Today I walked into Green Apple Books and it took me forever to get further than six feet inside the door, because it seemed like every single book on the front shelves was put there just for me. Man, there is no better feeling.
This post is mostly just a reminder to myself about all the books to either put a hold on at the library or add to my soon-to-buy list. But I figured I'd put it here because that's the kind of thing I used to write on this blog before I got so precious with my posts. Maybe 2027 will be the year of PUBLISHING EVERYTHING, instead of keeping a million unfinished drafts collecting pixelated cobwebs on my computer? Maybe!
Celebrity authors
I always love a good autobiography (and what a season for 'em!), but this list also includes some new nonfiction books that just happen to be authored by some of my favorite famous people.
FICTIONAL SELVES - Kyle MacLachlan At Green Apple, this one was accompanied by a life-size cutout of Kyle MacLachlan presiding over a bookshelf. Even though I never listen to audiobooks, it's tempting to get this one on audio so I can listen to Kyle narrate his memories of Paul Atreides, Dale Cooper, Trey MacDougal, and other fictional selves. Let me also use this space to memorialize this insane NYT photoshoot featuring garage doors and a foot wash station, among other Lynchian props.
SLEEPING BEAUTIES - David Byrne I still don't really know what this is about, but the table of contents includes sections titled "Concrete!!" and "The Hybrid Nature of Lichens" and "Johann Sebastian Bach" so I already know I'm going to like it.
DAPHNE & ME - Jane Leeves This will probably be a library book instead of a purchase, but I will never say no to behind-the-scenes stories from the set of Frasier. Also, I've been needing an excuse to post the One Second From Every Episode of Frasier video that I've had saved forever on YouTube.
HOW TO EAT - Nigella Lawson Like most people I know who watch The Great British Bake Off, I've fallen hard for Nigella Lawson. She's simultaneously so elegant and down-home, and I love her famously indelicate bites as she judges the contestants' bakes. I could listen to her talk all day, and have been searching for any and everything she's written. "How to Eat" isn't a new book (in fact it's her first, from 1998), but seems like a good starting point. In Nigella we trust.
Book club seconds
As in, "new, highly-anticipated books by authors we previously read for book club":
PLY - Hernan Diaz Trust was a revelation, and I have high hopes for Ply! This one takes place in the far-ish future, where there's a black market for electricity and underground punk still lives on. An instant add to the library holds list.
PECK & PECK - Bonnus Garmus New Bonnie Garmus! I'll always be fond of Lessons in Chemistry, which I zipped through at a cozy North Beach inn during a staycation in March 2023. With this new novel, I'm excited for a print journal workplace drama to get the Garmus treatment and wouldn't mind if it became an Apple TV miniseries (although I still haven't watched the adaptation of Lessons in Chemistry).
Zines and journals
INNER OUTER, Issue 1: Parks A riso zine about San Francisco parks? Say no more. (Actually, I will say more: this zine was published by Friends & Neighbors, an Inner Richmond print shop that I got to work with last year while ordering some limited editions riso art prints for a conference. They are lovely people!)
REPAIRED IN SAN FRANCISCO, Issue 1 This is a shameless plug for the first issue of a series that I helped write, edit, and design. Featuring 12 local repair shops and the people who run them. You can find it at most San Francisco bookstores!
Beatles photo books
Ughhhh, big hardcover Beatlebooks are always so expensive, but I know it's only a matter of time before I add these to my collection.
THE BEATLES BY JIM MARSHALL: LIVE AT CANDLESTICK PARK 1966 Local relevance!! This is just a whole bunch of photos of the Beatles' last live concert at Candlestick Park, at an inflection point in the Beatles' musical career. I've seen many of these before, but not in full page glory!
THE THIRD EYE - George Harrison I took a sneak peek at Green Apple and confirmed that yes, I do need this book. Similar to how I felt about Paul's Eyes of the Storm, the photos the Beatles took of each other are miles and miles more revealing than any professional photographer's.
In other important Beatlenews, Dhani Harrison recently did a collab with Niwaki, and now I keep finding myself daydreaming about Friar Park-branded gardening tools. But seriously, how amazing does the garden look in this video?? I hope someday it might open to the public. Would be such a gift!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU7QGVfiT44