Perfect Gifts for Readers, Writers, & Book Lovers - The Happy Writer Holiday Gift Guide

Marissa and Joanne chat all things holiday gifting in this special bonus super-sized episode where they share their favorite presents received and offer their suggestions, along with a few submitted by listeners (thank you!). From free ideas to the lavishly spendy, items to services, you’re sure to find the perfect something for the readers and writers on your list. 

Pentel Energel Pens: https://www.pentel.com/collections/energel

Waterproof notepad: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LID8V54 

Writing prompt cards: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004PICKDS 

Books are Magic Book club (options for adults/kids/teens and across genres) https://app.table22.com/product/books-are-magic-book-club 

The Book Drop: options for various ages https://www.thebookdrop.com/all-monthly-mailings 

The Banned Book Box: https://www.bannedbooksbox.com/ 

Book of the Month (adult popular hardcovers): https://www.bookofthemonth.com/ 

Libro.fm audiobook gift subscription: https://libro.fm/gift 

Fairyloot Fantasy Book Box subscriptions (YA, Adult, Romantasy): https://us.fairyloot.com/ 

Litjoy: https://litjoycrate.com/collections/special-editions-books 

Bose noise-cancelling headphones: https://www.bose.com/c/headphones/noise-cancelling 

A cozy reading blanket: Topsy Farms: https://www.topsyfarms.com/collections/wool-blankets-1 

Retro keyboard: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C2BJK52J 

Ergonomic keyboard https://kinesis-ergo.com/products/ 

Jennifer Nielsen’s Episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/950767/episodes/8094293-nerding-out-over-cryptology-with-jennifer-a-nielsen-rescue 

Lisa McMann’s Episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/950767/episodes/5299816-school-visits-and-morally-gray-characters-with-lisa-mcmann-the-un

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Transcript

[00:10] Marissa: Hello, and welcome to the Happy Writer. This is a podcast that aims to bring readers more books to enjoy and to help authors find more joy in their writing. I am your host, Marissa Meyer. Thank you for joining me and happy holidays. One thing that is making me happy this week, the girls, my daughters, Sloan and Delaney, have decided that they want to start playing Dungeons and Dragons. So we have put together a group with our family, and then my best friend and her husband and daughter, and we haven't actually started playing yet, but the girls spent a couple nights this week creating their characters. I think they're. There's a gnome, rogue, and what was the other one? A forest elf. Druid, I think. And I'm going to be the dungeon master for the first time in my life. And I'm super excited and honestly, a tiny bit nervous. But I hope that they love it and really take to it, because I have not played D and D since I was a teenager or maybe even, like, in my early 20s, and I really miss it. I always thought that it was just one of the coolest ways to spend time with friends and do something fun and creative and just a little different. Uh, so I'm really hoping that the girls dig it and this becomes our new thing. And then, of course, like, my homeschooling mom brain is always like, also, it's math. Also it's probabilities. Also it's problem solving and blah, blah, blah. But also, it's just fun. So, anyway, super looking forward to that. I am also excited to have Joanne Levy back on the podcast today. Hello, Joanne.

[01:57] Joanne: Hello. Happy holidays. Almost.

[02:00] Marissa: Happy holidays. Almost. Tis the season we have arrived.

[02:05] Joanne: I feel like we started our holiday season pretty early.

[02:08] Marissa: We did. And it's weird this year with Thanksgiving being so late. I feel like I've been seeing Christmas lights up and trees going up in the windows for, like, weeks now. Like, as soon as Halloween was over, people were like, let's just do this.

[02:22] Joanne: Yeah. Here it's. It's pretty much November 1st because our Thanksgiving is so early, right? Yeah. As soon as we're done with Halloween, it's Christmas.

[02:31] Marissa: Yeah. Well, here we go. And also Hanukkah.

[02:35] Joanne: Happy.

[02:35] Marissa: Almost Hanukkah.

[02:36] Joanne: Thank you. It's late this year, too.

[02:39] Marissa: Yeah. No, I know. Don't they. They overlap this year, don't they?

[02:42] Joanne: Yeah. The first night of Hanukkah is actually Christmas Day, I think.

[02:47] Marissa: Oh, interesting.

[02:48] Joanne: Which is really late. So it actually ends after the holidays. I think if I'm doing my math correctly, it's rare that it's that late?

[02:55] Marissa: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Everything has kind of been pushed back. Is it based on the moon cycle? Like what. Cause like why is Thanksgiving so late this year? I don't.

[03:05] Joanne: Well, I couldn't tell you why that. Well, that's. Isn't it the last Thursday.

[03:10] Marissa: The last Thursday of the month and it's just a kind of a. Yeah.

[03:13] Joanne: Weird month. I mean I'm Canadian, so I don't know when you. I know.

[03:16] Marissa: Why am I asking you?

[03:18] Joanne: But Hanukkah is on. I think it's a lunar calendar. So that's why doesn't always line up and Easter and Passover are the same season but not always the same time and ye.

[03:30] Marissa: Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, for people who, I mean, I feel like most of our listeners by now know who you are, but if not, do you want to give a real quick introduction?

[03:42] Joanne: Oh, well, I was not prepared for that, but hi, I'm Joanne. I am an author of middle grade books and I'm also Marissa's assistant who does a lot of behind the scenes stuff with the Happy Writer podcast and other things and projects of Marissa's. And I am also the co writer of Let It Glow, our book. Yay. Yay.

[04:06] Marissa: Yep. So our holiday themed middle grade came out in October. It's been such a joy being able to promote it and it's been doing quite well. So we're super excited about that. And yeah. So now Joanne, it was actually Joanne's idea to do this episode to do a special Happy Writer gift guide so that we can give recommendations to you. Going into the holiday season, we're going to be talking about gifts for readers and writers and the book lovers in your life. Joanne and I have compiled some of our own personal suggestions and we also solicited your ideas on our Instagram account, so we're going to be sharing a bunch of those as well. Thank you to everyone who submitted your suggestions for great holiday gifts. Joanne, why don't we start by congratulating the winners of our gift guide giveaway. Woo hoo.

[05:06] Joanne: Absolutely. So we had four winners from North America that each win a copy of Let It Glow and some swag. I'm sure. So we have. I hope I'm pronouncing it right. Forgive me if not. Mahira from New Jersey, Stephanie from Whitby, Ontario, Canada. Woohoo. Alicia from Idaho Falls, Idaho and Lindsey from Charlotte, Michigan. Congratulations to you and look for your prize in the coming weeks. And we also gave away a couple of swag packs to international responders to the Call out for gifts. And we have Evelyn from West Sussex in the uk and we have Jessica from Australia. Congratulations. Awesome.

[05:57] Marissa: Congratulations. I know a Jessica in Australia.

[06:00] Joanne: It's probably her.

[06:01] Marissa: It might be her. If it's Jessica who came with me to France, it might not be. I don't know. I have no idea. Maybe. I'm sure there's probably lots of Jessica's in Australia.

[06:13] Joanne: I would imagine so, yeah.

