What to Give

By now I’m sure you have all realized that books make great gifts. Did you ever wonder what your favorite authors read? Penguin Group asked their authors which books they will be giving this season and which books they would most like to receive. If Stuart Woods or Geraldine Brooks is on your shopping list this year or if you are a huge Nick Hornby or Jan Brett fan, check out Penguin’s site on What to Give & What to Get .

Need more ideas? The 2008 Indie Bestsellers were announced this week. The list includes the year’s top-selling titles at independent bookstores across the country in the categories of Hardcover Fiction, Hardcover Nonfiction, Trade Paperback Fiction, Trade Paperback Nonfiction, and Children’s and Young Adult.

Did you find any surprises?

Which books would you consider the best of 2008?

Perfect Gift

Last week I gave some not so subtle hints as to what would be the perfect holiday gift for everyone on your list , but you don’t have to take my word for it.

Okay, now you have made up your mind to give everyone on your list a book this year. Now the only question is, which book should you get each family member? There is a book perfect for each of them, but how do you find it? Buy Books for the Holidays is a great site for finding out about different genres and you can even ask for suggestions for that hard to buy for reader on your list. An even better option would be to visit your local independent bookstore and ask the knowledgeable staff there for help.

Here at BayShore Books the greatest pleasure is to find the perfect book for each customer. Many books are ordered with a certain customer in mind since we get to know the regulars and what they enjoy. Living in a small town has it’s advantages. If one of our regular customers is on your list, we can not only recommend something they would enjoy, you can also be assured that they didn’t already purchase that title from us.

So, what are you waiting for?

It will be at least a couple of hours until the snow starts again.

There is still plenty of time for us to order that off the wall title that your brother mentioned five years ago.

I'm a Winner!

I’m a winner! Break out the champagne and help me celebrate! I just completed my NaWriMo novel! 50,000 words in 30 days! Yippee!! For those participants who haven’t finished yet, you have until Sunday, so don’t give up.

Now to other big news: the holiday shopping season officially kicks off today. Not only have I finished my novel, I have also come up with the perfect gift idea. Is this a great day or what? Wondering what the perfect holiday gift is this year?

I’ll give you a few hints:

Follow the links to get great gift ideas from our friends at Buy Books for the Holidays, Indiebound, and Random House!

Local Challenge

Have you been reading the news? Depressing, isn’t it? Everyday we hear about families struggling, massive lay-offs, and businesses closing. It’s time for us to ban together and support the independent businesses in our community by shopping locally. That is the message of the American Business Alliance through America Unchained which takes place this Saturday. Indiebound is also about raising awareness and taking pride in our communities.

I recently read an article about how people are cutting back this holiday season. The reporter asked one shopper what she was doing differently this year and her response was that she was doing all of her shopping at a single big discount store. You know the one. This got me thinking, what would happen if everyone made the same change in their shopping habits? What would happen if every shopper in America shopped exclusively at this one store this holiday season?

Think about that for a minute. Now fast forward one year, five years, ten years. Eventually this particular store would be the only one still in business. How would that change your shopping experience? What I envision is a retailer that has very poor customer service and extremely high prices. Why not – they have no competition. They don’t have to impress their customers since their customers have no other options. Imagine how this would affect local farmers, artists, authors, manufacturers, distributors, I could go on and on.

Scary isn’t it?

Sure, you could say that I encourage friends, family, and customers to shop locally because I am a local business owner and I want your business. You would be right. But think about this – I live in this community, too. I want the businesses in my community to do well because that helps all of us. You shop at BayShore Books for the used books purchased from your friends and neighbors or the gifts made by local artists or the new books written by local authors. The profits are then spent at other local businesses or donated to local organizations. That’s what keeps our community economically strong. That’s what helps every one of us survive.

I challenge you to do as much of your shopping as possible tomorrow during America Unchained and every day at locally owned businesses. And if you aren't sure what gifts to buy, remember:

Who What Where When and How

We are almost at the end of week two of National Novel Writing Month and I’m still plugging along. Writing 50,000 words in 30 days is no easy feat! Luckily it is quantity that counts, not quality.

If, unlike me, you would like to write something people would actually enjoy reading, Max Leone gives some extremely insightful advice to Publishers Weekly , especially for a thirteen year old!

What about you?

If you could tell all of us author wannabes what to write, what advice would you give?

Do you have any pet peeves about what is currently available in any specific genre?

Yes, We Can!

Halloween is over and that means the holiday shopping season is here. I think about all of the families that are planning on cutting back on their holiday shopping, mine included. Then I think about all of the families that are already struggling and wondering how Santa can possibly visit their homes this year. Can we help all these families when we are struggling ourselves? As our new president elect says, “Yes, we can!!”.

Every author, illustrator, and publisher of children’s and young adult’s books, I urge you to donate even one copy of your book to a program in your area that is collecting books and toys for children in need. If you don’t know, ask your local independent bookseller – they will be able to point you in the right direction. If all else fails, send them to BayShore Books and they will put your books in the hands of the children who will most appreciate them.

Business men and women, your community is what makes your business possible. This is the time to support them. Adopt a family, collect food from your employees to donate to your local food bank, send your management team on a shopping spree at your local book or toy store for gifts to donate. You will be boosting the economy in your home town while helping those in need.

Moms, dads and grandparents, think about if it were your children and grandchildren who will be waking up disappointed this holiday season. When you shop for the children in your family this year, pick up an extra gift for a child not fortunate enough to have parents or grandparents who are able to give them more than the necessities. And don’t forget the teenagers – the most forgotten age group this time of year.

Think about what kind of holiday season this will be if each and every one of us spent as little as $10 to purchase a gift or a meal for a total stranger. Think about how that meal or gift would affect us if we were the one desperately trying to show our children there is something worth celebrating. Together I know we can make this the best holiday season ever! “Yes, we can!”

Double, Double, Toil and Trouble

Happy Halloween! I came up with the perfect costume. My focus was more on family this year rather than literary . What represents family closeness and fun more than ‘smores? My daughter the chocolate and my son the marshmallow would be protected by my husband and I as the graham crackers. Unfortunately, the kids who are now 15 and 17 informed us they have their own plans and if they see us out trick or treating they will beat us up and take our candy. So much for family closeness.

(CC) Larry D. Moore

My day will not be completely shot, though. At least The Guardian kept me entertained with this literary witches quiz. Can you beat my 7 out of 13? I blame my score on memory since I believe I’ve read most if not all of the works cited.

How about you?

Do you have a favorite horror story or spooky tale?