For yourself or your loved ones: the best books

There are two kinds of people in the world: book people and non-book people. You can tell you’re in the home of a non-book person when you don’t see any books or even bookshelves. Book people, on the other hand, tend to own more books than one person could possibly read in a single lifetime — which makes them very easy to buy gifts for.

The Lakeville Journal spoke to two experts, Zazu Galdos-Shapiro, a buyer at The Book Loft in Great Barrington, and Carissa Unite-Driver, manager of Oblong Books & Music’s Millerton store, to find out what’s going to be hot this holiday season, and to get some recommendations as well.

Non-fiction

Both women recommended two biographies. Walter Isaacson’s “Leonardo da Vinci” has been generating a lot of buzz and very good sales at both stores. Ron Chernow, Pulitzer Prize-winner (for “Washington: A Life”) and author of “Hamilton,” has come out with a new biography of a president: “Grant.” 

Galdos-Shapiro describes it as “the fullest, yet most accessible, account of Grant’s personal life and his remarkable place in history.”

She also mentioned two coffee table books: “200 Women Who Will Change the Way You See the World,” which contains a brief bio of and an interview with each of its subjects; and “Annie Leibovitz: Portraits 2005–2016.”

Unite-Driver pointed out a much smaller volume. The pocket-sized “The U.S. Constitution” annotated by Ray Raphael is “a perfect stocking stuffer, or just a gift. It breaks down all of the Articles in the Constitution and helps you know your rights.”

Fiction

Our experts agreed on “Manhattan Beach,” set in New York City during World War II, from another Pulitzer Prize winner (for “A Visit from the Goon Squad”), Jennifer Egan. 

Unite-Driver touted “Devotion,” the latest novel from rocker/author Patti Smith, and Galdos-Shapiro liked “Artemis,” the sophomore effort from “The Martian” author Andy Weir, “an irresistible heist story set on the moon” with a female protagonist.

Young Adult (YA)

It’s been at least a decade since adults joined the 13-and-up set in reading YA novels, or at least in admitting to it. Two titles are best sellers at both stores. “Seventeen years later, Philip Pullman has finally published another book!” Galdos-Shapiro said, adding that the companion to his The Golden Compass series, “The Book of Dust,” also stands on its own. John Green’s “Turtles All the Way Down” is about a girl with OCD, which the author has been quite open about his own struggles with. 

For Harry Potter fans, Galdos-Shapiro recommended “Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them: The Illustrated Edition.” Unite-Driver was keen on “War Cross” by Marie Lu. “I thought it was excellent,” she said. “It’s sci-fi, which I don’t normally read, but I loved it.”

Middle Grade

Unite-Driver liked two books with similar titles, both of which have been adapted into movies. “Wonder,” by R.J. Palacio, is about a boy with facial deformities entering public school for the first time. “He’s just this awesome character,” she said. 

Brian Selznick’s “Wonderstruck,” about a boy and a girl in New York City in two different eras, is as heavy on the visuals as his earlier “The Invention of Hugo Cabret.” Another pick in this category was “Nevermoor” a fantasy by Jessica Townsend.

Galdos-Shapiro compared author Chris Harris to Shel Silverstein and bet on “I’m Just No Good at Rhyming,” illustrated by Lane Smith, “to become the next ‘Where the Sidewalk Ends.’” She also recommended “The Magic Misfits” by actor/singer/dancer/host/writer/all-around genius Neil Patrick Harris.

Picture books

Unite-Driver was quick to tout local favorite Sandra Boynton’s newest release, “Hog Wild,” a book-and-CD pair. She also liked “A Boy, A Mouse, and a Spider,” a picture-book biography of E.B. White by Barbara Herkert with illustrations by Lauren Castillo. “Good Day Good Night” is a new book crafted from two unpublished pieces written by Margaret Wise Brown tied together with illustrations by Loren Long.

“Her Right Foot” by Dave Eggers, illustrated by Shawn Harris, “starts with little-known yet important facts about the Statue of Liberty,” Galdos-Shapiro said, “and ends with important thoughts on what the icon truly stands for.” Her other recommendations in this category include “Franklin’s Flying Bookshop,” about a boy and a dragon, by Jen Campbell and illustrated by Katie Harnett, and “Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth” by Oliver Jeffers.

If nothing on these lists strikes your fancy or seems appropriate for the person you’re shopping for, just head over to either of the stores. Both of them feature staff picks, and any employee you corral would probably be happy to make recommendations as well.

The Book Loft is at 332 Stockbridge Road, in what used to be the K-Mart plaza in Great Barrington. For store hours, go to www.thebookloft.com or call 413-528-1521.

Oblong Books & Music is on Main Street in Millerton. For store hours, call 518-789-3797 or go to www.oblongbooks.com.