[06:16] Marissa: All right, so today we are going to be organizing our gift suggestions. We're going to start by talking about general gifts and we're gonna do it in terms of cost. So we'll start with the free and then move on to the inexpensive and then into the not free or inexpensive ideas so you can decide what fits your personal budget. And then we're gonna be making recommendations for actual books to give. And we will organize that by age group. So we'll start with picture books and then move on up to adults. And at the very end, I have a couple of ideas for the happy writer, listener, and also the Marissa Meyer fan in your life. So to get us started, Joanne, let's talk about. Actually, you know what I want to start by talking about what are some of the best gifts that we have ever received? And I'm going to preface this conversation by saying five love languages. Gifts are not my love language. I'm not a gift person. I am a terrible at giving them. I often don't appreciate receiving them like I know I'm supposed to. But I did think back and come up with some gifts that I, I really loved and appreciated. So. So, you know, even the non gifter among us can find something to love. So what are some of the your favorite things that you've ever received?

[07:44] Joanne: So I will also preface this by saying, I guess my love language is giving gifts, but not really receiving gifts. So I'm sort of like you in that. But I love giving. So I tried to think back when you gave me this prompt. And you know, as a kid, we didn't really do presents at Hanukkah, our birthdays. My mom, you know, there's four of us. My mom got tired of trying to figure it out and just started giving us cash. So, you know, I mean, cash is always appreciated. But as a kid, you know, the biggest gift I ever got, and it's sort of intangible, is that every Saturday I got to go to the bookstore with my mom and she would pick out a romance, like a Jackie Collins type book. And she let me pick whatever I wanted for myself. So I got a book every week. So that as an adult, that feels like such a gift that I was given the chance to read as much as I wanted and nobody censored it. Not that I got anything inappropriate, but it was just like, oh, here, go read what you want. So that was a wonderful gift and of course the love of reading, which is a gift in itself. But as far as tangible things, I would have to say my husband is probably the best giver of gifts and he's given me so much over the years. He always gives me time to write, he always helps me when I'm stuck with a plot point and he's just incredibly supportive. But if we're talking about things you can purchase to give to somebody. He once bought me an AlphaSmart can.

[09:20] Marissa: I used to have one of those.

[09:21] Joanne: Yeah. Which is one of those keyboards that doesn't connect to the Internet. It connects to your computer and is like a keyboard replicator. And I was able to take that to my job when I had a day job at the bank and just write on my lunchtime. And they're basically indestructible. So that was a really great gift. And when my first book was published, he actually had mugs made with the COVID So that was really cute too. Those are probably the best things I can think of. Although I feel very pressured because he's going to edit this episode because he does the editing and he's going to say, oh, what about this thing that I gave you? I guess that wasn't worth anything. So I will apologize in advance to my husband. You're wonderful and supportive and if I forgot that particular gift, I'm sorry.

[10:16] Marissa: I'm sure they've all been loved in their time, but the ones that really stand out.

[10:20] Joanne: Yes.

[10:21] Marissa: Well, you're talking about going to the bookstore and getting books as a child actually knocked loose a memory from me because when I was thinking about my favorite gifts, I was really thinking about like recently, like as an adult, what have I received? But you reminded me of this time when my parents, or my dad specifically had given my brother a hundred dollar gift card to something and I like GameStop or like for Legos or I don't remember what it was. And, and my dad had said like, I'd get one for you too, but I don't know what store you would want to go spend because I wasn't a shopper, I've never really enjoyed shopping. So he was like, I wouldn't know what store to get it for. And I said, hello, the bookstore. And so he did. He got me a hundred dollar gift card to Borders. Rest in peace, Borders. And I remember walking in feeling like I could have a shopping spree. I mean, a hundred dollars was like, I've never seen that much money in my life. And. And I remember that I bought a like really fancy edition of Lord of the Rings that had like these poster maps in them and it was like in a slip case and all of this stuff. And I still have it, it's still sitting on my bookshelf. But just like the feeling of being able to go into a bookstore and buy whatever I wanted was really cool. Other than that, more recently, so I have three. One of the gifts that actually. So I get a lot of gifts from readers at book signings. Lots of cool fan art, lots of wonderful homemade things, medallions of my books. I'm just all sorts of clever things that readers have given me, but one that stands out. And it's probably sounds really silly. I've maybe even talked about it on the podcast before. But a reader gave me a pack of pens. I'm actually holding one right now so Joanne can see. And it's like, they're just like cheap little. Are they Bic? They are. They're Bic pens. Nothing special. But the reader took these fake roses and taped them to the pension. And I love these pens. They like, they're so easy to find in a drawer or in the bottom of my purse. They're so reliable. And yeah, it's a silly thing, but I have just loved these pens. So if this reader is listening and, and comes to another event in the future, please bring me more because I think I'm down to my last two. And then I also last holiday season, Liz, our editor, sent me some socks from the Conscious Steps Educate Kids line. So they're these really nerdy bookish socks that have like glasses and I think one might have books imprinted on them. They're really cozy. They're just like the perfect weight of sock. But also, every time you purchase a pair of socks from this company, they donate a book. I couldn't tell you where they donate the books to exactly off the top of my head, but to, you know, underfunded schools or something of that nature. So I really loved that. And then speaking of husbands and great gifts our husbands have given us, there was a couple years ago where Jesse booked me a night at a local hotel. Not for a date night, not for a family staycation, just me, so that I could go to this hotel and spend a full day writing and it was so luxurious. And I think there was a massage included too. It was very great.

[13:45] Joanne: Oh, very nice. See, those support supportive husbands and spouses are worth their weight in gold, for sure.

[13:52] Marissa: Oh, so true. So true. All right, so now moving on away from the things we have received to some of our ideas. And I'm just going to launch in, you know, so for things that are free that you don't have to pay for, because we've kind of already touched on this a little bit. Time. Any time that you can give to the writer in your life is gold. It's so precious. And so how do you give time? Things like taking the kids out of the house to go see a movie for an afternoon or like offering to make dinner tonight or like anything you can do to take something off of the writer's shoulders and give them space and time and peace and quiet to focus on their words. I think that's worth more than just about anything you can pay for.

[14:44] Joanne: Yeah, agree. That was top of my list as well.

[14:48] Marissa: What else do you have for free things?

[14:50] Joanne: So free. My next thing was offer a beta read if you're also a writer or a very avid reader.

[14:59] Marissa: Feedback.

[15:00] Joanne: Sometimes professional feedback is great. Sometimes reader feedback is great. Just as long as you know what you're getting into and what the writer is expecting. That can be really helpful as well.

[15:12] Marissa: Another thing I was going to throw out free ish is home baked goods. I love receiving me a batch of cookies. And my mom is a gift person. Gifts are absolutely her love language. So she always wants to buy me stuff. And I've told her again and again, mom, all that I want from you are some of my mom's home baked chocolate chip cookies. There's nothing else in the world you can give me that I would love more than that.

[15:38] Joanne: And why don't people believe that make me stuff? Like I used to say to my mom, I want a luxion kugel for you know what? I want a what up? A luxion kugel. Which is. Did I not put it in the book? Maybe not. It's a noodle. It's basically a noodle casserole pudding. So it's like broad egg noodles with like an egg mixture. So when you bake it, it gets solid, but it's got like apple pie filling in it and then like a. Almost like a streusel top. And it's a side dish for dinner. And it's like one of my favorite things that my mom used to make interesting.

[16:18] Marissa: Is it sweet? Is it savory?

[16:20] Joanne: It's. It's sweet, but not like sickening sweet. It's. It's a sweet side dish. Yeah.

[16:26] Marissa: Interesting.

[16:27] Joanne: I can send you the recipe if you want to try it.

[16:30] Marissa: I'll just come to your house and you can make me some.

