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I NEED A GIFT
FOR...
WRITERS, TRANSLATORS
AN
ASPIRING WRITER WHO CAN'T WRITE!
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THE
SAVAGE DETECTIVES
By ROBERTO BOLAÑO
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
All
of the best characters in this bullet train of a novel
are aspiring writers who can't write, too. They're passionate
poetry students and downtrodden artists in Mexico City
in the 1970s, and they're yearning to spark some kind
of a revolution in politics, sexuality, and literature.
The revolution doesn't work out, but the story
of how it doesn't work out—well, that's a brilliant
work of literature in its own right. (Brian Hurley)
[See
the HBC review]
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AN ASPIRING SCREENWRITER.
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THE
RETURN OF THE PLAYER
By MICHAEL TOLKIN
Grove Press
Studio
executive Griffin Mill got away with murdering a screenwriter
in 1988's The Player (the inspiration for the
great Robert Altman film of the same name). Now he's
back and taking on modern-day Hollywood in Michael Tolkin's
sequel. (Bri Lafond)
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MY BROTHER WHO WANTS
TO WRITE COMEDIES.
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BORN
STANDING UP: A COMIC'S LIFE
By STEVE MARTIN
Scribner
Considering
his success as a novelist (including Shopgirl)
and screenwriter, most readers are probably already
sold on Steve Martin's writing prowess. Here, however,
the comedian turns to nonfiction, telling the story
of his rise to fame. From his youth working at both
Disneyland and cross-town rival Knott's Berry Farm to
his stint working for The Smothers Brothers Show
and beyond, Martin shows readers how tenacity and even
a little fear helped to make him a famous, multi-faceted
entertainer. (Yennie Cheung)
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A PRETENTIOUS JAPANESE
TRANSLATOR WHO THOUGHT JOYCE'S ULYSSES AND DANIELEWSKI'S
HOUSE OF LEAVES WERE "NOT COMPLICATED ENOUGH."
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AGAINST
THE DAY
By THOMAS PYNCHON
Penguin (paperback)
Anyone
who's looking for literature to be "complicated" instead
of "thrilling, moving, and enlightening" will appreciate
the new doorstop from Thomas Pynchon, which—according
to the folks who have actually read it—is a never-ending
labyrinth of random plots, minor characters, and obscure
historical references. Try not to smirk when you hand
this one over with a ribbon and a bow. Oh, and bring
a forklift—it's over 1,000 pages long. (Brian Hurley)
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PEOPLE WHO
APPARENTLY DON'T READ ENOUGH
MY
DAD, WHO WISHES HE HAD TIME TO READ BUT WORKS ALL THE TIME.
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THE
COLLECTED STORIES
By AMY HEMPEL
Scribner (paperback)
Amy
Hempel is known for two things: her brevity and her
poignant prose. Those who haven't much time to read
can pick up the paperback of Hempel's stories and read
a one-page flash fiction piece in about five minutes
of down time. When your dad gets to a longer story,
offer to do a couple of chores for him. It'll only be
a half hour or so out of your life, and he'll probably
appreciate the break. (Yennie Cheung)
[See
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DIVISADERO
(AUDIO BOOK)
By MICHAEL ONDAATJE
Read by Hope Davis
Random House Audio
Those
who don't even have time for flash fiction can pick
up an audio book to listen to during commutes and multi-tasking
opportunities. Actress Hope Davis narrates this new
novel by Michael Ondaatje (author of The English
Patient), which sounds like a winning combination,
but if this doesn't sound up your father's ally, there
are plenty of other great audio books. (Yennie Cheung)
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THE
WORLD WITHOUT US
ALAN WEISMAN
Thomas Dunne Books
The
thought experiment may not be particularly innovative
(what would happen if all the humans were gone tomorrow?),
but the fascinatingly thorough way in which journalist
Alan Weisman imagines a world without humans makes this
one of the most interesting nonfiction titles of the
year. It avoids being preachy or too political, so Dad
doesn't have to be a bona-fide tree-hugger to enjoy
it. Weisman's journalist background makes this perfect
reading for the busy folks in your life—each chapter
reads like an individual article, making this one easy
to pick up and put down or read in little bits before
bed. If that's still too much, try the audio version
for those long commutes. (Jacquelyn Gill)
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A
FRIEND WHO HAS LITTLE TIME TO READ.
