CHRISTMAS TIPS

2014 Gift Guide for Book Lovers

Published

10 years ago

12/14/2014

By Alexander Atkins

Undaunted by the continued rise in sales of reading devices and ebooks, each holiday season book publishers roll out the best they can offer: books by leading authors that present content in a way that cannot be matched by an ebook. This year, as in past years, the result are large format beautifully designed and lavishly illustrated hardcover books to please enthusiasts of every major topic. For true bibliophiles, this is the only time of the year that you will encounter the rich aroma and welcoming sight of tall stacks of books (with multiple copies of each book) spread across several tables, sprinkled with copies of that annoying quasi-book “Elf on a Shelf.” It is the booksellers’ greatest holiday wish that these books will wind up under the Christmas tree and not end up as orphans on the doorstep of book liquidators several months later. To encourage sales, booksellers offer deep discounts that they don’t offer at any other time of the year. Despite what the Google Generation believes, there is still a place for books as thoughtful, enduring gifts. To that end, Bookshelf presents some of the best gift books for the 2014 holiday season, broken down by category.

Best Books for Music Lovers
The Beatles Lyrics: The Stories Behind the Music by Hunter Davies
The Lyrics: Since 1962 by Bob Dylan
The Blues: A Visual History by Mike Evans
108 Rock Star Guitars by Lisa Johnson
ABBA: 600 Rare, Classic, and Unseen Photos Telling the Complete Story by Petter Karlsson
The Haight: Love, Rock, and Revolution by Joel Selvin
U2: Revolution by Mat Snow
Streisand: In the Camera Eye by James Spada
Springstein: Album by Album by Ryan White

The Best Books for Movie Lovers
Batman: A Visual History by Matthew Manning
The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Harry Potter: The Creative Vault: The Creatures and Plants of the Harry Potter Films by Jody Revenson
DC Comics: A Visual History by Daniel Wallace
The Art of Film Magic: 20 Years of Weta
The Making of Gone With the Wind by Steve Wilson

The Best Books for Photography Buffs
Photography: The Definitive Visual History by Tom Ang
National Geographic Stunning Photographs by Annie Griffiths
National Geographic Covers: Iconic Photographs, Unforgettable Stories by Mark Jenkins
World’s Best Cities: Celebrating 220 Great Destinations
Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton
The Oldest Living Things in the World by Rachel Sussman

The Best Books for Book Lovers and Literature Lovers
The Most Dangerous Book: The Battle for Joyce’s Ulysses by Kevin Birmingham
Literary Love: Great Writers on Love and Romance by Isobel Carlson
The History of the Book in 100 Books: The Complete Story From Egypt to ebook by Roderick Cave
Mark Twain’s America: A Celebration in Words and Images by Harry Katz
The New Annotated H.P. Lovecraft edited by Leslie Klinger
Shakespeare’s Beehive: An Annotated Elizabethan Dictionary by George Koppelman
Why Homer Matters by Adam Nicholson
By the Book: Writers on Literature and the Literary Life edited by Pamela Paul
Chaucer’s Tale: 1386 and the Road to Canterbury by Paul Strohm
Letters of Note: An Eclectic Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience edited by Shaun Usher

The Best Books for Science Nerds
Cosmigraphics by Michael Benson
Molecules: The Elements and Architecture of Everything by Theodore Gray
Einstein: The Life of a Genius by Walter Isaacson
The Innovators by Walter Isaacson
Mars Up Close: Inside the Curiosity Mission by Marc Kaufman
What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe
Deep Space: Beyond the Solar System to the End of the Universe and the Beginning of Time by Govert Schilling
Marketing the Moon: The Selling of the Apollo Lunar Program by David Scott
Infinite Worlds: The People and Places of Space Exploration by Michael Soluri
A History of Life in 100 Fossils by Paul Taylor

The Best Books for History Buffs
D-Day Illustrated Edition by Stephen Ambrose
Founding Fathers: The Fight for Freedom and the Birth of American Liberty by K.M. Kostyal and Jack Rakove
A History of War in 100 Battles by Richard Overy
Lincoln: An Intimate Portrait by LIFE editors
A World Lit Only by Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance-Portrait of an Age (Illustrated Edition) by William Manchester

The Best Books from DK Publishing
The Beer Book
Coffee Obession
Firearms: An Illustrated History
Great Maps
History of the World in 1,000 Objects
Human Anatomy Boxed Set
The Human Brain Book
James Bond Encyclopedia
Lego Architecture: The Visual Guide
Ocean: The Definitive Visual Guide
Planets: The Definitive Visual Guide to Our Solar System
The Science Book (Big Ideas Simply Explained)
Train: The Definitive Visual History
World War I: The Definitive Visual History

