The Banner’s 2025 holiday gift guide

‘Family & Other Calamities’

Banner columnist Leslie Gray Streeter writes about a successful journalist returning to her hometown just as her biggest mistake becomes headline news in this vibrant, funny and heartfelt novel about facing the past, and its secrets, head-on.

Giving Guide 2025

For many, the holiday season is about buying gifts, attending parties and baking cookies. However, the holidays are also a great time to give back to those less fortunate.

‘Hot Wax’

“Hot Wax” by M.L. Rio is “a propulsive father-daughter story” and a journey of self-discovery that “captures the joy and danger of rock ’n’ roll” through one woman’s reckless mission to make sense of the events that shattered her childhood.

‘Our Voices, Unmasked’

Charm literary magazine’s first hardcover book is a collection of writing and artwork by Baltimore youths during the coronavirus pandemic.

‘Unfurled’

For someone who believes decor should breathe as much as it looks good, “Unfurled” is a beautiful inspiration piece. Hilton Carter blends lush plant styling with home design to make living style.

‘No Sense in Wishing’

With incisive and energizing prose, Lawrence Burney’s essay collection offers a personal and critical perspective on the people, places, music, and art that transformed him.

‘Cry Havoc’

Jack Carr brings the worlds of special operations and CIA paramilitary units into direct collision in the jungles of Vietnam with his explosive new thriller.

‘Partypooper’

It’s Greg’s birthday — and you’re invited to the chaos. In “Partypooper,” the 20th book in UMD grad Jeff Kinney’s global smash-hit “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series, Greg Heffley is planning the ultimate party — for himself.

The Shops at Kenilworth

Celebrate the season at The Shops at Kenilworth in Baltimore County! Discover holiday fashion, find thoughtful gifts, snap photos with Santa, explore our holiday train garden and enjoy seasonal specials all winter long.

‘Italianish’

Danny Freeman serves up over 100 fun, modern takes on Italian American favorites, from lasagna soup to tiramisu brownies, making this a fantastic pick for both seasoned cooks and new home chefs.

‘Let Us Alone’

Written by UMBC professor Michael Casiano, “Let Us Alone” explores how race, politics and capitalism shaped policing in Baltimore after the Civil War. A powerful read for history lovers and anyone curious about how systems of power took root in American cities.

‘Madness’

Award-winning journalist Antonia Hylton tells the 93-year-old history of Crownsville Hospital, one of the last segregated asylums with surviving records and a campus that stands to this day in Anne Arundel County.

‘Black Women Are the Future’ coloring book

Baltimore-based author Naomi Winston created a coloring book specifically designed and curated to uplift Black women and girls with the goal of supporting sisterhood within the Black community.

Custom book-themed gift basket

Choose between new or used books, select favorite genres and more based on your gift recipient’s taste, and the folks at Wyrd Bookstore in Edgewater will assemble a one-of-a-kind gift basket that could include books, candles, journals, coffee and teas.

— Cody Boteler, Anne Arundel County reporter

Second Story Books gift card

What’s better than a gift card to one of the best independent bookstores in the county?

— Talia Richman, education reporter

‘Tashiding: Beyond Earth and Sky’

This stunning coffee table book takes visitors inside a private Cockeysville garden that features a teahouse, Buddha statues and a lake filled with koi.

‘Tough Breaks’

In “Tough Breaks: The Story of Baltimore Club Music,” music journalist Al Shipley draws from 18 years’ worth of interviews with DJs, producers, vocalists, party hosts, promoters and the founders of the clubs, labels and record stores that shaped the genre.