The Advertiser book shelf is groaning with the rush of books that are released in the fall, just in time for holiday giving. Some mini-reviews:

"DEB AOKI'S BENTO BOX: SELECTED COMICS FROM THE HONOLULU ADVERTISER, 1996-2006" BY DEB AOKI; BENTO BOX PRESS, PAPER, $13.95

I was features editor when The Advertiser started running this then-college girl's strip — and I remember certain cartoons that still make me laugh and touch my Islander's heart: strips such as "Life on the Mainland," about all the goofy things you hear when you say you're from Hawai'i, and "It's Omiyage Time," about vacation-gift oneupsmanship.

Aoki now lives in North Hollywood, where she is a Web designer — but she continues to "get" this place. Give this one for Christmas and there'll be lots of chuckles as it's passed from hand to hand.

"NO MATTER WHAT! FIVE STEPS OF REFLECTING TO LIVE A BALANCED LIFE!" BY CELINE PIILANI NELSEN; ISLAND HERITAGE, HARDBACK, $19.99

Celine Nelsen is an inspirational speaker and founder of a leadership development firm who writes just as she speaks and teaches: with exclamation-point enthusiasm, lots of aphorism and catchy sayings.

In the vein of local author Kent Keith's best-selling "Do It Anyway," her book is part biography, splashed with anecdotes from her small-kid time on Kaua'i and stories of those who inspired and taught her. The chapters are built around a set of aphorisms, each of which ends "No matter what!" "Love yourself first, no matter what!" "Know who you are ... Get over it ... Rise to every occasion ... Live every day ... " The goal is to get readers to examine their lives through a series of questions and challenges, and commit to more conscious living.

"CATCH THE DREAM: THE STORY OF HAWAII WINTER BASEBALL" BY LANCE TOMINAGA; WATERMARK, PAPER, $19.95

This is exactly the kind of compilation that statistics-mad baseball lovers appreciate: Sandwiched between articles that tell the story of the league's founding, faltering and re-launching is the Official League Trivia Quiz; a complete roster of players plus separate rosters of Hawai'i-born players, international players and those who moved on to Major League Baseball; biographies of key players; and histories of each team and season.

Tominaga, a Honolulu freelance writer, works for TransOceanic Media, owned by league founder Duane Kurisu, so he's had a box seat for all the league action and this smoothly written book shows it.

"SURFING HISTORIC IMAGES FROM BISHOP MUSEUM ARCHIVES" BY DESOTO BROWN; BISHOP MUSEUM PRESS, PAPER, $14.95

Though the format is less splashy — 7-by-10 inches, black-and-white — this 154-page pictorial history of surfing has the kind of riveting power of one of those old Life magazine spreads. And if you're from Hawai'i, you can't help relating the caption information to what, and who, you know. Look! There's Santa surfing into Waikiki; I remember when we used to go down to watch that. Brown, a Bishop Museum archivist and collections manager and a lifelong collector of Hawaiiana, offers insight in cutlines that weave together small stories.

Quick hits: Two gorgeous full-color picture books would make a special gift for anyone who loves the Big Island. ...

"Waimea: A Big Island Treasure"; LindaChing Productions, paper, $22

Photographer Linda Ching's evocation of paniolo history, with mo'olelo (story and history) by Lynn Cook.

"Hawaii Dreamscapes Revealed" by photographers Andrew Doughty and Leona Boyd; Wizard, hardback, $39.95

The first in a proposed series that explores "landscapes and scenes with the strangeness or mystery characteristic of dreams." Mesmerizing photos splash across the pages of this large-format work.

Reach Wanda A. Adams at wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.