Vineyard books make good gifts

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Sometimes a book is the perfect present. Whether for your child, a parent, a friend, or even a co-worker, there’s something satisfying about giving and receiving books. The following are books from Island authors or books about the Vineyard that were published this past year.

“Fresh from the Vineyard,” by Virginia Crowell Jones, illustrations by Juliet Kraetzer. $20.

“Fresh from the Vineyard” is clearly more than a collection of recipes; it’s a thesis on Island life at its most basic — respect for its history, for its natural environment, and for the sustenance it supplies. –CK Wolfson, an excerpt from an article published in The Times on Oct. 20.

“In the Small Kitchen: 100 Recipes from our Year of Cooking in the Real World” by Cara Eisenpress and Phoebe Lapine. $21.99.

The idea behind both the blog and the book is using limited resources — space, budget, and experience — to feed yourself and your friends meals that transcend the usual fare of young adults on their own for the first time. –Gwyn McAllister, July 27

“Gourmet Gifts to Make Yourself & Wrap With Style” by Dinah Corley, photographs by Alison Shaw. $19.95.

This is a cookbook about sharing your cooking abilities with the ones you love, near or far. It’s about connection and caring for others, and preparing for the holidays. –Lila Griswold, excerpted from an article published Oct. 6 in The TImes.

“Bright Waters, Shining Tides: Reflections of a Lifetime of Fishing,” by Kib Bramhall. $29.95.

While the book is a feast for the eyes, it is also a beautiful love story about a boy who became infatuated with fishing and let it lead him where it would — to exciting people and unexpected places that nurtured him, as a man and as an artist. –Whit Griswold, Aug. 10

“Victoria Trumbull’s Martha’s Vineyard Guide Book” by Cynthia Riggs. $29.99.

“It’s an insider’s glimpse of the Island, seen through Victoria Trumbull’s (and my) eyes, a series of tours and special places mentioned in the mysteries, of personal anecdotes, of odd Vineyard stories, of how we got our names like pinkletinks and beetlebung trees,” Ms. Riggs says in the book’s introduction.

“The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect With Your Kids, One Meal at a Time” by Laurie David with recipes by Kirstin Uhrenholdt. $29.99.

Her book is an in-depth exploration of the family meal from planting seeds in the garden to setting the table to cleaning up after the meal, composting, of course. Her emphasis is on participation and connection and fun. No aspect of the meal is left out and there are even suggestions for games, poetry, and conversation starters. –Laura Wainwright and Lila Griswold, excerpted from an article published in The Times, Jan. 5.