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December has completely snuck up on us, but we were ready. On Monday we uploaded our second annual Books on the Nightstand Holiday Gift Guide, and this coming Friday we will have our first ever Holiday Gift Guide for Children’s Books. We hope that between the two (free) downloadable guides, you will be able to find a gift for everyone on your shopping list.

We want to know about your favorite book(s) of 2009, so we’ve created a poll. Please nominate up to 3 of your favorite books that were published in 2009. The poll will close on December 16th at 11:59pm EST. We’ll announce the results on our podcast that airs on December 30th.  Click here to nominate your favorite books.

For the rest of the year, our podcasts will focus on highlighting some books that we think make great gifts, and include some books we’d like to find under our Christmas trees. So we are putting our much loved “two books we can’t wait for you to read” segment on hiaitus until the New Year.

Ann has fallen completely in love with what she believes is the gift for the music or photography lover: The Jazz Loft Project by Sam Stephenson. A documentary portrait of a New York City loft building, the book is a collection of W. Eugene Smith’s photographs, and transcriptions of his sound recordings that date from 1957 through 1965, including photos and conversations of some of the greatest jazz musicians of the time, and many who remain unkown. The book is part of a larger experience that includes a traveling exhibition and an 10-part radio series that aired recently on WNYC radio. You can listen to all 10 episodes online, or listen to a 4-part series that will air on NPR’s Weekend Edition from December 6th through 27th.

Michael was delighted to see the finished copy of The Man Who Lost His Head, a children’s book by Claire Huchet Bishop, illustrated by Robert McCloskey (famed illustrator of Blueberries for Sal and Make Way for Ducklings). This quirky tale of a man who, yes, lost his head, is beautifully packaged and is great fun as a read-aloud.

In our “Holiday Gift Spotlight” segment, we look at gifts for the person who loves to cook. Michael makes us hungry be talking about Bubby’s Brunch Cookbook, by Ron Silver, chef/owner of Bubby’s Pie Co., a famed restaurant in New York City. Baking, by James Peterson, is the perfect gift for the baker, aspiring or accomplished, with it’s wonderful step-by-step photographs of techniques. It’s truly a baking class in a book.

Ann is in love with La Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy, brought to us by Accademia Italiana Della Cucina (The Italian Academy of Cuisine). This compendium of more than 2000 authentic Italian home recipes is the only Italian cookbook that anyone would ever need, and includes dishes that are very familiar (Spaghetti with garlic and oil) and also those that are less known here in the United States (18 recipes for rabbit, and almost as many for goat).

Ann also highly recommends The Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones, which is the perfect gift for the person who lives alone, or even for a family of two. Judith provides an elegant way to cook for one person without feeling that you are eating the same food over and over.

We hope you enjoy the gift guide, and don’t forget to vote in our poll for your Favorite Book of 2009!

(You can listen to the podcast by using the player at the top of this post. If you’re using Internet Explorer, click twice to listen. If your browser does not support javascript, you won’t see the player; click the link below the player to listen, or right-click to download the episode. If you are receiving this post by email and cannot see the player at the bottom of the message, please visit http://www.booksonthenightstand.com to listen)
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