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It's holiday season, but that doesn't have to mean waiting in long lines for big sales to buy the hottest toy or newest game system. Whether you're a parent, relative, teacher, librarian or just a friend to a young person, consider a book that you can enjoy together. 'I Like Your Chutzpah And Other Yiddish Words You'll Like' Written and illustrated by Suzy Ultman “I Like Your Chutzpah and Other Yiddish Words You’ll Like," written and illustrated by Suzy Ultman Sweet, funny and infinitely readable, this board book contains 12 Yiddish words and their meanings, each accompanied by a simple, colorful illustration that will inspire fun reading voices. Recommended ages: 1 to 3. $9.99, RISE x Penguin Workshop ___ 'The 13 Days of Swiftness: A Christmas Celebration' People are also reading... Written by Tiffany Garland, illustrated by Brooke O'Neill "The 13 Days of Swiftness: A Christmas Celebration," written by Tiffany Garland, illustrated by Brooke O’Neill For the littlest Swifties, a play on the classic Christmas song — except instead of 12 days there are 13. Each page has bright illustrations and lots of Easter eggs for the fandom. Recommended ages: 3 and up. $10.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 'Into the Uncut Grass' Written by Trevor Noah, illustrated by Sabina Hahn "Into the Uncut Grass" by Trevor Noah and illustrated by Sabina Hahn Trevor Noah tells a story of a boy and his teddy bear who venture into the uncut grass, picking up bits of wisdom along the way. Long and quotable, with humor and gentle watercolor illustrations. Per the intro, "it's a picture book, but it's not a children's book. Rather, it is a book for kids to share with parents and for parents to share with kids." All ages. $26, One World ___ 'Proper Badger Would Never' Written by Lauren Glattly, illustrated by Rob Sayegh "Proper Badger Would Never" by Lauren Glattly and illustrated by Rob Sayegh Badger was determined to be a perfectly proper guest at his first party, but his instincts may have gotten the better of him. Shred the gift wrapping paper? Never. Dig into the cake before it's served? Of course not. A colorful, texture-rich picture book that leans into joyful chaos. Recommended ages: 4 to 8. $18.99, Flamingo Books ___ 'Attack of the Scones' Written by Josh Funk, illustrated by Brendan Kearney "Attack of the Scones: Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast" by Josh Funk and illustrated by Brendan Kearney In the sixth installment of the series, Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast take on an alien invasion with the help of their fridge friends. Told in rhyming couplets with whimsical, expressive full-page illustrations. Recommended ages: 5 to 8. $8.99 paperback, $18.99 hardcover; Union Square Kids __ 'Bog Myrtle' Written and illustrated by Sid Sharp "Bog Myrtle" by Sid Sharp One sister loves the forest and its splendors; the other is more interested in money. Sharp uses literary devices from irony to alliteration to puns, taking on topics like worker rights and environmental sustainability. "This graphic novel is perfect for the quirky, goofy child in your life who loves deadpan humor and 'The Skull' by Jon Klassen," says Sarah Bradley, lead bookseller at Powell's Books. Recommended ages: 6 to 11. $22.99, Annick Press ___ 'My UnderSlumberBumbleBeast' Written by Zoje Stage and illustrated by J.E. Larson "My UnderSlumberBumbleBeast" by Zoje Stage and pictures by J. E. Larson Stage's book reimagines the monster under the bed as something far cuter and weirder. One day while cleaning her room, Pru finds a shy little creature called an UnderSlumberBumbleBeast. Includes crosshatch drawings and a glossary of the trickier vocabulary. Recommended ages: 7 to 10. $15.99, Bad Hand Books 'Otto Normal's Monsterton: The Disappearance of White Pine Beach' Written by Danielle McKechnie, illustrated by Simon Estrada "Otto Normal's Monsterton: The Disappearance of White Pine Beach" Otto moves with his mom from his normal California town to Monsterton, where they're the only humans among zombies, ghosts and sirens. Otto soon finds himself on a quick-paced adventure. With chunks of text broken up by beautiful digital color illustrations, blurring the line between chapter book and graphic novel, this glossy volume feels special to hold. Recommended ages: 8 to 12. $22.99, Simon & Schuster ___ 'The Wild Robot' Written and illustrated by Peter Brown "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown Roz the robot is the sole survivor of a shipment gone overboard and has to adapt to the wild. She becomes the de facto mother of Brightbill the gosling, and the forest animals that shunned her otherness begin to form a community around her. Short chapters are punctuated by black-and-white illustrations. The trilogy saw a theatrical adaptation this year, and a special edition of the first volume features full-color inserts from the movie. Recommended ages: 8 to 12. $8.99 