Buy Books
Is there any present better than a book? I don't think so.
Every year I give my husband a list of books I would like to find under the tree Christmas morning. He claims to be annoyed by this but a week after I hand him the list, I always find it folded up on his dresser, a bit frayed around the edges. Clearly it had been stuffed in his pocket and examined closely at a book store.
And what do you know: On Christmas morning I steal an hour to read my new cookbooks, novels, political biographies and design books while he makes pancakes. What's more fun than that?
I also like to give books. I buy a stack for each of my children and I like to buy them for friends and relatives. This year, the Home section created a list of best decorating and design books. Gardening Editor Adrian Higgins also offered his recommendations. Book World's best books guide has tons of great ideas.
Books are great gifts to give if you're a procrastinator because there are bookstores all over the place and even the neighborhood stores have a wide selection. Happy reading, i mean, buying.
By Liz Seymour |
December 15, 2006; 8:30 AM ET
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Posted by: | December 15, 2006 09:50 AM
I like the National Wildlife magazines -- the gift that gives all year-round.
Posted by: WDC | December 18, 2006 10:15 AM
Having spent six years in the book publishing industry, I agree in principle that giving books is wonderful - especially to children. The only caveat I would mention is that you should only give books to someone you know really well. There is nothing worse than getting on a subject you have absolutely no interest in, or in a genre you cannot stand. (I myself will read anything but scifi and romance.) If you don't know the person's taste but just know they are a reader, a gift card would be much better.
Posted by: Loren W | December 18, 2006 11:14 AM
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Completely agreed. There is usually alist and if you buy for people you need to ship to, books can go media mail (slower, so needs to be done early, but can save pennies for those working within a tight budget).
For kids, I find this can be an awesome thing as well. They're usually not terriby expensive and it's not too terribly hard to find ones that are age-appropriate. And best of all, they can share them with someone else when they're done, since books usually last a while.