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Hello goonlings and welcome to the 2019 Book Barn Secret Santa! Are you ready to give the gift of books for Christmas? If so, you're in the right thread. Just sign up, send someone a present in time for Christmas, and sit back to await your own. As this involves personal information and money, I'm going to go into more detail first. If you're interested, read this whole post and then you can join the fun. Feel free to check out the threads for 2016's, 2017's and 2018's threads. Can you join? Yes, if you have an account at least six months old and at least one post outside the thread so we know you're not trying to join4books. If you don't, ask a goon who fulfils these critera to email me saying you're a good egg, and you're in. Do you want to join? There are three conditions you must accept when you join. Firstly, sending ebooks or audiobooks internationally may be an issue, so you must be willing to post and accept a physical present. Secondly, you must be willing to let me, Hieronymus Alloy (who will also have access to the gmail account), and your Santa know your real name and address, and provide some extra information, such as phone number or email, if the Post Office needs it to deliver to you. Obviously, this is all personal information. You must not use it outside of the Secret Santa. I will only use it to match goons up and tell Santas where to post their stuff. If you need to contact your match, please do so via me. Lastly, this is a commitment. If you're about to have a baby, be sued for everything you own, or otherwise have trouble fulfilling that commitment, please think twice before joining in. There's always next year. Unless you're terminally ill, but then you've got bigger problems. Signing up I want to make postage as quick, cheap, and easy as I [My country] only if you're only ready to post things within your country. Regional if you can post something to a nearby country. Worldwide if you're rich and organised. I'll still try to put your match in your region, though. The regions are usually North America, Europe, and Pacific. If you're in the USA, restricting things to your country shouldn't be a problem. If you're anywhere else, it might just be, so consider plugging this Secret Santa somewhere other people from your country post. If it looks like there might be issues with postage, I'll be in touch before signups end. There haven't been yet though, don't worry. What to get The idea of the Secret Santa is to spread joy and love. Here's how. First, read your match's sign-up post, and get something you think they'll like. Second, your present should be worth roughly the cost of a new hardback novel in your country – about US$25. This does not include postage, so don't spend $5 on a present and $20 on postage! Apart from that, everything is ok. More than one book? Great. Good-as-new books? Super. Book-related things or a little extra? Awesome. Look at previous threads for ideas, and try to surprise your match – that's part of the fun! Just remember that a book token is boring, so don't send that. Your match may already have the book you sent them. This is unlucky but not your fault if you read their sign-up post. However, please try to get a gift receipt in case this happens – it may not work internationally but is a nice idea. How to post your gift Quickly. You must post with enough time for it to reach your match by Tuesday December 24th at the latest. Take a photo of your proof of postage and the parcel. You don't need to show me, but if your present is late it'll be useful to prove that you sent it on time with the correct address. Label the present as being part of the Secret Santa so they know what it is. Remember, if you're posting internationally, you may be able to buy your gift online in their country, post to their address, and save time and money. Anything else? It's unlikely to happen, but if you mess up, expect the moderator's wrath, depending on how grievous a sin you have committed. Obviously if something is delayed, lost, or damaged in the post that's not your fault. Again, this hasn't happened yet, so don't let fear of this stop you joining in. If you'd like to send extra Christmas presents to everyone, please get in touch! I'd be delighted to make it happen. If it does, I'll post in the thread and participants must tell me they want it by email or post. You don't get it automatically. Please tell other subforums and threads about this. The more the merrier! What to do in step-by-step detail 1. Finish reading this whole post and ask any questions you have in the thread. 2. Post in this thread and bookmark it. Tell us what you'd like or not like, if an e-book or audiobook is okay, and what equipment you've got. Be explicit; your Santa may be a Luddite. Add anything else you'd like to be public, such as your goodreads profile or whatever. 3. Email bookbarnsecretsanta@gmail.com telling me this: Username: Please put this in your email's subject line! Real Name and Address: Including the country. If you're in a non-English speaking country, please send me your address in both English and your local language. Postage: Your country, regional, or worldwide. Anything else: Anything else I or your Santa might need to know that you want to be private, or that you need to be sure I've read. Do this even if you've been in a Secret Santa before. 4. When I get your email, I'll note your information and send a confirmation email. You need the confirmation, so bug me if you don't get one. 5. Signups will close on Wednesday 20th November. I'll email you with your match's information by Friday. You should then read their post and think of something they'd like. 6. Post it to them so it arrives on Monday December 24th at the latest. 7. When your present arrives, post in the thread so your Santa and I know it arrived safely. You can open it whenever you like, but when you do, post photos and thank your Santa. This is a rule, not a suggestion. 8. When your match posts to say thank you, step forward and take a bow. The most important thing... I know there's a lot of rules here, but they're purely to prevent drama. Hopefully it'll come down to nothing more complex than “give your match a nice present well in time for Christmas”. Don't sweat it. Merry Christmas everyone!
