Looking for last-minute holiday gifts? The deadline for shipping has passed, but don’t worry. We have found local businesses available to help deliver holiday cheer to your loved one or Secret Santa.
For the book lover on your list, Nancy Scheemaker, general manager of Northshire Bookstore on Broadway in Saratoga Springs, along with Janet Hutchison at Open Door Bookstore on Jay Street have recommendations for you.
“North Woods” by Daniel Mason may already be on your shopping list, according to Scheemaker. It seems to be on all the Best of 2023 lists.
Read this for its magnificent portrayal of a small patch of land in Massachusetts where centuries of life bloom and fall over time, cycling through the next generation of inhabitants — human, plant, or animal. Mason writes with extraordinary grace and imagination in this sweeping epic, which will delight a wide audience.
“Eve: How The Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution,” by Cat Bohannon is a must-have, must-read, long overdue volume devoted to the evolutionary story of how women’s bodies became very different from men, why this matters for science, humanity and you, according to Scheemaker.
“Put a little nostalgia and whimsy under your tree by gifting this lovely volume on ‘Gnomes,’ by Will Huygen, to someone you love,” Scheemaker said. “Originally published in 1977, this is the go-to manual on gnome lifestyle, first aid, culture, anatomy, legends, lore, and more. Just in time for the holidays, this book has all the answers you’ve wanted to know about all gnome things.”
“‘The Simple Art of Rice: Recipes From Around The World for the Heart of Your Table,’ by J.J. Johnson will help you joyfully master rice cooking techniques while creating a diverse array of show-stopping dishes cooked around the globe,” Scheemaker said. “This ancient grain has a long history in many cultures, which Johnson thankfully shares throughout this truly gorgeous cookbook.”
“‘The Little Book of Backyard Bird Songs’ remains one of my favorite children’s science books for any season of the year,” Scheemaker said. “Learn how to identify 12 northern backyard birds by sight and sound this winter. And when you’ve mastered this collection, you’ll be glad to know that more fun lessons await you in ‘The Little Book of Woodland Bird Songs.’”
For shoppers on Jay Street in Schenectady, owner Hutchinson has several ideal entries for last-minute shoppers.
“We’ll start with Mitch Albom, who I think most people remember from ‘Tuesdays with Morrie.’” Hutchison said. “‘The Little Liar’ is a novel about a young boy in Greece who is sort of hooked in by the Nazis to do some errands for them and discovers that he’s really doing the wrong thing.”
“A brand new book by Jesmyn Ward, ‘Let Us Descend,’ is a tough read in that it is about slavery, but it is beautifully written,” said Hutchison, “and it’s something that we feel is very important for people to know about and to read.”
“You can’t beat ‘Barbara,’ the bookstore owner said. “It’s a hefty volume [992 pages] about Barbra Streisand.”
“Moving down a little in age is something for the teenage market, ‘What the River Knows’ [by Isabel Ibanez] combines romance and magic and is set in Egypt. It kind of plays into the Indiana Jones idea,” Hutchison said.
“‘Drag and Rex’ is about a dragon named Drag and a T-Rex named Rex, who are best friends. It’s a story for beginning readers, easy text, and several stories in one volume,” Hutchison said. “If everyone in Schenectady is familiar with ‘Frog and Toad,’ that kind of concept, things they enjoy doing together.”
“Finally, a beautiful seasonal book, ‘Winter: A Solstice Story’ [by Kelsey Ebben Gross] is about the Winter Solstice with gorgeous illustrations and its animals celebrating it,” Hutchison said.
Northshire Bookstore is located at 424 Broadway in Saratoga Springs and can be found online at www.northshire.com
Open Door Bookstore is located at 128 Jay St. in Schenectady and can be found online at www.opendoor-bookstore.com
Great suggestions, I love how these gift ideas cater to book enthusiasts of all genres. Perfect timing for us last-minute shoppers!