Saturday, October 23, 2010

A perfect gift for writers...

Just the other day at work, I received a catalog suggesting ideal holiday gifts for employees. First, I thought, holy cow! Christmas gifts? It's not even Halloween. And I wasn't too jazzed about their gift suggestions. But then I realized I had a great gift suggestion for the writers in your life that I had to pass along since many (organized) people have already started their Christmas shopping or will in the near future.

Last Christmas, my bosom buddy in my writing cohort at Wilkes, Ginger Marcinkowski got me "The Book Lover's Calendar," which features a different book on a daily basis.

I loved this gift. Wait. I need to say this again. I LOVED this gift. Each day the calendar recommends something different--fiction, non-fiction, literary fiction, genre fiction. While many of the non-fiction titles intrigued, I took a particular interest in all the fiction featured. 

I couldn't possibly have read everything I wanted to, but here's just some of the books I've finished thus far, thanks to this calendar:
  • Ghost by Alan Lightman
  • The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller (I didn't even realize Sue Miller wrote a novel)
  • Life of Pi by Yann Martel (a favorite!)
  • Our Story Begins, collected stories by Tobias Wolff
  • People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
  • Blasphemy by Douglas Preston
  • All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown
  • Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
  • Walking in Circles Before Lying Down by Merrill Markoe
  • Coal Black Horse by Robert Olmstead
And they're all so different--that's the beauty of this calendar.

I tried about a half dozen others that weren't to my liking, but as a writer, I learned something from every one, not just the books I finished. I also should mention that even using the Interlibrary Loan service at the college where I work (which I also love), I couldn't find every book mentioned. But there were plenty others to choose from.

Another thing I like about this calendar is that each book is pitched to perfection, in only a sentence or two. Every writer who wants to publish needs to know how to pitch her book in such a manner, so I was exposed to daily examples of how to do it right. Sometimes the pitches were so good, they made the books sound better than they actually were.

I can't thank Ginger enough for such a valuable gift. And I still have at least sixty recommendations left for 2010. So, if there's a writer in your life for whom you need a gift--birthday, holiday, whatever--do consider this calendar. Some presents are tauted as gifts that keep on giving. Honest to Pete, this one really is one of those kinds of gifts.

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