[16:32] Joanne: All right. Fair. Either that or her cabbage borscht, which is like a sweet tomato based soup that.

[16:42] Marissa: Yeah, I've had borscht. It's been a long time, though.

[16:44] Joanne: Yeah.

[16:45] Marissa: Yeah. All right. Anything else in the free category that you could think of?

[16:49] Joanne: I think this. I didn't attribute it to somebody, but I think it actually came in from our asking for suggestions. A list of your favorite books that you know the giftee would like. Also book reviews, if appropriate. Like if the writer in your life needs reviews of their books, even on Goodreads. And the last one that I had that you're going to say is sappy is just encouragement.

[17:19] Marissa: I'm a fan of SAP.

[17:22] Joanne: Just encouragement. Just like, you got this, you know, keep going. You're awesome. Hard, but. But you got it. So.

[17:31] Marissa: No, I. It is maybe sappy, but I like that. And I think that it's actually really important and really valuable and like, I don't know, sometimes one of my good friends will just send a random gif and you know, through text message, the goofy little. You've got this cheerleader things. It brightens your day.

[17:50] Joanne: Yeah. Knowing you're being thought about and cared for goes a long way. For sure.

[17:55] Marissa: Totally. All right, how about things that are maybe not free, but affordable for most budgets.

[18:03] Joanne: Yeah. So my first thing was a beautiful notebook. If people like notebooks. I have a gazillion notebooks and I never use them, so it's not a great gift for me. But I know a lot of people like getting them.

[18:15] Marissa: Yeah. It is one of those things, the ubiquitous things that writers receive.

[18:20] Joanne: Oh.

[18:20] Marissa: I also have a drawer full of notebooks. And some of them, some of them I really love and use. And some of them are. I have this thing, you know how people will give you, like really fancy ones, like they're leather bound and they've got the deckled edges. And then I feel like they're too pretty. Like I'm not just gonna brainstorm random things in this.

[18:41] Joanne: I was, I was finding at a lot of school events that would be the thank you gift. And it's like, don't need another notebook, but thank when they have their, like their school embossed on them or something.

[18:54] Marissa: Yeah.

[18:54] Joanne: To remember where you've been. But sure, it's a lot yeah.

[18:58] Marissa: So I. I do not have one of these, which is not a hint for someone to buy me one, just for the record. But sometimes people will come to book events and their books will be embossed, like, with these fancy. From the library of emboss kit. I don't even know, like, what the tool is exactly, I suppose, but I think that's cool. And if you have someone who is, like, trying to build their own personal library, I think a personalized book embosser would be really cool.

[19:26] Joanne: That is cool. And I've made stamps with, like, from the library of. For people as well. So, like, I have that fancy laser machine that I can make stamps. So that's kind of along the same lines. But the embossers are really cool. I'm not sure. I'm not sure what they cost.

[19:46] Marissa: I did not look it up. I just kind of made the assumption that it wouldn't be really expensive. I could be wrong about that.

[19:52] Joanne: Yeah, I'm not sure.

[19:53] Marissa: Anyway, another one that I think is really thoughtful is personalized stationery. Because it's one of those things where it's nice to write a letter or a thank you card on your own personal stationery, but it's the sort of thing that a lot of people, like, feel weird buying for themselves.

[20:11] Joanne: Mm. I think it's sort of one of those lost things. It used to be something that. That people did, but I guess gone by the way of letter writing. We've sort of lost that as well, but.

[20:23] Marissa: Right, right.

[20:24] Joanne: I do have a friend that has stationery, and she sends notes on it, and gift giving is definitely her love language. And they're just. It's really beautiful notes and with her name and a little, I think, flowers on them that were meaningful for her. So. Yeah, really nice. So my next item, which you already sort of covered, is pens. Really nice pens.

[20:48] Marissa: Yeah.

[20:50] Joanne: Maybe for signing or just for. In that beautiful notebook that you got. My favorite pens are. Oh, I think they're Pentel Energel. Energel pens. I don't have one in front of me. Oh, wait, I do. It is Energel liquid gel ink, and they come in several colors, and they're the best. And I always tell people that you can buy the refills because people that love them, really love them, but they're kind of expensive. But you can buy refills. So there's your hot tip for today.

[21:22] Marissa: Yeah, no, that's a good one. Now you've got stocking stuffers covered for every year, forever.

[21:27] Joanne: Yeah, for sure. And just to interrupt, to say that I'm going to do an extensive show notes. So I links for all this stuff as much as I can in the show notes.

[21:39] Marissa: So awesome. Thank you, Joanne.

[21:41] Joanne: You're welcome.

[21:43] Marissa: Another one from me. It's not unique or like, brilliant, but candlestick. I love me a scented candle. And I think most writers do. I know I love to have a candle burning while I'm writing. And these days, like, yeah, go to Yankee Candle, that's fine, but go on Etsy and like, look up of someone's favorite book or book series. There's a chance that someone out there is making specialized candles related to their favorite books. So that's. And I only know that because people have made them of my books, which I just think is like, so smart and wonderful. So, yeah, I think that's a really fun one too.

[22:23] Joanne: And I think I've seen like, old library book smell.

[22:25] Marissa: Oh, yeah, I have a couple. Like, the smell of old books. I love it.

[22:29] Joanne: That's hilarious. See, we don't burn candles here because, you know, cats and bird. Cause it can be dangerous for a bird. Certain, I guess, additives for candles. Anyway, so my next item was a little desk muse or a doll or a fidget item. I don't know. Just sometimes when I look at the junk on my desk, it just makes me happy. Like somebody once gave me a Magic 8 ball that sits on my desk. And every so often I, you know, I get stuck and I'm just like, oh, you know, and ask it questions and I have goofy stuff all over my desk. So, you know, something like that.

[23:10] Marissa: The last one that I have for relatively inexpensive are fingerless gloves. And this one, this can span the gamut of price. Oh, and Joanne's grabbing hers. Those look. Are those wool? Those look like lovely wool gloves.

[23:24] Joanne: My friend came once and she's a knitter, and I was freezing because where I sit and write, sometimes there's no rad. So I get very cold. So she took wool that I had sitting around, and while she was here for a visit, she made me.

[23:41] Marissa: Oh, my gosh.

[23:43] Joanne: So maybe that's one of my favorite gifts that I've gotten too. That's.

[23:46] Marissa: Yeah. No, you really lit up when I mentioned fingerless gloves. I had a pair of really, really cheap fingerless gloves that I think my mom gave to me many years ago, and I wore them to pieces. And then last year for Christmas, Jesse bought me a fancy pair of cashmere fingerless gloves. So, like, not to be like, look at me. So, like, that's obviously on the more pricey side, but those, the cheap ones, I loved just as much. So it's a really nice thing to have.

[24:15] Joanne: And they get the job done.

[24:16] Marissa: Yeah.

[24:17] Joanne: I have a few more, including one submitted Chocolate. Chocolate.

[24:24] Marissa: Yeah.

[24:24] Joanne: No, always appreciated. Post it. Notes and annotating tabs.

[24:30] Marissa: Yeah.

[24:31] Joanne: Oh, and this one, I found a waterproof notepad for shower thoughts.

[24:36] Marissa: That's clever.

[24:38] Joanne: Isn't that amazing?

[24:40] Marissa: That is a smart idea.

[24:42] Joanne: I found that and I turned to Deke and I'm like, totally need that.

