The gift of reading: Books to give as presents for the holidays

For the record, the number is now “27,” and it is time to get serious about the year-end holidays. If you have readers on your list, the Tucson Festival of Books is here for you, Tucson.

Volunteers from the festival’s Book and Author Committee were asked for their holiday gift suggestions. Here are some recently published books to help you get started:

“L.A. Weather” by Maria Amparo Escandon — This is a delightfully funny, warmly endearing story of a Los Angeles family whose husband and father is obsessed by L.A. weather. It turns out the storm clouds hang over the family, each of whom is searching for something better than they have now. —Margie Farmer

“Beautiful Country” by Qian Julie Wang — This is one of the year’s very best books. In Chinese, the word “America” translates to “Beautiful Country” – which should be ironic to an undocumented child living in poverty. The girl’s parents, well-respected educators in China, were forced into menial tasks to survive in New York. Their daughter learns to love what little she has. —Tricia Clapp

“My Two Border Towns” by David Bowles and Erika Meza — This is a beautifully written picture book for kids that is told through the eyes of a boy who lives on one side or a border and regularly visits the other to visit his uncle. The towns are never identified. We’re never sure which border it is, either, making it a “people” story rather than a “place” story. —Kathy Short

“Nazaré” by J.J. Amaworo Wilson — A homeless boy’s attempt to save a washed-up whale foreshadows change when peasants revolt against a dictator. “Nazaré” is a fantasy, but its message is universal: in any world we’d want to live in, good must win out over evil. —Gwen Harvey

“The Forgotten Botanist” by Wynne Brown — Many of us have misspelled it but almost none of us know the story behind Mount Lemmon’s name. Brown tells us in “The Forgotten Botanist.” —Abby Mogollon

“Little Pieces of Hope” by Todd Doughty — This little gem is 256 pages of “happy.” The book is a collection of lists, musings and illustrations that helps us remember all the good things that are around us all the time. —Lynn Wiese Sneyd

“The Baseball 100” by Joe Posannski — If you’re shopping for a baseball fan, you will hit it out of the park with this one. Posnanski gives us 827 pages that are divided into 100 very readable chapters featuring baseball stars past and present. —Jack Siry

“Well Matched” by Jen DeLuca — Published last month, “Well Matched” is the third in a series of romance novels set in the world of renaissance festivals. DeLuca now lives in Tucson. – Jessica Pryde

“Natural Landmarks of Arizona” by David Yetman — This newly published book from UA Press and Tucson resident David Yetman gives us the backstory on the wondrous landscapes we see from the windows of our homes and cars. —Sara Hammond

“Gastro Obscura” by Cecily Wong and Dylan Thuras — To call “Gastro Obscura” a cookbook doesn’t do it justice. It uses history, geography and culture to tell us the backstory to dozens of little-known specialties from around the world. —Jennifer Slothower