A Weekly Offering of This n That

Rainy Day is my alter ego. She is the little angel that sits on one shoulder and whispers in my ear to forgo that 6" piece of triple chocolate fudge with the four scoops of ice cream on it; she is also the little devil who sits on my other shoulder and convinces me that I can eat just one bite of each and be satisfied, and then laughs with such great abandon when in fact, I eat the whole thing, she falls off my shoulder. Mostly, Rainy Day helps me see the humor in living and, mostly, she encourages me down the right path. Not necessarily the straight and narrow one (how fun is that?) but the path that offers the most adventure and fun.


Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Annual Gift List


Rainy Day Presents her Annual Christmas Gift List, in no particular order:

1. For the person on your list who has everything he or she needs, be K.I.N.D, buy a desk for a kid in Malawi. The money not only buys desks, but it provides jobs for the men who build the desks so they can feed their families. These kids want to learn, and sitting at a desk instead of on a dirt floor, makes learning a lot more enjoyable, and easy.

2.  Or buy some living gifts through Heifer International http://www.heifer.org/ to give families a way to provide for themselves and or their villages.

3.  Do you belong to a group of folks, and want to give each of them a little something? Donate a desk in all their names. Or a Goat or Water Buffalo. Or a box of age-appropriate books to your local Toys for Tots and the Literacy Program.

3. Buy books! Lots of books. Buy books for the children on your list regardless of their age, for the adults on your list no matter what their age is, and for your local library. Buy from local authors, if you can.

4.  Make gifts. Don't do this as a way to save money, because it usually ends up costing more than if you buy it, but the love and time that goes into each gift means more to the recipient.

Oh, and may Rainy Day recommend just a few books? All except Ken Rand are local to Washington State. All of these books are available from Amazon.com as well as other places. Rainy Day has highlighted reviews, not necessarily purchase information.

Mattie by M. Ann Rohrer (Biography of Ann's Grandmother)

My Adventures as Brother Rat by Lenora Rain-Lee Good (Young Adult, Historical Fantasy) 

Belonging in Africa by Jo Alkemade (Coming of Age) 

Jiang Li: Warrior Woman of Yueh by Lenora Rain-Lee Good (Young Adult, Historical Fantasy)

Breaking the Code: A Father's Secret, A Daughter's Journey, and the Question That Changed Everything by Karen Fisher-Alaniz

Paralysis by Jeff D. Copeland (Adult, Thriller)

Yadh, the Ugly by Lenora Rain-Lee Good (Young Adult, Fantasy) 

POD by Steve Wallenfels (Young Adult, Science Fiction) 

Peculiars by Maureen McQuerry (Young Adult, Steampunk) 

Any book by S. A. Bolich (Adult, Fantasy) 

and for the writer on your list, From Idea to Story in 90 Seconds:A Writer's Primer by Ken Rand  

Whatever you buy or make for the people you love, have fun doing it. The Joy, truly, is in the Giving. 


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