The Best Books for Trivia Buffs
Listverse.com’s Epic Book of Mind-Boggling Lists by Jamie Frater
Now I Know More: The Revealing Stories Behind Even More of the World’s Most Interesting Facts by Dan Lewis
1,339 Quite Interesting Facts to Make Your Jaw Drop by John Lloyd
The Best Bar Trivia Book Ever by Michael O’Neill
The Top Ten of Everything 2015 by Paul Terry

The Best Books for Word Nerds
Authorisms by Paul Dickson
The Describer’s Dictionary: A Treasury of Terms and Literary Quotations by David Grambs and Ellen Levine
Language! Five Hundred Years of the Vulgar Tongue by Jonathon Green
Talking Turkey: A Food Lover’s Guide to Origin of Words by Robert Hendrickson
A Miscellany for Word Lovers by Robin Hosie
Roget’s Thesaurus of Words for Writers by David Olsen

The Best Books from the Everyman Library – Fiction
London Fields by Martin Amis
Hopscotch by Julio Cortazar
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Stories of Fatherhood by Diana Tesdell
The Arabian Nights by Wen-Chin Ouyang

The Best Books from the Everyman Library – Poetry
Poems Dead and Undead by Tony Barnstone
Poems of the American South by David Biespiel
Poems by C. P. Cavafy
Arabic Poems by Marie Hammond
Joyce: Poems and a Play by James Joyce

CHRISTMAS TIPS

Come see the Kell House decorated for the holidays

Published

7 years ago

12/20/2017

bowienews

We have three ways for you to come see the Kell House decorated in all its Christmas finery this week before it’ll be closed until 2018!

Regular weekday tours will take place 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday (closed Wednesday) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

We will be part of Downtown’s Candlewalk on Thursday, December 21st, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Come see our favorites Elves!

Or come enjoy the Kell House with a special Candelight tour on Saturday. December 23rd from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is $5.

CHRISTMAS TIPS

Tips for less stressful holiday travel

Published

8 years ago

11/09/2016

bowienews

As the holiday season is upon us, it can be a stressful time for many, including for those traveling to visit family and friends. Follow these tips below to help make your holiday travel less stressful. See your mid-week News for other tips, along with more holiday fun in each edition of The Bowie News in November.

Tips for less stressful holiday travel

Roadways, railways and skies tend to get busy come the holiday season, when millions of people across the globe travel to visit family and friends.
Wherever travelers are headed, be it across the country or across the world, they should realize that many other people are traveling as well. That can lead to traffic, long lines and other side effects associated with large crowds. But before travelers let the idea of challenging travel conditions deter them, they can consider certain ways to make the process of getting from point A to point B a bit more manageable.

Travel by car

Those traveling by automobile will have a few extra steps to take to ensure their trips go off with minimal disturbances. One of the more important steps is to ensure the vehicle is properly maintained prior to departing. Have the car checked by a mechanic and take care of any service appointments, such as oil changes or tire rotations.
Map out the route in advance and have an alternative plan if the route chosen proves to be too congested. One idea is to choose a scenic drive that may be a little longer but has less traffic. In addition, account for rest stops or points of interest that can break up the trip. Apps such as GasBuddy can help drivers find the cheapest gas or the cleanest bathrooms along their routes.
Bring along plenty of snacks so you can eat healthy and arenÕt forced to rely on foods you otherwise would not eat. This is particularly helpful with keeping kids satiated. Plan for a few treats along the way so that everyone traveling has an end goal, such as an ice cream or a souvenir.

Traveling by plane

One of the key things air travelers can do to make holiday traveling easier is to avoid peak travel dates. Whenever possible, avoid traveling the day right before the holiday, which tends be the busiest and most expensive. Remember, weekends tend to be more harried and expensive as well, particularly when the holidays fall in close proximity to a weekend.
Weather is a gamble in many regions of the world during the holiday season. Develop a contingency plan just in case foul weather delays or cancels flights. ItÕs much less stressful to put plan B into motion than it can be to rush around trying to make new, last-minute plans.
Always shop around for the best rates, but also the best atmosphere. It may be wiser to fly out of a smaller airport where crowds will be thinner and delays less frequent, or you may prefer a larger airport thatÕs closer to home and offers more amenities.
Another way to avoid delays is to pack minimally. Ship gifts and even travel essentials ahead to your destination, and only bring carry-on bags aboard the plane. This helps travelers sail through security checks and avoid the crowds at the luggage carousels.
Holiday travel requires planning, patience and having alternative plans in place so that everyone can make it home for the holidays. TF169407