Let's start with cookies! I'm a self-avowed cookie-aholic and these are arguably the best commercially available cookies on the market (and an Amazon best-seller). You know, those ones you get in a two-pack on the airplane that leave you wanting more, but you're too embarrassed to push the call button and ask for them. I tracked them down and now you can have as many as you want! Biscoff Cookies are made in Belgium and have a rich cinnamon-y flavor and crumbly texture. They're Vegan, Non-GMO; No articificial colors/preservatives; and Nut-Free. They're great to have on hand during the holidays, or anytime you need a cappuccino and cookie break.
__________________________________________________________
Perfect for the readers on your list: Sally Mann's Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs has it all: a fascinating family history, insight into the creative process of this world-renowned photographer, all amply illustrated by the author's own photographs and family archives.
In the prologue to Hold Still, we find the author
in the attic of her family home in rural Rockbridge County, Virginia about to
cut the twine on the first of many dusty cartons of family memorabilia:
“I secretly hoped I’d find a payload of southern gothic:
deceit and scandal, alcoholism domestic abuse, car crashes, bogeymen,
clandestine affairs, dearly loved and disputed family land, abandonments, blow
jobs, suicides, hidden addictions, the tragically early death of a beautiful
bride, racial complications, vast sums of money made and lost, the return of
the prodigal son, and maybe even bloody murder. . . And I did: all of it and
more.” Click here for more.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Here's a tiny coffee-table book that packs a big wallop and is easy on the wallet. We Go to the Gallery is a wickedly funny send-up of the art
world. I keep a copy on my coffee table. Inevitably it gets passed around the room -- you can track its whereabouts by the outbursts of laughter. Based on the British Ladybird early learning
children's books of the 1960s (on this side of the pond, think Dick & Jane) We Go to the Gallery invites us to “join John and Susan on their exciting journey through the art
exhibition, where, with Mummy's help, they will discover the real meaning of
all the contemporary artworks, from empty rooms to vagina paintings or giant
inflatable dogs.”
__________________________________________________________
I couldn’t keep these books in stock at the
Offramp Gallery Bookstore over the holidays. The suggested age range for the Mini Masters Boxed Set of board books is 3-5, but they’re appropriate for those precocious younger
kids on your list as well. Playful rhyming texts accompany beloved masterpieces by Degas, Mondet, Matisse and Van Gogh. Included in the set are Dancing with Degas, A Picnic with Monet,
A Magical Day with Matisse, and In the Garden with Van Gogh.
__________________________________________________________
Like most new books about Van Gogh, Martin Bailey’s Studio of the South: Van Gogh in Provence puts forth a new theory about Van
Gogh’s self-mutilation and increasing madness. Bailey theorizes that Van Gogh
may have received a letter from his brother Theo announcing his engagement to
Johanna Bonger a few hours before he cut off his ear, not afterwards
as generally accepted.
Studio of the South covers the 444 days the artist
spent in Arles, from the time he left Paris until he checked himself into the
asylum at Saint-Rémy in May 1889. Drawing from Van Gogh’s own letters and
meticulous research, Bailey vividly details Van Gogh’s life and work in the
yellow house on the Place Lamartine in the village of Montmajour. Click here for more.
Click here to purchase Studio of the South: Van Gogh in Provence from Amazon.com.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Who doesn’t love Moleskine notebooks, journals and
sketchbooks? Moleskine Art Plus Sketchbook is made with heavy, acid-free paper, measures 5” x 8.25” and has a black hard
cover. Perfect for drawings, sketches and tempera colors, it makes a great gift for the artist or budding artist on your list. Every Moleskine product is thread bound
and has a cardboard cover with rounded corners, a bookmark, an elastic closure
and an expandable inner pocket that contains the Moleskine history.
__________________________________________________________
When I heard last week that Congressman and civil rights
leader John Lewis’s graphic novel March, Book Three had won the
National Book Award (the first graphic novel to be so honored), I practically
ran to my neighborhood indy bookstore and bought the March Trilogy
Slipcase Set. Aimed at teens and young adults, March is a
must-read for anyone who considers themselves part of the new resistance to the
hatred, racism and misogyny of our upcoming administration, no matter what your
age. March is both a refresher course in the history of the civil
rights movement as told by someone who lived it, and a reminder that now, more
than ever, we need to stay vigilant, to never forget how hard won our freedoms
are, to stand up and march! Click
here for more.
__________________________________________________________
And finally, one of my all time favorite cookbooks: Gjelina: Cooking from Venice, California. From chef Travis Lett: “At Gjelina we need to turn out a
high volume of exciting food, without laboring too much over each plate. Having
an arsenal of herb-laced, vinegar-spiked, spicy, sour, and sweet salsas,
pestos, aiolis, and herb emulsions on hand makes it easy for us to add flavor
to a dish quickly and without much fuss. We aim to keep the spirit of the food
relaxed, not too showy, while giving the dish enough contrast to sustain
interest. In my world, if food requires an explanation of either what it is or
on how to eat it, it is, quite frankly, too complicated or clever.”
My favorites recipes are Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic,
Parsley & Vinegar; Seared Okra, Black Olives, Tomato Confit, Pine Nuts
& Chile; and Roasted Yams with Honey, Espelette & Lime Yogurt.
Bon appétit!
fabulous suggestions. thank you Jane.
ReplyDelete