Posts tagged with gifts
Holiday Gift Idea 10: stocking stuffers
And, last but not least, here are a handful of smallish gifts you could probably order off Amazon and they'll be here in time for Christmas (or even Hanukkah, if you get right on it). Personally, I think $20 is pushing "stocking stuffer" limits, so for what it's worth, I think any one of these would be a lovely full-on gift, too...
Holiday Gift Idea 9: Can You See What I See?
Walter Wick is best known for the I Spy books, which featured text by Jean Marzollo, but has also produced a line of very similar books by himself called Can You See What I See?. If you're celebrating Christmas this year, there's a "Night Before Christmas"-specific book (and several more that would be suitable for other holidays)...
Holiday Gift Idea 8: Read With Us print
Gifting people artwork can be dicey, but this print from artist Jon Klassen feels like a safe bet. It's cute and creepy (my aesthetic sweet spot!) and should work for a book lover of any age. Plus, even if the recipient hates it, all profits...
Holiday Gift Idea 6: National Park Monsters Puzzle
I love pretty much everything from this etsy shop, but this particular 1000-piece puzzle seems like the ideal gift for any outdoors-y sci-fi nerds in your life...
Holiday Gift Idea 5: the best Dracula
And now we're going with something I already bought myself, because there are some things you just don't leave to chance: this absolutely amazing deluxe edition of Bram Stoker's Dracula from Union Square & Co., featuring the illustrations of Edward Gorey and an introduction by editor Marvin Kaye...
Holiday Gift Idea 4: Calendars
Calendars are always useful, right? And you have to stare at them all year, so that definitely justifies a bit of a splurge. The Eric Carle Museum's gift shop has got some great options, especially if you've got kids...
Holiday Gift Idea 3: Moomin mugs
Okay, this is an extremely taste-specific gift suggestion, but if you know anyone who likes the Moomin series, I've found some (reasonably) affordable Moomin-themed mugs. As a lifelong lover of the Moomin stories, I have always been chagrined by how expensive the various merchandising tie-ins are...
Holiday Gift Idea 2: Depressing Nonfiction
If you have someone on your gift list who likes to while away the winter with a cup of tea and some gloomy nonfiction (livin' the dream!), I have two equally depressing-yet-engrossing picks. As a fan of Russ Jones's #TheWeekinTory threads on Twitter, I was aware of the various scandals besetting the U.K.'s Tory Party, but...
Holiday Gift Idea 1: The Folio Society edition of Howl's Moving Castle
We're kicking off our annual gift guide with something I wish someone would buy me: this staggeringly gorgeous (and, alas, equally expensive) Folio Society edition of Diana Wynne Jones's modern classic Howl's Moving Castle. Seriously, the high-pitched noise I made when I first saw this book scared my cat...
Holiday Gift Pick #8
Gift Idea #8: Amusing literary soaps (this is more of a stocking stuffer, unless you tossed in a copy of the actual book)
One more consumable suggestion: The Unemployed Philosophers Guild sells blocks of soap inspired by a wide variety of books...
Holiday Gift Pick #7
Gift Idea #7: The 1619 Project
This year marks the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved people being brought to the United States from Africa. In August, The New York Times Magazine devoted an entire issue to the subject, featuring essays, photos, poetry, and fiction. It immediately sold out, but copies can be found on sale online...
Holiday Gift Pick #6
Gift Idea #6: Jane Austen's Sanditon (the good version)
In January, American viewers will have the opportunity to see ITV's adaptation of Jane Austen's unfinished novel Sanditon. From all accounts, this miniseries is both dumb as hell and features a depressing ending, so...
Holiday Gift Pick #5
Gift Idea #5: Literary candles
We promised you some consumable goods too, right? How about these $16 literature-themed soy candles from Uncommon Goods? (Sherlock Holmes's 221B Baker Street apparently smells like black currant tea and leather books...
Holiday Gift Pick #4
Gift Idea #4: a used copy of Amy Dacyczyn's The Complete Tightwad Gazette
Well before the internet became a haven of frugality tips, Ms. Dacyczyn produced a newsletter that compiled...
Holiday Gift Pick #3
Gift Idea #3: Vintage Shakespeare Festival posters
Look, there are a lot of long-running Shakespeare festivals, and they nearly all printed posters, so chances are good you'll find one that strikes your fancy. Personally, I'm thinking of requesting this incredible Romeo and Juliet poster for...
