Book Advice Needed
Yesterday evening, I was asked find and buy what has been solely described to me with the words " a good English book", as a birthday present for an old highschool friend with whom I haven't been in close contact for ages. Probably the task has been dropped on my indecisive shoulders, mainly because I'm the English literature student, the one person known to actively seek out English books and to actually enjoy them *g*
It's been about ten years since birthday girl and I took Advanced English classes together. Since I haven't been to her place in ages, I'm completely clueless about how her private book shelves might look like. No idea, whether she's into classics, crime, thriller, romance, or possesses any tolerance for sci-fi or fantasy. My first pick would be Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring. A piece of solid quality, entertaining and highly enjoyable, containing nothing too gross, too sexual or too violent.
If you don't really know the person, it's better to stay on the safe side, I guess.
However, there is this soft, little voice in my head, telling me that Chevalier, after all, might be too decidedly un-offensive, too arbitrary. That I could do much better, if I just tried...
So I'm looking for alternative options. Any suggestions, folks?
It's been about ten years since birthday girl and I took Advanced English classes together. Since I haven't been to her place in ages, I'm completely clueless about how her private book shelves might look like. No idea, whether she's into classics, crime, thriller, romance, or possesses any tolerance for sci-fi or fantasy. My first pick would be Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring. A piece of solid quality, entertaining and highly enjoyable, containing nothing too gross, too sexual or too violent.
If you don't really know the person, it's better to stay on the safe side, I guess.
However, there is this soft, little voice in my head, telling me that Chevalier, after all, might be too decidedly un-offensive, too arbitrary. That I could do much better, if I just tried...
So I'm looking for alternative options. Any suggestions, folks?