December is probably not the best time for book releases if only because everyone has already compiled their best of lists before your book even comes out. But, some brave souls decide to date their release in the last month of the year. Show these books some love for their temporal boldness.
Because I Said So!: the truth behind the myths, tales, and warnings every generation passes down to its kids (M)
by Ken Jennings
“Don’t cross your eyes or they’ll stay like that!” “Feed a cold, starve a fever!” Why is this book on this month’s list? The correct answer comes in the form of a question: who is the all-time winningest player in the history of the game show Jeopardy!? That’s right: Ken Jennings: the author of this new book that the history and truths behind many of the warnings and pieces of advice that our parents gave us as children.
Empress of Fashion: a life of Diana Vreeland (M)
by Amanda Mackenzie Stuart.
I’m actually not much of a fashion follower, but for those who are, this book, about the life of Diana Vreeland who worked for both Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue will be a must read. “In this first full-length biography of Diana Vreeland, Amanda Mackenzie Stuart portrays a visionary: a fearless innovator who inspired designers, models, photographers, and artists. Vreeland reinvented the way we think about style and where we go to find it. As an editor, curator, and wit, Diana Vreeland made a lasting mark and remains an icon for generations of fashion lovers.”
38 Nooses: Lincoln, Little Crow, and the beginning of the frontier’s end (M)
by Scott W. Berg
History buffs will want to take a look at this forthcoming book about a late 19th Century clash between Dakota Indians and American settlers. In a starred review, Publisher’s Weekly said :“A gripping narrative of this little-known conflict and a careful exploration of the relationships between events of the Civil War and America’s expansion west . . . Although the reader knows the eventual outcome of these battles—near extermination of Indian tribes and cultures—Berg maintains suspense about individual fates to round out this nuanced study of a complex period.”
Holy or the Broken : Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the unlikely ascent of Hallelujah(M)
by Alan Light
“Today, “Hallelujah” is one of the most-performed rock songs in history. It has become a staple of movies and television shows as diverse as Shrek and The West Wing, of tribute videos and telethons. It has been covered by hundreds of artists, including Bob Dylan, U2, Justin Timberlake, and k.d. lang, and it is played every year at countless events—both sacred and secular—around the world. Yet when music legend Leonard Cohen first wrote and recorded “Hallelujah,” it was for an album rejected by his longtime record label. Ten years later, charismatic newcomer Jeff Buckley reimagined the song for his much-anticipated debut album, Grace. Three years after that, Buckley would be dead, his album largely unknown, and “Hallelujah” still unreleased as a single. After two such commercially disappointing outings, how did one obscure song become an international anthem for human triumph and tragedy, a song each successive generation seems to feel they have discovered and claimed as uniquely their own?”
On the Map : a mind-expanding exploration of the way the world looks (M)
by Simon Garfield
Garfield the author of a previous work of quirky microhistory Just My Type: a book about fonts, turns his eye to geography, specifically maps. “Imagine a world without maps. How would we travel? Could we own land? What would men and women argue about in cars? Scientists have even suggested that mapping – not language – is what elevated our prehistoric ancestors from ape-dom. Follow the history of maps from the early explorers’ maps and the awe-inspiring medieval Mappa Mundi to Google Maps and the satellite renderings on our smartphones, Garfield explores the unique way that maps relate and realign our history—and reflect the best and worst of what makes us human.”
Apropos of nothing, while I wrote this post, I listened to this new CD from the library collection: Three Wishes (M) by Nobuki Takamen
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