Perfect Gifts
Everyone deserves the perfect gift
Year of Wonder: Classical Music to Enjoy Day by Day by Clemency Burton-Hill (2018) - My husband and I have been having a rich and melodious time over the past week enjoying this book together each day. Author Burton-Hill, a host on BBC radio, has brilliantly curated a varied and fascinating collection of 366 classical works that take the reader on a journey to learn about the wonders of classical music. Her page-long descriptions of the pieces are informative and full of fun facts and allow readers to consider and discuss pieces as they listen (works are easily pulled up on YouTube or Spotify). New Year’s Day started off with Bach’s Mass in B Minor (did you know that Bach wrote over 3,000 pieces and had 20 children?) and tonight we will listen to Poulenc’s “Les Chemins de l’Amour (January 7, 1899 was Poulenc’s birthdate). We already feel enriched by this book and feel lucky to be sharing this musical learning experience over the year to come. After only one week, we would give this book a standing ovation. ~Lisa Cadow Afoot and Lighthearted: A Journal for Mindful Walking by Bonnie Smith Whitehouse (2019) - “Solvitur Ambulando.” Translated from the Latin, this phrase roughly means ”it is solved by walking.” As an avid perambulator, I couldn’t agree more with this premise. This lovely little book walks the reader through ways to be more present, to ease anxiety, to inspire creativity, to increase productivity, and to step away from their phones. It also includes interesting exercises and spaces for written reflection. A wonderful gift for yourself to encourage a more active and mindful year or for the friend you know who loves to take a stroll to help solve it all. Whether or not you decide to bring this book into your life, be sure to remember as you step into 2020 that “there is pleasure in the pathless woods” (Lord Byron). ~Lisa Cadow Coffee table books for all agesAround the World in 80 Novels by Henry Russell (2019) - We wish we could take this book and travel to each destination while reading the book(s) recommended for that particular stop on this around the world tour. For now, we will settle for giving this as a gift to dads and grads who love travel and/or books. And, we will try to visit a few of the destinations while reading many of the recommended books. We also may try to use it at our next dinner party to debate which novels we would have chosen for each destination instead. ~ Lisa Cadow and Lisa Christie Very Good Lives by JK Rowling (2015) Ms. Rowling's 2008 Harvard commencement speech lovingly illustrated in this book offers the perfect place to insert the check you were planning to give your god-daughter or grandson or son or niece on their graduation. Or, it is the perfect gift on its own for your favorite neighbor or babysitter upon his graduation. Ms. Rowling hits on failure and responsibility and of course imagaination. ~ Lisa Cadow and Lisa Christie Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany by Janet Mount (2018) – For the voracious book omnivore in your life, this cleverly curated offering will feel perfectly at home decorating a coffee table, in a well-stocked bathroom, or simply piled by the bedside. Wherever it lives, however, it will always find itself in someone’s hands. The colorful cover illustration entices the viewer to open the book and once in, provides much food for thought: What are the best bookstores in New York City (including the quizzes that they offer potential new hires!)? What are some of the most iconic book covers of the past several decades? Name some of the best literary cats! There are even “Bibliophile” notecards and a daily planner that can accompany this lovely gift. ~Lisa Cadow The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane, illustrated by Janet Morris (2017) – This gorgeous, oversized picture book could be gifted equally to the word lovers, nature-enthusiasts, etymological historians, and art-appreciators in your life. The Lost Words is a most thought-provoking recent compilation that challenges readers of any age to consider why words disappear — or, conversely, are born. It highlights and lushly illustrates words such as “dandelion,” “willow,” and “otter” that were, in the most recent revision of the Oxford Junior Dictionary, edited out of the compilation by the Oxford University Press. In their place, were put new ones such as “blog”, “broadband”, “chatroom”, “committee”, and “voice-mail.” This is a beautiful conversation piece – perusing it makes the reader feel as if she is taking a stroll through the English countryside – that will challenge all who encounter it to take a moment to reflect on our rapidly changing, albeit still stunning natural world. ~Lisa Cadow and Lisa Christie Atlas of Animal Adventures and Atlas of Dinosaur Adventures and Atlas of Adventure Wonders of the World by Lucy Letherland (assorted years) – Ms. Letherland wrote one of our favorite oversized picture books of all time – Atlas of Adventure. We are pretty certain we gifted it to just about every family we knew once we discovered it. And, we must say every family thanked us profusely for adding it to their collection. Thus, we were excited to see Ms. Letherland’s illustrations grace these other books. All of these books provide oversized, joyous illustrations and plenty of inspiration to learn more about a wide variety of places and topics. ~ Lisa Christie Everything and Everywhere: A fact filled adventure for curious globe trotters by Marc Martin (2018): This journey around the world is crammed with busy pictures and words that discuss the things and people that make the places depicted unique. The pages almost leap with exuberance into the readers’ imaginations. A superb way to discover, or be reminded how interesting this world can be. ~ Lisa Christie A World of Cities by James Brown (2018): The pictures in this oversized book remind us of vintage travel posters. Their bold graphics inspire. The fun facts sprinkled over each page provide many points for interesting discussions. The pages also give fun tidbits for all the fact-obsessed people throughout the world to add to their repertoire. The 30 dazzling cities Mr. Brown highlights should inspire even the most reluctant arm-chair traveller. Truly a gorgeous conversation starter, and a great gift! ~ Lisa Christie Trekking Beyond by Damian Hall (2018). This book inspires all with gorgeous long walks on every continent. Give it to your favorite traveller, or pick it up and plan your next trip.
