Books and Stuff I Got for Christmas

My bookish, linguistic, bohemian side is jumping up and down this season. A $25 Barnes and Noble gift card from Hubby and some extra spending money gave me a chance to get some things I've had my eye on for a while. Most of the time, I only do window-shopping in the bookstores, unless I can get a good deal on something and/or it's something that I know I can't get anywhere else.

New on the bookshelf (links are to its entry on Amazon.com, where all the publication info is listed):

The Indie Author Guide by April L. Hamilton I definitely wanted to get this one. This outlines how to get organized, whether or not to have a brand name, and the ins and outs of POD publishing. The companion website http://www.indieauthorguide.com has additional information and tips too.

Biting the Wax Tadpole: Confessions of a Language Fanatic by Elizabeth Little This book has little anecdotes about how different languages (from Xhosa to Esperanto to Gaelic and Quechua) have things in common, and the little things that drive linguists nuts. She references pop culture icons like Dr. Seuss and Star Wars.

Doctor Who: The TARDIS Handbook by Steve Tribe Yes, I'm an unabashed Doctor Who fan. This book (published by BBC Books) chronicles the history and background of the transdimensional blue police box.

The Brilliant Book of Doctor Who 2011 Compiled of interviews, production notes and other tantalizing tidbits from Series 5, Matt Smith's first year as the 11th Doctor.

Fashion Design Portfolio Edited by Maite Lafuente I was excited to get this one. I'm mostly a landscape/still life artist...I used to avoid drawing people (and clothes) like the plague. Although I'm hardly a fashionista, I'd like to improve on my figure drawing. It's still lacking, but I'm practicing.

Basic Tagalog (for Foreigners and Non-Tagalogs) by Paraluman S. Aspillera While I was growing up, I heard my parents speak Tagalog (Filipino) among themselves and their friends, but they only spoke English to me and my two sisters. So I can understand it pretty well, but I can't speak it really well. It's a part of my culture and heritage, and I think it'd be nice to study the language of my ancestors. (MP3 Audio CD included)

Mandarin Chinese: Learning Through Conversation by Kang Yuhua and Lai Siping  Each lesson is on the MP3 Audio CD and the conversations are written in both Chinese characters and pinyin (transliterated from how the words sound, with diacritical and tone marks). Being able to speak fluently in a language is part of the whole package. You also need to know how to read it and write it too.

Other gifts: a pair of Hershey's Cocoa ornaments, a Virginia Tech-themed ornament, a pair of Virginia-Tech flip flops (complete with a football-y attachment on the thong part...don't ask), jewelry and hair accessories from Del Sol (that change color in the sunlight), gift cards (from Starbucks and other places).

The kids really enjoyed Christmas this year. They received (much needed) clothes and shoes, art supplies, music, flashcards, books and LEGOS!!! Baby Girl is a big LEGO fan. I can see her being an engineer or an architect someday.

So...how were your holidays??



All original writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010