Holiday 2009 Blue Willow Bookshop
The Christmas Magic by Lauren Thompson Scholastic Press $16.99
Way up North, Santa gets ready for Christmas. He feeds his reindeer and prepares his sled. Finally, he chooses toys for each child, knowing in his heart what each child would like because he loves them all. Lauren Thompson’s evocative text and Jon Muth’s gorgeous illustrations make this Christmas book one to treasure. For ages 6 and up.
Pastry Queen Parties: Entertaining Friends and Family, Texas Style by Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman Ten Speed Press $32.50 Rebecca Rather has done it again! For the third time, we are happy to include Rebecca’s newest offering in this catalog. She celebrates good food in Texas, including a West Texas ranch-style dinner and a Gulf Coast summer beach party. From Chicken Fried Shrimp to Hostess-with-the-Mostest Cupcakes, each recipe is a winner.
“Full of warmth, humor, and — characters I completely adore as delicious as a weekend at your favorite inn.” Bed and Breakfast “I WANT TO PACK MY BAGS AND HEAD , — DOROTHEA BENTON FRANK FOR JOSIE’S B&B. . . . THE WONDERFULLY SULLIVAN’S ISLAND ’S ISLAND AND RETURN TO by Lois Battle Penguin Books $15.00 AUTHOR OF SULLIVAN ECCENTRIC, HEARTWARMING CHARACTERS HAVE BECOME MY FRIENDS!”
L The Sunday Wife ois Battle ois Christmas time is often fraught with peril —Cassandra King, author of D ANDA N D and Queen of Broken Hearts BEDB E for many families – old resentments have a K F A S T BREAKFASTB R E A way of flaring up, traditions are upended, and IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME in Beaufort, South Carolina. After Josie Tatternall— A NOVEL a military widow turned B & B proprietor—witnesses her best friend’s narrow brush way laying a sumptuous feast for picky eaters can with death, she decides that life is too short to let old grievances stand in the , she resolves, her three grown daughters—the girls of family togetherness. This year be stressful. All of these come together for will come home for the holidays. Lois Battle she raised so carefully yet with such mixed results— le With her uncanny ear for Southern sensibility and her sharp-eyed wit, Lois Batt the Taternall family. Widowed Josie runs a comedy, complete with a beautiful Upstairs, Downstairs R S G delivers a pitch-perfect ises E U D I A D
E E successful inn, but her family life needs work. portrait of a family in all its touching, flawed glory and a love story that surpr R
I like sunshine after the rain. N E S I D Share this gem during the holidays. It’s a
“AN IRREVERENT HOLIDAY TREAT... D E B BATTLE DISPLAYS A BRILLIANT COMEDIC FLAIR.” reminder that all families know that home —Chicago Tribune
is where the heart is. “BATTLE IS A BORN STORYTELLER.” D N A —The Washington Post
“ATMOSPHERIC AND SATISFYING.” —Rosamunde Pilcher A E R B
LOOK FOR THE PENGUIN READERS GUIDE IN THE BACK OF THIS BOOK COVER DESIGN: EMILY MAHON COVER IMAGE: MIKI DUISTERHOF / BOTANICA / JUPITERIMAGES
K ISBN 978-0-14-311643-1
A Penguin Book 51500 T S A F AUTHOR OF Fiction The Florabama Ladies’ EAN Auxiliary & Sewing Circle U.S. $15.00 CAN. $18.50 www.vpbookclub.com 9 780143116431 www.penguin.com Gifts that will delight...
Under the Covers and Beneath the Sheets by C. Alan Joyce and Sarah Janssen Reader’s Digest Association $14.95
Think you know everything about your favorite authors? Think again. Do you know which children’s author moonlighted as a propagandist for the U.S. Army? Which author’s book has been censored more than any other? Under what pseudonyms did authors write and what kinds of offbeat jobs have they had? You’ll find the answers to these questions and more on the pages of this absorbing book. This is a book to enjoy time and time again.
