All the Pretty Things: The 2015 Holiday Gift Guide
Books are the best gifts. So give them. And other book-related things.
AandGMerch.com $139
Without lamps, there would be no reading in bed. And reading in bed is everyone’s favorite thing to do in bed, right? Well, at least top three. We adore this table lamp from A and G Merchandise, to better assist you in all your bedtime activities, including reading, of course.
AandGmerch.com $89
Herman Melville would approve.
Word Bookstore
126 Franklin Street, Greenpoint
This newly released collection of Myles’s poems includes some of her classics as well as new works. It’s a wonderful place to start for those uninitiated in her work, and you’d be doing a wonderful thing by initiating the Myles novice.
Word Bookstore
126 Franklin Street, Greenpoint
And as long as you’re getting I Must Be Living Twice for someone, how about also springing for the reissued Chelsea Girls? This beloved autobiographical novel is the ultimate coming-of-age story, and a must-read for anyone interested in New York in the 70s. So, literally everyone these days.
Word Bookstore
126 Franklin Street, Greenpoint
Funny and political, absurdist and astute, Friedlander (comedian and actor in 30 Rock and American Splendor) offers a witty and wonderful look into his wild mind with this book of illustrations and cartoons.
and Eli Horowitz
Word Bookstore
126 Franklin Street, Greenpoint
This challenging collaborative novel explores topics like love and marriage and does so in a compelling, imaginative way that is like nothing we’ve ever read before.
Word Bookstore
126 Franklin Street, Greenpoint
We know, we know: It’s possible that a book centering around the Holocaust is not one that necessarily screams “holiday gift!” to most people. But Shepard’s novel is one of the most compelling and moving things we’ve read all year, and thus is perfect for any lover of smart, good things.
Word Bookstore
126 Franklin Street, Greenpoint
Not that a book should ever be given based on its cover, but also: Isn’t this a great cover? The insides are pretty damned great too, and this collection of Svevonius essays is sure to entertain and provoke anyone who sits down with it.
Word Bookstore
126 Franklin Street, Greenpoint
Know anyone who loves TV and great books? Us too! That’s why we’ve stocked up on Kreizman’s brilliant hardcover version of her wonderful Tumblr of the same name, because we like to make people happy. And this book? Will do the job nicely.
Word Bookstore
126 Franklin Street, Greenpoint
A truly unique, twisting take on the haunted house story, David Mitchell’s latest novel is sure to captivate anyone who falls into its eerie, Shirley Jackson-esque clutches.
Word Bookstore
126 Franklin Street, Greenpoint
This collection of stories from Pulitzer Prize-winning Johnson deal with the usual things: love, loss, disaster, and so on, but Johnson is so deft and masterful in how he handles these well-trod topics that we were left in awe of him and in need of passing this book on to whomever we could.
Word Bookstore
126 Franklin Street, Greenpoint
McCann’s latest was one of our recommended picks in October, and we still marvel at how he was able in this book to so aptly tell “four stories [which] contain moments that range from haunting and tragic to exuberant and life-affirming—often all in the same story.”
by Ida Pearle
Word Bookstore
126 Franklin Street, Greenpoint
This whimsical beautiful children’s book would be the perfect selection for any child you’ve ever heard wonder why the moon follows them home.
Word Bookstore
$18
We only wish we were still young enough to be read to. We guess that’s why there’s audiobooks.
slicemagazine.org, prices start at $18
Slice is a consistently bright spot in the Brooklyn literary magazine scene, and is renowned for publishing emerging authors side-by-side with well-established ones, thus making it the perfect gift for anyone who wants to feel like they’re on the cutting edge of the lit scene, while also having assurance that they’re consuming only the highest quality material.
mhpbooks.com, prices start at $6.99/month
This subscription comes in either digital or print-format and entitles subscribers to one (or both) of two titles offered by the indie publisher each month. We’re big fans of the novella, and love the aesthetics of the versions offered by Melville House. Plus, Svevo’s The Nice Old Man and the Pretty Girl and Turgenev’s First Love are just about perfect examples of the form, we think.
strandbooks.com
Nelson doesn’t just have fans, she has devoted followers, and it’s little wonder why once you read The Argonauts (or, you know, Bluets or anything she’s written), an incredible meditation on desire and love, identity and family.