Books for the Holidays
Fiction
1. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly. One of my favorite books of the
year – a Young Adult book that spans all ages – and actually, 200 years
in time. It is the story of two young girls, one in contemporary Brooklyn
and then Paris, and one in Paris during the French Revolution. It made
me want to read more about Robespierre and Louis Dauphine. $18.99
2. The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell.This is a wonderful,
and compelling, story of two women, living 50 years apart, who are
woven together in a “bewitching” tale of family involvement. ($25.00)
3. The Confession by John Grisham. Grisham has been working on
a project defending innocent people who are sent to prison and finding
the guilty who are free. He has now put his passionate cause into a
heartfelt novel – and it is riveting from beginning to end. $28.95
4. Room : A Novel by Emma Donoghue. Donoghue writes so beautifully,
so much so that the reader doesn’t mind that a five year old boy is held
captive in a room with his mother – interminably. It is compelling,
exhilarating, a place you will never forget. $24.99
5. Our Kind of Traitor by John LeCarre. John Le Carre is still writing at his
best – in his new spy novel, a British couple leaves on a tennis vacation to
Antiqua – amidst the collapse of Lehman Brothers and Britain on the brink
of economic collapse. The Secret Service appear – all intriguing. ($27.95)
6. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. Author of The Corrections, Franzen once
again addresses the perfect family (on the outside) and what happens on the
inside. He writes a very moving portrait of our times. ($28.00)
7. Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane. By the author of Mystic River, we
have another explosive tale that revives private investigators Kenzie and
Gennaro – this time to revisit a case of a missing girl, missing at 4 and found
and now missing at 16, in an underworld of crime bosses and gangsters. $26.99
8. Painted Ladies by Robert B. Parker. Here is a Spenser novel that Parker
finished before he died last January. It is great “Spenser” stuff - as he
signs on to solve the theft of a valuable painting. Murder follows shortly. $26.95
9. Great House by Nicole Krauss. Krauss is a stunning writer – her characters
stand out as important and effective. Her book deals with the burden of
inheritance – and how it is passed down to our children or to the unsuspected
other. A main character is a multi-drawer desk – moved about. ($24.95)
10. Djibouti by Elmore Leonard. One of the greatest crime writers of our time,
Leonard has written a wonderful spoof, in a way, on piracy. A woman
photographer and her cohort go down to the Horn of Africa to film pirates,
As the story goes, no one knows who are the pirates and who are the
captives? It also has a real sense of place – and a real sense of fun! $26.99
11. Nemesis by Philip Roth. The Polio epidemic of 1944 is the setting of this
novel - living through the summer, in New Jersey, with the illness at high
peak and the guilt of a young man who ran a summer athletic program.
Roth continues to thrill us with his turn of phrase, his fluid writing style. $26.00
12. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Steig Larsson. $27.95
The Millennium Trilogy Deluxe Boxed Set $99.00 For all of you who
have read the series, the best comment is – “Wasn’t it fun to read?”
Now the publisher has boxed the three books into a beautiful gift edition.
13 The Glass Room by Simon Mawer. (paper) A World War II novel about
a wealthy Jewish family in Czechoslovakia and the horrors they live
through and survive. Very beautifully written. ($14.95)
14. To the End of the Land by David Grossman. Grossman is a magnificent
writer – an Israeli writer who knows his landscape and his people. This is
a story about a woman and two men who have known each other for a
long time – and their anxieties, for themselves and their children, that they
live with every day. ($26.95)
15. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. (paper) How many years will
this book stay on my list of “best books?” I still feel it is one of the best
stories written in the past ten years. It is the story of an Indian doctor, in
Ethiopia, who flees when he hears he is having “twins” – and the bringing
up of the twins by two wonderful surrogate parents. $15.95
16. Foreign Bodies by Cynthia Ozick. Only a brilliant author like Cynthia Ozick
could re-trace the story of Henry James’ The Ambassadors and shape it with a
different meaning and conclusion. Travelling from New York to Paris to LA,
Bea Nightingale, a retired schoolteacher gets embroiled in her mysterious past. $26
17. The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson. An unknown to our store before
he won the Man-Booker Prize in September, I was so delighted to read this book,
a story of friendship and loss, satire, humor, the “insanity of anti-Semitism”, and
music in language. Wow – what a book!! (paper - $15.00)
NON – FICTION
1. At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson. One of the greatest
writers of today, Bryson takes us into his home, room by room, and we learn
about the history of the world through his keen observations. The bathroom
provides the history of hygiene, the kitchen for hygiene & spice trade, etc.
Bryson’s sense of humor shines, his innumerable facts challenge us. $28.95
2, First Family : Abigail & John Adams by Joseph J. Ellis. The Pulitzer Prize
winner for Founding Brothers and others has written a stunning book
America’s “first couple” that covers the American Revolution and the early
years of our country. A great addition to your history library. $27.95
3. Life by Keith Richards. On the flap of the book, Keith Richards, one of the
founders of The Rolling Stones, writes: “This is the Life, Believe it or Not,
I haven’t forgotten any of it!” It’s a wonderful story! $29.99
4. The Warmth of Other Suns : The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration
by Isabel Wilkerson. This book has received rave review, i.e. front page
New York Times Book Review. Pulitzer Prize winner Wilkerson tells us
the stories of millions of black citizens who fled the South from 1915 to 1970.
