A literary Christmas morning

It’s Christmas and as usual there are DVDs, CDs, and books under the tree – even a Kindle.  (And the ubiquitous Borders gift cards, of course.)

For the older son: Stephen King‘s Under the Dome.  It was all I could do to keep him from buying it himself three days ago.  (He doesn’t get the “don’t buy anything until after Christmas” idea that was passed down to me from my parents!)

For the younger son (vocal performance major at Columbia College Chicago)- Performance Success:  Performing Your Best Under Pressure by Dr. Don Greene.

Arty progressive husband got Inside the Painter’s Studio from the Museum of Contemporary Art bookstore and Thom Hartmann’s book, Threshold.  Kindle-wise, he has loaded three Harry Bosch books by Michael Connelly already on his device.

And I got Sue Grafton‘s U is for Undertow (I have owned everything from A is for Alibi on at one time or another, and the last few are arranged alphabetically on my bookshelves in hardcover).  Plus, PD James’ book, Talking About Detective Fiction, which is getting rave reviews and will help me motivate up for more writing!

I gifted a couple of books, too, including Lorrie Moore’s A Gate at the Stairs, which was the first book in a long time which made me say, “Wow, that was a good book,” when I closed the cover for the final time.  I read a copy from the library, so by purchasing the book and mailing it to my mom, I was both sharing the experience with her and making sure Ms. Moore got at least a little $$ for her work!   As Christmas morning is the time for gift-opening in the Branshaw family, I’m safe posting this because she’s already opened her present.

I also bought a really fun book (and one that I own personally) for my friend Nancy.  If you’ve seen the TLC Show, What Not to Wear, you’ve seen Clinton Kelly and Stacy London.  They co-wrote a book Dress Your Best which is just fabulous for helping you figure out your own fashion rules according to your body shape.  Read the book, and you will never again buy something that looks better on the hanger than on you.

Everyone has wandered off to delve into their various presents until lunchtime.  We’ll be continuing our “literary” theme this afternoon, when we head to Cinemark for the new Sherlock Holmes movie. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are not exactly my mind’s eye vision of Holmes and Watson, but I’m betting they have the acting chops to convince me.  Happy Holidays!