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We're feeling festive here at YABC. So we've decided to give away a gift from Writer's Yardsale to one lucky book lover! (Up to a $30 value!)

The Yardsale has an awesome selection of t-shirts, mugs, posters, notebooks, and more with great designs for the book lovers, writers, and the English teachers in your life. Win an item just for you or someone you love!

Here's how it works:

Simply leave a comment at the bottom of this post with a link to the item you want ohsomuch from The Yardsale. (Must be $30 or less. We'll pay the shipping to any US address!) Tell us why it's the perfect gift for you or a friend/family member. That's all there is to it!

We'll pick a name at random using Random.org, then contact you so we can get your item to you ASAP.

Get your entry in today -- this contest closes at midnight on Monday, December 12th. Hopefully just enough time to order your gift and have it arrive before December 24th. (If the shipment time doesn't matter to you, just let us know in the comments.)

So get cracking! You only have 4 days to choose an item and comment here with a link.

Personally? I love the "I Read Banned Books" tote bag. And the "Reading is Sexy" mug. And the "I Like Big Books and I Cannot Lie" t-shirt. And the...okay, you get the hint.

Ready? Set? Comment!

Click here to browse the entire Writer's Yardsale collection and pick your favorite item!

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I love finding book- and writing-related gifts for book lovers, writers, editors. It’s such fun! And I enjoy them myself. I hope you’ll find some of these items appealing for the book lover in your life.

Of course, one of my favorite gifts to receive (or give) is a bookstore gift card. And it’s super easy to buy gift cards online, especially if your book lover has a Kindle Amazon Gift Cards or a Nook (B&N Gift Card).

But there’s so much else that is appealing for book lovers! Check out these finds:

Rory’s Story Cubes

This looks like a fun writing game to play, as well as a possible tool for writers who are stuck. “Rory’s Story Cubes is a pocket-sized creative story generator, providing hours of imaginative play for all ages.”
Amazon, $6.71



BananaGrams

If you haven’t tried BananaGrams yet, and you love word games, check it out! It’s a lot of fun.
Amazon, $13.50



Stack of Books Book lover Necklace

This looks beautiful to me.
Etsy, $25



Book Lover’s Calendar for 2012

Amazon, $12.99

Mary Engelbreit&

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I *love* finding book- and writing-related gifts for writers, book lovers, editors–anyone who loves books and words! Here are a few gift possibilities:

Keyboard Pen

This is likely to appeal to writers more than readers. A pen with a QWERTY keyboard wrapped around it! It’s expensive at $62 US, but may be an enjoyable gift for some writers and computer geeks.

These stickers are perfect for grammar nerds, or anyone who can’t bear to see punctuation and grammar mistakes in signs, menus, etc. (Think editors, writers, word lovers, some book lovers.)

Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham note pad

This notepad especially appeal to children’s writers and to anyone who’s ever read and loved Dr. Seuss. I know I want one! $3.99.

Books Fall Open, You Fall In bookmarks by Mary Engelbreit

Book lovers and writers often like bookmarks. I know I do–especially ones with beautiful art and sayings.This bookmark by Mary Engelbreit is my new favorite. I love the saying and the fantasy-like appeal of books. You can buy a pack of 36 for $3.29. Or, you can buy a teacher’s set of four different Mary Engelbreit bookmarks (I’m assuming at least 20 of each style) for $10.99 at Amazon.com.

Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are stationary set

Writers love to write–and readers often do, too. And getting a letter in the mail from a friend can feel so good! This stationary set featuring Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are looks pretty appealing to me. It’s especially timely with the release of the movie. It includes 12 sheets of writing paper and 9 postcards. $9.95.

Yoropen - the Ergonomic Pen

Do you write a lot in your day? I sure do. Writing can cause strain on your hand and wrist. These pens are supposed to be ergonomically designed to create more comfortable, strain-free writing, and to be especially helpful for anyone with hand pain like arthritis. The way the pen’s designed prevents your fingers from slipping down the barrel, gives you a clear line of vision when you’re writing, and has an adjustable grip that makes it good for both right-handed and left-handed people. I’ve never tried one yet, but at $3.00 for a standard Yoropen, you can bet I’m going to! The standard pens come in blue, pink, and black barrels with blue or black ink. They also have more expensive pens, pencils, and pens for children.

