Give the gift of awesome.

[bodlon]

To hear it from our good friends in the mass media, the holiday shopping season is just about to descend. To hear it from me, the “hell no, I am not setting foot in that mall without a damn good reason” season is also beginning.

There may or may not be some correlation.

Fortunately, I have some really excellent suggestions about items that you and yours might enjoy. Curiously, some of them involve things my friends and I have published in the last year or so¹, or that will be available by December. This is obviously a coincidence. Certainly the real thing they have in common is that you don’t have to leave the house to procure them. Really. Look, nevermind that. Look over here…

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A quick note about choosing a bookseller: I’ve included, whenever possible, multiple vendors and direct vendors for the books listed. This is both for convenience and to offer options to individuals who prefer to avoid certain vendors for ideological reasons.

Also, remember that many of these items can also be ordered by your favorite independent bookstore.

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Awesome stuff I’m in
Crossed Genres Issue 12
(Print [Createspace, Amazon] or Electronic [PDF, PRC, Kindle])
The LGBTQ issue, featuring my short story “Finished.” Okay, fine, it’s the November issue of a magazine, but it’s a good one. Plus, what better way to deliver a note that says “I also preordered the upcoming CG anthology for you, which if I bought it by November 30, comes with a one year subscription…” (NOTE: CG does no business on Black Friday in observance of Buy Nothing Day. Shop doors reopen on 11/21. No, I’m not in the antho but I’m preordering it because, dude, free subscription!)

Vicious Verses and Reanimated Rhymes: Zany Zombie Poetry for the Undead Head
(Book Depository, B&N, Amazon)
Features my poem “Cold, Dead Meat” and John C. Hay’s poem “They Eat Our Brains.” Possibly one of the finest anthologies of poetry about zombies currently on the market. Plus, if you skip out on the actual mindless masses in actual malls this holiday season, the zombie genre’s got you covered.

Awesome stuff my friends are in
The Best of All Flesh (Released 12/1)
(Book Depository, B&N, Amazon)
A ‘best of’ anthology of zombie fiction from previous All Flesh anthologies. Features Jim C. Hines’ short story “Brainburgers and Bile Shakes.”

Forbidden Love (various authors)
(Noble Romance)
Kinky gay historicals? Yep. And not just your generic Renaissance faire history. I’m talking Edo period Japan, the American West, the Crusades, and early Norman Britain. Possibly the sort of gift to share when your parents (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) have safely left the room unless you and Tom Lehrer share an aunt. Includes “Deliverance” by Aleksandr Voinov.

The Mermaid’s Madness (by Jim C. Hines)
(Book Depository, B&N, Amazon)
The sequel to The Stepsister Scheme and book two in Jim C. Hines’ princess series. Jim’s got a deft hand for taking mainstream fantasy elements and making them new and smart. I can’t recommend his stuff enough.

Nameless (by Sam Starbuck)
(Lulu, Amazon)
What happens when a bookseller in a small Midwestern town sells a newcomer the wrong book? Everything. I love Nameless because it’s massive and mythic, but it’s also intimate and familiar. It’s very much a story about identity and finding home, and it’s optimistic without being overly saccharine.

New Ceres Nights (various authors)
(Twelfth Planet Press, Smashwords)
Thirteen stories set in the New Ceres world. Features “Code Duello” by John C. Hay, which kicked my ass back when it was still just a wee draft. Tricky/expensive to get in print if you’re not in Australia, but I highly recommend the e-book from Smashwords if that’s a factor.

Talking About the Elephant (various authors)
(Immanion, Book Depository, B&N, Amazon) A book of essays aimed at opening dialogue about cultural appropriation in the neo-pagan community. Brilliant and necessary. Features work by Lupa, Erynn Rowan Laurie, and Phillip Barnhardt-House.

We’Moon 2010 Day Planner (various authors)
(We’Moon, Book Depository, B&N, Amazon)
The We’Moon Day Planner is more than just a date book. It contains a full astrological and lunar calendar and writing from women all over the world, including Victoria Day (who is awesome and makes me dance). It’s available in multiple binding styles for maximum usefulness.

Women’s Voices in Magic (various authors)
(Immanion, Amazon)
A late addition, and I haven’t read it, but this collection features essays by women practitioners of magic ranging from neo-pagan to traditional to ceremonial and beyond. Includes work by Erynn Rowan Laurie.

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¹I mean, if this weren’t a hilarious coincidence, I’d suggest shooting me an e-mail if I missed anyone or anything so I can update the list. *nudge, wink*

This post has been mirrored from Christian A. Young's Dimlight Archive. To see it in its original format, visit dimlightarchive.com