doors Curl up and read the cold Hays away People wanting a good book to Lover the holidays may want Indulge in books covering self- ropy, family sagas, entertain- | and some new books by Erica's best authors. [Self-therapy books these days | simply taken the literary Idby storm. Two of the most pilar publications are "Passages: ■ Predictable Crisis of Adult J'by Gail Sheehy and "Your jooeous Zones" by Dr. Wayne I. [“Passages: The Predictable k of Adult Life" takes the p through the problems of nit in his forties and beyond ■tries to provide some helpful Kiers. The book was a number ■bestseller in hardback and is pur Erroneous Zones" is also nique book. Like 'Passages," Ma place on both the hard­ er and paperback best seller [at the same time. ■You can control your own find you are the sum total of I own choices" according to I self-help pep talk book also pat among students. Number one hardcover best­ seller "Roots" and author Alex Haley are finally ready to enter the softcover field. A literary classic, "Roots" tells of Haley's attempt to trace his ancestry back to a small village in Africa then follows them through seven generations of slavery, the .civil war and eventually freedom. Tending to capitalize on the success of "Roots." is Colleen McCullough's "The Thorn Birds." It is the story of three generations of an early Australian family and is second on the hardcover best seller list. The entertainment business has entered two books that have be­ come very popular among paper­ back buyers and students. - "Star Wars" by George Lucas is a novelization of America's number one film written by the film's director. "Elvis.: What Happened" is an attempt by Elvis Presley's body­ guards, Sonny West and Steve Dunleavy, to explain the last years of America's number one singing idol. This book is popular among students and in many cases pro­ vides a contradictory side to the public life of Presley. Besides the current trends, some very popular authors have come out with excellent new books. Leon Uris, the author of such gigantic best sellers as "Battle Cry," "Exodus," and 'QBVII," has added another smash seller, "Trinity." In the giant, scope that marks Uris tradition, "Trinity" is an attempt to trace the history of Ireland and bring in to focus the problems of- recent years. It is a very popular fiction tale and a bestseller in hardback, paperback and student lists. Perhaps no other author in recent years has reached the suc- cess of J. R. Toklien and his be­ loved hobbits. Having written "The Lord of The Rings," which loomed as one of the truly great works of human spirit, Tolkein followed with "The Hobbit" and now his new book entitled "The Silmarillion." The power and beauty of Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" guarantees in advance the impor­ tance and interest of "The Sil­ marillion," his account of all that happened earlier in his imaginery kingdoms of towers, dwarfs, elves, and men. The longer we look at it, the more impressive "The Lord of the Rings" becomes; and the more we see of Tolkein's other work, the more miraculous it seems that the powers should have grant­ ed him that great triology," said John Gardner, New York Times Book Review. A measure of Tolkien's success is that "The Hobbit" is being made into an animated special for tele­ vision and "The Silmarillion" has been the best selling hardback for several weeks. Following his "All Creatures Great and Small" and two subse­ quent sequels, James Herriot has written some of America's best­ loved stories as he tells of a Yorkshire veterinary and his ad­ ventures around the turn of the century. In his latest book, the number one best seller "All Things Wise and Wonderful," Harriot tells of more special animal friends that he and his wife meet. For those who love humor, humor, Erma Bombeck has come out with another outrageous best­ seller entitled "The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank." In this book, as well as in her two previous bestsellers "At Wit's End" and "I Lost Everything in Post Nasal Depression," Bombeck ersonalize gifts/make vour own succeeds in finding humor—with all aspects of being a suburban wife choosing a college to worry- about her figure and cooking. One of America's genuine hum­ orists, Bombeck has a syndicated newspaper column called "At Wit's End" and has a segment on the television program Good Morning America. For those people who enjoy sports of any kind or good stories about old fashioned heroes, read "Bruce Jenner: The Decathalon Challenge" by Bruce Jenner. IA commercialized Christmas ■tends upon the public as they I getting ready tor Halloween »continues through the Christ­ is holidays and even after. In ■fiance to the commercializa- I», more and more people are faforan old-fashioned