2016 Skylight Books Holiday Catalog by Skylight Books

SKYLIGHT BOOKS 2016 HOLIDAY CATALOG

THANK YOU!! Thank you for picking up the 2016 Skylight Books Holiday Catalog! Within these pages you'll find some of our favorite books, curated with this giftgiving season in mind. We hope this catalog gets you started in choosing just the right gift for everyone on your list! For more ideas, please stop by the store, where our booksellers are happy to help you with more recommendations for novels, art books, children's books, cookbooks, nonfiction, journals, calendars, and gift items. As always, if you buy it here, we'll gift wrap it for free! And while you're reading this note, we'd also like to thank you for helping us celebrate our 20th year as your local independent bookstore. Your ongoing support has kept us here through thick and thin. We're grateful, and we hope to be your go-to for great reads for many years to come. Happy holidays! Skylight Books 1818 N. Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90027 (323) 660-1175 www.skylightbooks.com Holiday Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily EXCEPT: Thursday, November 24: CLOSED Saturday, December 24: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, December 25: CLOSED Saturday, December 31: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, January 1: Noon to 10:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 4: CLOSED for our annual inventory Edited by Mary Williams. Cover and catalog design by Frieda Gossett. Illustrations by Jenn Witte.

MARY The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead 9780385542364 $26.95 (Doubleday Books)

Fortune Smiles by Adam Johnson 9780812987232 $16.00 (Random House)

A novel about slavery may not say "fun gift" to you, but Whitehead's book is so inventive, so well-written, and such a must-read that I do believe there's at least one person on your gift list who needs it. It's a Gulliver's Travels of escaped slaves, with the characters traveling through a literal underground railroad and emerging in reimagined, surreal versions of the southern states.

A short story collection, now out in paperback, from the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Orphan Master's Son. Like that novel, these short stories deal with some dark themes, but they're expertly written and at least a few are unforgettable. A good pick for fans of George Saunders.

The Mothers by Brit Bennett 9780399184512 $26.00 (Riverhead Books) A really lovely debut novel about young love and secrets. A terminated pregnancy early in the book ends a relationship suddenly and sets the characters on their divergent paths without giving them any closure. Meanwhile, "the mothers"—ladies at their local church—act as a Greek chorus of narrators, seeing, gossiping, and judging. Give it to someone who will appreciate its beautifully drawn characters and oodles of heart.

LOS FELIZ DRINK WARE BY TOM LAMB

King Baby by Kate Beaton 9780545637541 $17.99 (Arthur A. Levine Books) I just cannot get over how cute eggshaped King Baby is. His regal comportment! His imperious pronouncements! This is a great gift for babies who rule the roost, and their subjects. I mean their parents.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 9780670026197 $27.00 (Viking) Towles's narrator, who charms the reader right from page one, is a Russian count ordered by a Bolshevik tribunal to house arrest in the finest hotel in Moscow. Through the subsequent decades he witnesses the massive changes Russia undergoes, all from within his unusual prison. A delightful read that would be appreciated by lit snobs and more casual readers alike.

CHARLES Thurston Moore Stereo Sanctity Lyrics & Poems by Thurston Moore 9781907071430 $40.00 (Ecstatic Peace Library) A beautifully produced document of a lifetime of work by Thurston Moore; member of Sonic Youth and arguably a major Lennon/Dylan/Reed level of artist for the postpunk generation.

The Penguin Galaxy Series (Penguin Random House) $25-$30 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke Dune by Frank Herbert Neuromancer by William Gibson The Once and Future King by T. H. White The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein

Jerusalem by Alan Moore 9781631491344 $35.00 (Liveright Publishing Corporation) An ambitious, long, Joycean monster of a novel by the most influential godfather of the modern graphic novel. Very baroque yet full of pathos and a still unjaded sense of wonder, this beast even has an entire chapter written (successfully) in the style of Finnegan's Wake. I was extremely impressed with the quality and depth of this book in spite of my own skepticism about whether a highly successful career as a writer of comics could translate well into a straight prose novel of epic proportions. Even at this late date, Alan Moore continues to please and surprise as well as prove himself a true literary figure outside of his already monumental achievements in genre-oriented graphic lit.

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe 9783836552103 $350.00 (Taschen) An expensive, but beautiful, numbered limited edition of the classic document of psychedelic culture. Beautifully designed and full of ephemera, this is the ultimate gift for anyone you know who is prone to flashbacks.

