Holiday Gift Guide 2010

Garrison Keillor said it best: “A book is a gift you can open again and again.” Plus, books are easy to operate and to maintain. No special instructions or tools are required. And what a gift! Worlds and lives and entire universes can live between those modest little covers.

So what makes a good gift book? That’s easy: it must be just what the recipient wants, needs, desires or -- at the very least -- one that will amuse. And just as there are millions of people with differing dreams and interests, there are also millions of books reflecting all of those dreams, addressing all of those interests.

The gift of a book can be extremely intimate, demonstrating your love and affection with your choice. Or it can be the most generic present in the pile -- a beautiful coffee table book that says: “I don’t know much about you, but I like you well enough to get you something good.”

We hope you’re having a wonderful holiday 2010! And if you’re still hunting about for that perfect last minute gift, remember: what could be more perfect than a book?

January Magazine’s 2010 Holiday Gift Guide is here.

Holiday Gift Guide: Mabel Murple by Sheree Fitch

Mabel Murple is a modern classic in Canadian children’s literature. First published in 1995 by Doubleday Canada, despite being a bestseller and exceedingly popular with young readers, when Doubleday stopped publishing picture books in the late 1990s, Mabel Murple went out of print along with many other well-loved books for young children.

Nova Scotia’s Nimbus Publishing has repackaged and republished Mabel Murple with fresh illustrations by Nova Scotian Sydney Smith. Mabel Murple introduces a new line for Nimbus, as this book and future publications of Fitch’s work will be emblazoned with a special logo heralding the book as “A Sheree Fitch Classic” and enabling a new generation of children to wrap their tongue around “Mabel Murple’s house was purple/So was Mabel’s hair/Mabel Murple’s dog was purple/A purple poodle named Pierre.”

Fitch’s star has been rising in various arms of Canadian literature. A recent novel for adults, Kiss the Joy As It Flies, was nominated for the Stephen Leacock medal for humor and, more recently still, a young adult novel, Pluto’s Ghost, has been drawing rave reviews. “There’s no doubt that the young adult novel is Fitch’s true metier,” the Toronto Star gushed. “Her prose, always refreshingly energetic, is so informed by poetic precision and intensity that it can’t help but surprise... Fitch’s picaresque plot and vivid language ... deliver a tale engaging from beginning to end.”

You can view January Magazine’s 1999 interview with Fitch here.

Holiday Gift Guide: Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney by Howard Sounes

You only have to look at Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney (Da Capo) to know that it is going to at least try to be exhaustive: it’s a very thick book. But let’s face it: McCartney deserves a big biography. Considering the magnitude of his star, there haven’t been many books on the ex-Beatle’s life. And there’s probably some massive fan out there who can tell me why two in-depth looks at this musician should come out in the same publishing season, but I can’t imagine what it is.

Though Peter A. Carlin’s Paul McCartney: A Life (Touchstone) offers a breezy look at McCartney’s life, in some ways that book focuses too sharply on the Beatles years. Admittedly, those are the significant years of McCartney’s story, but he’s traveled many miles since.

Fab author Howard Sounes (Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan, Charles Bukowski: Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life) does a very thorough job of researching McCartney’s early life as well as the post-Beatles years, including the ex-Beatle’s disastrous second marriage and his 2008 album.

Fab is an enjoyable book. If there is, in the end, no real secrets revealed, as well as little we truly didn’t know about McCartney, it seems possible that’s par for the course. For one of the wealthiest and successful musicians alive, McCartney comes across as mostly even and happy and almost disappointingly normal in many ways. If you want a rock biography dripping with revelations, try Rolling Stone Keith Richards’ Life (Little, Brown) from earlier this fall.

Holiday Gift Guide: How to Squeeze a Lemon: 1,023 Kitchen Tips, Food Fixes, and Handy Techniques by the editors of Fine Cooking

When should you wash a mushroom? What’s the best way to melt chocolate? What are the rules for melting cheese? How can you tell if a pear is ripe? How can I tell when your hamburger is ready? Obviously, I could go on (over a thousand times, as a matter of fact) but How to Squeeze a Lemon (Taunton) is simply the answer book for the contemporary kitchen.

