Charlotte Canelli is the library director of the Morrill Memorial Library in Norwood, Massachusetts. Read Charlotte's column in the December 11, 2014 edition of the Norwood Transcript and Bulletin.
Librarians really aren’t against purchasing books. In fact, most librarians have one thing in common – a love of their own collections of books. Becoming a librarian customarily involves working among thousands and thousands of books, all at our fingertips. Owning one of your own, however, makes it even more special.
I adore giving books as gifts. However, I ponder carefully about it, though, because I want to make certain that the book will be treasured. I stay away from fiction unless it’s a classic or for a child because fiction seems so fleeting. I want the recipient of my book to go back to it again and again.
Cookbooks make fabulous gifts and some delicious titles were published this year. Gabrielle Hamilton wrote her memoir, “Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef” in 2012. Trained as a writer (she received her MFA) but drawn to serving and cooking food most of her life, Hamilton opened her NY City restaurant, Prune, in 1999. Fifteen years later, she has written the cookbook by the same name. “Prune” is a journey through the recipes of yummy, unfussy, relaxed food that she has served in her 30-seat restaurant. Although Hamilton sensed that her cookbook should be about the food and not her profound philosophies (don’t forget, she already wrote the memoir), she includes annotations and brief commentary along the way. The book is very popular in the Minuteman Library System and copies are repeatedly checked-out in most libraries. It’s a perfect book to add to your favorite cook’s bookshelf.
An unnamed librarian here in Norwood unquestionably adores the Barefoot Contessa. I’m confident she has a least a few of Ina Garten’s books on her own kitchen’s shelves. At 66, Ms. Garten has written over 9 cookbooks since 1999 and appears on the Food Network to share her recipes and style. At the time I am writing this, “Make It Ahead: a Barefoot Contessa Cookbook” has over 300 people waiting for one of the hundred-plus copies in our 43 Minuteman libraries. The book is perfect for those of us who don’t have time to slave away all day before guests arrive – one can accomplish the busywork far in advance. Assembly and hosting can be done at virtually the same time and Garten explains how to do it. Any of the Barefoot Contessa books will improve any cook’s kitchen.
If you are a fan of watching how it’s done on television and now want to cook yourself, 14 years of recipes are published in “The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001-2015.” Most of the Test Kitchen’s recipes are available online, but this encyclopedic book shares much more. Shopping lists, preparation, and the science behind cooking are included in this nearly 1000-page book.
If you have someone on your list who loves photography and is familiar with Adobe Photoshop and Cloud software, Scott Kelby has updated his latest book on the subject, “The Adobe Photoshop CC Book for Digital Photographers.” Described as the “best-selling photography book author” now in the world, Kelby is editor and publisher of Photoshop User magazine. Kelby has many other digital photography books that would make wonderful gifts for new or seasoned photo hobbyists. Minuteman libraries have dozens of Kelby’s books.
If you know someone who loves to laugh – or needs to – the “Best American Comics 2014” might be the perfect gift. Houghton Mifflin has produced the graphic series since 2006 and many of Minuteman libraries have each year’s collection if the recipient of the 2014 wants to laugh even more.
Of course, our youngest readers love to come to the library to take out stacks of books, but it’s nice to have a bookshelf at home with some of their owned favorites on it. Classics are great, of course, but children usually already have a copy or two of “Goodnight Moon” and “Brown Bear, Brown Bear.” Minh Lee, writer for the Huffington Post published a list of the very best picture books of 2014, admitting that we might be living in “a new golden age of picture books” with so many wonderful choices. Lee lists choices in categories such as Best Biography, Best Adventure and Most Charming. Among the bests are nearly another 100 honorable mentions.
One of these bests is “1 to 20, Animals Aplenty” by Katie Viggers. The counting starts with 1 fox in a pair of socks and ends with 20 birds who have the last words. The artwork is lovely and everyone can linger on each double-spread page (17 ants wearing underpants, polka-dotted and otherwise makes for unusual admiration!). Bird lovers will be impressed with the 20 birds, all named from robin to seagull. One splendid thing about this book spending more time on the last few pages where each number lines up with its animals for a run back through.
Wordless books are terrific books for readers and storytellers who like to make up their own commentary. “The Farmer and the Clown” is on such wordless book by Marla Frazee. A little clown becomes separated from his or her buddies traveling across the prairie on a circus train. The farmer does his best until the train comes back to collect his new friend. It’s a charming book with soft, and not-overwhelming, illustrations.
“Breathe” by Scott Magoon is a perfect, slow-down bedtime book. A few relaxing words to each spread follow a tiny whale’s adventures under and above water. Every page is full of blues and the occasional green or purple ending with “Dream big. Sleep deep tonight. Breathe” and a night full of stars.
Come to the library or request these books online to see if they would be perfect holiday choices for a few of your loved ones.