STEVEN Little Nothing by Marisa Silver 9780399167928 $27.00 (Blue Rider Press) A modern fairy tale that reads like the most wonderful legends of love. A dwarf, a wolf person, sewers, battles...a book that creates its own sense of reality and pulls the reader into unknown territory.

It's All One Case: The Illustrated Ross MacDonald Archives by Kevin Avery, Paul Nelson, & Jeff Wong 9781606998885 $44.99 (Fantagraphics Books) Any fan of the California noir writer Ross MacDonald will be salivating over this collection of interviews and ephemera. A journalist’s life calling has finally seen the light of day and it is beautiful.

Pacific Coast Tree Finder: A Pocket Manual for Identifying Pacific Coast Trees by Tom Watts 9780912550275 $5.95 (Wilderness Press) I am terrible at things like identifying birds, mushrooms, trees. This book actually works! I found out what kind of tree I live under and the ones on my street and at the campsite I go to. Grilled Cheese Kitchen: Bread + Cheese + Everything in Between by Heidi Gibson & Nate Pollak 9781452144597 $19.95 (Chronicle Books) Who needs to learn how to cook a grilled cheese (and macaroni and cheese)? You do. Of course you need a book about the best sandwich ever invented. I made the BBQ chicken mac and cheese in here and EVERYONE wanted the recipe.

I'm Bored by Jess Rotter 9780996744751 $25.00 (Hat & Beard Press) These are beautiful one-scene jokes with a tinge of darkness. Like Hal Ashby meets Gary Larson. Read it front to back and you will find yourselves attached to these characters—wizards, dogs, and monsters.

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ARLO Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction by Maia Szalavitz 9781250055828 $27.99 (St. Martin’s Press) This is a clear and detailed look at addiction that contests many of the harmful, costly, and punitive 20th century views in which our culture seems to be stuck. I know it’s not a typical xmas/ holiday gift, but it’s a fascinating, moving, and ultimately very hopeful book.

Umami by Laia Jufresa 9781780748917 $21.99 (ONEWorld Publications) It might be too obvious to say, but I say it anyhow: There’s so much sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness in this overall savory and delicious novel. Get it for a friend, a parent, a child, a lover, yourself.

Squirrel by Arlo SQUIRREL $2.00 (Arlo) This is a zine I’m working on about a squirrel who steals non-dairy creamers from a restaurant up at the top of the Palm Springs aerial tramway.

The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race by Jesmyn Ward 9781501126345 $25.00 (Scribner) Every contribution to this collection is vital, brilliant, and enlightening, and they just got to me. And the time to read it is now. I hope you pick it up too.

A Cat, a Man, and Two Women by Junichiro Tanizaki 9780811224499 $14.95 (New Directions) In a town on the autumnal coast and winter-moving mountains of Japan there’s a woman, a cat, a man, and a woman. What are they doing? Read it and find out.

Rani Patel in Full Effect by Sonia Patel 9781941026502 $11.95 (Cinco Puntos Press) This is about the spirit and energy of hiphop helping young Rani to save herself from the abuse, trauma, and patriarchal cultures that have surrounded her. It's a great book in so many ways and I hope it gets into as many hands (young and old) as possible!

CHILDREN’S’ BOOKS Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis 9780763665302 $16.99 (Candlewick Press)

All My Animals by David Ryski 9783899557770 $24.95 (Little Gestalten)

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beatty & David Brooks (illustrator) 9781419721373 $17.95 (Abrams Books for Young Readers)

Hilda and the Stone Forest by Luke Pearson 9781909263741 $19.95 (Nobrow Press)

Tomi Ungerer: A Treasury of 8 Books 9780714872858 $49.95 (Phaidon Press)

Clifford the Big Red Dog: Vintage Hardcover Edition by Norman Bridwell 9781338043037 $8.99 (Scholastic) The Steadfast Tin Solider by Hans Christian Andersen retold and illustrated by Joohee Yoon 9781592702022 $22.95 (Enchanted Lion Books) Do You Hear What I Hear? by Helen Borten 9781909263857 $17.95 (Nobrow Press)

Let's Go Outside 9781909263512 How Many Legs? 9781909263598 Shapes Are Fun! 9781909263925 At The Beach: First Words 9781909263932 by Katja Spitzer $8.95 each (Nobrow Press) A Child of Books By Oliver Jeffers & Sam Winston 9780763690779 $17.99 (Candlewick Press)

ANYA Tales from Moominvalley by Tove Jansson 9780312625429 $7.99 (Square Fish) Tove Jansson will make you feel all the parts of your heart you forgot existed. “A Spring Tune,” “The Fillyjonk Who Believed in Disasters” and “The Secret of the Hattifatteners” are life changers. The Illustrated Walden: Thoreau Bicentennial Edition by Henry David Thoreau 9780143129264 $22.00 (Tarcher Perigee) An unofficial guide to living deliberately and minimally. No Kondo method necessary.