The book is a tidy, practical package compiled by the “editors, contributors and readers” of Fine Cooking, one of the most actually useful foodie periodicals available today. How to Squeeze a Lemon is not a big, glossy production and no photos of any kind have been included. The book is pure information, and rather a lot of it at that. From choosing kitchen equipment to produce; how to stock a pantry; how to perform various techniques; what to know about wine, beer and salad; and what to do when things go wrong. If the contents page won’t get you there, a very good index section will.

How to Squeeze a Lemon is not a cookbook and you won’t use it every day. But it’s a book you’ll want near your cookbooks, ready to help you get to the next stop on your recipe or menu. ◊


Monica Stark is a contributing editor of January Magazine. She currently makes her home on a liveaboard boat somewhere in the North Pacific.

Holiday Gift Guide: The Top 100 Canadian Singles by Bob Mersereau

Following up on 2007’s successful The Top 100 Canadian Albums, music journalist Bob Mersereau dreams up a book that I think is even better and more to the point: The Top 100 Canadian Singles (Goose Lane). And while some of his findings for this book are questionable, the work is certainly not. The Top 100 Canadian Singles is thorough, entertaining and deeply researched. Purely from a user’s standpoint, the book is a delight: a treasure trove of musical memories -- many almost forgotten -- brought here to life through the author’s dexterous prose and well chosen illustrative photographs.

And then there are the surprises -- most Canadians will come across them, I think. The artists you encounter and thought you knew well who you never realized were Canadian at all. For me, one of these was signle number 22: Maestro Fresh-Wes’ “Let Your Backbone Slide” from 1989. Another is single 41, “The Safety Dance,” by Men Without Hats and 2007’s “1234” by Feist.

The number one single as determined by The Top 100 Canadian Singles is not that big a surprise: 1970’s “American Woman/No Sugar Tonight” by The Guess Who. And there they are, the four of them, standing in a field of daisies -- actually -- and looking young and fresh and ready to take on the world.

In his introduction, Mersereau stresses the importance of top singles over songs. He says he felt the top Canadian songs had been compiled before in various ways and, in any case, top singles represented some special material because “for many people there’s magic in their youthful memories of hearing those great hits on the radio.” This leads -- inevitably -- to the question: in the digital age, does the single even exist anymore? And Mersereau tackles the question nicely. Whether or not you agree with his answer, he’s done a good, solid job on The Top 100 Canadian Singles, managing to include music that represents all eras, regions and languages relevant to the topic of discussion. Well done! ◊

Sienna Powers is a transplanted Calgarian who lives and works in Vancouver, B.C. She is a writer and conceptual artist.

Holiday Gift Guide: Anna Sui by Andrew Bolton

The fashionista on your list may well enjoy Andrew Bolton’s fabulous Anna Sui (Chronicle Books), a lush look at the young but vibrant career of up and coming designer Anna Sui, who was presented with the Council of Fashion Designers of America Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 and named one of Time magazine’s top five fashion icons of the decade.

It’s a little difficult to believe that Sui presented her first runway collection not even 20 years ago, autumn/winter 1991. The collections are all here, well represented photographically, well narrated by Bolton. But the clothes stand out: even without all the iconic models, photographers and patrons (and there are lots of all of those) Sui’s rock n’ roll style is apparent as is the reason she has come so far so fast. Sui’s clothes are seminal, but they are also -- for the most part -- wearable, making it obvious why she has been so copies and respected.

The designer’s work is summed up most neatly in a preface by fellow Detroit native, Jack White of The White Stripes. He talks of the timelessness of Sui’s work. “It is not retro or emulation or re-creation or even false modernity. It is a beauty that can exist in any era -- past, present, or future -- a beauty that does not fall prey to the wrath of novelty.” That, White says, is what Sui represents. ◊


Monica Stark is a contributing editor of January Magazine. She currently makes her home on a liveaboard boat somewhere in the North Pacific.

Holiday Gift Guide: The Adventurer’s Handbook by Mick Conefrey

Though The Adventurer’s Handbook (Palgrave Macmillan) is nominally set up in true handbook style, it’s really more like a history of adventure with tidbits and tales from some of the most dramatic adventures -- and adventurers -- of all time.

