Omni Personal Shopper: The Indie Girlfriend

Our next Omni Personal Shopper assignment is to help this gentleman shake things up from his usual gift of movies to find the perfect book to match his girlfriend's eclectic sensibilities.

I'm used to getting movies for my girlfriend, but this year she's suggested books. She's an art history major but she's obsessed with films, particularly quirky documentaries like Grey Gardens, American Movie, and Anvil: the Story of Anvil. One of her favorite programs is This American Life, and her favorite magazine is Cabinet. In general, she's fascinated by the secret histories of everyday objects and people. I was wondering what books would appeal to her in the same way that those offbeat doc films do?

Challenge accepted.

• Ah, Grey Gardens... This has nothing to do with gift-giving but allow me to share this Little Edie quote from the picture: "'Course, I'm mad about animals, but raccoons and cats become a little bit boring. I mean, for too long a time." With that out of the way, you'll be the Marble Faun to your own Little Edie with any of these  titles: MemoraBEALEia, A Private Scrapbook About Edie Beale of Grey Gardens, Letters of Little Edie Beale, Grey Gardens, Edith Boulvier Beale of Grey Gardens, or A Maysles Scrapbook.
  

• Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry by Leanne Shapton
  Mari and I both thought that she might appreciate this quirky charmer. Assembled like an auction catalog that spotlights the significance of the detritus of the everyday objects from a failed (fictional) relationship, it sparkles with wit, romance, and melancholy.

• Taking Things Seriously: 75 Objects with Unexpected Significance by Joshua Glenn and Carol Hayes
  Pick up this book and Lauren promises that "she’ll start looking at her own belongings with a new sense of wonder."

• Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of Modern Hollywood by Mark Harris
  Mari suggested this terrific book which captures Hollywood's original independent spirit spotlighting five pivotal films that changed the landscape of modern filmmaking.

• The Jazz Loft Project by Sam Stephenson
  Tom's personal pick for the Best Book of the Month for December, this collection presents "a rare and remarkable window into the New York jazz scene in the late 1950s and early '60s."

• Too Fast for Love: Heavy Metal Portraits by David Yellen
  And only because I saw Anvil on her "likes" list, I wanted to throw this one into the ring--a photo collection of headbanging tailgaters captured in the wild following their favorite hair bands. There are many perms, mullets, and spandex.

We hope these suggestions help. Readers, feel free to add your own gift ideas in the comments.

--BTP

Comments

[Conor on December 16, 2009 at 12:20 PM]

Thanks so much. These are all great suggestions.