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Nov 7, 2019 16:31
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I'm in, obviously. I'm interested in a variety of stuff, nonfiction (history, anthropology, science, China and Taiwan in particular) and literature (all sorts.) My highlights this year have been 1491 and 1493 by Charles C. Mann, Educated by Tara Westover, Oxherding Tale by Charles Johnson, and My Struggle 1 by Knausgaard. Send me something you love.
Safety Biscuits fucked around with this message at 04:24 on Nov 8, 2019 |
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Nov 7, 2019 16:39
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Would also be useful to post what languages one can read (besides English, obviously). Just a thought.
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Nov 7, 2019 21:51
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I'm in again! I prefer literary fiction, horror, and typically weirder stuff. I also like things with a dark sense of humor. Some favorite authors: Pynchon, Flannery O'Connor, Carson McCullers, Etgar Keret, Nabakov, John Irving, Vonnegut, Kafka, Some of my favorite books from this year: Florida by Lauren Groff, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Beloved by Toni Morrison, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Educated by Tara Westover, Dubliners by James Joyce. I'd say my favorite novel of all-time is Thomas Pynchon's Inherent Vice. I'm up to my eyeballs in novels. This year I'd like to get something different. I'm more interested in Poetry, Plays, Non-fiction, Literary Critical Analysis, and Short Story collections.* Non-USA poetry and plays are especially cool. This is my Goodreads. I only add things that I currently own. If it's on my Goodreads, I own it already. I love used books as much as I love new books. I prefer paperbacks, but I'll happily accept hardbacks as well. I don't want ebooks or audiobooks. I'm going to provide wishlist(s) in the e-mail, in case my secret santa prefers to shop from that. I am a US goon, and would prefer to ship to a US goon. My only fluent language is English. If I'm gifted poetry that is translated from a different language, it would be cool if I could get a bilingual edition with the original language, if it's not too much hassle. *That said, if there's a novel you absolutely think I'd love, I'll happily accept it.
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Nov 7, 2019 22:31
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I'm in. Christmas wishes: A novel postdating the Cold War that is Eastern European but not Russian or by Milan Kundera. Maybe that book about plowing bones that Eugene V. Dubstep likes so much. A big fat crazy book like Tristram Shandy or Ulysses. Something bonkers and also really long. Something bonkers and also really short, like every Italo Calvino book. Ever since I ran into The Gold Bug Variations at Goodwill several years ago, I've made a habit of blind-buying novels of a certain overtly pretty and downbeat late-'80s/early-'90s stripe. The covers are either soft-edged paintings, still-life photographs, or solid-colored blandness. It's like porn; I know them when I see them. Martin Amis's Time's Arrow and Anita Brookner's Family and Friends are other good examples. E. Annie Proulx's The Shipping News is an obnoxious example. Thomas Mallon's Aurora 7 is a good example that a Santa blind-bought for me last year, so if it's already happened by sheer luck, I might as well ask this time around. Just wander through a secondhand book store until you see a really dated-looking hardcover that you don't recognize, then read a single page to see how wryly insightful it is. Or stick to the sane wishes before this one and spare yourself the rigamarole. Edit: I am not interested in ebooks or audiobooks. Edit again: In case it needs to be said, I'm not asking for the specific books that I mentioned; I already own them. Sham bam bamina! fucked around with this message at 08:57 on Nov 15, 2019 |
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Nov 8, 2019 07:37
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First time this year but I'm excited to help spread some Christmas joy! Christmas wishes: Lately I've been getting really into Spanish, Latin American, and Portuguese literature. I've read most of Roberto Bolano's work, fell in love with Borges, and just couldn't put down Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. A novel from those regions of the world would be awesome, though it would need to be an English translation as I don't speak Spanish or Portuguese. I'd be happy to provide a list of books I've owned/read if needed. I also love short story collections, poetry, philosophy, non-series science fiction, and historical nonfiction if the above is too niche or hard to find. That being said, I'm also always looking to expand my horizons! If you've got a favorite author or novel (or something strange and quirky) you want to send, I'm all for it. Paperbacks/hardcovers are greatly, greatly preferred! Unfortunately, I am one of the Luddites mentioned in the OP and don't have an e-reader. Chip McFuck fucked around with this message at 06:43 on Nov 10, 2019 |
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Nov 10, 2019 02:48
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Do I trust goons enough to send me a cool book? Yes. Here's my Goodreads profile. Everything on there I own. Looking to read some good fiction. Maybe some postmodern ridiculousness like Infinite Jest or some drat good sci-fi like Dune. I prefer paperbacks but hardbacks are ok. I have a wishlist though I'd rather my Secret Santa pick something that they themselves enjoy.
