10 novelty books that would be good for gifting to your loved ones or to yourself

Today, February 14, is International Book Giving Day. On this holiday it is customary to share good literature with friends, relatives and friends-in-law, to donate books to libraries, schools and various charitable organizations.

What is not a reason to make a book gift to someone close to you, including yourself? Especially for the date we have collected cool new books, among which everyone will find an edition to his liking.

“Kurt Cobain. Personal diaries of the leader of Nirvana”

Kurt Cobain’s diaries were found after the death of the rock legend and published in 2002. But they took 22 years to reach the Russian-speaking reader, and considering all the time since they were found, it was exactly 30 years. And finally they became available to his numerous fans in Russia.

In this unique edition – the innermost thoughts of Nirvana’s leader about music and fame, about politics and rock industry, about personal and the most painful. These intimate recordings with sketches of songs and even comic strips will help you understand the depths of the iconic musician’s soul, learn about what the frontman hid even from his loved ones. His recordings are drenched in sarcasm and sadness, anger and determination, and of course, sincerity.

Chugong, “Solo Leveling. Solo Leveling. Book 3.”

This is the sequel to one of the most popular webtoon, which has over 4 billion views on the famous Korean platform. An anime series based on the story will be released this year and a video game is planned.

The plot revolves around Sung Chinu, a weak and unlucky monster hunter from the otherworldly dimension of E-rang. He is forced to risk his life to earn money to pay his mother’s hospital bills and his sister’s tuition.

In the new book, it’s time for the level test to be retested. And when the results are revealed to everyone, Sung Chinu will officially become South Korea’s 10th S-rank hunter. And that means even more dangerous and powerful monsters await him.

Valery Popov, “The Fictionalizer.”

This is the autobiographical prose of St. Petersburg sixties memoirist and writer Valery Popov. He personally knew Andrei Bitov, Joseph Brodsky, Viktor Golyavkin and other “singers of the thaw”. This novel is filled with memories of meetings with them, family stories, various incidents and excerpts from a variety of works.

This is a book steeped in literature. Her influence on the hero is strong. He sees her miraculous and magical power, her ability to penetrate reality and transform it. And he observes how life with its riot of colors, incredible events and people invades literature itself.

Carlo Vecce, “Caterina’s Smile. The Story of Leonardo’s Mother.”

This is a fascinating historical novel about Leonardo da Vinci’s mother. Italian philologist, professor at the University of Naples, based on an archival document signed by the father of the artist, created a story about a strong woman that gave life to a genius.

Her fate is full of tragic events. The Circassian princess was captured and sold to a Venetian merchant in Constantinople. In Florence she gave birth to an illegitimate son Leonardo, and six months later she was freed from slavery. She was then given in marriage to a peasant. The author managed to convey the spirit of the time and skillfully mixed real facts with fiction.

Brandon Sanderson, “You’re a Wizard. A Survival Guide to Medieval England.”

This is a book by one of the greatest authors in the fantasy genre. In the story, a young man finds himself in medieval England. He knows exactly that from the future, but does not remember how he found himself here and, most importantly, why.

To uncover the secret of his “I”, he needs to find allies and believe in magic. After all, all of his secrets are hidden in the half-burned pages of a beginner’s manual. Time travel, magic, the atmosphere of the Middle Ages, adventure and excellent humor await the reader in the book.

Kir Bulychev, “The Girl from Earth. One Hundred Years Ago. Adventures of Alice”

The classic of fantastic children’s prose is experiencing a new wave of popularity in anticipation of the release of the next screen version with the participation of Yura Borisov, Alexander Petrov, Fyodor Bondarchuk and others.

The story of the guest from the future Alice Seleznyova, space pirates, time travel, saving the world and incredible adventures many years ago has conquered readers and continues to win hearts. And the release of the movie is a great reason for today’s teenagers to turn to the source material.

Roberto Bolaño, “The Wild Detectives.”

A famous novel by a Chilean writer, which is being released in Russia for the first time. On New Year’s Eve in the mid-70s, two avant-garde writers go to the desert to find a mysterious poetess. In the end, their expedition becomes an escape and stretches for decades.

It’s an odyssey through a dystopian universe, told by dozens of different voices whose testimonies weave together into a single epic about the incredible journey of two people obsessed with art.

Bobby Azarian, “The Romance of Reality. How the universe self-organizes, giving rise to life, consciousness, and the complexity of the cosmos”

Bobby Azarian is a cognitive neuroscientist, science popularizer, author of articles with millions of views and a blog with a rabid reach. He consults with the directors of sci-fi TV series and gives high-profile interviews. And in this book, he offers a revolutionary view of reality from the perspective of modern science.

The author shows why traditional ideas about the evolution of the universe are now beginning to change – and what facts are pushing scientists to find a new paradigm to explain the world around us. He proves that the universe is self-organizing into a system and creating ever more complex structures – moving from chaos to meaningfulness.

Sergey Vyalov, “Nutrition and Deficiency Tracker”

The renowned gastroenterologist offers an approach that will allow you to put your diet in order in six weeks and compose it in such a way that all vital substances get into the body. This, in turn, will improve health and digestion, restore strength and energy, normalize weight and more.

The tracker is based on medical research and doctor’s recommendations. To truly eat right is to help your body get everything it needs to be healthy.

Tony DiTerlizzi, “In Search of Udivla.”

The author and artist of the acclaimed series “Spiderwick. Chronicles” has come up with a futuristic tale for modern children. Zia Nine is an ordinary teenager. She has never left her underground home, where she lives under the care of a robot and does not know what lurks beyond the threshold. In one of the corridors, Zia has found a strange “tile” with a picture of a girl and the mysterious word “UdivLa” written on it. And now she must find out who she is, get out of the Sanctuary, and embark on a dangerous adventure.