Books make the best gifts. It's true. Stop fretting about the pile of catalogs from places like Surly Table and Expensive Clothes for Outdoors. Sure, you can set them aside for making collages later, but if you are feeling holiday stress about what gifts to proffer, the Bookcharmer is here to set your mind a rest. So fix yourself a nice cup of tea and let's get started.
First of all, is to update the list of books _you_ want and have not yet acquired. This is important information friends, family, and the occasional passerby will like to have. And while you can facilitate purchasing of the titles you desire from independent bookstores by creating wishlists at places like powells.com or helpfully including the ISBN along with a link to Indiebound.org, this is perhaps not the best time to launch into your anti-amazon tirade in front of would be gift givers. Save that for the Christmas dinner after presents have been opened and your haul of new books safely stashed.
The blogger of 3 Books a Night has an annual countdown of children's picture books. Her site is charming and well worth a visit for inspiration of titles you might like to acquire or gift: http://www.threebooksanight.com/tag/25-days-of-christmas-books-2015/
She blogs about new and vintage titles, so don't forget about out of print dealers like abebooks.com and alibris.com if you are seeking a special title.
If giving a physical object isn't your method of celebrating winter holidays, here are some other bibliocentric ideas for your celebratory purposes:
Make a date to go to the library.
Make a plan to go to a landmark library in another city, such as the Newberry in Chicago or the Huntington in San Marino.
Read aloud to a loved one.
Memorize a poem and recite it for a friend, a pet, to yourself.
Join or start a book club.
Make a generous donation to a literacy organization.
What, you want specific book recommendations? Really? Well then:
For all ages: the loud and quiet books, especially the Christmas Quiet Book by author Deborah Underwood and illustrator Renata Liwska. You can find information about these wonderful books and even see a delightful "book trailer" at this website:
http://hmhbooks.com/quietloudbooks/
For older readers: Library of America titles where you can find handsome editions of American authors, perfect for building a library or owning choice copies of select titles: https://www.loa.org/ You'll find writers from Baldwin to Wharton with all kinds of titles in between.
Finally, if the Book as Art Object is what you desire: check out the offerings of the Denver Abecedarian Gallery http://abecedariangallery.com/store/
Happy reading!
The Bookcharmer
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