Suspend Your Disbelief

Posts Tagged ‘Literary Gifts’

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Bookish Gift Idea #12: The Storymatic

by Celeste Ng

Here’s a great gift for a young writer, a game buff, or a teacher. The Storymatic provides 500 cards suggesting characters, images, and events to lead players into a story: First, draw two gold cards. Combine the information on the two cards to create your main character. For example, if you draw “surgeon” and “amateur boxer,” your character is a surgeon who is also a boxer. Next, draw one or two copper cards. Let the information on the cards lead you into a story. Wild cards are interspersed throughout, and they prompt you to go in directions you might not […]


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Bookish Gift Idea #10: Banned books bracelet

by Celeste Ng

Help a friend flaunt her love of forbidden fiction with this banned books bracelet. Each enameled panel features a book that’s been banned, from To Kill a Mockingbird to Huckleberry Finn. It’s from the UK—but defying censorship knows no bounds. Right? Available from The Literary Gift Company. And check back here at FWR every day in December for a bookish gift idea!


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Bookish Gift Idea #9: Membership to a writing center

by Celeste Ng

If you’re looking for a way to encourage a writer-friend, what about membership to a local independent writing center? Most writing centers offer workshops and seminars, but they also provide quiet places to work, as well opportunities for writers to meet, share ideas, and talk shop. Let’s face it: writing is a lonely task, and reminders that you’re not alone can make a huge difference. Here’s just a sampling of what’s out there: In Boston: Grub Street offers workspace as well as everything from one-night seminars to ten-week workshops. (Disclaimer: I teach at Grub Street–but I can also testify to […]


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Bookish Gift Idea #8: Hardcover Picture Frame (DIY)

by Celeste Ng

Today we have a simple but striking DIY gift idea: a picture frame made from a hardcover book. Maybe you’ve got an old book with unreadable pages but an intact cover, or maybe you found a gorgeous old hardcover at a used bookstore that could use a new lease on life (hello, Illustrated Cheeses of the World). Craft blog Papernstitch offers this tutorial on making that hardcover into a picture frame for a one-of-a-kind gift. The full tutorial is here (via)—you’re on your own for the book, though.


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Bookish Gift Idea #7: Retro reading posters

by Celeste Ng

We’ve already looked at some posters to encourage kids to read, but what about adults? Take a peek at these amazing vintage-y reading posters. There’s the “Be Kind to Books Club” poster above, as well as several reminding you to read each month, like this one for March: How great would these look over your desk–or in your library, should you be so lucky? Available—along with other historical reading posters—at Art.com. And check back every day in December for another bookish gift idea from FWR!


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Bookish Gift Idea #6: "Dear Sugar" mugs

by Celeste Ng

Every writer—no, everyone—should know Sugar, The Rumpus’s wise and warm advice columnist. Reading the “Dear Sugar” column is a reminder of what it means to be part of the human experience. (And seriously—every writer should read this one, at least.) The Rumpus offers two mugs emblazoned with some of Sugar’s best advice: “Be brave enough to break your own heart“—from the advice she’d give her 20-year-old self—and the very classic “Write like a motherfucker” from arguably her most famous column. Try not writing with THAT on your desk. Both mugs are available in The Rumpus shop. And check back here […]


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Bookish Gift #4: Subscriptions to Literary Magazines

by Celeste Ng

Think of them as the literary equivalent of beer-of-the-month clubs. For less than the price of a hardback book, you can send an entire year’s worth of brand-new literature straight to a friend or loved one’s mailbox. And you’ll be supporting organizations that, in turn, support emerging and established writers alike. But which magazine to pick? It’s hard to go wrong with lit mags, but here are some of our favorites (click on any title to learn more): Old stalwarts like Ploughshares, The Paris Review, and Glimmer Train offer a buffet of treats to the omnivorous reader. Got a friend […]


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Bookish Gift Idea #3: Posters to encourage reading (for kids)

by Celeste Ng

Here’s a gift for a young reader in your life—or any reader who is young at heart and has a little wall space to fill. Remember those “Give a hoot–read a book” posters at the public library when you were a kid? Here’s a roundup of newer, cooler versions to spruce up a book nook or bedroom. Above, the Edgar Allen Poe “READ” print is available from MonsterGallery. Or how about this lovely hand-drawn fox with a Faulkner quote, from Gayana? This cheerful giraffe from Bunch of Bees offers some reading-related wisdom: Check back every day in December for another […]




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