Get any books for Christmas?

[Alexandra]

Did you get any books for Christmas? Were they books you asked for, or surprises? If they were surprises, do they look interesting?

I didn't get any books for Christmas - pout - but that's ok, I had a great Christmas and I really like picking books for myself anyway. :) Although a bookstore gift certificate would have been lovely!

[ScottK]

I got a few Borders gift cards but saw no new books that held my interest(again the living on Maui thing,things take forever to get here)I bought myself the movie Stardust (which I loved) and a few new CD's instead .

[Alexandra]

I bought myself a few books for Christmas as well. I bought:

Midnighters #3: Blue Noon by Scott Westerfeld
Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel
Dead of Night, a mystery anthology featuring J. D. Robb (AKA Nora Roberts)
Murder On Mulberry Bend by Victoria Thompson
The Name Of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch

My "to read" pile got even taller!

[Nicole]

I recieved three books for Christmas from my parents, plus Barnes and Noble gift cards! Needless to say I am a very happy girl.

The Gift- Richard Paul Evans
The Christmas Promise - Donna VanLiere
Christmas Wishes- Debbie Macomber

[Diane]

I got quite a few books for Christmas - YAY.
I got Ronnie by Ronnie Wood (which I already started); Eat Pray Love (which I wanted); Merle's Door (which I did not know about but I think I will like it very much); and I bought one for myself - The Keep.

[Lori]

The only book I got was one I already had... But no worries, I will take it back and return it for something new, and also use the giftcard I got with it!!

Unless you give someone a list of which books to buy, I find it is just easier to buy your own. In the past, Ive been given books that werent really anything i was interested in reading (once i got Seabuiscut... I didnt even crack the first page)

[Mandy]

I got six books and I had asked for them all. Everyone in my family knows I love to read and don't mind when I ring up and ask can you get me this book for Christmas, it saves getting me a book I don't like. Although in the past my mum has bought some really good ones I ended up liking which I mightn't have picked up myself.

So I got:
Angels and Demons - Dan Brown
Observations of a Very Short Man - Nigel Marsh
A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
You've Been Warned - James Patterson & Howard Roughan
Double Cross - James Patterson
Second Chance - Jane Green

[Jordan]

I got 2 books as collectibles only, none to read sadly. But on the other hand I have tons I've yet to read.....I got a signed copy of Dean Koontz's False Memory and a signed copy of Laurell K. Hamilton's Danse Macbre.

[Xysea]

The Complete Poems of Anne Sexton and The Complete Stories of Flannery O'Connor. Both I'd read before, borrowed from the library. I'd read them so much, I just decided it was best to own them...

lol

[Mike]

John Le Carre's The Mission Song. I've never been able to finish a Le Carre book because they were so depressing but I love my sister and will give this gift a try.

[Caroline]

My mother gave me a copy of The Joy of Cooking to tempt me into actually cooking. Luckily, I have a husband to do that for me, so now he has more recipes to pick from! Definitely a joy for me. ;) It was no kind of surprise, though, since I actually picked it up for me...for her to give to me...since I work in a bookstore and get a discount. I even wrapped it for me, and opened it up on Christmas with a lot of mock surprise. Also picked a copy up for my sister, who was likewise "surprised" on Christmas Day. Fun!

My family knows better than to buy books for me, since I always just go out and buy what I want for myself pretty much as soon as it's released. That and it's silly for them to pay full price for books for me when I can buy them at a discount. So, I picked up a few for myself the day after Christmas, including Libba Bray's conclusion to her trilogy.

[Emily]

Only one book this year - but a really awesome one - Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway, illustrated by Ray Troll (uhh, can't remember the author). A humorous and educational book full of photos and paintings - chronicles these two guys' roadtrip across America learning about fossils.

[Gemma]

I only asked for one book this Christmas- The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I have been wanting to read this for ages after it was reviewed so highly so I was delighted to unwrap it on Christmas day! Already half way through it...

Also recieved Labyrinth by Kate Mosse and The Last Testament by Sam Bourne.

[Chilami]

I did not ask for any books this year. However my family knows that I love to read and so I got Four Books this Christmas.
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

[Diane]

Hi Gemma - Shadow of the Wind - GREAT choice if you only had to ask for one book! My book club read it a while back - LOVED it! Yes, it's hard to put it down, isn't it? It's one of those books that has everything. Enjoy.

[Monica Granado]

I got Tragic Sense of Life by Miguel Unamuno from a close friend. I hadn't asked for it, so in that sense it was a surprise, but the same friend had linked me to an online version of the same text not long before Christmas and I was hooked, so I'm really happy he got me the book. I also bought myself Flight and Other Stories by Jose Skinner and The Quixote Cult by Genaro Gonzalez (both authors teach at my university, Skinner will be my professor this coming semester).

