Whether you’re seeking a book for the cook, an uplifting memoir, a self improvement book, or something to capture the interest of a child who isn’t fond of reading, our holiday list is your companion for finding thoughtful and meaningful books. 

Books for Cooks

The Plant-Based Diabetes Cookbook | Jackie Newgent, RDN, CDN

Packed with more than 125 recipes full of flavor with fresh, modern appeal, this delectable plant-based cookbook and eating guide is helpful for preventing and managing diabetes and pre-diabetes. Award-winning cookbook author and registered dietitian Jackie Newgent includes in this cookbook a variety of plant-based main dishes, apps, salads, soups, desserts, drinks, snacks, menus, and hundreds of helpful tips that will appeal to all eaters, not just vegetarians.

Books that Inspire

Rough Waters: From Surviving to Thriving with a Progressive Muscular Dystrophy | Heather C. Markham

At age 34, Heather C. Markham received a life-changing diagnosis: she had a progressive muscular dystrophy and would eventually need a wheelchair. Despite her body’s betrayal, she fearlessly leaned into adventures including becoming an avid Para Surfer and winning Ms. Wheelchair Kentucky. With humor and heartbreaking candor, this memoir chronicles Heather’s slow decline in mobility and her determination to live an extraordinary life—a journey that is somehow relatable to all of us. 

Honey, If It Wasn’t For You | Barron Ryan

This illustrated nonfiction picture book for adults tells the true story of a song, written by the late lyricist Don Feagin and the composer he never got to meet, Barron Ryan. It’s a poignant tale of love and loss that shares the power of music to connect us with the ones we cherish—even after they’re gone.

A Petit Mal: A Mother’s Healing Love Story | Ana Maria Caballero

When her young son is diagnosed with epilepsy, award-winning Colombian-American artist and poet Ana María Caballero, is devastated and hopelessly confused. As the long journey of healing commences, Caballero eschews traditional medicine and instead turns to a group of alternative healers she’s worked with before, whom she affectionately refers to as her army of “witch doctors.” A Petit Mal narrates a powerful emotional journey as Caballero braids the story of her son, who loves soccer and refers to his episodes as “Messis,” with previous trauma—her father was treated for a brain injury and never woke up. 

Books for Self-Improvement

Necessary Death: What Horror Movies Teach Us About Navigating the Human Experience | Chris Grosso and Preston Fassel  

What can horror, a genre concerned with death, teach us about being alive—and how can we apply those lessons in our day-to-day existence? A perfect marriage of horror and healing, Necessary Death is for any reader who wants to look at the way stories—even the gruesome ones—mirror the human condition and what we can learn about ourselves by studying them. 

Every Other Weekend: Coming of Age with Two Different Dads | Anthony J. Mohr

In Every Other Weekend, Anthony Mohr recounts growing up in the shadow of two towering figures in his life – his father Hollywood actor Gerald Mohr and stepfather, a credit card industry pioneer, Stanley Dashew – in a time when divorce and blended families weren’t the norm. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Gerald Mohr made more than 500 radio plays, 73 films, and over 100 television shows, with roles including Raymond Chandler’s hardboiled detective, Philip Marlowe. In contrast, Stanley Dashew, was a successful entrepreneur in the finance and credit card industry. As Dashew’s star rose, Mohr’s faded as he was unable to sustain his career in the rapidly changing world of entertainment.

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

Fill your days with Italian culture and tips for a better lifestyle and selfcare, cause nobody does it like an Italian. This beautifully illustrated book strives to practice Italian traditions by offering practical tips on forming habits, balance, fashion tips and so much more. Most of all, readers are encouraged to celebrate their life like an Italian in order to cherish and turn every mundane moment into an extraordinary experience. 

