Our Favorite Book Gifts

A few of us booksellers got to talking the other day.  We realized, that as booksellers, we don't often get books as presents.  It makes sense, people just assume that we know what we want to read, or we've already read it, or various other things that keep us from recieving books.  But that isn't always the case, so here are a few of our favorite books we have recieved as gifts:

Patti:

When I was pregnant my husband Rich gave me a copy of The Glass Blower's Children by Maria Gripes. He remembered that it was one of my favorite books when I was kid. It helped make me a lifelong reader and has always stuck with me. I was sad to find out it had gone out of print. Rich tracked down a used copy and surprised me with it! I had so much fun rereading it and imagining reading it to my son someday. Now I've recently discovered that's it being reprinted and due out this spring. I can't wait to introduce it to a whole new generation of new readers.

Katherine:
The year was 1999. I spent all day Christmas Eve reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. That evening my present from my grandma was the recently released box set of the first three books. I spent the rest of vacation reading on the couch.

Erin B.:
When I was a teenager, I was really into space.  I really, really, really wanted to be an astronaut.  I even went to Space Camp (nerd alert!).  One year my parents got me a copy of Moonshot by astronauts Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton.  And it was signed by Alan Shepard.  I still have it.