Yes, I know it's not even Halloween yet and Christmas seems far, far way, but it will be here before you know it. If you are anything like me, you always plan to be ready well in advance, but then you're caught by surprise when the big day finally arrives—like you weren't expecting it at all! Books & Crannies wants to make it easy for you, and that's why we've filled our shelves with books that make great presents—even if you only give them to yourself. This month's suggestions can help you make a start. We'll also wrap your books free of charge, so see, there's really no excuse for not being ready.

Here are this month's selections (we also have a small number of signed copies of Under Orders by Dick Francis):

The Looming Tower: Al Queda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright is a very important book, both for our times and for those who will one day look back at the events of the past six years and try to sort out what happened. Wright's surprisingly intimate approach to the seminal events of September 11 is constructed around four individuals, terrorists Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, and the men who pursued them, the FBI's counterterrorism chief John O'Neill, and the former head of Saudi intelligence, Prince Turki al-Faisal. This well-researched book gives us the best look yet at the players in this dangerous game. It is must reading for anyone who really wants to understand what happened—and is still happening—to our world.

Another book that can serve as almost a companion volume to The Looming Tower is Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq by Thomas E. Ricks. He is a two-time Pulitzer-Prize-winning senior reporter with The Washington Post, so Ricks, with his many inside sources and his global perspective, has written a book that may well be the definitive work on the Iraq war. Not everyone agrees with Ricks, and he has been furiously rebuked by many; however, as always in these cases, it is better to read the book and make up your own mind.

Even more riveting and devastating is a novel some critics believe may well be author Cormac McCarthy's masterpiece. To call The Road a story about a post apocalyptic world is like saying Macbeth is a play about a Scottish king with an ambitious wife. McCarthy is without a doubt one of our greatest living novelists, and he spares nothing in his searing tale, while at the same time giving us a portrait of love, deep and abiding, that cannot be wiped out by the worst of efforts of humankind. Read it and weep.

On a lighter note—and we really need one—is Tomie dePaola's book, Christmas Remembered. DePaola is a much loved author/illustrator of more than 200 books for young readers, and he's won both the Caldecott and Newberry medals. In this book, he shares his love of Christmas in 15 vivid memories covering six decades. We are so proud to have him with us on October 25, when he'll sign Christmas Remembered from 3-5 p.m.

We're also hosting the dynamic Washington author David Baldacci, who will sign copies of The Collectors, the sequel to his bestseller, The Camel Club. He'll be at Books & Crannies on November 1, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Readers of The Camel Club know that the Club is composed of four dysfunctional and conspiracy-obsessed crime solvers. Caleb Shaw, an ex-CIA assassin, heads up the Club, and in their latest adventure, they set out to solve a murder at the Library of Congress and, of course, uncover all kinds of skullduggery along the way.

The Syringa Tree by Pamela Gien is based on her 2001 award-winning play. It's an indictment of apartheid, told through the story of two families—one white, one black—separated by racism but connected by love. The book's narrator is six-year-old Elizabeth Grace (Lizzie) and, as we know, children have a way of speaking the truth that is often more powerful than the most eloquent words of their elders.

Speaking of eloquence and children—The Looking Glass Wars is the first in what is sure to be an exciting new series. Author Frank Beddor has been an actor, a producer (Something About Mary) and a stuntman, and those professions serve him well in this re-telling of Alice in Wonderland. The premise: Lewis Carroll got it all wrong—even misspelling Alice's name (it's really Alyss Heart) and botching the story of the real Princess of Wonderland. Alyss was driven out of her kingdom by her evil aunt Redd, but after many years of exile, she's ready to take it back, accompanied by her devoted bodyguard, Hatter Madigan. There are battles, a trek across the Chessboard Desert, an assassination attempt by the vicious Cat with Nine Lives—well, you get the picture.

There's another new children's book out that has all the potential to become a classic. Frankenstein Makes A Sandwich by writer/illustrator Adam Rex is wonderfully drawn and absolutely hilarious. Adults will enjoy this book as much as children. It is really a hoot. Where else will you find a beleaguered Phantom of the Opera who is considering a change in careers because he can't get pop songs out of his head and therefore is unable to write music? Or a Creature from the Black Lagoon who gets a major tummy ache after ignoring his mother's warnings not to go swimming so soon after eating? And then there's an ongoing dispute between Sasquatch and Bigfoot as to who is most insulted by their names. Other tidbits: the Invisible Man tries to get a haircut with drastic consequences, Dracula has spinach in his fang but no one wants to tell him about it, and the Mummy won't go to his eternal rest until he gets his cookies, a drink, etc. etc. Be sure to examine each illustration carefully—there are lots of funny surprises.

In next month's column, we'll provide a comprehensive list of gifts for readers of every age and interest, so watch this space!