Books

“John fled from Karl and Hans but alas! He had to run barefoot over sharp, broken glass.” Celebrate a great holiday classic with Doogie Horner and J.J. Harrison’s illustrated version of Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman’s 1988 action flick, done up in a sort of Golden Books style.

(PG-13: Language) Lo Life was an ’80s New York City gang obsessed with Polo clothing. Pop culture caught on and spread the craze worldwide. This retrospective from Lo Lifes’ Thirstin Howl and photographer Tom Gould is a teaser for their eponymous book.

Most of us use our Swiss Army knives for emergencies and impromptu needs. But Chris Lubkemann’s book is packed with fun ways you can use your knife to start a new hobby – whittling wood. It’s packed with easy to make projects, from desktop sculptures to utensils.

Join Abbi, Ilana, and their pals for a series of ribald New York City misadventures in this most definitely adult coloring book, illustrated by Mike Perry, who also created the show’s hypnotic title sequences. Four and Three and Two and Buy!

Prima Games’ follow up to its NES book. Playing with Super Power is a nostalgic guide book. Not only does it contain tips for SNES games, it also has a history of Nintendo’s console and its classics, as well as associated art and music. Also available as an online book.

Just in time for Sonic Mania, Cook and Becker’s Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book has posters, covers, concept art and more from Sega’s archives. It also has a $125 Collector’s Edition that comes with a inner sleeve/book stand and a signed print.

Chef, rapper, and TV host Action Bronson’s book is part memoir, part cookbook, and all awesome. The 224-page book features photos and stories from Bronson’s travels, along with dozens of deliciously decadent recipes. Here’s some chicken parm to whet your appetite.

(PG-13, SPOILERS) “See, Wade comes from the ‘hood. So he straight obsessed with getting Halliday’s cash money.” Sparky Sweets – the teacher who puts the lit in literature – sums up the story, themes and questions presented by Ernest Cline’s hit young adult novel.

Mondo’s upcoming art book is a back catalog of its highly sought-after movie posters. The book includes prints of Olly Moss’ posters for the Star Wars trilogy, Francesco Francavilla’s Clash of the Titans piece, Laurent Durieux’s subtle Jaws poster and many more.

From veteran translator Clyde Mandelin (Mother 3, Dragon Ball, Attack on Titan) comes This Be Book Bad Translation, Video Games!, a funny and insightful book about how errors in video game localizations occur, with 99 screenshots of bad translations as examples.

Simon Stålenhag is back with more retro sci-fi paintings. Set in an alternate ’90s US and centered on a young girl traveling with her robot, The Electric State is a 120-page art book with a supplementary narrative written by Simon as well. More on his site.

A spectacularly fun book for any Star Wars fan, graphic designer Tim Leong’s lighthearted paperback is packed with infographics, facts, and figures from what each lightsaber color means, to the heights of popular characters, to the Jedi High Council seating chart.

Emil Ferris’ critically-acclaimed graphic novel is drawn and written as the diary and sketchbook of Karen Reyes, a monster-obsessed 10-year old living in 1960’s Chicago who tries to solve the murder of her upstairs neighbor.

Author Brett McKay and illustrator Ted Slampyak present a how-to guide packed with over 100 practical skills for real men. You’ll learn everything from how to fire a gun, to how to shine your shoes, to how to be a good uncle, to how to escape a bear attack.

A simple, yet ingenious accessory for any avid book reader, simply clip the magnetic SUJI-IN bookmark into the back of your book, set its thumb-shaped holder over the page you’re currently reading, and it automatically keeps track of your place as you flip pages.

Author Lance Akiyama’s DIY book teaches you how to use popsicle sticks, paint stirrers, PVC pipe, clothespins, and other household objects to create 19 different rubber band and hydraulic-powered weapons and siege engines.

Emma Stokes’ book of cocktail recipes organizes the drinks by their chemical composition – or at least what their primary liquor component is. Perfect for science geeks who like their booze, there’s also a version for oenophiles by wine expert Sara Rowlands.

Authors Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris present a series of hilarious “educational” manuals which poke fun at kitschy 1960s Easy Reader books. The audiobook version is narrated by none other than Andy Richter.

A coloring book for adult humans with a sense of humor and no sense of decorum. It’s packed with cheeky calligraphic images to fill in and frame. Our favorite? “F*ck a Doodle Doo.” We only wish they sold F*cking Brilliant coloring pencils instead of just No. 2s.

Knock Knock’s hilarious book is filled with 45 decision making flowcharts to help you figure out the right plan of action when it comes to some of life’s more basic quandaries. It’s much better than flipping a coin. A companion book covers things that matter slightly more.

A wonderful book for anyone who loves video games. Author Dustin Hansen explores the origins of arcade, console and PC games dating back to Pong, all the way up to modern games like Overwatch, with an eye towards the creators and their sources of inspiration.

As you wish… This coloring book for kids of all ages pays tribute to Rob Reiner’s 1986 classic The Princess Bride. It features 70-pages for you to color, as Wesley, Fezzik and Inigo Montoya take on Prince Humperdink and the six-fingered man to rescue Princess Buttercup.

We’ve featured a number of Pawel “Sariel” Kmiec’s incredible LEGO Technic builds. Now learn from the best with this 424-page guide which takes you from basic building principles up through sturdy and complex mechanisms so you can make your own wonderful machines.

The perfect gift for Star Wars fans of all ages, this new collection includes the charming Vader as good dad books, Goodnight Darth Vader and Darth Vader and Friends, along with two frameable art prints, all wonderfully illustrated by author Jeffrey Brown.

Jeff Wysaski hit the Internet jackpot with his Obvious Plant parody signs. Now you can be an Obvious Planter with Jeff and Archie McPhee’s High Five This Sign. The book contains 23 tear-out signs that will lighten up your town’s poles.