BiblioQueria 15

How I love these lazy days after Christmas. Snuggled with the hubby and the cats on our well-worn couch, surrounded by, and reading, yes, lots of books. Thankfully I did receive some books as presents, but upon close inspection, I have discovered that I gave more books as presents than I received. Hmmm... I'm obviously not making it clear enough to certain relatives how easy it is to please me....

But I do love giving books just as much as I love receiving them. I don't just buy any old book for any old person; I make a very concerted effort to find the right book for the right soul. And I certainly appreciate it when the favour is returned. Here's the list of books that I received this Christmas:

Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel by Jane Smiley
Making It Up by Penelope Lively
Inside The Not So Big House by Sarah Susanka and Marc Vassallo
The Complete Peanuts 1957-1958
What I Meant To Say: 25 Essays on the Private Lives of Men by Ian Brown

And here's a list of the books I gave as presents this year:

Van Gogh's Table at the Auberge Ravoux: Recipes From the Artist's Last Home and Paintings of Cafe Life by Alexandra Leaf and Fred Leeman
Napoleon Dynamite: The Complete Quote Book
Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter by Steven Johnson
The Quotable Robertson Davies : The Wit and Wisdom of the Master by James Channing Shaw
The Naming of Names by Anna Pavord
Backstory: In side the Business of News by Ken Auletta
Ex Libris : Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
The Little Book of Hockey Sweaters by  Andrew Podnieks
Women's Wicked Wisdom by Michelle Lovric
What Liberal Media?: The Truth About Bias and the News by Eric Alterman

And so my questions to you are...
What books, if any, did you give for Christmas, and more importantly, What books did you receive?

Comments

[Anne]

Books I gave: A stack of our favorite baby books/board books for new granddaughter Caroline -- her "starter kit"!

Books I received:
"What the Stones Remember: A Life Rediscovered" by Patrick Lane
"Prep" by Curtis Sittenfeld
"A Thread of Grace" by Mary Doria Russell

It is *always* a good choice to give me gift certificates to Borders! My kids all know that well. :-)

Hmmm -- several of my kids would love that Napoleon Dynamite quote book, Patricia! I didn't know it existed. And pray tell, what is inside the Little Book of Hockey Sweaters? (or Jerseys, as we call them here in the States)

Happy New Year to you!

[Arethusa]

I bought that Lively book not too long before holiday break. Haven't started it yet though. You already know about what I received so I'll list the ones I gave.

"From we were boys: The story of the magnificent cousins, the Rt. Excellent Sir William Alexander Bustamante and the Rt. Excellent Norman Washington Manley" by Jackie Ranston

"Luigi Moretti: Words and Writings" by Federico Bucci et. al

"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" & "Quiddith Through The Ages" - J.K. Rowling

"Three Views of Crystal Water" - Katherine Govier

[bibliofilos]

I received three old rare books from charlotte Bronte, from the time when she was still publishing by the name 'Currer Bell' to disguise the fact that she was female. All three books are in excellent condition and have this lovely 'old-book-smell' surrounding them. So, yes, it was a good gift to receive!

[iliana]

Oh you got some great books there! How fun. I hope you are enjoying the lazy days filled with reading time. I got quite a lot of books too and will be posting about them soon.

[Danielle]

Wow, lucky you. You received a nice little stack. I usually don't get books (go figure), but this year I did get a few. I posted a list as well. I also got several gift certificates, too. I used a couple of them, but I am almost too embarrassed to share--I guess I don't need to worry--other book lovers won't gasp at my stack! LOL.

[eliane]

Martin gave me the Oxford companion to music and a workbook for analysis of music literature. Because I had to draw music a couple of weeks ago, and I had no music references at all on my book shelves. I always tend to get my references after the fact. The only books I gave away were lots of fantasy novels for Otger. He eats them lately. Till extremely late at night.

[Robot Johnny]

I received a number of books, but I had to choose favourites... my mom found (and wrapped) some old Richard Scarry books that I read as a child. Best gift ever!

