Give a memorable gift: 6 unusual gift finds in books
NEW YORK - Twisted cat poetry only Charles Bukowski could have come up with and life lessons from "Little Miss Overshare" are among the holiday season's more unusual book.
Six suggestions:
• "The U.S. Supreme Court Decision on Marriage Equality: As delivered by Justice Anthony Kennedy." The complete decision clearing the way for same-sex marriage across the United States, including dissenting opinions, in a nicely done hardcover edition from Melville House Publishing, $14.95.
• "On Cats," by Charles Bukowski, edited by Abel Debritto. The rough-and-tumble writer died in 1994. This anthology of his poems and short prose honors the animals that touched his soul. Bukowski captures the spirit of his own pet cats as fighters, hunters and survivors, including photos of himself with his charges. From Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins, $25.99.
• "Hillary Rodham Clinton Presidential Playset," illustrated by Caitlin Kuhwald. Choose a facial expression and pantsuit from among the presidential candidate's greatest hits, or pose Bill Clinton in his bathrobe with his lawn mower on a foldout White House front lawn. This truly quirky gift includes 10 paper dolls of the Clintons, bodyguards, favorite supporters Bono and Oprah and three sets in all. From Quirk Books, $14.95.
• Little Miss and Mr. Me Me Me parody series, by Dan Zevin, illustrated by Dylan Klymenko. The iconic little children's books by Roger Hargreaves featuring the goofy Little Miss and Mr. Men characters have been teaching good behavior for 45 years. They've had a big 2015: A feature film is in the works, Uniqlo came up with a clothing line and now there's this twisted parody series featuring Mr. Humblebrag, Mr. Selfie, Little Miss Overshare and Little Miss Basic. From Three Rivers Press. Each bite-size paperback is $6.99.
• "The Selous in Africa: A Long Way from Anywhere," by Rolf D. Baldus and Walter R. Jubber and Robert J. Ross. Lots of wild animals eating other wild animals in this coffee table book celebrating the Selous Game Reserve in southern Tanzania, Africa's oldest and largest protected area. The Selous is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the continent's largest and greatest undisturbed ecosystems. From Officina Libraria/ACC Distribution, $65.
• "Findings: An Illustrated Collection," by Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, illustrated by Graham Roumieu. From Harper's, this little volume is full of gems from the back-page column of the same name. Rude sales staff boost the desirability of luxury goods, for instance. Also, this: Service sizes in images of the Last Supper were found to have grown by two-thirds over the past millennium. From 12 Books, $20.