On Her Trail: My Mother, Nancy Dickerson, TV News' First Woman Star by John Dickerson (Simon & Schuster, $25): There's just something so lovely about the idea of a man writing his mother's story. As if that weren't enough, it's also a fascinating (and very personal) read.

The White Masai: An Exotic Tale of Love and Adventure by Corinne Hofmann (Amistad, $25): Can love conquer all? Hofmann's story of falling for a Masai warrior while on vacation in Kenya offers an interesting insight into the age-old question.

For adults who like a good laugh (or need to lighten up)

Presidential Doodles: Two Centuries of Scribbles, Scratches, Squiggles and Scrawls from the Oval Office by David Greenberg (Basic Books, $25): You scribble, it's trash. Presidents scribble, they get published. That Andrew Jackson was a lousy artist.

Monkey Portraits by Jill Greenberg (Bulfinch Press, $25): It is officially impossible not to crack up when looking at this book. Orangutans are, quite simply, funny.

The Complete Cartoons of The New Yorker, edited by Robert Mankoff (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, $35): Are the cartoons that were funny in 1925 still funny today? There's just one way to find out.

For kids who think they don't like to read

Stuff to Hold Your Stuff, written by Ellen Warwick and illustrated by Bernice Lum (Kids Can Press, $13): Before kids even realize they're reading, they'll be fully engaged in one of the projects outlined in the book.