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I NEED A GIFT
FOR...
MEMOIR, BIOGRAPHY
MY FATHER, WHO REFUSES TO READ ANYTHING
LONGER THAN A MAGAZINE ARTICLE.
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NOT
QUITE WHAT I WAS PLANNING: SIX-WORD MEMOIRS BY WRITERS
FAMOUS AND OBSCURE
By RACHEL FERSHLEISER and LARRY SMITH, Editors
Harper Perrenial
Stories
don't get any shorter than the ones featured in Not
Quite What I Was Planning. The editors of SMITH
magazine asked every writer contributing to this book
to describe their lives in exactly six words, and the
results vary from the thoughtful (Chuck Klosterman contributed,
"Nobody cared, then they did. Why?") to the bizarre
(Amy Sedaris wrote, "Mushrooms. Clowns. Wands. Five.
Wig. Thatched"). The book may sound gimmicky, but the
results are clever and, at times, surprisingly poignant.
Plus, when your dad is through, he'll be able to say
that he has read hundreds of miniscule memoirs. (Yennie
Cheung)
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MY FRIEND WHO LIKES HAVING WEIRD
"BOY PROJECTS" TO DO.
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A
DEVIL TO PLAY: ONE MAN'S YEAR-LONG QUEST TO MASTER THE
ORCHESTRA'S MOST DIFFICULT INSTRUMENT
By JASPER REES
Harper
On
a whim, London-based journalist Jasper Rees attempted
to play the French horn at an annual festival for the
British Horn Society. It was a disaster. However, Rees
was determined to return a year later and play a solo
Mozart concerto to a large paying audience. Thus begins
a 12-month journey to perfect the highly difficult French
horn—a journey that can be seen as either a Danny
Wallace-like boy project or a rather charming way of
handling a midlife crisis. (Yennie Cheung)
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AMERICA
UNCHAINED: A FREEWHEELING ROADTRIP IN SEARCH OF NON-CORPORATE
USA
By DAVE GORMAN
Ebury Press
Dave
Gorman, like his friend Danny Wallace (whose lovely
book Yes Man is currently being shat on by Jim
Carey), is no stranger to the so-called "stupid boy
project"—whimsical, wide-eyed exercises in allowing
the male in question to experience the beauty the world
has to offer. America Unchained has Gorman traversing
across the land of 30,000 McDonald's without giving
a single dollar to "the man." Frequenting only non-corporate
businesses is, for Gorman, an exercise in voting with
his dollars, but it also serves as a hilarious travelogue
for some truly amazing off-the-beaten-path locales in
this fine country (i.e. Oregon forest tree-houses).
(Kyle Olson)
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MY
AWESOME BEST FRIEND WHO IS DEALING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS ISSUES
IN HER IMMEDIATE FAMILY.
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SWALLOW
THE OCEAN
By LAURA M. FLYNN
Counterpoint Press
A
powerful examination of the mother-daughter bond and
what it's like to grow up with a parent who suffers
from severe, untreated schizophrenia. Featuring a keenly
intelligent and sensitive narrator, this memoir is especially
adept at articulating the effects of the social stigma
of mental illness, a topic rarely done justice and one
which cuts to the core of anyone who suffers from mental
illness, or loves someone who does. (Julia Watson)
[See
the HBC review]
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MY GRANDMOTHER, WHOSE FIRST PRIORITY
HAS ALWAYS BEEN HER FAMILY.
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ALFRED
AND EMILY
By DORIS LESSING
Harper
In
Alfred and Emily, Nobel Laureate Doris Lessing
explores the lives of her parents, whose lives changed
dramatically after World War I. Alfred, a farmer, was
nearly killed by shrapnel and was left with a wooden
leg. Meanwhile Emily, a nurse, lost the love of her
life when he drowned in the English Channel. Though
the book is billed as a memoir, Lessing spends half
the book imagining what sort of life the two might've
had if the war had not ravaged it before examining her
family dynamic in the shadow of the Great War. (Yennie
Cheung)
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MY FRIEND WHO TENDS TOWARD MENDACITY.
