Tag Archives: secret santa

Secret Santa Part III: Ho Ho Ho and a Pile of Books

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Happy (almost) holidays, readers! There’s just about one week proper to go until family, feasting, and much-needed vacation time (or one of the three) and I, for one, can’t wait. Plus, there’s only one week left in our HOTS month of library-themed gifting and though we’re slowing down, there are still two more people on our team who made the Nice List this year.

I should preface this by saying I have a few different approaches when it comes to gift-giving. One: the thoughtful and thoroughly researched method. Two: the direct technique of “just ask”. And three (and sometimes my favorite): given because it’s just funny, in a very tongue-in-cheek way.    

With that little PSA out of the way, seeing as the number of yet to be revealed Secret Santas is dwindling, it might come as no surprise that as fate would have it the name I pulled out of our festive hat was Adam’s. I promise that there will be no weather-related arguments below. Instead, I’ve gone through my favorite Adam-authored posts and done some sneaky (or not so sneaky) conversational reconnaissance behind the scenes to gather a list of books, shows, and video games that he may enjoy.  So come with me as we get particularly niche and geeky as I share some recommendations that hopefully tickle his funny bone and/or fall in line with his specific brand of Nerd.  

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Secret Santa 2: 2 Secret 2 Santa

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Continuing our new holiday tradition, next up we have my recommendations for fellow blog team member Maya. After conducting extensive research, including scouring Maya’s previously published posts, I’ve come up with some bespoke picks for her enjoyment. For those among you who may enjoy horror with a supernatural/paranormal tinge, graphic novels, Kate Beaton, and the like, these choices just might do double for you. I hope there’s something here that you haven’t already heard of and that interests you, Maya! Since Maya is an undisputed horror fan (with several blog posts in evidence), I had to include a horror novel in my gift of recommendations. This one was on Book Riot’s 2024 Summer Scares List, which is an annual tradition the website has in collaboration with the Horror Writers Association in the US and several other book and/or library-related organizations. What better way to play to Maya’s steadfast and unceasing love of summer and hatred of winter then to pull from this list. It aims to boost the popularity of the horror genre for readers at any age and for all seasons. Too often the spoopy and gothic are linked to Halloween, the colder months, and autumnal vibes. Check out the list linked above if you’re interested! There’s books for adults, young adults, and middle grade. Such Sharp Teeth is about Rory Morris. After a move back to the place she was born and an encounter with a man from her past, she gets in an accident with a wild animal, or so she thinks. Paranormal transformation ensues, along with romance.

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‘Tis the Season for Gift Giving – A Secret Santa Shelf Pick

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Photo by Erica Marsland Huynh on Unsplash

Happy December, happy holidays, and happy last month of 2024! (As delightfully kooky youtuber Jenna Marbles once said, this year felt both short and terribly and insufferably long at the same time.)

My fellow HOTS writers and I thought we’d switch things up a little this month. In the spirit of gift giving and shelf picks—which is a personalized reading recommendation service where library staff introduce you to titles based on your preferences—we thought we’d do a sort of Secret Santa exchange of recommendations.

And thus, this post is dedicated to Claire and what I think (and hope!) she might like to read and watch, in the event she hasn’t yet. I gotta confess, this was a nerve-wracking test of how familiar I am with Claire’s taste and preferences.

Aiming to not give a gift that sucks, I revisited some of Claire’s posts and took literal and actual notes, by hand, in a notebook, to then do research with. I’m hoping that paid off! I’m also hoping you—dear reader—will find this list of recommendations to be a gift as well (pun fully intended).

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