So you looked at the calendar the other day and... eeeek.

You're not very far away at all to the holidays and you're way, too, uncomfortably far away from having everything ready. At the top of your list 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 reader who loves a good comedy, "The Best Way to Bury Your Husband" by Alexia Casale (Penguin, $18) is perfect. It's the story of four women and one same old story: their husbands have been jerks and it's time to take matters into their own hands. Pair it with "How to Solve Your Own Murder" by Kristen Perrin (Dutton, $28), another fine mystery that'll keep your giftee perfectly entertained.

If there's someone on your list who loves a good novel with a healthy dose of drama, you can't go wrong with "Very Bad Company" by Emma Rosenblum (Flatiron Books, $28.99), the story of a group of high-level, high-money executives on retreat in Florida. What could go wrong, right? Turns out, plenty...Wrap it up with "The Divorcees" by Rowan Beaird (Flatiron Books, $28.99), a novel set in a midcentury Reno divorce ranch.

That thriller-lover on your gift list will be easy to satisfy when you give "She's Not Sorry" by Mary Kubica (Park Row Books, $30), a story of an ICU nurse, a suicidal-now-comatose patient, and secrets that come to light about an almost-deadly accident that was (maybe) no accident. Wrap it up with "Heads Will Roll" by Josh Winning (Putnam, $30), a novel of a dumb mistake at work made by an actor who's sent away to deal with her demons. Sometimes, though, the demons are real...

Your vampire lover will want to bite into "So Thirsty" by Rachel Harrison (Berkley, $29), a mystery of best friends and secrets with unexpected consequences. Wrap it up with "Tiny Threads"  by Lilliam Rivera (Del Ray, $28), a novel of a fashionista and a dream job that turns out to be, well, from you-know-where...

Is there a reader on your list who loves complicated family dramas? Then "April May June July" by Alison B. Hart (Graydon House, $28.99) is the book to wrap. Siblings April, May, June, and brother July Barber are totally separate people with nothing in common, other than that they're family. When their missing father resurfaces after more than a decade, the family wedding they're all set to attend suddenly becomes so much more than a family wedding. Wrap it up with "A Fire So Wild" by Sarah Ruiz-Grossman (Harper, $25.99), the story of a wildfire in Berkeley, California, and a group of the city's residents who must immediately reckon with the lives they've built there.

You don't have to know a thing about St. Paul, Minnesota, to want to read "Mysterious Tales of Old St. Paul" by Larry Millett (University of Minnesota Press, $24.95). It's a collection of whodunits set in the 1890s and features a character you'll come to love. Wrap it up with "You'd Look Better as a Ghost" by Joanna Wallace (Penguin, $18), an LOL novel about a killer with an unusual gift: she sees people as ghosts, just before they become one. Also try "The Mesmerist" by Caroline Woods (Doubleday, $28), a book of magic based on a real story from the late 1800s.

For the person on your list who is a self-professed lover of Mark Twain's works, "Big Jim and the White Boy" by David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson (Ten Speed Graphic, $35) will be a welcome gift this season. It's a re-imagining of the classic Twain tale, told in graphic-novel format. It's great for collectors, and teens would love it, too.

Here's an unusual sibling novel: "Pearly Everlasting" by Tammy Armstrong (HarperCollins, $28.99). It's the story of a bear cub named Bruno, the human sister he was raised with, and the bond of love that overcomes everything when the bear goes missing. Wrap it up with "We'll Prescribe You a Cat" by Syou Ishida (Berkley, $25), a cute novel about the "healing power" of cats.

Lovers of short stories will enjoy unwrapping "Neighbors and Other Stories" by Diane Oliver (Grove Press, $27), a collection of tales about racism, Jim Crow, fear, prejudice, scandal, and more. Pair it with "Float Up, Sing Down" by Laird Hunt (Bloomsbury, $26,99), a collection about a single day in the life of folks in a small Indiana community.

