Coffee table tomes, the hottest fiction, children’s favorites – ‘go buy the book’ this holiday season
By Megan Sullivan
ON a cold winter night, nothing beats curling up in bed underneath the covers, so why not give your friends and family a good book to read? No matter what their passion — music, art, movies, sports, cooking — there are oodles of mind-opening books lining store shelves this holiday season that will take them on a whole new adventure.
”Everybody on my list gets books for the holidays,” says Debra Lampert-Rudman, communications manager at Barnes & Noble in West Windsor’s MarketFair. “I’m a huge book giver, from coffee table books to cookbooks and the hottest fiction.”
She expects A Lion Among Men (HarperCollins Publishers, $26.95), the third installment of Gregory Maguire’s “Wicked Years” series, to be a “biggie” this holiday season in the fiction category. The book follows up Son of a Witch in fleshing out the world of Oz, this time seen through the eyes of the Cowardly Lion. The Lion, named Brrr, is remembered from Wicked as a tiny cub defended by Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West.
For memoir readers, Ms. Lampert-Rudman cites Tony Curtis’ American Prince (Random House Inc., $25.95) as a “hot” gift item. In this book that chronicles Hollywood during its heyday, Mr. Curtis revisits his immense body of work, including classics like Houdini, Spartacus and Some Like It Hot. The autobiography, written along with Peter Golenbock, shares stories of Curtis’ associations with stars from Frank Sinatra and Laurence Olivier to paramours Natalie Wood and Marilyn Monroe.
In the 2005 autobiographical release Marley & Me (HarperCollins), journalist John Grogan shows how a dog can become an extraordinary presence in the life of one family. Although fans have most likely been anticipating the Dec. 25 film release of Marley & Me, based on the memoir and starring Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson and Alan Arkin, they also have Mr. Grogan’s follow-up memoir to look forward to. In The Longest Trip Home (HarperCollins, $25.95), Mr. Grogan shares the funny and touching tale of his childhood in suburban Detroit.
A surefire hit for the weight conscious, Flat Belly Diet (Rodale Press Incorporated, $25.95) offers a weight-loss plan specifically designed to target belly fat, a number-one trouble spot. The plan, from editors of Prevention magazine, leads readers step-by-step toward not only a flatter stomach but also a longer, healthier life.
Sports lovers can anticipate the latest in Sports Illustrated’s series of coffee-table books for the holiday season, The College Football Book (Time, Incorporated Home Entertainment, $29.95). Filled with pictures, stories, stats and more, the book spans the sport’s history, from its beginnings in the 1800s up to the postseason showdowns of 2008.
For foodies, there are new releases aplenty to satiate any appetite. Martha Stewart’s Cooking School: Lessons for the Home Cook (Random House, $45) is arranged by technique and is aimed at teaching readers how to cook, not simply what to cook. In addition to learning how to roast, broil, braise, stew, sauté, steam and poach, readers will discover more than 200 all-new recipes (with step-by-step photographs) that put the lessons to work.
Ms. Lampert-Rudman also expects Giada de Laurentiis’ September release, Giada’s Kitchen: New Italian Favorites (Random House Inc., $32.50), to remain on the top of people’s wish lists. “We just had Giada here,” she says of the star’s recent in-store visit. “Judging by the fact that we had nearly 900 people show up, I have to think that’s going to be popular.” Italy meets California in this collection of 100 new recipes, in which Ms. Laurentiis focuses on fresh ingredients, simple preparation and bright flavors.
With tea’s surging popularity — sales having quadrupled since 1990 — Ms. Lampert-Rudman thinks Harney and Son’s Guide to Tea (Penguin Group USA, $25.95) will be a hit. Tea professional Michael Harney’s guide is a great resource for tea drinkers interested in developing and refining their palate, as well as an understanding of the complex agricultural, historical and cultural significance of tea.
For those who like to examine the lives of cultural icons, pick up Stories Done: Writings on the 1960s and Its Discontents (Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group, $27), by journalist Mikal Gilmore. A former writer for Rolling Stone, Mr. Gilmore has gathered together stories about major artists from all fields — such as George Harrison, Ken Kesey, Johnny Cash and Allen Ginsberg — and addresses the ugly influences that lead to the demise of many of rock’s superstars, from Jim Morrison to Jerry Garcia.
Another nice gift package this year is Wisdom: 50 Unique and Original Portraits (Abrams, Harry N Inc., $50), a beautifully photographed book by Andrew Zuckerman that’s accompanied by a documentary DVD. The award-winning photographer and filmmaker interviewed, photographed and filmed 50 of the world’s great writers, actors, artists, designers, politicians, musicians and religious and business leaders of our time, all of whom are over 65 years old. Among the featured subjects are Nelson Mandela, Frank Gehry, Judi Dench, the Dalai Lama, Clint Eastwood, Ted Kennedy, Robert Redford and Andrew Wyeth.
