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High Shelf Esteem

Archives for May 2017

May 11, 2017

6 Last-Minute Literary Gifts for Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is right around the corner. Have you found the perfect gift for the wonderful woman who brought you into the world?

If not, I have some great ideas for all the book-loving moms out there. This list is especially tailored to those of you who left finding a gift to the last minute or whose moms don’t live nearby. All the gifts can be ordered or sent online.

A word of warning: you might want to purchase some of these gifts for yourself. I always feel rather guilty when I’m shopping for someone and end up buying stuff for myself too. In this case, however, I have a good justification for you to use. If you purchase the same thing you get your mom, you can share the experience together and have some lovely discussions about books and reading. What could be better than that? So, go for it and treat yourself too!

6 Last-Minute Literary Gifts for Mother’s Day:

For the mom who likes trying new things:
Book of the Month
The Book of the Month club is a subscription-based service that offers members a selection of five newly published books chosen carefully by a panel of judges each month. Members choose which book they’d like to receive (1 book per month is included in the membership, but there’s the option to purchase the other selections for $9.99).

I’ve been a member for about a year and absolutely love getting the monthly email letting me know it’s time to pick my new read.

You can buy 3-month, 6-month and 12-month plans. If you’re already a member, there’s a Mother’s Day special. Buy a gift for mom and you get one month free!

 

For the mom who has a long commute:
Audible
Audiobooks are all the rage and for good reason. They’re the perfect antidote to long commutes, housework, and other mundanities of life. There are lots of excellent audiobooks available through the public library, but Audible has an amazing selection of books AND its own original content that’s pretty darn great. Gift your mom a few months of Audible and her ears will thank you.

Audible offers three different levels of gift subscriptions: 3 months for $45, 6 months for $90, and 12 months for $150.

 

For the mom who is a lifelong learner:
The Great Courses
The Great Courses is a series of college-level courses available in audio and video formats, and they’re perfect for moms who love learning new things. Choose the Download format for any course and you can send it as an eGift. There are lots of great literary courses to choose from like “The Secrets of Great Mystery and Suspense Fiction” and “Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature.” No matter what genre mom likes, there’s a course for her.

Another (and sometimes cheaper option) is to purchase one of the Great Courses through Audible, which has a very good selection of the audio versions of the courses. See above for gifting something through Audible.

 

For the mom who wishes she had more people to talk to about the books she reads:
Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club
Anne Bogel, the blogger behind Modern Mrs. Darcy, recently created an online book club for readers who want a community to share their book love. Anne chooses a different book each month for members to read and discuss on her site’s forums, as well during the monthly video chats she hosts (sometimes with guest authors, which is always super interesting). From my experience, I think the community is really friendly and the book selections have all been great for discussion.

Membership for the club was closed until very recently, so grab it as a gift while you can! At $10 a month, I’ve found it to be a worthwhile addition to my reading life.

 

For the mom who enjoys a steamy bodice-ripper of a tale:
My Guilty Pleasures Book Crate
There are a lot of moms out there who dig romance novels, but if you’re not a romance reader yourself, it can be hard to choose particular titles as gifts. This book crate (which can be purchased as a single-order or as a subscription) helps solve the problem.

All you have to do is choose a romance sub-genre and a gift box with two books and related gift items will be delivered to your mom’s doorstep. Sub-genre choices include erotic/contemporary, historical, young adult/new adult, or random pick. The price per month is billed at $32.99, but varies based on the cost of the books chosen that month.

 


Literary-Themed Escape Room Gift Voucher
This one’s a little out there, but I think experiences often make the best gifts. In case you don’t know what an escape room is, here’s the description for one near me:

“It’s a real-life escape experience designed for small groups….Your mission is simple: work together as a team, testing your wits and skills to escape from a locked room in 50 minutes or less.”

Time limits may differ from place to place, but the concept will be the same. Not all escape rooms offer a literary option, but most of the ones I’ve looked at do. Themes I’ve seen have included: Edgar Allen Poe, Alice in Wonderland, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Sherlock Holmes and more.

To find escape rooms near your mom, just search the name of the city closest to her with the keywords “escape room.” I’m sure something will pop up. Then search for a Gift Vouchers link on the escape room site. Prices usually range between $20-30 per person.

 

Do you have any other great last-minute literary gifts you’d recommend for mom? Share in the comments below!

Filed Under: Reviews and Recommendations Kristen Leave a Comment

May 6, 2017

Literary Linking: May 1 – 5

The best bookish links the week of May 1 – 5:

This week’s articles topics include: Little Free Library dissenters, a hip hop rendition of Llama Llama Red Pajama and more!

Math Problems for English Majors
If there’s anything that would get me to want to solve a math problem, it’s this. I think trig would have gone better for me if there were a little Lizzie Bennet thrown in!

The Case Against Little Free Libraries
I don’t really agree with the free library critics, but an interesting piece, nonetheless.

How Long Should My Book Be?
Over the past 7 years, New York Times bestsellers have dropped in length from 467 pages to 273. I am not a fan of super long books, so I’m okay with this, but a little worried that our nation is becoming too ADD for our its good.

