11 books that will keep them on the move
These books will make Christmas 2018 a whole lot easier if you are gifting:
Acts of the Heart by Lynn Nottage (Candlewick). Mary and Emma arrive to their northern cousin’s rural St Louis housewarming party, eager to begin a new life together. But when disaster strikes, and Emma’s father passes, the two have to piece together how to survive with each other – and become a family of their own.
Decoding Amiri Baraka by Andre Holland (Random House). Who is Robert Amsterdam – author of five books and editor of three? And is there any long-simmering tension between Amsterdam and a writer named Wanda Alston, whose work Amsterdam himself has criticised? These are the questions Andre Holland invites us to answer as he follows the unlikely friendship between Amsterdam and Wanda over a period of 10 years.
Yealy by Joshua Ferris (Viking). What happens when Lincoln comes back to Earth and breaks the news that he has to quit his job, live in an apartment alone and go back to square one, one step at a time? A bitterly funny memoir from Oscar-winning screenwriter Joshua Ferris, of Away We Go, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and the screenplay of Trumbo, about the challenges of taking small steps in your life, especially if they are all self-imposed and small.
A History of Jewish Peoplehood: From Ancient Neolithic Life to the Present by Eric Hobsbawm (Verso). What are the realities of Jews in the post-Second World War world? What are the ethics of keeping all of Israel, Egypt and Palestine under one banner and of pushing anti-Semitism? Is there a chance of reconciliation? In the struggle between history, Jews and empire the answers to all these questions, together with the wisdom of the past, are enlightening.
Deeplocal by Tom FitzGerald (Europa Editions). Daring to be like everyone else: how modern urban Chinese immigrants became trusted neighbours in Toronto and a game changer in the city’s housing market. It’s a heartwarming tale of discovering the simple, untarnished and amorphous virtues of friendship, and the miracle of making a corner office of your imagination.
The Art of Being a Woman: A Guide by Lisa Wakoski (Portobello). From nature to fashion, from travel to cooking, the art of being a woman is unique to each woman’s imagination. In this book, Lisa Wakoski looks at the everyday things that make us feel like a woman.
One Man’s Beauty by David Levithan (Random House). A Christmas Special: A Story of Beauty, Money, and New York in the Middle Ages. A story of the humbled warrior of the Papacy who finds himself surrounded by beauty and money, and the woman whose love saves him. A brief but rich collection of illustrations and droll little details.
Gelato Food and Food Movies by Kyle Brasted (Clarion). Giuseppe Biazza knows about pasta, he knows about gelato, and he knows all the best gelato foodies in the world. But is he a true food lover who will now open a gelato shop of his own in Naples? That will be up to a new Canadian paddy. This book, about the best gelato foods and food movies of our time, features gourmet snapshots of what gelato is all about.
Farming Is the New Fashion: Memoirs of an Internationally Sought-After Farmer by Géraldine Oubert (Metropolitan Books). A sad story is brought to life in this beautifully written memoir about being raised in a wealthy French family and finding her true calling as a farmer in the Canadian Rockies. With a wealth of style and technique, this book shows readers that the purpose of farming shouldn’t just be to earn a living – it can be a creative and creative experience as well.