Other Recommendations
Life After Genius (Grand Central Publishing, $24.99), a coming-of-age story and academic thriller by Lawrence author M. Ann Jacoby;
Alex and Me (HarperCollins Publishers, $23.95), how scientist Irene M. Pepperberg and her now-deceased African Grey parrot discovered a hidden world of animal intelligence and formed a deep bond in the process;
The Gingerbread Architect: Recipes and Blueprints for 12 classic American Homes (Random House Inc., $22.50), a guide to building your gingerbread dream house by London-based architect Susan Matheson and professional baker Lauren Chattman;
Peterson’s Holiday Helper: Festive Pick-Me-ups, Calm-Me-downs, and Handy Hints to Keep You in Good Spirits (Random House Inc., $16.95), a collection of cocktails and tips by Valerie Peterson.
CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Even adults can be mesmerized by the charm of children’s books, which is all the more reason to give them to youngsters this holiday and help cultivate a reading habit that lasts a lifetime.
Recent attention-grabbers include Montgomery native Brian Lies’ Bats at the Library (Houghton Mifflin Co., $16). In the follow-up to his 2006 book, Bats at the Beach (Houghton Mifflin Co., $16), Mr. Lies’ joyful critters return for a nocturnal celebration at the public library.
A is for Art Museum (Temple University Press, $16.95), by Katy Friedland and Marla K. Shoemaker, features 37 full-color illustrations of paintings, sculpture, tapestries, prints, photographs and installations from the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Children can learn their ABCs while discovering the beauty of a bridge by Monet, a dancer by Degas, a medieval knight’s helmet, a Japanese teahouse and other wonders from around the world.
For a book that will “puzzle” young readers, pick up Graeme Base’s Enigma: A Magical Mystery (Harry N. Abrams, $19.95), in which a magician’s props go missing. Children can solve the mystery by using a decoder that’s included with the book.
When shopping for children’s books, customers often ask about what’s new, but Bobbie Fishman, who is in charge of children’s books at Labyrinth Books in Princeton, says she likes to recommend titles that are just plain good. “It’s nice to know what’s new,” she says, “but the kids are new, they haven’t read all the books that have been around for years and years.”
In fact, one of her favorite Christmas books, The Story of Holly and Ivy, was originally published in 1985. Written by Rumer Godden and illustrated by Barbara Cooney, the story follows a young orphan named Ivy, who wishes for a real home and family. Meanwhile Holly, a doll, wishes for a child to bring her to life. “It’s a book about wishing and how a girl and doll, both of whom are very alone, find each other on Christmas.”
There are still plenty of new children’s books Ms. Fishman is happy to recommend to shoppers. One of her favorites this year is A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker (Candlewick Press, $16.99). A curmudgeonly bear, who is quite sure he dislikes visitors, faces a challenge when a bright-eyed mouse keeps popping up in the most unexpected places while he is trying to make his breakfast. “It’s a lovely story of the bear’s frustration and the mouse’s persistence and it’s charming in every way,” Ms. Fishman says. “The illustrations are as beautiful as they are funny.”
In Turtle’s Penguin Day by Valeri Gorbachev (Knopf Publishing Group, $16.99), a young turtle’s enthusiasm for his father’s bedtime story brings him to school the next day dressed as a penguin. By the end of the day, Turtle’s joy in his penguinhood has spread and all of his classmates have transformed themselves into penguins too.
Ms. Fishman also suggests checking out author-illustrator Laura Ljungkvist’s second book in her signature line style, Follow the Line Around the World (Penguin Group USA, $16.99). Children can trace the book’s continuous line from the camels of the Sahara Desert to the blue whales of Greenland, the giraffes of Kenya to the kangaroos of Australia’s Outback. The book also weaves in interesting facts about animals and the environment in which they live.
Eleanor Farjeon’s Elsie Piddock Skips in Her Sleep (Candlewick Press, $6.99) introduces a child born with the gift of skipping rope. Elsie’s talent is so remarkable that she’s invited to skip with the fairies each night on top of Mount Caburn. Many years later, at age 109, she discovers the skipping grounds are in danger and returns to save the day. “This is a beautiful picture book for children used to hearing longer stories,” Ms. Fishman says. “Charlotte Voake’s illustrations are heavenly.”
Other Recommendations
Early reading:
Snake and Lizard by Joy Crowley (Kane/Miller Book Publishers, $14.95), the story of two unlikely but inseparable friends who go on a series of adventures;
Chee-Lin: A Giraffe’s Journey by James Rumford (Houghton Mifflin Company, $17), a story of captivity and struggle, friendship and respect that follows a giraffe’s journey from Africa to Bengal to China.
Young adults:
Unwind by Neal Shusterman (Simon and Schuster Children’s, $16.99), depicts a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, and three runaways fight the system that would “unwind” them;
Ivy by Julie Hearn (Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, $17.99), a tale of 19th century England that follows a beautiful girl with a dark secret and troubled past.