Do-It-Yourself Brain Surgery and Other Implausibly Titled Books by Joel Rickett Bloomsbury Publishing PLC $12.95 Each year, Bookseller magazine awards the Diagram Prize to the book with the oddest title. The top 50 titles are collected here; it’s up to you to determine which one’s the most oddball of all: Knitting with Dog Hair, or How to Avoid Huge Ships, or something completely different. An amusing, quirky gift for amusing, quirky friends and relatives on your list.
For your food lover!
Nigella Christmas by Nigella Lawson Hyperion Books $35.00 When Christmas rolls around each year, we can often get caught up in the stressful details of entertaining and gift-giving, rather than celebrating the season. Nigella Lawson has a new cookbook full of helpful ideas and recipes that you can use especially during the holiday season. She offers reassurance and inspiration for all of us. Get one for yourself and one for a friend – signed copies will be available after December 8.
The Deluxe Food Lover’s Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst Barron’s Educational Series $29.99 Whether you’re seeking information on the recommended uses of 28 different varieties of apples or trying to learn about cooking pasta, this reference guide has it all. More than 6,000 alphabetical entries detail cooking techniques for almost every food known to man. Highly recommended for anyone seeking to learn more about good food and good cooking.
2 www.bluewillowbookshop.com For the whole family...
Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs and Lullabies by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton Little, Brown Young Readers $24.99
Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, have gathered a collection of their favorite poems, songs and lullabies, some familiar and some new discoveries. A lovely bonus is that Andrews and Hamilton read some of the selections aloud on the accompanying CD. Combined with James McMullan’s beautiful illustrations, this is a new family classic to treasure, and a perfect gift for families with young children.
The National Parks: America’s Best Idea by Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan Knopf Publishing Group $50.00 This companion book to the PBS series will appeal to vacationers, nature lovers, and history buffs alike. The National Parks: America’s Best Idea is a comprehensive history of the park system and the people who had a passion to preserve these fantastic places for current and future Americans, brought to life with words, interviews, and stunning photography.
Lovin’ That Lone Star Flag by E. Joe Deering Texas A&M University Press $29.95 We love our flag here in the great State of Texas, and this endearing gift book details the myriad ways we show it! From fences to windmills, jeeps to boots, the simple Lone Star is identifiable all over the country, and it’s fun to see how we show our pride. If you need to send your out-of-state family a reminder of home, come in and pick up a copy.
Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus Dutton Books $19.99 After 80 years, here is the first authorized sequel to Winnie-the-Pooh, sending Christopher Robin, Pooh, and all their friends on a new set of adventures. David Benedictus gets it just right; you’ll feel like you never left Pooh and Piglet and their friends. If you’ve ever wondered what happened next to Christopher Robin and Pooh, this book is for you! And for those who love to listen, Jim Dale reads the audio version – it’s a must have.
Sports Illustrated Kids Wow! the Pop-Up Book of Sports engineered by Bruce Foster Sports Illustrated Books $26.95 Houston-based artist Bruce Foster brings amazing sports events to life in this new pop-up book. From Giants’ wide receiver David Tyree’s catch in Super Bowl XLII to Danny Way’s skateboard jump over the Great Wall of China, each scene comes to life. Dad will be fighting for his turn with this book on Christmas morning! Signed copies available. 3 Good Reads...
Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Greg Mortenson Viking Books $26.95 Stones into Schools picks up where Mortenson’s previous book, Three Cups of Tea, left off and describes his continuing efforts to build schools for girls in Afghanistan. He shares his vision of promoting peace through education and literacy, detailing his progress in building working coalitions among many tribal and political factions. Readers who have been touched by Mortenson’s mission will want to know what he is doing now.
The Imperial Cruise: A Secret History of Empire and War by James Bradley Little Brown and Company $29.99 From the author of bestsellers Flyboys and Flags of Our Fathers comes an intriguing new book on a relatively unknown event in American history. Bradley recreates the 1905 trip of Secretary of War William Howard Taft to the Far East and examines the effect of that voyage, and the secret agreements made during it, on American diplomacy for the next century. Bradley’s accessible writing style will appeal to armchair historians who appreciate how our past shapes our future.
