—Ordinary Girls: A Memoir: In this hard-hitting memoir, Jaquira Diaz writes of struggling with depression and drug abuse while growing into her identity as a queer, biracial girl in Miami and Puerto Rico. And as Diaz said in a statement, "I wrote Ordinary Girls for girls and women who are like the girl I was, like the woman I am now."
—LOTUK ( LOTUK.com ): These might be the coolest-looking socks you've seen in a while. Colorful and funky, these socks ( that are for everyone ) are inspired by global cities such as Berlin, London and, yes, Chicago.
—An Encyclopedia of Tolkien: The History of Mythology That Inspired Tolkien's World: From Aegir ( a Norse nature spirit ) to Zirakzigil ( a mountain peak ), this leather-bound book serves as a comprehensive, illustrated guide to the history, lands and inhabitants of Middle-earth. And as if that's not enough, the book also includes an appendix of three primary legends that served as sources for Tolkien's creations—the Volsunga saga, the Nibelungenlied, and Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle—and more than 200 black-and-white illustrations.
—Sitka Salmon Shares ( SitkaSalmonShares.com ): Home cooks will love the monthly boxes available through Sitka Salmon Shares, such as the Taste of Summer Share and the Premium. And there are varieties of seafood that come with the boxes, including dungeness crab, halibut, lingcod and, of course, salmon.
—Miss Spa ( miss-spa.com ): With all the days most of us have at home, it might be the time to work on our skin. Miss Spa has a mix of cool items, such as the Night Knight resurfacing mask, Deep Wrinkle hydrogel lip treatment ( currently only $2 each ) and even a hemp-oil hydrating sheet mask.
—By Andrew Davis
( Andrew@WindyCityMediaGroup.com and @azygous60610 )
