Wednesday night we went to see A Tuna Christmas on campus, performed by the two original actors/writers, and had a great time. I've seen all of the Tuna plays live now. It's neat that most of the main characters are women, and that Joe Sears is so good at playing them that I forget that Bertha and Pearl are not actually women.
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This month The Book Smugglers review blog is doing Smugglivus, their annual holiday festival where guest posters talk about books and movies and other things they loved this year, and what they're looking forward to next year. The first few posts are already up. In this one, writer Meljean Brook talks about Wonder Woman, with illustrations.
I'll have a guest post there later in the month.
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I usually do an annual book rec post for the holidays, where you guys rec books that would make great presents. This time I wanted to do that, plus also get recs of online craft/etsy shops, particularly small businesses/tiny businesses that could benefit from a little extra traffic during the holidays.
So in the comments, feel free to rec books and craft and etsy shops you think would make great gifts. Here's a few places I wanted to rec:
Jewelry: Dixie Dunbar Studio, By Lillian (this is
lillian13, and I've bought some of her jewelry and have been very happy with it), Belaurient Arts.Art Photos: The Various Arts of Katie Cowden
Or if you want a signed book by me, I sell autographed hardcovers of Wheel of the Infinite through my web site here. (I can only take Paypal and checks, unfortunately.)
http://www.lulu.com/product/calendar/2012-calendar/18717669
http://www.etsy.com/shop/meganaker
i've always been delighted with the jewelry i've bought from her.
I also read and loved Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon - a book about a Chinese girl whose long journey to rescue her father is complicated by demons and dragons and Goddesses and an enemy from one of her past lives. (Note: I've linked to the Kindle version because the new print version has a horribly whitewashed cover which dehumanizes the character by cutting off the model's face. and it is giving me a rage headache.)
The two I'd recommend most strongly, though, are:
1) Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, which I wish somebody would give me for a present. It was a fantastic fantasy - scary and wondrous and sweet.
2) The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne Valente. This book is one of the best books I've read this year, and I think it will be regarded as one of the great classics of modern childrens' literature. I've pushed this book at just about everybody who came to the circulation desk. If you haven't read it, you need to.
Edited at 2011-12-02 10:47 pm (UTC)
http://www.etsy.com/shop/aStudiobytheSea?section_id=6457606
I bought a beautiful postcard size oilpainting from her and it shipped safely and soundly to Germany even. This one is mine *chortle* my preciousssssss
Edited at 2011-12-03 04:38 pm (UTC)
Check out these Edgar Allen and Virginia Poe earrings by Persephoneplus. You can also get Mary and Percy Shelley and the Brownings as earrings in her shop, as well as many other designs. They won't break the bank, either, as most of her earrings are around $22.
I definitely covet this Bronze ray gun pendant ($19). Dragonstreasure has lots of cool steampunky pendants, including an old-fashioned diving helmet.
Etsy seller skeletal dropkick has so many nifty ceramic goodies I can't pick a single one out. There's this Zombie bowl, complete with 'brain' lid and graveworm poking out, this set of ceramic skull pitcher-and-mugs, and this Frankenstein's monster salt cellar. The prices are ok, but the shipping will kill you, as ceramics are heavy.
For less pricey fare, there's P. Tierney designs, who sell lightweight literary jewelry. My faves are the Holmes and Watson quote pin ($6.50) and the Poirot quote pin, though the Sherlock Holmes dangle pin ($18.50) and the Crime scene tape earrings ($6.00) are also fantastic.
Edited at 2011-12-04 12:12 am (UTC)
Jewelry: Amy Nieto, Vivian Gaston Designs (pricey but oh so gorgeous)
Art: Mincing Mockingbird, Jen Renninger