Books are a perfect gift ... and a great way to avoid the crowds.
At times, friends and relatives can be hard to buy for. Some seem
to have everything. Due to age or illness, others may be less mobile than in
years past. Some don’t really want much. Families scatter across this huge
country and selecting a gift, packaging, and shipping can be a chore.
A book, however, is always a great gift … especially if you take
the time to match their taste in fiction or nonfiction special interest.
Suddenly, your thoughtfulness becomes part of the gift. Whether your relatives
or friends are interested in the Civil War, literature, romance novels,
Westerns, paranormal fiction, railroads, guns, cooking, collecting old comic
books, antique automobiles, or anything else, there's always a book that will
bring a smile to their face.
- Shop or search online for a book specific to the interests of your relative or friend—Goodreads is a good source for ideas
- Write a personal message on the flyleaf that won't get tossed out like last year's Christmas card
- Give a bookseller gift card for e-book and audio book enthusiasts
- Search out an author signing for your recipient’s favorite author or give a collector’s version of the recipient’s favorite book
- If you need professional help or want something unique, shop at an independent book store, or specialty bookstore (like the Poison Pen in Scottsdale that specializes in mysteries)
- Remember, if you subscribe to Amazon Prime then shipping is free, or mail books early to take advantage of media class at the Post Office.
- Give a book as a piece of art, like a fine print book, unique coffee table book, favorite book as a child, or collectable cover art (I collect early 20th century Western pulp fiction books for the cover illustrations)
- Make a highly personal photo book with ShutterFly or Apple iPhoto or Apple Aperture
- If you’re giving a gift to a student—or me, for that matter—tuck a crisp $100 bill into the book as a bookmark
- Finally, if your friend or relative already owns piles of books, give a unique set of book ends to hold them in their proper place
One final tip that comes close to re-gifting—find an Amazon hardcopy and
that includes a “Match Book” deal with the simultaneous purchase of the e-book format.
Gift the printed version and get an e-book for yourself.
Books are the best entertainment value. They provide hour after
hour of personal pleasure, and then they can be passed on to another person.
Children's books are also great gifts. We search for autographed
storybooks for our grandkids. Bookstores always have children book signings
around the holidays, and this is one area where we join the
crowd. The icing on the cake is that we get to read
them a story from one of these books when we visit.
Here are Amazon links to bestselling books in a few categories.
There are many more categories a click away. Topic searches also work with Barnes & Noble and
other online booksellers.
If you choose to gift one of my books, thank you. I appreciate it.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays. And have
a great 2015.