What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell Little Brown and Company $27.99 This collection of essays is like a greatest hits list of Malcolm Gladwell’s New Yorker articles. Whether he explores how a “dog whisperer” communicates with canines or follows a famous salesman selling rotisserie ovens, Gladwell’s curiosity invites us to enter the lives of others, and his insights often change our perceptions of previously held truths.
Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen by Joe Drape Times Books $25.00 New York Times reporter Joe Drape returns to the heartland to spend a year in Smith Center, Kansas, with the Redmen football team. More than a book about football, this ode to small town life, and to the people who want to raise decent citizens, rings with truth and compassion. Success does not come easily on or off the field, according to Coach Barta. You cannot help but be inspired by this story of a community that focuses on the things that matter most in life.
4 www.bluewillowbookshop.com Fun and Games!
Bananagrams!: The Official Book by Joe Edley Workman Publishing $8.95 Bananagrams took Blue Willow by storm a few years ago and remains one of our most popular games. This book is chock full of word puzzles from easy to brain-boggling extra hard. It’s a perfect stocking stuffer, along with one of the Bananagrams family of games (see below), for any word game lover.
Appletters and PairsinPears Bananagrams $16.95 ea. Our friends at Bananagrams have created two more word games for us to enjoy. PAIRSinPEARS involves 4 sets of alphabets and the chance to make pairs of words using many different sets of words depending on the age and knowledge of the players. We love the ability to play with emerging spellers as well as experienced word freaks. APPLETTERS brings more word fun when you cross the game of dominoes with BANANAGRAMS.
A Year in Art: The Activity Book by Christiane Weidemann Prestel Publishing $24.95 What a fantastic way to spend some time every day with art! For families who enjoy learning new ideas, this interactive book will open your eyes to the treasures of fine art around the world. Like a perpetual calendar, you can start on any day and skip to favorite days -- for Valerie’s favorites, see Brueghel on August 26 and Van Gogh on February 23. You can draw, doodle and write in this one-of-a-kind book.
Jishaku RSV Productions $19.95 It seems so simple: merely place your playing pieces onto the game base without letting any of the pieces move. But the playing pieces are hematite magnets, and you never know when you’ll make a safe move or when half a dozen pieces will suddenly connect. The devil’s in the details in this game for the whole family to enjoy.
Puzzles Ceaco $11.95 One of our favorite activities around the holidays is to do a puzzle together as a family. Be sure to stop in and see the wide variety of puzzles we have chosen to do this year.
5 Great for Kids
The True Gift: A Christmas Story by Patricia MacLachlan Atheneum Books $12.99
When Lily and Liam arrive at their grandparents’ farm one Christmas and see White Cow alone in the field, Liam knows she needs a friend. His search for a companion for White Cow simply, yet eloquently, demonstrates the true meaning of Christmas. This is a story that will become a treasured family favorite to read aloud each year. For all ages.
A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck Dial Books for Young Readers $16.99 One of our all-time favorite characters returns – Grandma Dowdel from A Year Down Yonder and A Long Way from Chicago. It is now 1958 in a small rural town in Illinois, and a preacher’s family moves in next door to the Dowdel place. Over the course of the fall, Mrs. Dowdel welcomes them all in her unusual and mysterious way. Peck has a way of telling everyday stories with humor that appeals to kids and adults equally. This story closes at Christmastime, so it is a great book to read aloud during the holidays! For grades 5 and up.
I Love Christmas by Anna Walker Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing $9.99 Ollie the Zebra and his dog Fred love everything about Christmas. They love making decorations, listening for Santa’s sleigh bells, and many other activities. This book, full of simple rhymes and delightful illustrations, is perfect for the youngest ones in your family who are just learning about the magic of Christmas.
Fancy Nancy’s Splendiferous Christmas by Jane O’Connor HarperCollins $17.99 Fancy Nancy loves everything fancy about Christmas: the wrapping paper, the decorations, and especially the tree! After all, you can never have too much tinsel. Fancy Nancy has even saved up her own money for a very fancy tree topper to add some “ooh-la-la” of her own. When Christmas doesn’t turn out exactly as she planned, can Christmas still be splendiferous? Signed copies available after December 3.
