Category: BEOpicks

by Anne Rearick…

It’s difficult to put into words how beautifully Anne Rearick’s photography captures the Basque people and their connection to nature… but her work is magic. 

We had the good fortune of meeting her in person at the International Educational Symposium during Basque week in Boise, Idaho. Even though I had the book at home, I still found myself flipping through the pages, completely enveloped in the raw emotion the images evoke. Maybe it’s the sheer nostalgia of being at my family’s farm as a little girl, or maybe it’s recognizing old family friends playing mus, or maybe it’s the way Rearick captures the roots of the Basques that gives me the sense of belonging when I flip the pages. Maybe it’s all of it. 

Whatever about my opinion, Vanity Fair magazine listed it as one of their “6 Visual Books for Your Favorite Art Lover” in November of last year. See for yourself.

One more little side note: Listening to Anne talk about the photos and where the subjects, especially the kids, are today is more than fun. So much fun, in fact, we invited her to one of our book club meetings. Stay tuned.

a book by Julian Zabalbeascoa

“Zabalbeascoa brings together family lore and mountains of research to paint a kaleidoscopic portrait of the Spanish Civil War, particularly its impact on the people of Spain’s Basque region.” —Kate Tuttle, The Boston Globe

Julian Zabalbeascoa is the real deal, a major talent, and the story he’s telling here is both riveting and terrifying.” —Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls

This book, published in November 2024, has come out of the gates HOT! Author Julian Zabalbeascoa, hailing originally from Los Banos, California, is getting accolades all across the board, including being named as a finalist for the L.A. Times Book Prize. 

Here’s the quick and dirty: “Through a chorus of voices—a female soldier in an all-male battalion, a reluctant conscript recently emigrated from Cuba, a young girl whose parents have abandoned her in order to fight against the fascists, among others—we follow Isidro and Mariana as they struggle to maintain their humanity in a country determined to tear itself apart.”

a coffee table book

“There are a thousand ways we can learn about a culture, but we don’t often consider stories behind those ‘things’ we take for granted. Highlighting 50 iconic objects from the Basque Country, this book uses stunning photography and fascinating stories to describe a world of innovation and creativity. Not only that but it’s compiled in a way that allows me to learn something new every time I open the book. I didn’t know I needed this.”

HEMENDIK (“from here” in Basque) is available in Basque/English, Basque/French, and Basque/Spanish.

*Here’s something else you need to know: The BEO is working with the organization that created this book to host a discussion about some of the stories behind the highlighted objects. It will be virtual, which means anyone from anywhere can join. Stay tuned as we iron out the details. In the meantime…

sample images:

by Elizabette Guéçamburu

“The author is quite a talented storyteller, and writing the story through the eyes of a teenager gives the reader a sense of hope. Specific details and historical references provides enough depth that the reader questions if it’s real or not… and the plot twist at the end is superb. An easy and enjoyable read. Definitely recommend.”

Set in a 1940’s boardinghouse, this novel chronicles a teenager, Anna Elissetche, as she investigates a murder that happens right under her very nose. A witty tale with relatable characters, Murder at the Boardinghouse will delight readers and leave them asking, “WHODUNIT?”

by Marti Buckley

Marti Buckley has done it again with a visually appealing and mouth-watering look at one of the best foods to come out of the Basque Country, the pintxo. Buckley’s “The Book of Pintxos: Discover the Legendary Small Bites of Basque Country” includes step-by-step recipes on how to make some of the most well-known pintxos, whose recipes and histories have never been written down before in such detail. Not only will you learn how to make these famous pintxos at home, but Buckley also explains their origin stories and the history of the bars where they were first served.

I especially love how Buckley describes a pintxo: “The truth is, pintxos are a way of life, specific to a very small corner of the world…A pintxo without a bar is not a pintxo. A pintxo without a drink and a friend or barman to talk to is like the proverbial tree falling in the forest with no one to hear it – is it real? Pintxos are not only a ‘what’, they are where you eat them and what you are doing while you eat them – they are inextricable from their cultural context.”