Ludacris Rap Llama Llama Red Pajama
I might have to work Luda’s groove into my next reading of Llama Llama – it’s super catchy!

Filed Under: Literary Linking Kristen Leave a Comment

May 5, 2017

Three Bookish Margaritas for Cinco de Mayo

When I think of Cinco de Mayo, books aren’t exactly the first thing to come to mind, but, with a little creativity, I believe we can make any holiday a literary one!

For this year’s Cinco de Mayo, I decided to find all the bookish margarita recipes I could (a total of three), taste test them all, and choose a favorite. I hope you enjoy my very hard “work” and make a pitcher of my winning margarita. Or try all the recipes and name your own champion!

Each recipe is mixed the same. Pour all ingredients into a shaker with a handful of ice. Shake well and then strain into a glass that rimmed with salt and filled with fresh ice.

Third Place

The “Midnight Margarita” inspired by the book Practical Magic, by Anne Hoffman, with the recipe from the blog, InLiterature.

1 1/4 oz. tequila
2/3 oz. Cointreau
1/2 oz. lime juice

My thoughts: A little more bitter that I want a margarita to be, and a bit too simple for a book with themes centering around magic. It just needed some extra sparkle.

 

Second Place

The “Are You There God? It’s Me Margarita,” a play on Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, by Judy Blume (loved this book as a teen!). The recipe is from Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist, by Tim Federle.

1 1/2 oz. tequila
1 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz. triple sec

My thoughts: A good solid margarita, but I would have liked it to a be a little tangier. Even though I used the same tequila for all the recipes, this drink had the most prominent tequila flavor.

 

First Place

The “Margarita Atwood,” named after the venerable author Margaret Atwood. This recipe is from the blog, Poetics Project, and is to be consumed “before the religious conservatives take over the nation and ban the consumption of alcohol.”

1.5 oz. tequila
.75 oz. lime juice
.25 oz. triple sec
1/2 tbsp. sugar

My thoughts: Yum! I think I’ve been so conditioned to the super sweet pre-made mixes that the sugar in this recipe really made the drink preferable to the other two. The Margarita Atwood has the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness.
What fun plans do you have for Cinco de Mayo? Share in the comments below!

Filed Under: Recipes Kristen Leave a Comment

May 2, 2017

Literary Origami for Screen-Free Inner Peace: A Step-by-Step Guide

We spend so many hours every day staring at screens. For me, a lot of it is for work, but honestly, a lot of my screen time is at home and totally my own choice. True for you too?

We constantly berate today’s youth for spending too much time on social media, watching TV, blah blah blah, but until we set a better example, I don’t think we have much leverage.

This week is Screen-Free Week, a seven-day commitment to unplugging and spending your free time sans smartphone, laptop, tablet, etc. Going screen-free for a full week is difficult, but I encourage you to take a break from the digital world for at least a few minutes and attempt the literary origami project I’ve developed for you. It will not only focus and calm you, but it will result in a lovely end-product. What I love about origami is that there are clear steps and a well-defined goal. Just follow the directions, and you’ll end up with inner peace* and something cooler than you started out with!

*Ok, real talk: origami is not always easy and you might get frustrated trying to figure out how to make this darn bookmark, but just push through. It will feel so delicious when you do it!

Origami Heart Bookmark

1. Prepare your origami paper


Rip out one page from a book and cut out a 4″ by 4″ square.

 

2. Fold an “X” into your paper

Fold your paper diagonally to make a triangle shape. Crease well, and then unfold. Fold in half along the opposite diagonal. Crease well, and then unfold. You should now have an “X” in the middle of your paper.

 

3. Fold the Paper in Half Horizontally

Now fold your paper in half horizontally. The crease you make should intersect the “X” you created in the first step.

 

4. Collapse the Paper to Start Making a Triangle        
Unfold the paper. Push in gently on the horizontal creases to collapse the paper into a triangle, as seen above.

Crease well into a triangle shape.

 

5. Start Making Your Origami Heart

Fold the top layer of one corner to the center, and then fold the top layer of the opposite corner to the center. Unfold back into original triangle shape.

Now fold the tip the triangle down to meet the middle of the bottom edge of the paper. Unfold back into original triangle shape.

Lift the top layer of the triangle upward.

Flatten as shown in the photo above. It should look like an upside-down house.

 

6. Fold Down

Fold the rectangular part of the “house” down. Now the “house” is right side up.


Fold the bottom of the “house” in half. It should reach the crease that starts the “roof” of the “house.”

 

7. Flatten the Pockets

Stick a finger in each pocket and flatten.

You should now have two small triangles.

 

8. Finish the Top of the Heart

Fold the exposed corners in towards the triangle pockets as shown in the photo above. This creates the two sides of the final heart shape.

Then, fold the top left and right points up to round out the corners of the heart.

Flip the section you’ve been working on up at the crease, and there’s your heart!

Let me know how your bookmarks turn out or if you have any questions in the comments below!

Filed Under: DIY Kristen 1 Comment

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