slides: Gift Guide 2012: RI Bookstores Pick Best Gift Books

Barrington Books

Located in the heart of the East Bay, Barrington Books has something for everyone. They boast a great selection of not just books, but toys, Kobo eBooks, watches, and even Alex and Ani jewelry. Get the latest updates on this independent bookstore from their Facebook, here.

184 Country Road, Barrington.

Barrington recommends

Sutton

J.R. Moehringer

J.R. Moehringer retells the story of Willie Sutton, one of America's most prolific bank robbers, whose criminal career spanned 40 years. As a Brooklyn-born youth in the early twentieth century, Willie Sutton began his robbing spree driven not by financial need or anger at a society that favored the rich, but by one extraordinary woman. Moehringer's debut novel has received rave reviews from  Entertainment Weekly , Booklist, and Publishers Weekly. 

$27 (Hardcover)

Barrington recommends

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap: A Memoir of Friendship, Community, and the Uncommon Pleasure of a Good Book

Wendy Welch

Perfect for the bibliophile that dreams of owning their own bookstore, this touching memoir tells the story of Wendy Welch and her husband, who dropped everything to move to a small coal town in Virginia and pursue their dream. Described by Booklist as amusing, engaging, astute, and perceptive, Welch's memoir shows how books can create a community.

$24.99 (Hardcover)

Barrington recommends

Abe Lincoln's Dream

Lane Smith

Little Quincy is on a school tour of The White House when she gets separated from the class and ends up in the Lincoln bedroom, where she encounters the ghost of Honest Abe himself. On their subsequent travels together, they discuss what they dream the most about as well as the state of the country since 1865. Smith's picture book is perfect for teachers and parents that want their children to learn about our nation's history.

$16.99 (Hardcover)

Barrington recommends

The Art of Cooking with Vegetables

Alain Passard

Alain Passard is the chef and owner of restaurant l'Arpege in Paris. In 2001, he shocked the world by removing red meat from his menu and dedicating himself to cooking with vegetables from his personal organic farm. The Art of Cooking with Vegetables is an inspired collection of 48 recipes such as ratatouille Brittany-style in butter, rhubarb and strawberries with pralines and cream, and pumpkin soup with basil and a cappuccino topping. Many of the recipes can be approached with commonly found equipment and produce.

$29.95 (Hardcover)

Books on the Square

Books on the Square is located on Providence's East Side and offers books of every kind as well as complimentary gift wrapping. Other fixtures of the independent bookseller include its book clubs, discussion groups, fun events, and its monthly newsletter, which functions as a holiday guide this month. For more info, visit www.booksq.com.

471 Angell Street, Providence.

BOTS recommends

The Time Keeper

Mitch Albom

Mitch Albom is famous for inspiring millions with Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven. His newest novel The Time Keeper tells the story of the inventor of the world's first clock. The man that became Father Time is banished to a cave for centuries as punishment for his invention, but is finally freed. He returns to a time-obsessed world with a mission: to teach two earthly people the true meaning of time.

$24.99 (Hardcover)

BOTS recommends

30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans

Karl Pillemer, PhD.

Cornell University gerontologist Karl Pillemer's chance meeting with an extraordinary 90-year-old woman inspired him to seek the advice of over 1,000 Americans over the age of 65 on the issues of marriage, children, career, money, aging, and more. Pillemer noticed that he consistently heard the same pieces of advice, and the result was 30 Lessons for Living, a work comprised of stories of love, loss, and hope in the face of struggle.

$16 (Paperback), $25.95 (Hardcover)

BOTS recommends

Being Santa Claus: What I Learned about the True Meaning of Christmas

Sal Lizard

For the holiday enthusiast or the stressed-out workaholic, Sal Lizard offers a healthy dose of perspective on the true meaning of Christmas. He has spent the last twenty years of his life playing Santa, 365 days a year. He has appeared in malls, parades, schools, and hospitals, and has plenty of both heartwarming and heartbreaking stories to tell about his career as St. Nick. His book of reflections includes lessons on unseen Christmas magic, going the extra mile for the kids, and kids who go the extra mile for others.

$20 (Hardcover)

BOTS recommends

The Complete Calvin and Hobbes

Bill Watterson

It's here! Calvin and his pet tiger, Hobbes make their highly anticipated return in this four-volume collection of the popular comic strip. The paperback debut comes in a sturdy slipcase and includes every Calvin and Hobbes cartoon that has ever been published.

$175 (Hardcover), $100 (Paperback)

Wakefield Books

Located in the Wakefield Mall, Wakefield Books prides itself on a friendly atmosphere, knowledgeable staff, and a variety of products. Its offerings include new releases, best sellers, children's books, bargain books, gift certificates, games, and old favorites. For hours, staff picks, and store events, visit their website, www.wakefieldbooks.com.

