Here’s a top 10 Tuesday list that should be very helpful in your book-browsing endeavors. Check out these BWB fan favorite authors to find your next great read.

1. Terry Pratchett
Co-Author of “Good Omens” with the number two pick. Pratchett also wrote “Unseen Academicals,” “The Wee Free Men,” “The Color Magic,” and many other novels.

2. Neil Gaiman
Co-Author of “Good Omens” with the number one pick. Gaiman also wrote “The Graveyard Book,” “American Gods,” and “Neverwhere” to name a few.

3. Kurt Vonnegut
Most famous for his anti-war book “Slaughterhouse-five,” Vonnegut also wrote a satirical commentary on modern man, “Cat’s Cradle,” and “Breakfast of Champions,” examining fiction as truth, as well as “Welcome to the Monkey House,” full of his short stories… plus many more.

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We asked our Facebook and Twitter
fans what books they are most looking forward to reading this new year, here are the most popular answers.

10. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

9. Homer’s The Odyssey

8. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

7. J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit6. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

5. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

4. A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan

3. M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman

2. Jane Goodall’s In the Shadow of Man

1. Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo

In American politics, electoral future is oftentimes illuminated by electoral past.

With the 2012 presidential election season now in full swing, President Barack Obama faces two paths, each symbolized by one of his recent Democratic predecessors.

The happy outcome for Obama would be to emulate President Harry Truman, who won one of the most remarkable electoral upsets in American history when he defeated New York Gov. Thomas Dewey in 1948. Zachary Karabell ably describes the campaign in his book, The Last Campaign: How Harry Truman Won the 1948 Election, and he reminds us that Truman did not just have to defeat Dewey; he also was challenged in the South by “Dixiecrat” candidate Strom Thurmond — who ran as a protest candidate after Truman and the Democratic Party embraced civil rights — and Progressive Party nominee and former Vice President Henry Wallace, who ran to Truman’s left. Indeed, throughout the year Obama has been trying to adopt a harder tone with congressional Republicans, much like Truman did in assailing the “Do-Nothing Congress.”

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Guest post by our Twitter friend Bella McGuire, Cozy Mystery book reviewerI’ve been reading cozy mysteries for over 20 years now, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen cozy mysteries as popular as they are right now. With several big mystery books slated for their big screen release, like ONE FOR THE MONEY by Janet Evanovich (January 27, 2012), cozy mysteries are more popular than ever.

A cozy mystery is a story involving a murder mystery, that is usually set in a small town and is full of murder, town gossip and sometimes a touch of romance. With so many different genres to choose from, people are flocking to read cozy mysteries. Why? Because they are a fun read, that engages the mind (I just love trying to solve the murder) and provide entertainment.

There is a cozy mystery story to suit every mystery reader. There are cozy mysteries with a culinary theme (set in a bakery or restaurant, and usually include some great recipes to try) or a book setting (such as a librarian or bookseller solving a mystery) and even sport themed books for the male reader and paranormal themed for those that enjoy some witches, ghosts and vampires with their mystery.

My top picks in the cozy mystery genre are:

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Post by Better World Books’ Outlet Store Manager, Mary OlsonI’m sure that somewhere, there exists a textbook kid who lives a textbook life and went through a textbook school experience to get a textbook degree and a textbook job and now has a textbook family and is living happily ever after… by the book.That kid wasn’t me.

It took me 3 years of attending college to convince my recently Ph.D.-ed mother that it wasn’t the right time for me to be in college. I couldn’t have explained it well then, and I’m still not sure if I could explain it well now. But I didn’t feel like the school system was for me. School was a pivot table, and I was abstract art. Luckily, my parents are amazing people who understand the importance of being true to who you are.

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I asked our Facebook and Twitter fans: “If you were Santa, what book would you give to every person?” Here are the top 10 most popular answers…

1. The Bible

2. The Little Prince

3. To Kill a Mockingbird

4. The Zombie Survival Guide

5. The Princess Bride

25. BWB Gift Certificate – get one here!

24. The Secret Life of Beesby Sue Monk Kidd23. The Ten Faces of Innovation by Thomas Kelley and Jonathan Littman

22. Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

21. Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning by Pauline Gibbons

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It can be so hard to shop for men. Big green egg smokers, hunting gear, fishing boats, top notch kitchen knives and antique convertibles would all win their hearts over, but they are far too expensive for most of us to buy. So I asked a typical guy’s guy with hundreds of books for his top 25 list to help you buy the perfect book for your beau. Here’s his list (in no absolute order):

1. Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole
2. The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh
3. Ship Of Gold In The Deep Blue Sea, Gary Kinder
4. Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes
5. Following the Equator, Mark Twain

 

6. Read more…

Thank goodness for Twilight.

I know people may roll their eyes at this statement. However, Twilight is what led me, along with many other fellow females, to the realization that fantasy and science fiction stories are fun to read. Since having this realization, I have enjoyed reading more than ever. Twilight led me to read Interview With a Vampire by Anne Rice, and after that, I started a journey by reading books like The Hunger Games, The Golden Compass and Brave New World, and I haven’t looked back!

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One of the coolest things about books is that they can make for a very thoughtful and personal gift. And when you get books from Better World Books, not only does the giftee feel special – but you save money, get free shipping, and we donate a book to someone in need. It’s a win, win, win!

We asked our bibliophile friends, fans and followers for their picks of the top 10 books to give as gifts. Here are their suggestions…

Dr Seuss’s Oh, The Places You’ll Go

Life is What You Make It by Peter Buffet

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

Animalia by Graeme Base

Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson

Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist

Enchantment by Orson Scott Card

Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

Tuesday’s with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Have you read any of the listed books? Will you give them as gifts to anyone this holiday season? What other books do you suggest? Thanks for sharing below!