[24:45] Marissa: Yeah, I'll be putting that on my wish list.

[24:51] Joanne: And then I found a cool thing. It's like a pack of cards. It almost looks like a Trivial Pursuit box of cards. And they're writing prompts.

[25:01] Marissa: Oh, yeah, I've seen those.

[25:02] Joanne: And you sort of mix and match them just to get the juices flowing. And then from Jessica sent in, and this is a quote. I would die of happiness if someone gave me an annotated copy of a book they love and think I'd like so I could see their thoughts as I read it.

[25:20] Marissa: Oh, how thoughtful would that be?

[25:23] Joanne: Yeah, that's really nice.

[25:25] Marissa: Yeah. Yeah, no, that's a good idea.

[25:27] Joanne: And some people just naturally annotate their books, which I just find amazing when I see on Instagram, people have, like, 12 million tabs sticking out of the books. And it always worries me because it's like, oh, did I put stuff in my books that's worth annotating? Like, oh, just. I don't know.

[25:44] Marissa: That's for sure. No, I'm sure. I mean, people. When they love a book, people will come to my signings with annotated copies sometimes, and I just want to stop the signing and be like, I want to read through this. I want to see what you flagged. I want to see what scenes, like, really meant something to you. I think it's really smart.

[26:02] Joanne: Yeah, No, I really. It's such an honor to see stuff like that. I just worry that it's like, oh, I hated this sentence. What was she thinking?

[26:09] Marissa: Right? It's not for our eyes, perhaps.

[26:13] Joanne: So the next thing from Lily. She says she would love pretty bookmarks. Lots of people, actually, a few people said they would like bookmarks. I didn't know that people love bookmarks as much as they do, but some people really love their bookmarks.

[26:28] Marissa: Yeah, no, that's true. And a reader gave me bookmarks that they had watercolored and then done, like, quotes from my books on them. And they're so pretty, and I use them all the Time. They're my favorites.

[26:40] Joanne: That's so cool. I have so many bookmarks and I still use receipts. Oh. Anyway, stickers, annotating gear, crafted bookmarks, Washi tape. I'm not sure what people use Washi tape for. I know it's a crafty thing. But anyway, Washi tape. Book sleeve. This is from Abby. Book sleeves and fuzzy socks.

[27:05] Marissa: Fuzzy socks, yeah, I like that one. I've got. I love my fuzzy socks.

[27:10] Joanne: Sarah said a curling iron, which seemed like a very specific thing. But I guess, you know, if you know your friend and know they need a curling iron, then that is an excellent gift for your friend who needs a curling iron.

[27:23] Marissa: Okay. All right then.

[27:26] Joanne: Oh, on Instagram, I've been seeing book foils. Have you seen these?

[27:30] Marissa: I do not know what a book foil is.

[27:33] Joanne: So it's a company called Fable and Bind. And again, I'll put this in the show notes. But they make. It's basically gold leaf, but it's cut in like. They have like gothic ones and dragon ones. So it's kind of like a peel and stick. So you take the dust cover off your hard cover and then you foil it on. I mean they're just amazing. And they make it look like an old timey book with these beautiful gold foils on them.

[28:03] Marissa: Oh, interesting.

[28:04] Joanne: Very cool. Yeah, yeah. Super neat. And then I was thinking writing writer movies, like movies about writers. So I have four here. Cause I ran out of time. Finding Forrester, I think is my favorite all time writing movie. Have you seen that one?

[28:25] Marissa: I don't think I. If I have, it was a long time ago.

[28:30] Joanne: It's from a long time ago and it's Sean Connery's in it and it's just like a. I don't know, I just loved it so much. I can't really describe it because it's been so long, but. And then Stranger Than Fiction with Will Ferrell, that goes.

[28:45] Marissa: Oh yeah, no, that was a fun one.

[28:47] Joanne: Yeah, he. I mean, I don't love his comedy and if he ever listens to this, I'm sorry, you know, for everybody. Even though I did watch Elf recently. But he's. He's sort of a straight man in Stranger Than Fiction and it's just so good. And for the horror fans, there's always Misery, which will give you nightmares. And also the Shining, which will always give you nightmares. Yeah, both books too. But yeah, I think that the movies really stepped him up.

[29:16] Marissa: Yeah, I think I love, love books or sorry movies about writers because it's just ridiculous like to Be on this side of things. You're like, that's not at all how publishing works.

[29:27] Joanne: Yeah.

[29:28] Marissa: But I did get such a kick out of it. And I thought the one. The recent one with Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum Gold. The Lost.

[29:39] Joanne: I haven't seen that one. Yeah.

[29:41] Marissa: Oh, God. I want to say it's called the Lost City, but I'm not.

[29:44] Joanne: That rings the bell. And that just knocked loose Romancing the Stone.

[29:49] Marissa: Romancing the Stone, which I did watch again recently and was like, okay, there's some chauvinism here that doesn't quite hold up in the 2020s. However, it's a classic and I do love it. And I thought the Sandra Bullock one was kind of a fun, updated version.

[30:08] Joanne: Yeah, it had that sort of those vibes. For sure. Yeah. So next. So I'm now on to more substantial gifts.

[30:16] Marissa: Yeah.

[30:17] Joanne: So I came up with some book subscription boxes.

[30:22] Marissa: Oh, yeah, that's a good idea.

[30:24] Joanne: Yeah. And I actually found a few. And again, show notes. There's a Books are Magic Book Club and the Book Dropped Book Club, and both of those are actually run by indie bookstores. So they have options for different age groups and across genres. So if you're looking to buy somebody a gift that sort of keeps on giving for a little while, there's those and then there's the banned book box. So it's all banned books that go out. The Classic Book of the Month club, which is the one that everybody remembers, those are pretty much, I think, all adult hardcovers and very popular books. So if you've got someone that only likes, you know, bestsellers that are new and hardcover and also Libro FM that does audiobooks has a gift card and that supports indies, I think, too. So that's there as well.

[31:21] Marissa: All right. I would add Fairyloot to that list. Oh, they do. Really cool.

[31:27] Joanne: Are they only.

[31:28] Marissa: And additions.

[31:29] Joanne: Are they only uk?

[31:31] Marissa: I think you can get them shipped anywhere, but I do not know that for sure.

[31:35] Joanne: Yeah.

[31:35] Marissa: But I know people come to my signings with Fairyloot editions, so.

[31:39] Joanne: Yeah. And they put out really nice editions.

[31:41] Marissa: They're beautiful.

[31:42] Joanne: Yeah. Yeah. So definitely. So I had also added for, like, collector edition books. Lit Joy.

[31:49] Marissa: Lit Joy does great stuff. Yep.

[31:51] Joanne: Did your heartless. And they have lots of other books and they also have merch on their website. Lots of really cool stuff there. Just beautiful books they make.

[32:00] Marissa: Yeah.

[32:01] Joanne: So what do you have next?

[32:03] Marissa: A care package of tasty snacks.

[32:09] Joanne: Or.

[32:09] Marissa: Like one of those, like, gift packages of, like, fancy teas or, you know, I just. I Like food. I like not having to cook while I'm writing. So whenever anyone provides me sustenance that I don't have to do anything for, I really appreciate it.

[32:26] Joanne: And I don't limit it to the writing. I don't like having to cook.

[32:29] Marissa: Sure.

[32:30] Joanne: That's not true. I do enjoy cooking. But I get it. I totally get it. My next one is noise canceling earphones.

