Last week, we talked about why buying gifts for book lovers can seem so easy, but in reality can be pretty challenging. We offered up a great selection of potential gifts, but just in case your giftee is extra-challenging to buy for, here are a few more ideas that will leave your bookworm happy, with no pacing-the-aisles-of-the-bookstore required.

A Literary Pocket Watch

Crank up the class, crank up the snazz. A literary pocketwatch like this Mockingjay-themed one is the perfect way to let readers show off their booklove in a particularly classy way. They’ll pray that someone asks them what time it is. Pocketwatch by Papergol, $10.88 USD.

A Snarky Tee

Book lovers have been raging against horrible movie adaptations for decades. There’s no better way to project a message of protest than a snarky tee: it’s a great way to avoid violent debates that begin with questions like “So what did you think of the movie version of…?” T-shirt by ThinkGeek, $11.24-$14.99.

Some Choice Memorabilia

Fans from all corners of the literary world can all appreciate a great piece of book-inspired memorabilia. Whether it be Gimli’s axe, Hermione’s wand or Jace’s Stele (above), if you know they’re a rabid fan of a book or series, this present pretty much buys itself. Replica of Jace’s Stele with pen and blacklight by Thinkgeek, $24.99 USD.

A Piece of Bookish Jewelry

If, for whatever reason, buying your bookworm an axe seems a bit… seasonally inappropriate, try a pretty trinket that acknowledges their book-love instead. We love this Once Upon a Time necklace–it’s whimsical, sweet, and classic. Necklace from Not On the High Street, £58.

A Bathtub Accessory

It adds a bit of unnecessary anxiety when you bring a book into the bath. Let them know you understand their plight and give them a bathtub caddy–it’ll reduce the risk of dropping a favorite book into the sudsy waters of doom. #thestruggle Jumbo bath caddy with book holder from Houzz, $89.95 USD.

A Period Wardrobe Piece

This is a no-fail gift idea for any historical fiction fan. Whether they wish they could be Scarlet O’Hara, Elizabeth Bennet or any of Philippa Gregory’s great ladies of the court, an accessory or wardrobe item inspired by their favorite historical heroine will be the gift they gush about all year. We love this Austen-inspired nightgown because it’s a no-worry fit and can be changed into swiftly to enjoy on Christmas morning (and, realistically, for the rest of the day.) Nightgown from the Jane Austen Gift Shop, £35.00.

Some Bookish Paper To Wrap It All Up In

This is really going the extra mile, but maybe you’re a really detail-oriented person or you messed up really bad last year and have some making up to do. No judgement here. This wrapping paper is the perfect way to get the smiles started as soon as you hand the gift over, and give them a little hint as to what’s in store. Bookshelf wrapping paper from The Literary Gift Company, £1.70.

And that, friends, brings us to the end of our gift-inspiration round up for this year. Any book lovers out there have something they’d love to see under the tree that we didn’t include on our list?

The Catching Fire movie marketing team has been offering up a slow and tortuous drip-feed of announcements and teasers since shortly after The Hunger Games movie came out. If you’re a dedicated fan, their schemes probably worked on you: you’ve spent the past week (or maybe two weeks, or maybe two months) counting down, re-reading or re-listening to The Hunger Games and Catching Fire to get pumped up and have the story fresh in your mind. Maybe you polished your Mockingjay brooch to a gleaming shine and daydreamed about being good at archery, and thenGgoogled “local archery ranges” for a while before posing in front of a mirror with a large coat hanger to see how you’d look with a bow. That’s totally normal and you shouldn’t be ashamed. If you didn’t do any of that, that’s cool too.

At any rate, all the hype has led up to this: the hallowed release night, where the theaters are going to be crazy-busy and everyone is going to buy soda in the over-priced but totally-worth-it commemorative cups, watch the movie, and leave somewhere between utterly pissed off and over the moon.

You’ll spend the next few days discussing it: the strengths, the flaws, where it strayed from the book and where it stayed true. You might even go back and see it again. But the high won’t last, friends; in a few days, you’ll be Hunger Games’ed out, and require something strong to fill that dystopian near-future void. Here’s my suggestion.