single paperback, $54 box set, Hatchette Book Group ___ 'The Young Green Witch's Guide to Plant Magic' Written by Robin Rose Bennett, illustrated by Rachel Grant "The Young Green Witch’s Guide to Plant Magic: Rituals and Recipes from Nature" by Robin Rose Bennett and illustrated by Rachel Grant This herbalist's chapter book with watercolor illustrations imparts how to use different plants, along with lessons of appreciation and self-acceptance and breathing meditations. There are also recipes for handy concoctions kids can make with minimal adult supervision, such as oatmeal scrub, lavender honey and dandelion pesto. Recommended ages: 8 to 12. $16.99, Running Press Kids ___ 'The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science' Written by Kate McKinnon, illustrated by Alfredo Cáceres "The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science" by Kate McKinnon Kate McKinnon of "Saturday Night Live" and "Barbie" fame tells the story of three adopted sisters who, having zero interest in perfecting the 85 ways to properly sit on a velvet fainting couch, find themselves expelled from etiquette school. Their new, extremely uncouth school puts them at the heart of a mystery in which the town is at stake. With fun fonts and the occasional illustration, the novel is a wildly imaginative celebration of strangeness with humor a la Lemony Snicket. Recommended ages: 8 to 12. $17.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers ___ 'Plain Jane and the Mermaid' Written and illustrated by Vera Brosgol "Plain Jane and the Mermaid" by Vera Brosgol The recently orphaned Jane has a week to get married and get her dowry before she'll be kicked to the streets. Handsome Peter might have accepted Jane's proposal if he hadn't been kidnapped by a mermaid. This full-color graphic novel challenges gender roles and beauty standards through an underwater adventure full of snark and hilarious characters, rivaling Jeff Smith's "Bone." Recommended ages: 10 to 14. $14.99, First Second 'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder' A trilogy by Holly Jackson "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" by Holly Jackson Pip investigates a murder that she thinks another student was wrongly accused of. It's an ambitious project for a high school capstone, but Pip's an ambitious student. A TV adaptation of this true-crime-style story was produced by the BBC and released on Netflix over the summer. . Recommended ages: 14 and up. $14.99 single paperback, $47.97 box set, Ember ___ 'The Calculation of You and Me' By Serena Kaylor “The Calculation of You and Me" by Serena Kaylor Marlowe has great grades and a loving family, two best friends who understand her and all her autistic quirks, and a romantic boyfriend — until he breaks up with her, sending her perfectly categorized world into a tailspin. This sweet, funny, page-turning novel celebrates romance as an act and a genre. Recommended ages: 13 and up. $14 paperback, $24 hardcover, Wednesday Books ___ 'Lunar New Year Love Story' Written by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by LeUyen Pham "Lunar New Year Love Story" by Gene Luen Yang and Leuyen Pham Valentina has one year to prove she doesn't share her family's fate of all romances ending in misery. If she doesn't find lasting love by then, she will give her heart to Saint Valentine and be forever protected from heartbreak. The graphic novel celebrates Asian culture alongside the ups and downs of love. Recommended ages: 14 and up. $17.99 paperback, $25.99 hardcover, First Second Small, luxury foods are great as stocking stuffers or other gifts. Ideas for under $50 Game-changing holiday gifts for building fires, printing photos, watching birds and more More consumers hope to cut out self-gifting this year. They may be making a mistake. More consumers hope to cut out self-gifting this year. They may be making a mistake. Americans are heading into the first holiday season in years where buying less may be the first thing on their minds. And this year, gift lists may exclude one important person: you. Stacker dug into Deloitte's 2024 holiday retail survey to explore the psychology behind Americans' reluctance to self-gift this year. In the modern era, holiday gifting includes a practice that may seem rooted in consumerism—giving ourselves gifts. However, "self-gifting," psychologists say, carries its own importance. It's one consumers intend to cut back on or eliminate entirely this holiday shopping season, according to Deloitte's 2024 holiday retail survey of over 4,000 U.S. consumers. We've all done it. With hard-to-resist Black Friday deals and hypertargeted advertising, it can be difficult to resist shopping for yourself when doing so for others. Meanwhile, the cost of goods and services has risen faster than usual every year since 2021, when post-COVID-19 pandemic inflation took root in the U.S. economy and altered how we consume. Even so, Americans expect to spend more on gifts this holiday