Filmmaker author Mick Conefrey uses examples from various expeditions -- some well known, some not so much -- to illustrate points and smooth his own narrative. As Conefrey says, in the book, he tried to “find a different way to look at the history of exploration, to present it through a kind of how-to manual in order to examine its paradigms and principles.”

The device has worked on a number of levels. Actor and producer Jonah Hill (Superbad, Get Him to the Greek) currently has a film version of the book in development. (At press time, it’s slated for release in 2012.)

First published in 2006, this new paperback Palgrave Macmillan version makes a terrific stocking stuffer. ◊


David Middleton is art director and art & culture editor of January Magazine.

Holiday Gift Guide: Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2011

For a lot of the western world, December is a month for doing, but also for dreaming. If I could, where would I go? or even I’m going to go. But where? The editors of Lonely Planet, who do a reasonably awesome job of thinking about travel, have beaten us to the this often circular process of thought and are offering up some answers, and all just in time for the holiday gift giving season, 2010.

Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2011 (Lonely Planet) looks at the top trends and destinations for the coming year. What’s hot (wine and olive tasting in Croatia, for a start) and what’s not? (Gated communities geared at foreign retirees in Panama.) and where are those in the know going to spend their leisure time in the upcoming year?

The 2011 version of Lonely Planet’s annual guide ranks the top 10 countries, regions and cities to visit in the upcoming year. (Albania ranks as top country.) Also included, the top 10 destinations for good value (Bangladesh comes out on top.)

There are other cool lists included and though some of them are silly (Best Places to See Red; Best Places for Dance Fever; Best Secret Islands) all of them offer insight and inspiration as well as some very concrete travel tips. Highly recommended. ◊

Linda L. Richards is editor of January Magazine and the author of several books.

Holiday Gift Guide: Zooborns by Andrew Bleiman and Chris Eastland

You have to make sure you have a high tolerance for cuteness before ever tackling Zooborns (Simon & Schuster) a book that introduces readers to “The Newest, Cutest Animals from the World’s Zoos and Aquariums.”

In many ways, Zooborns is an amazing book. They have you from hello with the cover, where an adorable baby Fennec Fox looks charmingly and directly into the camera. When we rifle through the book to find out more about him, we discover that those giant ears help cool things down in the dessert, where his kind are from. We also learn about his environmental status. “Least concern,” we are told. Other species are not so lucky.

Take baby Tasmanian Devils Bunyipp and Deitt, whose home is the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia. On four pages of photos we see the tiny weirdly charming marsupials in various poses, and learn that they are endangered because, since the late 1990s, “a mysterious transmissible cancer epidemic has devastated the wild Tasmanian devil population.” The Taronga zoo, we’re told, is breeding them on the mainland as a sort of genetic backup plan should the wild population’s numbers suffer too greatly from the disease.

Zooborns is a marvelous book: more than the sum of its parts. You are first floored by the cuteness of all of these animal babies. Babies are always cute, right? And even the ones that are sort of funny looking have that baby cuteness. It’s enjoyable looking at these sweet portraits. But as you leaf through, bits of carefully included information leaks out. And it’s sad to see how many species are endangered or threatened; interesting to feel relief when you note that a species is of “Least Concern.”

Zooborns hits all the right notes. The cuteness factor is pretty much irresistible, but it’s great to learn something about these animals. Great also to be part of the solution through spreading awareness about breeding programs and to support conservation efforts in the wild.

Though Zooborns would be enthusiastically recieved by all ages, a companion book, ZooBorns! (Beach Lane Books), is aimed at younger readers. Buying them both seems like a terrific option: ten per cent of proceeds goes to support the Association of Zoos and Aquariaum’s Conservation Endowment Fund. ◊

Monica Stark is a contributing editor of January Magazine. She currently makes her home on a liveaboard boat in the North Pacific.

