10 Book + Activity Pairings That Make the Perfect, Complete Gift
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Somehow, the gift-giving season continues to whirl on by, with only a couple weeks standing between us and 2016. Crunch time has begun for all those still stumped by what to get loved ones.
For those in need, let us start where everyone should always begin: books. They’re versatile, long-lived, joyous gifts, and there’s one for just about anyone on your list. But sometimes you need a little something extra. And that’s why pairing a book with a related outing is guaranteed to knock the socks off your intended recipient. You’ve given them the dual gift of solitary reading and social fun. Plus, you’re kind of giving yourself a present, too. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.
Kid Stuff
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E.L. Konigsburg + Museum Visit
Please note: we cannot condone bathing in museum fountains or spending the night stowed away inside an exhibit. But if there’s any way to fire kids up about a museum trip, it’s this mixed-up mystery.
Redwall, by Brian Jacques + Petting Zoo
No guarantees the animals at your nearest petting zoo have organized themselves into the same feudal society as Jacques’s beloved series, but that’s what imaginations and fictional mice are for.
Fun and Games
Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline + Day at the Arcade
In this case, a healthy dose of token therapy at the arcade may be informative: it’ll help you brush up on some classic video game references before your giftee jumps headfirst into Cline’s ’80s geek homage. (And if they’ve already sampled Ready Player One, send them immediately onto Cline’s most recent work, Armada.)
Gumption, by Nick Offerman + Trip to Your Nearest National Park
Let the real-life Ron Swanson rev up your pal’s innate patriotism by highlighting what he loves about America: specifically, the Americans, from George Washington to Willie Nelson. There’s no better backdrop for appreciating this grand land than from its preserved wilderness, something Offerman, noted woodworker and outdoorsman, would approve of.
Lumberjanes, by Noelle Stevenson and Brooke A. Allen + Camping Trip
Speaking of the wilderness, many hopes you’ll be able to avoid the three-eyed wolves and yetis and rabid scouts that plague Stevenson’s “hard-core camp for lady types,” but if you don’t, this delightful graphic novel should keep you prepared.
It Was a Dark and Stormy Holiday
The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson + Great Escape Room Game
This classic of claustrophobic horror pairs perfectly with an activity that requires you to combine with a group of strangers to get the heck out of a room before the time’s up or you all go insane, whichever comes first.
Hercule Poirot: The Complete Short Stories, by Agatha Christie + Murder Mystery Show
A murder mystery evening provides all the suspense and narrative of a Christie special without all the actual, you know, death. Though I’m quite sure no actor is going to have the same epic facial hair game as Poirot.
Spendy Splurges
Circling the Sun, by Paula McLain + Biplane Ride
Know any aspiring aviators? You can send them to the skies twice. Once with McClain’s engrossing tale of the record-setting Beryl Markham and her romantic entanglements, and then with an actual ride in a vintage biplane.
Carry On, by Rainbow Rowell + Comic-Con Tickets
It doesn’t have to be the Comic-Con, but if you have a local con, it’d be a great place to truly soak in the fandom that allows for something like Carry On to exist. And no, it doesn’t matter if your giftee’s even read Fangirl; Rowell’s fantasy spinoff is so delicious it stands on its own.
Tequila Mockingbird, by Tim Federle + Mixology Class
Eat, drink, be merry. Both parts of this pairing accomplish the latter two commands. And maybe you can come up with a nice cheese plate to pair with your The Picture of Dorian Grey Goose cocktail.