[32:38] Marissa: That was also my next one.

[32:40] Joanne: I figured that was on your list. Do you have favorites that you recommend?

[32:44] Marissa: I use bows. I don't, but I've never had any other ones, so I don't have anything to compare them to.

[32:49] Joanne: I think those are pretty good quality.

[32:51] Marissa: They were pricey. Yeah, it was a gift to myself, for sure.

[32:56] Joanne: Yeah. But, you know, a functional gift.

[32:58] Marissa: Oh. I use them all the time because I am always taking the girls to, like, those indoor bounce house places where they can burn off their energy and I need to get some work done. And oh, my gosh, they are so loud in there. So the noise canceling headphones have been a lifesaver.

[33:14] Joanne: Yeah. That's awesome. So then I had a cozy reading blanket, and I actually have a recommendation. So, you know, I do felting, and listeners may know I do felting. So the place where I get my wool from, which is a sort of local, sustainable farm, also makes blankets. And their blankets are beautiful. And they're. They're made to be heirloom blankets, so they're not cheap. But this is what I've been giving for wedding gifts.

[33:48] Marissa: Oh, yeah.

[33:49] Joanne: Yeah. Because it's a beautiful gift and I get to support this amazing farm that is like a family farm. So they're called topsy farms, and they just make beautiful things. So I love that one.

[34:02] Marissa: I love the idea of blankets, and that actually reminded me. So Bethany Finger, who runs the Prince Kai fan pod and has been on this podcast talking about her books, she, years ago made me a handmade, a crocheted blanket that had, like, sea turtles on it. It's so cute. And of course, I still have it, and it's one of my favorites. And. Yeah, I kind of forgotten about that. That. That was a. Yeah. Beautiful. And I love a cozy blanket. And a reader once gave me a supernova blanket, too. I still have that one, too.

[34:35] Joanne: Oh, very cool.

[34:36] Marissa: It's nice to get cozy.

[34:37] Joanne: Yeah. Yeah. And supporting. I like supporting the farm because they're just such wonderful people, and I got to go there this past summer and meet them for the first time, and I just love everything they do. And I cuddled Lambs. I got to cuddle lambs.

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[36:12] Joanne: So my next thing. Oh, talking about not wanting to cook. Meal kits.

[36:18] Marissa: Yes.

[36:19] Joanne: Subscription. Meal kits.

[36:20] Marissa: Yep. I had that as well.

[36:22] Joanne: Next was a writing retreat. Send somebody on a writing retreat.

[36:28] Marissa: Yep. A night at a hotel.

[36:30] Joanne: It's better. Yeah. Or on a cruise for a week.

[36:34] Marissa: I know. Now if we really. If you're really gonna spend some dough.

[36:39] Joanne: Well, you really leveled up the writing retreat with the cruise, for sure. And this is another significant purchase. But depending on who you're buying for a new laptop, if necessary, or a cool retro keyboard. Have you seen those? Clickety clackity.

[36:57] Marissa: Yeah.

[36:58] Joanne: Yeah.

[36:58] Marissa: Those are satisfying.

[37:00] Joanne: Yes. Being able to bang on it. An E reader.

[37:06] Marissa: I would. I'm gonna pause because back to the keyboard. I think another good one is an ergonomic keyboard because normal laptop keyboards keep our hands at a position that is not natural and can lead to carpal tunnel. Blah, blah, blah. So they do have fancy ergonomic ones that put your hands in a more natural position. And that's. That's a nice one as well.

[37:28] Joanne: Yeah, for sure is. Do you use one?

[37:30] Marissa: I do, I do.

[37:31] Joanne: Do you have like a favorite?

[37:34] Marissa: Mine is the Kinesis Freestyle 2. I bought it a long time ago, so I'm. They might be onto the Freestyle three or four or five by now.

[37:44] Joanne: Well.

[37:45] Marissa: Ooh. Wow. I don't know.

[37:48] Joanne: I'm just kidding. I didn't look that fast. So. E reader. I have a Kobo and I love it and I hope it never dies because I've had it for years now. And.

[38:01] Marissa: Yeah, so when I finally gave out on me, it was like the original Nook, the very first one, I had.

[38:09] Joanne: A Kindle and I used it quite a bit, but when I left my job at the bank and it was like, oh, we're going to have to tighten our belts so that I don't have to go back and get a day job. The Kindle didn't allow for library books, so that was a bit of a game changer. So I don't know if that's changed, but I invested in a Kobo, and I get most of my ebooks from the library. Yay, libraries.

[38:37] Marissa: Yeah.

[38:38] Joanne: My next thing. Oh, talking about typewriters. Do you know Lego makes a typewriter?

[38:42] Marissa: I have one. Do you? My parents gave it to me for Christmas a couple years ago, and it definitely took me months to build because it was, like, never my number one focus. But it's so cool. It's so cool. It makes the clacking sound. It's awesome.

[38:57] Joanne: Oh, I love it. I should get one. Although it was pretty pricey when I saw it online.

[39:02] Marissa: Yeah. I have absolutely no idea what they paid for it. Yeah, my dad's really into Legos, so. And then they also got the Fender guitar for Jesse.

[39:11] Joanne: They do everything.

[39:12] Marissa: They're so cool. They're. So we just ordered the Jaws. They just came out with a Jaws LEGO set. We haven't built it yet, but. Yeah.

[39:19] Joanne: That's so cool. Like, when I was a kid, it was just Legos.

[39:23] Marissa: Like a box of colorful bricks.

[39:26] Joanne: Yeah. I don't think there was any sets that I remember, although we didn't have them very long. I think maybe my dad stepped on one once and that was the end of legos.

[39:37] Marissa: Yeah. I don't know. I mean, I know they've been doing Star wars sets for forever because my brother had those when we were growing up.

[39:43] Joanne: Yeah.

[39:44] Marissa: But, yeah, I don't really know.

[39:46] Joanne: Super.

[39:46] Marissa: I love Lego, though, as a mom, as a homeschooler.

[39:49] Joanne: Yeah. And sort of related, I guess, puzzles. So I don't know about you, but sometimes if I'm not that, I do puzzles a lot, but it just frees your head to, you know, think about things in the background and maybe figure out a plot point, stuff like that.

[40:04] Marissa: And especially this time of year, I love to have a fire going to be building a puzzle in our dining room and to, like, be listening to an audiobook is one of my favorite things.

[40:16] Joanne: That's cool. Next was an actual typewriter. Like, sort of. Which one? I'm sure you have one.

[40:24] Marissa: I have multiple.

[40:26] Joanne: Do you? I have.

[40:27] Marissa: All given to me as Gifts.

[40:30] Joanne: Well, I bought my own and sort of blew the wad on that. So I have one.

[40:34] Marissa: Yeah, I do. I mean, it is one of those things where, like, there are some that are very, very collectible and very expensive, but they're one of those things that you can find for quite inexpensive these days because people are like, my, this was my grandpa's and I inherited it and I don't know what to do with it.

[40:50] Joanne: So, yeah, I mean, I think there's sort of two categories of where you can get them. One, at estate sales, because it was in grandma's basement and she's long gone. Or at like, vintage stores where I think they appreciate that they're probably worth a lot and you might spend more.

[41:04] Marissa: So, yeah, even I think we're just checking, like Facebook Marketplace or Offerup. I'm going to guess you'd be able to find them.

