The holidays this year are going to be, well, unique.

Some family members wont be there. Others are coming, regardless of whatevers going on in the country. Still others are sending their regards and a box of presents, which is something you might do, too. And heres the good news: books are easy to wrap, easy to box, and easy to ship. Why not try one of these great books for that person who cant make it to your table this holiday season? This is the first of two parts of gift recommendations. Sundays Leisure section will include biography/memoir, self-help, business and books for younger readers.

Fiction

Does anybody need another book about a natural disaster? Ha, of course they do! So thats why you should look for The 2084 Report: An Oral History of the Great Warming: A Novel by James Lawrence Powell. Yes, its set in the future. You can hope so, anyhow ...

If your giftee would love a good, multilayered novel about family and best-forgotten memories, then look for Hieroglyphics by Jill McCorkle. When Lil and Frank move back to Franks childhood hometown, the past moves in with them. Wrap it up with True Story: A Novel by Kate Reed Petty, the story of childhood trauma and the chance for those who lived it to recover from it.

For the giftee whos about to pack up and move across the country, The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline might be a good choice for a gift. Its a novel about three women who are exiled to Australia more than a century ago when exile was punishment. Fans of Orphan Train, listen up. Wrap it up with this: Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings, a dark twisted tale of vanishings and family horror in Australia.

Surely, theres someone on your gift list whos wished at some point this year that they could be cloned. Wrap up The Mirror Man by Jane Gilmartin with a careful what you wish for note. Wrap it up with The Operator by Gretchen Berg, the story of a woman who wishes shed never overheard what she did.

For the giftee who loves to be surprised, wrap up The Book of Hidden Wonders by Polly Crosby. Its the story of a girl whose father entertained her with a story in which shes a character, and it becomes a big bestseller. Good for her, right? Or not so much. Wrap it up with The Falling Woman by Richard Farrell, a book about a woman who supposedly died in a plane crash only she didnt, but she wants to stay dead.

The person on your list who loves a good family drama will want The Lost Orphan by Stacey Halls under the tree this year. Its the story of two women and one little girl, and a secret that wont be able to be kept for long. Pair it with The End of the Day by Bill Clegg, a novel of friendship, relationships, and the resolution of long-buried secrets.

No doubt, theres a historical fiction fan on your list, so theres no doubt that youll want to wrap up Bonnie: A Novel by Christina Schwarz. Yep, its a fictionalized tale of Bonnie Parker, and how she became one of the early 20th-centurys most iconic outlaws. Wrap it up with The Big Finish by Brooke Fossey, a novel about two outlaws that youd never put together and their great escape.

MysteryThrillerCrime

The giftee who loves a good historical mystery will relish The Streel: A Deadwood Mystery by Mary Logue. Set in Deadwood, South Dakota, this story sees a teenage Irish immigrant whose brother is involved in a kerfuffle and shes got to clear his name. The problem? He has a golf claim and it aint no small thing. Historical mystery lovers will also love The Day Lincoln Lost by Charles Rosenberg, a thriller-type novel that asks What if...?

If theres someone on your list who likes smart crime-solvers, youll be glad you wrapped up The Revelators by Ace Atkins. This novel features one of Atkins best-loved sheriffs, Quinn Colson and a crime syndicate thats threatening everything he holds dear.

General nonfiction

Give your historian something a bit different this year by wrapping up Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio by Derf Backderf. Written entirely in graphic-novel style, its a look the event that changed America more than 50 years ago. Wrap it up with The Hardhat Riot by David Paul Kuhn, a book about a little-remembered event that happened four days after the Kent State shootings.

What do you get for the person who loves reading about boats and submarines? You wrap up Under Pressure: Living Life and Avoiding Death on a Nuclear Submarine by Richard Humphreys, thats what. When the author was just 18, he joined the Royal Navy and served underwater. What more can an adventure-lover want to read about? Cant go wrong when you pair it with Whatever It Took by Henry Langrehr and Jim DeFelice. Its the story of an American paratrooper at the end of World War II.

The new or about-to-be parent on your gift list will love having Calm the Hck Down by Melanie Dole. Its filled with common-sense parenting that will help your giftee take a big and much-needed breath. Wrap it up with How Babies Sleep by Sofia Axelrod, PhD. And wish them a nighty-night.

For the parent of older kids, wrap up What Girls Need by Marisa Porges, PhD, a book about raising strong, resilient future women; and And Then They Stopped Talking to Me by Judith Warner, a book about surviving middle school and the mean kids there.

Its been an unusual year. So show your giftee that its possible to buck up and survive by wrapping Why Fish Dont Exist by Lulu Miller. Its the story of an early 20th-century scientist and the day he watched his lifes work as it literally shattered. What he did was astounding, and a great lesson for 2020. Wrap it up with another book on whats underwater: Monsters of the Deep by Nick Redfern. This book is more cryptozoology than biography, but for fishing fans, thats fine.

Heres a fun read: Sealand by Dylan Taylor-Lehman is the story of a micronation called Sealand, which is just off the British coast, and the Royal Family that rules it. With a little of everything in this book history, pirates, battles, kings and even an attempted coup your historian and the travel fan will love it. Pair it up with We Have Been Harmonized: Life in Chinas Surveillance State by Kai Strittmatter. This book is a little more serious, and adds a nice balance.

The reader who loves quick essays will want to unwrap This Is Major by Shayla Lawson. Its a funny-serious look at race from a Black woman who shares her thoughts on work, celebrity, names, Black Girl Magic and more. Pair it with Why Didnt We Riot? by Issac J. Bailey, a book about being Black in America today.