An Exaltation of Larks by James Lipton 9780140170962 $18.00 (Penguin) Useless information, you say? And when you don't know a herd of swine from a singular of boars, what then, comrade?

Grace: The American Vogue Years by Grace Coddington 9780714871974 $175.00 (Phaidon) This season's most covetable coffee table book.

On Such a Full Sea by Chang-Rae Lee 9781594632891 $16.00 (Riverhead Books) Excellent dystopian fiction that enchants and spooks!

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SKYLIGHT TOTES $11.95

BEAU Bruce Conner: It’s All True edited by Frieling, Garrels, et al. 9780520290563 $75.00 (University of California Press) The awesome 2016 retrospective of maverick artist Bruce Conner is given the catalog treatment, and (like the shows in SF and NY) it is a weird, surprising, funny, thoroughly beautiful feast of artworks spanning all conceivable media. Alice Neel: Painter of Modern Life edited by Jeremy Lewison 9780300220070 $60.00 (Mercatorfonds) For a more traditional take on portraiture, go with this thorough and much-needed monograph of paintings by the great Alice Neel, and marvel at the zillion colors arranged in service to an awesome sensitivity to each subject’s weird aliveness.

The Beach at Night by Elena Ferrante 9781609453701 $13.00 (Europa Editions) The first of Elena Ferrante's books for kids to be published in the US is somehow exactly what you'd expect it to be like (including: very good). Selfish: More Me! with New Selfies 2015-2016 by Kim Kardashian West 9780789332806 $22.95 (Universe Publishing) Perhaps you’re thinking, WHY is a person from the sophisticated bookstore recommending this lurid trash, the very emblem of the culture I go to Skylight to escape from? Because Kardashian West is one of the most significant artists of our time, and this collection of 500-odd selfies is the beautiful apotheosis of her career so far. Also, it’s really fun to look through.

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CLARK Nine Eyes by Jon Rafman 9781927354179 $50.00 (New Documents)

Counternarratives by John Keene 9780811225526 $15.95 (New Directions)

Sifting though glitched images and blurred faces, Jon Rafman spent years scouring the digital world of Google’s Street View program, overturning results that range from the surreal to the sublime. While imagery speaks volumes for the wildness of the world candidly observed, the work also gives rise to another conversation regarding the role of the photographer in the modern era. As ubiquitous surveillance and computer algorithms become more decisive factors in how we reflect the human experience back on ourselves, the question arises, just where is this map leading us?

John Keene’s Counternarratives may be one of the most brilliant compendiums of American writing of the twenty-teens. Attempting to deconstruct and describe such extraordinary metafictions in just a short blurb would amount to little more than disservice. At once consuming fiction and examination of the fallacies of history, Keene’s work is as sharp as it comes.

Daido Tokyo by Daido Moriyama 9782869251229 $40.00 (Thames & Hudson) Moriyama’s weird predilection for Shinjuku, Tokyo has yielded a collection of photographs that reflect the vision of a feral animal stalking about for some unknown prey. His collected work, composed of conduit arrangements, toppled mannequins, and unlit city corners, invite a mesmerizing insight into the dream of Tokyo’s most committed stray dog.

You Who Read Me with Passion Must Forever Be My Friends by Dorothy Iannone 9781938221071 $45.00 (Siglio) Often foolishly panned as immature, crude, and folkish, Dorothy Iannone’s pioneering feminist works have led to censorship as well as laid foundation for young artists today. You Who Read Me with Passion Must Forever Be My Friends collects journals, illustrations, recipes, and poems into a feverish omnibus that sets one fantastically adrift in the mad vision of one incredible, inspiring woman.

Signed books make great gifts and we have lots of them Visit the store to find books signed by 9Jonathan

Franzen • Emma Cline • David Mitchell • Lauren Groff • Alain de Botton and more

CRAIG Eloquent JavaScript by Marijn Haverbeke 9781593275846 $39.95 (No Starch Press) A playful, well-paced introduction to programming, with emphasis on coding as a form of self-expression. A great start for anyone that wants to learn how to code! Frank in the 3rd Dimension by Jim Woodring 9781606998991 $22.99 (Fantagraphics) Buster Keaton and Hieronymus Bosch walk into an Amsterdam coffeeshop. All the details and wonder of Jim Woodring's artwork in mesmerizing 3D.

