I have put books aside all year to appear in this column. I have selected a wide array of outstanding books to appeal to readers with diverse tastes. I hope you find ones that appeal to you and to those to whom you wish to give gifts.
Historians, people who love maps and those who love all things Texas will wallow in Texas Takes Shape: A History in Maps From the General Land Office (Mark Lambert, James Harkins, Brian Stauffer and Patrick Walsh, University of Texas Press, 2025, 359 pages, $45). Ten years in the making, the immense volume covers centuries of map-making and the history they reveal. The resulting book provides a “comprehensive story of Texas cartography.” Each map is beautifully rendered and the accompanying essay is engrossing.
As Far as You Can See: Picturing Texas
Kenny Braun, University of Texas Press, 2018, 199 pages, $45
Wondrous photographs capture the beauty of the Texas countryside. As Far as You Can See: Picturing Texas (Kenny Braun, University of Texas Press, 2018, 199 pages, $45) covers seven geographic areas of Texas. The only words are those that delineate the subject, location and date of the photo. Radiance, awe and imagination are left to the viewer. This is a coffee table book that will see much wear!
With a background in psychology and sociology, the author focuses on the importance of awe-inspiring events in our life. His fascination with the beauty and power of wild horses led to the creation of The Wild Horse Effect: Awe, Well-being, and the Transformative Power of Nature (Chad Hanson, Chronicle Books, 2025, 239 pages, $29.95). Combining compelling photographs of wild horses with provocative essays, descriptions and quotes from noted writers, he makes clear John Muir’s belief that “everybody needs beauty as well as bread.”
In a recent lecture in Dallas, Annie Leibovitz discussed her reason for creating Women (Annie Leibovitz, Phaidon Press, 1999 and 2025, 247 pages each volume, $99.95). She believes women have made progress in society, but it is imperative to continue to get their stories out so our children will be inspired. The books focus on women from all walks of life: teachers, astronauts, politicians, Las Vegas showgirls, etc. Her notable photographs allow the person to come through and are stunning.
Jane Austen’s Fashion Bible
Edited by Ros Ballaster, Pan Macmillan, 2025, 192 pages, $24.99
Excerpts from Jane Austen’s novels, letters and manuscripts are paired with the Regency fashion found in the popular magazine La Belle Assemblée to bring new light to Austen’s work. Jane Austen’s Fashion Bible (edited by Ros Ballaster, Pan Macmillan, 2025, 192 pages, $24.99) is sure to be a hit with Austen’s fans as well as providing insight into the time period. As the editor states, “Resourceful feminine design lay at the heart of the work of both.”
We often lament that we did not take the time to get the stories of those who have passed. To remedy this, four journals have been created with the suggestion that you sit with a child (age doesn’t matter) and record memories and information. Mom, I Want to Hear Your Story (Jeffrey Mason, Sourcebooks, 2025, 153 pages, $14.99) includes such things as dress and hairstyle and how you spent your days as a teen to how you felt as a new mother. The other books are for dad, grandmother and grandfather. Take plenty of time to enjoy the process!
For the crafter on your list, the very beautiful Flora Nouveaux: Not Your Grandma’s Dried Flowers (Carla Wingett, Chronicle Books, 2025, 223 pages, $27.95) will be a treat. Excellent design, beautiful photos and clear instructions make it possible for even the novice to be creative. Tools and techniques begin the process and then we have suggestions for filling your home with beauty, entertaining, ceremonies and holidays. I plan to make a new wreath!
Lidia’s The Art of Pasta
Lidia Bastianich and Tanya Manuali, photos by Dana Gallagher, Knopf, 2025, 260 pages, $35
Notable chef Lidia Bastianich has fashioned a book of recipes on her favorite staple Lidia’s The Art of Pasta (Lidia Bastianich and Tanya Manuali, photos by Dana Gallagher, Knopf, 2025, 260 pages, $35). In a recent talk she gave for the Dallas Museum of Art, Bastianich waxed rhapsodic about the different pastas to be found in the 20 regions of Italy, and why they are different. Her recipes will allow you to make your own choices. The recipes are clearly delineated with ingredients, serving size and an attractive photo.
A guest review from Sara Armstrong: Those who love The Great British Bake Off are no stranger to Nadiya Hussain, who has become a cooking show star and best-selling author. Her warm, friendly energy shines through and gives inspiration in Cook Once, Eat Twice: Time Saving Recipes to Help You Get Ahead in the Kitchen (Nadiya Hussain, photography by Chris Terry, Sourcebooks, 2024, 255 pages, $29.99). From simple batch cooking to delicious options efficiently using leftovers, mealtime at your house will be far from boring. As a busy mother of three and a businesswoman, I especially appreciate the chapter “Ready Meals,” offering freezer-friendly options for those days you crave a homemade meal, yet lack the time to cook that night’s dinner.
A James Beard Award winner has traveled North and Central America to interview women from Indigenous, minority and maverick communities as they try to make a difference in a food world dominated by Big Food. Reaping What She Sows: How Women Are Rebuilding Our Broken Food System (Nancy Matsumoto, Melville House, 2025, 336 pages, $28.99) posits three lessons: “the importance of mutual aid, cooperative assistance, and ancestral knowledge.”
