Category Archives: holidays

June 12, 2012   Brenna   Brenna, cookbooks and food writing, food, great books, holidays, reading  
1

Books for Dads

In resisting the urge to write about my fantastic (and first!) experience at BEA, I’ll write about another major event, relevant not just to those in the industry.

Father’s Day is less than a week away, and until this morning, I was all out of gift ideas. Fortunately, I happened upon today’s post on the Washington Post’s All We Can Eat blog and found a list of cookbooks specific for those fathers who love to grill (and really, don’t they all?). I never would have chosen a cookbook for my dad, considering I have yet to see him cook inside, but Grillin’ Wild with Rick Browne and The Gardener & The Grill just seem too perfect to pass up.

Then again, if your father is more into cars than cooking, check out these suggestions from the New York Times. Or, take your pick from the Huffington Post’s 10 Books Every American NEEDS To Read.

What about you? What books have you given as gifts for Father’s Day and gotten great feedback on?

February 17, 2012   Rachel   contest, fun, holidays, Lauren, Rachel S.  
107

Book love: The winner!

As you’ve all been waiting with bated breath to find out what the verdict is on our lovely little contest of last week,  I won’t waste too much time waffling on about what creative submissions we received and about how much fun it was to actually imagine these pairings–which it was! Lauren and I actually agreed on the outcome here, so with no further ado, in her own words, here’s Lauren with the results:

OK, so full disclosure, there were a few I felt I couldn’t really consider, because I know them and felt biased because they’re all so smart and witty (client, grad school roommate, agency client), but I haven’t told Rachel so that she won’t have the same problem.  WordPress automatically emailed me the comments since it was my blog post, so I actually saw the email addresses before the actual entries.

My pick is Elizabeth Lynd for Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret? and Then Again, Maybe I Won’t.  Not least because I actually felt as a kid that Margaret and Tony were kindred spirits.  Elizabeth, please write to me at labramo@dystel.com to claim your mug!

Honorable mention goes to Jesse, because Perks of Being a Wallflower is always going to win me over.

So there you have it! Thank you so much for your participation and please, have a wonderful weekend!

January 06, 2012   Rachel   holidays, Rachel S., reading  
15

Still love it.

Everyone is finally settling back into routine post-holiday vacations and travels and of course, the first thing everyone says to everyone else immediately after greeting is, “How was your holiday? What did you do?”

Now, I was as excited as anyone at the prospect of a nice stretch of time in which all that was required of me was resting, eating, seeing family and friends, and generally doing as I pleased. It’s always nice to have a break from work! So what did I spend a large part of my free time doing? Reading, of course.

In fact, judging from the blogosphere and twitterverse (I’m really impressed at how technologically in tune I sound there), it seems like that’s just what most of the publishing world did on their time off. I finished up The Paris Wife before devouring Chad Harbach’s The Art of Fielding, and with the remaining time, I started reading the New Yorker’s collection of stories, 20 under 40. This is what reading is for us all—a passion. Just because it’s a main component of our jobs, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t a pleasure to immerse oneself in a book during free time. Reading has been an escape of mine for as long as I can remember and that’s not going to change.

Having long stretches of time to sit down, undisturbed and just read whatever it is that I want to read, without any worry about deadlines or the need to focus and scrutinize detail or writing is bliss, and it’s why when I’m finished everything I have to do for work, whether it be reading or otherwise, often the only thing I want to do is, well, read.

How about you? Did the time off afford you the opportunity to discover some great new books or revisit old favorites?

December 22, 2011   Michael   holidays, Michael  
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See you next year!

It’s that time again folks. We here at DGLM wish all of our great blog readers and commenters a very happy holiday, and we really do appreciate you stopping by our little corner of the web. It’s also time for DGLM to take a break for the holidays, both from the office and from the blog. We’re shutting down at the close of business today, and you won’t see us again until January 3, 2012. We’ll see you in the New Year!

