Best books for Christmas gifts | Holiday Guide

Books are one of those universal presents that can make great holiday gifts. Whether for a family member, a friend or someone you just want to remember at Christmas such as your pastor or your barber, a really nice book is the perfect gift.

Books are one of those universal presents that can make great holiday gifts. Whether for a family member, a friend or someone you just want to remember at Christmas such as your pastor or your barber, a really nice book is the perfect gift.

And your local home-owned bookstore, Eagle Harbor Books, 157 Winslow Way East, is a great place to go shopping for books. The store is stocked with great reads for children and adults, both fiction and nonfiction.

Eagle Harbor Books has a great selection of cookbooks, coffee table books, reference books and even some fun items that aren’t books, but that book lovers will love.

Victoria Irwin, events coordinator at Eagle Harbor Books, along with the rest of the staff, has these suggestions for books and things that will please just about anyone of any age on your Christmas list.

Suggestions for the adults on your list:

“Bouchon Bakery” by Thomas Keller, priced at $50. This is “a dazzling amalgam of American- and French-baked goods.”

“Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis,” written by Timothy Egan, $28. A fascinating story of one man’s obsession led to a great American cultural treasure.

“The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving,” by Jonathan Evison, priced at $23.95. Evison, Bainbridge Island’s own author, gives hilarious dialogue with profound moments of insight.

“When Women Were Birds,” by Terry Tempest Williams, $23. Williams creates a lyrical and caring meditation of the mystery of her mother’s journals.

And here’s something with a little different twist:

Yay! Books! for $3.50 each. Fun magnets that capture your favorite enthusiams. Some of their best-sellers include Yay! Bacon! and Yay! Gingers!

Suggestions for children and young readers:

“Jepp Who Defied the Stars,” by Katherine Marsh, $16.99. This captivating tale takes young readers to 16th century Netherlands with a 15-year-old dwarf.

“Three Times Lucky,” by Sheila Turnage, $16.99. “As steeped in Southern culture as a pitcher of sweet tea — and just as refreshing.” A great debut mystery for middle readers.

“Waking Dragons,” by Jane Yolen, $16.99. A young knight must wake up sleepy dragons and get them ready for school.

“The Bear in the Book,” by Kate Banks, $16.99. A young boy falls asleep while his mother reads him the story of a young bear getting ready for hibernation.

Here are a couple of other ideas from Eagle Harbor Books:

Supoon, $11.95. This fun, sit-up, scraping spoon is part of the store’s collection of great utensils from Dreamfarm.

Or how about trying a Kobo eReader from $79.99 and up. With this version of the tablet readers, you can read eBooks and support your local bookstore. Or download the free Kobo apps and read on other eReaders.