Yes, 'tis (almost) the season for gift-giving. Most of us who like to cook also like to read about cooking, and many have a chosen few books that they couldn't do without. Here are my current favourite five.

In no particular order:

1. The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg

For: confident, adventurous and creative cooks

This isn't technically a cookbook, but it has been my cooking mentor for the past year. It's a listing of almost every conceivable ingredient with suggestions for other things that tend to pair successfully with that ingredient. I use it almost daily when deciding what to put on pizzas or salads, or into pastas or meatloaf. It's helped me reduce food wastage by offering inspiration for using up leftovers. I'm especially proud that the chefs consulted in its creation include Vancouver's own Vikram Vij, Meeru Dhalwala (Vij's, Rangoli) and Dominque and Cindy Duby (Wild Sweets).

2. A Boy After the Sea: An Untold Story by Kevin Snook

For: big-hearted, highly-skilled cooks and lovers of seafood

A stunningly beautiful coffee table book, this was created to honour the author's son, Dan Snook, whose life turned tragic when he suffered sexual abuse while working on a fishing boat. Dan died of a drug overdose at the age of 19, and his father established The Dan Snook Trust Foundation, a charitable organization that supports young adults in the catering industry who struggle with substance abuse. The book is a collection of seafood recipes from chefs around the world, messages about protecting our oceans and making sustainable seafood choices, and gorgeous black and white photography of water.

It recently received an award, the Best UK Cookbook in the Fish and Shellfish category as chosen by Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. Some of the recipes are fairly complicated and might intimidate beginner cooks, but the book itself will be treasured by anyone who loves fish and cares for the health of our waterways. All proceeds of the book are donated to the foundation, which is based here in Vancouver.

3. A Local Table: The Choices Market Cookbook by Choices own Desiree Nielsen and Antonio Cerullo

For: health-conscious locavores wanting seasonal inspiration

In general I lean towards real food as opposed to what many people call health food. I have a deep reverence for butter and cheese, but so far have not managed to teach myself to love tofu. (This is an ongoing challenge; perhaps this is the book that will do it.) So I was please by the number of recipes in this book that embrace cheese and wine, poultry and chocolate (but not together). This is about real food, wholesome food. And beyond the recipes I appreciate the seasonal availabity guide, the tips for eating more sustainably, the stunning real-food photography and the stories of BC farms. It's available at Choices Markets and some of the proceeds support FarmFolk/CityFolk.

4. Gourmet Today edited by Ruth Reichl

For: everybody who likes to do things in a kitchen

I used to like Gourmet magazine a lot. But over the years I stopped reading it; it seemed to be more for people-who-travel-and-eat-at-fancy-restaurants than for people who like to roll up their sleeves in the kitchen. And when this immense—I mean immense—new cookbook arrived, I was skeptical. I didn't expect to like it. But I do, I do! I wish it had included a few photographs of the recipes, but I do love the recipes themselves and the very handy little tips and notes that accompany them. Also that length of grosgrain bookmark. I really do love that. I expected to be put off by the sheer number of recipes, but I'm finding that it offers fantastic breadth. Lots of comfort and ethnic foods, lots of vegetarian dishes, and lots of inspiration. This is Gourmet for a new generation, and it's making me a little bit sad that the magazine is folding this year.

5. rebar modern food cookbook by Audrey Alsterberg and Wanda Urbanowicz

For: vegetarians, almost vegetarians, fish-eating vegetarians and hoping-to-become-more-vegetarians

This is a selection of the recipes featured at the quite famous and much loved Rebar restaurant in Victoria, BC, appropriately sized down for the home cook. I've made several of them, and some require a fair bit of work, but they've all been well worth the effort. Great—even inspired—salads, soups, appetizers, mains and desserts. It has a nice focus on real and healthy ingredients, but doesn't disapprove of butter and cheese. Strong southwestern flair, if you like that kind of food, without being a southwestern cookbook per se. It's approachable, not too fancy, and offers up a lot of casual, homemade deliciousness.