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The Best Baby Shower Gift

July 2, 2010 in Uncategorized, childrens, gifts by Claire | 3 comments

I’m sadly past the age when most of my friends are having babies and it’s been a while since I’ve been invited to a baby shower, so I long ago stopped stocking up on cute little outfits and one-of-a-kind stuffed animals and that kind of thing.  So when my daughter was invited to a baby shower and I completely forgot about it until the last minute, I knew I had to come up with something quickly.

(You may wonder why a 12-year-old girl was invited to a baby shower.  It’s not a teen pregnancy thing.  It’s just that Annie’s social life is always busier and more interesting than mine.  I’ve stopped questioning it.)

So there I am, panicking a little, trying to think of what stores are nearby . . . and then I think, “Oh, wait.  The bookstore!”  I run over to my all-time favorite local Indie, Village Books in the Pacific Palisades, and I head to the back to the children’s corner.  Katie O’Laughlin, who owns the store, once told me that picture books are one of the few things that e-books can’t compete with, so it’s something small bookstores like to keep a good stock of.

I wanted this present to be special since it was coming from Annie, and then it hit me: I should pick out the picture books that meant something to her when she was little (which feels like a minute ago and an eternity ago), the ones that she and I read over and over together because they meant something to us, or just brought us both so much pleasure we never stopped enjoying them.

The second I spotted Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes, it was in my arms.  Both my daughter and I are natural worriers.  We don’t face any new situation without fretting about the various things that might go wrong, the people who might not be friendly, the parking spaces that might not materialize, the food that might not be good . . .  I love that book because it acknowledges that not all kids are carefree and lighthearted.  That was an easy one.

"Our" book

I was tempted to get one of Ian Falconer’s Olivia books because we loved those so much, especially the first one. The drawings and the text are just perfect.  But they’ve become so hugely popular that I worried a little she might already have gotten them.  While I was trying to decide, my son came up and handed me Ferdinand the Bull.  ”You have to give her this,” he said.  ”It’s our story.”  (Ferdinand, for those who don’t remember, is the bull who would rather pick daisies than act like the other bulls.  And, yes, it is our story,)

I also got Jules Feiffer’s I Lost My Bear which is maybe the most fun book to read out loud ever, because the narrator/protagonist is wildly over the top emotional as she searches for her lost teddy bear.  It’s a fun, fun book and I’ve always loved pretty much anything Feiffer’s ever done, for kids or adults.

My memory being what it is, I can’t remember for sure but I think I also got another Kevin Henkes, Sheila Rae the Brave, because that was a real favorite of Annie’s.  So was Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse and Julius the Baby of the World.  Basically you can’t go wrong with Kevin Henkes.

I couldn’t buy every favorite book because there wasn’t money, time or world enough, and I won’t bore you by listing them.  But if you’re a mom or a dad, the next time you need to get a great baby shower gift, think about picking out your own kid’s favorite picture books and writing a little note about why each one was special to him or her.  Even better, take your kid along and let him pick the books out and dictate or write the note himself.   I can’t think of anything more special or more likely to get used over and over again.

Plus it gives you an excuse to go to the bookstore.  And we all like to do that.

Great minds think alike: Kim just reminded me she’s written about her own favorite baby shower book choices.  Check out her top picks.

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Hey Kermit – It Is Easy to be Green

February 13, 2010 in environment, gifts, giveaway by Kim | No comments

Claire and I work at being green.  We both buy our veggies from the same organic service (ParadiseO, tell them we sent you!) and strive to reduce, re-use and recycle.  Truthfully though, Claire is in a different league.  When she re-landscaped, she chose succulents and water tolerant plants; when you see my garden, you’ll think “English.”  When they stripped out the grass to replace it with a more environmentally-friendly type, she watered the dirt and waited for the weeds to grow and be pulled rather than use a herbicide.  Let’s just say that never would have occurred to me.  She composts; when I mentioned composting to our landscaper she laughed, patted me on the shoulder, and said “let’s work on watering the pots regularly.”  Claire gave up meat for a year for environmental reasons; I try not to have any meat until dinner, but mostly for caloric purposes.

