Local offerings

New books with local ties

"A Wallflower Christmas" by Lisa Kleypas (St. Martin's, $16.95). Talk about getting an early start on the holiday season! The Bellingham romance writer delivers a Yuletide tale about "an uncivilized American seeking a proper British heiress to wed."

"What Is a Trade?: Donald Fels and Signboard Painters of South India" by Greg Bell, Donald Fels and Samuel K. Parker (Tacoma Art Museum/University of Washington Press, $21.95). A retrospective of colorful work inspired by and done in collaboration with South Indian sign painters, by footloose but sometimes Seattle-based artist Fels. With a foreword by Tacoma Art Museum director Stephanie A. Stebich and an interview with Fels by TAM curator Rock Hushka. Bell is the Curator and Collection Coordinator at 4Culture in Seattle. Parker is Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at University of Washington, Tacoma.

"Metamorphosis: An Artist Envisions the Asanas of Yoga" by Emanuele Scanziani, with text by Jennifer Abel (Tara Books/Consortium, $16.95). A book offering "fresh perspective on the bond between body and mind, form and imagination." Writer Abel lives in Seattle.

"AIDS Sutra: Untold Stories from India," edited by Negar Akhavi (Anchor, $13.95). Bill and Melinda Gates provide the introduction to this anthology of essays on AIDS in India. Contributors include Amartya Sen, Salman Rushdie, Kiran Desai, Vikram Seth and others. Editor Akhavi works with Avahan, the India AIDS initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which collaborated on the book. Proceeds will go to a fund for children affected by HIV/AIDS in India.

"Happy Birthday, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle" by Betty MacDonald and Anne MacDonald Canham (HarperTrophy, $5.99). Paperback edition of eight Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle stories for children 8 to 12. The daughter of Betty MacDonald ("The Egg and I") found one completed story and notes for others among her mother's possessions. This book is the result.

Michael Upchurch: mupchurch@seattletimes.com