Because of other stuff (NAMELY, my BRAIN) I sort of ran out of time on my annual Indie Gift Guide, but that doesn't mean that you can't still get all kinds of great Xmas presents delivered ON TIME and for VERY LITTLE MONEY:
namely, BOOKS! I prefer ebooks because they save the environment by not being written on the skin of dead trees and they don't have to be shipped via large trucks that will nearly knock me into the ditch as I drive up north for hearings today, but you can probably get regular books, too, and if you are looking for last minute gift ideas, or if you simply LOVE READING, then here is a list of great books to buy people.
The House On The Corner, by Andrew Leon: A family moves into the titular house, only to learn that they have a magical annex and that the world is a stranger (and more sinister) place than they believed. Leon's story is Spielbergian in the best possible way: it brings out the heart of the story in the family and surrounds them with awesome characters and magic. He's even got a Christmas story about the family:
Christmas On The Corner. Click here to go to Andrew Leon's Amazon author page. $3.99 on Kindle; $13.49 paperback.
Girl Power by PT Dilloway: Nobody writes superheroes like Dilloway, author of the smash "Scarlet Knight" series of books. "Girl Power" demonstrates his genre-busting, as it begins the multi-book saga of what happens when the world's greatest superhero team suddenly finds their sex switched! Start with "Girl Power" but pick up the sequel, "Girl Power: The Imposters" while you're at it, because you won't want to wait to keep going on this story.
Click here to buy it from Planet 99 Publishing; $0.99 on ebook, $5.99/$6.99 paperback.
A Dead God's Wrath by Rusty Carl. Like your westerns with a touch of angry, vengeful gods? Carl's story about a mystical stranger's entry into a small town in 1895 is somehow both short AND epic. He's got other great stories for sale, but this is the cream of the crop.
Click here to go to his Amazon author page. $0.99 ebook.
CassaStorm, by Alex Cavanaugh: no doubt you've heard of the awesome trilogy by Alex Cavanaugh, the Internet-ruling writing ninja? It all began with CassaStorm, in which a long-brewing war breaks out both between planets, AND in the family of the main character, Byron. CassaStorm and its sequels exemplify the best in sci-fi writing.
Click here to go to Alex's Amazon page. $2.99 ebook, $13.31 paperback.
Lyon's Legacy, by Sandra Ulbrich Almazan: speaking of sci-fi, if you want yours with a dose of ACTUAL SCIENCE, look no further than Sandra's series about dual universes and cloning: the "Catalyst Chronicles" series which begins with this books tells the story of a geneticist who must cross barriers between universes to collect DNA from her own famous grandfather. The story is inventive, touching, and seems realistic enough to actually happen.
Click here to go to Sandra's Amazon page. $2.99 ebook, $13.08 audible audio edition.
Finding Meara, by Lara Schiffbauer: Lots of kids wonder if they are adopted. Some of them are -- but very few are adopted from a magical, monster-filled world. That's Hazel's story, though, and it takes a turn for the worse when her biological father kidnaps her and wants to sacrifice her to maintain his immortality.
Click here to go to Lara's Amazon page. $0.99 ebook.
String Bridge, by Jessica Bell. Greek cuisine, smog and domestic drudgery was not the life Australian musician, Melody, was expecting when she married a Greek music promoter and settled in Athens, Greece. Keen to play in her new shoes, though, Melody trades her guitar for a 'proper' career and her music for motherhood. That is, until she can bear it no longer and plots a return to the stage--and the person she used to be. However, the obstacles she faces along the way are nothing compared to the tragedy that awaits. THE BOOK COMES WITH A SOUNDTRACK BY THE AUTHOR, which alone should make you buy it.
Click here to go to Jessica's Amazon page. $3.99 Kindle, $12.55 paperback.
The House On The Corner, by Andrew Leon: A family moves into the titular house, only to learn that they have a magical annex and that the world is a stranger (and more sinister) place than they believed. Leon's story is Spielbergian in the best possible way: it brings out the heart of the story in the family and surrounds them with awesome characters and magic. He's even got a Christmas story about the family: Christmas On The Corner. Click here to go to Andrew Leon's Amazon author page. $3.99 on Kindle; $13.49 paperback. 
5 comments:
Thanks for the list. I'll keep it handy when I purchase something next.
The perfect book for the holidays is Santa, Godzilla, and Jesus Walk Into a Bar...
I have all but about two of those, so I'll go take a look at them.
And thanks for the plug!
PT:
As usual, your wisdom is beyond compare.
Rusty: You are not allowed to read anything until "Dead God's" sequel is published. Don't make me send the goon squad.
Andrew:
Your stuff is worth it. I tried to get as many books from people I know in, but 7 was all I had time for.
My response to your comment (because I want to make sure you see it):
I don't think Tolkien is given too much credit; I think he's given the wrong credit. There is no question that fantasy literature did not come into its own until The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Prior to Tolkien it was either aimed specifically at kids (like the Oz books) or was kind of airy and dreamy (as with George MacDonald). Tolkien made fantasy real. So to speak. And I don't think you can under value that. However, he did not write the stories we think he wrote as you can see in The Hobbit.
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