by Damla
This year, we have the pleasure of celebrating our 53 years of bookselling and being a part of the book community in the Netherlands. As we celebrate our long legacy as a fiercely independent bookstore this weekend with events featuring local authors and a specially curated ABC’s top 100 books for our anniversary, we have also rounded up some books that feature memorable birthdays to extend the party into the literary realm:
1. The Fellowship of the Ring – J.R.R. Tolkien
Kicking off the list is of course one of the coziest, most magnificent birthday celebrations in all fantasy realms: Bilbo Baggins’s eleventy-first birthday. The great bash was not only memorable for its vast guest list, lavish feast, and impressive fireworks, but also for the epic and world-changing adventure it sparked.
Here is to one day celebrating our own 111th anniversary together with our booklover community, for 53 years is still “too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits,” as Bilbo Baggins puts it.
2. Birthday Stories: Selected and Introduced by Haruki Murakami
“What will you get for your birthday this year? A chance to see into the future? Or a reminder of the imperfect past?”
Birthdays might be all about gifts, and parties, and cake, but they can also invoke a spell of nostalgia, reflection, and an anxiety about aging or being at the center of attention. In this noteworthy short story collection, Murakami brings together darker birthday snapshots from impressive names such as David Foster Wallace, Claire Keegan, Paul Theroux, and more.
3. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carrol
We at the ABC are all about sharing the fun and celebrating with everyone who is willing. So don’t worry if your birthday is still weeks or months away, for there is always your un-birthday to celebrate. Take a cue from the Madhatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse in Lewis Carrol’s unforgettable classic, and celebrate your un-birthday in style with plenty of tea and some harmless chaos.
4. Grown Ups – Marian Keyes
And what is a birthday without a little bit of chaos? Or in this case, quite a bit of family drama. Johnny and his two brothers celebrate birthdays and anniversaries all together with their wives and children. These big reunions occur frequently, maintaining a delicate social balance until one day, on Johnny’s birthday, his wife suffers a concussion that makes her spill out some hidden truths, upsetting that balance. Perhaps, it is finally time for everyone to grow up?
5. The Dark Is Rising – Susan Cooper
Birthdays can sometimes be quite a turning point in life. But what if, on your 11th birthday, you were given a sigil and declared a guardian to protect the good from the rising evil? At least, that was what it was like for Will Stanton, the protagonist of The Dark Is Rising. Embark on an epic journey with Will on his unforgettable birthday in this YA classic from the 70s.
6. The Cake Bible, 35th Anniversary Edition – Rose Levy Beranbaum
And of course it is not a birthday party without cake! From 3-ingredient cakes to exquisite tiered concoctions, Beranbaum provides a wide range of recipes to bake the perfect cake for every occasion.
Still in the celebration mood? Check out these other memorable birthday-related titles:
