2023 Holiday Books Gift Guide

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Photo by Andreea Radu on Unsplash
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We have a variety of newly published books, and some previously published and still available to discover books in this guide. Click a link below to jump to the section that will work best for your gifting needs, or scroll through all our books to be inspired!

  1. Adult & Teen Readers
  2. Young Readers
  3. Cookbooks

Adult & Teen Readers

45 Ways to Live Like an Italian by Raeleen D’Agostino Mautner,

When it comes to self-care, nobody does it quite like an Italian.

Long before hygge, lagom, or ikigai took the world by storm, there was la dolce vita—the Italian phrase for “the sweet life.” La dolce vita encourages the benefits of practicing Italian traditions on improving your mental health by taking life slow and relishing in the sweet moments. This unique self-help approach offers practical advice on forming habits, love, balance, and simplicity that make daily life in Italy a celebration.

Author Raeleen D’Agostino Mautner, a citizen of both Italy and the U.S., holds a Ph.D. in psychology, and has served as the stress-reduction interventionist for a large cardiac study at Yale University. An astute observer of cultural differences, she was brought up in an Italian family and travels to Italy frequently. She lives in New Haven, Connecticut.

$19.99 Buy now!

The Handler: A Nick Reagan Thriller Hardcover by Jeffrey S. Stephens 

The Handler, follows CIA operative Nick Reagan and his team as they race from New York to Pakistan, Paris, Las Vegas and, ultimately, America’s heartland to thwart multiple threats from a very real terrorist group. In these difficult times, Nick Reagan is an American hero we can root for!

$16.39 Buy now!

The Abraham Lincoln Book of Quotes by Travis Hellstrom

The Abraham Lincoln Book of Quotes is a collection of the best quotes, speeches, and advice from one of the most influential and greatest presidents of all time compiled together in one place and reaches out to an America, and a world, which need them more than ever.

Organized into sections by themes such as kindness, leadership, peace, education, family and more, The Abraham Lincoln Book of Quotes is accessible and easy to share with friends and loved ones. Makes for an ideal and lovely gift.

$15 Buy now!

Jealous Mistress by Susan Alexander

In this mystery, a stay-at-home mom (always searching for a great part-time job) becomes enmeshed in a murder investigation because she stumbled across the dead body. When she doubts that the man charged as the murderer is guilty, she decides to pursue the real killer, uncovering a host of shocking secrets in her quiet suburb.

$12.99 Buy now!

On Bittersweet Place by Ronna Wineberg

ON BITTERSWEET PLACE is the powerful coming-of-age story of Lena Czernitski, a young Russian Jew whose family flees their homeland in the Ukraine after the October Revolution. The story unfolds in Chicago during the Jazz Age of the 1920’s, where Lena’s impoverished family has settled and where she must traverse the early years of adolescence. Lena’s new world is large and beautiful and full of promise, but it is also cold and unwelcoming, laden with danger. Ronna Wineberg delivers a moving, universal story of family, self-discovery, young love, and the always relevant experience of the immigrant, the refugee, the outsider struggling to create a new home and a better life in an unfamiliar place.

$10.34 Buy now!

Bright Lights, Dark Shadows: The Shadow Side of Celebrity and Fame by Mimi Amaral

This book delves into the shadow side (unspoken aspects) of celebrity and fame for entertainers and athletes. One may think being in the world of entertainment and sports is a dream come true, but is it? The hidden truths are exposed and explored within. The author leads you through the possible subjective reality and brings to life the unique issues that entertainers and athletes face in their industries.

Subjects covered, but not limited to, are:

  • Lifestyle Risks (e.g., loneliness and isolation, anxiety, depression, acute decomposition, drugs, and death);
  • Lack of Personal Space (e.g., para-social relationships, worship, obsession, stalking, and paparazzi);
  • Fall from Grace (e.g., ageism, plastic surgery, type casting, coming out, and child stars);
  • Observation and Integration (e.g., Advocacy);
  • Shadow to Light (e.g., fast forward to present day)

$3.62 Buy now!

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Young Readers

PT Runs Free written by Jason Kraus and illustrated by Connor DeHaan

“PT Runs Free” about a real-life rescue dog PT who has 3 legs. This book features PT’s inspirational message to never give up. All proceeds are donated to animal organizations. This is also a great book for the New Year, especially for those who received pets or adopted over the holidays. This inspirational story features real-life rescue dog PT, who now resides in Fort Myers, Florida, and his journey as a shelter dog to facing further adversity by losing a leg to finding his “furever” home with a powerful message he now delivers – to Never Give Up. Not only is this book written with an inspirational message, but the power of hope is being spread as all proceeds are being donated to animal rescue groups and humane societies.

$27.50 Buy now! and Amazon

The Light She Feels inside by Gwendolyn Wallace

The Light She Feels Inside stars Maya, a perceptive Black girl who doesn’t know what to do with her feelings about the world. She is guided by a kind librarian who shows her how revolutionary Black women throughout history have used feelings of love and anger to bring change to their communities. These activists inspire Maya to turn to her family and friends, and together, they plan ways to help their neighborhood!

$14.18 Buy now!

THE ASTRONAUT’S GUIDE TO LEAVING THE PLANET: Everything You Need to Know, from Training to Re-entry by Terry Virts

Every kid dreams of going to space but very few know how to actually get there. And who better to show kids how to get to space than a NASA astronaut? Terry Virts, one of only four astronauts in history to have piloted a Space Shuttle, flown a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, performed space walks, and commanded the ISS, answers every curious youngster’s questions in THE ASTRONAUT’S GUIDE TO LEAVING THE PLANET: Everything You Need to Know, from Training to Re-entry.