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Nov 11, 2019 01:47
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OK In. I'm a Canadian goon and shipping to Canada from the States is rather silly expensive (although from here to there is no big whoop), so you can kindle gift I suppose if that can work (guessing we'd use Safety Biscuit as a go between?). My goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/61729436 If its read or says "waiting on shelf" I own it. Irrespective of how that first page looks I'm not a huge manga head, just got on a kick after watching the Alita: Battle Angel movie on a trans-Atlantic flight and read the entire run. I am getting more into literary fiction but love just about everything. In recent years I got into horror, and have read a lot of trash SciFi in my past (do not buy any Anne McCaffery or Heinlein as I have probably already read them  ). I never have read any Zelazny or Lem so that would be cool. Weird histories are good too. I know absolutely nothing about Asian fiction! Just no science non-fiction please. Whatever you are passionate about is fine with me!
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Nov 17, 2019 21:52
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IMPORTANT NEWS! Two people have posted that they want to be in the Santa but haven't yet emailed me their details. If you think that might be you, please email me ASAP. If you've done the Santa before, you still need to give me your details again. I don't keep that information longer than I have to; all the old emails get deleted after the Santa ends, just in case my account gets hacked. Bilirubin posted:I'm a Canadian goon and shipping to Canada from the States is rather silly expensive (although from here to there is no big whoop), so you can kindle gift I suppose if that can work (guessing we'd use Safety Biscuit as a go between?). I'd be happy to as long as I don't need to do more than get an Amazon account or the equivalent.
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Nov 19, 2019 14:27
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Safety Biscuits posted:IMPORTANT NEWS! No I meant passing my info along to whomever
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Nov 19, 2019 16:05
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Bilirubin posted:No I meant passing my info along to whomever Oh yes of course. If anyone needs to send a message along for any reason, I'm happy to help.
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Nov 19, 2019 16:12
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I participated in this in 2016 and it was really fun! Then things kind of fell apart for a while, but now I'm mostly back together, so it's time to take part again! I like to read both fiction and non-fiction. Novels, novellas, graphic novels, chunky manga, poetry, essays, historical non-fiction, philosophy, language, anything is cool! This is my goodreads, which is about as comprehensive as you can make it. I can ship worldwide if you need me to
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Nov 20, 2019 08:51
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I'm definitely interested! I'm trying to read more literary fiction lately, as well as modern poetry; if you have a favorite obscure poet, send me a collection and I'll eat it up. Terrible self-pubbed garbage is also acceptable, as long as it's funny. No ebooks/audiobooks, please. More details on request; I spaced on signups and am sort of rushing this.
Antivehicular fucked around with this message at 13:51 on Nov 20, 2019 |
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Nov 20, 2019 13:47
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im in. my amazon wishlist is here; i dont have a goodreads. obvs you dont only have to pick stuff from the list but itll give you an idea of what i like i guess
chernobyl kinsman fucked around with this message at 00:59 on Nov 21, 2019 |
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Nov 21, 2019 00:57
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I've been waffling all day, but let's do it, I'm in. Really only post in AI though I lurk in many of the various subforums. Honestly, I'll read pretty much anything (in English please!), sci-fi is my long standing favorite, but anything weird is generally a good choice. Favorite authors would include Cormac McCarthy, Robertson Davies, Thomas Hardy, just to name a few (and probably illustrate a lack of taste and refinement  ). Technology is not my friend, so no ebooks for me
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Nov 21, 2019 02:08
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Sign-ups are now closed. A bit later than usual cos I forgot to do it last night. I will send out emails with your matches tonight or tomorrow morning.
