With the festive season upon us, four of the authors of Dua’s Monthly Reads share the books they plan on gifting. From the poetry of Jack Gilbert to the punchy prose of Jhumpa Lahiri – plus a few cookbooks for good measure – this thoughtfully curated list has something for everyone, whether you’re searching for the perfect gift, your next favourite read or a fresh perspective to explore...
Patti Smith
Author of Dua’s Monthly Read, Just Kids
“I often give books at Christmas because each volume offers a journey into a writer’s imagination and thought processes; an entrance into a new world. I have chosen books by five prolific authors, hoping the reader will be enticed to explore the author further, book by book.”
- Reborn: Early Diaries 1947-1963 by Susan Sontag – “Reborn is a fascinating self-document, the raw and expressive musings of the brilliant writer still forming and informing herself. Open it anywhere and take off with her.”
- Writing by Margurite Duras – “The author of The Lovers penned these ruminations on the process of her craft toward the end of her life. Straightforward yet enigmatic, Duras offers us a glimpse into her treasured solitude.”
- The Search Warrant: Dora Bruder by Patrick Modiano – “A wonderful introduction into the interconnective works of Modiano. He draws us into the vague mystery of Paris backstreets in pursuit of strangers disappearing like fading photographs.”
- The Hour Of The Star by Clarise Lispector, translated by Benjamin Moser – “The much-admired Lispector was born in the Ukraine but raised in Brazil. This exquisite little book, one to read and reread, will swiftly reveal why she is so beloved.”
- After Nature by W.G. Sebald – “I absolutely love this early work of Sebald. Three poetically historic meditations tracing the perilous journeys of a German Renaissance painter, a naturalist explorer, and the writer himself.”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Author of Dua’s Monthly Read, Half Of A Yellow Sun
“Books as Christmas gifts are special because they last forever, and have a kind of unique intimacy: you are sharing what you love and hope your loved one will love, too.”
- Small by Small by Ike Anya – “A young man’s memoir of becoming a medical doctor in Nigeria. Unusual and beautiful and quiet.”
- The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman by Andrzej Szczypiorski – “Set in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, a wonderful wise novel that I have loved for years.”
- The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta – “A classic of Nigerian literature. A woman’s story, set in working-class colonial Lagos, and a fun read that also enlightens.”
- Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez – “Nothing delights me more than a well-written and well-researched book that teaches you and never bores you.”
- Collected Poems of Jack Gilbert by Jack Gilbert – “These poems are emotionally acute, and I go back to them often to remind myself of what words can do.”
- Family Life by Akhil Sharma – “Beautiful writing and a haunting story of a family forever changed by a son’s accident. “
Min Jin Lee
Author of Dua’s Monthly Read, Pachinko
“I read and write for a living. I have to eat many times a day, and since I would prefer to eat well, I cook. For Christmas, I give cookbooks, because they are useful and fanciful. Cookbooks are often very well written, and I enjoy reading them. There are recipes I will likely never make; however, there are far more recipes I always make. Recipes are also a kind of cultural and historical document of a community. Here are some classics and a few new kids in the kitchen.”
- Banchan by Caroline Choe and Ghazalle Badiozamani – “‘Banchan’ is an umbrella term for the side dishes one eats with rice. However, great banchan can also be consoling, nourishing and staples to one’s life.”
- Smoke & Pickles by Edward Lee – “I love everything Edward Lee cooks, and his understanding of American food is both smart and incredibly delicious.”
- The Korean Cookbook by Junghyun Park and Jungyoon Cho – “This gorgeous encyclopedic cookbook should be owned by anyone who takes Korean food seriously.”
- Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering The Elements Of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat and Wendy MacNaughton – “Samin Nosrat is a culinary wonder – a genius about what we want to eat and how food should taste.”
- Better Baking by Genevieve Ko – “Ko, a superb baker, teaches us to reach higher baking heights. Her recipes are sublime.”
- Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home by Eric Kim – “I love Kim’s recipes because they are creative, great to eat and absolutely approachable.”
- Momofuku: A Cookbook by David Chang and Peter Meehan – “Chang transformed American thinking about cooking, and his knockout recipes here are ones I cook often.”
Douglas Stuart
Author of Dua’s Monthly Read, Shuggie Bain
“At Christmas, I like to gift books that feel expansive and generous in their storytelling, and contain other worlds to get lost in.”
- Amongst Women by John McGahern – “As his daughters gather around him, an Irish farmer looks back upon his life as a freedom fighter. A raw, affecting book about a father’s regrets.”
- As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann – “Set at the time of the English civil war, a gloriously gutsy (and sexy) novel about a soldier driven to madness by his desire to possess his male lover.”
- Golden Hill by Francis Spufford – “A propulsive romp about a wealthy Englishman who, upon arriving in colonial New York, turns the town upside down as people try to discover if he is who he claims to be.”
- Interpreter Of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri – “A proven classic. Quietly elegant stories about the Indian diaspora. Storytelling that feels like peeking in on the private disappointments of other lives.”
- A Constellation Of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra – “Against the backdrop of the Chechen war, a big-hearted but harrowing novel that weaves together the lives of survivors trying to keep a young orphan from harm.”
- The Persian Boy by Mary Renault – “Any fan of Madeline Miller should love this wonderful historical novel about Alexander the Great, as told through the eyes of his lover, the servant Bagoas.”