Spot Me Bookmark

Spot Me Bookmark is an interesting bookmark–it allows you to mark the last sentence that you read, so that you don’t lose your place or have to re-read paragraphs when you come back to the book. You move the arrow slider to mark the sentence. $1.99

Scroll Pen: Paper In Pen

How many times have you scrambled to find a piece of paper when you want to jot down something? This pen solves that problem. It holds a roll of paper in its barrel. You don’t even have to tear the paper off to write on it; just pull the bottom of the pen off, and you have a pen in one hand and the other half with the paper in the other. $35. ($10 for 3 scroll paper replacements.)

Click Clack Read tote bag

I *love* Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin’s funny Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. So finding this tote bag was delightful. It’s got a great message on it, too–appealing to readers and writers–”Click Clack Read.” Help save the earth by not using plastic bags, and show the world how much you love to read–and read children’s books!$18.99

Charlotte’s Web tote bag

Or how about a Charlotte’s Web tote bag? I love that illustration; it takes me back to the book. $19.50.

For more tote bags and t-shirts featuring characters from children’s books and work by children’s illustrators, check out wonder-shirts.com. Includes illustrations and characters by Betsy Lewin, Mo Willems, Kevin Henkes, Rosemary Wells, and more.

You’ve Been Sentenced!

This game sounds like a lot of fun for word and book lovers and writers. From the site: “Short lumpy worms momentarily filled the dugout.” No, it’s not a baseball team’s nightmare, it’s an example of the crazy sentences that you might come up with while playing the entertaining game You’ve Been Sentenced. This game consists of 540 5-sided sentence-building cards that will give you endless sentence possibilities. The point of the game is to try to use as many cards as possible to create a coherent yet zany sentence. The whole family will be in a fit of giggles as you all read your sentences and justify their meanings. For 3-10 players. $21.75

USB Vacuum Cleaner for your keyboard

I don’t know if this actually works, but I could sure use one. How about you? Cat hair, crumbs, they all get in my keyboard. $10.00

Harry the Dirty Dog Mini Cube Puzzle by Mudpuppy

Harry the Dirty Dog is often a favorite picture book–it’s definitely one of mine. So it’s neat to find this jigsaw puzzle featuring the book. $8.99

You can also get an Eric Carle mini cube puzzle - Chameleon, a Goodnight Moon Puzzle, Where the Wild Things Are Floor Puzzle ($18.00), Guess How Much I Love You mini cube puzzle, Madeline 24 Piece Floor Puzzle ($14.99), and more.

Creative Whack Pack

This looks like a fantastic tool, not only for writers, but also for anyone who wants to think creatively or problem solve. The deck is illustrated and comes with 64 cards with creative thinking strategies that will “whack you out of habitual thought patterns and enable you to look at your life and actions in a fresh way.” This is on my wish-list now! $16.

See also the Creative Whack Pack site.

Crossword 4-Function Pen

Another pen likely to appeal to some writers, and to crossword puzzle enthusiasts, is the crossword pen. Its exterior is covered with a crossword puzzle, and it has four options: it has a pen, a highlighter, a pencil, and a PDA stylus. To change the options, hold the pen horizontally and rotate it until the icon for the desired function faces up, then click on button #1. $35.

This comparison study of 7 different booklights convinced me that the next booklight I buy, I want to be Zelco Itty Bitty Slim Book Light. It clips onto the spine of the book instead of the pages, so doesn’t hurt the pages. The LED light is bright and shines directly where you want it, on the pages, and should last for decades. $35. at Amazon with free shipping included.

Here’s something new, at least to me–a camera disguised as a book! The camera takes film, so it isn’t digital, and I would guess it’d appeal to people as a curiosity or something fun. I’m not sure I’d ever use it–or want to pay the $75 price tag–but I like looking at the photo; it makes me grin. Maybe it’d appeal to a book lover you know.

What do you think? Appealing, or not?

The camera is created by Superheadz, who make toy cameras. You can buy one from here.

Thanks to NotCot for the info.

Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch bookmark: Reading Is a Gift

Dr. Seuss’ the Grinch is a favorite of many. I love this bookmark–and what a great message–”Reading is a gift.” 36 bookmarks for $2.99.