than in the previous five years. Deloitte found that the average person anticipates spending $1,778 this year, a 19% increase from 2019, when the average expected spend was $1,496. Baked into that figure are consumers' expectations of higher prices this season, according to Deloitte. In response, some Americans are signaling they may do less for themselves. About 1 in 3 consumers intend to self-gift this year, down from almost half of all consumers last year, Deloitte found. At least 2 in 5 (43%) won't spend on themselves at all, up from 25% last year. Today, the appeal of giving gifts around winter holidays is nearly universal. The holidays have long been an occasion to show our love for others in the exchange of gifts. Though giving gifts may have emerged from the biblical story of the three wise men, Christmas celebrations were among the first to lean into a commercialized version of the winter holidays. Other religious traditions like the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah have evolved to include gifting as a part of its observance over the winter holiday. Even workplace culture has adopted gifting as a way to foster connections and lift moods with traditions like Secret Santa. This holiday season, though, our modern treat-yourself-culture could be on pause for many Americans. You may also like: How to increase your credit limit and keep a good credit score More Americans prepared to remove themselves from holiday gift lists Dr. Steve Westberg, a professor of marketing and consumer psychology at the University of Southern California, suggests that the uptick in surveyed adults who say they hope to scale back self-gifting this year may be due to consumer pessimism and financial concern. Faced with more limited options during the pandemic years, Americans bestowed themselves with material goods—some out of practical necessity, others not. Over the 2020 and 2021 holiday seasons, Americans hunkered down at home to avoid catching or spreading the latest COVID-19 variant. They bought lots of furniture, electronics, and other items in lieu of spending on travel, outings, and live events. In 2022 and 2023, consumers embarked on so-called " revenge travel " to catch up on international and domestic trips. They attended the live music and sporting events they had missed out on. Today, there are signs that all of that spending is beginning to cause stress for the typical American consumer as prices remain painfully high . Americans' total amount of credit card debt is at an all-time high, and default rates for vehicle loans and credit cards are rising. In almost every major poll leading up to the 2024 presidential election, the economy and inflation were consistently the top issues driving voters to the polls. However, as consumers pull back, there's evidence that self-gifting can positively impact personal well-being . Jacqueline Rifkin, an assistant marketing and management communications professor at Cornell University, describes the practice as a way to self-regulate emotions. Self-gifting can express positive emotions in a way we may recognize as a celebration. "You just got a promotion, or you won some big award, you're feeling good, and you want to extend or amplify those good feelings. You can use self-gifting to achieve that," Rifkin told Stacker. Self-gifting can also be a way to deal with negative emotions. Rifkin published research in the Journal of Consumer Research on self-gifting, which revealed that people were least likely to gift things to themselves when under stress or feeling constrained—even though self-gifting can help us regulate during stressful moments. "If you're going through a rough time ... you can use self-gifting to pick yourself back up. One of the colloquial ways we think about this is 'retail therapy,'" Rifkin said. Can self-gifting and retail therapy veer into wasteful self-indulgence? Potentially, according to Westberg, who says the reasons we self-gift are similar to those that drive compulsive shopping habits. The act generates a positive emotional response. There's an important distinction, however, that experts draw between the two. Westberg and Rifkin agree that self-gifting stands out from other forms of shopping in that it incorporates intentionality. "You could define self-gifting as being a little more thoughtful in your choice," Westberg explained. Consumer advocates suggest that shoppers looking to cut back on spending create guardrails to help them shop more intentionally. Removing credit card information from our web browser's autofill function or delaying the impulse to "buy now" and creating a wish list instead can elongate the purchase process. Putting space between the initial urge to buy and the purchase can be revealing, too: It clarifies what's really meaningful and worthy enough to justify buying. For others, like Westberg, shopping satisfaction is derived from researching items to self-gift in the future. Westberg's initial inclination when it comes to