A Pop-Up Book of Nursery Rhymes by Matthew Reinhart Little Simon $26.99 Matthew Reinhart, the artist behind Star Wars: The Pop-up Guide to the Galaxy, tackles classic nursery rhymes in his latest pop-up book. Featuring rhymes such as “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” this book will give little readers a whole new look at classic favorites. 6 All the World by Liz Scanlon Beach Lane Books $17.99 A family goes to the beach, visits a park, and stops at the farmer’s market in this picture book that celebrates the simplicity of a wonderful day. The rhyming text pairs beautifully with the illustrations, and children will enjoy seeing people the family meet throughout the day and at the family’s home in the evening. It’s a book about connections, both great and small, between us all.
The Yellow Tutu by Kirsten Bramsen Random House Books for Young Readers $15.99 Margo receives a yellow tutu and is bursting with ideas of how to wear it. When she wears it to school as a hat and is mocked by her classmates, she begins to crumble until a classmate points out how wonderful it looks. Little girls and their families will enjoy reading over and over again this story of imagination and friendship. For ages 4 and up.
A Really Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers $19.99 Ever wondered why Yellowstone Park has so many geysers? Ever asked what’s way out there beyond our solar system? In this delightfully illustrated volume, Bill Bryson has translated his bestselling book for adults into a simpler and entertaining history of Earth for kids. This would be a wonderful addition to your family library. For grades 3 and up.
Going Bovine by Libba Bray Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers $17.99 Teen-aged Cameron is totally bored with his life until he is diagnosed with Mad Cow Disease. While in the hospital, he is visited by a divine messenger (or possibly a hallucination) named Dulcie. She sends Cameron on a fantastic journey through modern day America, with the idea that he can somehow save the world. In the process Cameron discovers what life is really all about. Told with Libba Bray’s signature sense of humor, this is a great read! For grades 9 and up.
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead Wendy Lamb Books $15.99 Why should you read this book? 1. To read about a girl who could be you in a school that could be yours. 2. To read a book that is normal and beautiful and mysterious – all at the same time. 3. To read a book unlike any other written before. 4. To read a book that you will not put down until you finish it. 5. Because you must. Trust us.
www.bluewillowbookshop.com 7 Dear Friends, What a year this has been, filled with books, laughter, and your friendship. I am so grateful for the good times we have shared with you, whether it was our many visits with wonderful authors, helping you find the perfect book for a special person, or chatting about what’s happening in west Houston. We are excited to share this Holiday Catalog with you. It includes books for everyone on your gift list, and hopefully some ideas for your own wish list, too. Our staff has been reading and The Gift selecting books throughout the year, and we by Cecelia Ahern Harper $19.99 pride ourselves in being able to make personal Lou Suffern has a great job, a beautiful family, recommendations and suggestions. a fabulous home and a Porsche. The one thing he does not have is time. Then one day just before Christmas, Lou meets Gabe, In the upcoming year, I hope you will continue a homeless man with an uncanny ability to to consider us your neighborhood bookshop, identify what people are doing based on their a place where independent minds meet. shoes. Between working overtime to secure his promotion, flirting with his secretary, Our family is here for your family. and mismanaging everything to do with his personal life, Lou, with Gabe’s help, discovers a way to be in two places at once. Almost too With wishes for a peaceful holiday season, late, Lou comes to terms with what is really important in life. A truly bittersweet read for Valerie the holidays; one that will make you rethink your own time management for the new year.
As always, we continue to have weekly storytimes, monthly book clubs and exciting events for kids and adults. Please visit our website for the most up to date information! www.bluewillowbookshop.com
We are West Houston’s neighborhood bookshop located on the northeast corner of Memorial Drive and Dairy Ashford.
(281) 497-8675 www.bluewillowbookshop.com Store Hours: Monday – Friday 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM Saturday 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM A proud member of Blue Willow Bookshop 14532 Memorial Drive Houston TX 77079