Merry Wanderer of the Night [Search results for gifts] 

This isn't so much gifts for English Majors as it is stuff that I really, really want that is kind of related to being an English Major. But isn't that how these lists always turn out?

1. Peeramid Bookrest.

They have these downtown and I want one so bad, except the ones downtown are a lot prettier. I always read on my bed and my arms get tired when I have to hold my book up all the time. I asked for one of these but I don't think my parents understood what I meant. Perhaps I'll get one for myself after Christmas. If I was good at sewing then I would make the reading pillow that Dreadlock Girl made. Even you haven't seen it then you can check it out here.
2. Literary Note Cards, I particularly want the Bronte Sisters Note Cards.

I still write letters to my grandma and I love pretty stationary. I actually need to write her a letter this afternoon and I wish I had a nice Bronte note card to send her. She doesn't really know about the Brontes but I think the pictures are nice. Besides, when I become a famous writer and people want to read my letters to find out who I was I don't want them to find ugly stationary! (Insert hysterical laughter here).
3. Classic Novel Posters, like this ridiculously overpriced Mrs. Dalloway print. I happen to have the cheaper On the Road poster and I get quite a few compliments on it. These are nice because they're not too postery, if you know what I mean. You can frame them and they look like nice art work and not boy band posters.
4. I already have this, but Secret Lives of Great Authors: What Your Teachers Never Told You About Famous Novelists, Poets, and Playwrights

is a great gift book for book lovers. I use it sometimes before I take a class about an author so I can get the dirt on them. Plus then you can say interesting things in class, depending on who your teacher is as some of the things are quite dirty. Like James Joyce's sex life!
5. Literary Action Figures, I am personally dying to have this Jane Austen Action Figure.

They are kind of stupid and I'm not sure what I would do with one, but I think they make nice gifts. I wouldn't mind having a Jane Austen action figure on my desk. I might have deep conversations with her or perhaps she could help me on my papers.

Have you I mentioned to you all that Jason is the best guy ever? He has gotten me two bookish gifts recently. Two things I've wanted for a very long time. For Valentine's Day he got me a reading pillow. I mentioned this on my first Best Gifts for English Majors post and I never got one. I was so excited to open it on Valentine's Day and I've already gotten a lot of use out of it.

This is perfect for reading in bed at night. I don't have to hold the book up so my arms don't get tired-- a major problem with reading in bed. I just put the pillow in my lap, hold the book open and read away. You can order these Peeramid Bookrests on Amazon if you're interested. They are hard to find.

He also got me a great t-shirt from the greatest store in world, Raygun. Raygun is a local thing, they make great t-shirts about towns in Iowa because those of us who love Iowa love to show our pride. Someone else really liked Iowa, especially the girls that live there...

Yeah, that's right, Jack Kerouac. I've wanted this shirt for a long time since On the Road is one of my all time favorite books. Sigh. I'm just so happy I have this shirt. If you're not from Des Moines you'll probably find it less exciting, so thanks for humoring me.

In other news, it's midterms which means I have way too much crap going on this week. I have several books to make, a paper to write, a presentation, and an exam. Blargh. I'm really looking forward to spring break, even if I'm only dog-sitting. Lots of time to read and relax. In my lifelong attempt to make you all read essays I posted a three sentence essay yesterday! You should all go read it! I even challenged you to write your own and so far one person has taken the challenge.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.

I'd like to welcome Elizabeth Walker to Jenn's Bookshelf! On Monday, I reviewed her book The Tablet of My Heart. Thank you, Elizabeth, for stopping by!

Gift Giving by Elizabeth Walker

I did a book signing at Barnes and Noble last Saturday and someone said the kindest thing to me, She said, "you’re so talented. I love to read but I could never write." I didn’t know what to say other than thank you, of course – but her compliment danced inside my head for a while.

My mind took me on a little exploration through the thought. I thought about my oldest son, who hates writing. It’s curious, I thought. He hates building a story. He can build a computer out of some boxes and wires I swear it, but he hates building a story. I, on the other hand, can spend all day uploading my thoughts onto the computer, and get lost in my love of it - but I wouldn’t dare ruin it by considering what it takes to make a "p" appear on the screen when I type "p" on the keyboard.

From there my thoughts carried me into my own childhood, and I wandered in my mind to a memory of my dad playing spoons – He could make music with them. He’d put them together back to back with his finger in between the handles, and bounce them from his knee to the hand that he held just slightly above his knee, and make music. I loved it. I loved to listen to him "play" the spoons. I thought it was so cool when he did it, that I decided I’d try it. I hated it! They slipped off of each other, pinched my fingers and sounded like little more than racket that should only be heard from utensils while at the dinner table. I loved hearing it when he did it, but I hated doing it. The weightless thoughts tickled my mind with their simplicity, and made me smile.