Entrance to the lovely 1 USQ West

December 22, 2011   Jessica   holidays, Jessica, lists  
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Farewell 2011

As the annual proliferation of best-of  lists and year-in-review stories would indicate, it’s impossible to resist the desire to cast back over the past year. And by any reckoning, 2011 has been a momentous one. From the revolutions in the Arab world in January to the withdrawal of the final American troops from Iraq just weeks ago, from the meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant to the near collapse of the Euro, the world stage has been crowded with dramatic events, both awe-inspiring and harrowing.  Perhaps 2012 will bring the books that can help sort them out, provide us with the stories both real and imagined that transform distant and massive happenings into material more immediate and emotionally comprehensible. Indeed, one very selfish wish for the new year is that a few such projects will land in my inbox. So keep the submissions coming. I’m actively looking for both novels and nonfiction, books that explain and interpret the business of being human. Many thanks to all of you who query me and share your materials.  I know yours is a tough path, and I–and all my colleagues here at DGLM–respect the often superhuman degree of effort, persistence, and emotional investment inherent in writing.   May 2012 bring joy, peace and inspiration.

December 21, 2011   John   fun, holidays, John, lists  
4

Happy holidays—and watch out for that caterpillar!

Well, folks, this is it for me in 2011. Early Friday morning, I’m packing the kids into the car and off we go on the long drive up to Maine for the week. Every year since I first met my bride-to-be, we’ve headed north to the little coastal town of Damariscotta for a classic New England Christmas. I mean, we’re talking blankets of snow, lights in windows, caroling, ugly sweaters, the works.  And as a born-and-bred New Yorker (who spent more than one Christmas dinner at Joe’s Shanghai in Chinatown), I gotta tell you—I love it!

But wait, you might ask—a week in small-town Maine with the in-laws? Well, yes, as much as I love my in-laws dearly, it can feel a bit claustrophobic after all the wrapping paper has been cleaned up, especially when a post X-mas blizzard shows up like last year. But this time around, when cabin fever rears its ugly head, I’m going to revisit the Huffington Post’s list of 10 literary figures they’d hate to have over for Christmas dinner and count myself lucky. Unless, of course, my boy throws a Veruca Salt… and Grandpa counters with a Begbie!

Have a great holiday, everyone—and to start off 2012 properly, look for my “wish list” after the New Year.

December 09, 2011   Rachel   fun, holidays, lists, Rachel S.  
11

What to give?

Obviously, I’m a reader. A lot of my friends are readers. People in my family are readers. In short, I like books and people I know like books. (That actually wasn’t that much shorter…) In case you hadn’t noticed, the holiday season is upon us and with it comes gift-giving, gift-getting and the occasional stress of gift-buying. The thing is, despite all this aforementioned love for the written word, I hate buying books for people. Literary taste is such a specific and subjective thing, that no matter how much I want to share books with people, there’s always just as much of a chance that the person will hate the book as much as there is that they will love it.

It’s a shame, because for those who are so inclined, getting books is one of the nicest things—I just can’t get over my fear and indecision when it comes to picking them out for other people. Unless there’s a new book by an author I know my intended recipient loves, or I just go for a gag/coffee table/joke book, then I’m at a loss. They say you’re only supposed to give people books you yourself have read and enjoyed, but I don’t know that this actually makes it any better—awkwardness abounds if you bestow a treasured and loved tale upon someone who ends up either disliking it, or worse, feeling ambivalent about the whole thing. What if they already have the book, or have at least read it? There’s no way of knowing!

Before I pull all of my hair out distressing over this, I thought I would share this little list that I actually came across last Christmas posted on thewrittenword.com. These are perfect! Lovely little literary things that aren’t books! Look at that chandelier! That is gorgeous! And it’s pages! From a book! I don’t know how much I would like to smell like a library, but I would definitely get some kicks out of that It Was a Dark and Stormy Night board game.

There are only ten options on this list, but I know I’ve seen creative little gifts along similar lines recently, those that go beyond a journal or horrifyingly difficult to buy book. Have you gotten any great literary-themed presents in the past? Have you given any? There are still plenty of shopping days left, and I could use some options!

December 02, 2011   Lauren   fun, holidays, Lauren, reading  
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‘Tis the season?

