Reading List: A gift guide ranging from failsafe titles to staggering sagas to quirky stocking stuffers
The folks in the know at Upstart & Crow share recommendations for the book lovers on your holiday shopping list
It’s the season many of us have craved; a chance for merriment, reflection and—perhaps—catching our breath after a long year. During a time of nourishment and pleasure, books really do feel like the evergreen gift—something that brings great joy upon unwrapping but has the potential to stay relevant long after the season’s trends are over. Stories and ideas can remain with us for our lifetime and then beyond still; what an extraordinary gift that is.
Here are our recommendations for go-to options that are both deeply personal and likely to be a hit. They’re books from throughout this season and year, and books which stand the test of time.
A Day in the Armchair: Riveting Page Turners
The Björkan Sagas, by Harold R. Johnson (House of Anansi Press)
A book we’ve been recommending since its release, this epic saga explores Indigenous sovereignty, relationship between land and fauna, and colonization, with stories from an enchanted world. A wonderful book for almost everyone on your list.
Second Place, by Rachel Cusk (Macmillan)
This is no undiscovered work; longlisted for the Booker Prize, it’s one of the biggest literary books of the year… For good reason. Cusk’s writing is exquisite in this strange, pensive book you’ll likely read in a few sittings.
The Strangers, by Katherena Vermette (Penguin Random House Canada)
Winner of many of the most prestigious awards in Canada, and from the bestselling author of The Break, this is a staggering intergenerational saga that explores how connected we are, even when we’re no longer together. This is a story to discuss with your loved ones, or an ideal “Go To” for those in your circle you aren’t quite as familiar with… yet.
Reflection and Consideration: Non-Fiction for a Better 2022
Field Notes from Systems Change, by Chris Brookfield (The Magic Canoe)
This pocket-size, creatively designed study is an original gift for loved ones who ask what we can do to create meaningful change in our communities and world. It’s destined to become a classic waypoint on the pathway to a future we can all believe in, and build, together.
Follow the Good River: The Life and Times of Wa'xaid, by Wa’xaid Cecil Paul with Briony Penn (Rocky Mountain Books)
If you are looking for perspectives and lessons to deepen your understanding of political and environmental strife continuing to wreak havoc on Indigenous communities, and the incredible strength, inspiration and wisdom in communities despite this, Wa’xaid, Cecil Paul’s, stories are a powerful yet gentle place to begin. This biography of a remarkable Elder who worked to save the Kitlope from industrial logging is profound, beautiful and activating.
The Ocean’s Whistleblower: The Remarkable Life and Work of Daniel Paul by David Gremillet (Greystone Books)
How many of us really know about the plight of our oceans—and how that might affect us in the near term? Can we speak beyond islands of plastics to understand, or begin to understand, what the future holds? A page-turning exploration of eminent scientist Daniel Pauly’s fascinating life, it’s also a stark exploration about the future of fish, and our own species, if we don’t act. A great choice for those who already read about our oceans… and those who just want an immersive non-fiction read.
Stocking Stuffers: Small, Quirky Treats
Cain’s Jawbone, by Edward Powys Mathers (Unbound):
A truly delightful puzzle in a book from the Observer’s cryptic crossword compiler; a novel that’s both a murder mystery and a fiendishly difficult literary puzzle. We promise it will take you more than the afternoon to solve this one…
Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days, by Jeanette Winterson (Grove Press)
A deep, otherworldly, imaginative and funny collection of Christmas stories are linked by Winterson’s personal memories and delicious recipes. It’s a very clever, very Festive celebration of much that is loved about this season by the lauded feminist writer.
On Lighthouses, by Jazmina Barrera (Two Lines Press)
A dinky, beautifully designed hardcover title, this literary travel book, this collection is both expansive and delicate, called “a light at the end of the tunnel” by The Paris Review. Barrera shares transportive depictions of lighthouses in an riveting travelogue that ultimately explores the nature of home.
Gift Books: Beautiful, Failsafe Titles
Which Wine When: What to drink with the food you love by Bert Blaize and Claire Strickett (Penguin Random House Canada)
Another of our favourites of 2021; this brightly coloured delight helps you match wine to everyday food and meals. Want to be a bit more ambitious with your wine selections? Or simply want to know what goes well with Tofurky? This is for anyone who finds themselves standing in the wine aisle making panicked decisions about what to drink based on a vague memory or a nice-looking label.
The African Lookbook: A Visual History of 100 Years of African Women by Catherine E. McKinley (Bloomsbury Publishing)
This is a stunning, unprecedented visual history of African women told in striking historical photographs: images which tell a different story to what is often the dominant, colonial narrative: how deeply cosmopolitan and modern they are in their style; how they were able to reclaim the tools of the colonial oppression that threatened their selfhood and livelihoods.
Midlife, edited by Sarah Chan and Jhenifer Pabillano (the Chan-Pabillano Initiative)
We just love this title, published by a group of writers. It’s original, rich cover design makes it a beautiful choice for a gift—but so do the pithy, witty, knowing essays about the process of navigating midlife… and realising adulting isn’t necessarily as straightforward as anyone imagined.
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Still not sure what to gift? Upstart & Crow offers annual or six-month personalized book subscriptions so you could leave the selections up to us!
Finally, dear reader, in our last column of the year, we hope you’ll permit us some further housekeeping with our inches.
A word of support for independent booksellers! Supply chain difficulties are widely recognized; the result is that many holiday favourites may be out of stock. If that’s the case, we implore you: rely on our team or those in other favourite literary haunts to help you find something that suits. Personalization, and shopping local, are two of the greatest elements in successful gift giving.
And a sincere, heartfelt thank you to everyone who has visited us to talk about the books we recommend here, to the good people at Stir for welcoming us to do so, and to all of you for supporting literature and local, independent booksellers. We’ll see you in 2022.
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