Holiday Gift Guide
We asked our Bookseller's what they will be gifting this Holiday Season! Here's what they said...
Click on any of the titles to purchase the books through Bookshop.org with our affiliate link. The books will show up safe and sound right at your front door, ready to be wrapped for the holidays! Or, give us a call at either shop and we can special order these titles for you, or even pull one right off the shelf and put your name on it :)
Note: please make sure to get special orders in by December 15th if you need them by the 24th.
Lido: (949-220-7632) Malibu: (424-235-2262)
"The Elements of Style (Illustrated)" by William Strunk Jr. & E.B. White, with Illustrations by Maira Kalman
Pitch: Let's say you want to write. And let's say you know what you want to write: you have your characters, your story, the whole enchilada. You don't need another book on structure or narrative. But now it's time to actually write: sentence after sentence after sentence. Are you terrified? Don't be. This pithy book lays down essential, easy to follow rules and tricks for clear, meaningful sentences. Long lauded as the most approachable prose styling book ever written, this edition features charming illustrations that make it all the more enjoyable.
Who It's For: Get this book for the writer in your life.
"How to Talk Dirty and Influence People" by Lenny Bruce
Pitch: Hear the story of a man who transformed stand up comedy and crusaded for free speech, straight from the horse's mouth. With the scathing wit and subversive commentary that defined his monologues, Lenny Bruce traces his career, from broad Borscht Belt jokes to counter cultural performance art, speaking truth to power and fighting the choke hold of censorship. Hilarious and eye-opening, "How to Talk Dirty and Influence People" is a testament to the genius of comedy's great Rebel with a Cause.
Who It's For: Get this book for your politically minded funny friend with a rebellious streak.
What I Ate In One Year by Stanley Tucci
Pitch: Told in a series of diary entries, actor and major foodie Stanley Tucci goes through an entire year of meals, snacks, and ideas. A book full of laughter, light, and insight, Tucci's life is surrounded by food which he explains is tethered to love, loss, community, and culture. The moments of heaviness are resolved by Tucci's wise insight and positive outlook on life. Readers get a peek into his family life as he walks us through his year told through food.
Who It's For: This is a great gift for the foodies in your life! If you know an aspiring chef, an amazing home cook, a best friend who loves to discover new foods and restaurants, or simply a fan of Tucci - this is it!
Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume
Pitch: Entering the 6th grade is a difficult transition for many - especially for Margaret who just moved from NYC to the suburbs of New Jersey with her interfaith parents. Margaret navigates her faith, identity, and friendships in her new school and by the end, she has learned more about herself than she ever thought she would. Reading this book as an adult can reignite that childlike wonder you may have lost, and reading this as a child can give you a sense of ease that you're not alone in this confusing time in your life. A classic coming-of-age story fit for all.
Who It's For: This book is perfect for the tweens who are either entering middle school and/or experiencing a confusing time in their life whether it's about identity, friendships, or simply growing up. This is also a great gift for the women in your life who reminisce about their tween years and are looking to reconnect with their girlhood.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Pitch: Nora Stephens has lived in the Big Apple all her life, and she wouldn't have it any other way. Her job as a literary agent, her busy familiar city, and her sister's proximity are all perfect, all except for her love life. Who has time to be great at that too, especially when her boyfriends end up going on business trips to small towns, saving some farm, and falling into the farmer's daughter's arms. I mean, that trope has already been overwritten, but Nora cannot escape its continuous loop. She's not the one who gets the guy, she's the "emotionless" work-loving corporate girlfriend every male main character is thrilled to leave over a phone call. When Nora's sister, Libby, begs to fly off to a small town and live her bookish dreams, Nora begrudgingly agrees, and maybe she'll finally get a happy ending of her own. But Nora's favorite books never have happy endings anyway.
Who It's For: This would be an amazing gift for those who love a "rivals to lovers" romance. It's also a love letter to all sisters, siblings, and anyone who has chosen a family they would die for.