As the holiday season is inescapably upon us now, I was wondering whether to buy a Christmas tree even though I wouldn’t be home on Christmas itself. When I determined, after much internal debate, that lights and borrowing a friends unneeded pre-lit fake tree was the way to go, I decided that if I were going to decorate, I’d need Christmas music.  I polled the fine people of Twitter and got many lovely sounding suggestions, but I realized that plenty of people I know apparently have favorite Christmas albums—and I don’t.  I guess I’d never noticed it was something people felt strongly about (except in that they are pro- or anti-Christmas songs generally).

What I do have, however, are favorite books.  (And movies: if you have never seen Jim Henson’s A Christmas Toy, which is basically like a Muppet-y precursor to Toy Story, do yourself a favor and make it happen this holiday season.*)  As tradition dictates in many a family, of course, Christmas Eve is time for ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas I still remember laughing riotously every time the father “threw up” the sash, childishly making vomit noises with my siblings.  And when I say I remember that, I mean I probably did it last Christmas.  Another family tradition is reading A Wish for Wings That Work, the story of Opus the Penguin (from the comic strip Bloom County)—you can probably work out the plot from the title.

What about you?  I feel like I might need a bit more forced holiday cheer than usual to de-Scrooge myself before I really full on embrace the season.  Any recommendations for holiday books?

*You know I barely need an excuse to talk Henson, but FYI, I loved The Muppets.  Probably the best Muppet movie possible in a post-Jim Henson world, in my opinion.

December 02, 2011   Rachel   fun, holidays, Rachel S.  
3

Perfect present?

Instead of going home for a feast this past weekend, I took a trip across the Atlantic to Dublin and explained to more than one person that no, we do not exchange presents on Thanksgiving in America. (As a rule, however, I am always open to receiving gifts, regardless of the time of year.) Adventuring through the city with a friend, we made our way over to a book shop. Why is that? (Aside from the obvious, that is). Because he reminded me of the existence of book tokens, which are quite prevalent in the UK and Ireland, if my memory serves correctly. They also make great Thanksgiving gifts.

Book tokens are generic sort of gift cards that are valid at nearly all bookstores. Instead of giving money for a specific shop, book tokens can be used variably, but only for, as the name would suggest, books. After doing a little research, I discovered that book tokens were invented in the 1920s by a man called Harold Raymond, who was very put out upon discovering that of a collective 119 presents exchanged between himself and his friends, a mere three of them were books. After polling “a few chaps and chapesses*,” Raymond discovered that this was true across the board and decided to do something about it. Thus (six years later), book tokens!

According to Wikipedia, the United States also has a book token program, but I certainly have never seen evidence of one. It’s a lovely idea that doesn’t tie the recipient down to one particular institution, which, I feel, makes it feel like a greater gift. It was just as fun picking out 50 euro worth of books for my friend as it would have been had it been my own credit.

In a world where bookstores are closing left and right and e-readers are competing with one another, the freedom to redeem book credit anywhere would be appreciated by its recipients. It’s an excuse to explore all the literary purchase options available, as well as affords the holder the opportunity to comparison shop.

Am I wrong? Do these things exist in America and I am just woefully ignorant? No one I’ve spoken to on this side of the ocean is aware of them either, so if they are available, then someone needs to tell me!

*Yes, you are correct. I included this quote solely so I could use the term “chapesses.”

November 23, 2011   Stacey   fun, holidays, Stacey, why we are agents  
0

Why we’re thankful

It makes sense since we’re counting down the minutes until Thanksgiving when we can indulge in a year’s worth of turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes to think about things we are thankful for.

Jane shared her thoughts on the subject earlier this week, and I found this piece from writersdigest.com with writers weighing in on why they’re thankful to be writers. There’s some humor to be found, but I also think that Brian Klem sums it up pretty nicely when he talks about his passion for writing (I wish I could say I leap out of bed every morning and rush to my computer!).

We’re all fortunate to work in a business where we can flex our creative muscles, be inspired each and every day by something new and exciting, develop long-term relationships with clients and editors who often become friends as well as colleagues, and for me personally, have the opportunity to do a job I love with the flexibility that a large young family requires.

So, I have a lot to be thankful for this year. And look forward to what tomorrow brings, and not just for the copious amounts of food I’ll be consuming. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

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