Buying Books for Christmas- If You Can Wait That Long...

I've finally had to admit that Christmas is creeping closer and I've started looking at what might be ideal for the family. There are always a few books somewhere in the wrapping paper on Christmas morning, so I've been surfing the web and browsing the high street bookshops to see what's available.

The high street book retailers are certainly competing with online prices at the moment in a way they haven't in past years.

Waterstones have introduced their new pricing policy, and I do like their discreet stickers showing the  price reduction on their books.

WH Smith are doing a big price reduction campaign too and they have quite a few new hardbacks at half price. I bought the new Sherlock Holmes story 'The House of Silk' by Anthony Horowitz, for myself. I started reading it over the weekend and I'm really enjoying it.

As I read, I couldn't help but hear the voices of the late Edward Hardwicke (who died in May this year) and Jeremy Brett ( 1933-1995) who became the personifications of Watson and Holmes to many tv viewers who watched their adventures (1984 to 1994).

One of my teenage sons has already asked to read the book when I've finished it...

I'm also looking forward to the autobiography of Elisabeth Sladen, (who sadly died in April this year)best known as former Dr Who assistant and journalist Sarah Jane Smith in CBBC's 'The Sarah Jane Adventures'.

I think this Christmas is going to be good for book buyers and readers when you see what is available, and you add in the e-book choices too.

Are there any books you are going to buy this Christmas? Will you be buying online or will you be spending your money at high street booksellers?

The 250 Word Result...

Well Wednesday evening went well for all the 17 entrants with their 250 words on the theme Stormy Weather.

There were quite a few stories with stormy marriages- including mine, though in mine the marriage was in the past. The entries that did well in the voting were the humorous ones.

Sadly I didn't win- in fact I didn't even get one vote... :(

But the story will not be wasted. As I suspected I wanted to rewrite it the moment it was read aloud. So I'm going to let it ferment a while before I tackle it again, and perhaps find a home for it (somewhere) when it's been rewritten slightly longer.