Bookmark the Book Aisle

I’m like most busy parents out there trying to save time and money preparing for the holiday season. I don't want to be stressed about funds and pressed for time searching for the perfect gifts to give my loved ones. I have my handy dandy gift list (thanks to YMC Jen) but I need to stick to a budget and I would like to get it done all in one place.

This is where Walmart plays a huge role for me and my family. Let me just put this out there, I do not like grocery shopping. This chore will get done, begrudgingly however, but the part of the store where I have my fun is the book aisle! I can find the season’s must-read books, pick up the milk and bread, and save myself time and money.

Walmart has a great selection of new releases and their everyday 30-40% discount off the book cover price makes it easy on the wallet. On any given Saturday night I can be found salivating over all the great reads and super savings which really helps me cross the gifts off my list of readers in my life. Recently I picked up Ripley's Believe It or Not!: Enter If You Dare and Guinness Book of World Records 2011 for my inquisitive oldest son.

And I noticed my husband checking out TSN 25 The Sports Network by Jim Hynes and Rob Lutes so I snuck it into the cart when he wasn’t looking!

My youngest son is a teenager and an avid reader. He checked out the books on the Walmart.ca website and said he would like to read Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. It’s part three of the Hunger Games mythology trilogy.

Here are some hot reads you can pick out for the people in your life.

For middle school readers, I suggest the ever popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. Book 3 is The Last Straw where Greg Heffley is forced to change his wimpy ways. His father wants him to toughen up with organized sports or it's off to military school. Greg must shape up or get shipped out! Trust me on this one, when it comes to 7-12 year old boys this book is a can't miss.

For the teen/tween in your life you can't go wrong with the popular vampire stories by Stephanie Meyer: Twilight, Breaking Dawn, Eclipse, New Moon and The Twilight Saga Complete Collection.

For the avid reader who loves to bury themselves in an epic novel, Ken Follett’s World Without End was a bestseller around the world and his novel Pillars of the Earth spawned into a television mini-series. The first book in this author’s new Century Trilogy is Fall of Giants and believe me when I say this book would make a great gift for any Follett fan. (Hint: this one is on my wish list!).

For sisters and gal pals The Island by Elin Hindlebrand, Half-Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls and Nora Roberts', Happily Ever After are perfect picks. (Don't tell my sister about this, ok?)

Set in the summer sun, The Island is a story about mothers, daughters and sisters surviving a secluded summer full of secrets, surprises and suspense.

The Glass Castle was a bestseller for Jeanette Walls and now her new book Half-Broke Horses carries on with her family tradition, telling tales from her grandmother's storied life.

Nora Roberts' new novel Happy Ever After is the much anticipated book four of her Bride Quartet series. In Happily Ever After, a successful wedding planner finds herself looking for love but will she have her own fairy tale ending?

The new release The Distant Hours by Kate Morton is a good pick for fans of history mixed with mystery. In this new release, a book editor learns that a castle holds the secrets to her mother's past.

The Yummy Mummy Club virtual Twitter book club read Jodi Picoult's House Rules and it was a hit. This intriguing book is the story of a young man with Asperger's Syndrome. Jacob is a fanatic about forensics and has a habit of showing up at crime scenes to assist the police. When someone Jacob knows is murdered he ends up charged with the crime. House Rules is a tale that will leave you speechless at the end!

And last but certainly not least is The Tenth Gift by Jane Johnson the current Walmart December Read of the Month. The Tenth Gift is a captivating tale about two heroines from different eras. They share a gift for crafting exquisite embroidery and endulging in passionate love affairs. This book is definitely the gift for a reader who loves intrigue and romance.

Note to book club fans: You and your club members should follow the must-have books in the Walmart Book of the Month Program!

So dear reader if you want to get them all the books they would want to read at unbeatable prices just remember Walmart is gift headquarters! Let me know the book titles you pick up at Walmart in the comments below or tweet your suggestions using the hashtag #giftHQ.

Good luck crossing the gifts off your list!

Relish reading,

Wanda Lynne Young

Twitter: @YMCbookalicious
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