Black Transparency: The Right to Know in the Age of Mass Surveillance by Metahaven 9783956790065 $30.00 (Sternberg Press) A fascinating and readable look at transparency from a design perspective, from WikiLeaks’ “clinically sterile hourglass” to the ethereal branding of the Cloud. A great read for anyone interested in net neutrality, open government, and the ongoing fight for both of them.

My Private Property by Mary Ruefle 9781940696386 $25.00 (Wave Books) Bite-sized essays on bite-sized feelings in a bite-sized little book. Reading Mary Ruefle has the same quiet excitement as watching for deer in the woods.

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DAVID The Fade Out by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips 9781632159113 $49.99 (Image Comics) For the Crime Noir Connoisseur: Ed Brubaker’s The Fade Out gets the director’s cut treatment with a gorgeous new hardcover featuring never-before-seen art and illustrations, making-of stories, and several different essays. That said, the star of the show here is the story itself, a gripping crime noir set during the early days of the Hollywood blacklist. Gorgeous and twisted. Painstakingly researched. Arguably his most ambitious work to date. Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction by Jeff Vandermeer 9781419704420 $24.95 (Abrams) For the Struggling Writer: I typically feel the same way you do about books on writing, but Jeff Vandermeer’s Wonderbook is no ordinary book on writing. And don’t let the fantasy trappings scare you off either. If you’re writing anything with even a sliver of “genre”—blech, I hate singling it out like that—you’ll be sure to find some indispensable advice and inspiration within its pages. I sure did!

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Shock and Awe: Glam Rock and Its Legacy, from the Seventies to the Twenty-First Century by Simon Reynolds 9780062279804 $18.99 (Dey Street Books) For the Obsessive Music Fan: From Simon Reynolds, author of the very excellent Rip It Up and Start Again and Retromania, comes the definitive biography of the glam rock movement of the 1970s. Lovingly detailed with nary a sequin out of place, Reynolds takes all the excess and absurdism of glam and places it in a social, cultural and historic context, while also detailing glam’s many influences and “aftershocks” (the name of the final chapter) in present-day pop music.

Secret Coders + Secret Coders: Paths & Portals by Gene Luen Yang 9781626720756 9781626720763 $9.99, $10.99 (First Second) For the Precocious Fourth Grader: Recent MacArthur Genius Grant winner and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Gene Luen Yang has concocted a weird and wonderful series that not only charms and entertains, but also educates readers as to the basics of coding and computer programming. Like Harry Potter, but with logic puzzles and robots!

FRIEDA Beyond the Wall: Art and Artifacts from the GDR edited by Justinian Jambol 9783836548854 $150.00 (Taschen) I’ve been to Berlin a few times so this book is fascinating to me. This is an incredible collection of items and memorabilia. Fun to look at. Check out those Rooster Egg Cups. I have two of them. They are, apparently, ubiquitous. While we have certainly romanticized the Cold War over here, I hope they won’t have anything to romanticize after the next four years. Dogs in Cars by Felix Massie & Emmanuelle Walker (illustrator) 9781909263871 $19.95 (Flying Eye Books) This book is beautiful. So many children’s books are these days! If you love dogs to an inordinate degree, like I do, you’ll add this to your library of dog-centric books. Ruff!

As Essential as Dreams: Self-Taught Art from the Collection of Stephanie and John Smither edited by Michelle White 9780300218411 $45.00 (Menil and Yale) If you love self-taught artists, why not add this book to your collection? These artists are inspiring and driven by forces I wish I could harness. Mid-Century Modern Women in the Visual Arts by Ellen Surrey 9781623260828 $29.95 (Ammo Books) Chicks, man! They’re awesome. To borrow a phrase: The Future Is Female. As was the past. Your Inner Critic Is a Big Jerk by Danielle Krysa & Martha Rich (illustrator) 9781452148441 $16.95 (Chronicle Books) I’m a little biased here with this book. Martha is one of my best friends. Nonetheless, this book is the new War of Art in my opinion. Read it and absorb it. My inner critic is an a**hole but hopefully yours is merely a jerk.

I HAVE THOUGHTS LEATHER JOURNAL

JAKE The Happiness Industry by William Davies 9781784780951 $16.95 (Verso) People who want you to be happy are creeps!

