Buy Books for the Holidays

This blog, Books for the Holidays, is pushing the idea of books for gifts and provides posts full of ideas and suggestions. They also provide that nifty button for bloggers to spread the word.

Here is Indie Bound, a site encouraging the same thing while focusing on Independent Book Stores, providing a way to keep a wish list and view other's wish lists and a searchable list of Indie stores so you can find one near you by entering your zip code.

Here is my favorite Indie: Powell's Books in Portland Oregon. They offer gift cards, including electronic gift cards And of course wish lists. One of the things I'm looking forward to about my coming visit up north is another chance to roam the miles of shelves in this bookstore of my dreams. This time I'm taking my camera with me. Last year my camera did not have flash so all I got was exterior shots. This year (tho it might be January before I get to visit the store) I'm planning to go nuts taking dozens and dozens of shots.

And then there is the ubiquitous Amazon.com. They too have Gift Cards. And wish lists. View my wish list.

My husband's family had an early Christmas celebration yesterday and this year, for the first time, we used the 'draw a name' method. Each name was put in the bowl and drawn out one by one. Each person bought one gift and got one gift. But instead of a dozen in the $5 to $15 range we each got one in the $30 to $50 range. I drew my FIL's name and could not indulge my desire to buy books for him as he is most likely dyslexic and reading is a chore for him. But I did indulge my desire to give story as gift by getting him a set of The Three Stooges and Laurel and Hardy DVD--over ten hours of slapstick. But that was really an extra becasue his BIG gift was a tripod for his camera. I had learned before they left on their Baja cruise in October that he probably wasn't taking his camera because he had gotten to shakey to use it. He is an untrained amature but I think there is something magical about some of his seascape pictures. I've used several of them in posts here. I wish I could find a link to one of them. OK I'm just going to post one of them again:



He also loves to take pictures at the dirt track. I'm not as into those but sometimes he gets pictures of incredible sunsets at the track.

OK. That was a bit of a digression. I was leading up to this: My Santa was my 14 year old niece of whom I speak of often here. She is another story lover--books, movies, stage. Her gift to me was two part: a new flannel sheets set for our bed and a $4o Barnes & Noble Gift Card. I can use it online or at the store. Though I love the sheet set and NEEDED them, you can guess which part of her gift I loved the most.