Need something to entertain you during the long, cold winter? Still looking for gifts for your family and friends? Why not go for a well-chosen book by a local author?
On Thursday’s St. Louis on the Air, we heard from two local booksellers about their favorite local and national titles both for gifts and for reading time over the holidays.
Holland Saltsman is the owner of The Novel Neighbor in Webster Groves. Alex Weir is the manager of Subterranean Books in the Delmar Loop.
“We do have a hefty number of local authors,” Saltsman said. “And not only local authors but this year exploded with people covering St. Louis, all kinds of things to do with St. Louis. When we were comparing notes earlier for which books we had picked, we had absolutely no cross-over at all. This year, in particular, it was a huge list.”
Holland’s local picks:
For the younger St. Louis reader …
Ryan Nusbickel’s “Cloudy with a Chance of Toasted Rav”
For inspiration …
John O’Leary’s “On Fire”
Listen to our interview with O’Leary here.
For something a little darker …
The local anthology edited by Scott Phillips, “St. Louis Noir”
For the quirky explorer …
David Baugher’s “Secret St. Louis”
Listen to our interview with Baugher here.
Alex’s local picks:
For the outdoorsperson …
Susan Flader’s “Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites: Exploring Our Legacy”
For the sports fan …
Joe Buck’s “Lucky Bastard”
Listen to our interview with Buck here.
For the history buff …
Joseph Heathcott and Angela Dietz’s “Capturing the City”
Listen to our interview with Heathcott and Dietz here.
For the musically-inclined …
Bruce Olson’s two volume history, “That St. Louis Thing”
Listen to the full discussion about books, independent bookstore life, books for the younger reader and titles to look forward to in 2017 here:
Listeners' picks for their favorite books (not necessarily local) of 2016:
I have Two!(I'm a Librarian) "In the Company of Women" by Grace Bonney and "I'm Judging You" by @Luvvie
— Tammy Jones (@IamTammiJ) December 14, 2016
Lamb by Christopher Moore (fiction) Notorious RBG (non-fiction)
— Robyn M. Schrager (@rmsoriginal) December 14, 2016
the bicycle diaries by David Byrne.
— Brett (@brflux) December 14, 2016
Angie on Facebook: “Kitchens of the Great Midwest” by J. Ryan Stradal
Jennifer on Facebook: “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” by George R.R. Martin
Kat on Facebook: “Hamilton: The Revolution” by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter
David on Facebook: “Inside a Silver Box” by Walter Mosley
We also want to hear from you: What was your favorite book of 2016 — local or national — that you would recommend to someone else? Email us at talk@stlpublicradio.org or tweet @STLonAir.
What was the best book you read in 2016? pic.twitter.com/i4d3Mf0AXO
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) December 14, 2016
St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and producers Mary Edwards, Alex Heuer and Kelly Moffitt give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.