Nonfiction Holiday Picks from Magers & Quinn Booksellers

3038 Hennepin Ave 
Minneapolis, MN 
612.822.4611 

Holiday Hours: 

 

Magers & Quinn is open 

Su-Th 10am-10pm

Fri and Sat 10am-11pm

 

with the following exceptions:

 

Dec. 13 10am-9pm

Dec. 24  10am-5pm

Dec. 25  Closed

Jan 1 10am-9pm 

 

In This Issue
Far From the Tree
How to Wreck a Nice Beach
Love Goes to Buildings on Fire
Bottoms Up
Northern Pike
Sign Painters
Into the Silence
Hemingway's Boat
Land of 10,000 Loves
The Smitten Kitchen
My Bookstore
Tree Houses
Dear Fellow Booklovers, 

It is true that the pleasures of working in a bookstore include being able to spend time talking about books with people, and matching books with readers. In that spirit we would like to highlight some of our nonfiction picks for gift giving and holiday reading this season. 

The Staff of Magers & Quinn Booksellers 


NONFICTION

What a hefty, nerdy delight this book is. Separated in chapters highlighting areas that make us different from the norm (from Autism to Schizophrenia), Solomon touches on how parents and children work together when their differences are so apparent. Do you bring that child in your world? Or do you try to delve into theirs? What is the definition of normal? This book opened my eyes to how unique we all are. (Michelle)
How to Wreck a Nice Beach, by Dave Tompkins
The title confounds, the cover photo intrigues- and the book doesn't disappoint. This study of the vocoder, the instrument invented by Bell Labs in the forties and made ubiquitous by T-Pain a few years back, is a fascinating one. Touching on assorted subjects (speech pathology, science fiction, Soviet counterintelligence, the Speak and Spell- and those are just a few of the s's) and containing outstanding photography throughout, this is one for the hip hop head and pop science junkie alike. (Shawn)
Will Hermes not only presents an expansive account of mid-seventies era musical happenings in New York; he also grants a speculative glimpse into the lives of the artists and musicians involved, unfolding into and overlapping each other throughout the book. A chronological compendium of punk, salsa, avant-jazz and classical, hip-hop, new wave, disco, and everything in-between, this book is a sure hit for any true music fan. (Conrad)
and Breweries, by Jim Draeger

Lingering antiquated laws aside, we have a lot to rejoice about as far as the beer scene goes in MN. But that doesn't mean we can't appreciate the history and achievements in the world of beer by our cousins to the East.  As fun as it was to hear about the founder of New Glarus Brewery recently being invited to the White House, it is a pleasure to read this beautiful book, which features 70 breweries and bars and covers the history of brewing in WI. (Andy)

Muskies may be the fish of ten thousand casts, but pound for pound, the northern pike can be a more ferocious and awe-inspiring adversary. Northern Pike: Ecology, Conservation, and Management History mixes careful research and analysis with fantastic photos and charts,offering readers an overview of the species' condition and outlook. A great gift for the angler in your life, who--let's be honest--doesn't need another crankbait this year. (Anders)

Sign Painters, by Faythe Levine and Sam Macon

To originality and independence in art and life...  With a renaissance in time-honored methods, Sign Painters, the first anecdotal history of the craft, features stories and photographs of more than two dozen sign painters working in cities throughout the United States. A gorgeous book. (Andy)

If you read one book on the conquest of Everest or mountaineering in general, this is the one to read. It combines meticulous research on the background of Himalayan mountaineering with an exciting, lucid narrative style. Davis connects the British national conquest of Everest with the experience shared by many of the early climbers in the First World War, focusing on the tragic central figure of George Mallory who may have conquered Everest years before Edmund Hillary. Recommended for history buffs and fans of extreme sports. Winner of the prestigious Samuel Johnson award for nonfiction in the UK. (Dave)

Hemingway's Boat: Everything He Loved in Life, and Lost, 1934-1961, by Paul Hendrickson. 

Hendrickson's wide-ranging semi-biography is probably the best book  written about the 1954 Nobel Prize winner since Michael Reynolds' final installment of his five volume Hemingway biography, "The Final Years". The amount of research and dedication involved in writing this book clearly shows, as does a wish to rectify the subject's standing, which for the author, has suffered unjustly for various reasons which are examined. The personal vignettes collected here about those lesser known who crossed paths only briefly with the famous writer stand as some of the best biographical writing I've stumbled across in the past few years. (Ed)

An important work, drawing from the renowned Tretter Collection at the University of Minnesota, Stewart Van Cleve's book is a wide-ranging and unprecedented illustrated history of queer life in Minnesota. Stewart's presentation in the store was one of the best of the year, and the achievement of Jean Tretter and extent of his collection are awe-inspiring. (Gary)

Deb Perelman, known for her award-winning blog, Smitten Kitchen, has written a book of the same name.  In it she shares recipes she has tested, adapted and created in her small apartment, With descriptions such as "...in the oven, bits of cream cheese puff and bronze like tiny marshmallows", it is easy to see how it will appeal to those enviable cooks who spend their free time reading recipes, and to those of us who make quesadillas in a toaster oven every night.  Beautiful photographs illustrate a range of recipes that will leave both vegetarians and meat lovers happy. (Mary)

Of the dozens of authors featured in My Bookstore none make us as excited and proud as Louise Erdrich. Proud to share the same city, proud to be in the same business, and, yes, proud because she wrote a piece about our store. Of course, as master storyteller, her piece does not disappoint. (Magers & Quinn)
 
A snippet: "I remember catching glimpses of him as we walk the aisles of books, absorbed, then checking in with each other, then getting lost in books again. He is wearing a black corduroy jacket, pressed jeans. Oh my god, pressed jeans? Actually, it occurs to me, I love the smell of ironing. I haven't ironed in years. We keep browsing. People love independent bookstores for the same reasons they love other people-- looks, personality, interesting mind, smell. Magers & Quinn has been a boyfriend of mine ever since I moved to Minneapolis. I wonder if this man intuits that he is making himself part of a landscape I love?" Louise Erdrich, from My Bookstore
Tree Houses, by Philip Jodidio
Taschen publishes such beautiful books inside and out, books that may just defy the electronic format. I assert that there are readers, there are book lovers and that some people are both. Taschen publishes for readers, yes, but especially for book lovers.  Two of my favorite gems are The Vegetable Garden, by Werner Dressendorfer and Tree Houses by Philip Jodidio.  Treat yourself and see them in person. (Mary)