An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz 9780807057834 $16.00 (Beacon Press) Some people say America used to be great. Some say it already is. Find out why they're both wrong. :) Supernatural Strategies for Making a Rock 'n' Roll Group by Ian F. Svenonius 9781617751301 $14.95 (Akashic Books) Svenonius, Chairperson of the Rock 'n' Roll Comintern, held a seance wherein the spirits of deceased rock stars such as Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, and Paul McCartney appeared, revealing the true origins, meaning, and purpose of rock music in addition to providing a wealth of essential how-tos and do’s/don'ts for the aspiring. The best book about rock 'n' roll. Perhaps the only one anyone ever really needs to read.

I Hate the Internet. by Jarret Kobek 9780996421805 $15.95 (We Heard You Like Books) This book makes me feel: Like a babe in the woods, like a deer in the headlights, like there's hope! like there's no hope, like I say, like, like too much, like I don't know what to dooo, like I know what to do! (or maybe I will if I, like, think about it really hard first.) Though the book proudly proclaims itself a "bad novel" IHTI is well worth reading.

Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene by Donna J. Haraway 9780822362241 $26.95 (Duke University Press) We must open ourselves to tentacular practices and world worlds with our nonhuman symbionts in order to compost the linear autopoiesis of the capitalocene into the messy necessary Haraway calls the Chthulucene. In other words, our chestnuts are roasting on an open fire and here's what we can do about it.

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JENN Chirri & Chirra by Kaya Doi 9781592701995 $15.95 (Enchanted Lion Books) Positively my favorite picture book of the year—a bicycle journey through a magical land that will bring genuine happiness to everyone's bedtime routine. About Trees by Katie Holten 9783943196306 $40.00 (Broken Dimanche Press) Irish artist Katie Holten created an alphabet of trees and uses it to translate texts into forests. This book collects those works alongside their originals and the delightful result is more than just a pretty book, it is a simple sort of erasure that evokes a humbling sense of humanness.

Beauty Is in the Street: A Visual Record of the May '68 Paris Uprising edited by Johan Kugelberg & Philippe Vermes 9780956192837 $40.00 (Four Corners Books) I treasure my copy of this as visual inspiration and feel the need for it in my life now more than ever. It is not perfect—nothing is—but it is a thing to look at as we push forward.

Frantumaglia: A Writer's Journey by Elena Ferrante 9781609452926 $24.00 (Europa Editions) In this brilliant collection you can get close to Elena Ferrante on her terms (with consent!) and you may be surprised at the amount she reveals even in the most guarded, thoughtful, and composed letters and essays. There is no denying that this is an especially wonderful treat for the Ferrante fan who NEEDS more, though honestly I wouldn't hesitate to gift this to any literary essay reader in your circles. Rad Women Worldwide: Artists and Athletes, Pirates and Punks, and Other Revolutionaries Who Shaped History by Kate Schatz & Miriam Klein Stahl (illustrator) 9780399578861 $15.99 (Ten Speed Press) This book opens up the world to young readers in the best way—by celebrating awe-inspiring women rocking it from 430 BCE to now. Talk about seeing yourself in the pages of a book! See yourself reaching your full potential to make the world a better place in so many ways that you've never seen in textbooks before.

JOHN From a Broken Bottle Traces of Perfume Still Emanate by Nathaniel Mackey 9780811218443 $19.95 (New Directions) A jazz composer/improviser SHREDS into the cosmos. No one writes about music like Mackey. YOU KNOW WHAT no one writes like Mackey in general at all no way no how. Traveling through Santa Monica, Silver Lake, Compton, Santa Barbara, you’re given a different way to think about life/consciousness/order. Let your head rearrange a little. Comes with a neat discography so you can BLAST Mingus or The Penguins or Dolphy while you read this one. You will have then created a TRULY EXCELLENT ZONE.

Channel by Walker Tate CHANNEL $12.00 (self-published) Follow a melting golf ball on a journey through the pipes and sewers of your dreams. Local artist making GOOD LOCAL SHIT.

The Visiting Privilege by Joy Williams 9781101873717 $16.95 (Vintage) I’d love the world to read Joy Williams together so it’d all get a little funnier and also more disconnected in a somehow extremely heartfelt way. If you say “the craft of fiction writing” holding or not holding a cigarette standing outside a cafe I will scream “JOY WILLIAMS.”

Float by Anne Carson 9781101946848 $30.00 (Knopf) “Each glacier is lit from underneath / as memory is.” What a collection. This is a deeply cool thing to read. As I write this blurb I can only quote Carson more: I try to conjure in mind something that is the opposite of incompetence. Classical Chinese Poetry: An Anthology translated by David Hinton 9780374531904 $25.00 (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) I think David Hinton walks up a beautiful mountain every day in Vermont and grows leeks that he puts into delicious omelettes for his family and is a casual STONEMASON who also does a real bang up job of translating Chinese poetry. DANG. Melt into the omelette of existence with this excellent tome.

