Books...
I have books on my mind this week. And with the holidays coming up, I asked a few bookworm friends to give me their list of favorite books to give. The ones above are just a few of my personal favorites that I always love to recommend…
Between Two Kingdoms; A Little Life; Hotel Honolulu; Martyr; Me Talk Pretty One Day;
A Long Way Gone; A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again; Travels in Siberia.
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Now my friend Ernie is very near and dear to my heart. We met in college and as my boyfriend at the time, he introduced me to a ton of great poets and authors including Raymond Carver, John Kennedy Toole, Pablo Neruda, Hunter S. Thompson and Tim O’Brien. I always love to know what he’s reading so I was quite happy when he said yes to sharing his current favorites. They are as varied and fantastic as I expected…
1) Five Decembers. A prosy and pulpy crime novel that follows Honolulu detective Joe McGrady as he investigates a brutal murder set against the cinematic backdrop of the Pacific on the precipice of World War II. Mystery, love, humanity, and history collide in this detailed drama that never drags.
2) Hard Landings. An essential read for any family with children with intellectual disabilities or on the autism spectrum. Cammie’s research and experiences with her own son, Ethan, help parents to avoid the “disability cliff” while navigating the difficult but inevitable transition between special education services and the goal of independent living at the age of 22.
3) The Gardens of our Childhoods. Poems built upon themes of professional wrestling personalities intertwined with the wildness of nature and the vulnerability of growing up. Really unique.
4) The Daily Dad. A guide for any father (or mom) that wants to lead their children by example. Ryan Holiday (who has almost single handedly revived stoicism) provides anecdotes and lessons that are concise and easy to put into action. Who would have thought that simply being a good role model was great parenting advice? Perfect to have on your desk at work for a day to day meditation.
5) Dune Shacks of Provincetown. A coffee table book filled with gorgeous photographs and musings on the 19 primitive hand built dwellings that have lasted on the shifting sands of outer Cape Cod for the last century. Artists, writers and conservationists were all temporary inhabitants who found inspiration and solitude among the natural landscapes surrounding the shacks.
6) A Beautiful Pint. An illustrated guide full of humor, memories and the factors distinguishing a perfect pint of the black stuff vs a “ Shit London Guinness.” The author (who has Instagram accounts of both beautiful and shit pints, respectively) identifies pubs and bars across the globe that pour the perfect pint. Essential for all lovers of a “pint of plain.”
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My friend Nan has been the owner of a lovely home and gift shop, Firefly in Thomasville, Georgia for over 20 years. She’s an excellent curator and I always love visiting her to catch up on life and also to see what latest treasures she’s found to fill the shelves. In particular- her books. She stacks the middle of her shop with the latest and greatest coffee table reads and I always leave wishing I could take them all with me. But alas, a new list is always nice and I’ll be adding these to mine…
John Derian Picture Book 2; Interiors: Styled by Mieke ten Have; A Place in Scotland;
In Stitches: The Enchanted World of Coral & Tusk; Homemade-ish; Nathalie Lété Sticker Book.
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On my first job in LA, I met one of my first friends in LA, Elena. I realized immediately she was a delight of a human and I particularly loved her help in correcting my grammar on many of my TV scripts over the years. Which is why to this day, she’s still a dear friend and still my editor when called upon (like for this weekly newsletter!). A voracious reader, Elena is on track to read 40 books this year so I was so curious to ask her- what have been your favorites? I love this list!
Elena: These are five books I read this year and I know that I read them this year because I made a list. I tend to devour books one after the other but I have a hard time remembering them after I'm done, so a list is super helpful...especially when Pam asks me for some recommendations!
1) Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez. Set against the backdrop of New York City in the months surrounding the most devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico’s history, a wedding planner struggles with what it means to grow up Puerto Rican in the US, what working for bougie clients says about her, and how to come to terms with her neglectful mother who believed she had something more important to do than raise a child. It may sound heavy, but it's also a lot of fun, capturing the culture and nuances of sex in the city too.
2) The Rent Collectors by Jesse Katz. I don't usually read non-fiction, but this was written by a friend of mine, so what are you gonna do? :) And anyway, the book is really good and pretty much reads like a novel and sucks you in. The Rent Collectors delves into the nail-biting gang culture of Los Angeles where life is cheap and death is even cheaper. Through the plight of one young man we explore the allure of gangs and the devastation they can wreak, along with the US government's role in it all.
3) All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whittaker. When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake. A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each. This one was intense in the best possible ways.
4) Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Yes, the classic. I'd never read it, but if you read it many years ago it's a great idea to revisit it...and then you can check out my next choice:
5) James by Percival Everett. This is a re-telling of Huckleberry Finn through the eyes of Jim, a slave we first meet in Mark Twain's masterpiece. This new book recounts some of the same scenes as the original, but then James veers off into unexpected territory and it is well worth the journey. I can't say enough about it. It's full of energy, revelation and adventure and just great writing.
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I have a handful of friends that are truly exceptional cooks. Included in this exclusive short list are my friends Ron and Paul who can both prepare the most flavorful and complex dishes with pure ease and a somehow spotless kitchen. We met in Atlanta but they both now live in the most incredible home in Costa Rica. (Here’s a link to the bungalow next to their own which they renovated and now rent and it’s the most amazing spot where you wake up to the calls of howler monkeys and musical jungle creatures.) I digress…so when I asked them which cookbooks are their must-haves, Paul responded, “Here are our top five and most used cookbooks in our house. A little homage to Atlanta with Turnip greens and Tortillas...”
