Great Books for the Holiday Season

If you know someone who has become an addict of the new A&E show Hoarders, why not consider giving them E.L. Doctorow's latest fiction novel based on the true story of the highly eccentric and strangely lovable urban legend hoarder brothers, Homer and Langley Collyer. 'Cause really, these boys are the definition of what it means to hoard, and with Doctorow's writing, you can't go wrong. Plus, Homer & Langley is really interesting, and though based on a true story, pretty damn unbelievable. Two brothers who come from a well-off family, yet after their parents die, choose to live their lives hiding away in their mansion among piles and piles of newspaper and other miscellaneous garbage. What the hell happened? Well, we'd all like to know, which is why this book is so fantastic--Doctorow sheds light on the Collyer brothers' peculiar lifestyle and makes us think about whether it was really that they just loved living among trash, or if it was deeper than that, and they were looking to escape. Doctorow says of Homer & Langley, "I was a teenager when the Collyer brothers were found dead in their Fifth Avenue brownstone. Instantly, they were folklore. And so there is the real historical existence of them and the mythological existence...there was something about them still to be discovered under the piles of things in their house--the bales of newspapers and the accumulated detritus of their lives. Was it only that they were junk-collecting eccentrics? You see that every day in the streets of New York. They had opted out--that was the primary fact."

For the Art Lovers...
Ack! In 2005 Richard Polsky sold his Andy Warhol "Fright Wig" for ONLY $320,000. Though Polsky felt completely redeemed at the time, if he would have waited for only a mere couple years his Warhol would have sold for millions (in 2007 Warhol's "Green Car Crash" sold for $71 million). I Sold Andy Warhol (Too Soon) reveals an interesting and unique look into the hilariousness, hypocrisies, and quirks of the serious art world through the eyes of Polsky, a well-known art dealer and collector. This non-fiction pick, which is a follow-up to Polsky's memoir, I Bought Andy Warhol, is a good and fairly quick read, making it a perfect gift for those that are already interested in art history, or for those that are curious in learning more. Polsky gives a true-to-life portrayal of the art world, comparing it to "high school with money," by exposing many of the big-name dealers, and the art world life in a realistic and truthful manner, without being gossipy or nasty. I Sold Andy Warhol (Too Soon) was a lovely guilty pleasure read for us, filled with plenty of tongue-in-cheek moments and back history on well-known artists such as Warhol, Thiebaud, Pollock, and many other favorites. This book reminded us in a lot of ways of Sean Wilsey's Oh the Glory of it All (also a great guilty pleasure read), because of the details that exploit its elite society and socialites that we know of, but do not know personally. Plus, you'll look much cooler reading a gossipy tell-all book at the gym or on the plane rather than a tabloid rag.

You may not yet know of Charley Harper by name, but chances are that you've seen his illustrations many, many times. Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life, will be a hit for your designer friends or family members. This beautiful collection, put together by Target and MTV's b.f.f. Todd Oldham, shows hundreds of Harper's colorful graphic illustrations of nature, animals, insects, people, and much more that were originally published in magazines, cookbooks, and advertisements from the 1940s and on. This book is great for those interested in learning more about Harper's life and his style of "Minimal Realism." It also works great as a fancy look-how-cool-this-is coffee table tome book. Known as one of the all-time greatest American illustrators, Harper's work is absolutely beautiful and hard not to fall in love with. Keep in mind when purchasing: we bought this last year as a birthday present for our designer love and got the big version (was $200, now is a little cheaper), which is the size of a suitcase and comes with its own fancy illustrated box. A new, much smaller version just came out in October for only around $30, but by much smaller we mean about half the size. So if the person you are purchasing this for is very serious about Harper or his illustrations and you can fork over the extra cash--do it. The illustrated box is a total bonus, the illustrations are altogether bigger, and it's a book that will most likely make history in illustrated collections.

For the Non-Fiction Lovers...
Chuck Klosterman is at it again, with his latest collection of absurdly funny and witty analyses on everything pop culture, time travel, the Unabomber, and yes, dinosaurs. In Eating the Dinosaur, Klosterman touches on ideas such as the dissection of advertising through Mad Men and Pepsi, the common factors between Kurt Cobain and David Koresh (HA!), "What What We Talk About When We Talk About Ralph Sampson" (big points with the lit nerds like ourselves), "The Passion of the Garth" about Garth Brooks' attempt to make it big as Chris Gaines, perceptions on canned laughter, an essay about time travel titled "Tomorrow Rarely Knows," and much more--we haven't even begun to talk about the essay on Ted Kaczynski, where Klosterman outlines all of the points that the Unabomber was potentially correct on. Oh Chuck Klosterman... where would we be without you? Would we even know truth if it kicked us in the ass? Thanks for always leading the way with your ingenious approach in making us realize the fun and hilarious idiosyncrasies of everything we know as reality, and not necessarily truth. If your loved ones like Klosterman, you may also want to consider his recent first novel, Downtown Owl, where Klosterman examines a forgotten and ignored small town--Owl, North Dakota--and the interesting people who live there. Edgy, familiar, plenty of small town archetypes, and as always with Klosterman, a damn good time.

