Deck the Shelves with Books

If your holiday gift list is festooned with books, here are three shining novels to add. Your support will also cheer the independent presses that publish them.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Marriage could be a seesaw. If one side got off, the other would come crashing down.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Gershon watched her skip away in the fading light. There was more than one way to lose a child.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “Most of the women are paid six dollars a week, men up to two dollars more.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

Book a Holiday Date

Books are always open for business. Book a date with one of these novels to bring cheer to readers and help keep small independent presses open for business year-round.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “If you don’t come in [to work] on Sunday, don’t show up on Monday.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “The hallway reeked of the spices of their new neighbors. ‘The smell of America,’ he sighed.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Hollywood was still making movies, but the rest of the country was making itself ready for war.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

Book (Noun): Best Gift Ever

If you agree that an apt definition of a book is the “best gift ever,” consider adding these to your list of best gifts given or received (and bring cheer to the independent presses that publish them):

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “God only allowed Moses to take our people to the edge of the Promised Land. I’m helping them move in.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Trauma and hardship make people suspicious.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “They stitch with such haste that sometimes the needle goes through their fingers.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

Unwrap a Book

Looking to give, or receive, books for the holidays? For year-round treasures, take a look at these novels and, at the same time, extend some cheer to the independent presses that publish them:

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Hollywood is a small-minded business, even for big people.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “What good is faith, any faith, when it is overpowered by fear and anger? The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Avram hated Gershon for marrying up into Yetta’s family, while Gershon never forgave Avram for marrying his sister out from under his nose.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

Books on Your Gift List?

If you’re looking for books to give others or to treat yourself, and you want the added “gift” of supporting independent presses, take a look at these engaging novels:

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “She will never be one OF them, but she can be one WITH them.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Believing in wizards, real or fake, opens you to getting hurt.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “America was the most valuable orchid ever and it was mine. All I had to do was reach for it.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

Need a GreatHoliday Gift Book?

Books are timeless gifts. Consider these titles to give others and/or to treat yourself, and support the independent presses that publish them:

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Elevated trains clanked and spewed foul air, but also the promise of riding out to the city’s unseen edges.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “She knew where to find me, if she wanted to.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “At Huntsman and Son, which specialized in sportswear, he’d been offered a job modeling knit coats for hunting dogs.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic film The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

Any Color Any Day Gift

If you’re in search of a holiday gift not limited to “Black Friday,” take a look at these books:

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Stubbornness comes from a weak will and a strong won’t.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Skin colors varied from the freckled paleness of the Irish to the strong tea hue of the Italians.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “I wish I hadn’t been so caught up in myself and paid more attention to what was going on in her life.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

Books on Your Gift or Wish List?

If you’re looking for the perfect book for someone, including yourself, peruse these:

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “Maybe you’re trying to find your daddy when you should be looking for your mama.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “It took guts to play ugly and court hatred.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Shame made my father envious, envy made him feel guilty, guilt made him angry.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

Books are Forever Holiday Gifts

Looking for a gift whose joy will outlast the holiday? Check out these books:

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Let’s have sholem bayess, peace in the house.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “After being persecuted as degenerates in Germany, his peers went overboard flaunting their freedom in America.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “I just wish I knew what it is about my father she’s protecting me from.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

Giving the Gift of Reading?

If books are on your holiday list, whether for others or yourself, here are three to keep anyone company on a stay-at-home winter night:

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “She was a poor young woman, alone in this country, and wanted something to call her own.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “I was sorry I’d told Mama about my dream to be a scientist, and hoped she hadn’t spilled the beans to Papa.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Normal-size women would automatically reject him; a short woman might take him because she couldn’t do better.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.