No doubt, there's someone on your gift list who loves to be really, really scared and "Nightwatching" by Tracy Sierra may fit on your gift list. It's a novel about a woman alone with her children during a blizzard, and an intruder who seems awfully, horrifyingly familiar...

General Nonfiction

Someone on your gift list will love reading "Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic" by Tabitha Stanmore (Bloomsbury, $29.99). Not only is this a history of magic and the magical arts, but it's a bit of a mini-biography about people who practice the arts.

If you know your giftee well and this year is going to mean big changes, then carefully give "Divorce Matters" by Kathy Criscuolo Boufford (Square One Publishers, $18.95). Wrap it up with "I Do (I Think)" by Allison Raskin (Hanover Square Press, $28.99), a book about marriage in the modern world. Together, they're perfect for the person you know needs them, now or in the near future.

On the other hand, "Somehow: Thoughts on Love" by Anne Lamott (Riverhead Books, $22) is a book filled with hope and words on love. why it irritates us, and why we need it. Wrap it up for the romantic in your life. Wrap it up with "Vows: The Modern Genius of an Ancient Rite" by Cheryl Mendelson (Simon & Schuster, $28.99), a surprising look at the things we say at a wedding, and why we say them.

Is there a lover of Shakespeare on your gift list? Then you absolutely can't go wrong when you wrap up "Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent" by Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea (St. martin's Press, $32). Here, Dame Judi writes about the Bard and the various roles she's played through the decades, audiences, critics, and more. Your giftee will want it "to be" under the tree, along with "The World in Books: 52 Works of Great Short Nonfiction" by Kenneth C. Davis (Scribner, $29.99), a whole book full of suggestions to carry your giftee into the new year.

The runner in your life will be delighted when "In the Spell of the Barkley" by Michiel Panhuysen (Bloomsbury, $24) is unwrapped. This story of the ultimate ultramarathon challenge is a read as wild as the race itself. Wrap it up with another book about a big sport: "Everest, Inc.: The Renegabes and Rogues Who Built an Industry at the Top of the World" by Will Cockrell (Gallery Books, $29.99). Wrap it up with a warm pair of gloves and a long scarf.

Is there a reader on your gift list who loves history but who's tired of the same old thing? Then wrap up "Plentiful Country: The Great Potato Famine and the Making of Irish New York" by Tyler Anbinder (Little, Brown, $32.50). Why did more than a million of Ireland's citizens come to America in the mid-1800s? What did they find here, and how did Americans think of the sudden influx of new immigrants? Historians will devour this book; anyone concerned about immigration will, too. 

No doubt, the history lover on your list will want "The Handy World War II Answer Book" by Richard Estep (Visible Ink Press, $29.99). In an easy-to-read, easy-to-browse format, your giftee will get a nice extra peek inside and around the world at the Second World War.

The science-minded person on your gift list will want "Turning to Stone" by Marcia Bjornerud (Flatiron Books, $28.99), a book about rocks but also about geology and the wonders of our planet. Wrap it up with "Subpar Planet" by Amber Share (Penguin Random House, $30), a hilarious book of reviews and ratings of planetary wonders from real people who probably didn't quite get the whole "nature" thing.

Your proud HBCU grad will love reading "A Forgotten Migration" by Crystal R. Sanders (UNC Press, $27.95), a book about racism, segregation, Black colleges & universities, and what American society owes them for decades of education. 

Is there an activist for justice on your gift list? Then they'll be happy to open "Morningside: The 1979 Greensboro Massacre and the Struggle for an American City's Soul" by Aran Shetterly (Amistad, $28.99), It's a story of the Klan, white supremacy, racial conflict, and how it fits in with what's going on in America today. Pair it with "Sidney Poitier: The Great Speefhes of an Icon Who Moved Us Forward" complied by Joanna Poitier, edited by John Malahy (Running Press, $29). Bonus: This inspiring book is packed with photos.

