Holiday Gift Ideas for Her

Gentlemen! Look no further than the Book Soup holiday catalog. We've got what you need for your lady who loves to read...

1) Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham - $28.00

 “Lena Dunham” is not a person anymore. In the few years since “she” has skyrocketed to fame, her name has become a discursive lodestar around which a constellation of buzzwords has gathered: Millenials, Feminism, White Privilege, Twentysomethings, Oversharing, $3,000,000 advances, and on and on. What’s often lost in this flurry of passionately glib chatter is the fact that she’s an honest to god artist. And aside from being a bang-up filmmaker with a powerful vision (when is she gonna make her next movie anyway?), she happens to be a warm and generous writer prepared to confront the most embarrassing and endearing aspects of herself in the interest of making you feel, dear Reader, less awkward and alone.

2) Stone Mattress: Nine Tales by Margaret Atwood - $25.95

Fresh off the triumph of her MaddAddam trilogy, Atwood releases this collection of nine stories. Revolving around themes like lost love and getting older, each of these tales is a gem which could fuel a novel-length book if Atwood had felt so inclined. She kept them short, though, which means we get to enjoy even more of her wonderfully realized characters and settings.

3) Bohemians, Bootleggers, Flappers and Swells: The Best of Early Vanity Fair edited by Graydon Carter with David Friend - $29.95 

From 1913 through the Jazz Age, Vanity Fair served as a hub of American culture. Featuring essays by legendary writers ranging from Gertrude Stein to Langston Hughes, this celebratory collection shines a spotlight on a pivotal time in American history. It provides fascinating insight, all with a wink and a smile. This book is perfect for Gatsby fans, jazz enthusiasts, and/or prohibitionists.

4) Yes Please by Amy Poehler - $28.99

We want to sit at her table! Who wouldn't want pearls of wisdom from the funniest person in Hollywood? She's part advice counselor, part raconteur, and ALL laughs! It's filled with funny stories from her life, too. Hard to believe this is her first book. We'll say yes, please, to the audio book as well.

5) Vivian Maier: A Photographer Found by John Maloof - $80.00

Finally! An all encompassing collection of the incredibly evocative street photography from the now infamous nanny whose work was stumbled upon posthumously by a Chicago historian. Featuring never-before-seen content from her journals and recordings, and lovingly compiled by Maloof himself, this monograph is not to be missed.

For even more gift ideas, browse our holiday catalog here.

STAFF REVIEW: Why L.A.? Pourquoi Paris?

Why L.A.? Pourquoi Paris? An Artistic Pairing of Two Iconic Cities by Diane Ratican.

Many cities of the world like to claim their artistic dominance over cultures both historic and pop but rarely do they live up to the hype. No one can argue about either Paris or L.A.'s right to cultural influence but Ratican makes the point that the two cities have so much more in common than most people would first consider. With the humorous and colorful assistance of illustrators Eric Giriat and Nick Lu she brings both cities charms to life on the page. This is a must have for any lover of Paris style and Hollywood panache.

Reviewed by Brein

Artist: Nick Lu

Artist: Nick Lu

Artist: Nick Lu

http://www.booksoup.com/book/9780991131501

Tell us why you love Los Angeles and/or why you love Paris in the comments section below. We'll choose a name at random on Wednesday, December 17th. The winner will receive a FREE COPY of Why L.A.? Pourquoi Paris? An Artistic Pairing of Two Iconic Cities by Diane Ratican! The winner will need to pick up their book in store. Good Luck!

Holiday Gift Ideas for Him

Struggling with what to gift the men in your life this holiday season? We've all been there. Luckily, any one of these selections from the Book Soup holiday catalog might save you the headache of shopping for your boyfriend, brother, or dad. Whether he's a Civil War enthusiast or diehard Sons of Anarchy fan, we've got a book for you!

1. Beautiful You by Chuck Palahniuk - $25.95

From the author of Fight Club comes a new character, C. Linus Maxwell, with the devilish and enticing nickname, "Climax-Well." Deliciously deviant and sure to be a pageturner. The tag line reads, "A billion husbands are about to be replaced." Need I say more?

2. Easy Street (The Hard Way): A Memoir by Ron Perlman - $26.99

Ron Perlman has had a long and distinguished career in film, but it hasn't been easy! He earned praise in big hit films and TV shows and still suffered through long periods of unemployment. Such is the life of a veteran character actor from the mean streets of NYC. Still, he scored big in Hollywood hits like the Hellboy films & Sons of Anarchy. Perlman does it his way in this fun romp. 

3. Smithsonian Civil War in 3D: The Life and Death of the Soldier by Michael Stephenson & the Smithsonian Institute - $34.95

Move over, Mathew Brady! Take a seat, Alexander Gardner! Pipe down, Timothy H. O’Sullivan! There’s a new way to experience the Civil War and it’s got one dimension on all of you. With the help of this stereoscopic viewer and accompanying paperback, containing excerpts from actual soldiers’ journals along with detailed descriptions of the 3D images, this is as close as you’re gonna get to the horror and the heroism of the Civil War. Immersive, educational, and really quite neat.

4. Here: A Graphic Novel by Richard McGuire - $35.00

The idea of time and space is relative, an invisible accordion of moments. These footnotes hang with temporal gravity, sticky with significance in the mind that assigns it, but remain singular as an experience. Richard McGuire examines this idea in his brilliant graphic novel (expanded from the comic) Here, focusing on a single space while highlighting multiple points and moments in time the invisible accordion is exposed. Here is considered a groundbreaking work whose influence on comics has been echoed for decades.

5. Drunken Cookbook by Milton Crawford - $10.00

We've all been there, drunk and hungry. It's a special time. A time when Taco Bell suddenly sounds like the best idea ever, and the liquor store suddenly feels like a four star restaurant. In other words, a time of bad decisions, decisions you will pay for the next day. Fear not, salvation has arrived and it's called The Drunken Cookbook, and it runs the gamut of delicious recipes to accommodate all of your drunken food desires. As an added bonus, the recipes come with Milton Crawford's hilarious commentary, considering the readers' intoxication level in conjunction with the difficulty level of each dish. Bottoms up!

For more gift ideas, browse our holiday catalog here.

Don't miss author John Safran tonight!

“Those that have been in my vicinity in the last few months know how much I love this book. I leapt for joy when I saw that John had written a book, and literally rushed home to read it in one sitting. John Safran is nothing less than a journalistic god. He is a man with a mission. That mission is to discover the truth behind the weird, the crazy, and the out of the ordinary. He has pushed the “envelope” far past its capacity. I’ve been following his career for quite a while, and this book is nothing led than amazing. His writing is captivating, delicious, and will have you questioning things you never thought you would.  I give this book five star Champion approval, and guarantee that you will be just as happy with it as I am. Read on, my friends.”

– Sarah Anne, Vroman’s Bookstore bookseller

http://www.booksoup.com/john-safran-2014