This book is already considered a classic. $30.00
5. Bloody Crimes: The Chase for Jefferson Davis and the Death Pageant for
Lincoln’s Corpse by James Swanson. This coming year is the Civil War’s
150th anniv. – and James Swanson is the author of Manhunt. The subtitles
tell it all. $27.99
6. My Thoughts Be Bloody Nora Titone. The complex relationship between
Edwin and John Wilkes Booth was the source of tension and conflict. Both
were consummate actors – however, Edwin garnered acclaim as a serious
actor, which led to the American tragedy. $30.00
7. Atlantic by Simon Winchester. Winchester is one of my favorite authors –
his subjects are always of interest (The Professor and the Madman). This
time takes on the Atlantic Ocean – making it come alive and showing how
it was the axis of Western civilization. Winchester is a gifted writer. $27.99
8. Extraordinary, Ordinary People by Condoleezza Rice. Rice has written a
very warm and loving memoir about her family and her early years growing
up in Birmingham, Alabama as an African American. It is beautifully told,
with funny and poignant stories – a graceful memoir. $27.00
9. The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore. The subtitle, “One Name, Two Fates,”
says it well. It is a “chilling” story about two young men who grew up on the
same block. One is now in Jail for life – the other was a Rhodes Scholar and
recently has been named one of the top young business leaders. Why? $25.00
10. The Elephant to Hollywood by Michael Caine. I have always clamored to go
to a Michael Caine movie – and now I get to read his rags-to-riches
biography and an insider’s view of Hollywood. I am more infatuated than
ever. $28.00
11. Frank: The Voice by James Kaplan. In a recent review of the book, it was said
That Kaplan’s “voice, in peak form…stands up to Sinatra’s powerful baritone.”
What was it like to be Frank Sinatra? This book tells it well. $35.00
12. Growing Up Laughing by Marlo Thomas. Her father, Danny Thomas, was
funny and made everyone laugh throughout his life. Marlo Thomas, of Free
To Be You and Me is also very funny – with wonderful tales of all
the greats – i.e. Sid Caesar, Stephen Colbert, Billy Crystal, etc. $26.99
13. Learning to Die in Miami : Confessions of a Refugee Boy by Carlo Eire.
His book Waiting for Snow in Havana won the National Book Award, and
anyone interested in what it must be like to be a refugee in a new land (Miami)
will love this heartfelt story. $26.00
FOR SPORTS LOVERS
1. All Rise: The Remarkable Journey of Alan Page by Bill McGrane. This is
truly a remarkable story about a young man who came from Canton, Ohio, went
on to play football at Notre Dame and then The Minnesota Vikings and The
Chicago Bears. He studied to be a lawyer midway through, and now is the
Senior Justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court. He gives back in so many
Ways, including a Foundation for Children of Color. $24.94
2. The Golden Jets by Bobby Hull. The legendary Chicago Blackhawk
Hall of Famer writes his biography about his career, from his days as a young
boy learning to skate in his native Canada. $29.95
3. Da Bears! By Steve Delsohn. This book tells the story about the 1985
Monsters of the Midway – and how they won the Superbowl that year.
It’s been 25 years since we heard the names of Walter Payton, Mike Singletary
Jim McMahon, and Refrigerator Perry. A trip down memory lane. $24.99
4. Sports Illustrated: The Covers. A facinating retrospective of SI's best covers! $29.95
COOKBOOKS
1. Bobby Flay’s Throwdown by Bobby Flay. Celebrity Chef Bobby Flay goes
head-to-head with other chefs of fame and presents both the “winner’s”
recipe and the “loser’s”. It is fun to read – either in the kitchen or in a
comfortable place anywhere. $27.50
2. Barefoot Contessa How Easy It Is by Ina Garten. We sold almost 90 copies
the first week it arrived in the store. Her recipes are so EASY – and her
approach to cooking so accessible. This is a brand new cookbook for the
everyday living – and the holidays. $35
3. Nigella's Kitchen by Nigella Lawson. Here is feel-good food for cooks and
eaters. She talks about everyday cooking quandaries – feeding hungry teens,
spur of the moment meals for friends, or cooking at home alone. She reminds
us how much pleasure there is in creating simple delicious recipes. $35.00
DESIGN
1. Alexa Hampton: The Language of Design. $50.00
2, Timeless Elegance: The Houses of David Easton by David Easton $65.00
3. Billy Baldwin, The Great American Decorator by Adam Lewis
Foreword by Albert Hadley. $65.00
4. Encyclopedia of the Exquisite by Jessica Kerwin Jenkins. Jenkins writes for
Vogue magazine, and has put down her thoughts about “An Anecdotal
History of Elegant Delights.” A compendium of style, this book makes one
Smile, and muse, and enjoy “Crickets” and “Felines” and such! $27.95
5. Thoughtful Gardening by Robin Lane Fox. Even I know the name of Robin
Lane Fox – for his many books on classical history – and gardening.. Now he
writes about the craft of gardening – to be enjoyed by dedicated gardeners and
keen onlookers alike. It is so readable – and enjoyable! $29.95