self-gifting, like many of us, is to reward himself with some kind of "big ticket" item. "On the other hand, I don't know that I'll ever actually do that because once I have it, the anticipation aspect is going to go away," Westberg said. "So while I do think about self-gifting myself a car ... I get a lot of enjoyment [from] doing the research. ... [It's] the thoughtfulness that I can put into it rather than having the physical thing." According to Rifkin, our reluctance to give ourselves gifts isn't always born of financial constraints but also a belief that giving ourselves something won't actually make us feel better, even though it can. She advises consumers to remember that gifts can take on different forms this holiday season, and many of them don't cost a thing. "It's this intentional behavior that we engage in. It's something you do, you do it on purpose, and you do it for yourself," Rifkin said. "Could it be going for a walk around the block? Absolutely. Could it be dusting off a book that you hadn't read in a while and spending an hour reading it? Yes." Story editing by Alizah Salario. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Kristen Wegrzyn. Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.
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Secular and Hindu nationalist historians are furiously fighting over the ideology and actions of Tipu Sultan, an 19th century Indian Muslim ruler of the South Indian State of Mysore. The fight has wide political significance given the rise of aggressive Hindu nationalism in India since 2014, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power, and the Opposition Congress party retaliated by putting up arguments in favour of secularism and Hindu-Muslim unity rather than Hindu-Muslim division. Tipu Sultan (1751-1799) is glowingly described by his admirers as the “Tiger of Mysore” because he died bravely fighting the British on the battlefield in Srirangapatnam on May 4, 1799. In fact, Tipu was the first Indian ruler to die fighting the British. The only other Indian ruler to die fighting the British was the 19th century ruler Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi in North India. She was slain on the battlefield near Gwalior in Central India in 1858 during the first Indian war of Independence. But in the eyes of British colonial and Hindu nationalist historians, Tipu was a “furious Muslim fanatic” who indulged in the forcible conversion of Hindus to Islam. Hindu nationalist historians are presently on a vigorous campaign to remove Tipu from the pantheon of Indian freedom fighters. They have already stopped the celebration of his birthday (Tipu Jayanthi) in Karnataka State where Mysore is located. Between 2016 and 2018, the secular Congress Government in Karnataka had celebrated Tipu Jayanthi with a grand procession on November 10 every year. But since the BJP saw Tipu as a ‘tyrannical, anti-Hindu ruler’, the observance of Tipu Jayanthi was stopped in 2019 after it came to power. Hindu Nationalist view In his recently-released book entitled: Tipu Sultan: The Saga of Mysore’s Interregnum (1760–1799), Banglaore-based historian Vikram Sampath said that in 1761, Tipu’s father, the “Machiavellian” Haidar Ali, overthrew his employer and benefactor, the Hindu Maha rajah of Mysore, and assumed power. “In a war-scarred life, the father and son led Mysore through four momentous battles against the British, termed the Anglo-Mysore wars. The first two, led by Haidar Ali, brought the English East India Company to its knees. Chasing the enemy to the very gates of Madras, Haidar Ali made the British sign such humiliating treaties that sent shockwaves back to London,” Sampath said. “In a diabolical war thirst, after he succeeded his father, Tipu launched lethal attacks on Malabar, Mangalore, Travancore, Coorg, and left behind a trail of death, destruction and worse, mass-conversions and the desecration of religious places of worship,” Sampath added. “While he was an astute administrator and a brave soldier, the strategic tact with opponents and the diplomatic balance that Haidar Ali had sought to maintain with the Hindu majority were both dangerously upset by Tipu’s foolhardiness on matters of faith.” “The social report card of this eighteenth-century ruler was anything but clean. And yet, one simply cannot deny his position as a renowned military warrior and one of the most powerful rulers of Southern India,” Sampath said. Mohibbul Hasan’s contrary view However, Sampth’s assessment of Tipu contrasts sharply with that of Prof. Mohibbul Hasan, who had taught history in the Calcutta University and the Jamia Millia University in Delhi. Citing original sources, Prof.Hasan shows that Tipu was in fact a secular and progressive ruler who made Mysore the most prosperous principality in 18th century India. According to him, the derision of Tipu now is actually based on “malicious propaganda” carried out by British chroniclers and historians. Those observations are