It’s down to the wire -only a few days until gifts are to be given. Are you ready? We weren't ready... so we raced around town in one day to fill this year's Last-Minute Gift Guide. Whether for your friends or family we’ve got you covered for some simple, affordable, and available gifts around town.

MUSIC

Their favorite artist on vinyl ($$ Shake-It Records, Everybody’s Records, Target, Urban Outfitters)

The vinyl resurgence is in full-force, leading a strong desire for music fans to have something tactile to celebrate their favorite artists. Albums are big, beautiful works of art and playing your tunes hits differently when your hands are involved in the process. Local record shops all over town are carrying a diverse collection of albums from our favorite artists including BLACK PINK, Olivia Rodrigo, and Rosé.

The CSO's Harmony Pass ($-$$$ available at the CSO's website)

One of our favorite organizations that celebrates Asian artists is the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Despite being one of the oldest orchestras in the United States, they offer some of the most diverse music performances from Bach to Common and pushes the envelope with music experiences in their Proof concert series. The CSO is offering a subscription they’re calling Harmony Pass which gives music lovers access to some of the best seats in the house for an incredible price.

FOOD

A-SHA x HOT ONES Ramen Noodle Bowls ($ Find them in person at Target or order them online at A-SHA’s website)

Calling all spice-lovers - don’t miss the A-SHA x HOT ONES collaboration featuring three progressively hot instant ramen flavors: Taiwanese Tingly Pepper Ramen (mild), Sizzling Chili Garlic (medium), and Fiery Hot Tonkotsu (hot). Each ramen comes with a bonus spice pack to challenge your taste buds! Try all three flavors and see if you can handle the heat!

Furikake ($ available at CAM, Enson Market, V-Mart, Saigon Market, Kroger, Jungle Jim's, etc...)

When we asked Bengals Wide Receiver Andrei Iosivas what his favorite Asian snack was, we were not ready to hear “rice and furikake” but he’s so right! Andre prefers a more straight-up seaweed and sesame seed variety but there’s so many flavors to choose from. Furikake is a favorite seasoning in many of our teams’ cupboards as it really is easy to make plain white rice really tasty.

Vadilal Ice Cream ($ Patel Brothers (this size), Desi Plaza)

Speaking of flavors… we spent the summer finding new ways to cool off. Frozen hawthorne candy, tropical fruit bars, and mochi balls were excellent options we found but our biggest (smallest?) surprise were the dozens of ice cream flavors available from Vadilal, one of India’s favorite ice cream brands. While you can find pints at any Indian grocer, we stumbled across these bite-size snack packs at Patel Brothers. The flavors are definitively different from any American-brand of ice cream (yeah, we tried them all) and they hit that sweet spot of being “not-to-sweet” (pun intended). These snack packs are super cheap and even come with a built-in spoon -you can gift your frozen-food/sweet tooth friends with a basket of flavors for not a lot of dollars. Just, maybe, remember to include some Lactaid to be nice ;-).

BOOKS

We tapped the busy mind of Joy from Joy and Matt's Books for some of her favorite recommendations for book lovers.

Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie writes a searing, deeply personal account of enduring—and surviving—an attempt on his life thirty years after the fatwa that was ordered against him.

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R.F. Kuang

A historical fantasy epic that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British empire.

To Hold Up The Sky by Cixin Liu

A short story collection of captivating visions of the future and incredible re-imaginings of the past written by the author of the Three Body Problem.

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

Our Missing Hearts is an old story made new, of the ways supposedly civilized communities can ignore the most searing injustice. It’s about the lessons and legacies we pass on to our children and the power of art to create change.

Life Ceremony: Stories by Sayaka Murata

A short story-collection by the author of the cult sensation Convenience Store Woman, tales of weird love, heartfelt friendships, and the unsettling nature of human existence.

The Book of Tea Duology by Judy I. Lin

This YA pair starts with A Magic Steeped in Poison and culminates in A Venom Dark and Sweet.

Chinese Enough: Homestyle Recipes for Noodles, Dumplings, Stir-Fries, and More by Kristina Cho.

One-time Cincinnatian Kristina Cho shares some of her best recipes and techniques using Californian ingredients with Midwestern sensibility.