Gifts for Baltimore bookworms

"The Balcony" by Jane Delury for Little, Brown and Company ($26) Synopsis: What if old houses could talk? What kinds of stories would they tell of the people who have lived there? The estate in “The Balcony” is in France and relates the tales of several generations who inhabited the manor house and servants’ cottage for more than a century. Why You Should Buy It: This buzzy novel picked up envy-inducing reviews from The New York Times and People Magazine, not to mention praise from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan and National Book Award-winning novelist Alice McDermott. Fun Fact: You or your kids can get graded by the author. Delury directs the bachelor’s degree program in English at the University of Baltimore. (HANDOUT)