A holiday, a gift:
Our suggestions

Fetch!

Video Hound's irreverent slant offers more than your average "famous reviewer" guide. There are 23,000-plus movies here, rated on a one- to four-bone scale; particularly heinous movies earn a "woof." What sets this massive volume apart, though, is its use of lists. You can locate films according to your favorite stars (John Wayne, 139 listings; Leonardo DiCaprio, 10), or a broad range of categories, such as "firemen" or "lovable losers." Or see how prolific your favorite director, writer, cinematographer, even composer, has been. Video Hound's Golden Movie Retriever 1999, edited by Martin Connors and Jim Craddock, also contains an elaborate awards section, including the "Golden Raspberry" for the worst in filmdom. And there's an extensive listing of Web sites for us internuts. One small down note: Golden Movie Retriever's format can present some minor confusion. The reviews refer to the performers by their surnames; the full names are listed following each write-up. But that's just a small flea on this otherwise user-friendly Video Hound, a welcome gift under any cinemaphile's holiday tree.

--Ron Kaplan


A book no country fan can live without

The Encyclopedia of Country Music, edited by Paul Kingsbury, provides readers a complete education in country music -- not to mention hours of delicious browsing. There are biographies of approximately 1,000 country performers (most with a citation of representative recordings); entries covering musical sub-types, major musical instruments, and historically important radio and television shows; and scholarly essays on costuming, songwriting, touring, musical roots, the rise of "Music Row," and the influence of phonograph records.

Among the book's many invaluable appendices are lists of the best-selling country albums of all time, the most-performed songs, members of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry, and Grammy and Country Music Association award winners. The work is illustrated with hundreds of photos -- 150 of them in color. Researched and written by a team of 137 scholars and well-credentialed journalists, this is an essential reference on an increasingly popular art form.

--Edward Morris


A browser's delight

If you love books, you will love Literature Lover's Book of Lists: Serious Trivia for the Bibliophile.

Judie L.H. Strouf has assembled a Brobdingnagian collection of all things literary, presented in the end-of-century format that is now so popular -- lists! It has serious lists to focus your reading, and it has whimsical lists to simply entertain.

The format proves ideal for casual browsing or specific reference needs. Booklovers of all kinds are guided to the best books in many fields of interest.

Literature Lover's Book of Lists can guide your lifetime reading plan in an enjoyable way.

--George Cowmeadow Bauman


The art of gift-giving

Gift-giving season is here again. If this announcement inspires frustration, oppressive obligation, or sheer panic, there is help. The Perfect Present: The Ultimate Gift Guide for Every Occasion takes the work out of giving, and hopefully, puts some joy into it. The author, a consumer advocate and "Super Shopper," shifts our focus from duty to creativity, fun, and meaning. A carefully considered, heartfelt gift, she reminds us, matches the unique combination of giver, receiver, and occasion. The quick, creative, tried-and-true suggestions are here for the taking in a guide that's a gift in itself.

--Joanna Brichetto


For the laddies and the lassies

For anyone interested in things Irish, Heritage of Ireland: A History of Ireland and Its People would be a perfect present indeed. Not just another coffee table book, this weighty, new celebration of the Emerald Isle spans centuries of conquest, politics, art, and daily life -- taking readers from the arrival of the Celts to Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance. The photographs, at least one to every page, are stunning, and the fresh format with wide margins and attractive type adds to the general readability. There is no blarney here, just a first-rate effort.

--Joanna Brichetto


It's never too late to learn

Kenneth C. Davis, the creator of the best-selling Don't Know Much About series, tackles the best-selling book of all time: the Bible. In Don't Know Much About the Bible the "world's most owned, least understood book" is approached with Davis's trademark question/answer format and witty, learned insights. Correctly assuming most of us exist in "embarrassed silence" when it comes to what the Bible does and doesn't say, Davis pits the Old and New Testaments against historical events and brings to vivid life what we were supposed to have learned in Sunday school, but didn't.

--Joanna Brichetto


Girl talk

Michelle Lovric has compiled another charming, illustrated anthology of letters that allows readers the frisson of peeking at other people's mail. Woman to Woman: Letters to Mothers, Sisters, Daughters and Friends is the result of five years of research into the correspondence of women of all ages, famous and obscure. Grouped by the roles of womanhood -- such as child, student, young lover, mother, mentor -- the letters reveal the "common experiences of all women, from all epochs and cultures." Most enchanting are the three-dimensional facsimiles of handwritten letters from Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, Marie Antoinette, and others.

--Joanna Brichetto


The late Diana, Princess of Wales, is as irresistible a book subject as ever. A recent offering, Diana: Her Life in Fashion, is a tasteful, serious look at her transformation from innocent nanny to independent philanthropist -- as interpreted through her wardrobe. The author, fashion editor Georgina Howell, invited Diana's fashion designers and personal contacts to reflect upon their roles in Diana's evolving style and share special memories. Fittingly, the book is liberally bedecked with gorgeous photographs and official portraits. All royalties from sales of this book go to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund.

--Joanna Brichetto


Gardeners will dig it

The scope of gardening information in The Brooklyn Botanic Garden Gardener's Desk Reference is nothing short of amazing. For easy use, the wide-ranging material is divided into 20 sections and contains tables, plant lists, maps, and illustrations that will prove indispensable. Take, for example, growing conditions. Because of the diverse growing conditions in the United States, all plant lists in the book are organized according to region, and every recommended species or cultivar has been chosen by an experienced landscaper and tested in that region. This reference is a must for any new or experienced gardener on your holiday list.

--Pat Regel


A lesson in Southern hospitality

When Mrs. Whaley and Her Charleston Garden was published in the spring of 1997, Emily Whaley was proclaimed the embodiment of style and hospitality. This Christmas is the perfect time to read more of the late Mrs. Whaley in her book, Mrs. Whaley Entertains, written in conversation with William Baldwin before her death. Here, the grande dame of gracious living shares her unforgettable stories, practical suggestions, and recipes -- everything she knows about unflappable hostessing. From "Men in the Kitchen" and "Table Manners" to "Shrimp Pie" and "Dancing School Fudge," this little book will entertain you and your guests over the holidays.

--Pat Regel


For the journey

For more than 30 years, author-illustrator Flavia Weedn has touched millions with her books, greeting cards, and posters. Now, her new series of beautifully illustrated journals takes the reader/writer on a journey of self-discovery while offering wisdom and inspiration. Heaven and Earth: A Journal of Dreams and Awakenings encourages the recording of dreams and offers guidance for focusing journal entries. Heart and Soul: A Personal Tale of Love and Romance celebrates the personal love story each woman has to tell, and Passages: A Woman's Personal Journey offers women an opportunity to reflect and recall thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

--Pat Regel


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