You know what’s great about Christmas? (I mean, besides that the son of God came down to live among us and in so doing turned everything we thought we knew on it’s head and prepared the world for the kind of salvation only the one who created us could offer.) Besides all that, and the good meals, family visits, cheesy movies and snow, I really love that people buy me books.
I like getting books so much and I’m so appreciative of those willing to buy them that I want to do everything I can to make the process as easy as possible. That is why, a couple years ago, I started offering my Amazon Wish List to any and every possible book buyer. (Do you have an Amazon Wish List? What’s your top pick?…I’m not going to buy it, just wondering.) Anyway, the wish list is great, not only because it tells other what to buy me one month out of the year, but because for the rest of the year it helps me remember the books that I want to buy for myself. And there are generally a lot of books at any given time so a list is absolutely essential.
But the Wish List took on an added value this year when combined with another Christmas present. The Amazon application for the iPhone is just about the greatest thing that ever happened to me (as relating to gadgets and books and absolutely not relating to marriage or spiritual endeavors). Now, my Wish List goes where I go so that after I picked up and put down every book on every “Featured” table at The Strand, I can pull out my phone and with two clicks I have a long list of books that I’ve been meaning buy and, because the Strand is so wonderfully inexpensive, the means to buy them. (I’m very much aware, at this point, that if you’re the kind of person who knows what a “fanboy” is you’re accusing me of being an iPhone fanboy right now. And you’re right. I can’t deny it.) Read the rest of this entry »
