Writer Anna Clark is doing a series on her blog, Isak, suggesting that we all choose books as gifts for the holidays. Each almost-daily post in the series suggests not only the title of a book, but also who that book would be perfect for, what edition to buy, and where to buy it.
There is also a Buy Books For the Holidays website that hopes we will “make this holiday a literary season.”
I agree. I hate shopping, but choosing a book for someone does not feel like shopping. It feels like getting lost in a library. I love to give books. I love to receive books. Most hardbacks are $25 or less. Wonderful paperbacks can be found for $15 or less. And for $9.95 a month, there’s BookSwim, a kind of netflix for books. Gifts of words, of stories, of lives…
One of my other favorite gifts is to plant a tree in honor of that person. I started doing this in 1998 through an organization called Forevergreen that planted trees in Minnesota. I’d seen a segment about their work on TV. Now there’s Trees Columbus.
If you have questions about giving any of the books I’ve written about on the blog, please leave a comment and I will try to respond quickly.
You are right that “choosing a book for someone does not feel like shopping.” And thank you for the resources and wonderful suggestions.
Gumboyaya, when I take the books out of the bag or the box and run my hands over the covers…books are so beautiful. I like to stack them up and then I even enjoy wrapping them. Thanks for your comment.
This might seem contradictory but I am actually buying my kids toys instead of books for Christmas. I tried to consciously avoid buying them books after seeing how many they have – I want them to be special and it is at the point where the playroom floor is littered with them. Yet some books have crept into my stash for them.
For an adult that reads there is no better gift! Fun sites.
Interesting, Jennifer. This happened to me with my kids but with t-shirts. I cannot imagine too many books. Glad to know some have crept into the stash : )
I also thought that such a thing as too many books is impossible – that is how I ended up in this situation. I began noticing the kids not taking care of their books anymore, not respecting them. And that I could not tolerate 🙂
I’m ahead of the game since I had to do my holiday shopping early. I got books for more than half the people on my list. My son was really set on an Xbox, sigh. Good to see you getting the word out on this. As for trees, we have lots of them in Maine!
Oh, Sarah, so jealous that your shopping is done but glad that it included lots of books, even if it did also include an Xbox.
I’ve discovered so many wonderful authors by visiting your blog. I’ve never dropped by and left without inspiration. And now that you’ve helped with insightful suggestions, it occurs to me that you are a gift to be shared. Thanks, Cynthia.
Thank you, Darrelyn. I appreciate your kind words.