Favorite Book Received as a Gift

The fun thing about being well-known among your friends and family as an avid reader is that you get a lot of books as gifts. This is actually the first year in my memory that I haven't made a Christmas wishlist for the sake of family members who demanded one, but every year, there has always been at least one book on my list. And that's a pretty easy thing to check off the list... take the list to Barnes & Noble, hand it over to someone who works there, and let them work their magic. Bam, several gifts, done.

Anyway, today, we're telling you about our favorite books that we've received as gifts.

First, let me tell you about a lot of runner-up choices. This year, Cassy got me a signed copy of American Gods by Neil Gaiman and a signed copy of Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan, AND you already know about the signed copy of Unwind by Neal Shusterman. So those were pretty freaking amazing. And a couple years ago, my now-husband legitimately surprised me for Christmas with volume 1 of Absolute Sandman, which was pretty amazing. But I'm going to have to go with the ring box made out of The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy that my mom gave me before the wedding, pictured above. It was a group effort (I believe it was my mom, stepdad, aunt, and maybe my grandfather too?) and it's beautiful, and played a central role in the wedding. It was the first book my husband and I shared an interest in (he let me borrow his copy when we first started dating) and this copy now serves as a holding place for our engagement rings, since we don't wear them anymore.

Believe it or not, despite the fact that I read a ridiculous amount, I don't get that many books as gifts.  I think a big reason is because that I've read so MANY people are scared that they're going to get me one I've read, or something.  I'm not sure.

However, I've gotten a few, and there are a few contenders for my favorites.  Alex got me a signed copy of Yaqui Delgato Wants to Kick Your Ass this year, which was pretty freakin' sweet.  When I was a kid, my mother got me a copy of The Bridge to Terabithia, which I still have, twenty years later.  But, I'd have to say, my favorite was Dangerous Liaisons by Leclos.

My friend Jenna bought me a copy of this book when we graduated college.  There's an awesome note in the front of the book, but I think the best part was that she just knew it was my favorite book, and not only knew, but went to about five bookstores to find it (not something that's readily kept in stock.  Who knew?)  I love that she refused to go online and get it because, damn it, it should be kept in a book store and love how hard she looked for it and I love that, even though we had just spent four years reading books, her gift to me was of course, still a book.