Books to Give as Gifts

Nine years ago, I was the maid of honor for my college roommate’s wedding.   She and her husband are currently off on an extended weekend vacation to have some private, honeymoon time together; which is very much needed.

It has been a rough year for them.  Mainly, my friend’s husband had to undergo a second open heart surgery operation, as the first operation six years ago was botched and the heart repair had severely restricted some of the blood flow through his heart valves.

Sometimes a celebratory card is in order for occasions’ such as anniversaries.  But, at times I prefer to give a book, as I did for my friend after her engagement.  That book was “What No One Tells the Bride: Surviving the Wedding…”.

The book that I am going to send her in celebration of her anniversary is a humorous little book entitled “101 Uses For A Bridesmaid Dress”. 

The author got her inspiration from stories she had heard, such as one woman who dug a hole in her back yard and buried her bridesmaid dress or the one that cut up a dress and used the fabric to wash her car.

From there she started jotting down notes for a variety of humorous ways one could re-use their dress or dresses and thus along with an illustrator a tongue and cheek book was born.

My bridesmaid dress for my friend’s wedding was actually very neutral and would have easily been worn again at another formal occasion.  It is long gone, as after the wedding, I took it to the dry cleaner and never got the gown back after he repeatedly told me he would take care of his store’s damage.  In the end, I had to take him to small claims court.

Yes, the judge ruled in my favor.  But, I have not one bridesmaid gown in my closet.

Now, my friend’s cousin, who was also a bridesmaid in the wedding… Well, she ordered the wrong size and received a gown that was far too small and could not be returned.  She, on the other hand, now has two identical gowns in two sizes!

My friend was a bridesmaid in a number of weddings and still has them hanging in her cedar closet. 

Nine years after her wedding and having been a bridesmaid for a number of family members and friends, I am hoping she gets a good chuckle out of the book.  I think that she will especially laugh over my favorite use; which I plan on placing a Post-it Note to mark the page, prior to sending her the book.

“101 Uses For A Bridesmaid Dress”, by Cindy Walker with illustrations by Donna Mehalko

The other book that I tripped upon was “The Grandmother’s Book” that I think would serve as a wonderful gift from the parents to be to their parents or as a baby shower gift that eventually will come back to the child after the grandmother has completed inserting her input and thoughts in her own writing into the pages of the book.

I want to send this book to my mother to fill out so that as her child, I will have a handwritten record of family and the little things that make up our history.

I am also pondering purchasing additional copies for my paternal aunt and uncle, as they could provide insight into that side of the family, as well as modifying responses to document more about who they are and about my grandparents.

“Grandmother’s Book”, by Marcia O. Levin