Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People by Amy Sedaris (Grand Central Publishing, $27.99)
I don’t have a problem with every man, woman, and child in Arizona being able to own guns but I do think there should be background checks and permits required for anyone wanting to do crafts.
In this laugh-out-loud book, Amy Sedaris, one of the funniest humans on the planet, confronts the hard-hitting craft questions that other books refuse to even acknowledge. For example, what is the quickest way to obtain feathers from a bird, what are the best crafting options for the criminally insane, and why is there a half-naked man wearing a short canary yellow robe of page 250 of her new book?”
Some of my favorite projects featured include making a pin cushion that looks like an eyeball, a clothespin Jesus, and almost everything in the section titled “Shut-Ins.”
With the hectic holiday season almost upon us, this nifty book could be your lifeboat to sanity, or maybe not. Regardless, it is fun and every bit as amusing as Amy’s previous bestseller, “I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence.” The illustrations in this madcap volume will keep you in stitches, as crafts people often say.

The War: An Intimate History 1941-1945 by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns (Knopf, $30)
In this companion volume to the seven part PBS series, more than 40 citizens from four towns — Luverne, Minnesota, Sacramento, California, Westbury, Connecticut, and Mobile, Alabama — are documented during the war years, 1941-1945. The unflinching narrative unfolds month by bloody month. The illustrations and crisply written text bring this period of our national history into sharp focus. From wartime rationing to heart breaking casualties, this is historical reporting at its very best.
Enriched by maps and hundreds of illustrations, this intimate, profoundly affecting chronicle of the war details the experiences of ordinary men and women who faced daily hardships and sacrifice as few generations have before.
This was a main selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club, The History Book Club, and the Military Book Club and, without a doubt, an incredible achievement and nothing less than one of the most outstanding books about WWII published in recent years.

JFK Day by Day: A Chronicle of the 1,036 Days of John F. Kennedy’s Presidency by Terry Golway and Les Krantz (Running Press, $27.50)
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of JFK’s Presidency, Terry Golway, director of the John Kean Institute for American History at Kean University in Union, New Jersey, and Les Krantz, author, publisher, and documentary film producer, chronicle the administration of JFK beginning with his election and inauguration in 1960, and ending with his murder in Dallas and the state funeral that followed during the autumn of 1963.
What sets this book apart from many of the others that have been published about Kennedy is that it follows each day and therefore is a comprehensive history of both his public and private moments during his brief time in office. There are many surprises revealed by the authors. For example, the fact that Jackie Kennedy was afraid she might not have the stamina to make it through the almost endless night of inauguration parties and had a doctor prescribe her with the psycho-stimulant Dexedrine.
The book is divided into three parts: 1961 Bearing the Burden; 1962 Profound Challenges; and 1963 The Final Year. The authoritative text is supplemented with more than 500 color and black and white archival photographs.

The Art and Design of Contemporary Wine Labels by Tanya Scholes with a foreword by Michael Mondavi (Santa Monica Press, $45)
This lavishly illustrated book is a survey of the art and design of contemporary wine labels from approximately 250 wine producers, from Alpha Box & Dice to Yalumba. Spotlighted are the designers and artists who have contributed to the progress of wine label design in the modern era.
Tanya Scholes, a floral designer who worked in advertising and the design industry, reveals the often-unknown connection between what’s in the bottle and what is on the label. Each label in the the book has a story to tell and that story is told through sometimes intricate graphic design.
Michael Mondavi, cofounder of the Robert Mondavi Winery, provides an instructive foreword.

Race to the End: Amundsen, Scott, and the Attainment of the South Pole by Ross D.E. MacPhee (Sterling Innovation/American Museum & Natural History Books, $27.95)
This is one of the most handsome books ever published documenting the Antarctic exploration that occurred during the early decades of the last century.
Two competing explorers — Norwegian Roald Amundsen and Britain’s Royal Navy Captain Robert Falcon Scott — faced incredible odds as they raced to become the first men to explore one of the most remote areas on the planet. The 1,800-mile journey from the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf to the Pole and back required complex logistics and almost super human grit.
Photographs, paintings, and rare historical artifacts from the Amundsen and Scott expeditions bring this event into sharp focus. Of particular interest are the actual items of clothing and tools used by the two men and their crews during the journeys, life-sized models of the base camps, and a diorama featuring the largest of all penguin species today. Speaking of penguins, three of Scott’s team members took a dangerous five-week jaunt — dubbed “the worst journey in the world” by member Apsley Cherry-Garrard — to gather penguin eggs for scientific study.
“Race to the End” provides piercing insight and keen storytelling that illuminates the geographical, logistical, and scientific details of the quest for the South Pole in addition to the complex and very human side of those who participated in this incredible adventure.

Arctic Sanctuary: Images of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuse with photography by Jeff Jones, essays by Laurie Hoyle, and an introduction by Michael Engelhard (University of Alaska Press, $55)
The 50th anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is celebrated with the release of this magnificent collection of photographs by Jeff Jones, documenting the beauty of a place that is so remote that fewer than 1200 people visit the region annually.
Jones’ significant bodies of work od the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and California’s Sierra Nevada has been exhibited in major museums throughout the country. Laurie Hoyle, who first visited the Refuge in 1990, provides a text that is both informative and accessible.
According to the authors, this project was put together to inform the public about the full spectrum of landscapes within the Refuge, and to encourage contemplation of the value of wilderness in our modern society. They have certainly accomplished this and more with the publication of this exceptional book. It is an absolute treasure.

Days of Our Lives: A Celebration in Photos by Greg Meng and Eddie Campbell (Sourcebooks, $29.99)
Forty-five years ago, a program debuted from the NBC studios triggering what would eventually become the longest-running scripted program in the network’s history. “Days of Our Lives” is nothing short of extraordinary. Millions of viewers have turned in to follow the exploits of the citizens of Salem.
This book is a photographic journey, starting with the cast and crew’s first cup of coffee in the morning through their rather hectic production day, including hair and makeup routines, wardrobe fittings, technical preparation, and the taping of an episode. Dozens of photographs, original pages from scripts, beautiful hand drawn sketches of original costumes, and some of the early set designs provide readers with a rare behind-the-scenes look at this production that like sands through the hourglass….

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