Novelist Frances Madeson stops by today to take us on a book buying spree in lower Manhattan.  Madeson's hysterical debut novel, Cooperative Village, has made its way onto our own shopping list, for my read-it-all, seen-it-all cousin Shelly, who I know will love it. How can you resist this description: " An anti-Bush Weekend at Bernie’s for the shiva-sitting set."  Perfect.

Book Shopping with Frances Madeson

"A light top 5 gift books, either to give or receive”— I pulled my boots back on, grabbed my parka and Metrocard, kissed my startled husband goodbye, and headed out into the wintry Manhattan night to select my picks. It had been several months since I’d been in a bookstore other than for a reading or signing event and I found myself looking forward with genuine and eager anticipation to the simple but very great human pleasure of book browsing.

My first stop was Rapture Café and Books, 200 Avenue A, where I was greeted by golden light, plenty of warmth—both of the temperature and human varieties—and an amazing sign that said ALL books were 50% off in the month of December. Let the shopping begin! The staff was setting up for a short-film festival, hanging the screen from hooks in the ceiling, but I walked around (not under) the ladder to get to the bookshelves and immediately got lucky. I soon found myself deeply engaged in  The Works—Anatomy of a City by Kate Ascher, which details the infrastructure of New York City in all of its glory. Cogently organized, chock-full of information, and bountifully illustrated, I learned that there are 11 distinctive kinds of support cars in the subway system for revenue collection, equipment hauling, cleaning, and other purposes. As a NYC taxpayer, I am part-owner of a vacuum car that cost $15 million dollars (why?) and sucks in 70,000 cubic feet of air per minute! So that’s how the MTA keeps our subways so clean. Good to know.

Next, I bustled over to the St. Marks Bookshop, 31 Third Avenue, forcing myself to pass on by Veselka’s—where they’re serving their annual Christmas Borscht (red beets and green dill)—to stay on task. Inside the bookstore, oversized crimson velvet bows festooned concrete pillars and smiling shoppers were patiently standing in line with armfuls of books. Overtaken by a powerful homing instinct, I wandered way back to the literature section and said hi to my book. (Mama’s here, sweetheart!) On a whim, I picked up the title to its right, The Uncoupling, by Cauvery Madhavan, and instantly enjoyed the author’s voice—mature, intelligent, and lively. In both her novels, she writes about human appetites—food, sex, and sometimes both. Hence the reference I soon stumbled upon to “Kamasutra fridge magnets.”

Exiting the store, my eye landed on a somewhat surprising title, and I instantly knew what I’d be sending the members of the Executive Branch (if I were inclined to get them holiday gifts): Infernal Device: Machinery of Torture and Execution, by Erik C. Rühling. With chapter headings such as: Punishments Vile; Crushing Embrace; Fearful Penetration; The Unkindest Cut; and Sheer Brutality, what could be more appropriate for our torture-loving president and vice? On second thought, they probably wouldn’t understand the epigram by e.e. cummings—“pity this busy monster, manunkind…”

I quickened my steps, almost racing to McNally Robinson’s Booksellers, 52 Prince Street, where inside it was powerfully moving to see side-by-side memorial displays to Grace Paley and Norman Mailer. Inspired by the staff’s gesture, I took a few moments to read Ms. Paley’s story, Wants, and to allow myself to feel the loss of this great writer and humanist. On a front table, stamped with the green “Recommended” sticker, was a debut story collection called  The Secret Lives of People in Love, by Simon Booy. In the almost sanctuary-like atmosphere, I passed a most contented half an hour sampling his words. From the story, Everything is a Beautiful Trick: “My wife naps back at our old wooden house—a house so tired its limbs creak as though it is speaking back to the weight of our random movements.”

My final stop of the evening was Bluestockings, A Radical Bookstore, 100 Allen Street, closest to home. Just setting foot in this collectively-owned and run store is empowering. These young people have it together!  Collectively, the three women in the store pointed me to one exciting title after another. As difficult as it was to choose, I settled upon  Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen, by food justice activists Bryant Terry and Anna Lappé, with an introduction by Eric Schlosser. Informative and holistic, Grub has it all—seasonal menus, political analysis, nutritional information, delicious sounding recipes, resources for activism, and even suggested soundtracks to cook by.