I had reached a conclusion to my curiosity. I guess every body has a little gift to share that makes the rest of us think – how do they do that? Thing is, I have thought that about other people hundreds of times without acknowledging that I have a little gift to share too! And, more importantly that all of those little gifts that other people have, add something quite special to my life and to my writing. for instance, if I didn’t have my son who has a gift for gadgets of a technical nature, I wouldn’t have any idea how to use my computer (you’ve no idea how true this is!) If I hadn’t had my dad who had a gift for making my heart dance for the eight years that I had him, I wouldn’t have those sweet memories of him making the silly music that sprung my heart into motion. If there weren’t people in my life who loved reading a story better than building one, they would surely all be so busy building that I might be the only one with the time to peel open and run my fingers through my projects, which is really no fun at all – admiring someone else’s work is far more entertaining.

So, thanks Virginia, and others like her, for the compliment – apparently your gift (at least one of them) is the strength to make other people aware of their own gifts. You certainly gave me a smile that lasted me all the way home (and a little longer). And, quite frankly, I’m glad that you and others like you would rather read than write :0) This way I can possibly make you all smile once or twice, as well.

I don't dare close without mentioning the importance for all of us to support, in what ever way we can, the treatment and prevention of child abuse.

PUMP UP YOUR BOOK PROMOTION VIRTUAL BOOK TOURS
"We take books to the virtual level!"
www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com
Book Marketing Buzz
www.bookmarketingbuzz.com

This week Erotic Horizon wants to know all about our perfect hiding places. You know, those places where you stash the books you don't want your mother-in-law or a casual acquaintance to see.

This is what you had to say:

Erotic Horizon of E.H. On Books N' More shares her favorite childhood hiding place: under the mattress. Nowadays, she favors that sock drawer and occasionally uses her closet. Fortunately her boys haven't found her out yet!

Naida of The Bookworm has found the basement is a good place to hide the Christmas gifts. But for her personal stash, she's found the perfect place for a very special book. It's kept tucked away on the top shelf in her closet for safekeeping.

Olivia's favorite spot, in her pillow covers, has recently been found out so she's on the hunt for a new hiding spot for gifts she buys for her family. She is considering the cellar--or perhaps under her brothers' beds! After all, who would be brave enough to look there? Certainly not me!

We here at Weekly Geeks wish you a Happy Holiday Season! We will be taking a short break this week in honor of the holidays. Be sure and stop by next week to join in some geekish fun!

Last year around this time I made a list of Gifts for English Majors. Another year has gone by and there are a lot of new things out there for English majors, so I thought I would make an updated list for the English majors (or book lovers) in your life.

1. McSweeney's and Believer combo subscription. For ninety dollars you can get a whole year's worth of awesome literary goodness. I've been a Believer subscriber for one year now and even though it has a hefty price tag, I haven't regretted it at all. The Believer is an almost monthly publication (nine issues) that has book reviews, comics, columns, and literature. They also have special issues throughout the year. I don't subscribe to McSweeney's (yet), but it's a fantastic literary magazine with great contributing writers. A year's subscription gets you four issues, which is basically like getting four books in the mail. Speaking of which, McSweeney's also has a Book Release Club for $100.

2. Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don't Float: Classic Lit Signs on to Facebook

is a book I reviewed last spring. It's super cheap ($6 on Amazon) and will give any English major hours of fun. Ever since I reviewed it I've lent it out to at least four people and everyone loves it. For more info on this book check out my review of it.

3. Moleskine Passions Book Journal

is another item I reviewed earlier this year and I absolutely love it. It's a great way for any reader to keep track of their notes from the books they read. I use this for school to keep track of the main ideas from books so by the end of the semester I can return to those notes and remind myself of the main points of the book. Check out my review of the journal for more info.

4. Penguin Classics Hardcover Collection

. I'm not suggesting you buy the entire $200 set, but a favorite book out of this collection would make a nice gift for an English major. I, of course, have my eye on Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. Several stores have these on sale for less than $15 right now, so it's a good time to get them.

5. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4

, because English majors have to have fun too. I can just see myself coming home after a long day of school and work, curling up in front of the television to play with my Harry Potter LEGOs. That actually sounds very nice.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.