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PHONY!
HOW I FAKED MY WAY THROUGH LIFE
By ANDREA STANFIELD
Prometheus Books
To
get a better job, Stanfield embellished her resume a
little, and ended up enduring years of anxiety as the
one little lie grew and grew and grew. Would she be
willing to give up the big house and fancy clothes and
come clean? Phony! serves as an object lesson
for all those who think one little tiny lie couldn't
hurt anyone. (Marie
Mundaca)
[See
the HBC review]
[WIN THIS BOOK!]
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MY ENGINEER GRANOLA EATING FRIEND WHO
LOVES COMPOSTING AND BIKING.
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GREASY
RIDER: TWO DUDES, ONE FRY-OIL-POWERED CAR AND A CROSS-COUNTRY
SEARCH FOR A GREENER FUTURE
By GREG MELVILLE
Algonquin Books
Two dudes travel across country in a fry-car, a diesel
engine car that's been converted to run on used cooking
oil. Along the way they bicker, and learn more about
living green than two guys should. (Marie Mundaca)
[See
the HBC review]
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MY FATHER, WHO LOVES MATH AND THE HISTORY
OF MATH AND WOULD SELL HIS SOUL FOR ORIGINAL WORKS OF LEONHARD
EULER (WHICH ARE WAAAAAY OUT OF MY PRICE RANGE).
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LEONHARD
EULER AND HIS FRIENDS: LEONHARD EULER: SWITZERLAND'S
GREAT SCIENTIFIC EXPATRIATE
By Louis-Gustave Du Pasquier
CreateSpace
Okay,
the original works of Leonhard Euler may be too much,
but chances are good that your father wouldn't already
have a hard-to-find biography of Euler. This translation
of the biography written by Louis-Gustave Du Pasquier
isn't going to be found in stores, given that it was
released from a small print-on-demand press, but Amazon
has it available. (Yennie Cheung)
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HISTORY,
POLITICS
MY
PUB TRIVIA TEAMMATES.
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THE
MENTAL FLOSS HISTORY OF THE WORLD
By ERIK SASS
Collins
Mental_floss
magazine, the trivia magazine designed to "make you
feel smart again" releases another compendium of amusing
and educational facts. The Mental_floss History of
the World covers 60,000 years of human history with
a charmingly nerdy enthusiasm that makes books full
of facts go down much sweeter. Your pub trivia teammates,
with their thirst for knowledge (and Hefeweizen), will
benefit from the primer of an entire trivia genre. (Kyle
Olson)
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MY BROTHER, WHO LIKES HISTORY AND CONSPIRACY
THEORIES.
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THE
TELEPHONE GAMBIT: CHASING ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL'S SECRET
By SETH SHULMAN
W. W. Norton
History
books cite Alexander Graham Bell as the inventor of
the telephone, but science journalist Seth Shulman made
an interesting discovery that just might discredit Bell's
success. After reading Bell's journals, Shulman noticed
a few interesting things that led him to believe that
Bell might have stolen ideas from rival inventor Elisha
Gray, who filed for a telephone patent the same day
as Bell. Add that to the events that explain why Bell
was given the patent instead of Gray, and we have what
may be a true government conspiracy with an American
icon at its center. (Yennie Cheung)
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MY UNCLE, THE HISTORY
BUFF.
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THE
NEW YORK TIMES: THE COMPLETE FRONT PAGES: 1851–2008
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Black Dog & Leventhal
As
the title suggests, this book reproduces the front pages
of the New York Times, along with essays by luminaries
like Sam Tannenhaus and Gail Collins. You're probably
thinking "How could they have all the front pages of
the New York Times in one book?" Well, they can't, and
that's what the DVDs are for. The three DVDs provide
PDFs of all the front pages, along with links to the
stories. A quick perusal of the DVDs shows that things
were just as crazy in 1890 as in 2008. (Marie Mundaca)
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THE
HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN PHOTOGRAPHS
By ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA and GETTY IMAGES
Black Dog & Leventhal
According
to Britannica and Getty, the world didn't begin until
the advent of photography. Some might quibble with that
assessment, but the timelines and short blurbs of important
events, all organized by decades from 1850s until 2008
will keep trivia buffs and history fanatics busy for
weeks, if not months. A DVD provides 20,000 additional
photographs of historical events and people. (Marie
Mundaca)
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SOMEONE
WHO LOVES MEDIEVAL EUROPEAN HISTORY.