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ANT
FARM AND OTHER DESPERATE SITUATIONS
By SIMON RICH
Random House
Ant
Farm is short fiction for the YouTube generation—quick,
witty, unrelated sketch comedies from a twisted pop-culture
mind. (Brian Hurley)
[See
the HBC review]
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NEW
SUDDEN FICTION: SHORT-SHORT STORIES FROM AMERICA AND
BEYOND
By ROBERT SHAPARD and JAMES THOMAS, EDITORS
W.W. Norton
Having
no time to read is no longer an excuse with this collection.
Robert Shapard and James Thomas are the leading purveyors
of very short fiction. Between their flash fiction collections
and this new sudden fiction anthology, Shapard and Thomas
have the reader with the short attention span or the
reader with no time covered. Each of these sixty stories
are is under 2,000 words and shouldn't take more than
a few minutes at a time to read. (Bri Lafond)
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SOMEONE
WHO WANTS TO KNOW WHY SHORT STORIES ARE WORTH THEIR TIME.
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LIKE
YOU'D UNDERSTAND, ANYWAY
By JIM SHEPARD
Knopf
People
who don't like short stories aren't reading good enough
short stories, and they're definitely not reading Jim
Shepard. Shepard mines the back pages of history and
the shadows of American life to give readers gripping
first-person accounts of what it's like to live through
a Soviet nuclear meltdown or become a star on a cutthroat
high school football team in Texas. These aren't exactly
"short stories." They're more like "awesome bits of
life that you never would have imagined before, but
now you can't stop thinking about"—which is exactly
why good short stories are worth anyone's time. (Brian
Hurley)
[See
the HBC review]
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VANILLA
BRIGHT LIKE EMINEM
By MICHEL FABER
Harcourt
The
Crimson Petal and the White's Michel Faber returns
with this collection of short stories. Faber touches
on a wide range of emotions and themes, from the humorous
("Explaining Coconuts") to the heartbreaking ("Someone
to Kiss It Better") to the inexplicable ("The Safehouse").
There are few low notes in these 16 stories which are
sure to convince the greatest cynic of the range possible
in the short story form. (Bri Lafond)
[See
the HBC review]
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TWENTIETH
CENTURY GHOSTS
By JOE HILL
William Morrow
This
may be a diabolical choice, but if nothing else, Joe
Hill's fascinating and terrifying collection will teach
him the power of the short story. Kafka meets The
Twilight Zone in this series of ghost stories with
a twist. The stories are bizarre and truly terrifying,
but also very well crafted and masterfully executed.
Your gift recipient will never believe this was a debut
work…unless he or she knows that Joe Hill is, in fact,
the son of one Mr. King, resident of Bangor, Maine.
(Jacquelyn Gill)
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MY
COWORKER, WHO IS CONVINCED THAT READING IS BORING AND NEEDS
TO BE SHOWN OTHERWISE.
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AN
ELEMENTAL THING
By ELIOT WEINBERGER
New Directions
This
collection of real myths and scientific facts from around
the world and throughout history is almost the opposite
of literature—it's more like received wisdom. Weinberger
breaks down some complicated ideas and builds them back
up again as poetic fragments. Reading this book doesn't
feel like reading—it feels like tapping into the
subconscious mind of human civilization. (Brian Hurley)
[See
the HBC review]
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PEOPLE WHO
APPARENTLY DO READ ENOUGH
A
PERSON IN MY COMMUNITY WHO HAS READ EVERYTHING AND NEEDS NEW
SUGGESTIONS.