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Nov 21, 2019 05:28
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Safety Biscuits posted:Sign-ups are now closed. A bit later than usual cos I forgot to do it last night. I will send out emails with your matches tonight or tomorrow morning. Completely forgot about this, but I'll join if you'll still let me in. It's still 11/20 where I live!
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Nov 21, 2019 05:41
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The Grey posted:Completely forgot about this, but I'll join if you'll still let me in. It's still 11/20 where I live! Sure! What's a few minutes compared to Christmas cheer?
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Nov 21, 2019 06:05
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Safety Biscuits posted:Sure! What's a few minutes compared to Christmas cheer? Wohoo! To elaborate then... My Goodreads profile with everything I have read. It should give you an idea of what I like. I'm open to whatever you think is good, but please avoid poetry. I've been trying to get into more non-fiction. The Grey fucked around with this message at 14:37 on Nov 24, 2019 |
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Nov 22, 2019 03:39
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OK, all matches have now been sent out - let me know if you didn't get one or you have any questions. Happy gifting everyone. Incidentally, this year I tried to match people up with new people. Guess how many people have been in all four years of the Santa? ___two___ - me and Franchescanado.
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Nov 24, 2019 08:11
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Safety Biscuits posted:OK, all matches have now been sent out - let me know if you didn't get one or you have any questions. Happy gifting everyone. I think this is my third, skipped last year due to the horrific state of shipping prices out of the US
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Nov 25, 2019 22:25
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Gift dispatched! Here's hoping shipping is timely.
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Nov 26, 2019 08:34
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Posting to post that I've posted the book gift!
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Nov 27, 2019 02:54
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I received a package from Amazon this week that I haven't opened yet, because I'm at least waiting until December before opening my cheer, but since I'm in both the TG and Book Barn secret santa this year it could from either, so posting in both threads.
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Nov 30, 2019 17:41
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My Santee's gifts are on the way! There will probably be multiple deliveries. They should arrive by Christmas!
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Dec 2, 2019 16:18
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Sent out the gift today! It'll hopefully arrive sometime later this week.
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Dec 3, 2019 01:29
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Package has shipped, should be to its Santee in a weekish.
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Dec 3, 2019 21:18
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I must have been a good goon this year! Things We Lost In The Fire: Stories by Mariana Enriquez quote:In these wildly imaginative, devilishly daring tales of the macabre, internationally bestselling author Mariana Enriquez brings contemporary Argentina to vibrant life as a place where shocking inequality, violence, and corruption are the law of the land, while military dictatorship and legions of desaparecidos loom large in the collective memory. In these stories, reminiscent of Shirley Jackson and Julio Cortázar, three young friends distract themselves with drugs and pain in the midst a government-enforced blackout; a girl with nothing to lose steps into an abandoned house and never comes back out; to protest a viral form of domestic violence, a group of women set themselves on fire. The April 3rd Incident: Stories by Yu Hua quote:n the late 1980s and early 1990s, Yu Hua and other young Chinese writers began to reimagine their national literature. Departing from conventional realism in favor of a more surreal and subjective approach inspired by Kafka, Faulkner, and Borges, the boundary-pushing fiction of this period reflected the momentous cultural changes sweeping the world’s most populous nation. Mural by Mahmoud Darwish quote:Mahmoud Darwish was the Palestinian national poet. One of the greatest poets of the last half century, his work evokes the loss of his homeland and is suffused with the pain of dispossession and exile. His poems display a brilliant acuity, a passion for and openness to the world and, above all, a deep and abiding humanity. Here, his close friends John Berger and Rema Hammami present a beautiful new translation of two of Darwish’s later works. Illustrated with original drawings by John Berger, Mural is a testimony to one of the most important and powerful poets of our age.  The Major Plays of Anton Chekhov Includes: Ivanov * The Sea Gull * Uncle Vanya * The Three Sisters * The Cherry Orchard Parade: A Folktale by Hiromi Kawakami quote:On a summer afternoon, Tsukiko and her former high school teacher have prepared and eaten somen noodles together. ANTÍGONA GONZÁLEZ by Sara Uribe quote:ANTÍGONA GONZÁLEZ is the story of the search for a body, a specific body, one of the thousands of bodies lost in the war against drug trafficking that began more than a decade ago in Mexico. A woman, Antígona González, attempts to narrate the disappearance of Tadeo, her elder brother. She searches for her brother among the dead. San Fernando, Tamaulipas, appears to be the end of her search. This absolutely rules. All of these are fantastic and new-to-me. I'm only familiar with Chehov, but have never read any of his plays. I'm very excited by ANTÍGONA GONZÁLEZ, since the Oedipus cycle is one of my favorite groups of plays. The illustrations in Mural look gorgeous. I can't wait to start reading these! Thank you very much Santa, for spoiling me with kick rear end choices.