Holiday Gift Pick #2
Gift Idea #2: The out-of-print book you loved as a kid
Rather than buying some of the kids in your life yet another toy, share one of the harder-to-find books that you loved as a kid. (If it's out of print, chances are better that they won't already own it!) Here are some suggestions for books...
Holiday Gift Guide! (And Gift Pick #1)
It's one of my favorite times of the year: vicarious shopping week! Yes, dear readers, it's time for our Annual Holiday Gift Guide, where I feature eight book-related items that I would personally quite like to receive as gifts. This year I've been trying to focus on buying less new, single-use stuff, so everything on this list will be either A) used/vintage, or B) consumable...
Holiday Gift Pick #8
And last but not least, Gift Idea #8, chosen because I'm hungry: my favorite cookbooks of 2018! (prices vary, but they're all in the $25 range)
I'm trying to resist buying too many more cookbooks, because I'm running out of room to actually, y'know, cook, but sometimes a cookbook is just too alluring to resist. This year's evil tempters include...
Holiday Gift Pick #7
Gift Idea #7: East of the Sun and West of the Moon, by Taschen Books ($40)
We recently chatted about Taschen Books' exquisite coffee table collection of Danish artist Kay Nielsen's long-lost illustrations for 1,001 Nights. While that particular book will set you back $300, Taschen also offers East of the Sun and West of the Moon...
Holiday Gift Pick #6
Gift Idea #6: The complete Lockwood & Co. series, by Jonathan Stroud (approximately $35 for paperback editions)
If you're shopping for a teenager (or an adult who isn't above reading YA literature), we can't recommend this series highly enough. Seriously, it's wildly imaginative and deeply creepy and the teeniest bit romantic, and...
Holiday Gift Pick #5
Gift Idea #5: Anything by Taro Gomi, but particularly the recent re-release of The Crocodile and the Dentist ($16.99)
Taro Gomi has written more than 400 books, and while he lacks the current kid-lit buzz of, say, Mo Willems, his stories are a consistent hit. I was pleased to see that Chronicle Books has re-released his picture book The Crocodile and the Dentist...
Holiday Gift Pick #4
Gift Idea #4: Compassion for Mrs. Bennet's Nerves tea, by Bingley's Teas ($12)
And if reading Herodotus isn't cutting it, you might as well try a cup of tea. Described as a tisane of "plump chamomile flower buds, spirited peppermint, calming passion flower...
Holiday Gift Pick #3
Gift Idea #3: The Histories, by Herodotus (prices vary; considering it was written in 440 BC you should be able to find it used)
One of my most prized possessions is my grandfather's trashed paperback copy of Herodotus's Histories. My grandfather was not known for his sunny disposition, but he told me that reading and re-reading Herodotus...
Holiday Gift Pick #2
Gift Idea #2: "I Saw Dracula!" t-shirt, designed by Edward Gorey ($26.95)
This shirt was originally created for the 1977 Broadway revival of Dracula (which featured Edward Gorey's set designs) and would make a wonderful gift for any Gorey fans in your life...
Holiday Gift Pick #1
Considering Hanukkah is rapidly approaching, this year's Holiday Gift Guide is a little late, for which I apologize. But here's hoping the awesomeness of our picks makes up for it, and that you have access to free, fast shipping.
Gift Idea #1: Author miniatures by UneekDollDesigns (prices vary)...
Mid-level tech
This isn't the most elegant book stand (although I like the way it looks with a book in it), but I approve of the functionality of it, as well as its $12 price tag...
Holiday Gift Pick #7
Gift Idea #7: Asymmetrical Harry Potter earrings ($48)
We love these, particularly in sterling silver...
Holiday Gift Pick #6
Gift Idea #6: Guns, Germs, and Steel: 20th Anniversary Folio Society edition, by Jared Diamond ($73.95)
Grade-A dad present...
Holiday Gift Pick #5
Gift Idea #5 Asgard Twill Ladies' Jacket ($59.99)
Okay, so we weren't big fans of the first two Thor movies (to say the least), but...
Holiday Gift Pick #4
Gift Pick #4: Stained Wooden Mountain Bookends by Spilled Milk Designs ($24)
Etsy is awash in beautiful, handmade bookends, but we fell in love with the simple elegance of these mountain-shaped options...