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Seasons
greetings, everyone,
This
is it, everyone: the final issue of the year. We think we
speak for all of our staff when we declare our excitement
for the holiday tidings we have for you. You've come to spend
some time on our website, and for that, we have honored you
by writing your name in our "list of awesome people." We keep
it in a manila folder with some stickers of puppies and unicorns
on it—and they're all wearing festive holiday outfits.
We are
aware that the holiday season has its fair share of requisite
gift-giving. Surely you have those people in your life who
are exceedingly difficult to shop for: those people who already
have everything, don't like anything, don't know what
they like, or just have incredibly idiosyncratic tastes. Our
solution, however, is always the same: Get them books.
 To
help you with all your literary gift-giving needs, we've created
a nice gift suggestion list, based on what readers have told
us they need to find. We scoured the internet and spent hours
in local bookeries, poring over the shelves for anything published
in 2007 that matches the precise (and occasionally bizarre)
requirements of the people in our readers' lives. So yes,
friends, we can suggest a book for your friend who
has been trying to find a replica of an Australopithecine
skull on eBay. We do have gift ideas for your boyfriend
who loves Norway and elk. And yes, we even have a book for
your sister's boyfriend who plays guitar and is, by some strange
correlation, a Douche (with a capital D, apparently).
The list
was a lot of work, but all in all, it was a rather fun and
informative little quest. Some of the books we've discovered
have turned up on our personal holiday wish lists, too. We
may be selfless and upstanding paragons of virtue and love,
but we like presents, too (hint, hint). The best present you
could give us, though, would be to spread the word about the
Hipster Book Club. Well, that and clicking our links to Amazon
and Powell's before you make your purchases with them.
The best
part about this gift list endeavor, though, is that it continues
our quest to discover and share fascinating literature with
others while doing our best to minimize the dreaded P-word
(pretentiousness). Our gift list includes works from popular
authors and debut novelists, independent artists and respected
scholars, DIY operations and publishing powerhouses. We've
also done our best to cover a variety of tastes, as we know
that a gal who reads Jack Kerouac and Edith Wharton could
just as easily love a book about the Phoenix Suns (and not
just because Yennie's brother calls Steve Nash her "boyfriend").
Any old website can give you a "Best of 2007" list; in fact,
many do. But we've made a purposeful, useful, entertaining
recall of choice selections from all genres: everything from
cookbooks to porn reviews. It's a massive thrill for us bibliophiles
to see dozens upon dozens of book covers from all over the
map. We hope you'll love it, too.
 Additionally,
as always, we have the usual book-related content that you've
come to know and love. Along with an interview with George
Saunders (a.k.a. the award-winning genius who calls himself
an idiot) and some field work assigned by Miranda July and
Harrell Fletcher, we are reviewing a book about cassettes
from beyond the grave, two books about popular rock outfits,
a tale of South African choirboys in a post-Apartheid environment,
and, coincidentally, two novels about Japanese people being
murdered. No offense, people of Japan.
Lastly,
during the holiday season, if you're able, take a moment to
help someone out. The inherent cheer embodied in the holiday
season makes the plight of the less fortunate more tragic,
but it also has the power to make acts of compassion and love
more meaningful. Consider the numerous charities and non-profits
that offer food to the hungry, shelter to the homeless, respite
for the abused, or happiness to those who are sick and away
from home. As much as we love enriching the lives of you—our
friends—with literature we can all enjoy, there are obviously
more basic needs of people everywhere we can band together
to aid.
Anyway,
thanks again for being awesome.
Happy
holidays and a world of peace,
Yennie
and Kyle
(November,
2007)
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