December 2006
Time Out
THIS MONTH’S SELECTION OF REELS AND READS
It may be better to give than to receive, but the greatest gift is one that you can read. What’s more, there’s bound to be an appropriate tome for even the most puzzling name on your shopping list. Here are some suggestions for literary gifts that won’t go straight to the dusty bookshelf.
For the politico: The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
by Barack Obama, Crown, 2006
The second book by the American senator outlines his vision of reformation for the battered American political system. It’s an essential introduction to the thinking of this rumored 2008 presidential hopeful.
For the tween: The End (An Unfortunate Series of Events)
by Lemony Snicket, Harper Collins, 2006
The culmination of this wildly popular children’s series chronicling the lives of the Baudelaire orphans is suffused with dark humor and wordplay that keep even adults intrigued.
For the photography lover: A Photogra-pher’s Life: Annie Leibovitz, 1990–2005
by Annie Leibovitz, Random House, 2006
A diverse selection of pictures of celebrities, mine fields and the Leibovitz family bears impressive testimony to this icon of photography’s extraordinary versatility.
For the aspiring hostess: I Like You: Hospitality under the Influence
by Amy Sedaris, Warner Books, 2006
With advice on dealing with intoxicated guests and directions for a panty-hose plant hanger, American comedian Amy Sedaris’s hosting manual is as hilarious as it is helpful.
For the literature buff: Snow
by Orhan Pamuk, Vintage, 2006
Following a political poet as he travels from exile in Germany back home to a Turkish village, the author confronts the clash of fundamental values with Western ideals. Carefully wrought and thought-provoking, it evidences Pamuk’s Nobel Prize-winning talent.
