Christmas book ideas

I've recently read two different graphic novels that I've been very impressed by. I recommend both of them for smart teens and older.

Logicomix, Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos Papadimitriou

The story of Bertrand Russell and his mathematical (and other) passions. An entertaining story with enough of the history of logic to make me think. Beautiful art of Athens too.

Grandville, Bryan Talbot

A well-written steampunk detective story using animals. But it's more than that, lots of references to all sorts of interesting things and people. The art is captivating and left me wanting more of it.

Scott McCloud at Hijinx Comics

I had a great time last night hanging out with my son Jacob (8) at our local comic store Hijinx Comics with Scott McCloud, his family and a bunch of other locals in the know. Scott McCloud is probably the most self-aware and thoughtful person creating comics at the moment. I liken the year-long tour he is just finishing to a professor travelling the world to spread his knowledge. His original book Understanding Comics has been worth re-reading every few years - it's one of those books, like Edward Tufte's. Any kind of collaboration between them would be an amazing thing to behold.

The other thing we really enjoyed was his family being there. Jacob was amazed to find any girl who liked Pokemon as much as he does, and Scott's wife Ivy is also a great presence in any room. Many thanks to Dan Shahin for organizing the get-together.