Hear ye! Hear ye! This be the last newsletter before the Great Reckoning Wherein We Shall Wear Pajamas All Day and Do Nothing But Read, which means this will be the final list of Books You Should Buy For Yourself, er—For Those Who Will Lend You Such Books When . . . whatever. You know the drill.
Firstly, let's just note that if you're having trouble sleeping these days, we have something for you.
No, wait. That might not work like it's supposed to. How about this?
There we go. Here come slumberland!
Also, this is the time of year when folks start thinking about travel plans for the new year. May we suggest . . .
or . . .
Speaking of best kept secrets, did you know there is a new
Star Wars movie out this week? We must have missed the marketing blitz.
Anyway, DK's got a new Visual Dictionary for all the fine fashions and deadly weapons that will be wrecking galaxies. There's probably a spoiler of some kind on that cover, and we regret ruining some part of the fun for you.
And speaking of wrecking things, apparently Manuel Villacorta has solved one of the great mysteries: how to help dudes cook without burning things. Villacorta's
Essential Cookbook for Men purports to combine a "love of good food, evidence-based nutrition, and clear unfussy instructions." Well, if by "unfussy" instructions, they mean flowcharts and pictograms, then, sure, that's a win.
We also love how the marketing copy claims "like all the best cookbooks for men, this one walks you through all the kitchen basics—stocking the pantry, creating shopping lists, reading recipes." Unlike all the cookbooks for, say, women, which assume you've got those basic skills down and are ready for something a little more complicated than "sear some meat and veg, and then put it in a bun."
Have we mentioned recently that there are three volumes in Brian Hart Hoffman's
Bake from Scratch series? No? There are three volumes. Volume 4 is coming in March. Let's all go make cool stuff, shall we?
Oh, whew. A new James Patterson book. This is less contentious. Well, until you start reading, and then it's a whirlygig of twists and turns and plot contrivances! James's sole job here is to keep you distracted for a couple of hours while the men in your household are attempting to read the instructions on the packaging for the holiday meal they've volunteered to prepare. "Knock yourself out," you say. "Me and Patterson are going to check out for awhile."
Thanks, James Patterson. You're always there for us.
After that, it turns into travel guides and manga collections. Assuredly, there is something in either category for everyone out there. Trust us.
And finally, we'll leave you with Gaston Dorren's Babel: Around the World in Twenty Languages. While English is widely spoken, it only covers about 20% of the world's population. Dorren has done some math and figures that in order to speak with just half of the world 7.4 billion people, you'd need to know twenty languages. Babel: Around the World in Twenty Languages takes you on a tour of those twenty languages.
Ah, yes. A world tour you can take in your pajamas. We can get behind that plan.
Prior to then, we'll be around. Stacking books in bags. Making sure everyone goes home with something that will delight them. 'Tis the magic of your favorite bookstore, after all.
Happy holidays, dear readers.