Holiday Gift Guide: Obsessed with Marvel: Test Your Knowledge of the Marvel Universe by Peter Sanderson

An interactive book that can be played as a game, Obsessed with Marvel (Chronicle Books) adds to a growing and successful series of addictive game-books packed with as much fun as can be stuffed into a microchip.

The series thus far includes Obsessed with Star Wars, Golf, Baseball, Hollywood, Football and TV. And, when you think about it, any topic with lots and lots of questions and followers would be a good candidate for the Obsessed with treatment.

It looks very much like the kind of book that little kids get to tell them a story or play animal sounds: just a regular-looking book with a small electronic panel in the bottom right-hand corner.

The book is broken into sections of questions, with each section dedicated to a different part of the Marvel universe: Chapter 1 is Fantastic Four; Chapter two Spider-Man; Chapter three is The Avengers and so on. There are 2500 questions in total and two player play is possible (more if you opt for some type of team play). In my own testing, even if you don’t know much about the Marvel world -- as some of my guinea pigs did not -- it’s almost impossible to stop playing once you start. And with so many questions, I can't even do the math on how long it would take to have the same game twice.

Basically, it works like this: the read out gives you a question number. You go to that question, read it and push buttons A through D with your answer. You either get it right or wrong. (Eith a beep or a buzz alerts you.) Either way, you get another question and the chip keeps track of the score. And, basically, once you start, it’s impossible to stop. It’s like eating potato chips: until mom hollers that the turkey is finished, you’re not going anywhere. Real holiday fun for the Marvel fan!

Holiday Gift Guide: Make Art Mistakes: A Creativity Sketchbook

Though Make Art Mistakes (MOMA Modern Kids) is definitely aimed at children, I know a lot of grown-ups who would either enjoy this book or benefit from it very much. Perhaps both. In many cases, more than some kids. This is because, as pop artist Peter Max said (and it’s in the book, so I don’t even have to go look for the quote): “Don’t worry about mistakes. Making things out of mistakes, that’s creativity.” And though most kids would not put it quite that way, it’s something they are born understanding. Something many of us lose along the way.

There are other quotes in Make Art Mistakes. Great ones, too: from Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso, Andrew Wyeth and other household names. And those quotes add to the book, but they’re not the main point here. That main point involves getting the book into a less than pristine state. “What would a lazy line look like?” asks a nearly blank page. “How about an angry line?” the page says lower down. “An excited line?” and so on. Later in the book, in a section dealing with color, “What would three colors at play look like?”

All through the book are nearly blank pages printed with textures and colors and some instructions. The idea is to get the creative juices flowing. Last time I checked, there was no age limit on that. ◊


David Middleton is art director and art & culture editor of January Magazine.

Holiday Gift Guide: 50 Years of the Playboy Bunny

It’s no secret that the Empire that Hugh built has been struggling of late. And it’s not just the recession. After all, porn has gotten to be somewhat mainstream. In a world where the harsh stuff is as close as your computer screen and the type of titillation that arrives with readable articles comes in the form of a magazine you can take to the office or read on the subway without embarrassment (think Maxim), the idealized and bared titties of Playboy seem a little camp and out of place.

50 Years of the Playboy Bunny (Chronicle Books) seems almost to celebrate these ideas. Even the cover is a terrific example of classic 1970s design. What the book is really about, in a way, is the world of Playboy beyond the magazine. In a foreword, Hugh Hefner writes, “This book is a celebration of half a century of Playboy Club and Bunny culture. A celebration of a certain mystique.”

Bunny culture. Words that would invite controversy in some quarters but which, here in context, make a certain, nostalgic sense. You see inside “Disneyland for Adults,” the start and rise of the famous Playboy Clubs. You see, also, the “Making of a Bunny” including reference to the famous Bunny Manual which helped fledgling bunnies become part of the bunny army. Interesting, also, to see some famous alumna in full bunny regalia, including Debbie Harry and Lauren Hutton as well as Gloria Steinem, undercover for the magazine article that would make her career, but looking every inch the part.

50 Years of the Playboy Bunny is like an especially good issue of the magazine during its heyday: fantastic, well reproduced photos and some really great written material. This would be a terrific gift for the person on your list who enjoys the campier part of mid-century nostalgia. And boobs. ◊

David Middleton is a graphic artist and the art & culture editor of January Magazine.

Holiday Gift Guide: Best Music Writing of 2010 edited by Ann Powers

One of my personal treats around this time every year is a copy of Best Music Writing of the year, published annually by Da Capo. It’s a particularly well produced and thought out book. It’s not a beauty contest (although it easily could be). And it’s not about the biggest artists or the most envied mastheads or anything like that. Rather it does exactly what it promises: it collects the very best writing about music from the year that was. You end up with a beautifully rendered portrait of that year: the highest highs, the lowest lows and just the heartbeat of that moment; technologically, stylistically and, to a certain extent, even politically. This year the book is comprised of 36 terrific and far-ranging pieces. I loved every second.

Ann Powers is guest editor of this 10th edition of Da Capo’s Best Music Writing. She is the chief pop critic of the Los Angeles Times and the author of Weird Like Us, Rock She Wore and several other books.

“Music itself is a call that invites response,” she tells us in the opening to Best Music Writing 2010. “It organized desire, sorrow, and joy into a form both primal ... and intensely communal; in every know culture, some sort of music has been in a constant in every day life.” It is, once again, celebrated here. ◊


Lincoln Cho is a freelance writer and editor. He lives in the Chicago area, where he works in the high-tech industry. He is currently working on a his first novel, a science-fiction thriller set in the world of telecommunications.

Holiday Gift Guide: The Trouble with Marlene by Billie Livingston and Film Studies by Caroline Adderson

Annick Press introduced their Single Voice series April 2010. While Annick has talked a lot about the series, I haven’t been able to find anything that explains their goals with Single Voice or what they’re hoping to achieve. Annick calls Single Voice “a ground breaking and provocative young adult fiction series” so that’s a clue. More clues: “exploding with urgency,” “unflinchingly real,” “authentic voices” and lots more of the same. And while all of these things help to build a picture, none of it tells us what Single Voice is.

As far as I can tell, the Single Voices series combines two novellas from two authors connected by a single theme. And aimed at YA readers. So you get a single book with two covers. Look at it one way, it’s one book, flip it over and it’s another. In some regards, there’s nothing particularly new in any of that. I had a copy of Black Beauty that flipped over to The Call of the Wild back when I was a kid. (Though I put more miles on the Black Beauty side, for sure.)

Beyond sharing the same spine, what seems to connect Single Voice, however, are stories with the sort of sharp, raw edge that invite people to say things like “exploding with urgency,” “unflinchingly real.” Still, in contemporary books for readers 15 and up, there’s nothing particularly new there, either.

So, from the beginning, my take on Single Voice has been pretty hands-in-pockets: some interesting stuff, certainly, but a gimmicky enough presentation that I wanted to reserve judgment. What changed my mind was an entry to the series with a lot of firepower. Followers of Canadian literature will be familiar with the names of both authors: Caroline Adderson and Billie Livingston, both of whom have written the sort of well-received novels that invite awards and critical praise. And both women write the sort of novels that invite grown-up critics to say things like “exploding with urgency” and unflinchingly real.” When that book landed on my desk, I had to pay attention.

It will not surprise you to learn that Livingston’s The Trouble with Marlene and Adderson’s Film Studies “explode with the urgency, drama and confusion of adolescence.” The subjects of both books will demand a mature teen reader with a taste for something a bit more sophisticated than, well, Black Beauty or The Call of the Wild.

To be honest, I’m still a little iffy about the series. But you have to love that Annick is trying something a little different in their packaging and, clearly, trying to be certain to get literature into the hands of readers who will enjoy it. And, seriously? Anyone who can offer me more Livingston and Adderson -- under the same cover yet -- is worthy of attention.

There are more books in the Single Voice series. You can read about them here. ◊

Linda L. Richards is editor of January Magazine and the author of several books.

Holiday Gift Guide: The Official Dictionary of Sarcasm by James Napoli

The Official Dictionary of Sarcasm (Sterling Innovation) is perfectly described on its own first page. “You have been waiting patiently for a dictionary like this to come along. And now it is here. Not that you give a crap.”

The book pokes sarcastic fun at just about everything and everybody in a field guide format in textbook style. Here’s the entry for “Canada”:

Free health care. Low crime. Birthplace of William Shatner. Two out of three ain’t bad.

And here’s “inbox”:

A place to store things you have no intention of ever dealing with.

And I love the entry for “photograph”:

An irrefutable visual record of the fact that between the ages of eleven and fifteen you looked like a total dork.

You get the idea. No one needs The Official Dictionary of Sarcasm, but it’s certainly a book you can have some fun with and a good thing to carry around if you’re trying to look intelligent, until someone gets close enough to read the title. ◊


David Middleton is a graphic artist and like any real and true fan of Star Trek doesn’t endlessly bore his friends or colleagues with his love or knowledge of the show. Unless they ask. You’ve been warned.

Holiday Gift Guide: That Dog Won’t Hunt by Lou Allin

The beauty of books aimed at reluctant readers becomes crystal clear in the holiday season when you’re buying for someone you’d really like to see become engaged with the beauty of reading, but just hasn’t thus far. Orca Books introduced their Rapid Reads series earlier this year. “In our increasingly fast-paced world” they tell us on their web site, “we believe there is a need for well-written, well-told novels and non-fiction books that can be read in one sitting. Rapid Reads feature great writing and great storytelling in a small package.”

And, of course, a big part of that small package are the writers whose names are contributing their small tales. All three of this season’s entries to Rapid Reads are themed on literacy, in addition to other things. Gail Bowen’s One Fine Day You’re Gonna Die brings back late night talk show host Charlie D, first seen in Bowen’s previous Rapid Reads novel, Love You to Death. William Kowalski (Eddie’s Bastard) goes for the issues jugular with The Way It Works, a story that tackles so many issues, it’s difficult to see the story.

My favorite of the three is Lou Allin’s That Dog Won’t Hunt. Allin, who is perhaps best known for her Belle Palmer series of mysteries, unveils a noir staccato to bring this little story to life. It really works. A cowboy drifter on the lam in the dessert meets a widow who talks him into coming with her to Northern Ontario to do work on her hunting lodge. Since the classic noir voice is long on pathos but short on syllables, Allin’s simply told tale works well in the Rapid Reads format. Though it’s not a long journey, you don't get the feeling that anything is lost. Nor is Allin talking down to her readers or going far out of her way to make a point. That Dog Won’t Hunt is good storytelling in a tiny package. Hopefully it helps win some reluctant readers to the cause.

If you’re interested in learning more about Orca’s Rapid Reads, a visit to the web site will be worthwhile. They don’t actually talk much about the books: more about literacy and what can and is being done to improve the situation. ◊

Linda L. Richards is editor of January Magazine and the author of several books.

Holiday Gift Guide: Lion of Liberty: Patrick Henry and the Call to a New Nation by Harlow Giles Unger

Reading Lion of Liberty (Da Capo) changed my mind about political biographies. I’ve always enjoyed them: some (like my wife) would even say I’ve collected them over the years. But Harlow Giles Unger’s biography of Patrick Henry gave me a taste of what it’s really all about: finding the massive score. The book that will change your mind, change your view and introduce you to a whole gang of players you’ve never considered before. That, is what Lion of Liberty did for me.

I had never given much thought to Patrick “Give me liberty or give me death” Henry: lawyer, one time governor of Virginia who turned down many offers of political office in favor of campaigning for the rights of all Americans. “As quick with a rifle as he was with his tongue,” the passion of Henry’s convictions was apparent in his most famous words as well as the way he lived his life and the sacrifices he made for his country.

Lion of Liberty is a lucid portrait of this important patriot. It’s sure to be a hit with the reader in your life who enjoys political biography. (And the brisk sales of good books in this niche indicate that it’s a pretty big demographic.) ◊

Aaron Blanton is a contributing editor to January Magazine. He’s currently working on a book based on his experiences as an American living abroad.

Holiday Gift Guide: Let’s Bring Back by Lesley M.M. Blume

Huffington Post columnist Lesley M.M. Blume’s Let’s Bring Back (Chronicle Books) is an elegant, nostalgic look back at a time that perhaps never was.

