"Annie's Favorite Favorites/Island Style Cooking," by Annie Yonashiro (self-published with Island Heritage, paper/spiral, $15). O'ahu hair stylist Yonashiro, who has done several previous books for charity, dedicates this new collection to the late Camryn Lu, a premature baby for whom she helped care. A portion of the proceeds go to a Kapi'olani Medical Center fund in his name. The book is a cut above the average charity collection, with color photos and a line or two about each recipe; Yonashiro did the food styling, a friend shot the photos. Recipe: Roll Your Own Sushi, complete menu for entertaining. To purchase book: Annie Yonashiro, Salon Nanea, 741-1222.

From local publishers: "Jean Hee's Best of the Best Hawai'i Recipes," by Jean Watanabe Hee (Mutual, paper/spiral, $14.95), favorites from five previous successful "best" books; "Hawaiian Tropical Cocktails," by Mark Sullivan with David K. McAteer, selection of fruit-based drinks perfected by a local mixologist; "Thirty Four Chefs," (Hilton Waikoloa Village, hardback, $34), celebrating the Hilton Waikoloa Village's Dolphin Days festival, with five questions for each of the the Island chefs, a recipe from each and gorgeous photos by John De Mello.

Entertaining: It was the year of the host and hostess, with several new books on this topic. "Hawai'i's Party Food, A Complete Guide to Preparing," by Muriel Miura (Mutual, paper/spiral, $14.95), favorite nibbles and noshes, plus tips and variations; "Party Hawai'i, a Guide to Entertaining in the Islands," by Kaui Philpotts (Mutual Publishing, oversize hardback, $27.95), sophisticated guide to designing successful parties, as well as what to serve; "Entertaining Island Style" by Wanda A. Adams (Island Heritage, hardback/spiral, $15.95), a real-life guide to how Islanders entertain, from carport potluck to sit-down dinners (with ingredient substitutions for Mainland users).

Community cookbooks: Every cookbook collector appreciates these charity compilations that are generally paperback, spiral-bound, inexpensive and focused on recipes, with few frills. Some 2007 releases to consider include "Sharing Our Mene Best" from Moanalua High School Project Graduation United ($12 plus $5 shipping and handling or $8 Mainland, to Sherry Teruya, 1314 S. King, St. 1162, Honolulu 96814; MoHSPGCookbook@yahoo.com) and "Mea E 'Ai (Come and Eat)," by Castle High Project Grad '08 committee ($12; Kathy Martin, 233-5379 or castleparents@hotmail.com).

A favorite topic: "The Book of Spam, A most Glorious and Definitive Compendium of the World's Favorite Canned Meat" by Dan Armstrong and Dustin Black (Atria Books, hardback, $23.95) is a kooky, cartoony trivia-laced hymn of praise to the Island favorite (and if Hormel didn't pay the guys, they should have).

My favorite story is how Hormel got rid of the goopy gel in the can (they added potato starch).

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