Lit List

September 8 marks International Literacy Day. It's a good time to bone up on favorite subjects like food, fashion, and music, so we asked some industry experts to recommend recent reads. These local bibliophiles found inspiration in a motley crew of authors - from an international rap star to a world-traveling tippler. Read on.

 

 

Decoded, by Jay-Z
Recommended by: Frankie Stavrianopoulos, partner at 6one7 Productions

The rapper and business mogul got great reviews for his memoir, which mixes biographical background on his hard-knock life with lyrical insights and commentary on hip-hop culture. Stavrianopoulos, our local nightclub kingpin, was inspired by both the book itself and its wild viral-marketing approach: a scavenger-hunt-style campaign in which pages from the book popped up around the country for eagle-eyed fans to spot. Decoded sounds worth cracking.

 

Boozehound, by Jason Wilson
Recommended by: Michael Florence, bar manager at Pigalle

Wilson is a Washington Post spirits writer who travels the globe sniffing out exotic liquors and tracking down answers to questions that keep cocktail geeks up at night (e.g., how did Jägermeister become a frat favorite?). But Wilson's world-scouring research - which takes him from the French Alps to Mexican agave fields - yields an informative and funny read that should intoxicate both spirits enthusiasts and cocktailing novices. Says Florence: "I laughed, I cried, I caught a little buzz."

 

Blood, Bones & Butter, by Gabrielle Hamilton
Recommended by: Jason Babb, general manager at Grill 23 & Bar, and Michael Scelfo, chef at Russell House Tavern

Blood is a popular read among restaurant types. It's Hamilton's no-holds-barred account of coming up in the culinary world - from the family lamb roasts that captivated her as a child, to her years of hardscrabble living as a struggling chef, to the opening of her well-regarded NYC spot, Prune, which Scelfo visited while reading the book. It's eloquent but filled with gritty, unglamorous anecdotes (think drug abuse, theft, and cockroach-infested Hell's Kitchen apartments) that provide a reality check for readers raised on TV shows about "rock-star chefs."

 

Man with a Pan, edited by John Donohue
Recommended by: Peter Baker, general manager of Harvest

In this collection, 21 famous writers

- including a spatula-wielding Stephen King - recount how they became the head chefs of their households. Moral of the story: plenty of alpha males love to be the one wearing the apron. But the book is also filled with shorter pieces from regular dudes who wax on about their love of cooking - and their favorite recipes. Baker slurped up their stories on the Vineyard this summer, discovering a new favorite take on Southern red rice.

 

America Walks into a Bar, by Christine Sismondo
Recommended by: Jackson Cannon, bar manager at Eastern Standard and Island Creek Oyster Bar

Sismondo's central idea is that bars play a huge role in American culture. (You won't get much argument here, sister.) From early New England taverns to 20th-century speakeasies, they've been important gathering spots for everyone from esteemed politicians to infamous crime bosses - and they've played roles in witch trials, gay-rights movements, and all sorts of historical happenings in between. Sismondo serves up a trivia-filled history of drinking establishments that was a big hit with one of the Hub's master mixologists. 

 

 

Théâtre de la Mode
Recommended by: Jay Calderin, founder of Boston Fashion Week

This extensively illustrated book captures the style and spirit of Paris's indefatigable post-WWII fashion industry, whose couturiers crafted designs for miniature mannequins when materials were scarce. Calderin says the book serves as a "reminder that fashion has the potential to have artistic integrity and great cultural significance." For a more contemporary reminder of important facets of fashion, check out Calderin's own new book, Fashion Design Essentials: 100 Principles of Fashion Design.

 

When That Rough God Goes Riding, by Greil Marcus
Recommended by: Phil Wilcox, music and literary guide of Tres Gatos

Tres Gatos, the tapas restaurant that triples as a book and music shop, started a monthly book club this summer. Maybe Wilcox's pick will be among those soon devoured. "There's nothing better than Van Morrison's voice drifting in the breeze at a summer barbecue," says Wilcox of the rock and blues icon, who spent a good chunk of time living in Boston. Former Rolling Stone columnist Greil Marcus dissects his work with the ear of a music journalist and brain of a cultural critic. Our appetites are whet.