Books make the Season Bright

here i am getting ready to go to my work christmas party sunday night.

my mom hemmed up this adorable green corduroy dress i got from etsy so i felt like a retro mod style holiday elf.

nancy, co-owner of the Bookery, hosts the annual party at her cozy little home full of treasures.

she made her famous "green lasagna" especially for darin and i, the token veggies, and it was a hit!

in the photo below you can see some of my fellow bookery ladyfriends getting ready to sit at the festive table.

nancy playing santa...their generosity blew me away. i got such lovely thoughtful gifts i could cry.

and that's my coworker, the dashing brian lux to the left. he got a job at the bookery about ten years ago and promptly married celia, the other co-owner. the dude knows what he's doing! ;) plus he's wonderfully intellectual and so fun to talk to.

a little christmas village that nancy has set up over the years...so many charming details.

darin and i loved the tiny birch trees.

came home to find my kitten up to more mischief with our tree. he's really living up to "the kid" part of his name. his mischief-maker side. the lights are always gone off the bottom half, tons of broken glass balls scattered over the floor, (including the vintage santa one i featured here), fabric and felty ornaments ripped to shreds. i thought i had a kitty not a puppy!

 

anyway. in honor of my bookstore job and the wise ladies of the bookery,

i thought i'd post a gift guide of books.

these are all books that we see come through the shop (used) so i know they are available for good prices.

the thing i love about working and shopping at the bookery is that everything is recycled!

plus what better gift than books, especially bought locally.

for dad:

Where Rivers Change Direction - Mark Spragg

i read this memoir a few months ago. it's about growing up on a dude ranch in the mountains of wyoming.

it's tough and nostalgic at once, contains love, horses, brothers, drunks, and even a CAT.

my favorite parts were the boyhood stories, once he gets older things get a little more humdrum (resist this dad! and everyone!) but i definitely recommend it as a daddish type book.

for mom:

Refuge - Terry Tempest Williams

maybe this is a terrible recommendation because it's really sad. but i trust our moms to be intelligent and wise and open hearted enough to take in the pure womanly scope of this book and to feel the birds flying in their hearts, and the waters rising. i actually recommend this book to every woman, and every man.

but for purposes of this list, mom is the perfect recipient!

for your best friend:

The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets - Barbara G. Walker

that is, if she doesn't already have it. or if HE doesn't already have it. (this is one of darin's favorite books)

chock full of fascinating historical, mythical, cultural information and who can resist that intriguing title!

a thick, magical tome that your ladies deserve to have close at hand throughout their rythmic changing days.

for the crafty friend, sister, teacher, or coworker:

The Big Ass Book of Crafts - Mark Montano

this book is fun. every page is full of colorful inspiration to get your hands dirty and busy.

i don't own it yet, but i think i know whose christmas list it's going on ;)

for the nature lover:

Field Guide to Wildflowers (Western Region) - National Audubon Society

field guides are the best gifts in the world. my brother joey got me the audubon wildflower guide above for my birthday. just looking through it and feeling its good thick-yet-narrow shape in my hands gets my feet a-itchin to go hiking. we have big plans for the spring and summer.

 another really good one if you live in northern california is this one.

for the parents-to-be or new parents:

The Geography of Childhood: Why Children Need Wild Places - Gary Paul Nabhan and Stephen Trimble

i haven't read this yet but perused it while at work at the bookshop today.

 it looks amazing, mind blowing, exactly what stuff i want to be thinking about when i think about raising children in this beautiful world.

for the music lover:

Just Kids - Patti Smith

another one i haven't read yet but my professor and friend doug rice says it is wonderful and he has excellent taste in books. all the literary/artistic souls are raving about it.

for the rebel poet (i hope you know some!)

The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry

darin and i have a copy of this big fatty and it provides hours of entertainment when you crack into its murky weirdo depths. poetry is tricky; it seems like it would appeal to busy energetic people with "no time" to read, but meanwhile it slows one down and creates a tiny bubble of time resistance. rebel poetry the trickster of the christmas list.

i could go on and on but i shall stop now and hope that i've encouraged you to go to your own local bookstore (or come see me at bookery) and pick up some meaningful, life-altering, yet inexpensive treasures!

other cool items you might find: homemade notecards and bookmarks, old unused journals, joke books, tarot decks, art prints, a cat, a dog, friendly ladies.

goodnight, mischief makers and readers!

dress: $10!! from Paperdoll Vintage on etsy

headband: made by me last year of vintage ribbon

black tights and boots: ? (old)

necklace: from mom

bracelet: gift from nancy