had a new book come out?
Classic Literature Can be a Great Gift
Some classics seem very stuffy. As Mark Twain once quipped, they are books that everyone wished they'd read, but no one wants to.
And while there may be some truth to Twain's statement, it can no longer be ignored that his work now fits into this genre of fiction. Should Tom Sawyer be permanently shelved? Some would say so.
Regardless, there are great books, such as Alexandre Dumas' 1844 masterpiece The Count of Monte Cristo (Penguin Classics). This work is an intense story of great revenge laced with action, romance, cunning, humor, and heroism. It could be said that it has it all, which some would argue that it should given that it is 1,312 pages.
Thriller Fiction is Great for Those who Like Action
The biggest name in military fiction today seems to be Vince Flynn. Mr. Flynn is today's Tom Clancy, and rightfully so since both wrote action stories after being deemed ineligible to enter the military, making their public pro-war politics very convenient.
One thriller writer that is breaking the surface of the literary world is FJ Chase, a security consultant and former marine infantry officer. Chase's book Darkness Under Heaven (MIRA) follows a retired US Army colonel, Peter Avakian, as he is working as a security consultant in China on the eve of an outbreak of war between China and Taiwan.
Through the smooth narrative and insight to Chinese history and culture, Chase's hero must make his way north to Mongolia through the chaos with his friend, Dr. Judith Rose. Darkness Under Heaven would be a great buy this Easter, especially since Chase has a new book coming out on May 1 called Bargain With the Devil (MIRA).
Great 20th Century Writers
Discussing classics and modern action dramas can lead some to forget that there are great authors in between. Charles Bukowski and Kurt Vonnegut are two that stand among many of the rest.
Bukowski's 1970 breakthrough novel Post Office (Black Sparrow Press) became a fast sensation, once being called "a M*A*S*H for the working class" as it reflected the author's nearly two decades in the US Post Office in Los Angeles, California. Bukowski was such a prolific a writer, mostly writing poetry, that a new book has been released every year since his death in 1994.
Many fans of Bukowski are increasingly disappointed with his posthumous publications, though, as they seem to be mere leftovers, but that is where Kurt Vonnegut comes in.
Vonnegut's most recent releases, Look at the Birdie (Delacorte Press) and Armageddon in Retrospect (Berkeley Trade), have been at least as good as his previous works, which is not surprising. Vonnegut first began as a short story writer. According to him, tv phased out this rich market and he was left with many he couldn't sell. These books contain those great unsold stories.
Fiction lovers, even those with very eclectic tastes, can be pleasantly surprised this Easter in finding a special treat in their baskets, whether it's a classic, thriller, or more mainstream work.
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