Books are by far the easiest and best gifts to give for Christmas.
And the sweetest part is that you don't have to go further than the internet to buy and send them. Perfect for us busy folks, right? So here's my early internet gift to you--a list of some of the good books I read this year, and some of the journals / mags I subscribe to that I think are worthy of sharing:
1. Night Women, Marlon James: An exciting page-turner for the adult reader who isn't too squeamish about violence, cussing, and little bit of sex.
2. Lovely Guyana, Phillip and Suelle Williams: A thought-provoking pictorial perspective of Guyana that is appropriate for all ages.
3. Sections of an Orange, Anton Nimblett: A powerful individual first in Caribbean (diaspora) writing about male homosexuality and about Caribbean home.
4. Shadows Move Among Them, Edgar Mittelholzer: A titillating fantasy set in Guyana's jungle, soon to be republished by Peepal Tree Press in their Caribbean Modern Classics series.
5. Eating Air, Pauline Melville: This is Melville's latest work and I'm not quite done with it yet, but it's a great read so far. It's as well-crafted and intriguing as Shape Shifter, which I brought to you earlier in the year.
6. A subscription to GEM (magazine): A delightful mix of articles and features on who's who in Guyana, several aspects of Guyanese culture, and events in Guyana.
7. A subscription to Caribbean Review of Books: An entertaining and informative place for writing on Caribbean arts.
8. A subscription to Caribbean Beat (magazine): A packed place for all you can ever read about the Caribbean--its countries, its people, its various cultures...events...and more.
--Browse my Amazon store and Peepal Tree Press to find all the books listed. You'll find those and many others to add to your list of the greatest gifts you'll be giving for Christmas. Happy reading folks!
And, for those curious about the books imaged throughout this post.. They're eight books I'd love to find under my Christmas tree (even if I have to put them there myself). From top to bottom:
1. Poems Man, Stanley Greaves.
2. The Island Quintet, Raymond Ramcharitar.
3. Bougainvillea Ringplay, Marion Bethel.
4. A Case of Exploding Mangoes, Mohammed Hanif.
5. The Polished Hoe, Austin Clarke.
6. Escape to an Autumn Pavement, Andrew Salkey.
7. Hope's Hospice, Kwame Dawes.
8. The Slap, Christos Tsiolkas.
Happy reading to me!