KARL The Gnostic New Age: How a Countercultural Spirituality Revolutionized Religion from Antiquity to Today by April D. DeConick 9780231170765 $35.00 (Columbia University Press) An incredible elucidation of the murky constellation of mystical heresies orbiting the formation of the abrahamic religions. April DeConick writes with passion and clarity on the ever-contoversial topic of Gnosticism.

Soft City by Pushwagner 9781681370460 $35.00 (New York Review Comics) This lost masterpiece from Norwegian pop artist Pushwagner glides the reader through a hypnotic dystopia that evokes Kubrick, Tarkovsky, and Kafka.

AI WEI WEI

K. LAGERFELD

Ken Price: Drawings by Ken Price 9781880146996 $49.95 (Matthew Marks Gallery) Best known for his ceramics and print making, Price worked out many of his ideas on paper before translating them into three dimensions. This beautiful volume collects drawings, paintings, and collage works spanning his entire career. The Voynich Manuscript edited by Raymond Clemens 9780300217230 $50.00 (Yale University Press) Carbon-dated to the 15th century and poured over by alchemists, botanists, linguists, and scholars of all stripes for nearly six centuries, the Voynich manuscript is a book with no credited author and no title, and is written in no discernible language known to humanity. Yale has produced the first full color reproduction of “the world's most mysterious book.”

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KATHERINE Jane: A Murder by Maggie Nelson 9781593766580 $15.95 (Soft Skull Press)

Coyote by Colin Winnette 9781934254561 $17.00 (Les Figues Press)

Maggie Nelson chronicles the life and murder of her aunt, Jane, through a series of poems, memories and journal entries. This changed my life.

A beautifully written and haunting story about a woman's descent into madness after the disappearance of her daughter. If you're looking for an emotional character-driven drama with a great twist, this novella is for you.

Darktown by Thomas Mullen 9781501133862 $26.00 (Atria / 37 Ink)

Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays by Zadie Smith 9780143117957 $18.00 (Penguin Books)

Deeply analytical and poignant observation on race and the justice system in America. Darktown is a suspenseful thriller about the first black Atlanta police officers in 1948 and the challenges they faced when trying to do good.

This is a wonderful collection of essays on a variety of topics ranging from feminism to comedy, race, movies, and pop culture, from one of the most genius literary minds of our generation.

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine 9781555976903 $20.00 (Graywolf Press) This book hurts. It's painful and important and everyone should read it.

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KELSEY F. The Story of My Teeth by Valeria Luiselli 9781566894098 $16.95 (Coffee House Books)

A Song to Take the World Apart by Zan Romanoff 9781101938799 $17.99 (Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers)

This book is delightful and comes highly recommended. Especially if you’re already a fan of Aira, Vila-Matas, or Borges and/ or you (or someone you know!) would dig a story about a world-famous auctioneer selling off “notorious infamous” teeth of famous figures, all with Marilyn Monroe’s chompers in his own mouth.

This book! This book. A coming-of-age story about finding your own voice (literally) and the power and danger that comes along with it. Romanoff writes vivid, sparkling prose about living in Los Angeles, going to gigs, falling out and making up with friends, and how difficult it can be to understand the machinations of family.

Konundrum by Franz Kafka 9780914671510 $18.00 (Archipelago Books)

The Bricks That Built the Houses by Kate Tempest 9781620409015 $26.00 (Bloomsbury)

Archipelago nails it (again!) with this compilation of Kafka’s short stories, journal entries, and letters.

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This book is for anyone who loves a good read about family, love, our shared history, and being a woman in the world. Written by Kate Tempest (British rapper, poet, playwright), the writing in this is as sharp and shattering as the story.

Slade House by David Mitchell 9780812988079 $16.00 (Random House) I'm a sucker for a good haunted house book. This is a slick, quick, spooky read. The perfect antidote for all those holiday *good tidings*.

Signed First Editions Club Join the Skylight Books Signed First Editions Club Sign up to receive a signed first edition each month, curated for literary value and collectability. Ongoing and six-month subscriptions available. Shipping ($8.00 per book) and archival mylar covers ($1.50 per book) are available on all subscriptions.

