I have been trying for awhile to determine what gift to give my 14-year old, male sponsee for confirmation. (Jeremy: if you read my blog, stop now. Present spoiler alert). A religious gift would be obvious. However, for guys there seem to be only three options: a Bible, a cross and a saint medal. If Jeremy were a girl, the religious jewelry options would be endless, but (alas) I'm stuck choosing between the three-boy friendly options. Here is the issue: his family is huge. Some aunt, or grandparent, or second cousin will surely one-up whichever one of the three I choose and purchase on my modest college budget. Is it even worth trying to compete? Ultimately, probably not.
So I have decided my back-up gift will be books. This might sound lame, but Jeremy and I have a long reading history. We both spend way too much time reading and back in the day, I would read him and his sister whole kid novels during summer babysitting sessions. I turned him onto the Harry Potter books ten years ago, and accidentally got him into the Sookie Stackhouse series last summer (Yes, the novels the True Blood HBO show is based on. Appropriate for a 13-year old boy? Absolutely not. Further proof that he chose the right sponsor. Already sneaking books wildly inappropriate to his age level = doing me proud). Since I've already done enough damage in the adult supernatural department, I am trying to choose books that I liked throughout the years that, while not religious in theme, have something to do with living a good life. Here is what I have so far (and I am 100% open to, and looking for, other suggestions):
1). The Alchemist, Paulo Cohelo: In this fable, an Andalusian shepherd boy dreams one night of a treasure in the pyramids in distant Egypt. He sells his belongings and leaves home to follow his dreams. Along the lengthy journey, Santiago meets everyone from camel-drivers to kings to (you guessed it) an alchemist that teach him life lessons. This is ultimately an optimistic story about finding happiness, and one that promotes the idea that it is not the destination, but rather, the journey that matters in life.
2). The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery: I actually gave this book to the new baby of good family friends for his baptism when I was in high school (so, I'm sensing a religious-gift-theme with me and this book). This is a beautiful little story that I first read in 6th grade, but that I think holds relevance for all ages. The narrator of the story has crashed his airplane in the Sahara desert, and is alone with very little food or water, when the Little Prince approaches him. The Little Prince explains that he lived on a small planet, just him and a beautiful rose, which he loved very much, until one day when she lies to him. He leaves his planet and travels to six other planets where he meets a King, a drunkard, a businessman, a lamplighter and a geographer (all of whom live alone on their tiny planets). The Little Prince is unimpressed by their occupation with the concerns of the grown-up world, and of their lives without love. By the time, he crashes on Earth, the Little Prince realizes he loves his rose and must make an extreme choice to get back to her. A great parable about love, responsibility, growing up and imagination.
3). Einstein's Dreams, Alan Lightman: This one is slightly different from the other two, but it's a neat book that I think Jeremy might not otherwise come across. In this novel, Lightman (an MIT professor) essentially explains Einstein's theory of relativity through a series of 30 short stories. Each chapter is a different, disconnected "dream" about a world in which time functions completely differently: a world where time is circular (and people must repeat their successes and failures), a world where time is frozen, a world where everyone knows one year in advance that the world will end (and responds appropriately), a world in which time flows backward (sort of Benjamin Button-esque), etc. If nothing else, this book makes you realize that in spite of Einstein's "dreams" time functions one way (passing too quickly), and it shouldn't wasted without the people you love or on the pursuits you are not passionate about.
Too deep? If so, I promise to Miley-bash or celebrity-gossip in my next posting. Any other book suggestions? I am still looking for several more! If you haven't read any of these, I recommend ALL of them. Fast reads and you get a little something out of them.
Thanks for reading (and for your comments)!
So I have decided my back-up gift will be books. This might sound lame, but Jeremy and I have a long reading history. We both spend way too much time reading and back in the day, I would read him and his sister whole kid novels during summer babysitting sessions. I turned him onto the Harry Potter books ten years ago, and accidentally got him into the Sookie Stackhouse series last summer (Yes, the novels the True Blood HBO show is based on. Appropriate for a 13-year old boy? Absolutely not. Further proof that he chose the right sponsor. Already sneaking books wildly inappropriate to his age level = doing me proud). Since I've already done enough damage in the adult supernatural department, I am trying to choose books that I liked throughout the years that, while not religious in theme, have something to do with living a good life. Here is what I have so far (and I am 100% open to, and looking for, other suggestions):
1). The Alchemist, Paulo Cohelo: In this fable, an Andalusian shepherd boy dreams one night of a treasure in the pyramids in distant Egypt. He sells his belongings and leaves home to follow his dreams. Along the lengthy journey, Santiago meets everyone from camel-drivers to kings to (you guessed it) an alchemist that teach him life lessons. This is ultimately an optimistic story about finding happiness, and one that promotes the idea that it is not the destination, but rather, the journey that matters in life.
2). The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery: I actually gave this book to the new baby of good family friends for his baptism when I was in high school (so, I'm sensing a religious-gift-theme with me and this book). This is a beautiful little story that I first read in 6th grade, but that I think holds relevance for all ages. The narrator of the story has crashed his airplane in the Sahara desert, and is alone with very little food or water, when the Little Prince approaches him. The Little Prince explains that he lived on a small planet, just him and a beautiful rose, which he loved very much, until one day when she lies to him. He leaves his planet and travels to six other planets where he meets a King, a drunkard, a businessman, a lamplighter and a geographer (all of whom live alone on their tiny planets). The Little Prince is unimpressed by their occupation with the concerns of the grown-up world, and of their lives without love. By the time, he crashes on Earth, the Little Prince realizes he loves his rose and must make an extreme choice to get back to her. A great parable about love, responsibility, growing up and imagination.
3). Einstein's Dreams, Alan Lightman: This one is slightly different from the other two, but it's a neat book that I think Jeremy might not otherwise come across. In this novel, Lightman (an MIT professor) essentially explains Einstein's theory of relativity through a series of 30 short stories. Each chapter is a different, disconnected "dream" about a world in which time functions completely differently: a world where time is circular (and people must repeat their successes and failures), a world where time is frozen, a world where everyone knows one year in advance that the world will end (and responds appropriately), a world in which time flows backward (sort of Benjamin Button-esque), etc. If nothing else, this book makes you realize that in spite of Einstein's "dreams" time functions one way (passing too quickly), and it shouldn't wasted without the people you love or on the pursuits you are not passionate about.
Too deep? If so, I promise to Miley-bash or celebrity-gossip in my next posting. Any other book suggestions? I am still looking for several more! If you haven't read any of these, I recommend ALL of them. Fast reads and you get a little something out of them.
Thanks for reading (and for your comments)!
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