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami

This is the book that inspired the movie that allegedly did not inspire* The Hunger Games, but they’re so incredibly similar that if you’re craving another helping of teenagers killing each other for the entertainment of the masses, this is exactly what you’re looking for. I don’t want to get into a debate about whether The Hunger Games is a rip-off of Battle Royale or not; that’s beside the point and there are plenty of other people talking about that already. They are both great books on their own merits, independently of one another. But despite their similarities, they each do different things well: while The Hunger Games trilogy excels in connecting you with major characters, world-building and creating polarizing romantic sub-plots, Battle Royale is vastly superior when it comes to presenting ethical issues and examining human nature and the child-adult relationship dynamic. While Katniss is only ever forced to face off against characters like Cato and Glimmer, who are painted as evil baddies through and through, the characters in Battle Royale are constantly pitted against their friends and lovers as well as their enemies. The scenarios in Battle Royale are more complicated as well as more diverse—I can’t say too much without spoiling things, but there are a lot of shocking moments that will leave you, as a reader, as paranoid as the characters.

Be warned that it’s considerably darker and more graphic than The Hunger Games, and much longer. Collins’ books are faster-paced and shinier somehow, while Tatun’s is definitely slower, grittier and more expansive, and definitely on the more “Adult” end of the “Young Adult” spectrum. If you’re ready to take your dystopian addiction up a notch and aren’t afraid of losing a few favorite characters along the way, check it out.

*I’m a huge Hunger Games fan but, really? Come on.

For anyone who has a life-long dream of writing a novel as well as a special reason to punish themselves, today your stars align: November 1^st heralds the beginning of the 2013 round of National Novel Writing Month (also known as NaNoWriMo). It’s a public, international challenge to all aspiring writers to finally turn that “someday” wish into a “today” reality by making a mad, month-long dash towards writing 50,000 words of that story you’ve been hiding away inside.

It’s perfect for the people who have always wanted to write a book but have never been able to give themselves the serious kick in the pants it takes to get started. It’s an interesting, adventurous concept and comes with the added benefit of a huge on- and offline support group–think, subway-train writing hangouts and “Help Me Name My Character” forums. The other participants struggling alongside you, combined with the ridiculously ambitious deadline, are what make it a ton of fun (and it’s not even the most ambitious deadline around). The challenge attracts hundreds of thousands of participants every year, and has caught the attention and participation of some incredible authors like Neil Gaiman, James Patterson, Patrick Rothfuss, Scott Westerfeld, Jasper Fforde, and Dave Eggers–there are dozens more–who write peptalks to keep help keep you motivated during the inevitable times when you’re lying face-down on your keyboard and crying.

I’ve been a participant several years in the past (and am trying again this year!), but that 50k goal has always eluded me. Fortunately though, thousands every year DO succeed, and some of those stories get written out, polished up, and published–and then, turned into incredible audio books. Here’s five of my favorites so far, with a little sample to whet your appetite.

1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/118103624″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/118103608″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

3. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/118103606″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

4. Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/118103617″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

5. How to Knit a Love Song by Rachael Herron

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/118103614″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

We can’t wait to see what bestseller of tomorrow might be started by a NaNo author this year!

Allegiant, the final book in the Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth hits the shelves today. Beatrice (Tris) Prior may have been raised in the self-sacrificing ways of the Abnegation faction, but once she chooses to switch factions there’s no looking back. Soon Tris proves she has what it takes to face off against the toughest competitors.

Fortunately Tris is just one of a growing group of fierce heroines who aren’t willing to sit back and be taken care of by the men in their lives. These days female characters are taking charge and we love it.

Here are six more heroines of modern fiction that we’d want on our side in a fight:

Lisbeth Sander

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

By Stieg Larsson

The heroine of this Swedish thriller is one tough nut to crack. Despite a miserable childhood and a system that seems determined to thwart her at every turn, Lisbeth proves she has the wits to outsmart the best criminal minds in Sweden and the gritty resolve to take on anyone in her way.