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KELSEY N. Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West 9780316348409 $26.00 (Hachette Books) A sincerely honest account from a woman who spends her time doing the thing everyone fears the most in 2016: fighting trolls on the internet. And she’s exceptional at it. Hilarious, brilliant, fierce, she braves so many things on behalf of other womenso that they don’t have to, like a true shero.

I Love Dick by Chris Kraus 9781584350347 $15.95 (Semiotexte) For all ye obsessive humans out there who want a radical story in which to indulge. Part memoir, part fiction, it’s sexy, it’s powerful, and it’s oh so satisfying.

All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation by Rebecca Traister 9781476716572 $17.00 (Simon & Schuster) Powerful single women, rejoice, this is book is about you and for you. It turns out you’re taking over the world so keep it up.

Rad Women Worldwide: Artists and Athletes, Pirates and Punks, and Other Revolutionaries Who Shaped History by Kate Schatz & Miriam Klein Stahl (illustrator) 9780399578861 $15.99 (Ten Speed Pres) The history of some boss ladies! Across the world! And the illustrations are cut out by hand! Badassery all around.

We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen 9780763656003 $17.99 (Candlewick Press) Surreal, touching, amusing, this is the beautiful end to a beautiful series by a beautiful illustrator.

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RAMIRO Born a Crime by Trevor Noah 9780399588174 $28.00 (Spiegel & Grau)

Appetites: A Cookbook by Anthony Bourdain 9780062409959 $37.95 (Ecco Press)

This is more than a biography—it is also a short history of South Africa. This is how hard it is to be an outlaw, when one is born a crime. Funny, smart, and very witty.

This is by no means just a cookbook—this is a guide to gastronomy at its best. Appetites’ words read more like Bourdain’s first book, Kitchen Confidential.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by Jack Thorne 9781338099133 $29.99 (Arthur A. Levine)

Buddha (Kapilavastu) Vol .1 by Osamu Tezuka 9781932234565 $14.95 (Vertical)

Regardless of who wrote it, I loved it. This for me felt like more than fan fiction.

A great perspective on the life of the Buddha. Osamu Tezuka at his best. PLUS this is the first volume of a stunning eight-part series. Don't miss out!

COOKBOOKS Eataly by Eataly 9780714872797 $49.95 (Phaidon)

Decolonize Your Diet by Luz Calvo & Catriona Rueda Esquibel 9781551525921 $26.95 (Arsenal Pulp Press)

Herbarium Caz Hildebrand 9780500518939 $29.95 (Thames & Hudson)

Lucky Peach Presents Power Vegetables! by Peter Meehan, 9780553447989 $35.00 (Clarkson Potter)

SAM Iza's Ballad by Magda Szabo 9781681370347 $16.95 (NYRB Classics) Szabo's book is a vivid portrayal of what it means to grow old, the follies of memory, and the necessity and sadness of change.

Nicotine by Nell Zink 9780062441706 $26.99 (Ecco Press) The most fun you will have at the movies all year.

Sudden Death by Alvaro Enrigue 9781594633461 $27.95 (Riverhead Books) Enrigue's fictional tennis duel between Caravaggio and Quevedo reminds us that history is not an arrow, but a ball that zigzags across time and space. With brazenness, brilliance, and humor, it tells a very true story about our shared history.

Designing Modernism: New Directions at 80 edited by J.C. Gabel & Barbara Epler 9780996744782 $50.00 (Hat & Beard Press)

Judge books by their covers! Three Book Sebald Set: The Emigrants, The Rings of Saturn, and Vertigo by W.G. Sebald & Michael Hulse (translator) 9780811226424 $45.95 (New Directions) Memory is a fickle thing. Where did I leave my keys? What moments in history brought me to this point? How did I end up here talking with these people? Sebald tackles all these questions with pictures.

VANESSA Ongoingness by Sarah Manguso 9781555977658 $14.00 (Graywolf Press)

Lean Out by Dawn Foster 9781910924020 $14.95 (Repeater)

Next-level diarist reminding you that the smallest units of time deserve noticing. A meditative gift for anyone who's struggled with this hell of a year.

Sheryl Sandberg's bestselling memoir is uncritical of the structures that disadvantage women. Leaning out is a more effective and realistic response to capitalism's corporate model. Perfect for that rad friend that is tired of trendy feminism without any bite. Yass.

Touring Hot Springs in California and Nevada by Matt C. Bischoff 9780762780693 $19.95 (FalconGuide) Don't forget to get outdoors! Let this guide you to over 100 natural hot springs throughout California's gorgeous wilderness. Matt's got your back with everything you need to know regarding accessibility, safety, temperature, and best times to visit.

