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.

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.

Staff Gift Recommendations: The Conference of the Birds

The Conference of the Birds by Peter Sis
Another beautiful, beautiful book -- a graphic adaption of a very old Sufi folktale, in which a group of birds undertake an epic journey to find their king. Though Sufism is the mystical branch of Islam, this parable about the search for God could and should be looked at through a philosophical as well as spiritual lens. Peter Sis is an award-winning children's book illustrator and his talents are on full, glorious display here. Put that in your Kindle and smoke it!

- Emily

Staff Gift Recommendations: Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie

Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fall-Out by Lauren Redniss
One of the most unique books in the store. A graphic biography of the famous scientists that celebrates their romance and life's work with every detail, down to the glow-in-the-dark cover (get it?). The pages are printed using a method called cyanotype, which produces vibrant, colorful images that fade with extended exposure to light and restore themselves when covered. The author's love for and dedication to her subject matter bursts from the page-- she invented her own typeface and even included gravestone rubbings. This book proves that Kindles could never replace books.

- Emily

Staff Gift Recommendations: The Fifty Year Sword

The Fifty Year Sword by Mark Danielewski (Signed!)

Fans of Mark Danielewski’s House of Leaves, Only Revolutions, and The Whalestoe Letters rejoice! While you’re waiting for Danielewski’s much-anticipated serial novel, The Familiar due out in 2014, we have a treat for you: 14 signed copies of Danielewski’s The Fifty Year Sword! This extraordinary novella from 2005 is yet to be published in the U.S. and hasn’t been available in U.S. bookstores, but we have copies and they’re signed, and if you’re not familiar with this book, it’s beautiful. Illustrated with drawings by Peter van Sambeek, this is essentially a ghost story, but one clearly of Danielewski’s unique imagination and lyrical prose.

Great gift for Danielewski fans, House of Leaves fans, graphic novel fans, fans of ghost stories, and people who know a great book when they see it.

Treat yourself or make someone else very, very happy.

You can pick one up through our website here, in-store, or by calling Book Soup at (310) 659-3110

Staff Gift Recommendations: I, Partridge: We Need To Talk About Alan

I, Partridge: We Need To Talk About Alan
by Alan Partridge
At last! The true story of UK's greatest DJ and talk host. Here, Partridge - with great honesty and a bit of wit - writes about the down and down of his world. Oh, and he's a pal of Steve Coogan.

- Tosh

Staff Gift Recommendations: Republic Lost

Republic Lost by Lawrence Lessig
A must-read expose for the politically inclined or the politically apathetic. Lessig doesn't blame the average American for having given up on the political process, because that process is broken. He even provides suggestions for how we can solve the main issue in American politics, the undue influence that is allowed to corporations by a "government of the people, by the people, for the people". Only once that problem is solved can we hope to make meaningful changes, whatever we think those changes should be.

- Kate

Staff Gift Recommendations: Speaking In Tongues: Wallace Berman & Robert Heinecken

Speaking In Tongues: Wallace Berman & Robert Heinecken by Sam Mellon & Claudia Bohn-Spector
The companion piece to the wonderful Wallace Berman & Robert Heinecken exhibition taking place at Pasadena's Armory Center for the Arts. Curators Sam Mellon & Claudia Bohn-Spector investigate the lasting effect both Berman & Heinecken have had on the world of photography - as well as the special bond between the two. A gorgeous design job, perfectly packaged and limited to 1,000 - and close to sold-out. Pick one up before they're gone.

- Rebekah

Staff Gift Recommendations: Diary of a Rock 'N' Roll Star

Diary of a Rock N Roll Star by Ian Hunter
One of the great classic rock 'n' roll memoirs is now back in print... in the UK, but we have it! Mott the Hoople's Hunter writes about being on the road with great wit, charm, and insight into the world of rock in 1972. Glam lives! (And Rebekah agrees).

