28 | October | 2015 | Eleventh Stack

The other day I heard a radio station advertising themselves as Pittsburgh’s number one station for Christmas music, and I felt a number of conflicting emotions: panic at the thought of Christmas shopping already, horror at the idea that Christmas is being sold before Halloween is even over and excitement over giving gifts and celebrating the holiday season.

Despite the fact that in my opinion it’s far too early to be looking at Christmas displays, I have to admit that I’ve been dropping little hints to my family about books that I hope to receive this year. Here are a few things on my wish list:

I’ll Never Write My Memoirs, by Grace Jones: Grace Jones has been one of my idols for years. She’s so fierce and androgynously gorgeous! I imagine the first time she crossed my radar was when I saw A View to a Kill or Conan the Destroyer, but her career has spanned so much more than just those movies (not least Straight to Hell, the best punk rock western ever!). Model, singer, muse and actress, I can’t wait to read about her life in her own words.

Women in Clothes, edited by Sheila Heti: I hinted at this book last holiday season, but apparently not loudly enough. I actually forgot about it until I noticed a colleague reading it and remembered how much I enjoyed it. Lovers of clothes, lists and conversational interviews and essays about what clothes mean to the wearer will enjoy this book. Heti, Molly Ringwald, Miranda July and Lena Dunham are among the contributors to this book, which examines what clothes mean in the lives of women.

Andy Warhol: Polaroids: My love of Polaroid photography began in high school, and has grown to the point where I still have a small stash of aging Time Zero film stored in a lunchbox in my refrigerator. As the owner of several Polaroid cameras and a pre-Instagram love of documenting moments, I enjoy both taking instant pictures and looking at them. Not to mention that Grace Jones adorns the cover of this book!