If there's a person on your list who's concerned with ecologically-minded things, check out "The 15-Minute City" by Carlos Moreno (Wiley, $28). It's a book about a radical way of planning a new city so it's walkable, not congested, and greener. Pair it with "Atlas of a Threatened Planet" by Esther Gonstalla (Island Press, $35), a book of infographics that make being greener easier to understand.

Everybody – including your giftee – loves a good treasure hunt, and you don't have to hunt far for "Lost Loot: Cursed Treasures and Blood Money" by Jim Willis (Visible Ink Press, $22.95). It's a sometimes-swashbuckling, sometimes just plain fun look at booty, true crime, and possibilities of riches. Wrap it up with "The Heirloomist: 100 Treasures and the Stories They Tell" by Shana Novak (Chronicle Books, $27.99), an absorbing book about random objects, collectors, and the hold that things hold on us.

Your football fan will absolutely want "The Football Game That Changed America" by Dennis Deninger (Rowman & Littlefield, $35). It's a book about how the NFL's "Big Game" became the biggest day of football for every fan, whether they follow the teams playing or not. If your giftee loves basketball, too, then wrap up "Globetrotter: How Abe Saperstein Shook Up the World of Sports" by Mark Jacob and Matthew Jacob (Rowman & Littlefield, $35), a book about the iconic Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, racism, and the path to become one of the sports' best-loved teams.

The person on your gift list who's working on a second chapter will be happy to unwrap "The Art of the Interesting: What We Miss in Our Pursuit of the Good Life and How to Cultivate It" by Lorraine Besser, PhD (Balance, $30). Based on science and psychology, this book helps your giftee create the best life and be happier and healthier in mind and spirit.

Biography 

Did your giftee spend a childhood immersed in books about growing up? If so, they'll cherish those memories when they read "The Genius of Judy" by Rachelle Bergstein (One Signal Publishers, $28.99). This biography fills readers in on who Judy Blume was, why she wrote the novels she penned, and how her stories fit in with today's adolescence, feminism, current events, and literature. Wrap it up with this great biography: "Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters" by Susan Page (Simon & Schuster $30). It's the story of Walters, her times, and her impressive works.

If your giftee is riled by this years' politics and feminism, then they'll love reading "A Well-Trained Wife" by Tia Levings (St. Martin's Press, $30). It's the story of Levings' life as a wife in a Christian patriarchy-based marriage, the submissiveness, the expectations, and her ultimate resistance. The right kind of giftee will love this book completely.

The British history lover on your list will absolutely want "The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV" by Helen Castor (Avid Reader Press, $35). This book takes a deep dive into history, the lives of two cousins, and a shocking assumption to the throne. Pair it with a bookmark and "Henry V: The Astonishing Triumph of England's Greatest Warrior King" by Dan Jones (Viking, $35), a book about the life and times of this English king in the fifteenth century.

For the person on your gift list who loves music, "How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History from NPR Music" edited by Alison Fensterstock (HarperOne, $40) is exactly the right gift. It's a look at female musicians from the 1920s to more recent years, from country music to hip hop to guitar players and beyond. Wrap it up with "I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine" by Daniel J. Levitin (Norton, $32.50), a book about music and how it contributes to healing and well-being.

"Friendly Fire: A Fractured Memoir" by Paul Rousseau (Harper Horizon, $29.99) may be the exact right gift for anyone who loves a unique memoir. Just before he graduated from college, Rousseau was shot in the head accidentally. How he survived, both physically and in the friendship with the man who shot him is the basis of this very well-done book. 

The science-minded person on your gift list will be happy to have "The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science" by Dava Sobel (Atlantic Monthly Press, $30). Chances are, your giftee knows exactly who Madame Curie was, but do they know about the women who came after her in the laboratory. This book tells the tale in an engaging, interesting way.