Arya Stark

A Game of Thrones

By George R.R. Martin

We don’t yet know how this series will end – and we may be sealing her fate by even hypothesizing here – but our money is on the fiercely independent Arya to serve up the enemies of the House of Stark their just desserts.

Lyra Belacqua

His Dark Materials: Northern Lights

By: Philip Pullman

Twelve year old Lyra is thrown into the thick of things when her uncle-come-father Lord Asriel draws her into a cosmic war between deities.  But this girl who is “destined to bring about the end of destiny” isn’t anyone’s puppet, and Lyra will journey even into the land of the dead if that’s what it takes to save humanity.

Katniss Everdeen

Hunger Games

By Suzanne Collins

Oh, Katniss. You may not be very good at making up your mind when it comes to men, but you sure are decisive when it comes to standing up to those who would try to control you. Katniss is the ultimate bad a**. We wouldn’t want to be President Snow when this Girl on Fire explodes.

Eowyn

The Return of the King: Book Three of the Lord of the Rings

By J.R.R. Tolkien

This awesome heroine was kicking butt back when Enid Blyton was still writing books about how her female character George was ‘almost as good as a boy’ (shudder.) Tolkien’s shieldmaiden may have had to disguise herself as a man to gain entry to the battle, but she was all-woman when she took on the Witch-King and prevailed.

Flavia De Luce

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

By Alan Bradley

Flavia De Luce may use brains rather than muscle to overcome the bad guys in Bradley’s period mysteries, (and she may have a dangerous penchant for concocting deadly poisons in her spare time) but any eleven year old who can outsmart master criminals and beat the police to the punch deserves a place on our list.

Today is ‘Evaluate Your Life Day’. While sure, we could all sit back and take a good long look at changes we could make to become more productive, spiritual, loving, blah blah blah  – where’s the fun in THAT? We’d much rather look at some messed up characters that really need to pull themselves together.  And who better to find themselves in a pickle than some of our favorite heroines of chick lit?

Whether they’re jumping back into the dating world after the painful loss of Mark Darcy (aka Colin Firth), trying to get over an unhealthy Mr. Darcy (read: Colin Firth) obsession, accidentally falling for their best friend’s man, or running away with their man’s best man, these ladies – and sometimes men – offer up a welcome escape and maybe even make us feel a little better about our own circumstances. Plus, it’s an excuse to think about Colin Firth.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

By: Helen Fielding

Oh Bridget, just when we thought you had ridden off into the sunset to live happily ever after with your knight in shining armor, we find out that real life happens to you too. In Helen Fielding’s latest, newly-single mother Bridget is dealing with the modern realities of motherhood, aging, dating, sex and technology – not necessarily in that order. Bridget is back and as hapless as ever.

The Devil Wears Prada: A Novel

By: Lauren Weisberger

When Andrea lands a dream job at one of the most successful magazines in New York City, you’d think she’d have it made, right? But throw in the boss from Hell and Andrea suddenly finds that she may be sacrificing more than her time and her sanity: Is she also prepared to sacrifice her soul?

Austenland: A Novel

By Shannon Hale

Hey, we’ve all been there. But until they manage to clone Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, we have to accept that some things are just not meant to be. Not Jane. She’s holding out. Not intentionally perhaps, but no man seems to be able to live up to the high standards set by her DVD boxed set. So how is a girl to break out of such a hopeless pattern? She’s going to have to venture into the belly of the beast.

The Fixer Upper

By Mary Kay Andrews

When her high-profile boss suffers a high-profile fall from grace, Dempsey finds her own life turned upside down. Her father offers salvation in the form of an old family property that needs fixing up. But when Dempsey arrives in Georgia with the FBI in tow, trying to find answers about her boss, she starts to suspect that the crappy old house isn’t the only thing that needs renovating. Maybe she’s in need of an overhaul herself.

Remember Me?

By Sophie Kinsella

Lexi wakes up in hospital with what on the surface appears to be a fabulous life and no recollection of how she landed it. With three years missing from her memory, she has to piece together how she became the woman she is today – and then ask herself if this is who she really wants to be.

