Hello there, dear readers. Please excuse my absence last week. I decided to take a little holiday from my blog and focus on my novella. I did manage to get a few thousand words in along with family time, couch time, gym time and a few helpings of Thanksgiving deliciousness mixed in. All in all, I’d say it was a successful week away from my full-time job and my blog to focus on other projects and those around me.

But now, December is here and everyone is running willy nilly trying to get all of their gifts together before Christmas Eve (and every other holiday that happens this month). I, for one, already have my shopping done. I don’t mean to brag. I just tend to shop all year long because I can’t afford to shop for everyone within one credit card billing period. Also, I like to be able to take advantage of the Black Friday deals for myself sometimes, so this allows me to indulge in myself a little bit too. I’m not ashamed to admit it.

This week, I thought I’d give you a list of 12 books that might make great gifts for the reader in your life (especially if that reader happens to be me…). And yes, I picked 12 because of the 12 days of Christmas and that song that we all love and abhor at the same time. So, without further ado, here we go….Ahem….

1. On the first day of Christmas, my true love/mom/dad/sister/brother/aunt/uncle (etc. etc.) gave to me: The Martian by Andy Weir. A Sci-Fi story featuring an engineer (I happen to live with an engineer, so maybe it will give me some insight into how he thinks) who gets left behind on Mars. “One of the first men to walk on Mars” and likely the first to die there. CHILLS!
2. On the second day of Christmas, my true love/mom/dad/sister/brother/aunt/uncle (etc. etc.) gave to me: The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King. Ok, so I don’t really enjoy scary/gory stories (in spite of my interests in all things Gothic). But, King is offering up short stories. I could probably handle that. And the fact that there is commentary included with each one including info on the origins of each idea, I’m all about it.
3. On the third day of Christmas, my true love/mom/dad/sister/brother/aunt/uncle (etc. etc.) gave to me: The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman. I read The Dovekeeper’s Daughter earlier this year and still believe that it was one of the best books I have ever read. The language is beautiful. The writing is spectacular. I wish I could read it for the first time all over again. Luckily, she has a couple of other books out that I can indulge in as well.
4. On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love/mom/dad/sister/brother/aunt/uncle (etc. etc.) gave to me: Binary Star by Sarah Gerard. The excerpt. The comparison of an anorexic person to a star wherein you keep burning energy but don’t consume more? OMG it sounds jarringly spectacular!
5. On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love/mom/dad/sister/brother/aunt/uncle (etc. etc.) gave to me: The Grownup by Gillian Flynn. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize there were other things out there besides the 4 gargantuan novels she’s already published. This should have been at the top of my list!
6. On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love/mom/dad/sister/brother/aunt/uncle (etc. etc.) gave to me: Master Lists for Writers by Stacey Donovan. Yes I personally know this writer. She is part of my writer’s group and every writer needs a list of words to help with the writing process! (Luckily I know that someone already has this under their tree for me!)
7. On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love/mom/dad/sister/brother/aunt/uncle (etc. etc.) gave to me: Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. I know this book came out over the summer, but I haven’t purchased it yet. But it just begs to be read and discussed! And the fact that it was written before To Kill a Mockingbird but features the characters in the future is endlessly appealing. I want to know what changed in the author and in her understanding of her characters between the books!
8. On the eight day of Christmas, my true love/mom/dad/sister/brother/aunt/uncle (etc. etc.) gave to me: The Pearl that Broke its Shell by Nadia Hashimi. I love stories about women finding loopholes and taking charge to survive and thrive. This novel is the author’s literary debut and it’s highly rated on Amazon. I hope to read it soon!
9. On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love/mom/dad/sister/brother/aunt/uncle (etc. etc.) gave to me: Until the Sun Falls by Cecelia Holland. I’ve never read a novel about Ghengis Khan. I think it’s time.
10. On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love/mom/dad/sister/brother/aunt/uncle (etc. etc.) gave to me: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. So…the first thing that intrigued me about this story is that the main character owns a bookstore. The second thing that got my attention was the fact that he has lost his most prized possession: a collection of Poe poems! This is a story about books, bookstores and the people who love them. I can’t wait to read it!
11. On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love/mom/dad/sister/brother/aunt/uncle (etc. etc.) gave to me: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. This book came out in 2013, but it’s still on my list this year. I’ve read more than one book recently about the seedy underbelly of the art collector world. I think this is another facet to that and I’m intrigued!
12. On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love/mom/dad/sister/brother/aunt/uncle (etc. etc.) gave to me: The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. I don’t like envisioning a life where I end up in a nursing home, so the idea of a man who is in one and escapes and goes on an adventure is heartening. I’ve heard good things about this book and I hope to experience it for myself soon.

Even though my list took the form of a Christmas song, I think these books would make great gifts for any holiday. Wishing you and yours all the best this holiday season in whatever form your celebrations take. And, because I happen to celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas to you!

Feature image: http://www.asheville.com/news/2015/12/holiday-book-trees-library/