It doesn't count if there's no books.

I'm lucky enough that I come from a family where books have always been appreciated gifts. Though throughout our extended family, reading tastes differ quite a lot, books have always been a staple of Christmas or birthday parties. Christmas shopping for family was always going to the bookstore, and then wrangling up something else like a sweater or a bathing set or something to prop up the gift bag - but the book was always the main aspect.

Needless to say my happiest and most memorable Christmases past involved books. What do you want? Books. Always. Irrespective of how many books I'm reading or want to read. There's just so many of them, and such a broadness of subjects, it's an inexhaustible gift supply in my opinion.


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Not a present per se, though I consider it a great gift from my lovely @ladyrebecca, introducing me to the one and only Sir Terry. I re-read this one every year at Christmas Hogswatch.

Of course, the gifts I make typically involve a book of some kind, and I realize that's not always appreciated. I have friends who don't really read much. I realize there would be things they might appreciate more than a book, but I don't really care. I'm one of those people who think that people who say they dislike reading simply haven't found the right book. Yet.

I just try to help them along. And it's a constant exercise, reminding myself they're not in the same life place I am in, and might not appreciate the same books I would. I try not to be preachy about the books I buy, because I know if it feels like I'm telling them what they should be reading, they'll like it even less.

And I don't think there's things you should be reading. Not really. I just think you should read. Period. What you read is up to you, though ideally it wouldn't all be entrepreneurship guru-type books, as those seldom feed the soul in the way fiction does. As with any diet, I think it requires a great deal of variety to maintain proper working order.

If last year, I was buying self-help/psychology books to everyone who matters, this year I've been buying them all fiction. I'm simply not in the place I was this time last year. While some of those were appreciated, I know, others were not. The trouble with going through an aha moment is you expect everyone else is going through it as well, when they're not. So I've stopped trying to get them to. So I've bought all of them fiction books, and I'm quite excited. I think this year's gonna go down a lot better than last one. I know for a fact they're all looking for or at least open to books (then again, most people who are part of my life have accustomed themselves to this reality of the gifting experience).

For myself, I hate asking for stuff, mainly because I have what I need. I don't like asking for a shirt or a scarf that I might wear but I don't really need. However, books and music, I have no qualms asking for. This year, I've opted for non-fiction. I'm hoping Santa's generosity comes in the form of Jane Birkin's diaries and a series of love letters between French artist Antonin Artaud and his muse, Genica Athanasiou.

All my favorite Christmas memories involve literature, as I've said. I've always loved Christmas a great deal, the ritual of it, the preparation of it. I loved sitting down for lunch with my grandmother and discovering new games with my little brother when he was still small. But best of all, I loved curling up on the couch with a new book.

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I got this one above when I was 16 - he's a very famous Romanian actor. I'd just seen his one-man show and was in awe. I remember walking out and starting to text all my friends, telling them how amazing this guy was. I must've taken several people down the years to see his shows. Almost a decade later, I still think he's pretty amazing. So of course, when I found out he'd published a couple of short story collections, with this one having just launched at the time, I knew what I wanted for Christmas. It's still one of my favorite Christmas gifts ever, and I still love so many of the stories in it. Dude's got a great mind.

There is, to books, a feeling of starting anew, of a fresh beginning. And what better way to commence the New Year than by reading, ideally by discovering a new author or a new series or a new idea? I began 2024 by reading Alain de Botton's A Therapeutic Journey, a Christmas present of course, and loved it. It set the scene. It suggested there's so many wonderful things to discover in the world in the coming year.

And how else are you supposed to begin?

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Wes & Grindan

Curated by wesphilbin

I've been decluttering, but books are all over the house and I find it really difficult giving them away! I was given a Kindle a couple of years ago, but there's just something magical about a 'real' book - the feel of it, the smell! I read anything and everything, and absolutely cannot imagine a world without books!
Yes @honeydue:

I just think you should read

I love the Kindle, as well. It's very practical, and comes in handy when a new book comes out at 20-30$ in hardback and a fraction of that on Kindle. Gotta say I appreciate that:D But I agree with you, ultimately there's nothing that compares quite to the feel of a real, proper book in your hands.

I'm lucky enough that I come from a family where books have always been appreciated gifts.

I have to praise your-superb-family! In my country, books are items for the rich and there are always families who don't know that books are better than gadgets.

 5 days ago  

@honeydue...

"And I don't think there's things you should be reading. Not really. I just think you should read. Period."


Mom always told me that knowledge is power... and if you can read, you can do anything. I still feel this is true; that's something anyone who comes to our blockchain should do... read...read...read! Have a good weekend, dear soul. Thank you for being awesomesauce...


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I, too, love books! They are a great gift. I remember when I was a little girl, my parents began giving me the "Little House" series one at a time for birthdays and Christmases until I had them all.

I loved your sentence "The trouble with going through an aha moment is you expect everyone else is going through it as well, when they're not." Oh yes, been there, done that.

Two of my three adult children enjoy reading. One of them is a busy mother so doesn't have much time for reading. The non-reader is dyslexic, so reading is a chore. She does enjoy audio books, however.

By the way, I was able to obtain a copy of "The New Puritans" through our local library. It's an interesting book, but certainly not light reading! I have a college education, yet I need a dictionary at hand while reading this book. While much of the book is quite deep and thought-provoking, the occasional bits of humor just crack me up. Thanks for writing about the book.

when I was a little girl, my parents began giving me the "Little House" series one at a time for birthdays and Christmases until I had them all.

There seems to be a lovely sense of continuation to that. A waiting for the next bit of the puzzle. I love that.

The non-reader is dyslexic, so reading is a chore. She does enjoy audio books, however.

Obviously, different rules there. I know people for whom it's very hard to focus on a physical book, maybe because of dyslexia maybe not, but it usually has little to do with their enjoyment of a story, as with your daughter. People who want stories find a way.

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying The New Puritans! :D I actually listened to that as an audiobook. I think Doyle's Irish accent helped soften it somehow. :D But yeah, he's a weird character, very intelligent and cultured but also very deep into comedy, making it fun but also really smart. Glad you like it :)

Oh, I love the audio book idea for "The New Puritans."

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still getting chills every time i see this.

Funny i was thinking how i should finish The Truth, started it like a year ago :)

Maybe Hogfather deserves another look.

<3

Me too.

Hogfather's a good one, I think. Not all the Discworld books are on the same level. Soul Music, Small Gods, Moving Pictures and Reaper Man (as well as many of the witch books) are some of my favorites, but some, like The Truth, I don't know if I finished. That's my favorite bit of it, there's so many characters it's tempting to find one you wanna stick to.

i just realized something, and it could sound bad :D there are girls stories, boy stories and everyone stories :D

I like the Guards. and Rincewind was always a fun one. Maybe because he was the first character i got introduced to. And Death, obvious by the username :)

Soul Music, Small Gods, Moving Pictures and Reaper Man all great.

Bad to whom? Not to me, I agree. I could never love the Guards stories as much as I do the witch stories (though wizards beat both) :D It's a boy story, and that's fine. I love Rincewind too.

i just never thought about it, but just realized that my friend who introduced Pratchett to me was also not that much into the witch stories, but loved the Guards :D