[41:11] Joanne: Yeah, I do think I overpaid for mine, but I do love.

[41:14] Marissa: Maybe it's a fancy collectible one.

[41:15] Joanne: Yeah, for sure. Massage sessions.

[41:19] Marissa: Yes, please.

[41:21] Joanne: Yes. Who wouldn't appreciate that? Awesome.

[41:24] Marissa: Yeah. Any sort of pampering, manicures, pedicures? Yeah, all of it.

[41:29] Joanne: Any of that. I mean, for myself, it's stuff that I know I enjoy, but I won't buy on my own. It's just sort of like, oh, I'll get around to it, I'll get around to it. But if you buy somebody a gift certificate, you know, it's more likely to happen for sure.

[41:42] Marissa: Yeah.

[41:43] Joanne: So then I went into a writing course or sessions with a book coach.

[41:49] Marissa: Okay.

[41:50] Joanne: Which of course also made me think of happy writer sponsors.

[41:55] Marissa: I was going to say subscription to Red Herring Society or Writing Academy with Jessica Brody. They're both great services and I know people get a lot out of them, so I think a. Like an annual subscription to one of those would be fabulous.

[42:14] Joanne: Yeah. And I was actually looking on Jessica Prote's site today, and they even have gift certificates.

[42:20] Marissa: Oh, imagine that.

[42:22] Joanne: At different levels. So, you know, from, I think a three month. Three month subscription up to a year or more. Yeah. So check that out. And also. So my last thing under this category is. And speaking of sponsors, checking out amplify marketers to give you or your writer friends some advertising support.

[42:44] Marissa: Yeah, great idea.

[42:45] Joanne: Yeah. I mean, it's. And this is not paid by them. I'm just saying this because, you know, as an author, sometimes it's hard to get the word out. So, yeah, investigate that and, you know, you'll find that in the show notes as well.

[42:59] Marissa: All right. The last one I'm going to add for this category is a bottle of writing related wine or liquor. If, of course, if they're a drinker. Not everyone is, but there are some, like, wineries that have. So, like, one of my favorites is Storyteller Wines. Another really great one is Book Walter. And the wines themselves have, like, really fun names like Antagonist or. I don't know. I don't know them off the top of my head. But I think that's really fun and a great thing for a writer to, like, pop open as. Pop open to celebrate if writing's going well or to pop open it's not going well. Like, there's countless uses for this.

[43:44] Joanne: Yeah, I have some. A couple people brought me the gift of a bottle of Irish whiskey. The Writer's Tears.

[43:53] Marissa: Yes. Writer's Tears. Yes. I have not tried it, but I've heard of this as well.

[43:56] Joanne: Yeah, it's. And I'm not a drinker. Definitely not whiskey. I have tried it because I felt it was my duty to try it. Deke tells me it's very good, and the bottle has gotten emptier and emptier. So I'm assuming that he does like it, although he's been told he's not allowed to finish it because it's mine.

[44:17] Marissa: All right, are we ready to move on to book suggestions?

[44:19] Joanne: Yes.

[44:20] Marissa: All right. And we will try, I think, to go through these a little faster because I see that we're. We're already getting close to where we, like, 45 minutes or something. I didn't actually write down what time we started. Okay, so picture books. Let's start with the. The little kids in your life. I love buying books for our nieces and nephews. Of course, my own kids have been spoiled to death because I can't stop buying books for them. I actually, I asked the girls to give me their favorite books from childhood. The books that really, really have stood out to them and stood the test of time. So these are all their suggestions. Not mine, but of course, books that I love as well. Nibbles the Book Monster by Emma Yarlett is probably Sloan's all time favorite. And then both girls really love the Mr. Panda books by Steve Antony. Antony. And there's a whole bunch of them. I'll wait. Mr. Panda, please. Mr. Panda. Thank you, Mr. Panda. Which, as a mom, I like that it helps teach manners. But they're really kooky. They're silly books. They're short, simple enough for the babies in your life, but at 10 years old, the girls still want me to read Mr. Panda to them. So one of those. A Unicorn Named Sparkle by Amy Young, is hilarious. And it's got great illustrations about a girl that sends in a quarter to get a mail order unicorn. And the unicorn does not quite meet expectations. The Love Monster series by Rachel Bright Delaney's personal favorite is Love Monster and the Scary something. We've read those a billion times. Shark lady and Dinosaur lady, two different books by Jess Keating, illustrated by Marta Alvarez Miguenz. About. These are historical books. Nonfiction. One about Eugenie Clark, one of the original scientists, female scientists learning about sharks. And then the other, I actually. Oh, what's her name? Ann Browning. Mary Ann, somewhat Victorian England who like, started discovering dinosaur fossils before people knew that dinosaurs existed. And she's such a cool character. And the books are really, really great and really well done. Josie's Lost Tooth by Jennifer K. Mann. There are of course, a ton of books out there about teeth and losing teeth and teeth falling out. This is one of our favorites. And then the last one. And I tried hard to like encourage the girls to give recommendations for books that aren't like uber top bestsellers that every kid already has, but they both said Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri. It's a beloved book for a reason. And now there's a sequel too, which they also love.

[47:10] Joanne: Oh, awesome. And just an aside, I know Jess Keating. She is amazing. I did not know that she's a zoologist. She lives, I think, well, I haven't talked to her in a while, but near my hometown. And she's just such a fascinating person herself. Yeah.

[47:26] Marissa: Oh, cool. Now these books are great. And I actually was just when I was looking these books up to make sure I was getting the names right, saw that she's got like a whole series about like monsters, like, quote unquote monsters, but like axolotls and like real world monsters. And I will be buying those for sure.

[47:43] Joanne: Yeah, I think. I think the girls will like them. Yeah, she's awesome. So I only have two picture books. I don't have kids and it's been a long time since I've been a kid. So one is a Hanukkah book that I thought was just adorable. It's called Hanukkah Upside down and it's about two cousins. One lives in the States and the other lives in New Zealand. And they're trying to compare or decide who has the better Hanukkah and who lives in the better place. And it's so it's a lot of contrast. And we do this and we do that and we do this. And, you know, it was just really sweet, I think.

[48:19] Marissa: Oh, it's fun. I love that concept.

[48:21] Joanne: Yeah. And the second one, which also I think is a craft book, is the monster at the end of this book.

[48:30] Marissa: Oh, yeah, that's a good one.

[48:32] Joanne: The classic honest to goodness. It is a masterclass in building tension. It really is. Like, if you read it as an adult, as a writer, it's like, it's perfect. It's really good. So those are my picture book recommendations.

[48:47] Marissa: Awesome. Let's move into middle grade and. Or early readers.

[48:52] Joanne: Yeah. And this is so hard. It's so hard.

[48:55] Marissa: It's so hard. Oh, my gosh. I really struggled trying to keep my list down. And yeah, yeah, again, for this one, too, I asked the girls, like, let's look at the books that we've read together the last few years. And they were like, oh, yeah, that was one of my favorites.

[49:10] Joanne: I don't have any early readers. Do you have early readers?

[49:13] Marissa: So one of our early readers that really stood out for me and the girls is the Princess in Black series by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale. And that's illustrated by Luyen Pham. And they're, they're really, they're really fun. Really fast paced, actiony, girl power. Yeah, we love those.

[49:34] Joanne: And I think a new one just came out recently too, probably.

[49:37] Marissa: I know that's it's getting to be a long series. We're behind for sure.

