By now, Ann and I have given you many ideas of books you can give your friends and family this holiday season. But what if you want to get something else, something to go along with the perfect book you’ve chosen. We’ve got thoughts on that too! I’ll go first; Ann’s suggestions will follow in a few days.
During the cold months, there’s nothing I love more than settling into a comfy chair with a cup of tea and a good book. My tea of choice is Celestial Seasonings’ Nutcracker Sweet. It’s a holiday tea, but I always buy enough in December to last me all winter. So, pack up a book, some tea, maybe a nice mug, and you’ve given someone a relaxing afternoon of reading!
Bad traffic last week took me down a side street in my hometown. I drove past a new shop called Modern Printed Matter. I could tell, just by glancing in the window, that the store was filled with very beautiful, well-designed shirts, notecards and other products. I checked out the website and then visited the store. Everything was very nice, but I especially loved this calendar, which is made of individual pages held in a CD jewel case. It’s not book-themed, but I still feel that a bibliophile would love it!
Lastly, I’ll recommend some reading material that’s not technically a book. I recently subscribed to One Story, a literary magazine that publishes one story every three weeks. Previous issues have included stories from Nam Le, Karl Iagnemma, John Hodgman and Gregory Maguire. No author, no matter how good, will be published more than once, so the magazine will always be fresh and new. Normally, a subscription of one year (18 issues) is $21.00, but One Story has given us a special code for readers of Books on the Nightstand. Go to www.one-story.com and enter the promo code H8DEC5 when subscribing and you’ll pay just $18.00 – only $1 per issue! If you order soon, your friend might even receive the year-end issue featuring a story by National Book Award winner Andrea Barrett. At that low rate, you should buy yourself a subscription too!
Don’t forget to check back in a few days for Ann’s recommendations…
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that calendar is so pretty. thanks for the link. i’m thinking of some cool and unconventional bookends for my mother in law. there are some great ones. like these puppy ones from pylones. so cute: http://www.pylones-usa.com/pylones/product.php?product=302
can’t wait to see what Ann recommends. i have a few people left on my list & i’m only doing books or book-related (and kind of under $30 if possible)…
Great list, Michael! Another gift for book lovers is a pint glass from Chronicle, the only publisher I could find that makes this kind of glassware. http://tinyurl.com/5g4fmp Great to sip from when you read a book like “Ants Have Sex in Your Beer” :-p.
Dave Vissat’s book birdhouses are also a rad (and expensive) book-related-yet-not-a-book gift. http://www.uncommongoods.com/item/item.jsp?source=related&itemId=15807
Thanks for the additional recommendations Kat and Josh! I should have mentioned for all of you to leave your ideas in the comments. You all should always chime in with your ideas, no matter the topic!
Michael, have you tried “Joy” tea by Tazo? It’s also a holiday tea and so, so good. If you get a chance, you should definitely try it.
The calendar is gorgeous!