We’ve talked about the used book quandary – they’re better for the environment because a book is being reused, but not so good for the author who doesn’t get a cut of that transaction.  Claire is an author.  Eco-Libris provides the answer, buy a tree for every book you read to balance out the paper used to manufacture the book.  Eco-Libris also works with publishers to promote the sustainable production of books.  Now, they are combing the two and adding an extra incentive for readers to participate:

  • Customers who balance out 25 books at Eco-Libris will receive a $10 gift card for Strand Bookstore in New York City (one of the world’s best independent bookstores). These cards are good for any in-store or online purchases and they never expire.
  • For customers who will balance out 50 books, Eco-Libris will send a gift - a choice of “green” book, printed on recycled or FSC-certified paper. Customers will be offered to choose from a list of 5-6 books that will be changing occasionally.  The books are from last November’s green campaign; we loved our copy of From Green to Gold by Harold Enrico.
  • Customers who will balance 100 books will receive a$25 gift card for BookSwim, a Netflix-style book rental library service, lending you paperbacks, hardcovers and college textbooks.

Help the environment and get rewarded for it, what could be better?

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Best Gifts for Readers – Young Adult Books

December 21, 2009 in childrens, gifts, graphic novels, recommended reading, young adult by Kim | 5 comments

Here is the list my daughter has been clapping her hands in anticipation for:  a YA list from Jessica, the pied piper of young literature from Latitude 33 in Laguna Beach, CA.  Last summer, Kelsey and I visited Latitude 33 and Jessica spent a long time talking books with Kelsey – they were reading soul mates.  Luckily for the rest of us, she just started her own blog about children’s and young adult books, Read Schmead:  Tales from the Book.  We asked Jessica for some favorite YA books that any reader would love to receive as a gift and here are her thoughts:

A Non-Definitive List of Great Books for Young Adults

This list, like all lists, is incomplete.  Also, it is definitely not definitive.  My fiancee, Nōn, and myself have compiled this list because we love young adult books.  Enjoy.

 Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke – Igraine the Brave, from the author of the Inkheart trilogy, is absolutely delightful.  Igraine wants nothing more than to be a Knight, but little excitement comes to her Pimpernel’s castle, until one day when all craziness breaks loose and Igraine—with some help—must fight against the evil sorcerer.  I listened to the audiobook version and found Xanthe Elbrick’s voices perfect for all of the characters.

 The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Suspense, action, creepy crawlers, The Maze Runner has it all.  Thomas awakes in an elevator shaft in a place called the Glade unable to remember anything of his life, only his name.  He soon discovers that he and the other boys living in the Glade must stay there until they figure out the ever-changing maze, but it’s not that easy because after dark the Grievers come out.  I was utterly captivated by the world Dashner creates and I can’t wait for the next book (this is the first in a trilogy)!  For the first time in a while I found myself unable to put the book down and actually used my cell phone to light the page when I was reading late at night.  [Kim - check out  the book trailer on Jessica's blog.]

 Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - Easily the best young adult book in the last few years!  This book is the first in a series about Katniss, a sixteen-year-old girl, living in what used to be America and is now called Panem.  She is forced to participate in the “Hunger Games;” a government orchestrated game in which a boy and a girl from each district is forced to fight until there is only one survivor.  I definitely recommend this book to everyone over the age of twelve, adults included!  If you have not read Hunger Games yet then it is a must buy for the holidays! 

 If I Stay by Gayle Forman – A touching novel, If I Stay left me weepy, but I never felt manipulated. Seventeen-year-old Mia is involved in a terrible car accident leaving her in critical condition and her mother, father Read the rest of this entry »

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The Best List of All – Your Own!

December 16, 2009 in gifts, giveaway by Kim | 1 comment

logo-holiday2What do book lovers like best during the holidays?  A book!  We can be difficult to buy for, people aren’t sure what books we have or what books we want.  IndieBound has the perfect solution, your own book Wish List.