Sarah Dunn was born in Phoenix, Arizona. She went to the University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in English and graduated magna cum laude. After college, she wrote a humor column for the Philadelphia City Paper while waiting tables (poorly) at TGI Fridays. When she was 24, she published The Official Slacker Handbook, and was subsequently lured out to Hollywood to write for Murphy Brown, Spin City and Veronica’s Closet. She left TV to work on her first novel, The Big Love, which came out in 2004 and has been translated into 23 languages. She is currently writing a television pilot for NBC called George & Hilly, and her long-awaited second novel, Secrets to Happiness, comes out this spring. She is married to Peter Stevenson, the executive editor of The New York Observer, and they have a chunky delicious new baby boy named Harry.

Sarah Dunn’s Books for Bed Rest and Rainy Afternoons

After I finished Secrets to Happiness, I was placed on strict bed rest for four months because of a high-risk pregnancy, and I read a lot. I mean, a lot. About two weeks before I had my baby, I remember waking up one morning and thinking: I’m done. I was done reading. I had finally done it, something I’d never in my life managed to do – read until I didn’t want to read any more. And I figured if having a baby meant I wouldn’t be able to finish another book for the next two years, well, that would be just fine with me.

I was always emailing friends and asking for book suggestions, and following different leads got me into territory I might not go to otherwise (The Ruins, for one, I would never have picked up on my own, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down). Books for bed rest are sort of like airplane books, in that you need to be able to stick with them for hours and hours on end, and it helps if you wake up in the morning thinking, “I’m stuck here on the couch again, I’ve got heartburn and I’m having contractions and The View is a repeat, but at least I get to spend my day deep inside that book!”

• Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson. A page-turning, atmospheric mystery set in Sweden.
• Suite Française, by Irene Nemirovsky. I didn’t start this one until the fourth friend recommended it. Beautifully written and moving.
• The Ruins, by Scott Smith. Gripping is the word I’m looking for. It’s possible I loved this because I read it when there was something growing inside of me, but give it a try!
• The Forsyte Saga, by John Galsworthy. You can read this, or you can Netflix the BBC series and watch it. I did both.
• A Time of Gifts: On Foot to Constantinople, by Patrick Leigh Fermor. Go back in time, across Europe, on foot.
• The Beach, by Alex Garland. Creepy and good.
• What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal, by Zoe Heller. A voice you can get lost inside.
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. A completely charming, cozy treat.
• Devices and Desires, by P.D. James. Even if you don’t like mysteries, you’ll probably like this book.
• The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory. I don’t read historical fiction, I don’t care much about queens and kings, but I couldn’t stop reading this one.
• The Ripley Novels, by Patricia Highsmith. Start with The Talented Mr. Ripley and if you enjoy it, you’ve got four more.
• The Smoking Diaries, by Simon Gray. An English playwright’s journals. Funny and smart and full of personality.

I always read the books my parents gave me for Christmas and my birthday. Some of it was because I was genuinely interested in the book and really wanted to read it. Other times it was because I didn't want to hurt their feelings. And still other times it was because I was so bored and so without books to read that I was willing to read whatever was sitting on my shelf.

I used to watch the Winnie-the-Pooh TV show when I was up and it was on, partly because I liked it, but also because it was on. Tigger was my absolute, hands down favorite. I liked some of the other characters, and really didn't like others, but Tigger was my favorite. Because I really liked Tigger, my parents decided that this meant I love all things Tigger...

Because I enjoyed the show, my parents decided to get me The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh. I was thrilled! (A book! A big book!) And then, I saw the illustrations. I was so confused! I told my mom they had done it wrong. So I had my first conversation about changes being made to an original work to draw in new audiences and attract new reader (or watcher) ship. I was disappointed. As you can see from the cover, each of the animals in the story look different from what most of us (at least those around my age are used to). While disappointed at first, I did get used to it and now I love them just as much.

And I loved the book! I read the whole thing and would use it to read stories to my little brothers at night. Because of this, my parents decided that Tigger should be a theme. And for the next several years, every Christmas and most birthdays had some sort of Tigger themed... something. Sometimes it wasn't too bad, or weird — I got stuffed animals and The Tigger Movie . But other gifts were strange. Like the hook rug kit with Tigger's face on it. Nothing about me has ever suggested that I would enjoy making a hook and eye — latch/hoop square, even if it had Tigger's face on it. Or the completely impractical backpack with an interior about the size of my fist (but it's TIGGER!!)

It lasted for a long time too, long after I had outgrown Winnie the Pooh.

But even with that, I still love Tigger, and I still loved reading stories to my little brothers from the complete tales. It makes me want to go dig out my copy of the book from storage so that I can start reading it to my nephews too.