[49:41] Joanne: Very cool. And then moving on into middle grade, the Emmy and Friends series by Terri Liebensohn. Those are fun on the podcast. I mean, they do really well and they're just really cute and well done. Not quite graphic novels, but illustrated.

[49:58] Marissa: Yeah.

[49:59] Joanne: For the adventure lovers, I will always and forever recommend the False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen. The first of the trilogy. Gosh, I love that book so much. We actually became friends because I stalked her after loving that book so much. We honestly didn't know each other and I just, I stalked her and sent her notes about how much I love that book and I made her love me more. Adventure the Unwanted series by Lisa McMahon. Both of them have also been on the podcast. I'll link to the earlier episodes. Middle grade perfection is Holes by Lewis Sacker.

[50:33] Marissa: Perfection.

[50:33] Joanne: Yeah. Oh, just so good.

[50:35] Marissa: That's one that I've given to every kid in the family.

[50:39] Joanne: It's one of those ones that I could only aspire to write that well. I mean, it's the long punchline. It's Just. Oh, it's just so good. And you find something new every time you read it.

[50:52] Marissa: Yeah, no, it really. It is different having read it as a kid. And then I read it again in my 20s, and then I read it again to the girls recently, and. Yeah, it's. It's brilliant.

[51:02] Joanne: Yeah. And. And the. That's how I felt about Anne of Green Gables, which is my next pick, is that it read differently as a kid, but it still holds up. And it's just fantastic. Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements is also a favorite. And I read it a long time ago, so I can't tell you what about it I loved. I just can tell you that I loved it, which is kind of weird.

[51:23] Marissa: But I know those books, though.

[51:25] Joanne: Yeah. It just left such a great impression on me, and it was fantastic, and it was so clever and just. I just loved it. A more recent one, the Blackbird Girls by Ann Blankman. And it's about two girls. When Chernobyl happens back in the 80s, I want to say 83 or something. And for me, that felt meaningful because I remember that I was, you know, like an early teenager when it happened. So it's. It feels. Not personal, but it. I don't know. I just remember that time. Plus, it's a beautiful book. It's so well written. And of course, the Chronicles of Narnia. Just buy the box set for the person you're buying it for.

[52:06] Marissa: I would add the Doll People by Ann M. Martin, which was actually given to the girls as a gift. And I feel horrible, but I can't remember. It was a bookseller or. Oh, gosh, I was at a book thing and she. This lovely woman, gave it to us, and the girls loved it. It was. We read it years ago at this point, but it's one that's really stuck with them. Secret Agent Jack Stalwart, which is a series of books, very actiony. They're by Elizabeth Singer Hunt. Short books. I might actually put this in the early reader category, but they're like where this secret agent kid has to travel around the world and solve mysteries. And so it's like kind of historical, kind of educational, but, like, really fun. And the girls love those. One that we did as a family is Escape Book. We read the Cursed Temple. But I believe that there's a number in this series by. Oh, this is a tough name. I'm not sure how to pronounce this. Elaine Pisgar Puseger. I don't know. They're so fun. They're like, kind of like an escape room in a book where you have to solve different puzzles and things. And we really, really enjoy doing that together. And then one from the podcast that I read to the girls that they both immediately were like, oh, this one's been one of our favorites is Alex Wise versus the End of the World by Terry J. Benton Walker. And super action packed. And yeah, that one kept us turning the pages and the girls really love it. And actually, as I'm saying this, I'm wondering, has the second one come out yet? Because I'm clearly going to have to get that.

[53:46] Joanne: I think maybe it has.

[53:47] Marissa: I think maybe it has as well. So that could be a Christmas gift that I'll get them.

[53:51] Joanne: There you go. And one more thing I want to add real quick too, is we had so much fun on tour doing Mad Libs that Mad Libs, I think, are a perfect stocking stuffer too.

[54:00] Marissa: Yeah, the girls have lots. Young adults. Now. I challenged myself because, as one can imagine, the last four years, my reading has almost been entirely for the podcast. And so I challenged myself to choose books that I've read and loved that I did not interview someone about on the podcast. And sadly, that's a short list because again, almost everything I've read has been from the podcast. And people should just go back and look at the wonderful books we've talked about. But the three that really stood out that I wanted a chance to point out to people all our Hidden gifts by Caroline O'Donohue. It has kind of a tarot card theme. Paranormal. Really well written, great characters. I loved this book. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee, which is a queer historical romance that starts out so pacey, so voicey, so fun. But then, like, halfway through the book, you realize, wow, there's actually like, really important big things that we're talking about here. Like one of those. It's like, it's so fun and suddenly you realize that there's like a message that you're interpreting that you didn't expect.

[55:18] Joanne: Meatier than you were expecting.

[55:20] Marissa: Meteor than I expected, but I absolutely loved it. And then the other one, which the author has been on the podcast, but to talk about a different book is truly devious. The truly devious series by Maureen Johnson. They are murder mysteries, and I thought they were so clever, the way that she did the different reveals and did one overarching mystery over the trilogy, but then also solved different mysteries throughout the series as well. And I thought, like, as a case study for murder mystery writing, brilliant, very cool.

[56:00] Joanne: And I don't really have any YA recommendations. I just don't read a lot of YA these days. But we were talking about this on tour. I think my favorite series when I was a teen and it came out in 84, is called the Summer Tree Trilogy by Guy Gavriel Kay. He's a Toronto writer. And what really attracted me to the books is that they are set at the University of Toronto. So I was familiar with the setting. But then it's like a. Is it called portal fantasy where they go to another world and it's very Arthurian in feel, but they're real people. It's. It was just. I read it over and over and over and over and over again. I haven't read it in a long time because I'm worried that it may not hold up as a adult. I'm sure it does. But the Summer Tree Trilogy, it's just. To me, that is fantasy perfection.

[56:57] Marissa: Okay. I wanted you you something jarred loose. Another one that I read last year was the Other Merlin by Robin Schneider. And Robin has been on this podcast, which I think is why I didn't originally put it on the list. But we didn't talk about this book, the Other Merlin. And it's a gender swapped take on the Arthurian legend. And very funny, very smart, very romantic. I enjoyed it a lot.

[57:24] Joanne: Very cool.

[57:25] Marissa: And then into adult now, which I do not read a whole lot of. So you're gonna have to carry us on this one. I'll just start the. The two 1 I read a billion years ago and I would like to reread one of these days because it's one of those books that you like. Kind of like you were saying, like, I remember loving this book. I don't remember that much about it. Is the Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, which was like one of those books that was a huge bestseller back, I don't even know, 15 years ago. And like everyone was reading it at the time. I feel like it's kind of gotten forgotten and it's time for a resurgence because I remember it just being absolutely incredible. And then the other one, one that I read more recently is the Hacienda by Isabel Canas or Kanye. I'm not sure if it has a tilde on the Internet. And it's a modern gothic set in Mexico, historical. I'm not sure exactly what time period. Maybe late 1800s. And so atmospheric. So creepy. I really loved it.

