{"id":1409,"date":"2018-12-04T20:08:32","date_gmt":"2018-12-04T20:08:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/?p=1409"},"modified":"2018-12-04T20:08:32","modified_gmt":"2018-12-04T20:08:32","slug":"holiday-book-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/?p=1409","title":{"rendered":"Holiday Book Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Always Overbooked<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Terri Schlichenmeyer<\/p>\n

 <\/strong><\/p>\n

The mistletoe is hung\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

And so are the garlands, the ornaments, window decorations, and lights. You\u2019d be ready for the holidays, too, if you weren\u2019t hung up on a gift for that one certain person.<\/em> Now what? Now head to the bookstore with this column in-hand, and look for one of these great books\u2026.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

GENERAL NON-FICTION<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the person who can\u2019t get enough of John, Paul, George, or Ringo, \u201cVisualizing the Beatles\u201d by John Pring and Rob Thomas <\/strong>is something they\u2019ll want to hold in their hands. It\u2019s a graphic history of the Fab Four, so lots of pictures, easy to browse, fun to have.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For the armchair detective or CSI fan, \u201cThe Handy Forensic Science Answer Book\u201d by Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. Svarney<\/strong> will be a welcome gift this year. In a Q&A format, this book teaches and answers the kinds of questions any detective-show fan can come up with. It may also chill you\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wrap it up with any good murder mystery, of course! Or better yet, wrap it up with \u201cMurder, Lies, and Cover-Ups\u201d by David Gardner, <\/strong>a book about conspiracies and the whodunit deaths of celebrities your giftee will surely remember.<\/p>\n

Consider more with \u201cThe Disaster Survival Guide\u201d by Marie D. Jones, <\/strong>a book that\u2019s a good primer for coming out the other side of nature\u2019s worst and mankind\u2019s unthinkable.<\/p>\n

For the fashionista, you can\u2019t go wrong when you give \u201cFierce: The History of Leopard Print\u201d by Jo Weldon. <\/strong>Yes, that\u2019s what this book is about \u2013 the evolution of a wild fad that shows no signs of slowing down. You know what kind of paper to wrap this book in, don\u2019t you? Wrap it up for the perfect gift for the giftee who mourns the end of summer from October to May: \u201cHollywood Beach Beauties\u201d by David Wills.<\/strong> It\u2019s a large picture book full of starlets on the beach, circa 1930 into the 1970s. Not just fun for sun lovers, but for fashion followers, too.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For the person who\u2019s facing That Certain Age in the New Year, wrap up \u201cThe Happiness Curve\u201d by Jonathan Rauch. <\/strong>It\u2019s a book about the wonderfulness of turning 50 and how life is so much sweeter. Pair it up with \u201cThe End of Old Age\u201d by Marc E. Agronin, M.D., <\/strong>which is about making the latter half of your life the best part.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For the political animal in your family, \u201cHugs from Obama,\u201d edited by M. Sweeney<\/strong> might be just the right gift. It\u2019s filled with pictures and quotations from the Obama years in the White House, including the end. Pair it up with \u201cThe Watergate: Inside America\u2019s Most Infamous Address\u201d by Joseph Rodota, <\/strong>for a scandalous look back in history.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The giftee who loves to laugh will love having \u201cLaughter Totally Is the Best Medicine\u201d by the Reader\u2019s Digest folks. <\/strong>Filled with jokes, cartoons, and other funnies, it might also make a great stocking-stuffer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And for the cook on your list, \u201cButtermilk Graffiti\u201d by Edward Lee<\/strong> would make a great gift. It\u2019s part history, part memoir, and part foodie paradise with recipes and it\u2019s yummy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

MEMOIR \/ BIOGRAPHY<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A highly anticipated (and much-desired) gift to look for is \u201cIn Pieces\u201d by Sally Field, <\/strong>a book by the girl America has grown up with. It\u2019s filled with behind-the-story stories and celeb names you\u2019ll also recognize. Wrap it up with a \u201cThe Flying Nun\u201d DVD or two, or a copy of \u201cSmokey and the Bandit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another celeb biography to try is \u201cMarilyn Monroe: The Private Life of a Public Icon\u201d by Charles Casillo.<\/strong> It\u2019s for the giftee who only thinks <\/em>she knows everything about MM that there is to know.<\/p>\n

 <\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/strong><\/p>\n

HEALTH & MEDICINE <\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For the person who asked for a genealogy test, look for \u201cBecause I Come From a Crazy Family\u201d by Edward M. Hallowell, MD, <\/strong>a memoir about inherited afflictions, childhood, and the ways that even a beloved family can be a challenge.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DEATH & DYING <\/strong><\/p>\n

