Books are always a great last-minute gift idea for almost anyone on your list.
Family-owned Black Bond Books at Royal City Centre is a local alternative to the big-box bookstores, and the store has nearly as many titles to choose from.
New Westminster has some of the country's most talented writers, including Annabel Lyon, whose book The Golden Mean was nominated for some of Canada's highest literary honours.
Black Bond carries her latest release, The Sweet Girl.
Local men's fashion writer JJ Lee's book The Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit is also available at Black Bond. His book also received numerous accolades.
Black Bond carries local historian Jim Wolf's beautiful hardcover history book, Royal City: A Photographic History of New Westminster, 1858 - 1960.
Vancouver Sun columnist Shelley Fralic's - also a New Westie - recently released work, which chronicles a century of the newspaper, Making Headlines: 100 Years of The Vancouver Sun, is also available.
Lorraine Williams, who's worked at Black Bond's New Westminster location for more than 25 years, says the book is a worthy addition to one's library because "who knows what the future will hold for newspapers/"
Another coffee-table gem Williams recommends is Fred Herzog: Photographs, the hardcover book by the photographer who chronicled the mid-Century storefronts and people of Vancouver.
The book usually sells for $60, but Black Bond has it on sale for $35.
Liquor, Lust, and the Law: The Story of Vancouver's Legendary Penthouse Nightclub by Aaron Chapman is also a popular non-fiction title.
"It's about the Penthouse (nightclub). It's been selling in droves," Williams says.
Another fun book is Global news reporter Mike McCardell's latest work, Unlikely Love Stories.
It's a "gift you could never go wrong with," Williams says.
As for a fun cookbook, Fifty Shades of Chicken: A Parody in a Cookbook by F.L. Fowler (even the name is amusing), is a poultry-inspired take on the 50 Shades of Grey series. Complete with "saucy" cooking instructions, this book is good for more than a meal - it's also worth a laugh.
Williams describes it as a "parody with really great recipes."
Speaking of a laugh, another fun favourite, according to Williams, is I Could Pee on This: And Other Poems by Cats - poetry from a cat's point of view.
It has been selling in droves, Williams says.
"Customers see the cover and want to know what it's about," she says. Talking about it to one customer recently, Williams sold it to four others who overheard them. A definite hit for friends who are feline fans.
There are also classic favourites, like the Guinness Book of World Records, Tintin comics, which sell for only $6.99, and Calvin and Hobbes.
"They're still big after all of these years," Williams says about Calvin and Hobbes. "It's a classic tale. It's very sweet."
In fiction, Williams sugges-tionss include A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy, A Discovery of Witches: A Novel by Deborah Harkness and anything by customer-favourite Lee Child.
Williams recently read Standing in Another Man's Grave by Ian Rankin.
(For those familier with Ian Rankin's work, Williams says, "Rebus is back.")
Biographies are also big this year, with every legendary rocker seeming to put out a twist on their own crazy tale.
Among the rock 'n' roll tell-alls are such luminaries as Mick Jagger, Gregg Allman, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townsend and Rod Stewart.
"We have a great selection of music books," Williams says.
The subjects include One Direction and Adele.
Black Bond has a holiday kiosk in front of the store with a huge selection of 2013 calendars, which Williams says are popular holiday gifts.
