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Inquirer columnist Elizabeth Wellington recently highlighted nine gift-worthy new books from Philly authors who are “thriving, vibing, and, most importantly, writing”: The selections here represent The Inquirer’s picks this holiday season. When you make a purchase through a link in this list, The Inquirer may be paid a commission. 1. ‘It’s Me They Follow’ It’s Me They Follow is the fictional story of a Philadelphia bookshop owner, who in the midst of opening a bookshop in Fishtown, helps people fall in love. The Shopkeeper is looking for love too, but she has a debilitating problem: She passes out when people touch her. Jeannine A. Cook, Amistad, $25. 2. ‘Housemates’ Housemates, 2025 Lambda literary finalist Emma Copley Eisenberg’s novel about queer housemates Bernie and Leya’s roadtrip through rural Pennsylvania, is a tale of self-discovery. The women’s journey along Pennsylvania’s winding interstate allows them to chase their artistic dreams and embrace romance. Emma Copley Eisenberg, Hogarth, $29. » READ MORE: The Inquirer's 2025 Very Philly Gift Guide 3. ‘Family Spirit’ Diane McKinney-Whetstone’s descriptions of West Philadelphia jump off every page in her latest novel, Family Spirit. She gets it right down to the description of the air on West 52nd Street “smelling of popcorn and patent leather” in her page-turning story starring a clairvoyant college sophomore, Ayana. Diane McKinney-Whetstone, Amistad, $27. 4. ‘Ravishing’ In Ravishing, when Indian American teenager Kashmira discovers Evolvoir, a magical cosmetic that lets women alter their features as they want, she chooses to look less like the father who abandoned her. It’s as if she’s found beauty nirvana. Eshani Surya, Roxanne Gay Books, $28. 5. ‘GPS for the Soul: Wisdom of the Master’ Retired Chestnut Hill Hospital labor and delivery nurse Dana Hayne spent 13 years living with Sri Lankan spiritual teacher Bawa Muhaiyaddeen at his Wynnefield mosque. In 2017, Hayne wrote a memoir about the time she spent with him, GPS for the Soul, which has just been rereleased. Dana Hayne, Balboa Press, $28. 6. ‘A Family for Zoya: The True Story of an Endangered Cub’ A Family For Zoya: The True Story of an Endangered Cub is a nonfiction children’s book about a baby Amur tiger named Zoya who was abandoned by her birth parents in Philadelphia. Zoya was cared for by local zoologists before she was driven to an Oklahoma zoo and adopted by a family of Sumatran tigers. Written by Debra Kim Wolf and illustrated by Annalisa and Marina Durante, Platypus Media, $22. 7. ‘Mounted’ Mounted, Bitter Kalli’s collection of essays, explores their intimate relationship with horses and how celebrities like Beyoncé and Lil Nas X resurrected equestrian culture in the Black community. Bitter Kalli, Amistad, $22. 8. ‘Walking a Tightrope Backward in High Heels’ Part political memoir, part leadership guide, former City Councilmember Blondell Reynolds-Brown’s memoir, Walking a Tightrope Backward in High Heels, is an uplifting story about perseverance, recounting her 20-plus-year journey of being City Council member at-large while going through a painful divorce. Blondell Reynolds-Brown, Wordee, $32. 9. ‘Black Genius: Essays on an American Legacy’