Michael Chabon, how come you always have the coolest book covers?! Seriously. Chabon's latest collection of essays (first published in Details magazine), Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son, can be seen as a biography of sorts, or as NPR calls it, "a daddy diary." And really--with the masses of "mom" blogs and females writers on the subject of motherhood--it's about time there was a male voice with opinions on parenting. On the difference in set expectations of mothers and fathers Chabon writes, "The handy thing about being a father is that the historic standard is so pitifully low." The 39 included personal essays relate back to Chabon's life in regards to being a man and the roles he has taken on based on his gender. Chabon looks back on his own 1970s childhood and his parents' divorce, his high and low moments of being a son, and the magical moments he's experienced while being a father and husband. In one essay, he even refers to his children as "a band of companions," with whom he can share adventures and his favorite interests--things he missed in his own childhood. Overall, an excellent, personal collection on parenting, relationships, family life, and our roles in such as we know them. Chabon singlehandedly fills the much-needed void of a male perspective on these subjects, and he does it in an inexplicably honest and beautiful way. As an added bonus, Michael Chabon will be in Seattle on March 9, 2010 as a part of Seattle Arts & Lectures' 2009-10 Literary Arts Series.

For the Home Cook, or for Those Who Make You Amazing Meals...
Oui, s'il vous plaît! Ah... thank god for high school french, AND for Phaidon cookbooks! But really, The Silver Spoon?! Pork & Sons?! 1080 Recipes (our personal favorite)?! Phaidon just doesn't stop, and seriously, they're going to make some of us go broke and fill up all of our bookshelves with their awesomely-illustrated, wonderful cookbooks. It seems as well that they absolutely love to make us suffer right around Christmas time when they normally come out with their latest, but honestly, as long as they keep them coming, we'll keep shelling it out for 'em. The most recent available in English is I Know How To Cook, the "bible of traditional French home cooking for three generations" with 1,500 recipes included. And as always, great design work and illustrations? Check. Easy and accessible traditional recipes? Check. Do you know someone who has been longing to make mouth-watering French favorites such as boeuf bourguignon or ratatouille--or maybe someone you're hoping will make these traditional French favorites for you? We can almost guarantee that if you butter them up with this cookbook, you'll probably get something pretty tasty out of the deal.

We were lucky enough--and when you're thinking of Shopsin's you say lucky enough--to eat at Kenny Shopsin's General Store this past fall in New York's Lower East Side. If you are yet to have seen I Like Killing Flies, rent it and you'll understand (thank god we weren't a party of five). Or read NYC well-known food blogger/writer Ed Levine's review on Kenny Shopsin's cookbook, Eat Me, and you will COMPLETELY understand, since his short write-up is, in a nutshell, exactly what to expect from eating at Shopsin's and from Kenny Shopsin himself. Levine describes this amazing self-proclaimed chef as there being two divided camps of people who either embrace and love Kenny Shopsin for his eccentricity and oddball quirks, or hate him and think he's an "angry unreasonable jerk." Levine says, "People of the first camp will find lots in the book to confirm their worst fears. And people like me, who have come to like and respect Kenny—since nobody short of his immediate family can claim to understand him—will find plenty in the book to deepen our appreciation. The weird thing is, both sides might be right." Levine, we're right there with you in camp Shopsin and couldn't be more pleased. Eat Me is clever, kitschy, gorgeously designed, and jam packed with Shopsin's gregarious spirit that has made Shopsin's General Store the much-loved and gossiped-about cult icon that it is today. Eat Me is obviously not your average cookbook, but, Kenny Shopsin is certainly not your average guy. Definitely a great buy for the home cooks with a sense of humor, Eat Me details Shopsin's eccentric life since it doubles as a memoir, and includes many of his famously strange recipes such as "Hamburger Soup," "Egg Pizza," and "Banana Guacamole," all while giving you instructions such as, "mix the shit together and serve," or ingredients such as, "a bigger plonk of chicken with a smaller plonk of coleslaw," and "sliced turkey g'schmushed into bits with your fingers." And just wait until you see the actual Shopsin's General Store menu tucked into the middle....

For the Graphic Novel Lovers...
If you're tired of hearing your best friend obsess over Twilight, consider getting them a new series to follow that won't make your ears bleed such as the Scott Pilgrim series, also coming out as a film this winter (starring teenage indie film poster child, Michael Cera--bet you didn't see that coming). This series is great for both males and females, and our graphic novel-loving friends just can't seem to get enough of it. The art can be seen by some as a downside, but if you can get past the anime-esque characters, you'll most likely become just as addicted to this 20-something coming-of-age fun series as the next person. Currently there are five volumes available, that will be sure to keep your b.f.f. busy, and another volume coming in 2010, which will give them something to look forward to. Don't be alarmed if you buy this for a friend and stop seeing them as much on the weekends for awhile.

The Walking Dead is an excellent pick for the men (or ladies) in your life that love everything zombie-related. This comic book series, a monthly black and white comic published by Image Comics, can be bought in four volumes with a fifth due out in January 2010 (all sold separately). Rumor has it as well that AMC just snapped up the rights for this comic story line last August in the biggest deal they've ever done, and that a show is in the works. The Walking Dead centers around main character Rick Grimes, a small-town police officer, who must band together with fellow friends and family to survive the world being overrun in a zombie apocalypse. Unlike zombie movies that play out and end over a short period of time, The Walking Dead plays out over years and shows just exactly how one would survive a lifetime of zombies rather than a single night. Like the Scott Pilgrim series, The Walking Dead collection is highly addictive, with its suspenseful story line, dramatic situations, and character struggles...zombie crack, anyone?