Queen Esther
John Irving, Simon & Schuster, 2025, 410 pages, $30
John Irving’s newest novel Queen Esther (John Irving, Simon & Schuster, 2025, 410 pages, $30) brings back a few characters from his book The Cider House Rules, but takes off in a complicated tale of a New England family, the Winslows, who take in foster girls about to age out of care, to be a nanny for each of their daughters. Queen Esther is the last, most intriguing one, a Jewish child whose family has died and who is determined to get to Israel someday. It is hard to tell whose story this really is, but it captivates the reader in the meandering telling.
Margaret is a research assistant, idolizing the scientist who is her boss. When she finds him dead, her world is shattered, but The Botanist’s Assistant (Peggy Townsend, Berkley, 2025, 287 pages, $19) with her precise way of living is the one who persists in solving what she is sure is a murder. This cozy story is satisfying in so many ways, with its twists and turns and its characters who come alive to the reader.
Six contestants, all with ties to crime fiction, are invited to the wilds of England to solve a murder mystery, Miss Winter in the Library With a Knife (Martin Edwards, Poisoned Pen Press, 2025, 432 pages, $18.99). What is the purpose of this invitation? Well, it might have to do with the Midwinter Trust’s relationship with special services. Bodies drop, journal entries are written, clues are revealed and the ending is satisfying! Readers are challenged to follow the clues and solve the mystery before the end of the book. Will you take up the challenge?
If a thriller lover is on the list, Nash Falls (David Baldacci, Grand Central Publishing, 2025, 438 pages, $30) is the ideal gift. Nash is a highly successful businessman with a wonderful family. The FBI wants him to become a mole, involving him in an international drug ring, and his world is shattered. As we follow his travails, a new man emerges and the world had better beware.
A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Cheating Death
Maxie Dana, Berkley, 2025, 288 pages, $19
I read so many mysteries; it is tough to find one I consider unique. A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Cheating Death (Maxie Dana, Berkley, 2025, 288 pages, $19) is definitely that. Nora works for S.C.Y.T.H.E., tasked with claiming the recently departed. When she discovers a file with her twin brother’s name and the time he will die on it, she absconds and gathers him up, determined to save his life. She meets family in an isolated community and unearths a dark secret. Revealing it will cost a great deal, and she must make a terrifying decision. Is she up to it?
Family: For some it is a desperate search to acquire one, for some a desperate attempt to hang on to one, and others try to piece together a family torn apart by lies. All can be found in the heart-wrenching Forget Me Not (Stacy Willingham, Minotaur Books, 2025, 325 pages, $29). Claire returns to her home after 15 years to help her injured mother, only to be told she is not needed. In an attempt to learn more about her sister who disappeared when she was 18, Claire unleashes a torrent of secrets and almost loses her life. Give yourself time to read this in one sitting!
The genre known as romantasy has become wildly popular and usually lends itself to a series of books. Get in on the first of a series to be known as Reign of Remnants with The Wind Weaver (Julie Johnson, Ace, 2025, 530 pages, $29). Rhya is a halfling, human and fae, hunted and captured by various groups. As she moves through dangerous countryside, she begins to understand why she is important. She is a Remnant, the Wind Weaver, one of four halflings with immense power, who might be able to restore her world to health. But first she must learn how to control her power, and to decide if her burning attraction to another of the Remnants is real.
The second book in The Crinoline Academy duology, The Marriage Method (Mimi Matthews, Berkley, 2025, 397 pages, $19), finds Nell, deputy headmistress of the Academy, forced out of her role and into an unwanted marriage. Victorian strictures rule the day, but that still allows for the solving of a murder, quelling kidnapping and a blissful romance to occur.
Winner of numerous awards including the National Book Award for fiction and the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, James (Percival Everett, Doubleday, 2024, 303 pages, $28) is a retelling of the classic Mark Twain novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, with the main character being Jim (James). James is herein endowed with an almost classical education. This piercing look at racism, morality and enslavement will offend some with its racial slurs and depictions of sexual assault. Read and judge for yourself.
Our national parks greet numerous visitors each year, but are you aware of the Mysteries of the National Parks (Mike Bezemek, Sourcebooks, 2025, 437 pages, $32.99)? Traversing the United States, events such as unexplained phenomena, disappearances, astounding aspects of nature and crime are presented. The mystery comes first, with possible explanations and outcomes following. What an amazing gift for travelers or armchair adventurers!
Do you know someone who is burned out, under stress or recently separated from a job? Give them Retire Often (Jillian Johnsrud, Harriman House, 2025, 265 pages, $19.99), a step-by-step playbook for taking time to recoup and regenerate and come out much better for it. Using four steps, Johnsrud walks one through the process: “From Dreams to Plans,” “Unexpected Career Benefits,” “Figure Out the Finances” and “Navigating the Mini-Retirement Journey.” It is thorough and reasonable, and as one who has benefited from some of the instructions, I recommend it.