Don’t know what to read in ‘07? Well, here’s the perfect remedy for you and the book buffs on your holiday gift list.  We love the end of the year because all the list start to emerge, which means inside scoop on the best of’s.  Here’s a few discoveries from bloggers and book worms on the good reads to carry you into the new year.

Nick Hornby’s The Polysyllabic Spree (Paperback – available 12/10/06) – $12.24
British author Nick Hornby (About a Boy, High Fidelity, Fever Pitch) tells us what books are on his night stand. The Polysyllabic Spree covers a cornucopia of genres from new releases, poems, comics, self-help and sports biographies to the literary classics, Hornby gives us a tour of his literary world in his typical sharp-witted British style.

And seriously, what’s not to love.  Hornby’s work is a sublime and nostalgic take on the quirkiness of love and the bizzarrities of life.   ThisNexter Chantal loves Hornby’s About A Boy…the book and the movie, which she says is “guaranteed to make you laugh on a rainy day.”

Jane Austen: The Complete Novels, Deluxe Edition (Library of Literary Classics) (Hardcover) – $19.99
Few authors have created more endearing characters, from Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy; to the flawed but beloved Emma. Own them all in one, affordable volume. (Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion and others).

Because everyone loves a good box set.  And every gal needs her Jane Austen.  That’s a fact.

And if you’re wondering about whether or not the 2005 Joe Wright Pride and Prejudice film starring Kiera Knightley lives up to it’s literary inspiration.  The answer (at least for Aunt Beep) is Y-E-S.  Read Pride and Prejudice first…there’s nothing like it.  It’s wonderful! And then enjoy the movie whenever you need a couple hours of Mr. Darcy.

Book List: 10 Best of the Year
Book blog The Literary Salon points us to the Washington Post’s 10 Best of the Year. Worthy of a look on the non-fiction list is The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, chronicling the rise of Osama Bin Laden, describes as  “a chilling, beautifully written exploration of the rise of Osama bin Laden, his fanatical deputies and their murderous milieu.”

On the fiction list pick up All Aunt Hagar’s Children, short stores written by Pulitzer Prize winning author Edward P. Jones. Says the Post, “With this collection of 14 short stories about African Americans in Washington, D.C., Jones has established himself as one of the most important writers of the present day.”

Bard Bio
Book Diva has high praise for Will of the World, How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare:

“… a page turner of a biography, a biography that is beyond compare, and a biography that I have not read with such eagerness, before, and it is all due to the vibrancy and enthusiasm of the author, Stephen Greenblatt’s ability to blend elegant prose that makes us anxious for more, in order to fill our senses with the world of Shakespeare.”

At ThisNext we love Shakespeare too.  For a truly high-brow and literary gift, pair Will of the World with this Shakespeare Got To Get Paid, Son tee shirt.  How’s that for snarky pop culture commentary.

See more of my Gift Guide 06: BOOKS. Yes, BOOKS. and other stuff. list at ThisNext.