Something Borrowed

By Emily Giffin

Yikes – falling for your best friend’s fiancé is not a good situation. Rachel struggles throughout to do the right thing, but finds herself drawn into a situation that seems to have no possible positive outcome. One way or another Rachel is going to lose one of the people she loves most, and may lose herself in the process.

Objects of My Affection

By Jill Smolinski

For a professional organizer, you’d think Lucy would have her life more in order.  But when she’s forced to start over and takes a job clearing out the home of a reclusive artist, Lucy soon finds herself caught up in her client’s hoard and uncovering truths she hadn’t expected to find under a pile of clutter.

The Wedding Beat

By Devan Sipher

Chick lit may be full of damaged women who can’t seem to get it together, but in The Wedding Beat, it’s the hero who finds himself in an untenable situation. He meets the girl of his romantic fantasies in passing then tracks her down, only to have the rug swept out from under him when he has to cover her wedding to another man for his magazine.

Chose The Wrong Guy, Gave Him The Wrong Finger

By Beth Harbison

Quinn may have left her fiancé at the altar but she never really left her feelings for him behind. With him back in town, along with his brother — who just happens to be the catalyst for the afore-mentioned jilting — Quinn has to sort out her feelings for the two brothers who turned her life upside down ten years earlier. But will she make the right choice?

Today, we’re celebrating the life of fantasy giant Robert Jordan, born on October 17^th, 1948. His The Wheel of Time series, first published in 1990 and just concluded earlier this year, is one of the lengthiest fantasy series of all time. Known for its awesome world-building, unique magic system, and incredible heft, “The Wheel of Time” (clocking in at over 433 hours) is considered a must-read for serious fans of the genre. In honor of Jordan, here are a few more lengthy fantasy series for fans of all sorts.

For the new initiate: A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin 203+ hours and counting

George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones is the perfect gateway book to get people who aren’t really into fantasy, into fantasy. The hype and success of the HBO show have made this one of the most accessible series around, despite its considerable magnitude. It’s got the cleverness, excitement and emotionally wrenching moments that are so generously served up in the early books, as well as plenty of low-fantasy elements to help ease the transition for people who feel alienated by elves and talking dragons and magic spells. (And by the time they get to the chapters-long walking-around-being-lost montages, it’ll be too late—they’ll already be helplessly hooked.)

For the young at heart: Redwall by Brian Jacques 211+ hours

Along with C. S. Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia”, Brian Jacques’ “Redwall” series is probably responsible for first ensnaring many future fantasy addicts. The stories, set in and around Redwall Abbey and populated by anthropomorphized British woodland creatures, are charming, fun, and numerous (22 books in all). Bonus: anyone who’s read them knows that Jacques dedicates at least 15% of the word-count to describing their mouthwatering meals, feasts and snacks. There’s even a companion cookbook, if you’re so inclined.

For the genre-bender: The Dark Tower by Stephen King 136+ hours

Leave it to horror master Stephen King to create a whole new kind of fantasy world: with elements of horror, sci-fi and Western, The Dark Tower is dark fantasy at its best. It’s a nice change of pace from the world of traditional fantasy, but still offers plenty of world-building and imagination.

For the hungry fan: The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson 45.5 hours and counting

After Jordan’s passing in 2007, Brandon Sanderson was contacted by Jordan’s wife Harriet and asked if he’d like to take up the torch and finish the final Wheel of Time book—a huge honor for any fantasy writer. No stranger to working on lengthy stories, he’d already written his very robust Mistborn trilogy (about 80 hours), which could have its own place on this list. Obviously, working on WoT gave him the confidence he needed to go even bigger. The Way of Kings kicks off a new monolithic series: at over 45 hours, it’s the first of a planned ten (ten!) books, so hungry fans will have plenty more to look forward to.

For the lusty: Kushiel’s Legacy by Jacqueline Carey 167+ hours

“Kushiel’s Legacy” is chock full of the conspiracies, secrets, betrayals and alliances that make reading historical fantasy so deliciously satisfying, but also uses passionate romance and sexuality as critical plot points. Carey delivered red-hot BDSM scenes waaaay before it was cool, and wrapped a hell of a lot more story around it to boot.