I know this Memory Monday ended up being more about the aftermath than about the book itself, and I'm being a little silly with it, but that doesn't change how much I really, genuinely, did love this story. Winnie the Pooh is one of those timeless, classic stories that never gets old, that should never be forgotten, and should always be loved. (Although, I am fully willing to forget the existence of some of those terrible new TV versions. *shudder*)

What Writing Ten Novels in Nine Years Has Taught Me

1) I’ve learned that I only have 2 hands. Writing a book takes as long as it takes, regardless of how long my editor or agent may think it should actually take me; I believe they have learned to deal with this. I will not drive back to school to deliver a forgotten book or PE bag. My children have learned to deal with it. I thought I’d be on the NYT list after my first book. I’ve learned to deal with it. I can only work as hard or as fast as my two hands will allow me. This will only change if I somehow manage to clone myself. I’m still learning how to deal with that.

2) I’ve learned that frozen vegetables are OK, regardless of what my mother thinks. Same goes for ordering gifts online and making cakes out of a box.

3) I’ve learned that there will be times when I will see my gift as a blessing and adore every word that flies from my fingertips. There will also be times when I will view this very same gift with derision, calling every word drivel, and every page a waste of a good tree. From this, I’ve learned that writing is a lot like the stock market: there will always be ups and downs, and you have to be in it for the long haul to be able to reap any benefits.

4) I’ve learned that crying is a good thing. If I’m doing that while writing an emotional scene, then I’m doing it right. Laughing is good, too, as long as it’s supposed to be funny.

5) I’ve learned that sitting with bad posture for extended lengths of time while absorbed in writing a novel can seriously damage your back. And the prospect of having needles inserted into spine to relieve pain can actually be a welcome thought.

6) I’ve learned that there are mean people out there; people who apparently have nothing better to do than write inane or bad reviews on Amazon or elsewhere; I’ve also learned that they are wonderful and generous people out there who take the time to write and let me know how much they’ve enjoyed my books; I’ve learned that good friends, fans and family are a nice buffer between me and the mean people and to try and spend more time with them. Voodoo dolls help, too.

7) I’ve learned that grocery shopping is overrated. My ability to concentrate on the manuscript at hand is indirectly proportional to how stocked my pantry is. Procrastinating by snacking is one of my favorite activities. So is shopping online. My husband is threatening to enroll me in a three-step program for the latter. I simply tell him that I don’t have time—I’m too busy procrastinating and shopping!

8) I’ve learned that my writing is not a hobby. It’s a calling and something I feel compelled to do. If I ever devote this kind of time, money and energy to a hobby, I want somebody to shoot me or have me committed.

9) I’ve learned that summer vacation is as much for me as it is for my children if not more so. I’ve learned that they live in a veritable country club for most of the year (with a personal maid, chauffeur, chef, social planner and personal secretary) and that she needs a break. I’ve learned to turn a deaf ear to their plea for lounging by the pool all day and put them to work. My daughter will be updating my database for my mailing list this summer and my son will become more acquainted with the washing machine and vacuum cleaner. There will also be the nirvana of all mothers: Summer Camp.

10) I’ve learned that the word ‘no’ is actually a word I can become comfortable with saying. I can almost say that I have at times enjoyed the feeling of it rolling off my tongue.

11) I have learned that no matter how many times it happens, I’m always touched by the kind words in a fan letter.

12) I’ve learned that despite good sales, good reviews, kind fan mail and awards, there will still be times when I look down at the page I’ve just written and say to myself, “this sucks.”

13) I’ve learned that with every novel, I’ve learned something new. Gained more confidence. Gotten better. Found new ways to express myself or tell a story. But it has never, ever become easier. Like my father used to tell me, if it were easy, everybody would be doing it.

14) I’ve learned that despite all the ups and downs, there is nothing in my life that I would change. Except, maybe, the size of my hips and the annoying habit my family has of needing to be fed every day.

15) I’ve learned that blogging on a virtual tour is hard work! Trying to say something new and different for each blog leads one to make a list of lessons learned in the hopes that she might enlighten others and even maybe be a little bit entertaining.

Thank you, Karen! Check back tomorrow for my review of Karen's latest novel, The Lost Hours.

