The Next Best Book Club discussion

Not sure if this is the right place to post, but I was just wondering what kind of reading goodies everyone got for Christmas? I ended up getting a new reading lamp and a new husband pillow for reading in bed. The stuffing was coming out of my old one! And my stocking held a book light for my purse, a new bookmark, and a $20 gift card to B&N. I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas. Can't wait to hear what the rest of you got!

I got a $30 gift card to Amazon... and its ALL going to books! I have over 300 books on my wish list and it is going to some of that list! I am excited!

I got The Count of Monte Cristo - Unabridged, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Everest is Hollow, The Percy Jackson and the Olympians Set, and a $100 B&N gift card... I also got the movie "Hogfather" which is based on the book by Terry Pratchett.

If I count my boyfriend's books as partially mine (because I will read them, after all), then I also got The Great Book of Amber: The Complete Amber Chronicles, 1-10 & 100 Great Fantasy Short, Short Stories.

I don't even know where to start! ;)

Hi!
My hubby and kids got me three books:
Count of Monte Cristo - Dumas
Blood Meridian - McCarthy
George Carlin book (this one has to be returned. I forgot to scratch it off my to-buy list! Opps!)

Haha... Getting the unabridged copy was an adventure for me. I went through 4 different versions before getting the one that I should have gotten right from the start. Ah well, it's my own fault for being cheap!

I got subscriptions to Ellery Queen and Alfred Hitchock magazines, Tales of Beedle the Bard, Just after Sunset, a Barnes and Noble gift card, and a beautiful set of book marks!

Oh, and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Hooray, since I see it won as a January book.

I must have been a very good girl this year, or more likely Santa kept his eyes closed when it concerned me. I received The Fire by Katherine Neville (it's the sequel to The Eight), Secret Lives of Famous Authors (it's hilarious), and about 50 dollars worth of gift cards to be used at a book store. My sister gave me Trivial Pursuit: book lover's edition. And, I got LOST seasons 1-3 - I'd count this as book related!

Happy Holidays everyone!

I got a T-shirt that says "Who Needs T.V. When I Have My Book." Perfect!

Also got two Amy Brown art books, We Bought a Zoo by Benjamin Mee, and Dragon Blood and Dragon Bones by Patricia Briggs.

I need a shirt like that. Only I think mine should say: "Who needs real life when I have books?" or maybe "Who needs real life when I have Goodreads?" ;)

I thought this would be great idea for a thread...but I don't know how do to that exactly so I'm so glad to see it here! I am in tears right now because I've lost my $30 gift card to Borders (given to me by my children). :((((((((( I am afraid it got tossed with all the wrapping paper, etc. I even went through all the garbage trying to find it. sigh...

And I got "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly". I just watched the movie and really want to read the book. There is "which is best; the movie or the book" to worry about, but I am excited to read it anyway.

So I think I will go cry some more about my gift card. I know I am telling this to people who understand.

Oh no Mary! I would help you look if I could... I hope you find it! : (

I received nothing bookish for Christmas. At all. And yet every person received a book from me.

No giftcard.
No bookmark.
No book.

I felt a little sad, actually. Even though I was grateful for everything I did get. :(

Selena, I didn't get any book related present either but like everything I got anyway. Think about the lifes that will be richer in fantasy, knowledge and good feeling moments thanks to your gifts!

I received three books for Christmas.
My boyfriend gave me Tales Of Beedle The Bard by J.K. Rowling, which I was very happy about. And my aunt gave me Till dess din vrede upphör by Åsa Larsson. It's in the Rebecka Martinsson series (the fourth book), and came out in Sweden during 2008, so there's no English title yet. And she also gave me This Is All: the Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn by Aidan Chambers.

I got two books: Hormones, Health and Happiness by Steven F. Hotze, MD and Ballparks Yesterday and Today, a compilation published by Chartwell Books.

I got Tales of Beedle the Bard (I think it will be a common theme ;-). But the BEST thing I got was something I've wanted for years and have not been able to find....A reading pillow - you know the kind with the arms that allows you to sit up in bed comfortably...I looked and looked and could not find one (well saw a few but they were the "wrong type" and like $140 but my daughter found exactly the type I was looking for.

