So Jess and I spent most of the day Christmas shopping in Harvard Square. I visited 8 or 9 shops and did not buy a single thing. This happens every year - I've never come home from my first day of official Christmas shopping with a gift.

There doesn't seem to be much on the tables at bookstores this year. Many of the hardcovers that were on display last year were put out again this holiday season. On the usually zero-calorie "gift book" tables I came across a cool hardcover called Graffiti World as well as Fruits (which has been around for a while). Seeing my favorite authors and illustrators being pimped out at Christmastime always hurts a little. Sweet baby Jesus! Please don't put my people on a table next to Bill Clinton and Jimmy Buffett. Jess and I do approve of Marjane Satrapi's "Persepolis" which is *everywhere* this year. I also noticed that our fair city has a "nude notables" calendar which seemed to be popular with the bookstore browsers. The "Cambridge Uncovered" calendar includes Robert Reich and a group photo of folks from the 1369 Coffee House.

For those readers on your list, allow me to recommend a few authors that I love. I'm sure that Amazon has good reviews and other helpful advice for shoppers, so I'll just point them out to you... Matt Ruff's "Set This House in Order" would probably appeal to the widest range of readers (ie. people who dislike fantasy).

• Jonathan Carroll
  • The Land of Laughs
  • Bones of the Moon
• China Mieville
  • The Scar
  • Perdido Street Station
• Graham Joyce
  • Requiem
  • Dark Sister
• Matt Ruff
  • Set This House in Order
  • Fool on the Hill

Also, Orwell's 1984 and Huxley's Brave New World are particularly appropriate this year.

Oh - and if you are looking for a Moleskine alternative this holiday season, you may want to check out products by Miquelrius. (ugh - I *hate* Flash websites)