Hawthorne Books publisher Rhonda Hughes with a literary gift that keeps on giving at this year's Small Press Love Fest downtown at Portland's Central Library.

Although we may have been hearing jingly pop renditions of “The Little Drummer Boy” for at least a month already, the final countdown to the holidays is officially here now that we’ve hit December.

So if you’re still struggling to find those unique gifts that don’t involve a dreaded trip to the mall, might we suggest some literary themed presents that nurture the mind and soul and—even better—support small retailers, independent publishers and local authors. Rejoice in presents of the mind!

Books, Books and More Books!

Whether grabbing Jeffrey Eugenides’ The Marriage Plot at your neighborhood independent bookstore or looking for a local author’s debut foray into publishing, options abound in Portland. Here at Hawthorne, our fall titles continue to fascinate and garner praise. David Rocklin’s The Luminist explores the early stages of photography in a haunting historical novel set in 19th century India. Scott Nadelson’s new collection of short stories, Aftermath, explores the space in between loss and acceptance with both humor and heartbreaking reality.

Over at Tin House, our fellow Portland publisher, grab something truly different with their new release Moby Dick in Pictures: One Drawing for Every Page by Matt Kish. The gorgeous and mind-bendingly creative work offers a completely new approach, with images crafted from torn pages, pen and ink, marker, crayon and watercolor—one for each page of the 552-page classic. Or, offer inspiration to the aspiring writer on your list with Tin House’s writer series gift pack, including four books covering topics like plot, crafting essays and insights from other authors.

If you’re unsure about what the discriminating reader in your life might enjoy, there’s always the fail-safe option of a gift certificate to one of Portland’s many independent bookstores. Here’s just a few to check out:

Annie Bloom’s Books
7834 SW Capitol Hwy
Portland, OR 97219
503-246-0053

Broadway Books
1714 NE Broadway
Portland, OR 97232
503-284-1726

In Other Words
14 NE Killingsworth
Portland, OR 97211
503-232-6003

A Children’s Place Bookstore
4807 NE Fremont St.
Portland, OR 97213
503-284-8294

Murder by the Book
3210 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Portland, Oregon 97214
503-232-9995

Powell’s
1005 W Burnside St.
Portland, OR 97209
503-228-4651

St. John’s Booksellers
8622 N Lombard St.
Portland, OR 97203
503-283-0032

The Gift of Inspiration

For the spouse who’s longing to write a novel but doesn’t know how to get started, or the blogging best friend who’s stuck in a rut, the gift of a writing workshop could provide the perfect support and inspiration. A wealth of local groups and organizations offer writing assistance, from one-day workshops to multi-week classes. Check out groups like PDX Writers, the Attic Institute, Write Around Portland, and the Writers’ Dojo.

For a regular dose of literary stimulation that arrives conveniently in the mail, give a subscription to a literary publication. From the most well known magazines like The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Ploughshares and Harper’s to local editions like The Portland Review and The Grove Review, nothing delights the reader and inspires the inner author like truly phenomenal writing.

Dinner and a Show

Alright, so the dinner part is optional, but for the best in local literary events, check out the Portland Arts and Lectures series. Sold by subscription only, the lecture series features some of the world’s most influential and celebrated modern authors, historians and journalists. Presented so far this season have been Pulitzer Prize-winners Annie Proulx and Stacy Schiff, with upcoming lectures by journalist and filmmaker Sebastian Junger, best-selling author Abraham Vergese and MacArthur genius grant-winner Chimamanda Adichie. Subscription levels vary, so check out the Web site for dates and prices. Have a very merry (and literary) holiday season!

In celebration of Hawthorne Books' tenth anniversary ALL Hawthorne titles are only $10 from now until August 1st!

A lot of you received our summer newsletter last week. (If you didn’t and want to receive future newsletters sign up here.) Those of you who got the newsletter already know about this great promotion that we’re doing in celebration of Hawthorne Books’ tenth anniversary — all books are just $10 until August 1st.

We’ve been busy bees getting summer reads packages together for this $10 promotion for the past several days and we’d love to keep the momentum up so if there’s a backlist Hawthorne title that you’ve always wanted to read or a newer Hawthorne Book that’s been on your mind — now’s the time!

Not only are ALL of our books only $10 until August 1st we’re taking care of shipping costs too. So if you pony up $50 you’ll get five new Hawthorne Books reads — no postage! Get them while they’re $10 and help us celebrate ten years of supporting literary arts and important writers, ten years of a vibrant Portland small press, ten years of Hawthorne Books!

Thank you for supporting Hawthorne Books! We couldn’t do it without you!

What's in Hawthorne Books senior editor Adam O'Connor Rodriguez's pocket?

While we were all celebrating those late year/early year holidays a book-filled container on a ship made its way across the big blue to us at Hawthorne Books. After this container docked and then scooted down to Portland a man was nice enough to dolly up a fair few boxes of these books to our office. We tipped him generously. And now…

We’re filling pre-sales orders for our spring title Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead!  Even though this title won’t be on bookseller shelves until April 1, 2010 you can buy advance copies from us online. Not only will you get the book three months early — you won’t pay a dime for shipping and handling. For $15.95 it’ll be at your doorstep in a few days via USPS.

That’s true of all of our titles — no shipping and handling. Ever.

So if you weren’t one of these early birds…

First round of pre-sales mailing for Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead, a lot more to go.

Get your order in. We want to send you books.

Order Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead