As 2010 draws to a close, the biggest question in publishing is: “whither the printed book?” 'Tis the age of the Kindle, the Nook and the e-book, but to paraphrase Gertrude Stein, “a book is a book is a book."
Here is an assortment of holiday books to wrap and give to friends and loved ones either in hardcover, paperback or electronically.
• Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy Deluxe Box Set: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, On Stieg Larsson (Knopf, $99)
Just buy these damn books, okay. Can I be any clearer than that?
Stieg Larsson's multi-million best sellers are still topping the charts in hardcover and paperback five years after the astonishing debut of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. His female protagonist, Lisbeth Salander, is the most exciting character of the new Millennium (which also happens to be the name of the fictional Swedish news magazine featured in the series).
Larsson combines the standard elements of classic mysteries with some state of the art digital sleuthing, computer hacking and investigative journalism, but at it's core, this is the story of Men Who Hate Women (the original Swedish title of the first book) and the hellish violence that they inflict upon women and girls.
Rape and incest survivors have found a hero in the dark and brooding pierced and tattooed Salander. Larsson takes his time telling these three stories, which average about six hundred pages each.
Sadly, the Swedish investigative journalist died of a heart attack shortly after delivering the three manuscripts to his publisher. This deluxe box set also includes a biography of the author.
• A Christmas Carol and Other Stories by Charles Dickens with an introduction by John Irving (Modern Library 368 pages, $10)
After the Gospel of Matthew, this is probably the ultimate Christmas story. There aren't many readers unfamiliar with the nocturnal adventures of Ebenezer Scrooge and the three ghosts who teach him the folly of his greedy miserly ways.
There are several movie versions both with live actors and animated. But Dickens' classic tale is a treat for readers and works wonderfully as a story to be read aloud to children of all ages. Dickens is at heart a Christian moralist whose own childhood of poverty influenced the stories that brought him fame and fortune unequaled in his time.
Look for the Modern Library edition with a introduction by novelist John Irving, himself something of a Dickensian storyteller.
• Christmas Story: The Book That Inspired the Hilarious Classic Film by Jean Shepherd (Broadway, 144 pages $14.95)
Jean Shepherd is almost forgotten today, but during the Sixties he was a hugely popular New York City based late night radio broadcaster on WOR. Unlike most radio broadcasters, Shepherd eschewed standard radio fare like playing records or taking phone calls in favor of long format storytelling. His stories often evoked nostalgia for a bygone era.
This tale of Christmas Past is well known as the basis for the perennial holiday classic movie that runs for 24 hours during the holiday season on cable TV. Is there anyone who doesn't know the story of Ralph Parker who wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, the lamp shaped like a woman's leg, and the tongue frozen to the flagpole?
This volume of Shepherd's tales would make a swell gift for passionate fans of the holiday classic, as well as lovers of humorous prose.
• The Wheelsmen by Ric Mixter (Airworthy Productions, 200 pages, $19.99)
A few years back I profiled area video writer/producer/director Ric Mixter who had gained national fame as one of the foremost authorities on shipwrecks of the Great Lakes region.
Recently Ric took the plunge into the dark and icy waters of book publishing with The Wheelsmen. Mixter is a highly sought speaker at museums and schools, having amassed a treasure chest full of fascinating stories of shipwrecks such as the legendary wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
A terrific gift for anyone interested in Great Lakes history or maritime adventures. Available at local museums and through Amazon.com.
• Decoded by Jay-Z (Spiegel and Grau, 336 pages, $35)
• ‘Life’ by Keith Richards with James Fox (Little, Brown and Co., 576 pages, $29.99)
• Just Kids by Patti Smith (Echo, 320 pages, $16)
While you can't always get what you want during the holidays, sometimes music fans and book lovers can get what they need, which might include these three volumes of musical memoirs from pivotal artists that transcend the vagaries of disposal Pop or the Black Hole of ‘1-Hit Wonders’.
First the chart busting rapper/producer/entrepreneur Jay-Z soared up the best seller list with Decoded. The book is no tell-all list of bedroom escapades and backstage groupie romps. Jay-Z traces the roots of his epic raps from his beginnings in a Brooklyn housing project to his rise to the top of the business world of Madison Avenue. He also explains the origins of his rhymes and decodes the studio wizardry that made him an international superstar.
Rolling Stones fans are getting a guided tour through Keith Richards' Life (penned with James Fox) which lays bare the years of great music and devoted dedication to the Rock ‘n Roll outlaw lifestyle that have made Richards a living legend. Richards details his half-century of ups and downs with Mick Jagger and the concert magic and studio wizardry that earned The Stones the title of the greatest rock band in the world. At almost six hundred pages (yes, Keith does have quite a life to tell) its $30 list price is the bargain of the season.
Patti Smith (who married Fred “Sonic” Smith of Detroit's MC5) looks back at her love affair and later friendship with the notoriously talented photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in Just Kids. Smith and Mapplethorpe met up shortly after she hit The Big Apple and they shared an apartment while both dreamed of becoming famous (albeit serious) artists.
Unlike millions of other would-be Warhols and Elvises, they both succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
Like the writings of her idol William S. Burroughs, this gritty tale of urban bohemians might not be everyone's cup of absinthe, but it will resonate with Smith fans who connected with her music and lyrics like the shocking “Jesus died for someone's sins but not mine.”
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin Paperback, 352 pages, $16)
Attempting to rebuild her life after a painful and protracted divorce, suburban wife and almost-mother Gilbert sets off on that oldest of quests: the journey of self-discovery.
She hits Rome for lavish meals and sparkling conversation. Then it's off to Mumbai to see if visiting an ashram will bring her closer to God and enlightenment. Finally she treks to Bali for more soul searching and some hot wet monkey love (not literally, you sick twist).
A friend of J. D. Salinger once described the reclusive author as a “profoundly serious guy on a search for God”. Gilbert's tale has the same goal, but her tone is much lighter and more self deprecating.
Probably not a good gift for the wife or girlfriend if your relationship is on the rocks. But an excellent gift for females whose tastes run a little deeper than Nora Roberts and Jackie Collins.
• The Walking Dead: Book 1 by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, Charles Adlard (Image Comics, 304 pages, $34.99)
How the hell did AMC become the home of the best dramas on television?
The Walking Dead premiered on Halloween night, racking up ratings that almost tripled those of Mad Men's season finale. The intense and gruesome story of a small group of people attempting to survive some sort of zombie apocalypse is adapted from a highly regarded comic book of the same name.
The first series of comics is collected in a very graphic novel. Like the flesh eating it showcases, this book might be considered sickening and revolting by many readers, but if there is a serious lover of tales of the undead among your family or friends, this should be on your shopping list.
Big Hair and Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swinging '70's by Dan Epstein (Thomas Dunne Books, 352 pages, $25.99)
Fellow Review writer Bo White was thrilled when I turned him on to this wonderful collections of stories and observations of America's Pastime during the era of That Seventies Show. His article about the book appears in this issue of Review.
The age of Afros and Astroturf in some ways seems as distant now as the days of The Sultan of Swat and The Georgia Peach (Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb for you youngsters).
Still, you don't need to be an avid baseball fan to enjoy the scores of memorable characters and amazing tales, such as the unbelievable but true story of the Pittsburgh Pirates' LSD gobbling pitcher Dock Ellis who somehow managed to pitch a no-hitter on acid. But it makes a terrific gift for dedicated fans, especially if they lived through the Seventies.
• Straight Down the Middle: Shivas Irons, Bagger Vance, and How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Golf Swing by Josh Karp (Chronicle Books, 256 pages, $23.99)
In the interests of full disclosure I must confess that the author is a dear friend of mine, but like several of my friends, he's also an extremely gifted and very funny writer.
Having written the seminal biography of Lampoon founder Doug Kenney (A Futile and Stupid Gesture), he takes up the challenge of Caddyshack's offbeat Zen master Ty Webb to “be the ball” and tries to improve his game by not trying, but doing.
Imagine Yoda teaching Luke how to golf. It's a lot like that. One of his golf gurus urges him to try not keeping score, an exercise that most duffers I've spoken to find incomprehensible. This book is a fun read, even for non-golfers (like me) and will please any golfer on your shopping list.
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Dec 09, 2010
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