Calamities by Renee Gladman 9781940696270 $18.00 (Wave Books) What is time, really? Congratulations on surviving 2016. #treatyoself with this gem for next level consciousness.

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VERNON Trouble on Triton by Samuel R. Delany 9780819562982 $17.95 (Wesleyan) A sociological labyrinth of intellectual thought.

Look: Poems by Solmaz Sharif 9781555977443 $16.00 (Graywolf Press) Profound in its emotion. Insightful into how war affects real people and their families.

NOEL Birth of a Dream Weaver by Ngugi Wa Thiong'O 9781620972403 $25.95 (New Press) Ngugi Wa Thiong’o has long been rumored to be a frontrunner for the Nobel Prize in Literature. This is his life.

The Angel of History by Rabih Alameddine 9780802125767 $26.00 (Atlantic Monthly Press) This is a heartbreakingly beautiful novel exploring love, AIDS, immigration, and creativity. A real gem.

The Sellout by Paul Beatty 9781250083258 $16.00 (Picador USA) Relentlessly satirical, relevant and absolutely necessary.

Queer and Trans Artists of Color, Volume 2 by Nia King & Elena Rose 9781988139005 $23.00 (Biyuti Publishing ) The holidays should be about celebration. That’s what these artists are about.

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10% off everything in our store except for magazines 20% off selected Skylight bestsellers and featured titles Members-only event and giveaways Free media mail shipping in the continental United States 20% off monthly event books and priority signing line tickets for our biggest author events A monthly newsletter for members featuring news and exclusive promotions Join or renew you membership at skylightbooks.com and use your membership discount on your online orders

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BOB ODENKIRK. Pour Me, a Life by A.A. Gill 9780399574917 $26.00 (Blue Rider Press)

A Bright and Guilty Place by Richard Rayner 9781400033584 $15.95 (Anchor Books)

Great writing! Great paragraphs that trip and slither and tumble forward into other paragraphs with dexterity, personality, and intelligence. Wow...pick it up, read a few... it will work on you. Sorta like Hunter S. Thompson in some ways, but his subject is himself and his own failings, not someone else. This author has a reputation for being a contrarian and worse...I just loved the writing.

JAM PACKED with stories of slime-balls and back-handed deals, manipulation, murder, and Los Angeles's nasty past. The movie Chinatown is built from these stories, but these are the true stories and for a slim volume it is overstuffed...you have to take your time to take it all in. Great historical drama.

Will Not Attend by Adam Resnick 9780147516213 $16.00 (Plume Books) I am recommending my friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book again because it is simply one of the funniest books ever written. I am reading it for the third time and it makes me laugh like the first time, every page, more than once...just so great. A great gift book.

The Comedians by Kliph Nesteroff 9780802125682 $18.00 (Grove Press) Everybody is in here! Also a great gift book. Kliph works magic, whipping through the history of comedy in America for the last 100 years without missing much and getting the characterizations rightâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the many currents and subcurrents that brought us to where we are now. Read and enjoy.

This holiday season, please support your local independent retailers. By doing so you support the communitees we live in and the people who make these communitees worthwhile. Thank you! 25

ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Art of the Film by Dermot Power 9780062571335 $50.00 (Harper Design) Bloodywood - Ghanaian Film Posters From The Collection Of Mandy Elsas by Mandy Elsas 9789082515305 $69.50 (Vintage Voodoo) Hokusai Pop-Ups by Courtney Watson McCarthy 9780500518847 $29.95 (Thames & Hudson)

Todd Hido: Intimate Distance: Twenty-Five Years of Photographs, a Chronological Album by Todd Hido 9781597113601 $65.00 (Aperture) Clare Rojas: Plain Black: Abstract Paintings by Clare Rojas 9780692666456 $49.95 (Kavi Gupta) Never Built New York by Greg Goldin & Sam Lubell 9781938922756 $55.00 (Metropolis Books)

Raymond Pettibon: Homo Americanus: Collected Works by Raymond Pettibon 9781941701263 $65.00 (David Zwirner Books/Deichtorhallen Hamburg-Sammlung Falckenberg) The Drawings of Susan Te Kahurangi King by Susan King 9780997249279 $29.95 (Ica Miami)

Sebastião Salgado: Kuwait, a Desert on Fire by Sebastião Salgado 9783836561259 $59.99 (Taschen) The Lyrics: 1961-2012 by Bob Dylan 9781451648768 $60.00 (Simon & Schuster)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J.K. Rowling 9781338109061 $24.99 (Arthur A. Levine)