Of course, booksellers loved The Golden Compass, which has its orgins in Milton, Blake and Kleist. But now it is a holiday season Hollywood release, a fantasy movie inspiring a good deal of controversy. Some might say that Christians have their C.S. Lewis, now the agnostics and the atheists have their fables, too. Or you might just enjoy a good read and put the brouhaha aside.

If you liked the Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy (of which The Golden Compass is the first volume), you might want to try these titles.

Un Lun Dun The revolution will be started by a soccer hooligan with a PhD in Marxist economics. China Mieville is a fine writer who may have found his groove with this kids’ novel. Use it as an intro to linguistic theory, enjoy the cool monsters or don’t even give it to the kids. Keep it for yourself, sit on the couch and read all day.

All adolescents should be handed The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy at some point. And we conveniently have a 5 volume boxed set available for only 19.99. If you need more ideas, swing by the store. 

PS-And we have Horton Hears a Who to look forward to as well. 

Does news of Dubya & Company’s antics leave you eager to take a shower? The founder of Scrubya soap agreed and took action. She’s brought us Scrubya Soap in 3 scents and now we can wash George W. away. Just lather liberally and repeat until November 2008. Choose from Cameliza Rice, Neo-Con Coriander and  Smell the Damn Coffee! 5.95 each or 17.50 for the trio, all are naturally good for you. Scrubya’s proceeds benefit organizations that are cleaning up after the Bush administration such as Physicians for Human Rights. Update: as seen in the Washington Post.

Photo by Mor (bcnbits) Used under a Creative Commons license.

Every year the staff at Vertigo argues–umm, make that "debates"–titles for our Holiday Specials. While we push our favorites, we try to strike a balance and wonder if So-and-So’s brother-in-law (who doesn’t really read) would find something on our list. We discuss why certain titles qualify or do not. Are they gifty? Special in some way? Here’s this year’s list, let us know what you think. Visit our Holiday Specials page or download a flier and stop in soon.

Amazing Rare Things: The Art of Natural History in the Age of Discovery by David Attenborough, Reg. 37.50, Now 30.00
Around the World in 80 Tales by Saviour Pirotta, Reg. 19.95, Now 15.96
Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits by Deborah Willis, Reg. 35.00, Now 28.00
Jimi Hendrix: An Illustrated Experience by Janie Hendrix, Reg. 45.00, Now 36.00
The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps: The Best Crime Stories from the Pulps During Their Golden Age by Otto Penzler, Reg. 25.00, Now 20.00
The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, Reg. 24.95, Now 19.96
The Principles of Uncertainty by Maira Kalman, Reg. 29.95, Now 23.96 
All the Rage: The Boondocks Past & Present by Aaron McGruder, Reg. 16.95, Now 13.56
Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks, Reg. 26.00, Now 20.80
The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century by Alex Ross, Reg. 30.00, Now 24.00
The Art of Simple Food: Notes and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution by Alice Waters, Reg. 35.00, Now 28.00
Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink by David Remnick, Reg. 29.95, Now 23.96
Other Colors: Essays and a Story by Orhan Pamuk, Reg. 27.95, Now 22.36
The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories by Robert B. Strassler, Reg. 45.00, Now 36.00
Our Dumb World: The Onion’s Atlas of the Planet Earth, 73rd Ed. by The Onion, Reg. 27.99, Now 22.39