Gift guide: Shopping for book lovers? Chicago booksellers have you covered.
Need ideas for the book lovers on your list? We asked Chicago’s independent booksellers for their recommendations. Like many small businesses, local bookstores have struggled to stay solvent during the pandemic. So while you’re stocking up for the holidays, think twice before clicking that Amazon button. Shopping locally is a gift too.
“Abe: Abraham Lincoln in his Times” by David Reynolds, Penguin, 1,088 pages, $45
This cultural history of Lincoln places him in a rich context. Neither inexperienced nor unprepared, he was immersed in his times. Lincoln redefined democracy, because he had experienced culture in all its dimensions. As well, he was “one of the rare men who succeeded in becoming great, without ceasing to be good.” Reynolds opens up 19th-century America’s vast vision, while it’s central figure, Abe, combined fate and free will to help create a new nation. Available with author-signed bookplate. — Daniel R. Weinberg, Abraham Lincoln Book Shop
Abraham Lincoln Book Shop offers online ordering, curbside pick-up and appointment-only browsing. Visit ALincolnBookShop.com.
Various titles, signed by their authors
Anderson’s Bookshop features a constantly rotating list of books autographed by their authors. The books, which make amazing gifts, are available at the cover price, with no additional charge. At press time, available titles included “American Utopia” by David Byrne and Maira Kalman; “Chosen Ones” by Veronica Roth; and “The Best of Me” by David Sedaris. — Kerry Clemm, Anderson’s Bookshop
Anderson’s Bookshop, in Naperville and Downers Grove, is open for socially distant browsing and offers online ordering and contact-free pick-up. Visit andersonsbookshop.com for details.
“One by One” by Ruth Ware, Simon & Schuster, Gallery/Scout, 384 pages, $27.99
Ruth Ware is back with another one of her atmospheric mysteries. This takes place in a ski chalet in the French Alps. Snoop, a tech start-up company, has taken over the entire chalet for a team meeting. A possible hostile take-over, an avalanche and a murder all happen during the first 36 hours, creating a fast-paced, locked-door mystery. Fans of Ms. Ware will really enjoy this latest thriller. — Nancy Usiak, Book Bin
Book Bin, in Northbrook, is open and also offers online shopping and curbside delivery. Customers must wear a mask and gloves while shopping in the store. Visit bookbinnorthbrook.com.
“The Daughters of Yalta” by Catherine Grace Katz, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 416 pages, $28
Any fan of history will be thrilled to receive “The Daughters of Yalta” by Catherine Grace Katz! Katz tells the story of three of the key attendees at the Yalta conference who brought their daughters for personal support and assistance. President Franklin Roosevelt, seriously ill, relied on his daughter, Anna, to tend to his health and to keep his secrets. Kathleen Harriman (daughter of U.S.ambassador to the Soviet Union Averell Harriman) oversaw the preparation of the conference facilities, kept her father’s secrets, and served as its eyes and ears as delegates chatted. Sarah Churchill, like the others, saw to her father’s comfort, but was also a sounding board for his ideas. This story of “daughter diplomacy” is compellingly told in this excellent book swirling with political intrigue and personal drama! — Stephanie Hochschild, The Book Stall
The Book Stall offers online ordering, curbside pick-up and appointment browsing Monday-Saturday. Visit thebookstall.com or call 847-446-8880.
“Luster” by Raven Leilani, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 240 pages, $26
“Luster” — the story of a young Black woman ensnared in a suburban white couple’s open marriage — is a hand grenade disguised as a coming-of-age novel. It’s everything you want in a bildungsroman — it’s intimate, funny and daring — but in Raven Leilani’s skilled hands it is also volatile and complex, a profound meditation on the intersection of race and loneliness, a thorny examination of sexuality and trauma, of power and privilege, and the subtle interplay between all of the above. It’s also so absorbing and compelling that it’s almost impossible not to read it in one sitting. This is a great gift for admirers of Zadie Smith, Brit Bennett or Mary Gaitskill. The Book Table offers “Luster” at a discounted price of $23.40. — Rachel Weaver, The Book Table
The Book Table offers in-store browsing, online ordering and contactless curbside pick-up. Shop early and virtually so we can maintain safe social distancing throughout December. Visit www.booktable.net.
“Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed, 456 pages, $35
Beautifully bound in cloth, this new edition of “Braiding Sweetgrass” is a fitting format for an ode to indigenous knowledge of the natural world. Robin Wall Kimmerer writes with gentleness and reassurance about the abundance that comes with reciprocity and symbiosis. In this moment of existential uncertainty, drastic changes and deep divisions, this book provides the comfort of knowing that there is a tried-and-true way to restore our relationship with the environment and one another, as long as we are all committed to it. Suitable for all ages, including and especially for the most urban of readers. –– Heidi Zheng, The Dial Bookshop
The Dial Bookshop is open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday. Place an order by emailing hello@dialbookshop.com or send a direct message on Instagram to @dialbookshop. Visit dialbookshop.com.
“The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X” by Les Payne and Tamara Payne, Liveright, 612 pages, $35
Les and Tamara Payne pull back the curtain and give the reader a comprehensive and impeccably researched look into the turbulent life of one of the most enigmatic social leaders of all time. The Paynes chose to dig deeper than most writings on Malcolm X, devoting much of the first third of the book to Louise and Earl Little, Malcolm’s parents who were devotees of Marcus Garvey. That time in his life would have a huge influence on how Malcolm would approach civil rights and radically change the Black independence movement. The rest of the book expands on key moments during the latter half of Malcolm’s life, rounding out one of the best biographies I have ever read. This is one of those books that I would like to gift to anyone and everyone. — Javier Ramirez, Exile in Bookville
Exile in Bookville is an online store hosted by Bookshop.com. Ramirez, a longtime area bookseller, and partner Kristin Enola Gilbert aim to open a brick-and-mortar bookstore in Chicago in the near future. Visit exileinbookville.com.
“The Once and Future Witches” by Alix E. Harrow, Redhook, 528 pages, $28
“The Once and Future Witches,” Alix Harrow’s second book after the wildly popular “The Ten Thousand Doors of January,” imagines an alternate America in which the suffragette movement was intertwined with witches. In the book, Women grapple with what it means to demand and wield power both in the ballot boxes and in more direct ways. Perfect for anyone interested in history, feminism, folklore or just a really good, page-turner of a fantasy novel. — Mandy Medley, Pilsen Community Books
Pilsen Community Books offers online ordering and curbside pick-up as well as a fun lineup of virtual events. Visit pilsencommunitybooks.com.
Limited Quimby’s print by Johnny Sampson
Quimby’s is proud to present a five-inch-by-seven-inch print designed by Chicago artist Johnny Sampson, if you spend $80 either in the store or through quimbys.com (while supplies last). It’s Johnny’s take on the 2 headed mouse on the Quimby’s sign, as made by Chris Ware. The book featured on the print? “Sabrina” by Nick Drnaso. Of course, this print is signed and numbered — a limited edition of 50. — Liz Mason, Quimby’s
Visit quimbys.com for details.
“Golem Girl” by Riva Lehrer, One World, 448 pages, $30
“Golem Girl” is a disability memoir that doesn’t canonize, sanitize or normalize its subject. In a singular voice that is smart, confessional and sharply funny, Chicago-based artist Riva Lehrer details living with spina bifida through the relationships — with her mother, her doctors, her friends and lovers — that have formed her. Incorporated into her own story are not only Lehrer’s extraordinary portraits of stigmatized bodies, but also a history of disability and disability politics for the last several decades. Lehrer’s writing is lyrical, assured and absolutely riveting. — Sarah Hollenbeck, Women & Children First
Women & Children First bookstore is temporarily closed for in-store browsing, but offers online ordering and curbside pick-up. Visit womenandchildrenfirst.com.
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