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THE
TEMPLARS: THE SECRET HISTORY REVEALED
By BARBARA FRALE
Arcade
The
warrior-monks known as the Order of the Knights Templar
were the medieval world's most powerful military order
and had ties to the Holy Grail (think Indiana Jones
and the Last Crusade). However, the dissolution
of the Knights Templar was a mystery plagued by controversy,
in part because the important transcript of their heresy
trial by the Inquisition had vanished. However, historian
Barbara Frale discovered the transcripts recently in
the Vatican Secret Archives and uncovered the truth
behind their trial. Using her findings as a guide, Frale
chronicles the rise and fall of the Knights Templar,
narrating a tale that promises secret society scandals,
cloak-and-dagger mysteries, and violent religion-fueled
war. (Yennie Cheung)
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MY LIBERAL, NERDY FRIEND (A.K.A. EVERYONE
WHO READS THIS SITE?).
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THE
WORDY SHIPMATES
By SARAH VOWELL
Riverhead
While
Sarah Vowell is a slam-dunk for anyone in the NPR set,
this book only came out in October, so there's a good
chance your friend doesn't own it yet. Vowell's mix
of history, hip pop culture, wit, and honest-to-God
unoffensive patriotism (as opposed to "these colors
do not run" horse-ploppy), is sure to be a hit among
any kind-hearted lefty. (Kyle Olson)
[See
the HBC review]
[WIN THIS BOOK!]
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MY
YOUNGER SISTER WHO IS EASILY FRUSTRATED BY POLITICS AND ISN'T
SURE WHERE SHE STANDS ON THE ISSUES.
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WHAT
YOU THINK YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT POLITICS...BUT DON'T:
A NONPARTISAN GUIDE TO THE ISSUES
By JESSAMYN CONRAD
Arcade
No
one can really blame others for being frustrated and
confused by politics today. With so much hype, spin,
and truthiness, it's hard for anyone to decipher the
real issues from the hype. In What You Think You
Should Know About Politics…but Don't, Jessamyn Conrad
breaks down the issues and explains them without the
slants toward left- or right-wing politics. Though the
presidential election is over, it's still important
information to bear in mind for future elections. (Yennie
Cheung)
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SOMEONE
WHO WISHED THE OTHER MCCAIN HAD RUN THIS YEAR—YOU KNOW,
THE SAME MCCAIN WHO RAN IN 2000.
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MCCAIN'S
PROMISE: ABOARD THE STRAIGHT TALK EXPRESS WITH JOHN
MCCAIN AND A WHOLE BUNCH OF ACTUAL REPORTERS, THINKING
ABOUT HOPE
By DAVID FOSTER WALLACE
Back Bay Books
When David Foster Wallace climbed aboard John McCain's
"Straight Talk Express" media caravan in the early days
of the 2000 presidential primary season, he hoped to
understand why McCain generated so much excitement,
so much attention, so much hope. The Rolling Stone
article—and, eventually, the book—that resulted
provides much more than a snapshot of McCain's 2000
campaign. Wallace articulated his own interior battle
"between cynicism and idealism and marketing and leadership"
reflected in our larger American society. The questions
Wallace raised, and the insights he discovered, are
lasting contributions to our ongoing political discussions
and even our collective sense of political identity.
(Chris Mackowski)
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MY FRIEND WITH A NEW BABY, WHO HAS READ
EVERYTHING BUT NO LONGER HAS TIME TO SIT DOWN.