The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman
Pitch: When Christmas comes around and you have no family to go home to, everyone looks at you with pity. Hannah's parents died when she was fifteen, and ever since, she has spent most twenty-fifths of December alone. Including this one, in her dorm room. That is until Finn Everett knocks on her door in a renaissance faire worthy outfit, asking her to go on an adventure. He also doesn't have a family, as he was disowned when he came out to them. They decide to take the holiday into their own hands, and spend their time alone, together. This is just the beginning of the Christmas Orphans Club. Their tradition blooms into years of friendship-filled holidays, but many years later Finn is moving to LA and their Christmas tradition may come to an end. Travel through the memories of Christmas past that made this friendship a family: a true journey of camaraderie, falling in love, and growing up.
Who It's For: Those who want to keep their Christmas decorations up well into January and for anyone who is interested in joining LVB's brand new Romance Book Club (this is our first pick)!
Nothing More To Tell by Karen M. McManus
Pitch: Karen M. McManus is truly the queen of young adult murder mystery. The author is most well known for One of Us is Lying, the social media sensation, but Nothing More To Tell is my favorite. At Saint Ambrose School, three students find Mr. Larkin, the well-loved English teacher, dead in the woods. Although the three are questioned thoroughly, no one is found guilty of murder, and the case goes cold. Even though Brynn had to move away right after the incident, she has always suspected that there is much more to the story, and four years later, moves back to the town to discover the truth. Everyone is a suspect, the main characters are not reliable, and someone is most definitely a murderer. This story is a true whodunnit that I could not stop reading. It had me suspecting a different character every other page.
Who It's For: Anyone who loves "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder," the "Wednesday" TV series, and a casual game of Clue.
The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson
Pitch: A historical web of intrigues and counter-intrigues unwoven for us to see and understand, The Demon of Unrest is a book that needs to be read ASAP! While it discusses the months leading up to the "shelling" of Fort Sumter, it delves into the stories of those whose voices rose loudly at that time. The chaotic months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and fueled conflict in Charleston's Harbor was a "period marked by tragic errors and miscommunication, enflamed egos and craven ambitions, personal tragedies and betrayals... Drawing on diaries, secret communiques, slave ledgers, and plantation records, [Erik] Larson gives us a political horror story that captures the forces that led America to the brink--a dark reminder that we often don't see a cataclysm coming until it's too late."
Who It's For: The History buffs on your list, the political activists & anyone who you want to educate or remind that history always repeats itself. This book is also perfect for the individual who wants to read more nonfiction this upcoming year as Larson writes with a fictional flare that will ensnare the pickiest of reader.
Pearly Everlasting by Tammy Armstrong
Pitch: Magical realism meets historical fiction in this tale about a girl and her brother 'Bruno' who happens to be a small black bear. Set in the back logging camps of Eastern Canada during the Great Depression you see a world that no longer exists today. Pearly Everlasting is the youngest daughter to a camp cook, when she was born a small bear was found and her mom fed them both from her own milk and raised them as siblings. One devastating winter tragedy strikes and Bruno is kidnapped and sold by the camp boss to a circus man, Pearly adventures after him and their "White Fang" style adventure begins. Based off a real image by William Lyman Underwood, this story is full of adventure, fear, hope & the redeeming quality of people - it's a magical story for the winter months.
Who It's For: Not for everyone & the individual to enjoy this story must have a sense of adventure, love adventure & animal stories and believe's in the magic of story and hope within people. The person you are buying this for probably likes whimsy and the nostalgia of moments from old: Vaudeville or PT Barnum Circus. This is a story for the most special of people you are purchasing for.
Non-Book Gifts for Book Lovers
Looking for a gift for a book lover that isn’t a book? Come by the shops to check out our lovely array of puzzles, stationary, and activity sets like crochet kits. You’re sure to find something that’ll delight!