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Calypso by David Sedaris (2018) – Mr. Sedaris’s latest collection of essays tackles the “not-so-joyful” aspects of reaching middle age. Perhaps because of this, this collection is not as laugh-out-loud funny as his previous collections. That said, it is impossible for me to read Mr. Sedaris’s work without hearing his distinctive voice in my head, making his wry insights even funnier than they initially appear on the page. And honestly, his perceptive commentary about life’s mundane and heartbreaking moments is superb no matter the level of humor. Pick this up and enjoy or give it as a great gift! ~ Lisa Christie Notorius RBG by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik (2018) – This was the perfect counterpoint for me to absorb last winter/spring after another school shooting. Why you may ask? Well, it reminded me that there are fabulous people out there in high places looking out for people who don’t have voices. It also provided a superb look at the life of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It would also be an excellent primer to read before seeing RBG in theaters. ~ Lisa Christie The Distance Between Us: YA version by Reyna Grande (2016) – This book seems especially important with the recent talk separations of families along the US border and burgeoning hatred towards illegal immigrants. Ms. Grande has adapted her adult memoir for young adults; in it, she tells of her life as a toddler in an impoverished town in Mexico, her three attempts to cross into the USA with a coyote as a young child, her life in LA as an illegal immigrant, how her family gained legal status, and how she managed college. This is not for the faint hearted due to themes of physical abuse and complicated relationships with parents who are always leaving. But it is important to be informed, and this book will put faces on any political discussions about immigration that the teens in your life might encounter. ~ Lisa Christie March: Books One, Two and Three by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell (assorted years) – John Lewis, the Congressman and man who worked with Martin Luther King, Jr., has, with two collaborators, written a memoir in the form of a graphic novel. This series begins with his childhood in rural Alabama and follows Mr. Lewis through meeting Martin Luther King and then his own student activist days in Nashville, and into his life as a Congressman. The pictures explore how his life must have felt during each moment in time. The prose explains what he was thinking as each of the momentous moments of his life unfolds. The 1958 comic book Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story was inspirational to Mr. Lewis and other student activists. We hope March series proves as inspiring to future leaders. ~ Lisa Christie and Lisa Cadow Who is? What Was? Series by assorted authors (assorted years) – We really can not recommend these books highly enough for emerging readers and beyond. The topics are varied, the illustrations humorous, and the information fascinating (e.g., did you know that King Henry VIII was so large he fell out of his coffin?). ~ Lisa Christie and Lisa Cadow Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon (2009) – While the topics are varied, ultimately these essays, often simultaneously poignant and funny, are about the questions one encounters in trying to live a life. Read this if you are questioning things yourself — his insight and experiences might propel you in an unknown direction. ~ Lisa Christie How to be a Woman by Caitlyn Moran (2011) – Every sentence in this raucous, side-splitting book offers exquisite insight into subjects such as women’s shoes, Germaine Greer, strident feminism, motherhood, handbags, hair styles, pornography, surviving puberty, and making it through dating with your self-worth intact — in sum, how to be a woman. Moran has much to offer women as they reflect on their own journeys, and those of their daughters. ~Lisa Cadow |
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