Novel ideas: southern writers serve up gift ideas for everyone on your list.

THE DOGS WHO FOUND ME: WHAT I'VE LEARNED FROM PETS WHO WERE LEFT BEHIND

By Ken Foster. Paperback, $12.95. The Lyons Press, www.lyonspress.com.

Ken Foster is a magnet for dogs and disasters. One might say living in New York during 9/11 then in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina could be two very unfortunate coincidences, but Foster's knack for finding abandoned dogs runs deeper than just bad timing. When confronted with the sight of a skinny dog behind a gas station dumpster, most of us might feel a wave of concern but then drive away telling ourselves that someone else will save it. Ken Foster is that someone else.

This touching collection of essays and insights recalls encounters with abandoned dogs and how each one affected his life. From the downtown dog runs in New York City to the often-neglected college-town canines roaming his neighborhood, Foster is there to rescue them and place them in a loving home. Armed with unwavering commitment and an extensive network of fellow rescuers and benefactors, Foster has helped numerous abused dogs find families to take them in (and sometimes even adopted them himself).

Throughout the book, Foster, who taught at the University of Southern Mississippi, ponders the psychology behind his compulsion. "Rescuing something takes time, and there is a risk of revealing something about yourself--your vulnerability--that isn't fashionable at all," he writes. "You do it without knowing how any of it will turn out, or how much it will cost you, or if the story will be happy or tragic in the end."

Although a few of his rescue efforts may not have a happy ending, the optimistic fervor behind all of his endeavors is uplifting and inspiring. "If we can save something," Foster observes, "maybe then we can do anything."

DEEP SOUTH PARTIES: OR HOW TO SURVIVE THE SOUTHERN COCKTAIL HOUR WITHOUT A BOX OF FRENCH ONIONS SOUP MIX, A BLOCK OF PROCESSED CHEESE, OR A COCKTAIL WEENIE 

By Robert St. John. Hardcover, $19.95. Hyperion, www.hyperionbooks.com.

Hattiesburg chef Robert St. John, author of Deep South Staples, is back again with more hilarious anecdotes and fabulous recipes. His new book is full of deep-Southern-fried stories and inventive delectables, both perfect for entertaining. While three different recipes for pimiento cheese (which he aptly terms "pate of the South") might be overkill in any other American region, St. John embraces the South's traditional cocktail cuisine. In the book's foreword, Southern literary queen Julia Reed says of his grilled pimiento cheese sandwiches, "(they) may well be the best things I've ever tasted."

St. John's recipe for Southern hummus, which is made with black-eyed peas, puts a local twist on the Greek classic. "You may never use chickpeas for hummus again," he writes.

SOUTHERN HUMMUS

2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups black-eyed peas, cooked
1 cup tahini, well-stirred
2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water, plus extra if needed
1/4 cup parsley leaves, freshly chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

Using a blender, purge all ingredients except parsley and pine nuts. Add water only as needed to keep the purge from becoming too thick. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Before serving, garnish with chopped parsley and toasted pine nuts. Serve with herbed pita triangles (recipe also found in book).

IMAGES OF MADISON COUNTY

Photography by Stephen Kirkpatrick; text by Marlo Carter Kirkpatrick. Hardcover, $45. Thy Marvelous Works, www.kirkpatrickwildlife.com.

Early in his career, budding wildlife photographer Stephen Kirkpatrick dreamed of traveling to exotic locations to practice his art. "...I was too broke to go any farther than the pastures of Flora or the waters of the Ross Barnett Reservoir," he writes in the introduction to his new book, Images of Madison County. Kirkpatrick eventually discovered there was plenty of inspiration closer to home. "I stopped longing to take an ordinary photograph of an extraordinary subject and focused instead on capturing extraordinary photographs of the familiar," he writes.

Some of Kirkpatrick's photographs, which were all shot within the 720 square miles of central Mississippi's Madison County, include an intricate spiderweb sparkling with tiny pearl-like beads of dew, a lazy alligator skimming the surface of the Pearl River swamp, and vibrant butterflies and birds mingling among native flowers and trees. All of the images encompass the natural beauty found in Mississippi's wildlife.

A section at the back of the book explains how Kirkpatrick captures scenes from his natural surroundings. Whether neck-deep in a swamp (in what he calls his "frog's eye view") or patiently staking out a scene waiting for the perfect light, Kirkpatrick finds the magic in his own backyard. After finally achieving enough success to travel extensively, Kirkpatrick writes, "... no matter what I see of the rest of the world, I never tire of working in my own little corner of it, and I've never been disappointed by what Madison County has to offer."

VANISHED MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST 

By Jim Fraiser; photography by Rick Guy and Jim Fraiser. Hardcover, $21. Pelican Publishing Company, www.pelicanpub.com.

As photographer Rick Guy was taking his final photographs for a book about historic sites along the Mississippi coast, Hurricane Katrina struck. The entire Gulf Coast was permanently altered on August 29, 2005. Although Katrina washed away many of the featured historic homes and landmarks, Jim Fraiser was able to successfully compile a visual reminder of what once was.

Vanished Mississippi Gulf Coast covers points of interest from Bay Saint Louis to Pascagoula. Each section features a town with historical tidbits and architectural photographs taken before and after the storm. From local history to current culture, this book is a perfect reference for natives and tourists alike.

In his introduction, Fraiser contemplates the resiliency of coastal natives. He writes, "Whatever the case, coast residents have endured three major wars, numerous devastating hurricanes, annual 19th-century yellow-fever epidemics, and almost every catastrophe unthinking man and merciless gods could devise. But after each disaster they have regrouped, reconsidered, and rebuilt, creating in the process a wide-open society where the locals revel in the good life, tourists are made to feel welcome, and all join together to 'pass a real good time.'"

MATTHEW AND THE MONEY TREE

By Matthew Lynch; illustrations by Paul Loudon. Hardcover, $14.95. Lynch Publishing, 601/506-0382.

Whoever said money doesn't grow on trees hasn't read Matthew Lynch's new children's book. Based on an African-American folktale Lynch remembers from childhood, Matthew and the Money Tree is a story about a boy who sets out to find out if the legend is true.

While collecting firewood in the nearby woods, Matthew encounters a man in distress and saves him from drowning. The mysterious stranger repays the favor by leading Matthew to the magical money tree, but Matthew discovers something more important than the allure of indulgence. Being grateful for life's simple blessings wins over greed in the end.

INDESTRUCTIBLE: THE UNFORGETTABLE STORY OF A MARINE HERO AT THE BATTLE OF IWO JIMA 

By Jack Lucas. Hardcover, $22.95. Da Capo Press, www.dacapopress.com.

In February 1945, the bloody battle for the Pacific reached its awful zenith on roughly eight square miles of volcanic rock and ash--the island of Iwo Jima. Before its climax, the fight would take the lives of almost 7,000 U.S. servicemen, but a handful survived the nightmare due to the split-second decision of Hattiesburg resident Jack Lucas. When two Japanese grenades landed in a trench with Lucas and his fellow Marines, Lucas dove atop one grenade and reached for the second to pull it beneath his body. The selflessness of the act earned him our nation's highest military award, the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Lucas was 17 at the time, and his standing as the youngest Medal of Honor recipient of the century is what makes the story of his heroism and struggle to recuperate from his injuries unique. Yet it is the book's perspective on a time when a boy of 14 would enlist to preserve freedom that makes the telling truly worthwhile. Hard times and distance have not dulled the sense of duty that called Lucas to his destiny, nor has age dulled the fighting spirit and resiliency that propelled him to such a momentous place at so tender an age.