You don’t have to look far this year to find great gifts for readers. Our guide includes more than a dozen books from North Carolina’s own authors and publishing houses.

For starters, there’s the charming “Miss Dorothy and Her Bookmobile” (HarperCollins, 32 pages, $16.99), by award-winning children’s book author Gloria Houston, who lives near Asheville. The story, set in the N.C. mountains, is based on a librarian from her childhood.

Top picks

The Oprah Winfrey Show: Reflections on an American Legacy

By Deborah Davis (Abrams, 240 pages, $50)

If you’ve suffered withdrawal following Oprah’s final show in May, you can relive the entire 25 years with this volume. Contributors include Maya Angelou, Bono, Ellen DeGeneres, Henry Louis Gates Jr. and, of course, Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz.

11/22/63

By Stephen King (Scribner, 849 pages, $35)

A man travels back in time to prevent President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Stephen King manages to make alternative history work as he “pulls off a sustained high wire act of storytelling trickery,” The New York Times’ Janet Maslin says.

The Sisters Brothers

By Patrick deWitt (Ecco, 336 pages, $24.99)

Gunslingers Charlie and Eli Sisters are hired to hunt down and kill a prospector named Hermann Kermit Warm in this novel that Publishers Weekly calls “a quirky and stylish revisionist western.”

Essential Pepin

By Jacques Pepin (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 704 pages, $40)

Jacques Pepin’s career has spanned France to New York, and World War II to digital. With 700 recipes, almost all classic and French, this is a masterwork. With a searchable DVD of techniques.

Tredoku

From Mindome Ltd. (Penguin, 144pages, $10)

For the Sudoku lover who wants more of a challenge, this book offers 3-D puzzles based on Sudoku rules.

Goodnight iPad

By Ann Droyd, aka David Milgrim (Blue Rider, 32 pages, $14.95)

In this “Goodnight Moon” parody, we say “Goodnight remotes and Netflix streams, Androids, apps, and glowing screens.” Readers who have had their fill of “Angry Birds” and YouTube videos will love the delightful, low-tech ending.

Nonfiction

America Aflame: How the Civil War Created a Nation

By David Goldfield (Bloomsbury Press, 640 pages, $35)

UNC Charlotte’s David Goldfield won national plaudits for this history, which argues the Civil War could have been avoided.

Pulphead

By John Jeremiah Sullivan (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 369 pages, $16)

Critics love this offbeat collection, which includes essays on Axl Rose, prehistoric cave painting and the author’s experience owning a house used in the television show “One Tree Hill.” Publishers Weekly calls the book “an arresting take on the American imagination.” Sullivan lives in Wilmington.

Lions of the West: Heroes and Villains of the Westward Expansion

By Robert Morgan (Algonquin, 497 pages, $29.95)

N.C. native Robert Morgan demonstrates how individual lives collectively impact history as he profiles 10 Americans who helped achieve America’s Manifest Destiny. Profiles include Thomas Jefferson, John “Johnny Appleseed” Chapman and James K. Polk.

Fiction

Binocular Vision

By Edith Pearlman (Lookout Books, 392 pages, $18.95)

The first book from UNC Wilmington’s new press, this collection from a short-story master earned a National Book Award nomination and a glowing review on the front page of The New York Times Book Review.

The Art of Fielding

By Chad Harbach (Little, Brown, 528 pages, $25.99)

In this fiction debut, college baseball star Henry Skrimshander seems destined for the big leagues, but when a routine throw goes off course, five people’s lives are upended. The Wall Street Journal calls the book triumphant: “Like a great baseball game, the novel manages to feel traditional and contemporary all at once.”

The Buddha in the Attic

By Julie Otsuka (Knopf, 144 pages, $22)

The author of “When the Emperor Was Divine” returns with a novel tracing the lives of young women brought from Japan to San Francisco nearly a century ago to join husbands they had never met. The novel, a National Book Award finalist, is told entirely in first-person plural.

Butterfly’s Child

By Angela Davis-Gardner (Dial, 352 pages, $26)

The story of 3-year-old Benji, plucked from his home in Nagasaki to live with his American father in Illinois. The Washington Post called this book “utterly unique and entirely enchanting.” Angela Davis-Gardner, a professor emerita at N.C. State University, lives in Raleigh.

Carolinas interest

What Writers Do: A Celebration of Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Visiting Writers Series

Edited by Anthony Abbott and Rand Brandes (Lorimer Press, 259 pages, $29.95)

Since 1998, Hickory’s Lenoir-Rhyne has hosted nearly 200 authors in its writers series. This anthology collects works from regional and internationally known authors, including John Updike, Billy Collins, Ron Rash, Julia Alvarez and Lee Smith.