Pump Up Your Book Promotion

“We take books to the virtual level!”

www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com

Happy Holidays to all of you! I think this is the longest I have ever gone without blogging, and it will probably be like this for the next couple of weeks. This week was obviously busy with all of the holiday parties and things, plus I don't have a reliable source of Internet at my parents' house. On Tuesday I get on a plane and fly to Amsterdam. I will be gone for 17 days so I'm going to miss a lot in the blogosphere! I have a few posts scheduled and I will probably be able to go to an Internet cafe every once in awhile to update you all on my travels a bit, but I'll be so busy with other stuff blogging in obviously not going to be my main concern.

Did everyone get books for Christmas? I told everyone not to get me any-- but I'm pleased with the books I got. I got The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century

and Farmer Jane: Women Changing The Way We Eat

from my fiance's family. My mom gave me Clockwork Angel, which really surprised me! She must have really paid attention to me in the bookstore. My fiance gave me An Object of Beauty because I love Steve Martin. I also got an Iowa Bird book from my fiance and a set of binoculars-- I'm excited to do some birdwatching in 2011.

I gave a few books this year too. I gave my fiance's mother How to Repair Food, even though she is a wonderful cook. When I heard about it on Books on the Nightstand I immediately thought it would be something she would enjoy as a former food science major. I gave his sister Firefly Lane

per the recommendation of Jamie at Perpetual Page Turner because she really enjoys Nicholas Sparks. I gave my fiance The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City and Bicycling Science.

Out of all the gifts I got this year though, I would have to say the Wii my parents surprised me with is the total winner. I wasn't expecting to get much for Christmas this year because I only asked for money for my trip, which I got. I was totally cool with that and we had pretty much finished opening all out presents when my dad handed me this big heavy box. I thought it was for my mom and tried to give it to her. Let's just say I was in total shock when I opened it. I've already spent way too much time playing Super Mario on it! Hopefully the novelty will wear off before classes start again? Yeah, I kind of doubt it too.

I hope you all had a great holiday weekend! Did you get or give any books this year?

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.

Like many young girls, Elizabeth keeps a journal of her personal thoughts, feelings, and emotions. But the pages of Elizabeth's journal hold a secret too horrible to share...

Elizabeth's father was diagnosed with brain cancer when Elizabeth was six years old. She's too young to remember him as a healthy young man; she only has images of him and his illness. Despite his illness, he made Elizabeth feel "warm and comfortable and safe."

Eventually, her father is admitted to a hospice. Elizabeth and her siblings are split up among their relatives. Elizabeth's mother moves in with a friend, Doyle. Doyle showered Elizabeth with attention and gifts. However, when Elizabeth was eight years old, Doyle began molesting her.

THE TABLET OF MY HEART is a painfully honest account of one young girl's experience. Scattered throughout the journal entries are bits of poetry the author wrote to chronicle and express the hell she was experiencing. She writes about contemplating suicide at the age of ten years old, of the two occasions when she told someone of her abuse (both times she was dismissed), and of the additional emotional pain she experienced when she finally reported the abuse. But one of the prevalent themes in Elizabeth's poetry is her anger at God, her questioning of God's existence, and the ultimate understanding of God's plan.

THE TABLET OF MY HEART was not an easy read due to the topic.But the overall message was a powerful one: never give up on your faith. Despite all the tests forced upon you, you will persevere.

PUMP UP YOUR BOOK PROMOTION VIRTUAL BOOK TOURS

"We take books to the virtual level!"

http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/

If you haven't heard about Buy Books for the Holidays yet you should check it out. The whole purpose is encouraging people to buy books as gifts for the holidays. This is something I usually do anyway, last year I bought my boyfriend Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings

by Christopher Moore for Christmas and for his birthday I got him V for Vendetta

and Watchmen

. He is really into current pop culture so he really enjoyed all three of these.

Ever since I was a little kid I've always asked for at least one book for Christmas, I'm sure this year will be no different. If I don't receive a book I'll usually end up buying one right after Christmas (Barnes and Noble has great after holidays sales!). I'll probably buy books for the usual people this year, but I might add a couple new people to my book buying list, like my Grandma who is really interested in history but only ever reads romance novels. She might enjoy some Tasha Alexander.

Happy Holidays!

A not so funny thing happened on the way to this blog. My husband fell seriously ill.

I had planned to write about passion, about how it adds richness and meaning and beauty to life, but faced with losing my partner of almost thirty years I couldn’t summon up enough passion to write about passion. I felt bereft. I looked it up to be sure that was the correct word.

Bereft: deprived of something; lacking something needed or expected.

Yes, bereft is correct.

But I made a commitment to this blog tour so I opened my computer and started to string sentences together. Of course, being bereft, I wrote about watching my smart, sweet, beautifully educated husband asking, “What’s happening to me?” over and over. He could not answer questions like, “What year is this? How many children do you have? How old are you?” His body was there, but he was gone.

