Hey! Just a little more than a week to finish your Christmas shopping. WGx is making it easy for you to keep your gift-giving local. Sort of.

Looking for local WG authors? Maynard and Jennica got a nice write-up in the WG Resident back in November, and was also featured in the SJ Mercury’s WG Where We Live feature.

The book demonstrates an intense passion for the place he grew up, for the memories formed at the corner drugstore and then reincarnated through his characters and their experiences.

“It’s a comedy told by everyone,” he says. “It’s narrated by the two main characters, friends, their family and even dead relatives.”

It’s a love story of sorts, with Jennica sharing her nostalgic memories of growing up in San Jose.

That’s San Jose in general … and WG’s Palm Haven neighborhood in specific, where author Rudolph Delson also grew up.

Speaking of “Maynard” … another coffee table style book has recently been published, featuring fancy pictures of stuff right here in Willow Glen … including the famous Maynard Mansion on Minnesota Avenue, which serves as the cover for backdrop for author Dave Clarke Mora’s book, which was featured in the Nov 23 edition of the WG Resident:

Willow Glen resident Dave Clarke Mora takes the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” to heart when creating books for his new series Our Town Books, which highlights various local neighborhoods in photographs.

“Our Town: Willow Glen,” Clarke Mora’s first publication in the series, is an 80-page hardcover book filled with 150 color photos of popular areas throughout Willow Glen, including local restaurants, schools, homes, shops and places of worship.

Mora’s book has been on display at Bayside Community Church, Bill’s Cafe, Willow Glen Books, Siena Bistro and Willow Glen Frozen Yogurt. It’s also available online from the Our Town Books website, along with a similar book about Los Gatos.

Then there’s the updated “Touring Historic Willow Glen,” which was published as a partnership between the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association (WGNA) and Preservation Action Council of San Jose. The book was first released on Founder’s Day 2007, and might still be available from Willow Glen Books.

And as a simple community service …. Don’t forget if you are ordering gifts from Amazon, their “super saver shipping” promotion ends December 17 (that’s Monday)!

Of course, the wide array of Willow Glen bookstores will be open through Christmas Eve … Good luck!