Wild North Carolina: Discovering the Wonders of Our State’s Natural Communities

By David Blevins and Michael P. Schafale (UNC Press, 176 pages, $30)

This coffee table book features 118 color photos plus text that illuminate diverse landscapes, including dunes, marshes, mountain crags, swamps, savannas, ponds, pocosins and flatrocks.

Coffee Table

Taylor Swift

By Andrew Vaughan (Sterling, 160 pages, $24.95)

Fans will swoon over the color photos, album artwork and memorabilia included in this celebration of country music superstar Taylor Swift.

The Library of Congress Illustrated Timeline of the Civil War

By Margaret E. Wagner (Little, Brown, 254 pages, $35)

This authoritative narrative of the bloodiest war on America’s soil includes 350 four-color photographs and illustrations.

Katie Ridder Rooms

By Heather Smith MacIsaac (Vendome Press, 240 pages, $50)

With 240 color illustrations, this collection of rooms from leading interior designer Katie Ridder provides ample inspiration, whether you’re a decorating aficionado or someone who just wants a fresh look for your living room.

100 Yards of Glory: The Greatest Moments in NFL History

By Joe Garner and Bob Costas (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 320 pages, $35)

The book is divided into 10 categories, including the greatest dynasties, the best Super Bowls, the most improbable catches and the most amazing runs. It includes a 10-part DVD documentary.

Sports

Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN

By James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales (Little, Brown, 784 pages, $27.99)

The inside story of the rise of ESPN, which began in 1979 as a cable channel televising Connecticut sporting events. Drawing on more than 500 interviews, the authors recount the rivalries, scandals, off-screen battles and triumphs that accompanied its ascent.

Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton

By Jeff Pearlman ( Gotham, 496 pages, $30)

An unflinching biography of the Chicago Bears running back. A Pro Football Hall of Famer, Payton, who was nicknamed “Sweetness” during his college years, died of cancer in 1999 at age 45.

The Classic: How Everett Case and His Tournament Brought Big-Time Basketball to the South

By Bethany Bradsher (Whitecaps Media, 248 pages, $21.95)

Bethany Bradsher, who lives in Greenville, N.C., tells the story of N.C. State basketball coach Everett Case and the beloved Dixie Classic Tournament, which ended in 1960 following a point-shaving scandal.

Biographies, memoirs

Steve Jobs

By Walter Isaacson (Simon & Schuster, 656 pages, $35)

A portrait of an American genius from a skilled biographer. Isaacson conducted more than 40 interviews with the late Apple CEO over two years. Jobs cooperated with the biography, but had no say in what was written.

Wait Until Tomorrow: A Daughter’s Memoir

By Pat MacEnulty (Feminist Press, 256 pages, $16.95)

Anyone who has cared for an aging loved one will identify with Charlotte writer Pat MacEnulty’s well-told story of caring for her mother while balancing family and work.

It Happened on the Way to War: A Marine’s Path to Peace

By Rye Barcott (Bloomsbury USA, 352 pages, $26)

As a UNC Chapel Hill student, Rye Barcott, who now lives in Charlotte, spent a summer in Kibera, a mega-slum in Nairobi, Kenya. That experience led him to help create a nonprofit called Carolina for Kibera. In this memoir, he describes how he launched and continued leading the organization while serving as a Marine.

Humor

When Parents Text

By Sophia Fraioli and Lauren Kaelin (Workman, 256 pages, $10.95)

This book, written with material from the eponymous website, springs from a simple idea. Two recent college graduates collected texts sent by parents to their teenaged and young-adult children. The result? A hilarious and even poignant portrait of what parents will do to keep in touch with offspring.

The Best of the Rejection Collection: 293 Cartoons That Were Too Dumb, Too Dark, or Too Naughty for The New Yorker

Edited by Matthew Diffee (Workman, 320 pages, $13.95)

The title is self-explanatory. You’ll enjoy the interviews with cartoonists. One question: “Where do you get your ideas?” Cartoonist Marshall Hopkins’ answer: “50 percent Dead Cartoonists. 50 percent Thin Air.”

I Totally Meant to Do That

By Jane Borden (Broadway, 240 pages, $14)

Jane Borden, who grew up in Greensboro and graduated from UNC Chapel Hill, describes life as a Southern debutante in New York in these comic essays.