160 Old Tower Hill Road, Wakefield.

Wakefield recommends

Salt of the Sea, Stories Told by the Fishermen of Point Judith

Cindy Follett Guldemond

Local author Cindy Follett Guldemond offers a series of interviews from veterans of the fishing industry of Point Judith, RI. The fishermen discuss how they did their jobs in the old days, without fish finders and global positioning systems. The book also features over 60 beautiful photographs of the men and their vessels.

$22

Wakefield recommends

LEGO Ninjago Character Encyclopedia

DK Publishing

Perfect for the little ninja in the house, the LEGO Ninjago Character Encyclopedia contains everything they ever wanted to know about all of their favorite Masters of Spinjitzu. The fully illustrated book features fun facts on the different characters, mini-figures, vehicles, weapons, and locations that make up the LEGO Ninjago world.

$18.99

Wakefield recommends

The Big New Yorker Book of Dogs

The New Yorker Magazine

The Big New Yorker Book of Dogs is a collection of feature articles, fiction, humor, poems, essays, cartoons, cover art, drafts, and drawings from the magazine's archives on the subject of man's best friend. The full color collection features work from Arthur Miller, Roald Dahl, Alexandra Fuller, and Ogden Nash, with a foreword by Malcolm Gladwell. This is a must-have for the dog lover in your life!

$45

Symposium Books

Whether you're looking for a new release, a best seller, or copies of old books, Symposium Books has got it, and at great prices. The quaint and quirky store's combination of coffee table books, novels, nonfiction books, and art and design books makes this store a bookworm's dream.

Symposium Books has locations at 240 Westminster Street and 224 Thayer Street in Providence, and 247 Main Street in East Greenwich.

Symposium recommends

The Cult of LEGO

John Baichtal, Joe Meno

This is a great gift for LEGO enthusiasts young and old. It is chock full of color photos of the creative and complex models built by the LEGO community. The book's features include a life-size stegosaurus, a miniature Yankee Stadium, a 22-foot long battleship, and much more.

$31.96

Symposium recommends

Island's End

Padma Venkatraman

Great for preteens and teens, Island's End is the story of Uldo, a young girl newly appointed as the spiritual leader of her tribe. While Uldo wants to preserve the traditional ways of the remote island where she lives, she faces numerous troubling circumstances that threaten her people's safety, spirituality, and way of life. Based on author Padma Venkatraman's travels to the Andaman Islands, Island's End touches on the issues of tradition vs. modernity, coming of age, and finding the right path.

$15.29

Symposium recommends

Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla

Marc Seifer

Nikola Tesla is credited as the father of modern electricity, serving as the inspiration for much of the technology we depend on today. Marc Seifer's extensively researched biography reveals many of the inventor's overlooked contributions as well as the issues he faced in his personal life.

$16.95

Symposium recommends

Totally Polar

Marty Crisp, illustrated by Viv Eisner

For kids that are disheartened by the lack of snow this season, Marty Crisp and Viv Eisner let them escape into a winter wonderland in Totally Polar. The book's narrator, Peter Petrosky MacGregor O'Toole, is sick of the summer heat and comes up with imaginative snow scenarios to keep himself entertained. Rhyming, singsongy narrative pairs with whimsical illustration to make this your child's new favorite book.

$15.95

Island Books

Island Books is a cozy independent community bookstore that has been serving Newport County since 1993. Their extensive collection spans fiction, biography, history, poetry, art, mystery, personal growth, business, and more. Looking for something in particular? Search their inventory online at www.islandbooksri.com and pick up your purchase at the store, or have it shipped directly to you.

Island Books has locations at 575 East Main Road in Middleton and 135 Spring Street in Newport.

Island recommends

The Smitten Kitchen

Deb Perelman

Award-winning food blogger Deb Perelman is of the opinion that if she can make delicious food as an amateur home cook in a teeny tiny kitchen, anyone can do it. Her first cookbook The Smitten Kitchen is a brilliant home cooking bible. It contains more than 100 recipes for everything from food for babies to food for parties, along with hundreds of gorgeous color photos.

$35 (Hardcover)

Island recommends

Jerusalem: A Cookbook

Yotam Otteolenghi, Sami Tamimi

Two Jerusalem natives present mouthwatering Mediterranean cuisine in this recently released cookbook. The book contains 120 recipes spanning several countries and religions. Besides recipes, Jerusalem: A Cookbook includes historical information on cities and their traditional cuisine, as well as photographs of Jerusalem inhabitants. Fans of Lebanese, Moroccan, and Greek cooking will love this as a gift.

$35 (Hardcover)

Island recommends

Fifty Shades of Chicken: A Parody in a Cookbook

F.L. Fowler

A laugh-out-loud funny narrative accompanies each recipe in Fifty Shades of Chicken, a parody of E.L. James' erotic trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey. With recipes like Bacon-Bound Wings, Birds Gone Wild, Learning-to-Truss-You Chicken, and Mustard-Spanked Chicken, this cookbook has no shortage of sexually charged tips. The revealing photographs of chicken will leave you trying to decide whether or not you're slightly disturbed. But alas, all in good fun.

$19.99 (Hardcover)