The Miracle Morning: Updated and Expanded Edition | Hal Elrod

Hal Elrod is no stranger to death from his car getting hit by a car at 70 miles per hour that stopped his heart for six minutes at twenty years old to being diagnosed with a very rare form of leukemia. Yet, Hal has dedicated his life to helping people with The Miracle Morning to help others turn their lives around one morning and one person at a time. With every chapter and every word, The Miracle Morning is sure to inspire and empower its readers with helpful tips to boost your energy, motivation and much more starting with your morning.

Gifts for Literary Lovers

The Continental Literary Magazine

Classy, edgy and Central European, this beautifully-produced English-language international literary quarterly—in which pop culture meets high art—features fiction, nonfiction, interviews, poetry, photography, painting and more in a book-bound format that seeks to connect continents with intellectual thought and creative expression. Subscriptions and single issues can be ordered at https://continentalmagazine.com/.

Sacrifices For Kingdoms | Patricia D’Arcy Laughlin

This complex contemporary romance is a series starter that takes readers on an exhilarating journey across continents and cultures, addressing controversial themes such as gender inequality in religion.  Elizabeth, a sophisticated activist and philanthropist from Trinidad, meets Michael, a socially conscious European prince, and they are irresistibly drawn to each other. As their love deepens, they must navigate dangerous secrets, political intrigue, and the struggle to reconcile their opposing loyalties.

Out of the Darkness | David A. Jacinto

Inspired by a true story, Out of the Darkness chronicles the journey of a nineteenth-century child coal miner as he rises from the ashes of poverty and tragedy to challenge English aristocracy and change child labor laws in the UK. Readers meet Tommy Wright, a seven-year-old who follows in his father and grandfather’s footsteps, working in coal mines in Yorkshire, England. After disaster strikes and many of his friends die in a mine explosion, a devastated Tommy and his self-educated mother decide that Tommy and his siblings would have a different fate, one that would free them from the iron-fisted wealthy aristocrats who own the coal mines and villages families like Tommy’s call home. As Tommy matures, he determines his own fate, defying the odds to excel in an engineering career and waging a noble fight against child labor. Bolstered by family, faith, and the love of strong, determined women, Tommy confronts his oppressors, eventually immigrating to America to pursue the life of his dreams.

Explosive Chemistry | Paige E. Ewing

Explosive Chemistry is the second installment of the Liliana and the Fae of Fayetteville series. Set 30 years into a hopeful future where fossil fuels are obsolete, Liliana is a reluctant spider-kin fortune teller who is faced with the task of solving the mystery of who killed four soldiers at Fort Liberty. Follow along as Liliana bands together with irritating Fae Colonel as they defend their close friends, an oak goblin doctor and a fairy with a penchant for machine guns. Explosive Chemistry is the perfect book for readers interested in urban fantasy, Fae romance, and a touch of paranormal spiders.

Books for Young Readers

Frankie’s Fishy Feelings | Quincy Kadin

Frankie’s Fishy Feelings follows Frankie, a young shark nervous about his first day of “kindersharken”. Frankie is enrolled in therapy and learns coping mechanisms such as counting his fingers: Thumb, index, middle, ring, little.While the feelings don’t go away completely, Frankie learns to live with her anxiety and keep it in check. In the back of the book, readers are given a toolbox of coping mechanisms kids can use when they start to feel anxious. The book is designed as a coping tool for kids ages 4-8 – but the strategies work for any age.

StarPassage: Book One: The Relic | Clark Burbidge

Award winning storyteller Clark Burbidge presents the first book in a thrilling young-adult fantasy adventure, StarPassage: The Relic, a clue-studded journey through time, space, and history that builds mystery and suspense with every page turned. Tim and Martie Carson are the only ones who can save their family from a downward spiral fueled by their parent’s struggles with PTSD and depression. When they realize that an ancient relic discovered under mysterious circumstances holds the key to unlocking answers hidden in the past, the siblings embark on a race against time to learn the relic’s secrets while avoiding the Trackers, sinister shadowy figures doomed to haunt history and drawn to possess the relic for their own evil purposes.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Cover Photo by Mel Poole on Unsplash