My reading has been SLOW this week since I’ve been in book launch mode. (More on that in a few days.) But I have been loving the round-ups of readerly and writerly things going around, including this one from Jane Friedman. So I thought I’d do one of my own for the season . . . with my own Andi-like twist.
- This Beautiful, Book-Themed Cross-Stitch Pattern. I love cross-stitch, and I love color-rich patterns that allow me to create decoration and be inspired at the same time. . . great for the sewer/book-lover in your life.
- A Year’s Subscription to Book Funnel. If you know someone who is trying to build a mailing list by giving away a free book or book-like something, BookFunnel is a stellar way to facilitate that giveaway AND reduce your friend’s time in managing support for a giveaway. Price are as low as $20 a year, so it’s a practical and affordable gift.
- A Cardboard Animal Head to Mount in the Library. Most of the writers and readers I know dream of having a formal library, but many of us would prefer not to have an ACTUAL animal’s head on the wall. So here’s an option – cardboard versions of mounts. Environmental and animal-friendly. I’m hoping someone will gift me with this white-tail buck mount for our farmhouse reading room.
- A Domain Name or Hosting Package. The standard wisdom for writers is that we all need a website, but the expenses for such a site can often get in the way, especially for new writers. So think about buying a domain name (<$20 a year typically) or six months of hosting ($30 a month or so) for a friend who needs a website. My web designer and webhost Bolton Studios has great packages.
- A Membership to the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club. If you love someone who is an avid reader but, perhaps, don’t want to talk about books with them yourself, check out my friend Anne’s wonderful book club. At just $10 a month, it’s a bargain and will connect that voracious reader in your life with her people.
- A Gorgeous, Personalized, One-of-Kind Journal. I love a good, sturdy, everyday journal, and I carry one with me everywhere I go. But this kind of journal is the precious kind, the kind that sits on a writing desk and becomes part of a writer’s world.
- This “Kept Going” Pin. Writing is sometimes very lonely, very thankless work, and so it can be very hard to do it day after day. So maybe the writer in your life needs a pin to remind him that part of the work is just to keep going . . . every day.
- This Hand-Crafted Fountain Pen. When I finished my MFA, I bought myself a fountain pen. I almost never use it now – finding the ink is hard – but it’s a reminder of what I accomplished. If your loved one has finished a book, completed a draft, started to write, they need encouragement. A luxurious tool for their work could be just the thing.
- An Afternoon/Evening/Weekend Away. If your partner, sister, uncle, friend from down the street has a busy life with children or farm animals or a parent for whom they care maybe, think about giving them the gift of time away to write. Offer to cover their duties for a few hours or a couple of days while they go do their work. It’ll be a gift of change for you and a gift of release for them.
- A BIG FAT BOOKSTORE GIFT CARD. This, of course, is the motherlode of all holiday gifts for readers and writers. I know some folks think that gift cards are acop out, but trust me when I say that a person who loves books loves shopping for them, weighing the full spectrum of a book-buying binge, and loves carefully considering how to spend a certain amount. It’s a delight that is even better than just getting the books themselves. Think about where your loved one likes to shop – Amazon is an option, of course, but so are your local indie bookstores and other online retailers like Kobo and iBooks – and get a card for their. You’ll support their book passion in all ways then.
I hope this list was a bit helpful to you, and if you decide to pick up one of these babies for a writer/reader you love, let me know. Or if you have additional suggestions, including your own books, feel free to post them in the comments below. I’d love to get a HUGE holiday shopping list here on this page.
Here’s to books!!
By the way, my latest book, Charlotte and the Twelve, came out just yesterday. You can pick it up at Kobo, iBooks, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and Amazon.