Thursday, December 13, 2018

Gift Guide: IT'S BOOK TIME, Y'ALL.

I went looking for last year's book gift guide and was shocked, SHOCKED, to discover I didn't write one. What is the world coming to. (I did, however, make a million very specific GIFs for our post about the Last Christmas video, so that's way better than books, really.) Anyway, I wrote book gift guides in 2016, 2015, and 2014 and I'm going to do another one right now, though it's slightly problematic because I've shared most my good books in the "stuff I like" entries. Crap.


Oh wait, I thought of a few:



Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II
Y'all I am reading this right now and it is BAD ASS. I have always been interested in the English Enigma codebreakers during WWII but now I'm reading about the women in the USA who did amazing war work and, naturally, were not allowed to talk about it and never got credit for it. I'm so glad these stories are coming out now (seriously, if you haven't watched Mercury 13, you should probably do that right now) but it's frustrating how much of women's history is unknown or disregarded.



King of the Wind 
Y'all know I was a horsey girl when I was little and I read alllllll the horse books. Marguerite Henry was one of the big horsey-girl novelists and even though Misty of Chincoteague gets a lot of love, my very favorite was King of the Wind: The Story of the Godolphin Arabian. It's technically the fictionalized history one of three stallions that founded the modern Thoroughbred but really its just a good adventure story. (The desert! Prophecies! A mute stable boy named Agba! A cat named Grimalkin! Travel! Tribulations! Jail! Triumph!)



Cravings: Hungry for More 
This is on Marianne's list and even though Chrissy Teigen can be polarizing, we both love her and have only heard good things about this, which is her second cookbook. Like, damn, French Toast with whipped honey ricotta topping? Pad Thai Carbonara? SIGN ME UP. (Her first cookbook was also very popular and I don't understand why I don't own it. Hello? Anyone?)



Brooklyn
This is not new, obviously, but if you haven't read this quiet, beautifully written little novel by Colm Toibin, you probably should. It's about the struggle to try to build a life for yourself despite the pull of family obligation. It takes place in the 1950s and is a snapshot into life in NY for a young Irish immigrant. I highly recommend it. (The movie is also quite good but the book is always what I recommend first.)



The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City
Okay, this is one on my wishlist! I absolutely love David Lebovitz's IG account and now I want to read about his adventures in Paris. This isn't his newest book, but it's the one that appeals to me the most because two days in Paris was enough to make me dream about living there. (I'm such a cliche but that shit was magical, y'all.)


If you're looking for a light, fun read, Marianne and I both enjoy Jenny Colgan books, specifically the series about Flora which includes The Cafe by the Sea and The Endless Beach. They aren't great literature but the characters are (mostly) likable and the remote Scottish island setting is wonderful. Also, I just discovered there's a third installment - Christmas on the Island, which I just downloaded on my Kindle. (The reviews tell me the author has a thing or two to say about current American politics in this one which has infuriated some of her readers and just makes me want to read it more. Ha.) 

7 comments:

  1. Off-topic ... did you ever get the lined hoodie from J. Crew? I'm trying to decide between Small or Medium and I can't tell if it fits true to size and I should go up to Medium or if it's slightly oversized so I should stick with Small. I don't want to layer much under it, because it seems like it'd be plenty warm with just one layer. Thanks!

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    1. Yes, I did get it and I've been wearing it. I went with the medium which is too big in the arms but I'm not sure the small would've fit me through the hips. Also, the hood is comically oversized but the lining is surprisingly warm. So, mixed feelings on the hoodie, but it's a hoodie, you know?

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    2. Thanks for the feedback! Yeah, I figure as long as it's a comfy hoodie, it doesn't need be perfect.

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  2. I'm in such a book rut. Nothing I sample grabs me. I finished the Crazy Rich Asians series, which was such a fun escape from our current reality. I guess I have a hangover from it.

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    1. Have you read Brooklyn? Give it a try if you haven't.

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  3. I really liked The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan, even though that's the stupid American version of the title and nowhere in the book is there a bookshop on the corner.

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    1. I've read that one too! They're very comforting books.

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