Looking for a gift for the bookworm in your family? Good news: the options are many. Even better, several books have been released this year by Michigan authors, often exploring topics unique to Michigan.
From Detroit Jazz to History, here is a list of some books by Michigan authors that your loved ones are sure to get lost in. Who could ask for a better gift than a book given the stressful year we’ve all been through?
And if you’re not sure what to get, Book Beat, an independently owned bookstore in Greenfield in Oak Park, has a wide selection of books from Michigan authors, delving into history, furniture design, poetry, and more.
Here are some options:
“Jazz Space Detroit: Photographs of Black Music, Jazz, and Dance:” Showcasing photographs by Detroit photographer Barbara Weinberg Barfield with text by Herb Boyd, executive director of the Jazz Research Institute, “Space Detroit” explores how jazz, rooted in blues, developed in the city and where. Images of the Rapa House, Detroit Jazz Center, Baker Keyboard Lounge, and Paradise Theater/Orchestra Hall are woven with images of some of the city’s famous jazz figures such as Marcus Belgrave, Sippie Wallace, Dave Wilborn and more. Barefield added color to some images manually, bringing them to life. ($24.95; available at Book Beat, Source Bookseller, and Pages Bookstore).
“Up North in Michigan: A Portrait of Place in Four Seasons”The latest book by author Jerry Dennis—who grew up in northern Michigan and is the author of several books, including “The Living Great Lakes”—is an essay that explores the unique landscapes and physical features of our state, one season at a time. One article, “Rules for Cottage Living,” is about the quiet beauty of looking at the water as a hobby, adjusting your sense of time and leaving ordinary life behind. ($24.95 from University of Michigan Press; available on Amazon)
“Colorful”: If you have a University of Michigan fan in your life who also loves history—especially Wolverine history—then James Tobin’s film Singing in Color: A Writer Exploring Two Centuries at the University of Michigan is perfect. Tobin wrote several articles originally for a website created in honor of the university’s bicentennial titled Heritage Today, along with Michigan Today, an alumni magazine. The book is a fascinating look at sometimes obscure parts of UM’s history, from the time women were finally accepted into university to the professor who planted elms along Diag and would return to care for them long after he left. ($24.95 from University of Michigan Press; available on Amazon).
When the heart needs a double trick: Detroit-born poet Diane Descelles’ latest collection of poems explores life’s many contradictory themes and what it means to be human: anxiety, loss, and beauty. “I often refer to the pentimento metaphor, that is, the discovery of an earlier painting hidden by another painted over it,” DeCillis wrote on her website. “The challenge is to stand under the layers that obstruct the image waiting to be found.” ($16.99 from Wayne State Press; available at Book Beat).
Design Remix: Birmingham-based interior designer Cory Damen Jenkins “Design Remix: A Fresh Spin on Traditional Rooms” (Rizzoli) is a feast for the eyes. It’s a beautiful coffee table book, and also includes vibrant rooms and spaces designed by Jenkins in Michigan and elsewhere. It also offers tips for those who want to try a similar approach in their own home. ($29.99 from Rizzoli; Amazon).
My office today: Few have seen – and captured – the many sides of northern Michigan the way John Russell did. Russell, a photographer for more than five decades in northern Michigan, has shot everything from the top of the Mackinac Bridge to fires and snowstorms. Nick Edson, retired sports editor for Traverse City Record, Eagle, said his book My Office Today: 50 Years of Northern Michigan Images (Mission Point Press) captures the “iconic tapestry of northern Michigan life.” He was the head of photography. ($29.95; amazon).
mfeighan@detroitnews.com