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THE
ADVENTURES OF AMIR HAMZA
By GHALIB LAKHNAVI and ABDULLAH BILGRAMI
Modern Library
This
book has been around for centuries—how could your
community buddy have missed it? The answer is simple:
this Seventh Century Indo-Persian classic is only now
being translated, unabridged, into English. The premise
should be familiar—an epic story told in an oral
tradition of one man's travels through various lands—but
substitute Odysseus for Amir Hamza, the uncle of the
prophet Muhammad, and you have a classic Islamic hero's
story. (Yennie Cheung)
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(NOT THAT YOU ASKED): RANTS, EXPLOITS, AND OBSESSIONS
By STEVE ALMOND
Random House
When
your acquaintances have finished (Not That You Asked)
, a hilarious collection of autobiographical pieces
about obsession, they will thank you for finding their
new favorite author. Almond delves into such varied
topics as Kurt Vonnegut (the best in the book), masturbation,
Oprah's book club, blogs, and fake breasts. Some overly-revealing
authors quickly become obnoxious and self-serving in
their fixations, but Almond stays fresh and funny throughout.
(Jacquelyn Gill)
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AUTHOR/MOVEMENT
PREFERENCES
A
FAN OF THE BEAT GENERATION.
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ON
THE ROAD: THE ORIGINAL SCROLL
By JACK KEROUAC
Viking
WHY
KEROUAC MATTERS: THE LIFE LESSONS OF ON THE ROAD (THEY'RE
NOT WHAT YOU THINK)
By JOHN LELAND
Viking
To
commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of On the Road,
Viking has published three Jack Kerouac-related books
(the third being an anniversary edition of the book).
Written as one long paragraph, The Original Scroll
isn't necessarily an easy read, but Beat fans will enjoy
reading the unedited sections and seeing the characters'
real names—Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs,
and of course, Neal Cassady—intact. John Leland's
look at this hipster classic debunks the mythology behind
the themes and the making of the book. (Yennie Cheung)
[See the HBC review of Why
Kerouac Matters]
[Win On the Road:
The Original Scroll!]
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MY
BABYSITTER, WHO WANTS TO EXPLORE EDITH WHARTON BEYOND THE
AGE OF INNOCENCE.
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THE
NEW YORK STORIES OF EDITH WHARTON
By EDITH WHARTON
New York Review Books Classics
This
collection comprises twenty of short stories spanning
the course of Edith Wharton's career. As the title suggests,
the stories all take place in Wharton's best-known setting:
New York City. Plus, readers are treated to some of
Wharton's most engaging topics: high society, struggling
artists, and conflicts of morality. (Yennie Cheung)
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EDITH
WHARTON
By HERMIONE LEE
Knopf
Hermione
Lee redeems the image of Edith Wharton as a modern,
cutting-edge storyteller in this lengthy and well-researched
biography. Most critics have dismissed Wharton as hopelessly
bourgeois, but Lee—combining biography with close
readings of Wharton's texts—reveals otherwise in
this definitive biography. (Bri Lafond)
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MY FRIEND, WHO LOVES AIMEE BENDER AND
KELLY LINK.
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TWIN TIME: OR, HOW DEATH BEFELL ME
By VERONICA GONZALEZ
Semiotext(e)
In
a lyrical blend of reality and fantasy, Veronica Gonzalez
tells the story of Mona, a woman in search of her twin
and the truth about her parents. Twin Time takes
readers from Mexico City to Los Angeles, London, New
York, and a fairy tale forest full of feral children,
Nordic giants, and a twin Mona didn't know existed.
Gonzalez artfully plays with dual narratives, unreliable
narrators, and post-modernism. (Marie Mundaca)
[See
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MY
TEENAGE STUDENT, WHO LOVES AUGUSTEN BURROUGHS AND DAVID SEDARIS.
