Born and raised in the most multicultural state in the union, President Barack Obama bears the indelible stamp of his native Hawai‘i. Stu Glauberman and Jerry Burris’s book, The Dream Begins: How Hawai‘i Shaped Barack Obama (Watermark Publishing, 2009), is a coming-of-age story set in Hawai‘i’s storied “melting pot”—a revealing look at the island state that is surely a core part of what makes Obama tick.

The Honolulu Stadium 2010 Calendar features twelve months of memories from Mickey Mantle to Elvis Presley, the Hawaii Islanders to high school football. With rare photos and important dates from Arthur Suehiro’s bestselling book, Honolulu Stadium: Where Hawaii Played, both calendar and book celebrate the golden era of Hawai‘i athletics, a time when Honolulu was young and sport was king.

The Honolulu Stadium 2010 Calendar is currently part of a special promotion at Hawaii Barnes & Noble bookstores: purchase a copy of Honolulu Stadium, the book, and receive a complimentary calendar while supplies last at the three Hawaii Barnes & Noble locations (Ala Moana, Kahala Mall and Lahaina Gateway). The promotional period runs now through October 14, 2009.

Books make fantastic gifts—you can give someone countless gourmet meals, a trip to a far-flung land, transport them to the future or bring them back to their past all in a tidy package.

There’s a book to suit everyone’s taste, they last longer than a box of chocolates, they don’t go out of style, and everyone—young or old—appreciates a good story.

Here are a few gift ideas for this holiday season from Watermark Publishing’s catalog:

Anyone who's spent any length of time away from the Islands—or sent a care package to a homesick college student—knows: Hawai‘i folk feel strongly about the tastes of home. It goes beyond craving a familiar food. It's a comforting connection that resonates in our souls.

“Saimin” is a contraction of the Chinese words “sai” (thin) and “mein” (noodle). Saimin noodles are unique in that they contain eggs and are curly and slightly chewy when cooked. The popular staple (see photo page ii) dates back to the plantation era, when it cost 10 cents for a large bowl, 5 cents for a small one, at Waipahu’s Shiroma Saimin stand in the 1930s. Saimin is served alongside hot dogs and burgers throughout the Islands—only in Hawai‘i is it found on the menu at Jack in the Box and McDonald’s. Hamura’s Saimin Stand on Kaua‘i was even recognized by the prestigious James Beard Foundation as one of America’s Classics in 2006

Kau Kau: Cuisine and Culture in the Hawaiian Islands by Arnold Hiura, an upcoming release from Watermark Publishing, will be in stores January 2010.

But you can pre-order an advance copy now for holiday delivery via the publisher's Web site or enter to win a copy in a series of weekly drawings via Facebook and Twitter.

Watermark Publishing has launched an online giveaway contest to promote upcoming release Kau Kau: Cuisine and Culture in the Hawaiian Islands by Arnold Hiura.

One winner will be selected each week at random to receive a copy of Kau Kau. The contest runs Nov. 2 - Dec. 18, 2009. Kau Kau will debut in bookstores in January, but can be pre-ordered at the publisher’s Web site, www.bookshawaii.net.

Exploring Historic Hilo, a pictorial history of the Big Island town, is the fifth title in The Small Town Series. This site-by-site guide features 100 archival photographs of businesses, schools, churches, homes and public buildings—many of them rare images never before published. Each of the photos is keyed to a location on a foldout map, providing a unique, hands-on way to explore the historic town.

Gecko is only a few inches tall, but that’s still big enough to be a bully when there are smaller creatures around the house—like Mosquito and her insect friends. But Mosquito is tired of being chased and harassed by the greedy lizard.

In Gecko and Mosquito, Mosquito is the unlikely hero who saves the day and frees the household bugs from Gecko’s tyranny with a clever plan. Gecko may be bigger, but he’s definitely not smarter.

In The Hawai‘i Beer Book: Bars, Breweries & Beer Cuisine, a guide to Hawaii’s vibrant beer scene, Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi shares the history of beer in the Islands, takes the reader to local craft breweries and explains the basics of home brewing.

This 192-page book also includes more than two-dozen delicious recipes incorporating beer, suggestions for food-and-beer pairings, listings and reviews of local bars and restaurants to aid in seeking out the perfect pint, and fun beer trivia.The comprehensive resource section lists everything from beer books and events to breweriana clubs and podcasts.

The sand beach that stretches nearly a mile beyond the Kalaupapa wharf was always laid smooth by the tide. Hansen's disease plays havoc with feet, ulcerating them, crippling them. Such feet walk poorly. And in sand they cannot walk at all. Most patients in Henry's time left no footprints in that golden sand.

In 1936 ten-year-old Henry was taken from his family on the Island of Hawai‘i and sent to Kalihi Hospital on O‘ahu. He was later transferred to Kalaupapa on the rugged north coast of Moloka‘i, where he has spent most of the past 65 years in this remote village with a tragic history as a Hansen’s disease colony. During its century as a virtual prison, more than 8,000 people were exiled to Kalaupapa, until the introduction of sulfone drugs in the 1940s. Today fewer than 20 patients remain.

No Footprints in the Sand: A Memoir of Kalaupapa by Henry Nalaielua with Sally-Jo Bowman is one of only a few memoirs ever shared with the public by a Kalaupapa patient. Its intimacy and candor make it, in the words of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.S. Merwin, “a rare and precious human document.”

This July day was insufferably hot in Honolulu. Henry Nalaielua sat perspiring at the grounds of ‘Iolani Palace, even though his chair was in the shade. He and some 500 others had listened all morning to prayers and hymns and speeches. And then, near the end of the long ceremonies and ecumenical service, it was Nalaielua’s turn. The notes for his speech were under his ginger lei, in the pocket of his aloha shirt—his best blue one. He shuffled the few steps to the lei-draped lectern on hobbly feet that reminded him of his mission of honor. He had come to the palace from his home at Kalaupapa on Moloka‘i, where he was sent as a Hansen’s disease (leprosy) patient before World War II, and where he has lived most of his 70 years.

Author and educator Frances H. Kakugawa will hold book signings and presentations in Hilo, Lihue and Honolulu during the month of October. Kakugawa, who grew up in Kapoho on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, will be the keynote speaker at the Hawai‘i County Office of Aging Caregiver Conference, and will lead workshops for the Alzheimer Association Aloha Chapter’s Kaua‘i and Honolulu offices. All events are open to the public.

Kakugawa is an advocate of the power of writing to help families and caregivers cope with the burdens of long-term illness. She has been featured on KHON2 newscasts with Kirk Matthews and in The Honolulu Advertiser for her work with children and adults, using journaling and creative writing to come to a better understanding of Alzheimer’s patients and deal with the stresses of having a family member afflicted with the disease.