Christ- lis. ■returning to the old-fashion- ■ Christmas many people are fc gifts rather than buying ■till, even though the manufac- jws are busily coming up with pile ideas such as a doll that p jet a suntan and a cow that Dldren can actually milk. ■People are sidatif ied with the ■ prices of these gifts and the [tin inferior quality of merchan- p. Because of this, imagina­ is are being used to come up pith original gifts or at least home­ ink gifts that cost less and have ■personal touch. ■trame is a popular gift. A piety of things can be created B as plant pot holders and pl hangings which sometimes ■over $50 in the stores, but can • made for about half price or I Some other gifts to make are Wetitems and knit items, dried Rr arrangements, quilts and Mans, | Another idea is to make kahlua [dark bottles, with your own Barnas Community College labels decorated with Christmas ornaments. The recipe is as fol­ lows: Two fifths vodka 6 c. of water 6 c. of sugar 3 oz. of Yuban instant coffee 1 vanilla bean Heat water in a large kettle, add sugar and coffee. Heat until sugar dissolves, then let it cool. Next add liquor, pour into a crock and the vanillia bean. Let it stand for a week then bottle the liquid in brown bottles. Finally, let the ingredients age for three to four weeks. Unique place mats can be made by cutting out a piece of crinoline the size the place mat is to be. Cut out old Christmas cards ori other kinds of cards and place them in a design on the material with a paste of Elmer's glue and water. Christmas ornaments for the tree can be created with Christ­ mas cards, tinfoil, ribbon, or any­ thing else your imagination can come up with. The ornaments will be something personal that can be used from year to year. Candle-making is fun for the whole family and economical. Dip candles are the easist. The follow­ ing explanation tells how to make dip candles. Melt wax in a three-pound cof­ fee can. Take a wick (or make your own with a string dipped in borax solution), dip in the wax then into cold water. Continue to dip into wax and then water until the candle reaches the desired size. The candle can be molded as it is dipped as it will be soft and pliable. Another idea is to paint wax on a balloon until several layers have been applied. Then it can be dipped into the wax without fear of the balloon breaking. Place a small candle inside and it will create a nice glow. It is a good book, but has not quite received as popular acclaim as the aforementioned books as it is limited, for the most part, to sport enthusiasts. Great gifts for student budgets By Hallie Brown Of The Print [Joy Williams The Print Jenner does a good job bringing the reader in to a better under­ standing of what the decathalon entails. He takes his reader through early decathalon days, some of his more famous decathalons and the days leading to the Montreal Olympics where his world record attempt took place. Christmas is almost here, and along with that is the decision of what to get as presents. Many gifts are too expensive for a student who is on a very light budget. Here are some gift ideas that might be within the budget. Homemade gifts are a hit with everyone. Parents and grandparents are especially prone to like the gift you made yourself. Depending on age, there are many gifts to buy for that brother or sister of yours. Posters for room decorations are popular with youngsters. Gar, boat and plane models are usually appreciated by by the younger ones. For the intellectual siblings there are many good books and puzzles. Albums and tapes are good gifts provided one has the equipment to use the gifts. A lasting, growing reminder of Christ­ mas could be a plant. For Mom, you could put a favorite perfume or candy in her stocking. Jewelery like necklaces, rings and watches always seem to appeal to mothers. Sometimes small papliances are both useful and welcome. Abig hit with every mother, are flowers. Half a dozen roses are a great way to say "Merry Christmas, Mom." Dad might need new slippers for Christmas. Or perhaps a new watch. A pooling of money between brothers and sisters could buy Dad a new digital watch. Thus, you could get him a special pre­ sent without a lot of money. Desk thermometers and ornaments make a nice addition to a busines­ sman's desk at work. A favorite gift for parents is a group picture of the children. By again combing everyone's By again combining everyone's money, you can give a nice present that will be appreciated for many years to come. For the relatives who live in distant cities, a Hickory Farms gift pack can be sent. Another idea is to send a bouquet of nice flowers. So buying the right present is really not that hard. The import­ ant thing is to shop early in order to get the best selection.