One of my favorite things about this time of years is the Book Blogger Holiday Swap. I love getting/meeting new bloggers to give to, and seeing who gets me. This year, I got a delightful surprise in that my give-ee was Carl of Stainless Steel Droppings. (*squee*!!) And he did not disappoint…

When I opened the box, there was a clever card (love it!) and four beautiful prints. I don’t know what to do with them, yet, but I’m going to think of something worthwhile. They’re gorgeous.

I waited to open the presents until today (yes, presents are for Christmas, not for opening when they come), and we got a double squee….

Charles de Lint, whom I’ve never read but have been curious about for a while. And Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone. The bonus about that is that I gave away our copy of the ARC for my blogger gift. What goes around comes around? At any rate, THANK YOU!

The other swap is from my lovely on-line book group. This year I got one of the crafty people, and she made me this:

The cards say: “Q: What is black and white and red all over? A: A reading pillow!!” With bonus Mt. Shasta chocolate. I’ve never had a reading pillow before — especially not one made this nice! — and I’m not sure what all the loops and ribbons and such are for. I’m sure I’ll figure it out. At any rate, it’s gorgeous, and I’m sure I’ll spend many enjoyable (and comfortable) hours with it.

And lastly, my daughters know me well:

It’s the storytellers shirt from Threadless. My only question is can I wear it to work?

Thank you all!