Oh and not really book related but I will use it when reading - is one of those blanket things you wear - it has arms and you wrap up in it all safe and warm.

And Fiona - Thanks for the support on Crown Conspiracy - I know your TBR list is HUGE but trust me it is a nice fast fun read.

-- Wife of GR Author Michael J. Sullivan | The Crown Conspiracy | Avempartha

I got a really cool shirt from Threadless which has books on it, gift cards to Barnes and Noble and to a used book store I frequent. I also got the Vampire Huntress series by L.A. Banks (1, 3, 4, and 5). Plus I received some Kindle accessories- a new cover.

I got the Oxford edition set of Jane Austen novels. They're in hardcover and are really beautiful. I'm SO excited!

I only got one book:( I got The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck. I'm secretly in love with him, lol! My sister in law and I usually swap books but they moved to Kansas City, a good 12 hours from me here in Indiana. So this year we just got each other B&N gift cards for like $30. My mother in law who lives with us also got a B&N gift card. We are planning on going together so we don't get the same books and be sure that we want to read what the other one buys, which really isn't too hard, as long as she doesn't get trashy or corny romance novels, I really don't like those.

I received a bookmark from Ecuador. (I collect bookmarks from around the world.) A $25 gift certificate to B&N. It's going to be very hard trying to decide which books to buy, but I'll probably buy books for the Winter Challenge. And I received four Susan Branch cookbooks: Sweets to the Sweet: A Keepsake Book from the Heart of the Home; Girlfriends Forever; Christmas from the Heart of the Home; and Love from the Heart of the Home: A Keepsake Book.

I only received one book ... The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson, but also DVDs of Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. It's my birthday on the first, and I've asked for some vouchers for Waterstones to buy more books :)
Oh, and I bought my daughter Inkheart, which I want to read as well ...

I got a Borders gift card from my boyfriend. He had no clue what books I'd read recently, so he just got me 25 for whatever I needed to pick up next.

A booklight, a bookmark, and a quilting book AND a book of poems by Mary Oliver!

:)

Oh actually lots of bookmarks! Can never have enough!

My husband and I got his and her book lights, he got 3 books (2 of which I want to read), I got 2 books (neither of which he is interested in, so I win on the books), and a new teapot, coasters and tea!

I got Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann and the Absolute Sandman Volume 1 (so awesome...). I may be getting some more books... haven't gotten presents from everyone yet...

i got 2 books and a bunch of gift cards to book stores! :)

I got nothing book related :(

But I did get a new camera and other things that I loved :)

Like Robin, I also got the blanket-with-arms. (I've seen commercials for it on tv, and they call it a "snuggie" - a perfect name, in my opinion!) I'm adoring it right now, as it is wonderful to wrap myself up in it while enjoying a good book and a cup of hot cocoa. My husband is so excited that I love it, although I keep telling him, "And you thought I read a lot before you got me the snuggie....haha!"

My mom and grandma got Snuggies too, my dad gave me the free book light that comes with it. :)

no books or reading paraphenalia (sp?) :( for me... which means I get to pick out the books for myself : )

I got a new booklight and , which was on my wish list. It looks really good, so I've got to hurry up and finish Emma (I think I've been reading it for 2 months by now - I'm obviously not a big fan of it).

Since we're on the topic of reading-related gifts, did anyone have a similar experience: At my suggestion, my 6-year-old son gave his grandma The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and her reaction was priceless. "Uh...I've never heard of this one before." Since it's right up her alley, I know she'll enjoy it, once she gets past the title!

My Christmas gifts (of the book variety):


Alive in Necropolis by Doug Dorst

The Devil and Miss Prym: A Novel of Temptation by Paulo Coelho

The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell

Click by Linda Sue Park and others

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Complete Stephen King Universe: A Guide to the Worlds of Stephen King by Christopher Golden (and others)

Plus a $50 GC to Borders. And, I'm still sitting on a $100 B&N GC. Now, to rebuild my "To Buy" list...