Bereft.

Yet, as I wrote I began to feel slightly less bereft. My passion is writing and doing it made me feel less hollow and less frightened. That’s when I decided to go back to my original idea and write about passion. Passion doesn’t only enrich the good times; passion can get us through the bad ones.

Pablo Neruda described a writer’s passion more beautifully than I ever could. He said:

“… I love words so much: the unexpected ones, the ones I wait for greedily are stalked until, suddenly, they drop. Vowels I love, they glitter like colored stones, they leap like silver fish. They are foam, thread, metal, dew. I run after certain words… I catch them in mid flight as they buzz past. I trap them, clean them, peel them. I set myself in front of a dish; they have a crystalline texture to me; vibrant, ivory, vegetable, oily, like fruit, like algae, like agate, like olive. And then I stir them, I shake them, I drink them, I gulp them down, I garnish them…like stalactites, like slivers of polished wood, like coal, pickings from a shipwreck, gifts from the waves. Everything exists in the word.”

That’s the passion that kept me writing through thirty years of rejection.
In 2008, Simon & Schuster published my novel, The Book of Unholy Mischief, and I was elated. But the giddy moment passed, and I understood that fleeting success did not measure up to the profound pleasure of creating something original.

Thirty years of writing yielded new and various rewards on a daily basis, one of which has been sharing my passion with my grandchildren. My grandkids know that a day out with Grandma means going to the bookstore, and they love it. We each choose a new book, and then we sit down to lunch and pour over our treasure. It gave me a deep, tickling satisfaction to hear that when my daughter found the Italian edition of my book in Venice, her five-year old ran through the store yelling, “We found Grandma’s book!” Hearing that was a wonderful moment born of passion.

My husband has had his passions too. He climbed mountains, flew glider planes, kayaked, and practiced medicine. After we married we shared a passion for travel and visited dozens of countries on six continents. We lived abroad and our shared love of exploration gave our lives scope and dimension. Now that his future is uncertain our history of shared passion is a comfort. Passion is our consolation for mortality.

Thank you, all who read this, for helping me indulge my passion and soften a hard moment. May you all find a passion, and indulge the hell out of it.

Thank you, Ellen, for stopping by Jenn's Bookshelf. You and your husband are in my thoughts during this incredibly difficult time.

Wow, it's weird writing 2010 in my Weekly Geeks post title, but here it is a new year. With a new year beginning, I like to think this is the year I'm going to get organized. At least I'm starting out that way. So it's time to put a plan into action, clean out the closets and whatnot. Why shouldn't we do that for our blogs as well?

For some of us, this will not be so difficult as many bloggers are joining Bloggeista hosted by Maw Books this weekend, but if you are not up for 24 hours of blog cleaning you can still do something.

This week take a look at your blogs and do a little generally cleaning. Fix those broken links, straighten out those blogrolls, make some labels. Stuff like that.

Your blog is perfect, you say? How about your email? Time to delete some of those old messages. Have a look at your blog subscriptions in your blog readers. Maybe it needs a good going over. Are you a member of LibraryThing? Add those Christmas gifts to your virtual bookshelves. Upload your audiobooks to your ipod. Download some ebooks.

Nothing to do online? How about looking at your bookshelves at home? Organize them anyway you see fit. (Take some pictures.) Take unwanted books to the used book store or give them to charity. Get a library card.


After you've done your cleaning, write a post about it or vlog or haiku. Just let us know what you did. Come back see what others have done.

If none of this appeals to you, write a blog resolution post. Or a blog to-do list. Or tell us about your upcoming projects (a challenge you're hosting, newsletter, new blog).

Remember this is just a prompt. Take the idea and do whatever you choose with it. There are no hard and fast rules.

Have fun!

Have I mentioned I don't have any finals? Well, just in case I haven't I will again. I don't have any finals! Which means that I am almost done with everything. I just have to go in on Tuesday and present a website and I have a portfolio due tomorrow. Portfolios are strange, I'm not sure how much time I'm supposed to use on them. I usually figure one week's worth of homework time for projects so that is about six hours. One last college thing: I have three books about Emily Dickinson that I don't want, but the bookstore won't buy them back because they're not going to use them again and I can't get any money for them. So they're just taking up space. I'm very upset about this.

So this week I posted reviews of Northanger Abbey, Are You There God? It's Me Margaret, Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor, and Shirley Volume One. I also posted a list of cool gifts to get the books lovers in your life here. This week I began a self challenge called the 19 Going On 20 challenge. I am going to be reading four YA novels for the last four weeks before I am no longer a teenager. Check back to see what I think of these! I don't read YA very often. I finished In a Gilded Cage by Rhys Bowen this week as well, but have yet to review it.

