This week we’ve asked a few of our favorite Washington, DC-area booksellers to give us a list of their top titles for the holidays–books to put under the tree, around the menorah, or near the Festivus pole. Check back tomorrow for the first “Booksellers Guide to the Holidays” video.
In the meantime, my producers here at Author, Author! asked me to share my own picks as well. My first thought was: “Wait, did I forget to include books?” Then I realized I’ve already bought most of the books I’ll be giving. Here they are, in no particular order:
1. Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World’s Greatest Trips by National Geographic
Everyone on my list will be receiving a copy of this book. Why? Full disclosure: Because I am one of its authors. (It’s true; my name is in tiny print in the back along with a few score of my closest writer friends… actually, a few of those are my closest writer friends… ). But don’t just take my word for it: later this week you’ll see that Barbara Meade of Politics & Prose (link: [ http://www.politics-prose.com/ ]www.politics-prose.com) says that she hasn’t seen a book this beautiful and this engaging at this price point in years. I’m proud to be part of it, but I put it first so you wouldn’t think I was trying to sneak my biased choice past you!
2. The Black Swan:The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Here’s a great example of “And they told two friends… :” Barbara Meade mentioned this as one of her top picks for 2007 in our interview. That night, I went out to dinner with Mr. Bethanne and a friend in from out of town who could not stop talking about Taleb’s cental argument that you cannot predict who will change the world. I’m giving this to several people, including my brother-in-law (while we can’t predict who will change the world, he at least notices trends pretty early on).
3. His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman
Both Mini-Mavens will receive all three of these books so that the three of us can read them at the same time. I’d never read Pullman, but our friend Ian gave me the books as an early Christmas gift in the new hardcovers. Mini-Maven One is receiving the embossed paperbacks, and Mini-Maven Two is receiving the movie tie-in paperbacks. While it may not tear us away from our beloved Harry Potter novels, The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass are completely different and fascinating in their own right. (Unfortunately, it sounds as if the new movie “The Golden Compass” does not live up to the book… but that’s another blog entry… )
4. Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life by Steve Martin
As soon as Sara Nelson, Editor in Chief of Publishers Weekly, told me that she loved this memoir, I had it slated for Mr. Bethanne’s Christmas stocking. (Yes, somewhere in his past there is a photo of an adolescent Mr. B. sporting a Martin-esque arrow-through-the-head.) Everyone who has read the book raves about Martin’s writing, tone, and light touch with his own dark moments.
5. The Art of of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from A Delicious Revolution by Alice Waters
Anyone who has known me in the past, say, five years will tell you that I haven’t been cooking much. However, those who have known me for much, much longer will tell you that I am a jammin’ cook and know my way around ingredients pretty well. Even though I didn’t discover Alice Waters early enough (I was, have been, and will remain obsessed with Julia Child), her principles of buying fresh, local food somehow sunk in. Once I got my hands on a copy of her new cookbook (really, her legacy), I thought immediately of five people to give it to — that list has grown.
6. The Mitfords: Letters Between Six Sisters by Charlotte Mosley
One of my oldest and dearest friends will be receiving this gorgeous and fascinating volume of letters between the six passionately opinionated daughters of the second Baron Redesdale. From famous writers Nancy (The Pursuit of Love and Love In A Cold Climate) and Jessica or “Decca” (The American Way of Death and The American Way of Birth ) to notorious women Diana (wife of Sir Oswald Mosley, who led the British Fascist Party) and Unity (purported mistress of Hitler, whose botched suicide left her permanently disabled) on to the eccentrically British Deborah or “Debo” (Duchess of Devonshire and Pamela (who became what Decca referred to as a “you-know-what-bian”), the sisters were quite a conclave, and only about 5% of their 12,000 letters over a span of 80 years (the last was a fax sent in 2003 by 83-year-old Deborah to the dying 93-year-old Diana) are included here.
7. The Luxe by Anna Godberson
Mini-Maven One has been telling me for a couple of years that she prefers “realistic fiction” — by which she means “chick lit.” “I like books that are about my own life,” says Miss Thing (as if her own life involves any of the Shopaholic-type brands). So, this year I’m giving her Anna Godberson’s historical version of teen chick lit, The Luxe — it’s about four teenaged girls in 1899 New York high society and their hijinks, and it’s just about as page-turning as a book can be. It’s YA-tested and appropriate, but definitely mother-approved, too!
8. World Without End and The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Little-known fact about this self-titled Book Maven: my master’s thesis was on a tenth-century Old English poem. I’m cuckoo for all things medieval, and I do not mean Society for Creative Anachronism stuff (I do not, I repeat, do not dress up in costumes). While Ken Follett may or may not be accurate in every historical detail in these two tomes, he brings the Middle Ages to life, and that is no easy feat. No wonder Oprah selected the first one as her latest Book Club pick. My mother will not be disappointed, since these aren’t just historical novels; they’re potboilers and great fun to read.
9. The Daring Book for Girls by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz
Buying this book for Mini-Maven Two was a slam-dunk choice: she’s a self-proclaimed “tomgirl” who will probably try every knot, game of tag, and craft in here — and maybe, when she’s finished this tongue-firmly-in-cheek guide for girls of every age, she’ll teach this Book Maven how to negotiate salary properly (yes, that’s in there, along with Books That Will Change Your Life).
10. Slam by Nick Hornby
Who is this for? Why me, of course! ‘Tis the season for giving, and (as Mr. Bethanne will ruefully tell you) I believe in giving myself gifts, too. I think everyone should, especially when it comes to books. I can’t resist a Nick Hornby novel, and judging by the enthusiastic response I just got when his new book Slam came up around a working lunch table, no one can. Hornby’s ear for idiom and feel for human kindness makes all of his books irresistible, and although this one is labeled “YA” for the US market, that shouldn’t limit adults from picking it up and enjoying.
Speaking of enjoying, I hope you have enjoyed reading this list, which is idiosyncratic but current. I’d love to hear back from readers about what you’re giving to people this year, too!
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