10 books that make great gifts

By now, you've probably at least started to think about your holiday gift list. And chances are, you know someone who loves to read.

How do you wade through the ocean of new books to find just the right one? It's easy to go to the best-sellers list and pick something popular, but we've gone deeper into the 2016 catalog to find titles you might not have seen everywhere. Here's a list of 10 new literary items that will make great gifts this holiday season.

For the highbrow fiction reader: 'The Sellout,' Paul Beatty

More Information

'Alexander Hamilton'

By Richard Sylla

Sterling, 288 pp., $35

'The Sellout'

By Paul Beatty

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 304 pp., $26

'One Man's Christmas'

By Leon Hale

Winedale Publishing, 72 pp., $16

'Grover Cleveland, Again!'

By Ken Burns

Knopf Books for Young Readers, 96 pp., $25

'All the Presidents' Gardens'

By Marta McDowell

Timber Press, 336 pp., $29.95

'Bards Dispense Profanity'

Why So Ever, $19.95

'You Might Be From Texas If…'

By Nick Anderson

MacIntyre Purcell, 128 pp., $19.95

'The Art of Found Objects'

By Robert Craig Bunch

Texas A&M University Press, 214 pp., $50

It's likely she's read Colson Whitehead's "The Underground Railroad" already. Whitehead's inventive narrative imagines the Underground Railroad as an actual railroad that helps slaves escape to the North, and it won both Oprah's recommendation and the National Book Award. A less obvious choice - but one that's just as fascinating - is "The Sellout," which won the Man Booker Prize in October. Beatty's book has been widely praised as a successful satire, one narrated by an African-American man living in a struggling town on the outskirts of L.A. He proves we're not living in a post-racial society when he attempts to reinstate slavery and segregate the local high school - and he is on trial, as you might imagine, when the book begins.

For the art enthusiast: 'The Art of Found Objects,' Robert Craig Bunch

In this beautiful coffee-table book from Texas A&M University Press, Bunch interviews more than 60 Texas artists about their work with found materials. These interviews - none previously published - help us make sense of the works. The Q&As give readers a sense of each artist's philosophy and process, and the photos offer good views of the art.

For the kid who watched too much election coverage: 'Grover Cleveland, Again!,' Ken Burns

This "treasury of American presidents" is written by documentarian Burns and illustrated by Gerald Kelley. Each double-page spread features a short, readable summary of each American president's term, plus interesting trivia and a tidy assessment of his contributions. It's complicated material made simple, something Burns is good at doing. And it's written for kids, but adults won't be able to read it without learning something.

For the 'Hamilton' fan: 'Alexander Hamilton: The Illustrated Biography,' Richard Sylla

This book celebrates our era's favorite founding father in a smart, readable way. It's a serious read - author Sylla is a Hamilton scholar and a professor emeritus at New York University - but it's also a good story, offering bits of Hamilton's private life amid his public story. Besides that, the satisfyingly thick pages are filled with illustrations and historical documents; it's a joy to page through.

For the person who loves the season: 'One Man's Christmas,' Leon Hale

Longtime Houston Chronicle columnist Hale is beloved for good reason: His columns and essays cut to the heart of daily life. "One Man's Christmas" is a slim volume of Christmas-themed essays originally published in 1984. It was reissued last year for the holidays and sold so well that it has returned for 2016. Hale has been signing his books at stores across the area; check our weekly calendar to find his events.

For the 'Texas Forever' person on your list: 'You Might Be From Texas If…,' Nick Anderson

The Houston Chronicle's editorial cartoonist celebrates the weird habits, traditions and facts of life that Texans all have in common. You might be from Texas, he says, if you can barely find your daughter behind her homecoming mum; if you need mosquito repellent just to get to the mailbox and back; or if you've eaten food in the shape of your state.

For the fan of party games: 'Bards Dispense Profanity'

This party game is designed to be "Cards Against Humanity" for the literary set. The game - designed for players ages 18 and up - contains 100 "question" cards, including "I'm thinking about getting a lower-back tattoo of _______" and "I'm sorry, this table is reserved for ______." The answers are pulled straight from Shakespeare's plays - centuries-old lines that make disturbingly appropriate answers to the issues of our time. Bonus: You don't have to know much Shakespeare to enjoy this game. It's best with four or more players.

For the gardening enthusiast: 'All the Presidents' Gardens,' Marta McDowell

From George Washington's tree collection to Michelle Obama's organic vegetable garden, this book examines the history of planting on the White House grounds. It's full of fascinating archival photos and illustrations, and the stories of each garden offer glimpses of life in America (and at the White House) through history.

For lovers of children's literature: 'A Celebration of Beatrix Potter'

Anyone who grew up reading "Peter Rabbit" and Potter's other books will love this collection, which rounds up art and letters from more than 30 children's book illustrators. Each artist has contributed a drawing of a Beatrix Potter character, from Peter Rabbit to Mr. McGregor to Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, and each illustration is accompanied by a personal note from the artist. This large, beautiful volume celebrates the 150th anniversary of Potter's birth in 1866.

For the comics fan: 'The Best American Comics 2016,' edited by Roz Chast and Bill Kartalopoulos

"We live in a golden age of comics," says Chast in the introduction to "The Best American Comics." "Not in the traditional newspaper sense, but often as graphic novels and memoirs." This 400-page book offers plenty of space for the year's best comics to sprawl across the page. Many are excerpts from intriguing graphic novels; others are short standalone works. The book offers a rich range of artistic styles and subject matter, and any fan of art or graphic novels will enjoy poring over its pages.

Alyson Ward

Alyson Ward

Staff Writer, Houston Chronicle
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