Loss doesn\u2019t stop during the holidays. If your giftee needs any kind of comfort, try \u201cThe After Death Chronicles\u201d by Annie Mattingley. <\/strong>It\u2019s a book filled with stories of everyday people who were surprised to receive communication from \u201cbeyond the veil.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

PETS AND ANIMALS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Who doesn\u2019t love a day at the beach? Your dog lover and the dog they love do, so they\u2019ll want to unwrap \u201cDogs on the Beach\u201d by Lara Jo Regan.<\/strong> It\u2019s filled with photos of dogs in the surf & sand, enjoying warm weather and taking every advantage of summer there is.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

LGBTQ INTEREST         <\/strong><\/p>\n

Who doesn\u2019t like a mystery? Your giftee sure does, and if there are chills inside it, all\u2019s the better so wrap up \u201cSodom Road Exit\u201d by Amber Dawn<\/strong>. It\u2019s the story of a small but dying village that\u2019s lost its last reason for tourists. Even so, one young woman lives there with her mother because she has nowhere else to go. She wishes she did, though, because her small hometown holds terror\u2026 Wrap it up with \u201cRuin of Stars\u201d by Linsey Miller<\/strong>, the second book in a fantasy series in which the main character is gender-fluid.<\/p>\n

For the reader who loves books that may make him think, look for \u201cSo Famous and So Gay\u201d by Jeff Solomon. <\/strong>It\u2019s a book about Truman Capote and Gertrude Stein and how their fame still lingers while so many other almost-celebrities barely get a nod today, no matter what they did for LGBTQ rights\u2026.<\/p>\n

The person on your list who is thinking about transitioning (or who recently has) will love unwrapping \u201cTrans Like Me\u201d by CN Lester, <\/strong>a series of essays on gender diversity, being trans, and how to tackle tacky people whose questions are too nosy. Pair it with \u201cBeing Emily\u201d by Rachel Gold,<\/strong> a book about a trans woman, now updated to include new material.<\/p>\n

For the traveler on your list, the person who also loves history, you can\u2019t go wrong with \u201cRiviera Dreaming\u201d by Maureen Emerson.<\/strong> It\u2019s the true story of an architect and an ex-officer in the British Army, how they teamed up to create a mansion that took society by storm, and who vied to hire these two men to decorate their Riviera mansions. Wrap it up with \u201cGlobal Gay: How Gay Culture is Changing the World\u201d by Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Martel,<\/strong> for a very well traveled gift.<\/p>\n

More fiction for the gay reader: \u201cYou Can\u2019t Tell By Looking\u201d by Russell J. Sanders,<\/strong> a romance about love between two high school boys, one of whom is also dealing with his anti-gay Islamic family; and \u201cAesop Lake\u201d by Sarah Ward<\/strong>, a unique book based on three of Aesop\u2019s Fables to tell a tale of a hate crime and its aftermath.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So there you are, a bunch of different ways to use that gift certificate for fun, learning, and winter reading anticipation. Remember: if none of these suggestions seem to fit that Special Someone on your list, ask your weary-but-smiling booksellers. They\u2019re the ones who have all the right answers.<\/p>\n

Happy Reading!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Always Overbooked By Terri Schlichenmeyer   The mistletoe is hung\u2026 And so are the garlands, the ornaments, window decorations, and lights. You\u2019d be ready for the holidays, too, if you weren\u2019t hung up on a gift for that one certain person. Now what? Now head to the bookstore with this column in-hand, and look for one of these great books\u2026.   GENERAL NON-FICTION For the person who can\u2019t get enough of John, Paul, George, or Ringo, \u201cVisualizing the Beatles\u201d by John Pring and Rob Thomas is something they\u2019ll want to hold in their hands. It\u2019s a graphic history of the Fab Four, so lots of pictures, easy to browse, fun to have.   For the armchair detective or CSI fan, \u201cThe Handy Forensic Science Answer Book\u201d by Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. Svarney will be a welcome gift this year. In a Q&A format, this book teaches and answers the kinds of questions any detective-show fan can come up with. It may also chill you\u2026   Wrap it up with any good murder mystery, of course! Or better yet, wrap it up with \u201cMurder, Lies, and Cover-Ups\u201d by David Gardner, a book about conspiracies and the whodunit deaths of celebrities […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1410,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[355],"tags":[1958,1956,1953,1961,1943,1946,1951,1954,1964,1960,1945,1941,1949,1950,1957,1959,1948,1947,1944,1963,1955,1942,1962,1952,1965,367],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1409"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1409"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1409\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1411,"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1409\/revisions\/1411"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}