Based on her column of the same name, Let’s Bring Back is “An Encyclopedia of Forgotten-Yet-Delightful, Chic, Useful, Curious, and Otherwise Commendable Things.” As Blume says in an introduction:

An encyclopedia of nostalgia, Let’s Bring Back celebrates hundreds of discarded and forgotten objects, pastimes, curiosities, recipes, words, architectural works, and personas ... from bygone eras that should be reintroduced today.

At home doctor visits. The Automat. Fern-Hunting Parties. Gold Teeth (“So festive. Also handy assets in a recession.”) Hotel living. Liveried footmen. Attention spans. Latin.

As you can glean just from this short list, only some of the things Blume writes about here are things that even could come back. Many of the things she lists are better fondly remembered than actually lived with.

Chimney sweeps. Phone numbers that include exchange names. Suitcase record players. Cigarette Girls. Bathtub gin stills. Hired mourners. Quills and ink.

And some of them don’t need bringing back at all because, in some places, they never left.

Dancing. Hobbies. Witch hazel. Mayonnaise. Maps. Discreet voices. Crumpets.

Though some of the things included are questionable, Blume’s style and wit are not. She has approached her project with the kind of grace that she celebrates with this enjoyable, sometimes whimsical book. Diana Vreeland would have been proud. ◊


Linda L. Richards is editor of January Magazine and the author of several books.

Holiday Gift Guide: The Christmas Gift, An Amish Christmas and A Christmas Odyssey

These three books with a Christmas focus just couldn’t be more different, making it possible for you to choose the one that will make the perfect gift for someone on your list. All three are small and slender and would fit handily into a generous stocking. And, in their various ways, all three focus on varying aspects of the best of the season.

As you might imagine, the gift mentioned in the title of The Christmas Gift (Burgess Adams) isn’t something you can get at the mall. Rather, the book focuses on a story about traditional Christmas values, wrapped in a heartwarming contemporary tale about living and giving. The fact that the blurb on the cover is from Stephen R. Covey (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) will give you a clue to the content and texture of the book. Motivational. Inspiring. And, as I said, heartwarming. If that’s the sort of mood you’re in this holiday -- or if you’d like to be -- The Christmas Gift might just get you there.

If you’re teeth don’t ache too badly after The Christmas Gift, you can take a run at Cynthia Keller’s An Amish Christmas (Ballantine). A suburban family hit with hard times due economic turmoil find something they’ve been missing in the Amish community. About the book, author Keller has said that her “own concern about the environment made the Amish mode of living seem especially important to understand. Global warming, slow living -- all the buzz words of today are addressed in Amish life.”

Those with a taste for something a bit grittier might enjoy Anne Perry’s eighth Christmas mystery, A Christmas Odyssey (Ballantine). Though Perry is best known for her mysteries featuring Thomas Pitt and William Monk, her Dickensian narratives have garnered much critical acclaim and many fans. This Victorian take on the prodigal son story takes some sharp holiday twists and turns. Mystery lovers will not be disappointed: the only thing really Christmassy about this one is the snow on the ground and the time of year. ◊

Monica Stark is a contributing editor to January Magazine. She currently makes her home on a liveaboard boat somewhere in the North Pacific.

Holiday Gift Guide: Making the Moose Out of Life Nicholas Oldland

Even though Making the Moose Out of Life (Kids Can Press) was published last August, and it has nothing to do with Christmas or holidays, there’s something very ... seasonal about it. Is it because the story revolves around a moose and a bear? (Two animals that also have nothing to do with Christmas, but who always seem kind of seasonal, too.) Or maybe because, in this case, the story also seems to have a sort of seasonal rhythm.

Moose lives life on the sidelines. He refuses to take life by the horns. One day, he takes the plunge by embarking on a sailing trip ... and ends up stranded on a desert island. Though you’d think the whole island thing would cure him of ever stepping out on his own, it ends up having the opposite effect and by book’s end he’s ready to go cliff-jumping. (Oddly, to the delight of his friends.)

Making the Moose Out of Life is illogical but charming.