[Beth]

I got three books for Christmas, all requested: a 2008 Cruise Guide and two books about personality tests and profiles that I plan to use for character development. Even better than a book, though, I got a book CONTRACT over the holidays, for the sequel to my A REAL BASKET CASE, titled TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET. That's worth breaking out the champagne for!

[Guillermo]

My girlfriend got me The Atheist's Bible. My close friend got me God is Not Great and my other friend got me a book on Rumi. Twas a great Xmas if you ask me.

[Nisa]

I got "Rant" by Chuck Palahniuk and "The Perfect Medium" by Clement Cheroux (and other folks) and "The Children's Blizzard" by David Laskin (the last one being a gift for myself...HA!) Also got a couple gift cards...delicious!

[Renee]

I received 3 books as gifts this year - everyone read my wish list!

Mistress of the Art of Death: A Novel by Ariana Franklin
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell
The Meaning of Night: A Confession by Michael Cox

and a gift card for Chester County Book and Music Company (I used it already - The Conjurer's Bird and Teach As If Your Hair Is On Fire)!

Yay!

[Shelly]

I loved Labyrinth and actually have been eyeing her new one (can't recall the name off the top of my head) but I'm trying to curb the buying itch until I get at least some of my 'to read' pile done.

[Shelly]

My mother-in-law always buys books for christmas so there are always books under the tree for everyone. She tries to get something we've asked for and then just picks things she's read or that look like we might like them.

I received:

The Roots of Desire: The Myth, Meaning and Sexual Power of Red Hair -- Marion Roach
A Fine Balance -- Rohinton Mistry
Wildacre -- Philippa Gregory
The Almost Moon -- Alice Sebold
Mister B Gone -- Clive Barker

And then, of course, on Boxing Day I had to go and pick up the book I really, really, really wanted that I didn't get -- Hitman by Bret Hart -- and a copy of I Am Legend by Richard Matheson just for kicks.

[Lori]

I Am Legend was a great book! I was really glad i read it. I had kept putting it off becuase it was orignally written back in the 50's and i was afraid it was going to be 'dated', but it was one of the best books i have read!

[Shasta]

I recieved a "pre-order" Christmas gift on All of the James Patterson novels. I did ask for them, did not expect them, and was surprized to get them!!! On top of that I also recieved 1-5 in the Evanovich series, a gift card to Borders, where I bought 4 books by Ellen Hopkins ( Crank, Glass, Impulse, and Burned), along with a biography on 2Pac, and a book called I'm With The Band. Needless to say...I had a GREAT Christmas!!!Happy new year to everyone!!!

[Shelly]

I didn't realize it was a collection of short stories, so now I'm not in a huge rush to finish it off, but so far it's pretty good.

Of course, the end result will be the dilema of 'go see the movie or not go see the movie', but... Will Smith :D Hard to pass up ;)

[Lori]

Mercy20
I Am Legend is a novella really, about 170pgs, so I guess to round it out, they put in some of his short stories.. none of which are connected to the original story, and none of which were really that great.. so dont feel bad if you dont indulge in those!

I saw the movie.. and i have to say that the book ruined it for me, in a sense. It is nothing like the books at all (I saw it with my husband, who never read the book, and i kept saying "thats not what happened... thats not the way it went in the book")... But if you try not to compare it to the book... and look at it as just a movie, then it is definetely worth seeing. Smith did a great job as the last man on earth!!!

[Kate]

My dad gave me his B&N catalog and told me to pick stuff out, so that was nice. Plus I bought myself the Golden Compass series, cause I can't see a movie without reading the book first. Reminds me, must buy and read Atonement...

[Charity]

I received...

Persuasion by Jane Austen
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Testing Kate by Whitney Gaskell
Slam by Nick Hornby
and
The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta

All of the titles I received were ones I had requested except Slam (Hornby), which was a pleasant surprise.

The only title I requested by did not receive was Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

However, my dear husband did get me a $40 gift card to a local bookstore (that specializes in used and discount titles...remaindered, hurt, etc.), so that gift card will go very far at that store. Plus, since one of my New Year's resolutions was to buy one new book every month AND read it (because I have a habit of buying books in bulk and not reading them for many weeks, months, years after purchasing them), this will aid in accomplishing my goal.

[Meredith]

The only book I received was Eric Clapton's bio, immediately started reading that. I also got a B&N giftcard that is burning a hole in my pocket, even thought I still have PLENTY in my 'to read' pile!