‘Twas the day after Halloween, and all through the store, Not a ghost or a goblin could be seen anymore.
And what in the twinkling displays should appear? But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.
With apologies to Clement Clark Moore, it seems that the Christmas shopping season is upon us. Even those who don’t celebrate the season get to take advantage of amazing sales designed to make you buy buy buy! And while the holidays we are celebrating really have nothing to do with commercialism, it’s still nice to find a present with your name on it and wonder what could be inside.
I, f
or one, look forward to Christmas because I know it means new books! New, wonderful worlds waiting to be explored, interesting people to meet, new adventures upon which I can embark. I am hoping to find the new Liaden book under the tree. So, dear readers, is there a new book that is coming out (or has come out recently) that you are particularly wanting to unwrap? Or maybe you prefer gift cards so you can go to the bookstore and browse for yourself? Or is this the year you are asking for an e-reader of one flavor or another? Give us your wish list, and maybe we can pass it on to Santa for you.
Leave a comment and we’ll enter you in a drawing to win a copy of R.A. Salvatore’s The Dame. Comments must be left by midnight eastern time on Sunday, November 8th. SB Frank will announce the winner in his post on Monday morning. Good luck!
joe57: Three Days to Dead by 
I’m a big fan of bookstore gift cards! I have lots of friends and family who tend to purchase these for me. They know that if they just go to the store and guess, there’s a good chance they’ll pick something I already have!
It always results in a sort of “second Christmas”–let’s call it Booksmas– where I take the gift cards to B&N and finally snap up all those shiny books I’ve been drooling over for months. I rarely buy books anymore–budget’s tight, and I tell myself I don’t need to buy books when I have ARCs and the library–so that’s my chance to go wild!
Yeah I like the bookstore giftcards too. Last year everyone seemed to give me bookstore gift cards, and it was awesome. $100 to spend on books…that was fun. I want Jim Butcher’s new Codex Alera book so bad I can barely contain myself. I’m also looking forward to Patricia Brigg’s new one in January, those gift cards will keep a few bucks on them to get my Mercy Thompson fix.
I’ve asked for PC Hodgell’s Godstalker Chronicles in trade paperback omnibus editions. I’ve also put Ice by Sarah Beth Durst – I’m a sucker for retellings of this particular fairy tale. There may be a couple more as it gets closer to Christmas. Other than that I’m hoping for the bookstore gift cards.
Can I wish for Lorna Freeman’s 3rd Borderlands book even if it isn’t out yet? It’s a wishlist right?
Gift cards are a favorite, but the problem is that some bookstores(B&N) don’t cary some books that I want. Thank goodness for Amazon.
The one book I am looking forward too unwrapping would have to be the 50th anniversary edition of the Lord of the Rings trilogy in hardback with illustrations. The other books that I want are The Mageworld series; sadly they are out of print, and I don’t think my mom will just give me her copies.
oh, and if Sarah gets to wish for a book that isn’t out yet then I also wish for the next Beka Cooper book by Tamora Pierce.
@Justin:
Yup, the best part about the gift cards is that the givers are MAKING me spend money on books, rather than talk myself out of buying books because I might need that money for groceries/socks/bills/whatever.
Gift cards are great when you don’t know what book to choose. When you want to offer a book but your friend has a huge personal library, the choice might get a little complicated so gift cards may be a good solution. Books I’m wanting to unrap? Oh, they’re just too many…
I don’t often ask for reading books for Christmas, unless it’s to replace worn out copies. Sometimes I get giftcards, though, which is nice.
Christmas is when I usually ask for the kind of books I can’t afford. Last year I got two extremely gorgeous ones: The Egyptian Book of the Dead and a stunning book on Egyptian tombs by Zahi Hawass.
There aren’t any research books I want this year, but there is a Luis Royo art book on my list.
It occurs to me that asking for research books might sound a little boring…heh.
I am VERY easy to please Santa. All I want for Christmas is for George R.R. Martin to turn in a finished manuscript for A Dance With Dragons.
Ask not the impossible, Angus. Some things even Santa can’t do.
I’m hoping I might find Brian Porter’s Study in Red and related books amongst those parcels.
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How about old books. Old I cut my fantasy teeth on them books. I like many others first fell in love with fantasy with Tolken. However, my meat and taters after that was Conan and …..pause…..”GOR” by John Norman. Has anybody read those? My brother has allready got me my X-mas present early this year. He found and bought me the first 10 books of GOR. I think I have read the first 11 or 12. Its been so long. I was like 12 when I read those. Anyway it was a really nice “nostalgic” gift that means alot to me. One year he got me an original, off the movie house wall, poster of “Red Sonja”. He is good at this kind of thing.
I wonder how much I would have to pay Santa to have him make Melanie Rawn finally write the third book in the Exiles series? I’ve only been waiting 11 1/2 years now.
Glorious, glorious book store gift cards! My parents usually get me a stack of shiny new books for Christmas and I absolutely can’t wait to give them my wish list this year! Must haves will be Under the Dome (Stephen King), The White Queen (Philippa Gregory), The Heretic Queen & Cleopatra’s Daughter (Michelle Moran), and An Echo in the Bone (Diana Gabaldon).
Beth, those books on Egypt sound anything but boring to me!
Angus, AMEN!!!
As Sarah, I can wish for Lorna Freeman’s 3rd book and Rothfuss’ 2nd.
And The spirit lens (C. Berg) and Regenesis (C.J. Cherryh) and Fledging (Lee & Miller) and…
… pause … I must confess I read a few of the Gor books some years ago. Well, the first ones were funny…
I always make a few different book lists for my family, tailored to their shopping habits and budgets! For instance, I don’t ask my husband for any out of print books that are too expensive, because he might go crazy and actually buy them, and then what will we feed the children? One new book that’s on the list I gave him is Fire, by Robin Mckinley and Peter Dickinson– it’s one I have to have, but I’m willing to wait!
I always prefer gift cards to books because invariably the books I receive are not at the top of my wish list. If I had to pick a book/author I’m really excited to read. It would be George RR Martin.
What a fun post! I always get a nice gift card for books under the tree! I love actually getting books, and am always happy to discover a new author or book this way, but since I am the “book” person, people are afraid I’ve read or have whatever they think I may like. A book with a personal message inscribed on the front page is always something to treasure though!