Stocking stuffers for book lovers

It’s almost impossible to go wrong when it comes to giving books as gifts. Even diehard Kindle and Nook users can find something to like among the following mainly print titles.

• For kitchen wizards. Colorful photos of food, stories of family and country history, as well as delicious Polish recipes are shared throughout “Rose Petal Jam: Recipes & Stories from a Summer in Poland” (Tabula Books, 2011).

• For the kids. Lilly has two mommies and a brother named Jonah in “Pigeons Don’t Float” by Jennifer C. Manion with illustrations by Jackie Urbanovic. This is a story about the unexpected, for LGBT-headed families and others (Rainbow Rumpus, 2011, downloadable without charge at www.rainbowrumpus.org).

• For the bloodsuckers. The updated and expanded fourth edition of “The Vampire Film: From Nosferatu to True Blood” by Alain Silver and James Ursini has almost everything but “Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” between its nearly 500 pages (Limelight Editions/Hal Leonard, 2011).

• For the Dollyheads. “The Quotable Dolly,” subtitled “a Collection of Rich Sayings to Live, Love and Laugh by from the Country Music Legend,” contains a variety of photos and almost 50 classic Dolly quips, including one for her LGBT fans  (Rock & Read Books, 2011).

• For burgeoning writers. “Shut Up & Write!” by Milwaukee writing mentor and writer Judy Bridges promises to demystify the writing process via practical and entertaining means (Redbird Studio Press, 2011).

• For Hanukkah celebrants. Featuring pieces previously published in Christopher Street, James White Review, Amethyst and “M2M: New Literary Fiction,” Daniel M. Jaffe’s short fiction collection “Jewish Gentle and Other Stories of Gay-Jewish Living” will have readers kvelling (White Crane Books, 2011). 

• For the Divine ones. In memory of Harris Glenn Milstead (a.k.a. Divine), “Postcards From Divine” by Noah Brodie, Dan Marshall, Frances Milstead and Michael O’Quinn collects more than 50 postcards Divine sent to his parents over a 10-year period. In addition, there are terrific photos, filmography and discography, and quotes from costars such as Deborah Harry, Ricki Lake, Lainie Kazan, Tab Hunter, Ruth Brown, Mink Stole, and of course, John Waters (Everything Divine, Inc., 2011).