[Cleo]

It was a wondrously bountiful bookish holiday! I received 43 books (and 3 bookstore gift cards) plus my husband gave me the most awesome gift...I mentioned a set of books I had as child, The Companion Library, a set of books where each volume was 2 books-one on each side, they flip over, he hunted the whole set down piece by piece on Amazon and gave me the whole set! I of course puddled into tears. I certainly did not give as many as I received but I did give about 20 books-everyone knows what to expect from me! Glad you received at least a few good reads-happiest holidays!

[Fred]

I took books off of my wish list awhile back, after my most recent move, when it occured to me that I just owned to many of them and should probably read the ones piling up on my shelves and nightstand before asking people to purchase more for me.

But I got a $75 gift card from Barnes & Noble this Christmas anyway, so I was sort of obligated to buy myself some gifts. These include a NY Times crossword compendium, Sarah Canary by Karen Joy Fowler, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest, The Land of Laughs by Jonathan Carroll, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, and The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. (Admittedly, more than a little over $75, but once I get started buying books...)

The only book I received that I didn't technically buy myself was Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss. Now I just have to get around to *reading* these...

[Isabella]

I gave a few:
-a cookbook
-a retrospective of Pope John Paul II
-Narnia chronicles (I can't believe my sister's never read them!)
-Harry Potter #5 in French for my mother-in-law, cuz it's the one she's up to
-the next in the sf series my man's been reading

I received only one book (what's with that? it's like these people never listen to me!!), but it's a good one: Time Bites, a collection of essays by my one of my favourite novelists, Doris Lessing.

But I also got a couple cash treat-yourself-to-something-nice envelopes... So when company finally leaves I'm spending a day at the bookstore.

[Mary Louisa]

I'm a long-time reader and fan, but a first time commenter (commentater? common 'tater?). I received Carolyn Wheat's Writing Killer Fiction, Louisa May Alcott's "The Quiet Little Woman," and a Book Lover's Page-a-day Calendar. I also got a bookstore gift card. :)
My children received Green Eggs and Ham, Goodnight Moon, Grandma and Me, 41 Uses for a Grandma, and 40 Uses for a Grandpa (guess who the last three were from?). My husband received SQL for Smarties.

[Karie]

I received .. none. Unless you count the book of Judy Garland paperdolls that the Bookish Boyfriend gave me. I'm never given books. I don't know why.

I gave friends the collected Narnia books, some books on gardening and .. uhm .. a hip cookbook.

[Monique]

Like you I received less books than I gave. sigh.

Books I gave:
The Time Travellers Wife
Small Island
Short History of Nearly Everything
The Highest Tide
The Great Stink
Princesses Are Not Quitters
Funny Business
How to Cartoon

I received:
The Penelopiad
Alligator
Chronicles of Narnia

I also received a $50 gift certificate to Duthie Books so I'm going to get Parachute and I'm not sure what else, Anansi Boys, Magical Thinking, Tipping the Velvet, and I Have a Bed of Buttermilk Pancakes were some of the many books I wishlisted.

Happy New Year.

[Susan]

I gave The Three Musketeers to my son and James Meek's The People's Act of Love to my daughter.

I received Ali Smith's The Accidental and John Fuller's Ghosts.

[Becka]

I gave both of my nephews boxed sets of Eragon and Eldest. My niece got The Polar Express. Other books I gave included The World Is Flat, The Complete Calvin and Hobbes, Never Coming to a Theater Near You, and Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever.

I almost never receive actual books as gifts - but I always get bookstore giftcards.

[mylifeisacartoon]

I have a zillion books on my wish list and I did not get any. I'll have to buy myself some after Christmas gifts. I might start with The Joy of Worry by Roz Chast.

[Lelia]

On Christmas Eve, I bought myself Woman in White by W.Collins. DH bought The World if Flat by Friedman. Both boys bought sci-fi books & Suduko puzzle books.

I gave away gift cards to Barnes & Noble ... i never can recall who owns what!

[Dawna]

I received the Knitting Harlot!!

[patricia]

Of course, Dawna! I realized after posting the titles of books I gave away as presents, that there were a few more I forgot about, including 'Yark Harlot'.

[patricia]

I'm mean, of course, 'Yarn Harlot'.

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