For your fashionista who loves make-up, "Becoming Elizabeth Arden: The Woman Behind the Global Beauty Empire" by Stacy A. Cordery (Viking, $35) could be the best gift beneath the tree this year. It's a sweeping story of a businesswoman, glamour maven, revolutionary, visionary, her work, her times, and the controversy she lit.

Business

For the designer or design student on your list, you'll want to wrap up "Design for a Radically Changing World" by Andy Cohen FAIA and Diane Hoskins FAIA (Oro Editions, $70). It's a heavy, gorgeously-illustrated book full of ideas and works by designers your giftee may know. This is a book they'll love for years to come. 

Everybody knows that work requires a certain sense of humor, right? And so "The Customer is Always Wrong" by Scott Seiss (Harper Celebrate, $22.99) is a book that'll help your giftee keep a smile on that overworked face. 

Here's a unique little gift for the businessperson on your list: "Pencil" by Carol Beggy (Bloomsbury, $14.95). It's a small book, perfect for a stocking-stuffer, and it's all about the writing instrument we know, love, and of which about two billion are used by Americans each year. 

For the young entrepreneurial couple on your list, "Tightwads and Spendthrifts: Navigating the Money Minefield in Real Relationships" by Scott Rick (St. Martin's Press, $28) may be something they'll both appreciate. It's a book that offers advice and a guideline for making sure both finances and love triumph in the end.

The gamer on your list – the one who's also an entrepreneur – will like to unwrap "Playing with Reality" by Kelly Clancy (Riverhead, $30). What do games teach us about science, business, and risk? Looking at games from antiquity to AI, this book will tell it.

If the giftee on your list is trying to achieve a good work-life balance, then wrap up "Over Work: Transforming the Daily Grind in the Quest for a Better Life" by Brigid Schulte (Henry Holt, $31.99). This book will help your giftee understand how some everyday tasks are considered "work" and how such unpaid jobs can contribute to your happiness. Wrap it up with "Directional Living: A Transformational Guide to Fulfillment in Work and Life" by Megan Hellerer (Penguin Life, $29). The subtitle says it all.

For the person who loves their job but struggles with the workplace, "Toxic Productivity" by Israa Nasir, MHC-LP (Bridge City Books, $19.99) might help. It's a book about overcoming stress and pressure at work and how to become a healthier employee, mentally.

Politics

Was your giftee dismayed at the political landscape for the past few years? Then "Good Reasonable People" by Keith Payne (Viking, $29) 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 and 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). 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.

True Crime

If there's a true-crime lover on your list, you can't go wrong with "Killer Moms: True Stories" by Amanda R. Woomer (Visible Ink Press, $22.95). These stories will chill you, they'll fascinate you, and they'll keep you up at night. And for more up-all-night gifting, "Children of Darkness and Light" by Lori Hellis (Pegasus Crime, $28.95) will fill the bill nicely. It's the further story of Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell, and the murders of Vallow's two children.

The reader on your list who loves unusual peeks into the lives of crimesolvers will devour "Clay and Bones: My Life as an FBI Forensic Artist" by Lisa Bailey (Chicago Review Press, $28.99), a memoir by the FBI's first female forensic sculptor, the job, and the crimes she's helped to solve.

Pets and Animals

For the dog lover on your gift list, "Rethinking Rescue" by Carol Mithers (Counterpoint, $28) 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) 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. 

Health, Self-Help & Wellness

There are several kinds of people on your gift list who'd like to read "The Long Haul: How Long Covid Survivors are Revolutionizing Healthcare" by Ryan Prior (MIT Press, $24.95). Absolutely, nurses will want it. Former COVID-19 patients will want it. Any current sufferers of Long COVID will absolutely want to see it.  Wrap it up with a book that might help them: "Soothe: Restoring Your Nervous System from Stress, Anxiety, Burnout, and Trauma" by Nahid de Belgeonne (Penguin Life, $19), a book that explains where emotions are from, where the body stores them, and how you can self-soothe when things get really bad.

