Looking For a Last-Minute Gift? Books Are a Great Idea

I usually give something frivolous and "girly" to my "BFFs", but this year I am giving books. A book can be pure amusement, or it can be something much more. Books are lasting, and they are personal, especially if you select a title that's relevant to your recipients).

A book can transport you as almost nothing else can, and just one change your life, forever, and teach you something new. For my dear friend who has just discovered the joy of cooking, I recently offered an encyclopedic book on farmers markets fruits and vegetables. Another friend who loves crafts, got one on creative knitting. The former has developed a fondness for root veggies, the latter, a fondness for making decorated sweaters.

Whether it's for a birthday, or a holiday, or just because, a book is a wonderful option for gift giving. Here are some of the newest and best of the season to consider for the girls or creative guys on your gift list:

Confessions of a Beauty Addict by Nadine Haobsh (Avon A January 2009) is one of those girly, "gilty pleasures" that you know is a bit shallow, but you want it anyway! This is the "fictional" tale of Bella Hunter, a young woman who loses her fabulous beauty job at a top magazine because of a few glasses (make that bottles) of wine. Loose lips sink ships, and Bella said way too much. This is fiction, so Bella is "saved" from the unemployment line by a former boss. Alas, her job with fabulous fashion perks has been replaced with one that's a step down in glamour. Her new gig is for a "dowdy" woman's magazine her mom reads (obviously moms have no fashion sense) and the beauty closet Bella commands is full of (gasp!) drugstore brands! But there are unexpected benefits. Bella gets a big dose of reality along with some important, character building experiences. In real life, most beauty writers would adore the opportunity to have this job, and I find it hard to accept Bella's whining. But the author skillfully and realistically does move Bella from beauty snob to more personal pleasures -- even the possibility of true love. The author knows the snarky, high-stakes, back-stabbing, glamorous world of fashion and beauty publishing. The book may be fictional, but she certainly has personally experienced some of what Bella faces and makes it come alive for the reader. The daily interaction between Bella and her colleagues and so-called "friends" made me squirm uncomfortably, but all in all, it's a feel-good that will capture your attention. Buy it for the airplane, as a vacation read, or for a long, Wintry weekend!

Switch Craft Battery Powered Crafts to Make and Sew by Alison Lewis and Fang-Yu Lin ($24.95 Potter Craft November 2008). In what the press info says is: "MIT meets FIT" the authors of Switch Craft offer a thoroughly modern "how-to" that will make sock monkeys and crocheted pillow covers a gift of the past, for good! Imagine creating an Urban Blaster tote with removeable, snap-in/out speakers that let you truly tote your music to the park for a picnic (without the awkward, ugly and heavy "boom box" of yesteryear), or a "dancing Queen" skirt that lets you create your own lightshow on the dance floor. With this book you can learn what to do with all those T-shirts you really should throw out: recycled them into a dog toy that makes sounds when it is chewed (by your fave dog, of course) The authors claim that while the designs require knowledge of electronics, none of the 20 projects is more complicated that what you learned in sixth grade. While it's true that everything is clearly explained, step by step, in pictures and text, I can't sew a straight line, and perhaps 6th graders have more technological savvy than I do (but I like to think I'm not alone in my awkwardness with crafts). Still, for those who have just a little interest, patience and experience with sewing and electronics, these projects are imaginative and fun. And, if you get this book quickly, consider using it to create some really fun holiday gifts that will particularly delight teens and younger adults.

Screen Your Stuff by Marion Levy and Veronique Georgelin ($12.95 Watson Guptill 2008), is a fun book with DIY for decorating items with silk screening. The book is full of colorful photographs that show the end results, and includes information about choosing colors, fabrics, tools, and even how to handle "technical difficulties" in the silk screening process. For those who are not truly artistic, there are also templates in the back. The photos make the silk screening process look easy and the results in the book are perfect, of course. Again, my personal experience with screeing fabric produced nearly the same results that I accomplished way back when in grade school making stamps with a sponge and a cut-out on a potato. But if you've previously done some silk screening or you just want to learn how, you will enjoy trying the projects in this book. Beginners: even if as a beginner, you don't get exactly the same, clean, neat, adorable look, practice does make perfect. If you have been longing for a way to perk up T-shirts, Towels, jeans, and even old furniture, Screen Your Stuff can help you turn a proverbial sows ear into a silk purse!


