Rhody Reads: Last-Minute Picks for Everyone on Your Holiday Shopping List

Need a last-minute gift? No worries, your friendly neighborhood bookstore is ready to help! On shelves, stacks, and table displays, you can easily find the perfect present for almost any literary interest. On the way to the party? Check out these six local selections for a little down-to-the-wire gift-giving inspiration. And if you can’t decide, there’s always a gift card!

For the Art Aficionado: William Heydt’s Working Newport captures the panorama of life among the people who keep the City by the Sea running in his collection of poignant watercolors. Instead of focusing on the usual tourist destinations, the artist showcases the vibrant lives of the community that makes it all happen so that others can enjoy this wonderland. A Newport transplant, Heydt captures his passion for the place he calls home.

For the Armchair Astronomer: Have you ever wanted to explore the universe beyond the ID view we see in textbooks and on screen? With Stars in Your Hand: A Guide to 3D Printing the Cosmos by Kimberly Arcand and Megan Watzke as your guides, you can. Visualize the cosmos as never before as you print stars and planets to hold in the palm of your hand. You may not be able to travel into space yet, but this latest effort by Smithfield-based Arcand, and Watzke, will give you a fresh perspective of what’s out there.

For the World Citizen: Follow the journey of Abia and her family as they leave their longtime refugee camp for a new home in Wherever I Go by Mary Wagley Copp, with illustrations by Munir D. Mohammed of Providence. While living in the camp has been difficult, moving to someplace foreign and strange is scary; Abia will need to dig deep to find the strength and courage as she begins her journey to freedom.

For Hollywood Historians: Fiction and biography intertwine in The Acrobat, the latest novel by Edward J. Delaney. A faculty member at Roger Williams University, Delaney takes creative license with the life of famed actor and movie star Cary Grant to tackle complex issues of identity. Is it possible to create a persona so well that you lose track of who you really are? And how does that affect the relationships you build with those around you? 

For True Rhode Islanders: Ocean State newbies almost immediately notice something missing during a conversation: the letter R dropped from so many of our words (except soda, where it’s even more pronounced). Jill Austin explores the phenomena with whimsy and humor in her children’s book suitable for all ages, Where Did All the Rs Go? The Curious Case of the Rhode Island Accent. Hear our world through the ears of newly arrived Riley as he tries to learn the language of the friends and neighbors around him. Don’t miss the follow-up: This Is Where the Rs Went: The Curious Case of the Rhode Island Accent Continues.

For Lovers of Romantic Intrigue: All is not as it seems in the complicated world of
Eleanor Russell, especially with her mysterious lover, Orlando Montague. In her latest Ruby Falls, A Novel, former actress, Ocean House owner, and award-winning author Deborah Goodrich Royce, sets her story in the behind-the-scenes world of film and television. When scars from the past return and a sinister menace appears, will Eleanor be able to escape from a world where betrayal lies behind every camera?