The insomniac on your gift list will be so happy to unwrap "Sleepless: Unleashing the Subversive Power of the Night Self" by Annabel Abbs-Streets (Putnam, $28). It's a book about neuroscience, creativity, and learning to harness our "Night Selves." Wrap it up with "This is Why You Dream" by Rahul Jandial, MD, PhD (Penguin Life/Viking, $29) and a gift certificate for a nice warm glass of milk.

If there's someone on your gift list who loves to read True Medical stories, then "A Fatal Inheritance" by Lawrence Ingrassia (Holt, $29.99) is the one to give. It's the story of Ingrassia's family, loss, and a legacy of cancer that seems more than coincidental. It's also the tale of the doctors whose research helps unlock the key for families prone to cancer.

For the medical-minded person who's also concerned about justice, wrap up "Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum" by Antonia Hylton (Legacy Lit, $30). On a random day in March of 1911, a dozen Black men were forced to build a hospital for "the Negro Insane." This is the tale of that segregated hospital and the people who were sent there. Wrap it with "Facing the Unseen" by Damon Tweedy, M.D. (St. Martin's Press, $30), a book on mental health care for anyone who needs it.

Your giftee loves to read True Medicine stories, so "Gray Matters: A Biography of Brain Surgery" by Theodore H. Schwartz (Dutton, $32) is the book you want to give. It's the story of one man's career, yes, but your giftee will also learn that reading is not brain surgery.

Death & Dying

So books on death might not seem like a great holiday gift, but the right reader will be comforted by "Other People's Words" by Lissa Soep (Spiegel and Grau, $27). After losing two close friends, Soep realized that the things we said once (or didn't say) are with us inside memories that we keep. This is a good and gentle book for the person who needs it most. Wrap it up with "Grief is for People" by Sloane Crosley (FSG, $27), the story of a suicide and a lost friend.

The person who wants to live as authentically as possible in order to understand death will want  "Briefly Perfectly Human" by Alua Arthur (Mariner, $28.99), a book on being a better human now, so there are no regrets. So what will you do with life, then, hm? 

For the grieving parent, "Fi" by Alexandra Fuller (Grove Atlantic, $28) might be a comfort. It's a memoir of Fuller's son, and the unimaginable losses she suffered not long ago when he died shortly after Fuller lost her father, her home country, and a relationship she treasured. Pair it with Gail Godwin's "Getting to Know Death" (Bloomsbury, $26.99), a book about loss and surviving it.

For the person who wonders why we must leave this world, "Why We Die" by Venki Ramakrishnam (Wm. Morrow, $32.50) offers plenty of science to explain. Why do we die, and why can't we live forever – or, at least a whole lot longer? The scientist on your list will want to read this book to find out. Wrap it up with "This Ordinary Stardust: A Scientist's Path from Grief to Wonder" by Alan Townsend (Grand Central, $29) for another scientific look at healing.

The grieving person on your gift list may not feel so festive, which is why "Conscious Grieving: A Transormative Approach to Healing from Loss" by Claire Bidwell Smith, LCPC (Workman, $19.99) may be a welcome gift. This book helps make sense of a time that has no sense inside it. Wrap it up with "The Wet Wound: An Elegy in Essays" by Maddie Norris (University of Georgia Press, $23.95), a book on the pain of grief.

Even at the holidays – especially at the holidays – loss can feel especially keen. Your giftee may appreciate opening "Near-Death Experiences: Afterlife Journeys and Revelations" by Jim Willis (Visible Ink Press, $22.95), a scientific look at what happens when the worst almost happens, and how science and religion tie together with this issue.

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) 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). 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 giftee 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), 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 your giftee 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. Have we come a long way, in understanding people's sexuality? Yes and no – your giftee may have ideas about that.