Haiku for the Single Girl

By Beth Griffenhagen (Penguin, 144 pages, $15)

You don’t have to be single or female to enjoy these 17-syllable ruminations on topics that include unsolicited advice from relatives, disastrous dates and men who wear thumb rings.

Mysteries, thrillers

Iron House

By John Hart (Thomas Dunne Books, 432 pages, $25.99)

Davidson College graduate John Hart, winner of back-to-back Edgar Awards, delivers his fourth thriller, the story of two brothers, raised in an orphanage and separated by an act of violence. Fun fact: One character, Carmen Elena Del Portal, is named after a Greensboro woman who won a charity raffle to have her name in the book.

A Trick of the Light

By Louise Penny (Minotaur, 352 pages, $25.99)

In this Chief Inspector Gamache novel, Louise Penny blends art and Alcoholics Anonymous into an updated “cozy” mystery set in a Quebec village. Penny has been compared to Agatha Christie. Booklist says that comparison sells her short: “Her characters are too rich. Her grasp of nuance and human psychology too firm.”

Flash and Bones

By Kathy Reichs (Scribner, 288 pages, $26.99)

Forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan investigates a murder right in her hometown, at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, in Kathy Reichs’ 14th thriller featuring smart and spunky Tempe Brennan.

The Best American Mystery Stories 2011

Edited by Harlan Coben and Otto Penzler (Mariner Books, 432pages, $14.95)

A smart pick for the mystery lover, this collection offers 20 stories, including some gems from writers not yet widely known. Contributors include Brendan DuBois, Joe R. Lansdale, Lawrence Block and Mickey Spillane

Children

Press Here

By Hervé Tullet (Chronicle, ages 2-4, 56 pages, $14.99)

Kids follow instructions to press a yellow dot on the first page. When they turn the page – voila – there are two yellow dots. It’s a simple concept, but it seems like magic. “Without so much of a tab to pull or a flap to turn, this might be the most interactive book of the year,” Booklist says.

11 Experiments That Failed

By Jenny Offill (Schwartz & Wade, ages 4 and up, 40 pages, $16.99)

Can a washing machine wash dishes? Can you live for a winter on ketchup-covered snowballs? Learn the answers to these and other pressing questions in this delightful book, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. Offill is a faculty member in Queens University of Charlotte’s low-residency MFA program.

Ten Little Caterpillars

By Bill Martin Jr. (Beach Lane Books, ages 2 to 6, 40 pages, $17.99)

More than 25 years ago, the late Bill Martin Jr. and illustrator Lois Ehlert created “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom,” the jazziest alphabet book ever. Now they’re back with a counting book.

Middle readers and young adult

Paper Covers Rock

By Jenny Hubbard (Delacorte Press, 183 pages, ages 14 and up, $16.99)

This coming-of-age novel by Charlotte’s Jenny Hubbard is set at a boarding school, where 16-year-old Alex fails to save a friend from drowning. “A powerful, ambitious debut,” says Publishers Weekly.

Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact

By A.J. Hartley (Razorbill, 438 pages, ages 10 and up, $16.99)

After being uprooted from his small town in England, 11-year-old Darwen moves to Atlanta, where he discovers weird goings-on in his new private school. A.J. Hartley, a professor of Shakespeare at UNC Charlotte, has written several fantasy novels. This is his first middle-grades novel.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever

By Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books, ages 8 and up, 224 pages, $13.95)

In the newest installment from America’s favorite wimpy kid, Greg Heffley is suspected of damaging school property, but gets a temporary reprieve when a blizzard hits. What’s worse: Being unjustly accused of crime or trapped at home with family?

Bye for Now: A Wishers Story

By Kathleen Churchyard (EgmontUSA, 272 pages, ages 8 and up, $15.99)

An 11-year-old N.C. girl who wishes she were someone else wakes up in London as Fiona, a British kid with an exciting life. The author, who lives in Concord, got the idea for the book from her own daughter.

Food

Cooking Light: The Complete Quick Cook

By Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough (Oxmoor House, 352 pages, $29.95)

For the person who wants to eat better and cook better but is overwhelmed by the task. With two experienced authors behind it, this magazine-based project is one of the best home-cooking guides we’ve seen in a while, with pictures, tips, smart thinking and solid recipes.

Serious Eats: A Comprehensive Guide to Making & Eating Delicious Food Wherever You Are

By Ed Levine and the editors of seriouseats.com (Clarkson Potter, 368 pages, $27.99)

Give this to a young and eager diner. New York food writer Levine pulled together a smart bunch of young editors to build a great food-obsessed website. Their first book is a guide to obsessive eating from coast to coast (including North Carolina).