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Dec 6, 2019 22:46
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Franchescanado posted:I can't wait to start reading these! Thank you very much Santa, for spoiling me with kick rear end choices. You're welcome! I'm so glad you're excited to read them  Speaking of gifts, I got my gift in the mail today as well!  The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende Talking Rainbow Poop Emoji by Mojimoto Thanks Santa! These are two authors I've had my eye on for a while but could never find anything by them at my local bookstore. I can't wait to dig into them (and terrify my cat with the talking emoji)!
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Dec 7, 2019 01:40
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Cheer has been deployed. One part is guaranteed to arrive next week, another part in all likelihood will arrive before xmas as well, but the third is a little more chancey.
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Dec 7, 2019 15:04
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Package shipped today. My Santee should get it next Friday.
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Dec 7, 2019 21:09
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Chip McFuck posted:You're welcome! I'm so glad you're excited to read them this was me sorry i was trying to find the most godawful hideous thing that the amazon prime add-ons section had to offer
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Dec 9, 2019 06:21
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Books have been sent. And received! I passed up The Good Soldier Švejk at Half Price earlier this year, thinking that I could wait a bit to get it, and never did quite forgive myself for letting it get away. I've been wanting to check out Barthelme since reading Pynchon's piece on him that was shared in the Real Literature thread, and this seems as good a place to start as any. Completely unfamiliar with Zambra, but this looks fascinating (especially since it says it's formatted after an actual Chilean aptitude test that the author had as a teenager). Wonderful picks all. Thanks, Santa! Sham bam bamina! fucked around with this message at 20:47 on Dec 9, 2019 |
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Dec 9, 2019 20:41
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Sham bam bamina! posted:Books have been sent. And received! Oooooh is that Švejk illustrated? vvv Nice! 3D Megadoodoo fucked around with this message at 20:52 on Dec 9, 2019 |
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Dec 9, 2019 20:50
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Yep! Everyone looks like Playmobil people.
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Dec 9, 2019 20:50
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Sham bam bamina! posted:Books have been sent. And received! I'm glad you like these. You were quite a tricky person to get gifts for, so I tried to hit as many of your requests as possible and hoped they were new to you. This is half of the haul, though. You have three more surprises coming your way. Cheers!
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Dec 9, 2019 21:38
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I must have been good because my Secret Goon Santa got me something I have never had, a Roger Zelazny novel! This is perfect and exactly what I was hoping for Santa! Thank you!
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Dec 10, 2019 02:26
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Franchescanado posted:This is half of the haul, though. You have three more surprises coming your way.
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Dec 10, 2019 04:29
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Glad to see people getting their presents already! I particularly loved these covers: and am dying to know what Chip McFuck's dog thought of the poop emoji! I sent mine a few days ago. Hope it arrives soon...
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Dec 11, 2019 04:11
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chernobyl kinsman posted:this was me sorry i was trying to find the most godawful hideous thing that the amazon prime add-ons section had to offer Don't apologize! I find things like this hilarious and actually laughed out loud when opening the box. It's quite something! It pitch shifts whatever you say into it to a super high register which makes everything sound like a squirrel on helium. Safety Biscuits posted:and am dying to know what Chip McFuck's dog thought of the poop emoji! He's a cat but he seems to enjoy it!  (sorry for the mess; the wife and I had a long day at work)
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Dec 11, 2019 05:04
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