I received the book Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World from my Mom. She had read it in November and loved it. She said that there is a website built for the book that is awesome to visit.

I got Service Included which I already finished.

Julianne, let us know what you think about Shadow in the wind. I thought it was great.

Katie, since I saw the publicity for that book, I want it too. Let us know if it is really good.

I was a goo girl this year, I've got:

un origami book whit papper from my sister's boyfriend
the newest saramago book from my mum (be jealus lori)
my boss got me: after the dark by murakani
my dad got me: the book of names by jill gregory
I´ve bought my self the tales of the beedle bard

a special friend got me a bag whit 5 books all ordered from our favourite online shop (thebookdepository):
in the country of last thing by paul auster;
the seville comunion by perez-reverte;
Bamgombo snuff box by K. vonegut
Burning chrome by william gibson
and the pythons autobiography by the phytons

plus I've got a 15euros gift card for fnac

Bnoir, what is the newest Saramago???? Theres been one since Death w/Interupptions???? Say it isnt so!!!

its was just released in portuguese. it translates literally as the elephant's travels.

and acutally after death interruptions he also published a small memoirs book, that read almost as fiction

ooohhhh... I cant wait till the Elephants Travels is released in English....

LOL - My husband bought the wrong snuggie - I wanted the one with the booklight but he bought a "slanket" instead of a "snuggie". Maybe because I already have a booklight - I'm not sure. I'm glad so many people like the little book lights though - I use them a lot and gave a number of them away this year for friends that I know enjoy reading.

I was a bit surprised, but I didn’t receive any book-related gifts for Christmas. I received some other very nice things (including two skeins of to-die-for silk/alpaca yarn I’ve been lusting over for quite some time). So even though the family opted not to feed my reading addiction this year, my yarn/knitting addiction was appeased, so I’m perfectly content.

My birthday is in the first week of January (and my husband’s is three days before mine) so we always celebrate our birthdays with family the day or so after Christmas so they can watch us open gifts and to save themselves on the postage, since our closest family is over an hour away. Anyway, one of my birthday gifts was a $20 B&N gift card. I tried to spend it last night but they were out of both books I wanted to buy. So I reserved The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao for my book club and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell for the January group read. Hopefully they’ll be in soon because that card is burning a hole in my pocket and I'm worried I may get impatient and go splurge on some other random book that isn't in my reading schedule!

Beth,

I know just what you mean. I've had a $100 GC to Barnes and Noble burning a hole in my purse since NOVEMBER! and I haven't used it b/c I put books on my xmas list. I guess it's good, though, since I got (almost) all the books on my "to buy" list. I still have to use my GC, though (despite the 30+ brand spanking new books sitting haphazardly on my bookshelves)...time to make a new wish list!

Beth, my birthday is 01.05. Happy birthday to you And your husband!

My husband received Tales of Beedle the Bard, which I will of course be reading. I also received American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld and Julie Andrews autobiography. I also got a $25 gift card to Borders and a gift card to Target (which I will probably use to buy books). My Christmas gift to myself was Dewey: The Small Time Library Cat That Touched the World. Can't wait to start reading!

Happy birthday to you as well Kandice!

Husband is 1/04 and I’m 1/07. :P

And Julianne - $100 GC!!! I'm jealous!!!

i got a bookmark and a $50 GC to barnes&noble from my mom. my husband got me Tales of the Beedle Bard.

of course, i'm stilling trying to finish A Mercy 4 week later, i started The Gate House while OOT this weekend, and have Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle sitting around waiting to be read. i should get a good jump on my 50 in 2009 challenge!

And when I returned back home from having visited my family during Christmas, I had a $50 GC waiting for me, plus The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga and The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster. :)

I got Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, and I also bought myself Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire, and Living Dead In Dallas by Charlaine Harris. They were sort of like late Christmas gifts to myself. Haha.

I took back a box set of DVDs to Borders (first season of X-files...I already had the complete series) and subsequently purchased Harry Potter #6, Holes, Howl, The Furies of Calderon, a book journal and a gardening journal.