Dec 14, 2010
Thanks to McSweeney's, we now have a chart on how to pronounce those pesky author names. We recommend a selection of beautiful books fit for any coffee table. Two books we're gifting this holiday season.
The fine folks at McSweeney's put together a recent issue of their magazine and made it look like a newspaper facsimile. The book review section included this handy chart on how to pronounce some of the more difficult author names. There's one on here that Ann and I have been mis-pronouncing all along. How have you been doing with these names?
Kristen called our voice mail line asking for recommendations of good coffee table books. Kristen had just purchased Where to Go When: Great Britain and Ireland, loved it, and wondered what else was out there. After a quick detour to Wikipedia for a little insight into the term "coffee table book," Ann had the following books to recommend:
Of course, being the geek that I am, I chose to recommend some
"nerdier" coffee table books:
My wife is a knitter, so when I heard about the children's book Annie Hoot and the Knitting Extravaganza, I knew I had to get it. And, since it's a picture book about a knitting owl who goes in search of animals who will appreciate her knitted creations, it's also a gift for my kids! Ann found the perfect present for her daughter's sixth-grade English teacher: The Book of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks by Bethany Keely. We've all seen the signs: "Fresh" Milk or "Thanks" for Shopping Here. This small hardcover is a hilarious photo collection of misused quotation marks. It's a "perfect" gift!
For a huge selection of kid's book gift recommendations, be sure to check out our friends at Random Acts of Reading, who have compiled a Holiday Gift Guide along with a wonderful list of Christmas Books to Read With Your Family.