I thought I would make Santa’s job a little easier and share our Christmas Gift Guide 2025: Gifts for the Book Lovers in Your Family. We all know books can become heavy if you can pick these books up as Gifts for your family it would make Santa and the Reindeer’s job so much easier.
Property of the Revolution: From a Cuban Barrio to a New Hampshire Mill Town―A Memoir written by Ana Hebra Flaster
“. . . filled with wisdom, history, joy . . . I wanted to sit with the viejos and all the love and chaos in their multi-generational home and hold on to Abuela and her stories forever.”—Marjan Kamali, USA Today best-selling author of The Lion Women of Tehran and The Stationery Shop
In this sweeping, historical, yet intimate memoir, the author details her family’s transformation from pro-Castro revolutionaries in a scrappy Havana barrio to refugees in a New Hampshire mill town—a timeless and timely tale of loss and reinvention.
Ana Hebra Flaster was six years old when her working-class family was kicked out of their Havana barrio for opposing communism. Once devoted revolutionaries themselves but disillusioned by the Castro government’s repressive tactics, they fled to the US.
The permanent losses they suffered—of home, country, and loved ones, all within forty-eight hours—haunted her multigenerational family as they reclaimed their lives and freedom in 1967 New Hampshire. There, they fed each other stories of their scrappy barrio—some of which Hebra Flaster has shared on All Things Considered—to resurrect their lost world and fortify themselves for a daunting task: building a new life in a foreign land.
Weaving pivotal events in Cuba–US history with her viejos’—elders’—stories of surviving political upheaval, impossible choices, and “refugeedom,” Property of the Revolution celebrates the indomitable spirit and wisdom of the women warriors who led the family out of Cuba, shaped its rebirth as Cuban Americans, and helped Ana grow up hopeful, future-facing—American. But what happens when deeply buried childhood memories resurface, demanding an adult’s reckoning?
Here’s how the fiercest love, the most stubborn will, and the power of family put nine new Americans back on their feet.
Meet the Author: Ana Hebra Flaster
Ana Hebra Flaster has written about Cuba and the Cuban American experience for national print and online media including The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and the Boston Globe.
Her commentaries and storytelling have aired on NPR’s All Things Considered and PBS’s “Stories from the Stage.” After almost forty years in the Boston area, she recently moved back to Southern New Hampshire with her husband, Andy, and their dogs, Luna and Beny Moré.
You Cannot Mess This Up: A True Story That Never Happened by Amy Weinland Daughters (Author)
It’s 2014 and Amy Daughters is a forty-six-year old stay-at-home mom living in Dayton, Ohio. She returns to her hometown of Houston over the Thanksgiving holiday to discuss her parents’ estate—and finds herself hurled back in time.
Suddenly, it’s 1978, and she is forced to spend thirty-six hours in her childhood home with her nuclear family, including her ten-year old self. Over the next day and a half, she reconsiders every feeling she’s ever had, discusses current events with dead people, gets overserved at a party with her parents’ friends, and is treated to lunch at the Bonanza Sirloin Pit.
Besides noticing that everyone is smoking cigarettes, she’s still jealous of her sister, and there is a serious lack of tampons in the house, Amy also begins to appreciate that memories are malleable, wholly dependent on who is doing the remembering.
In viewing her parents as peers and her siblings as detached children, she redefines her difficult relationships with her family members and, ultimately, realizes that her life story matters and is profoundly significant—not so much to everyone else, perhaps, but certainly to her. Amy’s guide said her trip back in time wouldn’t change anything in the future, but by the time her thirty-six hours are up, she’s convinced that she’ll never be the same again.
Meet the Author:
A native Houstonian and a 1991 graduate of The Texas Tech University, Amy W. Daughters has been a freelance writer, focusing mostly on college football, for the past decade. You Cannot Mess This Up is her first published book, meaning she can no longer claim to be “the author of unpublished books.”
Amy lives in Centerville, Ohio—a suburb of Dayton—where she is a regular on the ribbon dancing circuit. She is married to Willie (a computer person) and the proud mother of two sons, Will (21) and Matthew (13).
Homecoming Queen: A Small Town Political Thriller by Chad Boudreaux
NO ONE EVER LEAVES MIRANDA TWICE.
Anika Raven faces the challenge of a lifetime. She must rescue her little sister from a neglectful family as the hurricane of a century barrels toward her hometown of Miranda, Texas. Time is of the essence, but the deadly storm is not her biggest problem.
Once Miranda High School’s beloved homecoming queen, Anika now possesses a dark secret that must remain hidden. Unable to outrun the shadows of her past, and terrified to confront the demons of her future, she finds herself running from the law.
Concealing a dark secret of its own, the town of Miranda’s corruption permeates every aspect of society. Each time Anika catches a break, a scheming mayor and powerful political forces deliver her another life-threatening setback.
With the storm looming, and tensions in town escalating, Anika and her sister are trapped. To escape town, they will need unspeakable courage, perseverance, and the help of a special gift possessed by Anika’s little sister. But all bets are off as adversity abounds. To stay alive, they must overcome a jealous town, rabid adversaries bent on vigilante justice, and a monster hurricane . . . all coming at them with a vengeance.
