1. Chronicle Books has extended its friends and family 35% off sale. They have some unique titles and gift items and this is a fabulous sale. Use promo code FRIENDS at checkout thru Dec. 12.
2. Don't forget Book Closeouts for discounts on great books. I have a list of titles and search for them at greatly reduced prices. The only drawback...you probably have to order now to get them in time for Christmas - shipping is not the fastest. But they have such good deals it's worth it if you're prepared.
3. I'm all for bundling. For example, the new Louisa May Alcott bio by Harriet Riesen, combined with this lovely Penguin Classic of Little Women (or this one - love the cover
combined with a favorite movie version and a set of paper dolls or coloring book would be a super fun mama/daughter gift. Ditto with any of the classics - Anne of Green Gables, Jane Austens, Sherlock Holmes etc. LEGO would do well to branch out into the land of classics, the nerd in me has already built a Little House on the Prairie settlement out of Lincoln Logs. I'm just saying....
4. I have become well acquainted with several of my local used bookstores and they all have frequent buyer programs for very little money. I think it's $10 a year and buy 3 get the 4th free - the kids love going there too. You should check them out - or put together a little used bookstore daytrip with girlfriends. Plan a route, have some lunch, usually used stores are in cool parts of town with other indy shops and you can discover hidden treasures close to home.
5. Besides just reading, books make great decorations. Stack books (without jackets) to give height to picture frames, glass jars filled with ornaments or other seasonal decor, or as a centerpiece with those nifty flameless candles. (paper + fire = bad idea) This is also where used bookstores are awesome - you can get old copies of A Christmas Carol or other classics.
6. A bookclub basket for a reading mama or grammy. My choices would include: What Alice Knew by Paula Marantz Cohen, Every Last Thing by Anna Quindlan, Bloodroot by Amy Greene, Starting from Scratch by Susan Gilbert-Collins, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson, The Summer Guest by Justin Cronin, Saving Ceecee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman, Room by Emma Donoghue, and A Novel Bookstore by Lawrence Cosse. And anything by Beth Kephart.
Oh look, those are my favorites from this year!
7. Cookbooks. I never buy them for myself anymore. But I love to get them. Oh yes I do. These caught my eye and would go great paired with a kitchen tool or baking dish or new dishtowels. I started to list some here, got carried away, and it will be a new post tomorrow...
8. Books in art - my fave is Jane Mount. Check out her etsy shop for The Ideal Bookshelf.
9. For a family with a newborn or young children, I think these compilations that suggest even more books are great. A Family of Readers: The Book Lover's Guide to Children and Young Adult Literature by Roger Sutton or The Book Tree, or the Read Aloud Handbook.
See also What to Read and When by Pam Allyn.
10. If you haven't signed up for Amazon Prime yet, I must recommend it. For $79 you are guaranteed 2 day no more cost shipping all year. And while it turns out to be worth it just for Christmas, I am thankful I did it each time I order. It's a keeper and might be someone's favorite gift that keeps on giving.