I recently set up my list.  It was simple:

  • Click on My Book Lists on the header (I already had a profile, if you don’t it’s required and simple to set up),
  • Type the title/author/ISBN # for the book you want,  
  • When the picture pops up, click on the Add to this Book List button and presto, there it is on the list!

There are a couple of neat bells and whistles – I could rank the books I wanted in order by designated which book was to be the first on the list, which the last, and then moving the others up and down one position at a time.  I put the books I don’t have to read for book groups or other commitments first and then the ones I know I’ll buy for myself last.   I can also write a note up to 250 characters to attach to each book (such as “please, please, please buy this for me”).  And, for those of us who love our local bookstores, the list includes a link to a favorite local store for easy online ordering.  Buy from the store and have the book shipped to the recipient.  Or, find your own local store using IndieBound’s store locator function.

There are two ways people can access your list, either you can e-mail the list to someone (there is a button that will send the list on its way and room to add a message, such as “please, please, please buy this for me”) or anyone can access it via your profile.  That’s a good reason to use your name as your log in, make it easy for people to find you and your wish list.  Unfortunately, the login didn’t have enough spaces for  my  long name, so I’m Kim Allen-Niese.  Just part of the price I pay for hyphenating my name.

I wanted to see how the list worked once a book was purchased.  Luckily I’m married to a good sport who agreed to buy my number one choice, Wolf Hall.  He loved how easy it was to buy the book.  Just a few clicks and he’s done, well, with this purchase.  The book is waiting for him at our local store, he even requested that it be gift wrapped.  One downside is that my wish list didn’t automatically update the fact that Wolf Hall was purchased, I had to go in and delete it myself. 

Check out my list, tell me what you think I should add (my husband will appreciate the help) and set up your own!

Remember, if you buy two books at an independent bookstore by the end of the year, you are a Holiday Helper and can qualify to win an ABA Gift Card.  You can use it to buy the one book everyone forgot to give you.

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Best Gift for Readers – Politically Incorrect Books

December 14, 2009 in community service, gifts, international, memoir, politics by Kim | 2 comments

ClintonFlagFBI have been following the Clinton Book Shopand it’s owner manager, Rob Dougherty, for over a year now on Facebook and Twitter.  Rob is a strong vocal advocate for buying from your independent bookstore and local businesses, so his interests line up with the goal of Bookstore People.  Clinton Book Shop is in New Jersey, which is several thousand miles from me, so I haven’t visited the store, yet.  I have noticed on updates an interesting club, one I would love to join, called the Politically Incorrect Book Club.  It’s a sellout at Clinton with a waiting list to join.  The club is “committed to the belief that each individual is entitled to openly express their thoughts and perspectives without the fear of being dismissed.”  I think membership should be required of every politician, I nominate the California legislators to sign up first.

Knowing I was writing this post today, I pondered over what makes a book politically incorrect?  Is there a universal definition that people from various view points could agree upon?  Or is one person’s politically incorrect book someone else’s text?  What do you think?

The books Rob recommends touch on a wide variety of topics, from health care to religion to globalization to politics to foreign affairs, this group isn’t afraid to approach any significant topic.  If only the book group could meet via the Internet and we could all join!  Until then, pick up duplicate copies of a few of these books (Rob will be happy to send them to you), one for you and one for a gift, then meet and discuss the topic while respect the views of everyone at the table:

  • The Lives They Left Behind:  Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic,by Darby Penney, Peter Stastny, Lisa Rinzler
  • The Family:  The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power,by Jeff Shariet
  • The Limits of Power:  The End of American Exceptionalism,by Andrew J. Bacevich
  • The Soprano State:  New Jersey’s Culture of Corruption, by Rob Ingle and Sandy McClure
  • A Year Without “Made in China”:  One Family’s True Life Adventure in the Global Economy,by Sara Bongiorni
  • Bad Money, by Kevin Phillips
  • Palestine Peace, by Jimmy Carter
  • The Future of Freedom:  Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad,by Fareed Zakaria
  • A Letter to America,by David Boren

Remember, buy two books at an independent bookstore, send us the receipts and you’ll be eligible to win an ABA Gift Card!

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