For more book lover and writer gifts, see my posts:

Gifts for Book Lovers, Part 1

Gifts for Book Lovers, Part 2

Gifts for Book Lovers, Part 3

Gifts for Book Lovers, Part 4

Gifts for Book Lovers and Writers, Part 5

More Gifts for Readers and Writers

Even More Gifts for Book Lovers and Writers

A scarf made from words

Favorite Picture Books as Audio Books at Great Prices

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I’m one of those readers who likes to read in quiet. But some readers enjoy soft music in the background. If the reader you’re buying for is like that, then they might enjoy Brahms for Book Lovers: A Cozy Companion for Reading.

$6.99 at Amazon.com.

Does the reader you’re shopping for read in bed? Then they might enjoy this Book Lover’s Bed Tray for hands-free reading, and a place to put their tea.

$44.95 at Stacks and Stacks.

I love this mug and what it says: “A room without books is like a body without a soul.” Perhaps your book lover will, too.

$19.95 at Zazzle. (Okay, okay, I admit it–I also love the colors.)

Also from Zazzle, this book lover magnet looks fun to me. It says “I read and read and read and read…” in rainbow colors.

$4.35 at Zazzle. It’s also available as a mug and a t-shirt.

Book boxes are boxes made out of real books. I have mixed feelings about this; they both appeal to me, and upset me (taking a real book and cutting into it). SecretStorageBooks offers many books that have secret compartments, where you can store things–and they have children’s books, including Anne of Green Gables, and Harry Potter. When I thought about cutting up Anne of Green Gables I winced, but somehow a secret storage compartment seemed to fit Harry Potter.

The book boxes range from $17.50 to $40 according to size, though most seem to be about $25 to $35.

I love rubber stamps, and finding some with characters from children’s books feels delicious to me. Kidstamps has 39 rubber stamps featuring characters from various children’s books, including Where the Wild Things Are; Charlotte’s Web; Clifford the Red Dog; If You Give a Mouse a Cookie; Frog and Toad; and more.


Prices range from $5.00 to $8.00–quite reasonable.

Kidstamps also has a section of book-related stamps that would be great for book lovers, under “Books and Libraries.” Some are clearly library related (”I love libraries”) and some are perfect for book lovers–”Give us books, give us wings,” Paddington carring books and saying “There’s no such thing as too many books”, Amelia Bedelia saying “Reading is Fun,” “Read to Your Bunny”, Kevin Henkes characters reading, cats in and on books, and many more. (Don’t forget to click on the numbers at the top of the page to see more items.)

Prices range from 7:50 to $8.50

Also from Kidstamps are rubber stamp bookplates–always reusable, and a great way to mark your book as your own before you lend it out. (I have one with Franklin the Turtle, which I love.) There are some picture book characters featured here as well. They’re $9.00 each.

The Book Lover’s Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Celebrated Works of Literature and the Passages That Feature Them sounds like a fun way to interest your book lover. The book, created by two chefs and book lovers, connects passages about food from famous books, and ties them to recipes the chefs created. Two recipes I enjoyed reading about in the reader comments on Amazon.com were Turkish Delight (The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe) and Not Violet, but Blueberry Pie (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) because I love those books.

The cookbook starts at around
$2.00 used from Amazon.com./a>

This book lover “Do Not Disturb” pillow could be cute and useful, especially for a young book lover, or anyone who wants to read in peace.

$16.95 at Amazon.com.

I hope you find something here that your book lover will enjoy, or that it gives you some good ideas.

For more book lover and writer gifts, see my posts:

Gifts for Book Lovers, Part 1

Gifts for Book Lovers, Part 2

Gifts for Book Lovers, Part 3

Gifts for Book Lovers, Part 4

More Gifts for Readers and Writers

A scarf made from words

Favorite Picture Books as Audio Books at Great Prices

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On Reading features 68 photos that photographer André Kertész took of people reading–reading alone or in a crowd, at home or on the street. The photos were taken between 1920 and 1970 in Hungary, France and America.

This seems like the perfect book for a true book lover–a kind of celebration and validation of readers. I know I want a copy.

Does it appeal to you?

Thanks to Condalmo for pointing out the book.

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