Holiday Gift Suggestions: Good things come in threes

Three books about New Orleans (Pelican Publishing)

“New Orleans Icons: Iron Lace” by Kit Wohl with a foreword by award-winning journalist Chris Rose displays the wrought and cast ironwork of the city in both explanations and photographs. Wohl takes us through the many neighborhoods where this craftsmanship exists.

Longtime New Orleans art writer and editor John Kemp looks at the founder of the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts in “Auseklis Ozols: The Romantic Realism of an Artist and Teacher.” The book contains interviews with the artist and the history of the man and his academy but the heart of the book is the collection of Ozols’ artwork.

Cookbook author and host of the radio show “Louisiana Eats,” Poppy Tooker takes on a family restaurant in her latest endeavor, “Pascal’s Manale Cookbook: A Family Tradition.” Readers will peek inside the restaurant family, view old photos of the Napoleon Avenue establishment and enjoy its many recipes, including the sauce for its famous barbecue shrimp.

Three books about African American history

“Come Sunday: A Young Reader’s History of Congo Square” (University of Louisiana Lafayette Press) by Freddi Williams Evans details how Africans lived, celebrated and developed a culture in New Orleans that thrives today. The title refers to the area of town where slaves were allowed to congregate, play music and dance, the influence of which resonates in Second Line parades, jazz funerals and the Mardi Gras Indians. It’s a perfect read for middle school children, choke full of photographs and illustrations, but adults will love it too.

Robert Nathaniel Lee was the only person to be named “chief of chiefs” by the Mardi Gras Indian Council of New Orleans. Known as Chief Robbe and the head of four different tribes, he became a role model to many. Al Kennedy spotlights the man in the biography, “Chief of Chiefs: Robert Nathaniel Lee and the Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans, 1915-2001” (Pelican Publishing).

To truly understand the history behind the Second Line traditions in New Orleans, don't miss the gorgeous coffee table book, “Freedom’s Dance: Social, Aid and Pleasure Clubs in New Orleans” (LSU Press) with photographs by Eric Waters and narrative by Karen Celestan. The comprehensive book that will answer any questions about this unique New Orleans heritage is comprised of essays by noted scholars such as James N. Borders, Rachel Carrico, Kalamu Ya Salaam and many others with selected interviews by Valentine Pierce. 

Three books about New Orleans neighborhoods

For a peek inside the underbelly of the city, Michael Patrick Welch's "New Orleans: The Underground Guide" is now in its fourth edition. The book examines many aspects of the city, including music venues, food, festivals, shopping and other attractions plus a handy breakdown of neighborhoods. The book is published by LSU Press with help from Brian Boyles and photographs by Zack Smith and Jonathan Traviesa.

Scott S. Ellis, author of "Madame Vieux Carré: The French Quarter in the Twentieth Century," offers another neighborhood history lesson with "The Faubourg Marigny of New Orleans," also by LSU Press.

Caroline Gerdes documents stories from residents of one of the city's oldest neighborhoods in "An Oral History of the New Orleans Ninth Ward," published by Pelican Publishing.

Louisiana Book News is written by award-winning author Chere Dastugue Coen, who writes Louisiana romances and mysteries under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Her first book in each series is FREE to download as an ebook, including "Emilie," book one of The Cajun Series, "Ticket to Paradise," book one of The Cajun Embassy series and "A Ghost of a Chance," the first Viola Valentine mystery.