Howdy folks! It’s that time of year again, when we celebrate consumerism and overeating. Yay!

I’ve had a few people ask me what I’m buying people this year, so I thought I’d do an Xmas edition of Things I Like.

I’m always a big fan of buying people music, and here’s what I’ve been listening to. First off, and rather obsessively since I first heard it at my hairdressers a few months ago and Shazzamed the shit out of it, is the Lumineers. They’re so fun!

And speaking of fun, one of my fave albums of this year is, indeed, Fun.

I am always and completely obsessed with The Gaslight Anthem, and their latest album, Handwritten, is sublime:

I do like to send out books, too, and the books I’ve sent out this holiday season include Christopher Moore’s Sacre Bleu:

And DeLillo’s White Noise, which I think is a must read for anyone living today who likes to think about shit:

I’m also a big fan of the boxed set as a present, especially if you’re pretty confident that the person will enjoy the book. And Gail Carriger’s fabulous Parasol Protectorate series just came out in a boxed set:

Here’s other book recs:

Mystery: Juliet Blackwell, Elizabeth Peters, Sophie Littlefield, Victoria Laurie, Kate Carlisle, and this beauty, for the person who has read everything:

For Urban Fantasy: Jaye Wells, Kevin Hearne, Diana Rowland, Mark Henry, and the classic Diana Tregarde series, by Mercedes Lackey.

For you YA-ers, this little gem will brighten any sick (in the head’s) child’s day:

Or an adult’s, as I loved it.

For something completely different, a book that I gobbled up because it’s as beautiful as she is, Rachael Herron’s Life in Stitches:

And, finally, for anyone out there who read Fifty Shades and thought, “but nothing really happens???” you can buy something by Denise Townsend. She’s filthy, and lots happens. They happen all over each others’ faces, in fact.

As for where I did my shopping, I bought almost everything from one place this year: Fab.com. To say I’m obsessed is an understatement. It has the best stuff, ever, and it’s all completely random and cool. In fact, I was just in a very chic boutique in Haight Ashbury, in SF, and I was all, “Seen this stuff on Fab, yawn.” 😉

So there’s a few recs for your Xmas shopping, or for you, as I believe a big part of surviving the holidays is with head phones on, reading a book. 🙂

Anything you’ve read/listened to/enjoyed this year you would like to share?