Books as gifts, be they in hard copy or audio format, are a perennial favorite for the holidays.  We have rounded up some of our favorites from 2009. Take a look through the collection and see if any of them would be a match for those on your gift list.

One of the most enjoyable series we have listened to this year was the three Dan Brown books (Angels & Demons, DaVinci Code, Lost Symbol).  If you like conspiracies and intrigue, you will find them enjoyable, exciting, and just plain fun.

We have not yet listened to the three audio performances from the Listening Library of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. The trilogy made our list because we wanted to bring more attention to this series.  We saw the movie The Golden Compass and loved it!  When we learned that the sequel was shelved, we were disappointed. When we heard that the Catholic Church voiced their objection to the movie, we wanted to find out more.  The more we looked into it, the more we want to listen to the entire series.

For readers with an interest in the mysteries of the mind, Daniel Tammet's Born on a Blue Day and Embracing the Wide Sky are our top recommendations.  It is a fascinating tour given by Daniel Tammet on how his autistic savant mind sees the world. 

We also have book recommendations on two of our favorite subjects: photography and Porsches.  Anyone interested in developing their photography skills would benefit from the large collection of excellent books from Rocky Nook.  For the Porsche lover on your gift list, Bentley Publishers (Excellence Was Expected, Genesis of Genius) has you covered.

Most of the books in this year's Holiday Collection have been reviewed at some point over the past year.  If you want to take a closer look, just click on the book of interest in the image and a link will take you to the appropriate page on the site.  Happy Holidays!  [Permalink] -Holiday Catalog: Books