'tis the season to be generous...so gimme some books!

Music: Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap

Because I wasn't able to do this for my birthday, I'm doing this for Christmas instead. Although I am not under the delusion that people are going to give me gifts for the holidays, I'll still make this list in the event that people might actually remember me come Christmas day.

Here's a list of books I'd love to receive for Christmas. They are not in any particular order (I think):

1. A Series of Unfortunate Events Books 7-12 by Lemony Snicket (hardbound edition, if possible, since they're more of a collector's items now, because I've already read the e-books)

2. The Missing Piece Meets the Big O by Shel Silverstein (actually, any Shel Silverstein book will be much appreciated, but this title is my favorite)

3. 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson

4. Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeffrey Lindsay (the entire series would be ideal, but I'd settle for the second book for now) - removed from list (see entry #11 for replacement)

5. A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle

6. Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman

7. Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire

8. A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire

9. The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

10. In Odd We Trust by Dean Koontz (this is a graphic novel, but I'm cheating, because I really want a copy of this)

11. A Wolf at the Door (and other retold fairy tales) by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

I've been trying to search for titles by Filipino authors to add to the list, but I think a "disadvantage" of working for the local publishing industry is that I get a sort of VIP access to books that are not off the press yet. I will certainly not mind getting copies of the books I've actually worked on, although they're not really a priority. I do want some new speculative fiction books though. Or horror books. Or crime and mystery, like Smaller and Smaller Circles. Any recommendations?

Aaaaaand I think it's a given that books given after the holidays will still be accepted. Cue in signal bells to all of my friends. Coughs included if less subtlety is permissible.

EDIT: About an hour after I posted this, my best friend sent me this text message:

please remove #4 from the list ... for obvious (bday) reasons :))

And because that will benefit me more than anyone else, I'll be more than happy to oblige. *runs off to scratch #4 from the list and change it with a new one*

Halloween is my favorite holiday

Music: Time Warp, Glee cover

I'm not kidding.

I mean, I appreciate the meaning of Christmas and I love it for the simple reason that it celebrates the birth of Jesus, but I'm really not too fond of the traffic and other hassles that last-minute Christmas shopping brings. I've outgrown the young, chirpy little me who loves to go caroling with her friends (especially when her crush is there), and I've long ago made it a policy to not gifts on Christmas day.

New Year is not really a favorite of mine, mostly because of the memories (both good and bad). But at least there are fireworks.

Don't even get me started on Valentine's Day.

The other holidays I'm mostly blah about, although I do appreciate the fact that they're being celebrated because of a memory of a dead hero or the independence of our country.

But Halloween.

Heck, even Google is celebrating it with a Scooby Doo story. I saved the storyboard in my laptop out of sheer excitement.

I've never experienced trick or treating before (mostly because my parents were not really into those kind of things when I was younger), and I wish I could, even once. Mostly because I want to dress up as Shizuku from Hunter x Hunter, the left-handed member of the Genei Ryodan. Although no one would probably know who I'm dressed up as, unless I show them my spider tattoo with a number 8 on my left abdomen. I mean, the henna tattoo I would have had made if ever I need to dress up as her. Uh, right.

(No, of course I'm not going to dress up like that, you pervs. I only wanted to show the spider tattoo.)

Also, I'm not too fond of costume parties, but heck, I'll go to one on Halloween if there's a good reason for it. I think I went to one last year, but I didn't dress up as anyone but myself. I think I'm a character by myself anyway.

And let's not forget the free chocolates :D :D :D

I don't know. There's just something that excites me about dressing up in costumes designed to scare the living crap out of other people. The creepy jack o' lanterns are awesome too. Plus there are usually reruns of horror movies on that day. Just tonight I saw Halloween III showing in cable (I refused to watch it midway along the film because I prefer watching my horror movies from the beginning) and Brothers Grimm on Studio 23 (I've seen it, like, twice in DVD). I'm positive I would have seen more, if my mom wasn't such a scared-y cat and forced us to watch the Asian Food Channel instead.

I ought to look for copies of Psycho and The Shining. That would definitely complete my Halloween experience. Just don't make me watch Drag Me to Hell again, please. I mean, I like Justin Long, but I swear, that movie should have been shown in time for April Fools' Day.