[58:29] Joanne: Very cool. So also, just a note that I'm going to curate all these books onto your affiliate store list. So that will be in the show notes as well. So I will zoom through these adult books as fast as I can. So the first one that I found so sometimes on the Happy Writer Instagram I put comics up because they're a lot of fun. So Grant Snyder does a lot of comics that some have been up on the Happy Writer, but he actually compiled a bunch into a book and it's called I will judge you by your bookshelf. So a lot of it is about books. So that's a lot of fun. Right now I am listening to the audio of Henry Winkler's biography, which is so good. And I had such a crush on Fonzie as a kid, so it's just like getting a hug from him. But he's his story is amazing because he's so profoundly dyslexic and really, really struggled and had not the greatest upbringing. So I'm not finished it yet, but I know I'm going to love it. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garments. Have you read that one? It's really good. It's not a romance, but it's just so good. It's a bestseller. Probably most of your listeners have read it, but I want to read it again. It's just really good. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Have you read that one yet? Nope. Look at all the recs you're getting too. So then we go on to romance, which I am a romance junkie, so I love me some romance. So in historical we've got Elizabeth Hoyt. Everything she's written is amazing, starting with her, I think her first book, the Raven Prince, which is the first of a trilogy, then the London Trilogy by Sherry Thomas is also amazing. She has a lot more books that I haven't read, but that that initial trilogy is really good. Anything honestly by Loretta Chase or Grace Burroughs in the historical categories. They're just both amazing. Contemporary romance. Annabelle Monaghan. She's actually had a few books out the last few years that she's my new auto buy. Same time next summer, Nora goes off script. Really great. Kate Claiborne, she wrote Love Lettering. She's also an Auto buy. Really good. Speaking of audiobooks, Julia Whalen, she wrote My Oxford Year, but more recently she wrote thank you for listening. And she is actually an audiobook narrator and she narrated this audiobook about audiobook narrators. So it's very but I strongly recommend you listen to the audio because obviously she's a professional and it's just really, really good. Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. It's about a woman who wakes up and discovers she has face blindness. And it's just fascinating and a really good read. Pretty much most books by Christina Lauren. My favorite is Beautiful Secret, and that's in the I can't remember the name of the series, but their first book was A Beautiful Bastard. And then there's a bunch and I think that's it for my romance reads.

[01:01:43] Marissa: Awesome. And then I'm gonna throw out a couple of nonfictions for just general nonfiction. I absolutely loved Joyful. The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Fetal Lee. Anything to bring more happiness into the world. And I thought that the way that she kind of dove into the science of why things like why things like confetti and balloons make us happy. Like why the why are some things just associated with joy? I just thought was really interesting. And then the other one is the Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, of course. Another like huge international bestseller, but for a reason. I just thought it was both informative on like a personal development level, but also just the examples he uses are just fascinating. And then for the writer, the specific the writer specifically on your list. Two that I go back to again and again are of course, Save the Cat. Right. A novel by Jessica Brody, who we have talked to way back in Episode one of the Happy Writer for anyone who could use a little push or a little help with their outlining or plotting. And then another one I love is Big Magic Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert, which is more of a self helpy type book than like a craft book. But I really loved the way that she talks about creativity and joy, which is also kind of like what I try to talk a lot about. So it was very inspirational for me.

[01:03:31] Joanne: So for my craft books, my number one is the Happy Writer. Pre order book.

[01:03:40] Marissa: Pre order the receipt of the stocking.

[01:03:43] Joanne: Yeah. For gift for yourself. Gift for the writer in your life. It's coming out January 28th. Yep, 28th. And the other two, which I have mentioned before and I will mention again and again, I'm not really a craft book person. I have like 20 craft books that I've never cracked. Big magic. I think I read the first, the first chapter and that's as far as I got. Not because I didn't like it, it's just not my thing. But Bird by Bird and Lamont I will always recommend and I do read it every so often. She's just so honest.

[01:04:16] Marissa: Yeah. Very frank. Yeah.

[01:04:18] Joanne: I think that's what I like about her is she's honest and like there's a whole chapter on professional jealousy. And it's like, yep, you get it. Yep. And on Writing by Stephen King, which is part craft book, part memoir, it still holds up. It's still good. It's still great.

[01:04:34] Marissa: And then lastly, for the if you're buying a gift for a happy writer listener, or if you yourself want to put something on your wish list and or if you are a Marissa Meyer fan and looking for some suggestions, first I'm going to point people toward our Etsy store, which is Etsy.com/shop/happy writer store. And we've got Happy Writer merchandise. There's T shirts, there's sweatshirts, there's stickers that you can put on, you know, your laptop or your water bottle. And these are all designed by Kiwi and the Bird on Instagram. She is so talented and they're really cute and really inspirational. We tried to put on some fun, encouraging quotes, that sort of thing. Also on that store you can find the universe of Marissa Meyer passports, which I personally think would make a really good stocking stuffer as an idea. But it's essentially like a little passport that you print out and then we mail you stickers and there's a sticker for every Marissa Meyer book. So if you've read the book, you can put it into your passport and say, I have been to this world. Another One is the Cinder 10th Anniversary Edition, which is a really, really fancy hardcover edition of my first novel, Cinder. It's got a slip case. It's beautifully designed for the Marissa Meyer fan who has all the books that might be one that they don't yet have. And lastly, if you wanted to get a signed book, you have about five days from the time that this episode goes up. If you place an order with King's bookstore in Tacoma, Washington, before this Saturday, December 7, they should be able to get you a signed and personalized copy and I hope ship it in time for the holidays so you can find contact information for that at all. Right. That's it. That's all that I have. How about you, Joanne? Anything else?

[01:06:36] Joanne: I was just going to add that because books make the best gifts, if you are able grab a copy of your favorite kids book and toss it into a toy drive bin or drop it off where people would appreciate that at shelters or wherever we'll take books because I think that the book lovers get overlooked on toy drives. I see a lot of stuffed animals and plastic toys and Legos and things like that, which are great. But there are book lovers out there that don't even own their own books. So please consider books for the toy drive which also I just want to add one more thing, another gift that I didn't think of until just now. If you want to do a donation in the name of somebody to something like first book is a great gift for somebody that has everything. First book puts books in kids hands. So a lot of kids don't even own their own books like I said. So give books, give books.

[01:07:34] Marissa: I love it. I love it. That's a great message to end on. Joanne, it has been a pleasure as always. Thanks for joining me and helping me put together this awesome gift giving list today.

[01:07:45] Joanne: Thank you so much for including me. Always a pleasure.

[01:07:48] Marissa: Readers, we hope you will check out some of our ideas today. As Joanne mentioned, she is going to be compiling our full list of book suggestions @our bookshop.org shop so you can find that @bookshop.org shop Marissa Meyer and of course the link is in our show notes as well. And again, the Happy Writer merchandise can be found@etsy.com shop happywriterstore Next week, Joanne, you're going to be back again. It's another Joanne episode.

[01:08:21] Joanne: I forgot about that.

[01:08:23] Marissa: I am.

[01:08:23] Joanne: Nobody's tired of me yet. Especially no, he's not.

[01:08:25] Marissa: No. And they're not tired of me.

[01:08:29] Joanne: Never.

[01:08:30] Marissa: We are going to be doing a very special interview. We're going to be chatting with Rebecca Solaire and Gabby Epstein, who happen to be the two fantastic audiobook narrators for our middle grade Let It Glow. So if you've always wanted to know more about audiobook narration and what that means behind the scenes, I have so many questions. Can't wait to talk to them. We hope you will check out next week's episode. Please leave us a review and follow us on Instagram @happywriterpodcast. Until next time, stay inspired, keep writing and whatever life throws at you today. I hope that now you're feeling a little bit happier.