- Tosh

Staff Gift Recommendations: Pilgrimage (Signed)

Pilgrimage by Annie Leibovitz
Totally new and different work from the classic photographer. Leibovitz concentrates on objects and homes of legendary figures such as Thoreau, Emerson and... Elvis. Strange, mysterious, and beautiful. Signed copies in stock!

- Tosh

Staff Gift Recommendations: Bad As Me

Tom Waits - Bad As Me
(Special Edition Lyrics Book and Bonus disc)
This is a must have for any fans of Mr. Waits and excellent music. The lyrics book comes with amazing photos and the bonus disc, while only containing three extra songs, makes the whole package. Grab it!

- David

Staff Gift Recommendations: Julius Shulman: Los Angeles

Julius Shulman: Los Angeles
by Sam Lubell and Douglas Woods
No one captures the mid-century California dream like Julius Shulman. His photos bring modern architecture to life. So crisp, so inviting, you want to live in these photos! Give this to the Mad Men fan on your list and pour them a high ball too!

-Dan

Staff Gift Recommendations: An Obscene Diary

An Obscene Diary: The Visual World Of Sam Steward
by Justin Spring and Sam Steward
This photo book supplements Spring's 2010 biography of Steward, a fascinating academic and tattoo artist who was practically a professional homosexual! Carefully cataloging his sexual conquests on index cards (his 'stud file'), Steward was essential to Alfred Kinsey in his sex research. He took photos too, dirty enough to make Tom of Finland blush!

- Dan

Staff Gift Recommendation: Los Angeles Denim Tote!

Denim Los Angeles Tote!
I love this bag! We also carry other versions in black and natural, but the denim is adorable. And stuffed with books it's a perfect gift!

- Paige

Staff Gift Recommendations: Paris to the Past

Paris to the Past: Traveling Through French History By Train by Ina Caro
A brilliant gift for anyone with a love for history, Paris, architecture, French cuisine, and/or travel. If you have any intention of visiting France or have a loved one on their way, this will only enhance their experience...

Twenty-five one day train trips journeying through seven hundred years of French history alongside Ina Caro's spectacular and discerning eye for detail and splendor - A beautiful love story.

-Rebekah

Staff Gift Recommendations: Sacrament

Sacrament by Clive Barker
There is one Clive Barker novel that is not in print in America: Sacrament. The reasons are inscrutable -- this is a crime. But, sly dogs that we are, we've managed to snag a couple of import copies. Sacrament is one of the man's best, and some believe it is his most personal. It's definitely worth your time, and it's the perfect gift for the discerning Barker/fantasy/horror fanatic.

- Manny

Staff Gift Recommendations: Street Boners

Street Boners By Gavin McInnes
This is a great book for the cynical bourgeois fashionista in your life. However, if you have a lot of people like this in your life, please reconsider your life choices.

- Dustin

Staff Gift Recommendations: Photographs A-Z & Never Any End To Paris

Photographers A-Z by Hans-Michael Koetzle
Koetzle's favorite and brief survey of the classic photo books of all time. With reproductions of the original layout - Oh, my, my, a classic!

Never Any End To Paris by Enrique Vila-Matas
What sounds like an iconic and cliche book about a foreigner going to Paris to write, becomes an awesome and twisted tale of European literature and its importance. Best novel of the year!

- Tosh

Staff Gift Recommendations: We The Animals

We The Animals by Justin Torres
Did you love the deep family connection of Tree Of Life, but hate the dinosaurs? This debut novel whispers like the curtains of a dining room window left open in midsummer as three boys come of age in upstate New York. My favorite work of fiction this year.

- Dan

Staff Gift Recommendations: For Foodies & Chefs!

The Family Meal: Home Cooking with Ferran Adria by Ferran Adria
A graphic novel style cookbook by the world's most coveted modern chef. It isn't fussy but rather breezy and perfect for inspiring everyday meals for you and yours. I bought several for gifts. you may want to do the same.

Menu Design In America by Steven Heller, John Mariana, & Jim Heimann
Just right for those that "have everything" - This isn't a book that I would necessarily buy for myself but I would love it as a gift. Great for history lovers and fans of graphic arts.

- Ruth