Younger Kids

Here's a book that the littlest kid will love, as long as Mom and Dad are on-board: "Digging Into Nature" by Pooja Sarin Tandon, MD, MPH, FAAP, and Danette Swanson Glassy, MD, FAAP (American Academy of Pediatrics, $19.95) With this book in hand, adults can create and cultivate a love of the outdoors for their toddler and preschooler. The activities are easy to do, fun, and kid-friendly.

If there's someone in your family who's gay, lesbian, or trans and your littlest giftee has questions, wrap up "Hooray for She, He, Ze, and They!" by Lindz Amer, illustrated by Kip Alizadeh (Simon & Schuster, $18.99). It's a book that explains pronouns in a way that kids can understand. Also try "Gorgeously ME!" by Jonathan Van Ness, illustrated by Kamala Nair (Penguin Flamingo, $19.99), a book about everybody being their awesome, fabulous selves; and "The Rainbow Parade" by Shane Jordan and Rick Hendrix, illustrated by Jieting Chen (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, $18.99), a book full of Pride.

And for the little dog-lover on your list, you can't go wrong if you give "Brownie the War Dog" by Kelly Nelson, illustrated by Aaron Boyd (Wisconsin Historical Society Press, $17.95), the story of a brave dog who served in World War II. And if there's a dog missing in your little one's life, pair it with "Find Momo Everywhere" by Andrew Knapp (Quirk Books). It's the story of love, loss, and remembrance.

Kids Ages 9-13

The adventurous giftee on your list will want to read "Moko Magic: Carnival Chaos" by Tracey Baptiste (Disney Hyperion, $17.99), a kids novel about three cousins who learn one day that they have super powers that can protect their Brooklyn community. It's a fun book and it'll tickle your child's imagination.

Kids who love the ocean will love receiving "Super Ocean Weekend" by Gaelle Almeras (Greystone Kids, $21.95). Part fiction, part authentic science, it's the just-right gift for the kid who loves marine life, too. For the kid who loves astronomy, too, look for "A Kid's Guide to the Night Sky" by John A. Read (Sourcebooks, $16.99) 

The young dog lover on your gift list will truly enjoy getting "Walkin' the Dog" by Chris Lynch (Simon & Schuster, $17.99), the story of Louis, who's about to enter public school for the first time, after having been homeschooled for years. Fortunately, to distract him from the drama, he takes a job walking the neighbor's dog but that drama is never too far away...

Young Adult / Teen Readers

If there's a young fantasy lover on your gift list, "The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn: Volume One" by Tri Voung (Ten Speed Graphic, $26.99) will fit their wish list. Oscar Zahn is a paranormal investigator with a strange assistant and their beat runs across several times and places. Told in graphic novel form, it's a book teens will love.

Readers who thrilled to the Eragon series will absolutely want to see "Murtagh" by Christopher Paolini (Knopf, $29.99) under the tree this year. Featuring one of the series' best-loved characters, it's got your dragons, your battles, and your magic. What more could a reader want? 

For the teen who loves a book with a little bit of creepiness to it, wrap up "Ruin Road" by Lamar Giles (Scholastic, $19.99). Cade Webster is a football star, but he's also got powers that are welcome at first... but not forever. Wrap it up with "Mrballen Presents Strange, Dark & Mysterious" by MrBallen, Illustrations by Andrea Mutti (Ten Speed Graphic, $24.99), a book of short, scary stories told in graphic-art format.

For the teen who likes a feel-good story with a touch of hope, "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman (Aladdin, $17.99) will be a welcome gift. It's the story of a 12-year-old who's done something "very very bad" and he's sentenced by a judge to spend his entire summer volunteering at a retirement home. When he meets a man who's nearly nine times his age, well, your giftee won't be able to put this book down.

And now for the housekeeping: things change. Prices might go up or down. Authors might change. Covers might change. Books are no longer written on stone tablets, so beware. And while you're shopping for the people on your gift list, don't forget YOU. Season's Readings!