now being regurgitated by Hindu nationalist historians as part of a larger campaign to demolish Marxist/ Nehruvian and secularist Indian historiography. Prof. Hasan recalls that in his 1811 publication Select Letters of Tippoo Sultan, W. Kirkpatrick, describes Tipu as an “intolerant bigot and a furious fanatic” who indulged in forcible conversions, mass circumcisions, destruction of temples and confiscation of temple lands. Kirkpatric’s views were later echoed by M. Wilks (1864), and H. H. Dodwell in his Cambridge History of India (1929). According to Prof.Hasan, if the British chroniclers painted Tipu in dark colours, it was because he had refused to pay tribute; tried to set the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Marathas against them; and sought an alliance with their European rivals, the French. Non-communal That Tipu was non-communal is evident in the fact that a number of top officials in his Government were Hindus. Purnaiya was the Mir Asaf (in charge of Revenue and Finance). Krishna Rao was his Treasurer. Shamaiya Iyengar was Minister of Police and Postal Department. Subba Rao was his chief Peshkar (Chief Secretary). Srinivas Rao and Appaji Ram were his close confidantes. His agents in the Moghul Court in Delhi were Mool Chand and Sujan Rai. The Faujdar of Coorg was Nagappayya, a Brahmin. The Asafs (revenue officers) at Coimbatore and Palghat were Brahmins. The chief of Tipu’s irregular cavalry was Hari Singh. Rama Rao and Sivaji, a Maratha, commanded his regular cavalry. Tipu sent one of his Hindu Generals, Sripat Rao, to quell the Nair rebellion in Malabar. Aided Hindu temples In 1916, the Mysore Government’s Director of Archaeology, K. Narasimhachar, discovered a bunch of letters in the Sringeri Sankara Math (monastery), which showed that Tipu had greatly helped the monastery and its head the Sringeri Sankaracharya. In 1791, the monastery was raided and pillaged by a Maratha chieftain, Raghunath Rao Patwardan, and the Sankaracharya had asked Tipu for help to restore it. Deeply grieved, Tipu wrote back saying: “People who have sinned against such a holy place are sure to suffer the consequences of their misdeeds at no distant date” and asked his officials to send cash and grain so that the idol of Goddess Sarada could be consecrated. He also donated a palanquin to the Sankaracharya and requested him to pray for the prosperity of his domain. Tipu had contributed to the Lakshmikanta Temple at Kalale in Nanjangud taluk; the Narayanaswami Temple at Melkote; the Srikantheswara Temple at Nanjangud and to the Ranganathaswami temple at Srirangapatnam all in Karnataka. The greenish Shivalinga at the Nanjandeswara temple is known as Padshalinga because it was donated by Tipu, the Padshah or ‘ruler’. According to a Sanad, Tipu “ordered” the continuation of worship at the Tirupathi Venkatachalapathi temple. Biographer Hasan wonders if Tipu would have allowed the Ranganatha, Narasimha and Gangadhareswara temples to function in the Srirangapatnam Fort if he was an Islamic bigot. Tipu was also an ardent believer in astrology and consulted astrologers daily, first thing in the morning. Tipu is widely accused of indulging in forcible conversions in Kerala and Coorg. But according to Prof. Hasan, Tipu told his French General, Cossigny, that he ordered the forcible conversion of Nairs and Coorgis because these communities had staged rebellions repeatedly. It was reported that 70,000 were converted in Coorg, but this could not be true because the total population of Coorg was not that much, Hasan said. Punganuri Ramachandra Rao, in his Memoirs of Hyder and Tippoo (1849) states that only 500 were converted in Coorg. Hasan said that Catholics in Kanara were converted forcibly, but this was because they had helped the British defeat Tipu at Mangalore. Tipu never tried to convert loyal subjects, Hasan asserts. Administrative innovations Hasan said that Tipu gave Mysore a progressive administration and added that J. Mill in his History of British India (1848), acknowledged that as a ruler, Tipu sustained an “advantageous comparison with the greatest princes of the East”. Tipu’s country was “the best cultivated and the most flourishing in India,” Mill said. Tipu rationalised the administrative system; got rid of private middlemen; encouraged local industries; sought French industrial technology and tried to send one of his sons to France for a modern education. He set up a rocket regiment in his Army. After his defeat in 1799, the British discovered 600 launchers, 700 serviceable rockets and 9,000 empty rockets at Tipu’s fort, some of which were shipped to Britain to replicate them. The Royal Artillery Museum in Woolwich in the UK houses some of them. Tipu sought military aid from Afghanistan and Iran to fight the British in South India. He was also the first Indian ruler in the 18th century to promote international trade, having sent trade delegations to Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey and Myanmar.