TOTW: "I'm not crying - it's just been raining on my face."

In today's post, I'm inviting those of you who are not quite as mired in denial as Bret and Jermaine here to share MG/YA fantasy books that made you weepy. Here are a few of mine to get you going.

*The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis - I have a very distinct memory of sitting in the Wendy's in the University of Oklahoma student union hoping nobody noticed the tears running down my cheeks as Narnia was born out of Aslan's roar (I read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe several times as a kid, but didn't get to the other Narnia books until I was in college - my reading habits were somewhat idiosyncratic).

*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling - (Are we still doing spoiler alerts for this? Becuase yeah - SPOILER ALERT!) There are so very many sob-inducing moments in this book, but the one that really did it for me was Snape's death. He was such a wounded and complicated guy, but his love for Lily gave him the capacity for great sacrifice and heroism. RIP, Severus.

*The Tale of Despereaux and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo - Reading a Kate DiCamillo book is sort of like having someone put their fist through your ribcage and squeeze your heart into a pulp. In a good way. 

*Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson - It may be kind of pushing it to peg this as fantasy, but I'm going to allow it, because this is my blog post and I can do that.  And no other book has ever made me ugly cry like this one did. Seriously, y'all - great heaving sobs. It wasn't pretty.

Your turn, gentle readers. Which books made you misty?

Topic of the Week: Presents!

So the season of gift-giving is upon us, and with it, a potential conundrum for bookish types. While most of us love to give and receive books as gifts, the latter can be a problem, as many of us already have a to-be-read pile ready to collapse under its own weight. So what are the alternatives? I am here today with some suggestions for Inkie wish lists (or items for Inkies to share with like-minded friends and family).

And yes, this list is composed almost entirely of items from handmade goods site Etsy, because as much as I love my officially licensed Hufflepuff beanie, I love it more when individuals get their creativity on.

First, we have perhaps the most gentle transition from books to read – books to wear from Etsy seller TheFableTribe:

Or you could try this bag from seller CraftCulture to haul your books around in, while letting everyone know where your genre loyalty lies:

If you want to get creature-specific, there are these beautiful, delicate fairy wing earrings from seller SihayaDesigns:

 

Or you could go with these adorable studs from seller huiyitan. Because seriously – tiny dragons!:

 

If mermaids are your jam, you could go with this lovely cardigan from seller MartyMay:

And finally, if you or your loved ones have a few grand lying around, you can go with a customized hobbit hole from Wooden Wonders:

 

 Any other ideas spring to mind Share in the comments!

Happy Christmakwanzakah, y'all!

Alison Ching