For a while now, I’ve wanted to post about some products I’ve been enjoying. When I realized most of these new-to-me things were gifts, I thought this would be the perfect time to highlight them as Christmas is just around the corner! You might find something to add to your list—or something for that hard-to-buy-for person.
We’ll start with a couple of my favorite bookish website stores:
A Fine Quotation and Elizabeth Wade Studio
Find a gift for the reader in your life at either of these wonderful stores! There are prints, stickers, mugs, tea towels, bookmarks, t-shirts, etc all in homage to classic literature and its authors. I’ve bought many of these as gifts for others and fun things for myself!
Books:
Revenge of the Librarians by Tom Gauld
Tom Gauld’s cartoons with resonate with the bookish person in your life. I love having this around when I need to laugh at myself as a reader or a writer.
I upgraded my 7-year-old Kindle Voyager a little while ago to the newest Kindle version. The biggest thing I don’t like (and knew going in) is the home screen layout. My voyager kept the three books I’d most recently opened or downloaded front and center. But I can deal with that. What I didn’t realize was how much I would enjoy some of the other advances. Like increased battery time. A USB-C charging port since I already travel with that cord for my iPad, computer, and earbuds. And a softer light for nighttime reading. It’s slightly larger than my old Kindle, too, but not so much that it makes a difference.
Things:
We received this in a bag from a conference we attended, and oh my goodness! We both love it! So much better than the clip-on reading light. And so many more uses than just reading! I tend to crochet in winter, so I’m looking forward to using this light while I do that, too.
Ok, so this, like the neck light, has many uses beyond reading, but it’s so helpful for a reader who wants to sip on something hot but gets caught up in her book and the drink tends to go cold. This mug, when charged up, keeps your drink at a consistent temperature for hours at a time. A Christmas gift from my kids last year, I made good use of it until we had to move to the other house. I’m looking forward to getting it back into my routine when we return home!
Lavender Vanilla Sleep lotion by Bath and Body Works
Like many women of a certain age, I go through sleep issues. But when my son and daughter-in-law gave me this lavender essential oil-infused lotion for Mother’s Day, it proved to be a game changer! I know that one of the places essential oils work more quickly is the bottom of the feet. And since I have dry feet issues, I thought, huh, let’s see what happens if I slather this on my feet every night before bed. What happened was that (most nights) I fall asleep more quickly and feel more rested the next morning. Not every single time, but a majority is better than it was. And I have softer feet on top of it!
Sharpie S-Gel Ultrafine point pens
My pen of preference, but they are hard to find! It’s a retractable gel pen with an ultrafine (.38) point. I love these so much! And yes, I do still use a real pen. All the time. Lots of lists. And I often still take research notes by hand.
When I travel (which is often) I prefer an eyemask to block out all the unusual lights in a hotel room. I’ve tried several, but this one is the best. It’s soft. Think sweatshirt material. It rolls up small and even comes with a little carry bag with a clasp if you want to attach it to a purse or backpack. (I just keep it in my travel toiletries bag.) I raved about it and when my husband lost his mask, he asked me to get him one like mine. And he loves it too. Thankfully they are inexpensive enough to replace when we accidentally leave them somewhere, which has happened more than once!
Hope these ideas help you fill out a slot or two on your gift list!