Seasons Readings! In celebration of the tried-and-true art of book-giving, we’ve compiled a list of Restless titles that will make unforgettable gifts (or end of year reads) for your loved ones this holiday season, all 25% off with the code GIVEBOOKS22.
With all of the pressures on the U.S. Postal Service these days, shopping early is a good move! Get your orders in ASAP for holiday delivery. And for all you last-minute shoppers out there, select Priority Mail at checkout for expedited shipping. We’ll ship out all orders placed by December 15 before our office goes on holiday break.
Happy holidays and happy reading ❄️
Restless Books
For those in need of an anti-colonial reckoning: A gut punch of a novel from Titaua Peu about a family torn apart by secrets and the legacy of colonialism and held together by nine-year-old Pina, a girl shouldering the immeasurable weight of her family’s traumas.
“Pina’s Tahiti is not the paradise of brochures. Peu’s ‘rough-hewn, oral, humane prose’ (in the words of the translator, Jeffrey Zuckerman) rings fiercely true.”
—The New York Times
For mothers, daughters, and everyone who cried during Everything Everywhere All At Once: A prize-winning debut from Kim Hye-JIn that confronts familial love, duty, mortality, and generational schism through the incendiary gaze of a tradition-bound mother faced with her daughter’s queer relationship.
“An admirably nuanced portrait of prejudice…. one that boldly takes on the daunting task of humanizing someone whose prejudice has made her cruel.”
—Imogen West Knights, The New York Times
For readers looking to cross cultures and borders: Meron Hadero’s prize-winning story collection offers poignant, compelling narratives of those whose lives have been marked by border crossings and the risk of displacement.
"Exquisite…. Sentences infused with attitude throw gut punches that land with enough power to bring on tears."
—Daphne Kalotay, The Washington Post
For the Dionysians who’ve read Annie Ernaux’s Simple Passion: An exhilarating English-language debut from celebrated Ecuadorian author Gabriela Ponce that centers the female body in a radical exploration of desire, pleasure, and pain.
“This book is savage. Ponce’s prose is full of passion, that is, full of desire and pain. That’s why it feels so alive, like a bleeding heart pumping inside your head.”
—Mónica Ojeda, author of Jawbone
For the aspiring journalist: A gripping investigation of a series of nineteenth century murders from award-winning journalist Javier Sinay that unearths the complex history and legacy of Moisés Ville, the “Jerusalem of South America.”
“With the help of a Yiddish translator, Sinay unearthed not only imprecise information in Mijl’s accounts, but also silences on key issues… Intelligent and well-researched… A worthy, unique entry in Jewish history.”
—Kirkus Reviews
For lovers of song, poetry, memoir, or all things queer lit: An impassioned, genre-blending memoir that navigates the fraught constellations of race, sexuality, and cultural heritage that have shaped the experiences of pirze-winning, Indo-Guyanese queer poet Rajiv Mohabir.
“The memoir refuses genre. Instead, it invents its own radical, striking, fragmented form, which reflects Mohabir’s efforts to mend himself…. Singular, fierce: That’s the gorgeous sound of a bird taking flight.”
—Anita Felicelli, The Washington Post
For proud students and graduates who changed their major from the science to arts or the arts to science: A prize-winning collection of experimental essays from Andrea Chapela, one of Granta’s Best Young Spanish-Language Novelists of 2021, exploring the properties and poetics of glass, mirrors, and light as a means of understanding the self
“Art and science definitely mix—don’t let anyone tell you otherwise…. Many of the essays are experimental in form, so get ready for a challenging, thought-provoking tumble into the mysteries of the human heart and the physical world.”
—Laura Sackton, Book Riot
To start off the New Year with a classic: The timeless tale of Don Quixote of La Mancha—called the most popular book in history after the Bible and the first modern novel introduced by leading Quixote scholar Ilan Stavans.
“Such a classic can also, by its very eminence, seem unapproachable and intimidating. If this describes your feeling, then this new edition published by Restless Books could be the one to change your mind.”
—San Diego Book Review, Five-Star Review
For the little tykes with big feelings: A soothing picture book where animal friends discover the advantages of living slowly, from beloved South Korean author and illustrator Yeorim Yoon and Jian Kim.
“Together, Yoon's soothing prose, Jian Kim's winsome spreads, and Chi-Young Kim's crisp translation create a comforting, multi-layered literary gift to return to for many years (decades!) to come.”
—Terry Hong, Shelf Awareness, Starred Review
A fantastical adventure for all ages: Winner of this year’s Mildred L. Batchelder Award, this mysterious adventure from renowned Japanese children’s author Sachiko Kashiwaba features the living dead, a magical pearl, and a suspiciously nosy black cat named Kiriko.
“When an author and an illustrator with ties to books adapted into renowned Studio Ghibli masterpieces such as Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away join forces on a middle-grade fantasy adventure, you can count on it being something truly special…. Heartwarming with a supernatural touch, this beautifully captures the magic of childhood.”
—Kristina Pino, Booklist, Starred Review
For folklore and Yiddish enthusiasts: A gorgeously produced, bilingual edition of Nobel Prize laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer's canonical story—one of the most influential of the 20th century—about a hapless yet charmingly resilient baker named Gimpl, who resists taking revenge on the town that makes him the butt of every joke.
“[Singer] is a spellbinder as clever as Scheherazade; he arrests the reader at once, transports him to a far place and a far, improbable time and does not let him go until the end.”
—Jean Stafford, The New Republic
For budding climate change activists: A new kind of climate change story, narrated by an adorable axolotl who is—possibly—the last of its kind from award-winning Nordic author and illustrator Linda Bondestam.
“Beautifully layered and illuminated underwater scenes, that appear to be watercolor and ink, create a mesmerizing world where the little Axolotl comes to vivid life.”
—Youth Services Book Review
Save 25% off the cover price with a bundle!
2022 Women in Translation Bundle: Three women writers in translation, three stories about family and the lasting—at times bizarre—ways they can contour our lives, from Tahiti, South Korea, and France.
The Yonder Critters Bundle: A trio of picture books from women writers in translation, each told through the perspective of a unique little critter including an adorable Mexican axolotl, a mellow Korean lizard, and a questing Estonian bird.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, STOCKING STUFFERS!
Ramayana: An Illustrated Retelling
One of the world’s oldest and best-loved tales, now retold and illustrated in thrilling detail for readers of all ages.
An inspired and urgent prose retelling of the Maya myth of creation by acclaimed Latin American author and scholar Ilan Stavans.
A groundbreaking new series of personal nonfiction in which a diverse group of writers takes readers on a guided tour of that most intimate terrain: their own faces.