Sing Us A Song

As far as history can reveal, music has always been an important facet of human culture.  Thought to have developed along with language and traditional rituals, song plays a crucial role in all societies.  Explore this rich and vibrant art form in Smithsonian Music: The Definitive Collection.  From early rhythmic beats, to Antonio Stradivari's famous stringed instruments, to dubstep and beyond, this gorgeous oversized volume provides fascinating glimpses into music all over the world and throughout human existence.  HM

Here Be Monsters!

Michael Largo's The Big, Bad Book of Beasts describes both some of the world's most unusual and mundane creatures, real and imagined.  For example, under "D" you'll find entries for Dodo, Dog, Dolichorhynchops (aka Prehistoric "Sea Wolf"), and Dragons.  I particularly enjoyed Largo's well-researched asides on the folklore of various beasts, as well as the numerous illustrations and renderings (such as the detailed Harpy skeleton on p. 187).  Definitely worth checking out!  HM

Thanksgiving

In the spirit of the season, check out Margaret Visser's The Gift of Thanks, a look at gratitude from an anthropological perspective. Visser divides her book into six parts, journeying from the outwardly mundane exercise of saying "thank you" to exploring the genuine feeling of gratefulness. She also delves into the cultural and biological roots of emotions and how they have shaped our civilizations and interpersonal relationships for millennia. HM

Brrrrrrrr!

For those who maybe aren't ready for winter or don't even want to hear the word, "snow," this book might make you feel a little bit better about Michigan weather. In The Palace of the Snow Queen: Winter Travels in Lapland, travel writer and translator Barbara Sjoholm journeys from her home in Washington to the arctic circle -- in December. Just a reminder here: the winter solstice usually occurs around December 20th, marking the shortest day of the year. In the far north, that means that for weeks before and after the solstice, the sun never actually rises. Sjoholm recounts her adventures in this perpetual twilight, including a trip to the original Ice Hotel, a visit to Santa's Village, an ill-conceived dog-sledding excursion, and an outdoor film festival where the movies are projected onto a giant sheet of ice. Along the way, she slowly comes to realize that the untouched north is full of vibrant and sometimes irreconcilable stories. HM

The Social Animal

If you like a little fiction with your non-fiction, this book is for you. In The Social Animal, New York Times columnist David Brooks weaves the story of Harold and Erica, two fascinating, yet achingly normal, people with intertwined fates. This is not your average boy-meets-girl tale, however. The book is jam packed with sociological, cultural, and economical studies and their findings. Brooks keeps the mammoth amount of research from becoming overwhelming by writing in a coversational tone and grounding the work in a relatable and very human story. OEO