Harnessing excitement about space and space exploration is a great way to introduce children to STEM, and Virts aims to inspire a love of science in every reader. Also the author of How to Astronaut, Virts lays out exactly what you need to know about how to leave the planet with first-hand stories and activities that young people will love. Filled with information, tips, stories, science, plus photographs and illustrations.

$14.17 Buy now!

Pedro the Blue Dog by Sanjini Bhakta

Pedro is a blue South American frog and is different from the other green frogs. He does not feel like a “real” frog or froglet because he cannot SKIP, FLIP and HOP like the other green frogs. He cannot even swim in the pond and join in the fun. Instead he sits on a rock alone. But he has unexpected special abilities that help save the green frogs.

$6.99 Buy now!

The Mischievous Dress by Sanjini Bhakta

Every time Maggie wears a pretty, polka dot dress, it makes her do some mischievous things and she eventually overcomes her shyness. This is a magic dress!

$6.19 Buy now!

The Adventures of Cleaver and Whizjam on The Isle of Oogle by Mary Bonnett

Cleaver Wheaton loves her family, trees and freedom. She loses them all at the hands of the Raldos. When escaping from the Raldos and in search of her family, she crashes on the Isle of Oogle. The Isle has been taken over by the tyrant, Ralrudio, who is part man, part dead tree. He hates nature, hates family and loves to entrap, imprison and transform humans and nature into grotesque creatures. Cleaver is called upon to free them all from his iron grip. A portal adventure written with humor, high adventure, fanciful characters and a wild imaginative world like you’ve never experienced before. Come fall in love with these marvelous characters and help them save the Isle of Oogle and all who live there as they stand up for freedom, nature and the love of family and community.

$3.70 Buy now!

The King Whose Beard Grew So Long by Sanjini Bhakta

This fairytale is about an ancient Indian King who ruled his land with kindness and benevolence. But when his new appointed General advised him to conquer more lands for wealth and gold, he became consumed by greed. Because of a magic spell cast on the King, the greedier he became the longer his beard grew until it wrapped around the world blocking the ships from crossing the oceans.

$3.30 Buy now!

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Cookbooks

From the Hill by the Sea by Chef Seadon Shouse

Chef Seadon grew up ‘off the grid’ in a small Nova Scotian rural village. His parents had no electricity, no running water, and truly made and foraged, farmed and fished for food. In an idyllic setting, Seadon grew to understand the relation of food and cooking to earth and its bounty. He shares some of his favorite recipes in this unique book, which grew from a small project into a truly unique story of food and life.

Real cooking is about following your heart rather than the recipe, because cooking is more than just a blending of ingredients from land, sea, and farm, according to Chef Seadon, the notable Nova Scotia chef who brought its cuisine to the Hoboken coast. He details his philosophy through recipes and memories, in From the Hill by the Sea, a cookbook-memoir. Chef Shouse is Executive Chef of Halifax Hoboken is both memoir and recipe for cooking and for life, educating the reader in Chef Seadon’s Nova Scotia-grown roots of foraging, hand-making, and cooking from the land with heart and soul. 

$50 Buy now!

The Vegetable Eater: The New Playbook for Cooking Vegetarian by Cara Mangini

The Vegetable Butcher is back! With simple lessons and recipes that put irresistible, vegetable-forward dishes in every home cook’s everyday rotation. IACP Award winner and James Beard Award finalist Cara Mangini (The Vegetable Butcher) presents a foundational education in vegetable cooking in an eminently approachable framework—through uncomplicated lessons with seasonal riffs (think a Vegetable Grain Bowl, Hearty Entrée Salad, or Frittata, each with variations for spring, summer, and fall). 35 essential dishes. 3 seasonal variations. More than 100 simple, nourishing, vegetable-forward recipes to put on repeat.

This book is coming out in March 2024!

$35 Pre-order now!

A Return to Ireland: A Culinary Journey from America to Ireland by Judith McLoughlin 

A Return to Ireland: A Culinary Journey from America to Ireland by renowned Irish chef Judith McLoughlin, features over 100 recipes and gorgeous photos of Irish landscapes. Take a culinary journey from Irish-American immigrant recipes to the flavors of modern Ireland. A perfect gift for the chef in your life!!

$30 Buy now!

Lebanese Cuisine, New Edition: More than 185 Simple, Delicious, Authentic Recipes by Madelain Farah (Author), Leila Habib-Kirske 

This new edition of the beloved classic Lebanese Cuisine brings easy, authentic Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking to a new audience with over 185 traditional and modern recipes and full-color photography throughout. Truly authentic Lebanese cooking is an experience. With nuanced flavors, unique ingredients and a wide variety of recipes to try, there is truly something for everyone to enjoy.

Lebanese Cuisine will be a welcome addition to every cook’s library.

Leila Habib-Kirske continues her mother Dr. Madelain Farah’s work of memorializing these classic Middle Eastern meals with an expanded assortment of recipes that bring easy, authentic Lebanese cooking right to your kitchen.

$25 Buy now!

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*Photos courtesy of author or publishing house. We were not paid to promote these items, though many of the companies chose to send us the product prior to (and after) the publication of this guide.

Feature image by Andreea Radu on Unsplash

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