The Paris Review Interviews, Vol. I (Picador, $16): Parker, Vonnegut, Didion - you can't lose.

This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women, edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman (Henry Holt and Co., $23): This is a must for anybody who listens to the NPR series of the same name - or anybody who likes to find out what's on the minds of all the people they pass in a given day.

For cookbook collectors who actually like to cook (or bake)

The Red Cat Cookbook: 125 Recipes from New York City's Favorite Neighborhood Restaurant by Jimmy Bradley and Andrew Friedman (Clarkson Potter, $35): Locals really do swear by the place - and your giftee will understand why after trying the perfect roasted-half-chicken recipe.

A Tale of 12 Kitchens: Family Cooking in Four Countries by Jake Tilson (Artisan, $23): If a cookbook and a scrapbook had a baby, this would be it. A baby so cute you'll want to eat it (or, well, the dishes) right up.

The New York Times Dessert Cookbook, edited by Florence Fabricant (St. Martin's Press, $30): Let them eat cake! Seriously, what more is there to say?

For anybody who wants to disappear into somebody else's life for a while

Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon Books, $17): Even people who have never considered reading a graphic novel will fall for Satrapi's work. She tells (and draws) the story of her uncle's final days ever so beautifully.