This week I'll be finishing The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (actually today most likely). I will be reading The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner, The Moment Between by Nicole Baart, The White Garden by Stephanie Barron, The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova, The Clumsiest People in Europe edited by Todd Pruzan, and Sex Lives of the Roman Emperors by Nigel Cawthorne. Hopefully I'll be able to finish most of those books before I go home for winter break. I'll sure have quite a bit of time to do it.

I'd also like to point everyone towards this post at Bookstore People called Jane Austen: A Love Story. It's a beautiful story that I found on Books and Movies Bookish Links post.

And now I advise you all to watch this video, or rather listen to this song.

After my post on Thursday about avoiding finals I gave studying on Saturday the good old college try. I got some of my paper done, but not nearly enough. This afternoon I'm going to lock myself up in the library and I won't come out until I have at least 1.5 papers done and my reading for Monday. But this morning I'm going to relax a little bit, do some reading and eat some food. Maybe after a little relaxation I'll feel better equipped to plunge into paper writing. Maybe I'll pick up a peppermint latte or something to make myself feel extra prepared.

I'm not sure how other students are, but I really have to coax myself into studying for finals. The week before finals is probably about the worst week because the end is so close. I love actual finals week because you don't have to go to class, so you can just relax and study all week! This is especially true for me this semester because I only have one big final exam (anthropology, the bane of my existence) so for the entirety of finals week I will just work, relax, and study for that stupid exam, which have to do very, very well on. Don't be surprised if I start tweeting about skulls all the time.

If you haven't yet, check out my review of Heart with Joy. I really enjoyed this book and my review doesn't do it justice. I also did a post about Gifts for English Majors you should check out for your holiday shopping. Yesterday I did an Awesome Essays post about and essay called Speaking American, which I think all of you will enjoy because you love language!

Thanks everyone for your overwhelming congratulations about my engagement. I'm obviously very excited about it! We're not planning to get married until after we graduate so it will be a year and a half, and for now I'm just excited about being engaged.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.

Today's Fairy Tale Fortnight interview totally makes my day. Because it is with the author of my number one most anticipated release of 2012 and will be followed by a review of the book! I cannot even begin to describe how happy I am that Alethea, author of the soon to be released Enchanted agreed to be part of Fairy Tale Fortnight! So check out her awesome interview and then enter the giveaway of WIN that she is donating!

What do you make of the resurgence in popularity for fairy tales? (Once Upon a Time, Grimm, Mirror Mirror, Snow White and the Huntsmen, all within a very short time)? Do you see it as a trend that will sort of peter out, or is it just getting started?

J. R. R. Tolkien once said (and fairy tale scholar Jack Zipes agrees) that fairy tales were 100% guaranteed moneymakers. In these times of extreme economic crisis, doesn't it make sense to bet on a Sure Thing? Even Mama wouldn't disagree with that.

I believe this is a trend that started once upon a time in sixteenth-century Italy. We're definitely on the crest of a fairy tale tidal wave right now. I hope that wave continues for a very, very long time... or until we all live happily ever after. Whichever comes first.

What impact do you think fairy tales have on society (especially with the same tales popping up in various forms in every society)?

Over the years, fairy tales as a whole have been both teaching tools and "urban" legends at the same time. They are typically pro-cleverness, anti-laziness, and sometimes even end more realistically than happily. I think the more unadulterated fairy tales that children are read as part of their growing-up process, the more traditional values they will have, and the better off our society would be.

But we live in a world now where children are protected from such terribly, bloody things. Fairy tales are neutered and spoon-fed by Disney, and our children are reading Facebook news links before bedtime. Because THAT seems like the best way to mold our future society. *rolls eyes*

Book in a Tweet: Your fairy tale in 140 characters or less?

Every beloved fairy tale originated with the Woodcutter family. Enchanted is Sunday Woodcutter's story.

Favorite fairy tales: "The Goose Girl" and "Snow White & Rose Red."

Most underrated fairy tale? Every one that hasn't been made into a Disney film: "The Foundling," "Master Maid," "The Seven Swans," "The Little Match Girl," "Tom Thumb"...

Most overrated fairy tale? "Snow White." Every retelling of this tale concentrates so much on the evilness of the queen and not really Snow White herself. (The jury's still out on OUaT, but it's decidedly Regina-centric.) At the end of the Grimm tale, Snow White invites the queen to her wedding and makes her dance in red-hot iron shoes. Doesn't exactly fit the Lily White Mary Sue Princess she's always portrayed as, does it?