Homecoming Queen was written for adults of all ages with a love for fast-paced thrillers. With a unique plot line, memorable characters, and page-turning storytelling, the book packs intriguing substance into a quick read.
About the Author: Chad Boudreaux
Chad Boudreaux is a Washington insider hired by the U.S. Department of Justice the night before the September 11, 2001, attacks—launching him immediately into counterterrorism work that earned him high accolades at an early age. His success in the Justice Department carried him to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where his role as Deputy Chief of Staff allowed him to work directly on significant policy, operational, and legal issues facing the Department.
He currently is the chief legal officer of a publicly traded, Fortune 300 company and America’s largest military shipbuilder. Boudreaux leverages his unique, high-level experience in global security matters and his extensive legal expertise to craft breathtaking, insider stories of mystery and intrigue that are ripped from today’s headlines and are sure to shock his readers.
It’s August 1994, and Charlie Stewart begins his final year at St. Mark’s Episcopal School, a prestigious all-boys school in Richmond, Virginia. Charlie, an undistinguished student by St. Mark’s standards, faces tough odds as he seeks to rekindle his relationship with Katy Hendricks, a beautiful tennis star, and gain admission to a highly selective state university.
Through it all, Charlie relies on Beau Miller, his best friend and the top student athlete in their class. Despite Beau’s movie-star looks and infectious charm, he has a darker side, which becomes more apparent as the year progresses.
Charlie endures his trials with wry determination and ultimately emerges with a renewed sense of purpose. This is a heartrending but hopeful story of one boy’s journey toward manhood in the American South.
Meant for More: Following Your Heart and Finding Your Purpose by Karen Olsen
What happens when we act on our innate kindness?
It all started with a chance encounter outside of Grand Central Station in November 1981. Karen Olson, a successful marketing executive, was on her way to a business meeting when she saw an elderly homeless woman—her shoulders sagging, her eyes dull. Impulsively, Karen darted across the street and bought the woman a sandwich and an orange juice. She listened to the woman’s story and learned her name: Millie.
This small act of kindness changed the trajectory of Karen’s life. Karen dedicated her life to those in need and founded Family Promise, a national nonprofit organization that helps homeless and low-income families. In Meant for More, Karen tells her story, from tragedy in childhood to an adulthood full of compassion and service, which has made her stronger, healthier, and more fulfilled than ever before.
Many people seek happiness through acquiring material goods or achieving status, only to find a lack of fulfillment. With firsthand testimonials from Karen and other volunteers, Meant for More is a call to action: when you reach out beyond yourself and seek to make a difference in the lives of others, happiness will catch up with you
Meet the Author: Karen Olson
Karen Olson is the founder and CEO emeritus of Family Promise, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping homeless and low-income families. Her organization has trained and mobilized over one million volunteers over the past thirty years to provide services to homeless families. Olson has received many awards for her remarkable social service contributions, including the 1992 Annual Points of Light Award from President George H. W. Bush.
Ghost Town by Dr. James R. Gregory
In the isolated coal mining town of Sulphur Creek in the late 1800s, young Sammy Murphy’s world is a blend of shadowy tunnels and unspoken secrets. Born into solitude and pushed into reclusion, Sammy’s quiet life starkly contrasts with the booming industry that surrounds him. But as he searches for connection in an era of ruthless expansion, he finds himself at odds with forces far greater than he imagined.
Enter Barry Bacon, an ambitious industrialist who fancies himself a peer to magnates like Andrew Carnegie. Driven by unbridled ambition, Bacon’s dreams stretch far beyond the soot-covered rooftops of Sulphur Creek. But as the weight of his empire bears down, his unchecked arrogance threatens to unravel everything he’s built.
As Sammy faces an unexpected awakening brought forth by a fleeting love, and Bacon’s empire teeters on the brink of collapse, both men must face truths that transcend time—true love extends beyond mere attraction and real power is more than forceful arrogance.
Set against the raw, unforgiving landscape of America’s industrial ascent, Ghost Town is a gripping novel of ambition, isolation, and the pursuit of connection. With richly drawn characters and a hauntingly relevant message, it echoes through history, exploring what it truly means to lead, to love, and to belong.
Meet the Author: Dr. James R. Gregory
Has enjoyed a forty-year career as the cofounder of a highly successful corporate brand management firm headquartered in New York City with offices worldwide. Jim has written five business books on creating values with brands: Marketing Corporate Image, Leveraging the Corporate Brand, Branding Across Borders, The Best of Branding, and Powerhouse: The Secrets of Corporate Branding.
Since selling his company in 2013, Jim has focused his creative efforts on biographical books, Columbia—The Street and Small Fortunes, and short novels and novellas designed to be read over a weekend, earning him the designation of “King of the Short-Reads.” His most recent novels are Zephyr’s War, Killer App, and Artifacts. Now, he is proud to release his latest book, a historical novel called Ghost Town.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
