Photos: Chris Emeott
Open up a world of experiential gifting, learning and living.
Make gift giving easier this season by leaning into a specialty theme or carefully curated focus. With experiential gifting maintaining its holiday footing and the inclination to eliminate clutter remaining strong, the gift of books, which can be shared with others to enjoy or repurposed into topshelf decor (Think: “bookshelf wealth” and coffee and end table styling), can easily wrap up your holiday shopping endeavors.
To provide a starting point for your book selections, we’ve included titles that have received appreciative nods in our Noteworthy sections in Maple Grove Magazine and a few of our sister publications across the Metro.
Children’s
Easter on the Farm by Minnesota author Phyllis Alsdurf and illustrated by Lisa Hunt features a girl who visits her aunt and uncle’s farm and helps prepare for her family’s annual Easter celebration.
Sarah Nelson’s Firefly Galaxy, illustrated by Estrellita Caracol, celebrates the magic of fireflies on a summer night. Many of Nelson’s heartfelt books center on nature themes and are a pleasure to read for children and adults.
Known for his whimsical stories, David LaRochelle’s book, Go and Get with Rex, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka, follows Jack, Jill and Rex as they play a game with some very silly outcomes.
Our Planet! There’s No Place Like Earth by Stacy McAnulty is the sixth installment of the Our Universe series.
Plant a Pocket of Prairie by Minnesota author Phyllis Root and illustrated by Betsy Bowen highlights how native prairie plants help recreate food and habitat for birds, butterflies and other animals.
Tyrannosaurus Tsuris: A Passover Story by Susan Tarcov, illustrated by Elissambura and released by a Minneapolis-based publisher is about a dinosaur attempting to host a Passover Seder.
Fiction
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (author of Daisy Jones & The Six) follows Joan Goodwin, a physics and astronomy professor. When a position opens to join NASA’s Space Shuttle program, Goodwin applies and is selected.
Debut novel Banyan Moon by Thao Thai features a woman who reconnects with her estranged mother. The second and third generation Vietnamese-American women deal with family secrets, their fractured relationship and more.
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston features Evie, a swindler deep in the depths of the perfect con, but she begins to suspect that she might be the one being deceived.
Best-selling author Mia Sheridan’s Heart of the Sun, set in the California orange groves, includes childhood friends Emily Swanson, a rising pop sensation, and Tuck Mattice, who is just out of prison. The duo is brought together when Swanson hires Mattice as her bodyguard.
James: A Novel by Percival Everett is a bold retelling of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry from the perspective of Jim, transformed into James, offering a searing exploration of freedom, identity and survival.
Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren pairs Macy and Elliot, childhood sweethearts who reconnect after years of separation to navigate a second chance at their love.
Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra is a nail-biting, locked-room thriller that can make readers think twice about staying home alone in the dark. Yikes!
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy features Inti Flynn, part of a team of biologists who come to Scotland to reintroduce wolves to the landscape. This novel has conflict, mystery, romance and an intriguing cast of characters to keep readers hooked from beginning to end.
So We Meet Again by Suzanne Park tells the story of a relatable young woman, working to find her place in life. A charming cast of characters and a budding romance with Daniel Choi, her childhood nemesis, add to this comforting, romantic read.
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins follows the 50th annual Hunger Games. In honor of the Quarter Quell, there are twice as many tributes, including District 12’s Haymitch Abernathy. Torn from his family and love and brought to the Capitol, Haymitch understands that he has something to fight for—and he wants to fight.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon is about a local midwife who knows the truth behind the body found entombed in ice, but it is the 1700s, and women are seen, not heard.
The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County by Claire Swinarski includes a hotshot chef who arrives in a small town, and a group of Wisconsin church ladies, coming together to create a cookbook.
The Paris Gown by Christine Wells is a light read for all who love Paris, fashion and the power of female friendships. Claire (an aspiring Parisian chef), Margot (an Australian, hiding from her husband) and Gina (an aspiring American novelist) became friends, bonding over Dior.
The Rehearsals by Annette Christie includes Tom and Megan who have reached the night of their wedding rehearsal. What should be a magical weekend turns into a disaster and ends with the happy couple calling the whole thing off—until they wake up the next morning!
Nonfiction
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver sees the Pulitzer Prize-winning author and her family embark on a monumental journey—living one calendar year subsisting on food grown by themselves or within 100 miles of their home in Appalachia.
Birding to Change the World by Trish O’Kane is a heartfelt memoir of an “accidental ornithologist.” O’Kane artfully weaves personal stories with scientific knowledge and social justice commentary to chronicle the powerful connections that can be forged from a shared love of birds.
Bite by Bite by Aimee Nezhukumatathil explores the way food and drink evoke our associations and remembrances. It is a lyrical book of short essays about food, offering a banquet of tastes, smells, memories, associations and marvelous curiosities from nature.
Eating from Our Roots: 80+ Healthy Home-Cooked Favorites from Cultures Around the World by Maya Feller offers delicious recipes for folks interested in expanding their healthy meals repertoire.
Houses That Can Save the World by Courtenay Smith and Sean Topham shows how creative thinkers are embracing new challenges in building and design, and readers take a tour of ingenious homes. Along with practical ideas, the dreamy, gorgeous visuals are ideal to serve as a coffee table book.
In Pack Light: A Journey to Find Myself, author Shilletha Curtis traces her Appalachian Trail thru-hike from Georgia to Maine while facing her traumatic upbringing, depression and the fallout from an international pandemic.
After a Crohn’s disease diagnosis and years of unsuccessful treatments, Emily Maxson landed upon a solution that brought her back to the kitchen: the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. In Real Food. Every Day., the Medina food blogger features easy-to-follow recipes made with whole food with an emphasis on fiber.
Each of the books in The Forest Feast series by Erin Gleeson is a work of art by itself, combining Gleeson’s photographs and watercolor illustrations. The all-vegetarian recipes are delicious and simple, often using ingredients typically found at home.
From Sharon McMahon comes The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement. Dubbed America’s government teacher, McMahon is a Minnesota author and host of the podcast Here’s Where It Gets Interesting. This book beautifully shares the stories of 12 Americans who left a lasting impact on the country.
In her newest memoir, Where Rivers Part: A Story of My Mother’s Life, Hmong-American author Kao Kalia Yang continues her family’s powerful story from a refugee camp in Thailand to life in America. This is a retelling of her mother’s life—a beautiful and haunting story of the human spirit and extraordinary love.
Book recommendations offered by:
Hailey Almsted, a bibliophile in her own right, serves as managing editor for our community lifestyle magazines and the editor of Maple Grove and Woodbury magazines.
Ashley Christopherson is the owner of Niche Books in Lakeville. Read more at nichebooksmn.com.
Gabrielle Clark, Sharon Noble and Molly Rivard are librarians, serving the Maple Grove, Long Lake and Wayzata branches of the Hennepin County Library system. Read more at hclib.org.
Madeline Kopeicki, editor of Plymouth Magazine and digital editor, regularly showcases local authors.
Casie Leigh Lukes is a writer, editor and owner of Cocoa & Champagne, creator of custom library curations. Find her on Instagram @cocoaandchampagne.
Rima Parikh is the owner of Wayzata’s Thinking Spot, which focuses on STEM-related books and games. Discover more at thethinkingspot.us.
Raela Schoenherr works in marketing at a publishing company and is a lifelong lover of books and reading.
Amy Sundet is a local book reviewer and blogger. Find her at @overbookedmoms on Instagram.