Heres an idea from dad to son or the other way around: A Better Man by Michael Ian Black takes a look at masculinity and what it means to be a man in the 21st century. Wrap it up for your son or son-to-be, wholl get there someday. Wrap it up for Dad, to thank him for the guidance, paired with The Toughest Kid We Knew by Frank Bergon, a story of the New West, California, and life in small towns and ranches of todays West.

Armchair scientists will be happy to see The Handy Physics Answer Book, Third Edition by Charles Liu, Ph.D. beneath the tree. This Q-and-A format is easy to read, easy to browse, and fun to use. Wrap it up with another science-y book: The Human Cosmos: Civilization and the Stars by Jo Marchant, a book about how looking at the night sky makes us human.

For the giftee who is also a conservationist or activist, Mill Town by Kerri Arsenault will be perfect beneath the tree. Its a story of a town in Maine, the local industry that may or may not be hurting the locals, and life near the mill. Consider adding these titles to your gift: Barnstorming Ohio: to Understand America by David Giffels and Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It by Tom Philpott for a total understanding of our country now. And since this subject runs deep this year, so you might also want to look for Death in Mud Lick by Eric Eyre, a look at the opioid epidemic, set in coal country.

Do you have a person on your list who has a serious case of wanderlust? Then wrap up Spirits of San Francisco: Voyages Through the Unknown City by Gary Kamiya, drawings by Paul Madonna. Its an easy-to-browse book of things to look for when youre looking for somewhere different to visit. Pair it with The Change: My Great American, Postindustrial, Midlife Crisis Tour by Lori Soderlind, the story of one woman, one elderly dog, and a road trip to remember.

The DIY woman on your gift list (and the one who craves self-sufficiency) will love having Girls Garage by Emily Pilloton. Its a super-helpful book about using tools, fixing things, understanding do-it-herself language, tackling projects, and getting it done. Bonus: its great for women ages 16 to 96. Wrap it up with A Lab of Ones Own by Rita Colwell, PhD and Sharon Bertsch McGrayne, a book about women in science and how inequality and sexism has hurt the industry, and what women can do about it today.

If theres a traveler physically or of the armchair sort The Women I Think About at Night: Traveling the Paths of My Heroes by Mia Kankimaki is what youll want to give this year. Its a story of ten historical female pioneers, and the authors journey from continent to continent to get to know them. Pair it with Olive the Lionheart by Brad Ricca. Its the story of Olive MacLeod, who went to Africa by herself more than a century ago, in search of her fianc, whod gone missing.

Is there a scientist in your family who also loves to be in the kitchen? Youre in luck, then: wrapping up Science and Cooking by Michael Brenner, Pia Sorensen, and David Weitz is a no-brainer gift to give. It includes recipes. How can you go wrong? Wrap it up with The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food by Marcus Samuelsson with Osayi Endolyn, Yewande Komolafe and Tamie Cook, photos by Angie Mosier. Its a look at Black cooks, heritage, and soul food. Be sure to volunteer to be the taste-tester.

For the giftee who is addicted to TV, Sunny Days by David Kamp is just right. Its a look back at childrens TV in the 1970s, but not of the cartoon-types; think Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers. Nostalgia + TV = a great gift.

Theres someone on your list who loves gardening, and will love to see The Language of Butterflies by Wendy Williams under the tree. Its the story of butterflies, why we love them, what scientists are learning about them, and how the world would be the lesser without them. Pair it with Naturalist by Edward O. Wilson, adapted by Jim Ottaviani & C.M. Butzer, a graphic-novel-type biography about Wilson, who is a science-expert on ants and bugs.

The giftee who looks toward the future, always, will love to unwrap A Womans Influence by Sheri Gaskins and Tony A. Gaskins Jr. Its a book for women who want to take better control at work, at home, and in their relationships. Wrap it up with Ready for Anything by Kathi Lipp, a book about resilience amid crises of any size.

Is your political animal a little sorry to see the election over? Then wrap up Fight House by Tevi Troy, a book about the back-stabbing, fang-baring tumultuousness and rivalries inside the White House in the last century or so. Pair it with another great history book: Union: The Struggle to Forge the Story of United States Nationhood by Colin Woodard.

For the writer on your gift list, you want to choose right ... so choose Mastering the Process: From Idea to Novel by Elizabeth George. You may know George as a novelist and if you do, you know the advice in this book is solid.

Wanna see your scientist smile? Here: wrap up The Next Great Migration by Sonia Shah. Its a sweeping, vast look at us: where weve been, where we went, when we left, and how we got to where we are. For your armchair biologist, this is a no-brainer. Pair it with The Sum of the People by Andrew Whitby, a book about why countries take a census and how its shaped the world.

And if youve got a science-minded someone youre looking to gift, look for Exploring the Elements: A Complete Guide to the Periodic Table by Isabel Thomas, pictures by Sara Gillingham. Its seriously lighthearted and makes this branch of science easy and fun to understand. Wrap it with Can People Just Burst into Flames? by Larry Scheckel, a great book of science trivia, questions and answers for any scientist (or anyone whos curious), ages 12 and up.

Sports

If youve got a biker on your gift list this year, Revolutions: How Women Changed the World on Two Wheels by Hannah Ross is the book to give. Its a history of bicycling mixed with feminist history. Wrap it inside a new helmet for a great gift, and add Mobile Home by Megan Harlan, a book about travel and the things we call home.

For the lover of sports, sort of, Loving Sports When They Dont Love You Back by Jessica Luther and Kavitha A. Davidson is the right book to wrap up. It explores and discusses all the sports-related things that make your giftee take pause: loving teams that lose, racist mascots, paying for that new stadium, owners who are unethical ...

Read the rest here:

These reads could be gifts that keep on giving - The Philadelphia Tribune