Portsmouth librarians pick books that would make great presents

PORTSMOUTH — The British author Neil Gaiman once said, “Books make great gifts because they have whole worlds inside of them. And it's much cheaper to buy somebody a book than it is to buy them the whole world.”

With that in mind, we asked the folks at The Portsmouth Free Public Library for some recommendations for people still searching for a perfect Christmas gift for that special someone. Here are some titles they say would make for great presents for any bookworm.

Carolyn Magnus, library director

“For me, the holidays are all about getting together with friends and family over a good meal or a fabulous dessert so my picks are best enjoyed in the kitchen,” Ms. Magnus said.

• Weeknight Baking: Recipes to Fit Your Schedule, by Michelle Lopez (Simon & Schuster, 2019) — “Make cookies, pies, cakes, and other treats without a lot of fuss and time in the kitchen with this cookbook. The author reveals how to bake on a tight schedule which is something everyone can identify with.”

• The Side Dish Bible: 1001 Perfect Recipes for Every Vegetable, Rice, Grain, and Bean Dish You Will Ever Need, by America’s Test Kitchen (Random House, 2019) — “I’m always searching for the perfect side dish recipe during the holidays and this cookbook has some scrumptious suggestions. There’s recipes for the basics, for elegant parties, and for pot luck dinners, with lots of beautiful color photos. This cookbook certainly takes the stress out of holiday meal planning and is a wonderful gift idea, too.”

• The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook, 2001-2019 (Americas Test Kitchen, 2018) — “This cookbook has every recipe from the popular TV show. The ‘Notes from the Test Kitchen’ show techniques and preparation tips and ‘Behind the Scenes’ show what goes on to pull the show together. This is a great idea for fans of the show.”

Sue Rousseau, reference/young adult librarian

• The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic Press, 2011) — “This is my favorite of Maggie Stiefvater’s books and one I recommend to both teens and adults. This book is based on the Celtic water horse legend. It takes place on Thisby, an island the water horses visit every November. The water horses are captured and race along the cliff line. It’s a very dangerous race with a prize which makes it worth the risk.. The story is told by two narrators in alternating chapters. Sean has won the Scorpio Races four times. Puck feels she has no other option than to race. It is a wonderfully written book, where Thisby and Puck’s horse are characters as much as the people who inhabit the fictional island. The audiobook includes music written and performed by the author. Both versions are highly recommended.”

• Code Name Verity, by Elizabeth Wein (Hyperion Books, 2012) — “Maddie loves all sorts of small engines and planes. She is ecstatic when she manages to get trained to fly and gets to move damaged planes from airfield to airfield during World War II in England. She meets Julie, who is great with languages. They run into each other over and over doing their jobs and become best friends. This book is their story. I can't say enough good things about this book. I loved the characters. I was laughing and crying as I was reading it. So, so good. But impossible to describe without giving it away. There's a lot about WWII planes and some about small engine maintenance, but it's more about the friendship. Read this even if you don't like war books or planes.”

• The Red Rose Crew: A True Story of Women, Winning, and the Water, by Daniel J. Boyne (Hyperion, 2000) — “I haven’t read this book myself, but I gave it to a friend who is a teen who is on a crew team. She loved it. Everyone knows about The Boys in the Boat, but I wanted to give her something about women and crew. This women’s team prepared for the 1975 World Championships and the 1976 Olympic Games with Harry Parker, a men’s crew coach from Harvard who ‘overcame his doubts about the ability of women to withstand the rigors of hard training,’ according to Amazon.com’s description. This has been on my list of books to read for a while and I look forward to getting to it.”

Colleen LeComte, reference/young adult librarian 

• Aurora Rising, by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (Alfred A. Knopf, 2019) — “Perfect for teens (and adults!) looking for non-stop action adventure. It has snarky humor, dozens of different species of human/aliens, a multitude of galaxies, and a girl lost in time (and space!). It’s 2380, and students are graduating from Aurora Academy. A mishmash of graduates are sent on what appears to be a simple mission, but turns into a complicated escape attempt to save themselves, and the galaxy. One of the most popular books this year! The next installment is due out in May 2020.”

• What Light, by Jay Asher (Razorbill, 2017) — “A light and fluffy choice to get into the holiday spirit. Sierra and Caleb meet when Sierra’s family goes to California each Christmas season to sell their Christmas trees grown on their Oregon farm. Caleb has some secrets in his background, and Sierra is dealing with splitting her life in two between California and Oregon. A cozy story sure to warm a reader’s heart.”

• The Huntress, by Kate Quinn (William Morrow, 2019) — “If you are shopping for a historical fiction reader, a WWII buff, or just someone who loves women in fiction, The Huntress is a great choice. Told from Boston to Siberia, London to Vienna, this story is mostly based after WWII, in the late ’40s and early ’50s. A Nazi murderess is being hunted during the search for war criminals by a survivor of the Night Witches and a journalist, whose brother she had killed. Told in alternating viewpoints, the reader is whisked around the world in a thrilling hunt that that spans some of the most important years in multiple families’ lives.”

• The Good Neighbor: The Life and Works of Fred Rogers, by Maxwell King (Abrams Press, 2018) — “Mr. Rogers is a national icon, and with the latest biopic out, starring Tom Hanks, this is sure to be a great followup to seeing the film. This is the first full-length biography of Fred Rogers, and utilizes original interviews, oral histories, and archived documents to showcase the life of a truly special man.”

Nicole Carrubba, children’s librarian

• An Anthology of Intriguing Animals, by Ben Hoare; illustrated by Daniel Long, Angela Rizza, and Daniela Terrazzini (DK Publishing, 2018) — “This anthology of animals is just right for preschoolers on up to elementary students. But I won’t judge any adult who finds themselves lost in the pages! Each animal is given one page of description, along with interesting facts. But it is the full-color photographs that pack such a punch. It is like the animal is sitting next to you on the couch. Fabulous for browsers, or the budding zoologist in your home. With its large size and the gold leaf lettering swirling on the cover, it is a present your child will return to again and again.”

• The Atlas Obscura Explorer's Guide for the World's Most Adventurous Kid, by Dylan Thuras and Rosemary Mosco; illustrated by Joy Ang (Workman Publishing, 2018) — “This is the kind of book that you just fall into. An atlas at heart, it is also a guidebook to new places and things you’ve never heard of, even as an adult. Does it make you want to hop on a plane? You bet. I brought it home and everyone, from my daughter to her grandmother, found themselves reading this book, flipping the pages and calling others over to share what they had just discovered. Perfect for the car, the breakfast table, or a rainy afternoon when your kids need an escape from their own zip code.”

• American Girl Holiday Baking: Seasonal Recipes for Cakes, Cookies & More (Weldon Owen, 2019) — “Baking is a big deal in my house, especially this time of year. So for us, a new cookbook is something worth poring over. With American Girl behind this cookbook, you can imagine how gorgeous the photographs are and how inspiring the recipes (there are more than 40). Plus, kids are encouraged to try different skills and different ingredients, which I really like. Will we actually make the raspberry fruit jellies on page 97? Maybe not. But it’s fun to dream about!”