So you looked at the calendar the other day and… eeeek. You’re not very far away at all from the holidays and you’re uncomfortably far away from having everything ready. At the top of your agenda is fulfilling your gift list, but you’re out of ideas and now what? How about a book? How about one of these great books…
FICTION FOR THE LGBTQ+ READER
If there’s someone on your gift list who’d enjoy a coming-of-age story, “Shae” by Mesha Maren (Algonquin Books, $28.00) is a good choice to give. It’s a boy-meets-girl tale, but when a pregnancy happens, it spurs bigger changes in their lives than just parenthood.
If a fun little rom-com is what your giftee loves to read, then look for “We Could Be Heroes” by Philip Ellis (Putnam, $20.00). It’s a light tale of a chance encounter and a friendship that starts out small and becomes pretty super. You might want to wrap it up with “Love and Hot Chicken” by Mary Liza Hartong (Wm. Morrow, $30), a sweet, funny story of two Tennessee women, a chicken shack and amour.
If your gift recipient loves rom-coms, there are a bunch to choose from this fall. Consider “The Ride of Her Life” by Jennifer Dugan (Avon, $17.99), a girl-meets-girl novel of a new ranch-owning horsey-girl and the farrier who disagrees with her ranching ideas.
NONFICTION FOR THE LGBTQ+ READER
The person on your gift list who loves memoirs will devour “Cactus Country” by Zoe Bossiere (Abrams Press, $27.00), the story of an eleven-year-old and a new start in which everyone sees him as the boy he is. But life as a trans boy isn’t easy in the beautiful area he’s come to embrace, and neither are the people who surround him. Wrap it up with “The Long Hallway” by Richard Scott Larson (University of Wisconsin Press, $21.95), a memoir of a boy who identifies with a movie monster who helps him see that hiding parts of himself can help him come to terms with who he is.
For the trans man or woman on your gift list, look for “The Last Time I Wore a Dress” by Dylan Scholinski and Jane Meredith Adams (Penguin Publishing), a story of abuse, bullying, mental anguish and a happy ending. This book was first published more than 25 years ago but now has a new, satisfying and joyful ending… Wrap it up with “Mama: A Queer Black Woman’s Story of a Family Lost and Found” by Nikkya Hargrove, the tale of a love, responsibility, and more love.
If the individual you’re purchasing a gift for is exploring their sexuality, “Fierce Desires: A New History of Sex and Sexuality in America” by Rebecca L. Davis (Norton, $35) might be a welcome gift.
POLITICS
Has your gift recipient been dismayed at the political landscape for the past several years? Then “Good Reasonable People” by Keith Payne (Viking, $29.00) should be the book you wrap up to give. There is a way back to unity and away from polarization, Payne says, and with an explanation of the psychology behind it, it’s do-able.
Be sure you know where your giftee’s politics lie if you wrap up “The MAGA Diaries” by Tina Nguyen (One Signal Publishers, $28.00). Nguyen cut her teeth in the conservative movement, though she never felt entirely comfortable there. Eventually, she needed to get out; how she did it is a story the right giftee will love.
The person on your list who’s mourning the end of the political season, will be happy to get “The Handy Civics Answer Book: How to Be a Good Citizen” by David L. Hudson, Jr. J.D. (Visible Ink Press, $29.99). It’s a large, heavy book about our American documents, the Amendments they should know about, what it means to be a “good citizen,” and more.
Remember the Reagan years? For your giftee that does, too, “Dear Mom and Dad” by Patti Davis (Liveright, $27.99) will be a great gift to unwrap. Davis, of course, was the Reagan’s daughter, and this love letter to family and country is perfectly appropriate this year. Wrap it up with “Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn” by Christopher Cox (Simon & Schuster, $34.99), a hefty biography about a “superbly unsuited” man who nevertheless became our 28th President.
Here’s a political issue your activist will want to know more about: “The Stolen Wealth of Slavery: A Case for Reparations” by David Montero (Legacy Lit, $29). Part history, part business, part eye-opener, this book is one of the better looks at this controversial subject.
PETS AND ANIMALS
For the dog lover on your gift list, “Rethinking Rescue” by Carol Mithers (Counterpoint, $28.00) will be a welcome present. It’s the story of Lori Weise, Los Angele’s “Dog Lady,” who helps pets and their owners in the city’s poorer neighborhoods. It’s also a basic history of animal rescue and activism.
Is there someone on your gift list who’s wild about animals? Then “Meet the Neighbors: Animal Minds and Life in a More-Than-Human World” by Brandon Keim (Norton, $29.99) will make a great present under the tree. It’s a look at wild animals and the ways they’re not quite so different from us. Pair it with “Earthly Bodies: Embracing Animal Nature” by Vanessa Chakour (Penguin Life, $20), another, differently nuanced book about animal and human behavior.
The grieving pet owner on your list may like “I’m Still Here: A Dog’s Purpose Forever” by Cathryn Michon (Andrews McMeel, $19.99). It’s a story as told by a dog who crossed the Rainbow Bridge, but never really leaves. Hint: Wrap it up with tissues.
If you have a cat lover on your gift list, “Cats of the World” by Hannah Shaw and Andrew Marttilla (Plume, $32.00) will be exactly the right thing to wrap. It’s filled with stories and photographs of cats, cats, kittens and owners, taken from around the world.