The Art of Eating Cookbook

By Edward Behr (University of California Press, 296 pages, $39.95)

Edward Behr’s newsletter/magazine The Art of Eating has been a source of smart, sophisticated food writing with a focus on classic cooking for 25 years. Now he’s gone back through all those recipes to put together a collection of essays and recipes that will pull armchair cooks out of their chairs.

The PDT Cocktail Book By Jim Meehan and Chris Gall (Sterling Epicure, 368 pages, $24.95)

Shake it up, baby: The people behind New York’s almost-hidden cocktail bar, PDT (for Please Don’t Tell) have found the middle ground between retro-cool and contemporary in this fun guide to all things alcohol.

- Kathleen Purvis

DVD

The Best of I Love Lucy

(DVD; $15; 2 discs)

This collection has dropped in price for the holidays. You get 14 classic Lucy episodes, including her most famous routines (like “Vitameatavegamin” and “The Chocolate Factory”) with decent audio and video specs.

Prohibition (DVD/Blu-ray; $40/$45; 3 discs)

The latest project from Ken Burns debuted on PBS just a few weeks back. The three-part series uses archival imagery and narration from Peter Coyote to explore the “noble experiment” of prohibiting alcohol sales in the U.S. Burns digs deep as he continues his investigation into the American story. Both the DVD and Blu-ray versions feature bonus outtakes and interviews.

Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume 1 (Blu-ray; $60; 3 discs)

The inevitable follow-up to the DVD “Golden Collection,” the Blu-ray “Platinum Collection” gathers 50 cartoons, with a third disc dedicated to bonus feature for the hardcore fan.

Planet Earth Special Edition (DVD/Blu-ray; $60/$80; 6 discs)

This collection features the entire BBC series, four new bonus chapters and additional commentary tracks. You can dip into this one for years.

Band of Brothers/The Pacific: Special Edition Gift Set (DVD/Blu-ray; $160/$200; 13 discs)

From executive producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, these HBO miniseries represent an enormously ambitious effort to dramatize the horrors and heroism of World War II. A bonus documentary features surviving veterans.

- Glenn McDonald, correspondent

Music

21

Adele (XL/Columbia)

The British neo-soul starlet’s second album is another smooth concoction that wraps her anguished voice around genuine heartbreak, and it’s the odds-on favorite to sweep the Grammy Awards next spring.

Different Gear, Still Speeding Beady Eye, (Dangerbird)

Oasis dissolved in 2009 amid bad vibes between the Gallagher brothers, guitarist Noel and singer Liam. Beady Eye is Liam’s post-Oasis band, and danged if the group’s debut isn’t the loosest and least-uptight the man has sounded in years.

Bon Iver Bon Iver (Jagjaguwar)

Megafaun

Megafaun (Home Tapes)

Both offshoots of the old Raleigh band DeYarmond Edison put out fantastic eponymous albums this year. Justin Vernon flirted with the top of the charts with “Bon Iver,” which pairs Reagan-era synthesizer sounds with his own freakish voice to craft delectable cold soul. “Megafaun” ups the group’s ante from freak-folk to freak-rock, and it’s a sprawling album that only grows better with repeated listens.

Ghost on the Canvas Glen Campbell (Surfdog)

Billed as Campbell’s final album because of Alzheimer’s, “Ghost” has as much drama in the music as the back-story.

Torches Foster the People (Star Time/Columbia)

To say that this album sounds like 10 commercial jingles might sound like an insult, but it’s not. Foster the People has mastered the art of getting to the point quickly, and “Torches” has hooks that strike fast and sink deep.

Collapse Into Now R.E.M. (Warner Bros.)

Although it wasn’t billed as a swan song, “Collapse Into Now” turned out to be when R.E.M. announced its breakup in September. The group went out on a high note.

The Whole Love Wilco (DBPM/Anti-)

It’s possible Jeff Tweedy leads a perfectly tranquil life offstage, but it sure doesn’t sound like that on-record. “The Whole Love” courses with folk-rock tension, leading to a lovely respite in the 12-minute closer “One Sunday Morning” (maybe the prettiest song Tweedy has ever written).

In the Key of Disney Brian Wilson (Disney)

“Key” has 11 Disney songs in Wilson’s surf-pop style, from the “Toy Story” theme “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” to the “Pinocchio” standard “When You Wish Upon a Star.”

- David Menconi