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THE
ESSENTIAL BARACK OBAMA: THE GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING RECORDINGS
(AUDIO BOOK)
By BARACK OBAMA
Random House Audio
Really,
any good audio book would do, but because I'm picky
about audio books, I'm suggesting one that I know has
good potential to keep a person's attention. This collection
abridges two of Barack Obama's books into one set: Dreams
from My Father and the Grammy-winning The Audacity
of Hope. Obama's reading voice is casual but still
commanding, and he quotes people such as President George
W. Bush by adopting a slight mimic that is an amazing
balance of amusing and respectful. Even if your friend
has read the books, this one's worth checking out on
audio. (Yennie Cheung)
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MY BROTHER WHO WAS CAUGHT UP IN
GRASSROOTS POLITICS THIS YEAR.
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MY
REVOLUTIONS
By HARI KUNZRU
Dutton
Kunzru's fictional account of the real-life radicals
who upended London for a brief period in the 1960s is
a gripping story in its own right, but it's also a cautionary
tale for anyone who thinks quick, decisive action can
make the world a better place overnight. (Brian Hurley)
[See
the HBC review]
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SPORTS
MY BOYFRIEND, A HISTORY BUFF AND
SPORTS FANATIC.
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THE
BALL IS ROUND: A GLOBAL HISTORY OF SOCCER
By DAVID GOLDBLATT
Riverhead
At
992 pages, this book may seem daunting, but you can
assure him that the book is easily readable and accessible
for die-hard footballers to neophytes. Goldblatt truly
does discuss the world's favorite sport on a global
level, spanning the continents as he discusses soccer
from ancient times to present. We'd be remiss not to
mention that your guy might be a bit preoccupied while
as he's reading this massive tome, but if you're not
a sports fan yourself, you can commandeer the remote
control and watch whatever you want instead of ESPN.
(Yennie Cheung)
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THE
BEST GAME EVER
By MARK BOWDEN
Atlantic Monthly Press
THE
GLORY GAME
By FRANK GIFFORD
Harper
Written
by the author of Black Hawk Down, The Best Game Ever
is a 240-page historical narrative of the 1958 NFL Championship
football game between the New York Giants and the Baltimore
Colts. As the title suggests, the game is considered
the best in football history, and it included the first
ever sudden death contest in NFL history. If your boyfriend
truly is a sports fanatic, then he'll know that this
game boasted a whopping 17 future Hall of Famers, including
Johnny Unitas and Frank Gifford. In The Glory Game,
Gifford himself contributes a book of his own experiences
playing in the game as a member of the Giants. Given
that these books are being released on the fiftieth
anniversary of the game, you may win a couple of extra
points for timeliness. (Yennie Cheung)
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MY CHAIN SMOKING WANNABE WRITER FRIEND
WHO SAYS HE HAS NO TIME FOR EXERCISE.
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WHAT
I TALK ABOUT WHEN I TALK ABOUT RUNNING
By HARUKI MURAKAMI
Translated by Philip Gabriel
Alfred A. Knopf
Unlike
other notable figures in the Japanese literary world,
bestselling Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami doesn't
pickle himself with tobacco and alcohol for inspiration.
Once a chain smoking bar owner, Murakami began running
as he wrote his third novel, A Wild Sheep Chase,
and never looked back. Within the pages of his new memoir,
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running,
Murakami writes on the marathons he runs yearly, as
well as aging and writing. Maybe this book can make
an aspiring writer get up and exercise while working
on the pages of the next great novel. (Michael Ward)
[See
the HBC review]
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MY
DAD, WHO LIKES TO READ ONLY GOLF BOOKS.
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THE
DOWNHILL LIE: A HACKER'S RETURN TO A RUINOUS SPORT
By CARL HIAASEN
Alfred A. Knopf
Believe
it or not, there's a lot of humor to be found in golf,
and author Carl Hiaasen does his best to uncover it
in this memoir. Hiaasen, who quit playing the game at
the age of 20, writes about picking up the game after
a 32-year absence, and no aspect of the recreational
sport is left untouched—not the equipment used
to play, not the country club types who play it, and
not even the poisonous toads Hiaasen and his friend
have used as substitute golf balls. (Yennie Cheung)
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