2014 holiday gift guide

'Lost Souls Volume 1' ($12.50)

Originally released on Harold Ott's local Psych of the South label, "Lost Souls Vol. 1" is the definitive document of Arkansas's 1960s garage and psychedelic rock scene. The Problems of Tyme, The Roustabouts, The Shades, The Vycounts all of your (cool grandfather's) favorites are here. And as of September, it's available on vinyl via Get Hip Records. WS

Roku streaming player ($49)

I didn't know I wanted a Roku until my daughter gave me one for Christmas. It's a plug-in device that streams TV channels via WiFi. Lots of free channels. Easy access to subscription services like Netflix and Amazon Prime. You can buy the device for as little as $49. There's no monthly charge. It's a big step forward in weaning yourself from cable TV. Easy to set up. Easy to use. Even for a technophobe. MB

'Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home' cookbook ($17.98)

When I was a sophomore in college, I visited my older brother's house and found an untouched copy of a cookbook on his shelf called "Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home," which I subsequently stole. It was my first cookbook, and 12 years later it's still the one I use most often. There's no better way to learn a repertoire of cheap, quick, healthy, tasty meals that are mostly vegetarian; no recipe takes more than an hour to cook, and rarely do they call for ingredients that aren't available at your average Walmart. Try the pad thai, the cauliflower paprikash, the sweet potato quesadillas, the minestra. Give a copy to your own college student, or to any friend with a low-to-moderate kitchen literacy, or maybe to my brother. BH

DJI Phantom Drone Quadcopter ($479)

I want what every good boy and girl wants for Christmas: the ability to fly. It isn't possible quite yet, but I can come close to seeing what the city looks like from up there with the new, handy-dandy DJI Phantom Aerial UAV GoPro Mount 2.4GHz Drone Quadcopter. Yes, drone. This state of the art adult toy can be good for all kinds of things such as spying on your neighbors or getting free into outdoor concerts and sporting events. On the tech side the Quadcopter is great for shooting aerial shots and easily connects to a GoPro camera. JG

Marvel Unlimited ($9.99 or $69)

I used to read comic books as a teenager, and now my 4-year-old is obsessed with superheroes and asking me questions like, "Who is Thor's mother?" and "What are Black Panther's powers?," so it seemed like a good time for me to start reading comics again. It's gotten way easier and way cheaper since I last regularly read them a dozen years ago. Now, for $9.99 a month or $69 a year, you can subscribe to Marvel Unlimited, which gives you unlimited access to a massive chunk of Marvel's catalog. The newest stuff is months old, but there's so much archive stuff, with new additions all the time, you're gonna have a hard time running out of comics to read. A tablet is the best device for reading these, though there is a phone app that displays individual panels and isn't terrible if you need a comics fix while killing time. LM

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2014 holiday gift guide