Last year we asked everyone’s fairy tale hero/heroine name; this year, we want to know your fairy tale villain name:

According to the online Fairy Tale Name Generator, I am EVIL STEPMOTHER. Ha! Is that even possible?

Using that name, give us a line from your villainous fairy tale:

"Once Upon a Time, a fairy godmother married a widowed prince with two lovely daughters. While the sun shone she was loving and kind, but when the sun set, she locked herself in the tower room and became THE EVIL STEPMOTHER."

If a genie granted you 3 wishes, what would they be?
1. That the Enchanted series continue on long enough for me to tell the stories of all seven Woodcutter sisters
2. That we all be doomed to a happy life
3. The genie's freedom (I am no fairy tale dummy!)

Best way to read fairy tales?

In bed, to a child. Fairy tales are all the more magical when told.

If one of your books was being turned into a movie and you could cast 1 character, which character would you cast and who would play them?

It's funny you should ask! I am a huge movie buff and a fan of many actors, not the least of which is Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. I was writing the last half of Enchanted right about the same time they killed the character of Mr. Eko on the TV show Lost. I was furious! So furious, in fact, that I immediately resurrected him in my book... and thus, Jolicoeur was born. I would be tickled pink if someday a production company 1.) turned Enchanted into a film and 2.) cast Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Jolicoeur.
P.S.- — I kind of come off like I hate Disney in this, but I really don't. Well, okay..I sort of don't.
PPS — I didn't really get to mention THE WONDERLAND ALPHABET — it would be cool if perhaps you could find a way to sneak it in somehow. Stories like Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan are very much fairy tales to today's generation, I think.
What a fabulous interview! Seriously! LOVE! And would that I were a genie that I could grant your first wish! I would love to read more of the Woodcutter sister's stories! I absolutely loved the allusions to the various fairy tales! ____________________________________________

Alright! GIVEAWAY TIME!!

Because Alethea is MADE OF WIN she has donated an awesome gift basket full of Enchanted goodness and Fairy Tale win.

She has donated a finished, signed copy of Enchanted to one lucky winner along with other fun swag and surprise gifts.

TO ENTER: Use the Rafflecopter form below. There are extra entries available for commenting on Enchanted related posts on Ashley's blog — Basically Amazing Books, Misty's blog — The Book Rat and Bonnie's blog — A Backward's Story. The Rafflecopter widget is the same on all three blogs. You can enter through any of our blogs, but you must visit and comment on each individual post for the extra entries.

Giveaway is US only. Ends May 7th.

Visit:
Ashley's Blog Misty's Blog Bonnie's Blog

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click the button to be taken to the
Fairy Tale Fortnight Main Page & Schedule
(button image via)

This is the season where we are not only battling to get the gifts we want in time for the big day but it’s also the time where we have to find the perfect hiding place to put said gift.

Some of us might be lucky enough to be able to use the same cubby hole year after year, but as the kids grow older or huddy or wife starts getting more ambitious with their searching so it becomes your mission to find a newer and better hiding place.

But what about those hiding place we use month after month, day after day that are just for those book that you don't want to leave on the bookshelves for the mother-in-law to see or those books that the kids are definately not ready for or even those books that are so near to your heart that you could not bear them being tarnished by the grubby little mitts of friends and family.

Are you using your sock draws as I am for some of my risqué material or do you use the row behind the main row on the bookshelf. Wherever you are hiding your stash of book – tell us?

Find out from your readers as well where they are keeping theirs, you might pick up a tip or two when your latest hiding place is the first place the kids look this weekend.

Wishing you all a great week.

Please add your links to comments - until Ms. Linky gets placed on the post.

Lots of questions on this week's post -- feel free to answer any or all!

Do you have a book wish list for the holidays? (Or is that one of those 'duh' questions?) If so, what's on it?

Are you very specific when someone asks what you want for a gift? Or do you throw caution to the wind and say, "Oh any book you choose..." Or do you prefer a bookstore gift card?

Do you buy books for people on your gift list? Do you choose books for them that you like and try to influence their reading (or hope they'll loan it to you when they're done)? Or do you get specific titles from your giftee?

Where do you buy your book gifts? Do you shop at local independent bookstores, or the "big box" stores? or do you shop online?

Once you've posted to your blog, come back and sign Mr. Linky (with a link to the post, not your blog home page). Be sure to visit other Geeksters to see what's on their lists!