'Tis The Season...

-
As we bid farewell to November, we enter well and truly the holiday season. It's a very busy time in the bookshop because, as we all know, regardless of the occasion, books make the perfect gift. Not only that, but they are the perfect tool for building anticipation and excitement. Starting tomorrow, I will start my tradition of the Advent Calendar of Books page, which includes 24 books; one a day right up until Christmas Day.
Recently, I heard of a tradition that I think should be adopted by everyone. (In fact, I have always maintained a version of this in my home for years.)

Why not wrap up 25 books and leave them in a prominent place?  Each day, unwrap one book to read and share with family and friends....or even just to give yourself a moment to relax, enjoy and smile. They don't have to be new books, but it is nice to include a few brand new books to add to the variety and surprise. Picture books, seasonal collections and novels of winter which can be shared by all. Also, this can be adapted to suit any upcoming celebration, so if Christmas isn't your thing, don't feel left out. In fact, even if Christmas is the holiday you celebrate, wouldn't it be wonderful to include a few books about the other holidays celebrated at this time of year?
As I said, in my own home, at this moment in the year, the stack of winter and Christmas books comes out and sits near the fire for all and sundry to pick up, read and enjoy...I just never thought of wrapping them! Genius!
The weather has been very dramatic here, and it's easy to succumb to the dreary and dismal, dark days. Take the time to celebrate and life your spirits! Happy Holidays and happy reading!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Rights of the Reader

-
Image
The Rights of the Reader; Daniel Pennac, illustrated by Quentin Blake Summer is here and we do encourage summer reading with numerous incentives and programmes. It is important for children (of all ages) to 'keep their reading up' outside of school time. This is the time when kids develop their own taste in books and can be free to read books of their own choosing. And this is the single most important factor in young people developing a lifelong reading habit. But how do we, as the 'gatekeepers' of kids reading, encourage them properly without running the risk of thrusting pressure and our own ideas on them? Do that and you'll run the risk of pushing them away from reading, and there are already so many distractions for the young reader to contend with that can tempt them elsewhere. Published by Walker Books; 9781406300918 In 1992, French writer Daniel Pennac originally published this little gem of a book; The Rights of the Reader. I highly recommend
Read more

The Summer of Lily and Esme by John Quinn....25 years

-
Image
This year marks the anniversary of the publication of an extraordinary book. In 1991, Poolbeg published The Summer of Lily & Esme by John Quinn and in the 25 years since, it has never been out of print. The Summer of Lily & Esme tells a quiet story, filled with compassion, friendship, memory and heart. It is the story of Alan, an 11-year-old boy who has moved from the city into a house in the countryside; in the middle of nowhere.The house is old and extremely large and immaculate; and there is a locked, boarded over attic room that is said to be haunted by the ghost of a young boy who died tragically. Alan is not too pleased with this move and becomes even less thrilled when he discovers his closest neighbours, in fact his only neighbours, are a pair of elderly sisters, Esme and Lily, who seem to be suffering from dementia.  When Alan falls down a hill of brambles and weeds, the sisters, who believe they themselves to be children, mistake Alan for their
Read more

Launch of Genesis by Eilis Barrett

-
Image
A week ago, I played a small part of the launch of Genesis , the much-anticipated sequel to Oasis by Eilis Barrett; this time at Charlie Byrnes Bookshop in Galway. Vinny Brown introduces Eilis Eilis is a remarkable young woman, as you might imagine since she is 18 years old and this is her second book. ( Oasis was published when she was 16.) Articulate and accomplished, it is a real privilege to know her, to hear her speak and to read her writing. Genesis author: Eilis Barrett publisher: Gill Books (8 September 2017 ISBN: 9780717174355 Genesis picks up the story of Quincy Emerson. She now finds herself a captive once again, in the maximum-security prison, the Colosseum as a security risk. Held in deplorable and brutal conditions in the prison, where anarchy rules and rival gangs wage a 'street war' of sorts, Quincy takes care to not make an enemy of either gang boss, while holding allegiance to no one but herself and her comrades on the outside. Food is scarce an
Read more