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THE NEW KINGS OF NONFICTION
By IRA GLASS, EDITOR
Riverhead Trade
The
New Kings of Nonfiction is the a mostly amusing,
sometimes serious collection of feature journalism at
its fact-finding, story-prodding best. Anyone who appreciates
a fast-paced, intriguing read but doesn't want to commit
to 300-plus pages on the same theme, will really dig
this book. Contributors include David Foster Wallace,
Susan Orlean and Chuck Klosterman. (Samantha Storey)
[See
the HBC review]
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LOOK ME IN THE EYE: MY LIFE WITH ASPERGER'S
By JOHN ELDER ROBISON
Crown
John
Elder Robison is Augusten Burroughs's older brother,
but this memoir is not about the author of Running
with Scissors. Rather, this is a look into the life
of the man who struggled all his life to communicate
with others, created KISS's fire-breathing guitars,
and was diagnosed at the age of 40 with a form of autism
known as Asperger's. (Yennie Cheung)
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THE
WORST YEARS OF YOUR LIFE: STORIES FOR THE GEEKED-OUT,
ANGST-RIDDEN, LUST-ADDLED, AND DEEPLY MISUNDERSTOOD
ADOLESCENT IN ALL OF US
By MARK JUDE POIRIER, EDITOR
Simon and Schuster
Geared
toward dispelling the myth of high school being "the
best years of your life," Mark Jude Poirier serves up
this collection of short stories from a wide range of
authors including George Saunders, Jennifer Egan, Jim
Shepard, and A.M. Homes. Packed with plenty of nerdiness
and angst, these twenty stories are sure to satisfy
fans of Burroughs and Sedaris as well as introduce readers
to lots of new must-read authors. (Bri Lafond)
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ABSURDISTAN
By GARY SHTEYNGART
Random House (paperback)
It's
easy to move from Burroughs and Sedaris over to the
fiction shelf—after all, those so-called memoirists
are just making stuff up as they go along, right? So
give your student a copy of Absurdistan. It's
a hilarious and politically volatile comedy about the
multicultural fiasco that ensues when a small, oil-rich
nation in the Near East is suddenly plunged into civil
war. That sounds more like a headline than a fiction
synopsis, but seriously—it's funny. (Brian Hurley)
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MY GEORGE SAUNDERS-LOVIN' PAL.
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KISSSSSS
By STEVE KATZ
Fiction Collective 2
In
this short story collection, a man's head falls off
during cunnilingus, an African Grey parrot addresses
the difficulties of birds in war-torn countries, and
a young man tries to escape his cannibal parents. Katz
is humorous and subversive. (Marie Mundaca)
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MY FRIEND WHO LOVES LORRIE MOORE.
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BED
By TAO LIN
Melville House Publishing
Many
things can be resolved in bed—lovers' spats, or
whether the Loch Ness Monster is real. In this book
of short stories, both love and sea monsters may or
may not exist. There are also giant squid, moms who
like TV too much, young women who work at Denny's and
like to toilet paper houses, and other aimless young
people who are like "ghosts with a cold." All of Tao
Lin's characters are brought to life in eloquent, strange
prose. You might think of this book as Lorrie Moore
taken to even more of an absurd, minutiae-obsessed extreme.
(Jen Penkethman)
[See
the HBC review]
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MY BEST FRIEND, WHO IS MORE IN LOVE
WITH MIRANDA JULY THAN KYLE IS.
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EEEEE
EEE EEEE
By TAO LIN
Melville House Publishing
Have
your friend check out Tao Lin, a friend of Miranda July's.
In this novel, bears are bored, hamsters live in a secret
world under the street, and a dolphin kills Elijah Wood.
This is all before the part where the president shows
up at a poetry reading and says he is an alien. Tao
Lin throws these materials together in a story loosely
based around the life of a pizza delivery guy who is
in love with a girl who never actually makes an appearance
in the story. What does a talking bear have to do with
unrequited love? I'm not sure, but I find this book's
caustic examinations of pop culture irresistibly entertaining.
(Jen Penkethman)
[See
the HBC review]
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THE
PRINCIPLES OF UNCERTAINTY
By MAIRA KALMAN
Penguin
Picture
Miranda July in middle age, and you may find the ghost
of Maira Kalman—a woman whose work your friend
may recognize from 2005's The Illustrated Elements
of Style or the covers of The New Yorker.
The Principles of Uncertainty is a trapdoor into
Kalman's psyche, investigating the existential in a
book that defies compartmentalization. Is it a chapbook?
A whimsically drawn autobiography? A grown-up zine?
Or is it a record of the secret thoughts we speak out
loud when we think we're alone? Kalman addresses the
Big Questions, but manages to keep her feet on the ground
and her head in the clouds at the same time. (Jacquelyn
Gill)
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