“On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religion, Fault Lines – And Future is written by Karen Ellott House, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has been visiting the kingdom for more than 30 years. Saudia Arabia is a country of great importance to the world, but one that most people know little about, one of the last …
“Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple is our new go-to book for anyone who needs to get out of the doldrums, who needs a good belly laugh. A funny funny new novel by the author of This One is Mine, this rockin’ story takes on the PC world of Seattle (Microsoft, rampant blackberry vines, over-polite drivers, coffee shops on every …
“One of my favorite books of the season—and one of the most touching and inspirational (which sounds way smarmier than the book is)—is the true story of a son and his mother who start a ‘book club’ that brings them together as her life comes to a close. The End of Your Life Book Club ($25; Knopf), …
“In a year when so many good cookbooks have been published, one merits our special attention due to its popularity with cooks across the country. I’m talking about Cook’s Illustrated’s The Science of Good Cooking: Master 50 Simple Concepts to Enjoy a Lifetime of Success in the Kitchen ($40, America’s Test Kitchen). Cook’s Illustrated is one of our favorite …
“Wouldn’t it be cool if you were just walking down NE Broadway and out of nowhere someone began dancing, I mean really dancing, when you least expected it? Wouldn’t that make you smile? . . . So imagine a whole book of such things. That’s what photographer Jordan Matter started by asking a member of the …
“When I was a kid, I used to love to play with my Spirograph, happily making designs for hours. Did you do that too? The geometric drawing toy was first developed by British engineer Denys Fisher. It has been a registered trademark of Hasbro, Inc., since that company bought the Denys Fisher company. Now Klutz …
“The entire body of ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ cartoons is now available in four full-color paperback volumes in a sturdy slipcase: The Complete Calvin and Hobbes — and it’s only $100!! Combining the richly conceived characters and efficient drawing of “Peanuts” with the visual virtuosity and linguistic playfulness of “Pogo” and “Krazy Kat,” Watterson applied his intelligence …
“Did you make it to the recent Springsteen concert? Who doesn’t love The Boss? Peter Ames Carlin’s book, Bruce, is the first biography of Bruce Springsteen in twenty-five years to have been written with the cooperation of the man himself. Allowed unprecedented access to the artist as well as his family and band members, Carlin’s assessment of …
“Roots: the Definitive Compendium with More than 225 Recipes (Chronicle, $40), by Diane Morgan. Roots, rhizomes, tubers, corms. Lotus root, salsify, malanga, crosne. Diane Morgan is a Portland writer who truly belonged in our local writers cookbook blog post. (What a major oversight on our part!!) The introduction alone is a celebration of the world of gnarly …
“Star Wars Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle. This gorgeous $50 hardcover book is the definitive history of all-things Star Wars, a coffee-table book celebrating four amazing decades of the Star Wars experience. This is truly the book for the Star Wars fans of all ages . . . Star Wars Origami: 36 Amazing Paper-Folding Projects from a Galaxy Far, Far …
