I played along with the Book Bloggers Secret Santa Swap organized by Dewey and Nymeth … such fun! I sent a package to Erin at Ms. F-B’s Book Blog. She’s a middle school librarian, avid traveller, and has a portrait photography business. Her blog was new to me, and I’ve enjoyed perusing it in the past month or so since she was assigned as my giftee.
I recieved a package from my Secret Santa several weeks ago, and waited patiently until Christmas Day to open it:
Wow! Many thanks to Kim at Page After Page! Kim’s blog is also “new to me,” and I’ve had just a short time to look through it this morning. I can tell you that she’ll be popping up regularly on my Reader – check out the pics of her snowy home this season and the list of many challenges she’s joining for 2009.
This is what she included in my holiday goodies: The End of the Alphabet by C. S. Richardson, a small novel that “packs a big punch” according to the inside flap. Nearing fifty, the main character learns he has just one month to live, and sets off to visit all the places he has longed to go, from A to Z. Along the way he makes discoveries about himself and those he loves … it kind of sounds like shades of The Bucket List, doesn’t it? I think I’ll need a box of Kleenex next to me as I reach the end of this one!
Also included were a bar of Ghiradelli Peppermint Bark (yum! Chocolate is my friend!), a package of gorgeous bookplates with wildflowers on them, this lovely bookmark with a frame for a small photo, and What I Read. What I Read is intended as a reading log, but I think I’ll put it in my purse and use it to jot down the books I want to read when I hear of them. Yes, I’ve mentioned before that I tend to strike up conversations with strangers – especially in bookstores! 
Many thanks to the organizers of the swap, and to Kim, my Secret Santa!
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday – did Santa bring you everything on your list?
I’m impressed that you were able to wait until Christmas. You’re Secret Santa did very well.
I’m impressed with those who managed to wait too! Those are some fantastic gifts
The bookplates look lovely, and the bookmark is so gorgeous! And it’s hard to go wrong with chocolate 
I hope you had a wonderful holiday too! I’m happy with Santa – I got pretty much everything I was hoping for
Wow those are gorgeous gifts. I guess I wasn’t the only one holding out until Christmas!
The End of the Alphabet sounds great … I am adding this one to my list. Good job, Secret Santa Kim!
The End of the Alphabet looks very interesting…I can’t wait to hear what you think of it!
It was really hard to wait, especially when I’d read the updates of other bloggers who were opening their gifts!
I’ll be sure to report back on *The End of the Alphabet*, doesn’t it look interesting?! And it should be quick, only 120 pages, plus a short discussion guide.
Oh how wonderful! Super gifts!!
I am so glad you got the package and that you liked the stuff in it. I had such a fun time putting it all together. I hope the book is good–it looked intriguing to me and I had heard good things about.
Have a wonderful weekend–I know I will as all our snow should begin to melt due to the glorious rain that is moving into the area–Yippee!
*smiles*
Kim
What a great package!
Santa did bring me everything on my list, and then some!
I want to try that peppermint bark stuff. Lots of neat things! I didn’t really have a list this year other than Swallowing Darkness by LKH and Tales of the Beedle Bard but I got both of them in addition to a whole bunch of other stuff (mainly TV seasons)
[...] thanks to Kim at Page After Page for giving me The End of the Alphabet in her Secret Santa Swap package. This book will be listed on the following challenges: New Author, Countdown (originally [...]