The LUCKY Guide to Mastering Any Style How to Wear Iconic Looks and Make Them Your Own by Kim France and Andrea Linett ($30.00 Gotham Books 2008) will make a great gift for a fashionista or a woman who wants to be one. The authors know a huge amount about personal style, and any book that helps women without one (a sense of style) is a great thing. The book gets high marks for organizing and explaining ten iconic looks that have been a part of our Western culture for decades: Euro Chic; California Casual; Rock and Roll; Posh Eclectic; Mod; American Classic; Bombshell; Arty Slick; Bohemian; and Gamine. My only real reservation about following this type of book is that women will find looks to relate to in these ten catgories (or combos of them), but categorizing yourself can be dangerous. The clueless might just find themselves "stuck" in a look to choose something workable, and that can't feel comfortable or provide true, personal style. Those who already know how they like to look will love looking at the photos and suggestions for color, fabrics, styles and accessories. Kim France and Andrea Linett are the Editor-in-Chief and Creative Director of LUCKY Magazine, and the book closely reflects the LUCKY style both in tone, and in age-appropriateness (an audience that is over 20 but less than 35 I'd wager a guess). For those of us who do not fit neatly into that category either, the book, like the magazine, still provides tons of fun and eye candy for armchair shoppers. LUCKY Magazine is really a monthly shopping guide. This book does not provide the actual prices of the clothes suggested in each style group, although actual stores are suggested (makes me wonder how they selected the items and the stores). Depending upon where you live (mostly on either coast) you will have more luck shopping the stores, but there are some with web sites, too. In the very back of the book, there are some pages of Lucky Breaks, the Magazine's special discount pages. Since some of these seem to be from the current magazine and end at the end of November 2008, I'm not sure why they're in the book. If you are reading this past then, you'll have to purchase Lucky Magazine to see what the latest and greatest discounts are.

Hot off the press December 1st at booksellers nationwide, and at Bobbi Brown counters and http://www.bobbibrown.com/ in January 2009, is Bobbi Brown's latest book: Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual For Everyone from Beginner to Pro $32.00. If you've ever read my What Works Beauty, Cosmetics & Fashion review columns, you know I'm a personal devotee of BB makeup. I've had the pleasure of watching Bobbi Brown work her magic backstage at Fashion Week and I've always wondered if I could ever develop a practiced hand with makeup. This book provides us all of with the benefit of Bobbi's 25+ years of experience. It features not only 200 full-color photos but also step-by-step instructions including a "Ten Step Guide to Perfect Makeup" that teaches you how to apply your makeup in ten minutes or less. Whether you want to become better at applying your own makeup, or you're interested in the beauty business or both, this book is a "candy store" of beauty information--a complete reference and a must-have! Available at all Bobbi Brown Counters and on http://www.bobbibrown.com/ *check out Bobbi's online video pitch for this great, new book:

I reviewed The 5 Minute Face by Carmindy with photography by Palma Kolansky (Harper Collins May 2007) in the Book Review section of the Advice Sisters Enews for Summer 2008 (*if you want the Enews it's free, subscribe here). Carmindy's newest book is Get Positively Beautiful by Carmindy $21.99, Center Street 2008. Carmindy's "just between us girlfriends" style is charming, and the book has lots of infor, lots of color illustrations, and plenty of clever tips and time-saving makeup techniques. Carmindy is best known for her work as a makeup artist on the Learning Channel's show "What Not To Wear." Carmindy's approach to makeup is to play up your best features with sheer washes of color rather than piling on the makeup, and this new book gives you more ways to work with what nature gave you. Carmindy's message in this book is that no matter what your age or bone stucture, you are still beautiful and can use makeup to look and feel even better. I liked the easy makeup tips and techniques, although I thought the self-affirming messages could have been stronger, and illustrated better with more models. I also wonder how Carmindy selected the items in her "shopping guide" featuring her favorite makeup brands and products in low, medium and high-cost categories. There isn't really a reason given for why one brand or product is better than another. These are minor complaints, especially as The Advice Sisters have already reviewed many of the products she suggests in our "What Works" Beauty, Cosmetics & Fashion Review columns (visit the What Works Archives or a search box on our Home Page so you can check out the true benefits of each.

Real Food for Healthy Kids: 200+ Easy, Wholesome Recipes by Tanya Wenman Steel and Tracey Seaman William Morrow 2008 $29.95) offers even the busiest parent over 200 food options that will please kids but still get them to eat healthy, without tricks or threats. The authors are cooks and food writers as well as mothers. You can see a photo of Tracey (she's the one in green with the white apron) in a post a did this Summer about the Everyday with Rachel Ray Test Kitchen . This book isn't just about Mac and Cheese, however, and the recipes, such as Thai Green Curry Chicken or Shrimp Confetti Tostadas will please the adults in the family as well as "junior." This book not only gives you basics of good nutrition and suggests what kids need to eat at each stage of development, the easy to follow and quick-prepare recipes will empower you. In the end, eating healthy is a choice. With this book's easy to follow recipes, it could actually become a do-able goal.

Autumn Gatherings Casual Food to Enjoy With Family and Friends by Rick Rodgers (William Morrow 2008 $19.95) provides super-easy but effective recipes that give old holiday and harvest favorites recipes a makeover, from cheesteaks to cranberries. The gorgeous photography by Ben Fink make the individual dishes look mouth-wateringly tempting. But the recipes themselves are truly for anyone from novice to experinced. The focus is on using Autumn foods that are readily available during the harvest season, with menu ideas for holidays such as Halloween and Thanksgiving.recipes like Fettuccine with roasted butternut sqush and chard, or pear, pomegranate and greens salad...but you don’t have to store the cookbook until Fall appears again...simply switch some of the ingredients to reflect whatever is seasonal. The book is a lovely gift for a hostess, and a nice reference for special gatherings when you want to serve something impressive, but not fussy.

Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations & Traditions for the Whole Family by Corey-Colwell-Lipson & Lynn Colwell (the Green Year 2008 $24.95 http://www.celebrategreen.com/) was created by a mother/daughter team, and would make a great gift for a family. The author's message is clear: you can do your small part to protect the planet, and in doing so, create new, environmentally-friendly traditions that will hopefully translate to the next generations. Some of the suggestions are so easy such as giving bottles of bubbles at Halloween instead of candy. I liked the "green" gift suggestions that include such classic as organic clothing, or re-useable shopping totes. I'm less certain that folks will go nuts over a solar cookbook with plans for a DIY oven, although offering someone a peice of your personal jewelry instead of buying new is a great idea if it really has some meaning behind it and doesn't look like a cheap attempt at re-gifting. I helped set up New York City's recycling programs. I definitely, personally believe we should be mindful of how we treat the Earth. Alas, the "inconvenient truth" about being very eco-conscious, is that really busy people may not have the time or resources to sew Halloween costumes for the kids, or squeeze dozens or lemons to make lemonade for a large crowd, or find a genuine, "free range" turkey for Thanksgiving, or serve only organic beer and wine for a holiday party (that also does not have a huge, carbon footprint). However, this book is full of family-friendly ideas that make us more mindful of the little things we can do to make the world a greener place. It doesn't take much to make a decision to use "green" or re-cycled wrappings on gifts this holiday season, or learn how to recognize organic produce (and what the term really means).

The Mary Kay Way: Timeless Principles from America's Greatest Woman Entrepreneur ($21.95 John Wiley & Sons 2008) reminds me a bit of the classic: How to Win Friends and Influence People in it's management advice....but the advice is still as important, effective and relevant today as it was when Dale Carnegie penned his famous book, decades ago. Mary Kay Ash was the founder and chairman of Mary Kay Inc., one of the world's largest and most successful direct selling organizations. Back in the 1960's, when women were not really accepted as entrepreneurs, Mary Kay Ash boldly paved the way for herself, and then her legions of female salespeople. She not onlygave women a chance to work outside of the home, she offered many their only hand up (not handout) selling cosmetics and vyying for the honor of driving a pink Cadillac as one of her top salespeople. Like Dale Carnegie, Ms. Ash learned her management lessons the hard way, through personal experience. Her eight management principles appear simple, such as "Praise People to Success;" "Create a Stress-Free Workplace;" and "Promote people from Within." Not all of this is rocket-science, but you can't argue with success. If you want to be a successful executive or run your own enterprise, Mary Kay's philosophy of believing that anything is possible if you work dilligently, believe in yourself, and inspire others to believe in themselves, is a great place to start. Reading this book is also a good place to start.

Do you know someone who is a budding fashion designer or already in the business, or just simply infatuated with fashion? Daniel Vosovic Fashon Inside Out (St. Martins Press October 2008 $29.95) by Daniel Vosovic, Photographs by Michael Turek and a forward from "Project Runway's" Tim Gunn, gives you a photographic and text essay about what it takes to create a fashion look from concept to reality. Daniel Vosovic was a finalist on Project Runway’s second season, and he presented 13 pieces at New York’s Fashion Week in 2006. The book is a really good way for the uninitiated to get inside a designer's head and hear him "think" about the next step in bringing a design to the runway, or at least to the clothes rack. I found the book both entertaining, and educational. It is an "all access pass" to the world of fashion design, from the chic, velour-touch cover, to the very last page. This is a coffee table book worth buying, giving, and keeping.

Write about what you know," is the old addage. I'm guessing that Jodi Wing, the author of The Art of Social War by Jodi Wing (Harper Books 2008) knows something about Hollywood relationships. After her husband, Andrew Wing, is in that real-life entertainment arena she writes about. Her amusing novel is fiction, but seems close to what is possibly the real experience, as she moves Stacey Knight, a high-powered, works-for-the-mayor (of NYC) PR woman into uncharted waters as the new wife of the new head of a movie studio. Stacey learns just weeks before her wedding to James Makepeace that his company has acquired a movie studio and they have to move to Los Angeles to manage it. Living in a home in Beverly Hills, managing the staff (including winning over a surly housekeeper), figuring out what to wear for a barbeque (diamonds and a cocktail dress), and dealing with social sabotage, Stacey finds that nothing she has done in the past in New York will help her survive, and thrive in L.A until she discovers the Art of War written by Sun Tzu, composed in the 6th Century BC. She uses this classic book about military strateg. to win her own "social war." It's a cute, fast, didn't-want-to-put-it-down book that draws on the usual "chick lit" themes (lots of friends with connections in glamorous jobs, lots of discussions of clothes and makeup) but in a much smarter, neater package. I really enjoyed it!