Happy Thanksgiving and Some Holiday Gift Ideas
At least it's easy to think of a title this week
This week’s edition of the Marie Newsletter is a little dashed-off because it’s been a busy/short week so apologies for that. I am truly thankful for each and every one of my subscribers.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I am very thankful for all of you.
But only those of you coming to my inlaws’ house for Thanksgiving will get a piece of this outstanding pecan pie. Have a great holiday!
Personal Update - I’ll Keep it Brief
I got the word last week that my piano teacher is moving to Philadelphia and won’t be able to work with me after the beginning of December. I am so bummed, you guys. Spencer and I have been working together since early 2022 and while I knew it wouldn’t last forever, I’m not quite ready yet either. We are trying to work something out on Zoom though. We’ll see.
I also launched a little website for myself this week, www.mariecloutier.com. I bought the URL a while back and decided to set it up this week. It’s a work in progress.
Awesome Gifts for Bookish People and Writers
Because why not. Here are some of my favorite things that might be fun for the bookish person in your life.
Novel Tea makes yummy organic black tea blends themed to literature of all kinds- from Jane Austen Pride & Peppermint to a Cup of Cthulhu. Many come in charming literary tins and prices start under $20 for these adorable gifts.
Persephone Books is one of my favorite small presses- they are a British publisher specializing in overlooked fiction of the 20th century primarily by women. For the holiday season they are doing a promotion where a book of your choice will be hand-wrapped in beautiful fabric and tied with a ribbon. With postage from England this will clock in around $100. So, not cheap, but really nice.
For the writer in your life, I recommend a year subscription to Chill Subs, a website that helps pinpoint and track submissions of poetry, prose and more. Subscribe to their Substack, and you will get a Premium membership qualifying them to use their tracker and other utilities. For $50 it’s a great investment and a signal to someone that you believe in their work.
Your favorite writer could also use some notebooks, and my favorites come from ban.do. The 11 x 9 inch size is my favorite and runs for $16.95, except when they are on sale, which is now, and also almost all the time. I have bought them for as little as $3 at sample sales in New York and they get really cheap online from time to time.
Robotime’s Sam’s Study Library. This kit is not for the meek- my husband and I spent over 40 hours making ours over the course of many Sunday afternoons. Nothing comes pre-assembled; from the furniture to the books to that little vase of flowers, it’s all you. But if you have someone you want to spend a lot of time with, or keep busy for a long time, this is a great excuse and keepsake. It’s about $40.00.
Brink Literacy Project’s Literary Tarot would make a stunning gift for the tarot-reading booklover in your life. The cards are stunning- even more beautiful than the pictures online. And they raise money for literacy programs, too. They cost $80 per deck and accessories for them are available as well.
Finally you should buy your person a gift certificate to their favorite indie bookstore- or yours, if they don’t have one. No local bookstore? Try Powell’s, or Bookshop.org. It’s easy to shop indie online.
Saturday, November 25 is Small Business Saturday. Shop local, shop small!
Movie Time- The Marvels
Super fun good time at the movies. Go see it.
Trash Haiku
Workshops can be so
generative. Often I
use the stuff later.
That pie looks DELISH! Enjoy the holiday, Marie.