Most Wanted: Brazilian Style

Bikinis and beaches. Carnival and caipirinhas. What's not to love about Brazil? For anyone who needs convincing, take a look at Assouline's latest gorgeous tome. Named simply Brazilian Style, it's a beautiful book filled with photographs of all things Brazil taken by W magazine editor Armand Limnader. Yes, Gisele is featured (it would be almost sacrosanct for her not to be), but so are the lesser known gems of the country. Yet another book to add to my growing wish list...

* images via Assouline

Most Wanted: Books

With the weather dropping (slightly in Italy), there's nothing I want to do more than curl up with a good read and a giant cup of something warm. As impressive as Kindles, iPads and various other tablets are, there is something to be said for the real thing. I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but it's nice to at least look at! Here's a list of books currently on my Amazon wishlist. When I get home, the first thing I'm buying is a new book (forget sushi and hamburgers).

As someone who eagerly awaits my monthly Vogue in the mail, this gorgeous coffee table book seems like it was made for me. All the iconic photographers are in here: Helmut Newton, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Bruce Weber, Steven Meisel, Annie Leibovitz, and Mario Testino. This would would definitely help ease the time in between issues and be the perfect Christmas gift for me.

This book by the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Middlesex and The Virgin Suicides has been getting major buzz. The epigraph alone is intriguing: "People would never fall in love if they hadn't heard love talked about." - La Rochefoucauld. With locales ranging from Cape Cod to India, this One Day-esque book is the type to easily hook me in.

I recently took an American Civil War course and am now obsessed with all things antebellum, secession, and Reconstruction related. This memoir deals with all three, told from the perspective of a wealthy Southern woman named Mary. Comprised of her diaries and letters, it provides an intimate account of turbulent time in our history.

I loved Melanie Dunea's first book about what famous chefs from all over the world would choose as their last meal. This time around, she interviewed and photographed Joel Robuchon, Tom Colicchio, and 48 others.

I devoured Ken Follett's two novels about life in Middle Ages England and can only imagine the saga he's weaved about World War One. He has a real knack for creating characters so believable that I was actually sad when the books ended!

With two new movies about Marilyn Monroe and one about Jackie Kennedy being released this year, it seems the public's fascination with these two iconic women is nowhere near waning. Fine by me! I can't get enough information about them so this book is right up my ally. Prompted by an episode of Mad Men in which a character claims that every woman is either a "Marilyn" or a "Jackie", the author decided to write a book filled with quotes, anecdotes, and lessons learned from the legends.

Ever since reading The Things They Carried in high school, I've loved learning more about the Vietnam War told from the eyes of those who fought in it. This book received accolade after accolade when it came out last year. It looks graphic and gritty for sure, but all the more riveting because of it.

Rebecca is one of my all time favorite books and I've never actually read another novel by its author. There's something so fun about reading a creepy thriller during this time of year when it gets dark earlier and earlier. The perfect atmosphere for things that go bump in the night...

I may be one of the only people left who hasn't read Tina Fey's memoir, but that's only piqued my interest more! From what I've heard, the book is just as laugh out loud funny as 30 Rock so I can't wait to get my hands on it.

I think it would be impossible for me to own too many cookbooks, and this one seems different from any other one I possess. It's comprised solely of recipes that chefs cook for their staff once all of their patrons have cleared out. The food looks simple, quick, and most importantly, delicious.

Last but not least, a true classic. Set in the glamorous French Riviera during the 1920s,

it is a tragic romance of which Ernest Hemingway said: "It's amazing how excellent much of it

is."

Hopefully you're now inspired to starting making a wishlist of your own. Now, which one

should I start with?

First Guest Post

Today's post is an exciting one! I asked my older sister to contribute to Elephant Perch with a list of some of her favorite recent reads and I'm so happy I did. So, without further ado, here it is...

I am definitely hard to please in the book department, but when I find a book I like I can't put it down. Luckily, the last three I have read have been hits, and I highly recommend them!

Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

Some might find this book a little hard to get through because of the many Roman names, politics, and descriptive military strategies. Yet, if you don't get too bogged down by these details, you end up reading a fascinating account of Cleopatra and the exhilarating and luxurious world she lived in. Schiff is an amazing writer, and I was shocked at the amount of details she uncovered about Cleopatra and the historical time period. I loved learning about Alexandria, Cleopatra's fabulous lifestyle, and the backstabbing (literally!) politics of the time. Sure you might only read a few pages at a time, but its worth it in the end! I can't wait to see the movie version with Angelina Jolie and her still unknown Marc Antony (Brad Pitt anyone?)

The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S. Lovell

The Sisters is a true account of the six Mitford sisters who took Europe by storm in the 1920s-1940s. Some might say that the Mitfords are outdated (true I had never heard of them until my grandma mentioned this book), but even so this is a great retelling of history. Not only did I learn about the beautiful sisters' charismatic, quirky, and hysterical personalities and fanciful lifestyle, but through each sisters' life events I also learned so much about European politics in the late 1920s-1940s. The sisters were constantly in the press for their gallivanting ways and fascinating lives, like marrying the English fascist leader, running away to communist Spain, or befriending Hitler and eventually attempting suicide. In their heyday the Mitfords were the IT girls, so it was a juicy and interesting read.

The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht

This book is definitely getting lots of hype, and I think it's very much deserved. The author weaves together complex Balkan history with folklore and magical realism to tell the story of a doctor's life and his granddaughter's quest to learn more about this past. The prose is so eloquent and beautiful that it's hard to give it justice in this review! The plot can get a little confusing because there are three different but connected stories throughout the book, and sometimes the author goes off on a tangent about a minor character. Yet these tangents and the sometimes confusing plot never bothered me because the stories were so fascinating and colorful. It's definitely a book that I want to read again as I feel there are so many different layers and elements. I even found myself Wikipedia-ing Balkan history I was so engrossed in the story! Overall, one of the best books I have read in awhile.

Most Wanted of the Week: Coffee Table Books

There's nothing I love more than a great coffee table book. Don't get me wrong, I love a good story, but there's something about an endless supple of gorgeous and glossy images that never fails to disappoint. Here are a few books (some new, some old) that I hope to soon get my hands on.

Vintage Cocktails -- Sick of Screwdrivers? One peek into this book and you will be. Aiming to revive the lost art of the cocktail, the book offers recipes for Dark and Stormy's (my personal favorite), Kamikazes, Pimms Cups, Fuzzy Navels, Kir Royales, Sidecars, Singapore Slings, Caipirnhas...

American Hotel Stories -- This is a quirky little book about the country's most famous hotels and the scandalous stories behind them. With stars like Marilyn Monroe, Tennessee Williams, and Al Capone, there's no telling what juicy gossip this book contains!

Rajasthan -- The cover alone of this book is stunning, and I've actually had the chance to flip through the entire book. It's just as colorful as you would imagine and puts India at the top of my bucket list.

Pucci -- Each of these limited edition Pucci books is one of a kind and covered with actual Pucci printed cloth. How fab is that? Recounting the history of the fashion house, the book is chock-full of all that prints that made Pucci famous.

Hotel Il Pellicano -- Slim Aarons just might be my favorite photographer, and I practically salivate whenever I look through his books. The latest tome of his resurfaced photos captures all the glamour and glory of the famed hotel in Tuscany's Porto Ercole. With the Puccis as regular guests, I can only imagine how fun it will be to flip through this one...