Oh Shit, It's Christmas: Amazon Prime Lifesavers!

Amazon Prime Christmas! by elbonner featuring dr martens boots

Who didn't realize that Christmas is next week? Own up! It's ok, you don't have to buy a bunch of poor quality chocolates and crusty eyeshadow palettes from Walgreens, there is still plenty of time when you have Amazon Prime! Amazon Prime is the greatest invention of the 21st century: $70 a year for free, two-day shipping to most places in the US (sorry Hawaii, that's what you get for being TOO PERFECT). What makes Amazon Prime even better is that you can sign up for a free 30 Day trial and cancel it after you've bought all your last-minute gifts!
Now, I scoured Amazon for you, finding the best stuff for your favorite lady, or fabulous male, friends/family to appease them and not look like you rushed and got them a sub-par gift. If you order today, everything should come by Friday the 20th so get to shopping! All of the items listed are available with Prime two-day shipping! YOU'RE WELCOME.

1. Wild Ferns Manuka Honey Hand Cream: New Zealand's Manuka honey is known for it's healing properties and this hand cream is great for dry, winter hands. Great for moms, nurses, or generally scaley people like myself. 

2. Burt's Bees Superfruit Lip-Balm 4pk: Great for stocking stuffers, everyone needs lip balm, no matter what the season. And just about everyone loves Burts Bees! In fact, most Burts Bees products are available with Prime shipping. 

3. The History of Surfing by Matt Warshaw: A big book with pretty pictures all about the best sport ever created. Perfect for beachy dads, history buffs, surfer boyfriends/brothers, or a creepily obsessed beach girl like me!

4. What is the What by Dave Eggers: The perfect book to remind you why you should be thankful for everything you've ever been given. A powerful story that made me a better human!

5. The Game of Things: great as a couples present or for a family. I love this game and whenever there's a big group everybody really likes playing. Board games are ALWAYS good presents!

6. Deborah Lippmann Get Nailed Manicure Essentials: Have a diva princess in the family? Get them this fierce manicure kit with a fancy polish remover, top/base coat, and basic nail colors all in a cute little bag. I always love getting fancy nail stuff!

7. Dr. Marten's Original 8 Eye Boot: If someone got me a pair of Dr. Marten's I would hug them until their head popped off. Guaranteed to be in your closet forever, they are a no-fail gift. You CANNOT go wrong with this one, people. Amazon has them in a variety of colors, but beware, not all colors and sizes may be able to ship Prime. Most are though so get to it!

I hope this helps you late shoppers cope with the impending doom which is the end of the acceptable Christmas shopping season. Don't kill yourself, shop smart! Happy holidays, y'all!

Book Learnin: Fall Book List

Book Learnin: Fall Book List by elbonner on Polyvore

A little over a year ago, I ended what was the most reading-filled time in my entire life. Both of my English degrees required me to do an almost unbelievable amount of reading. So much so that I have no idea how I got a fraction of it actually done. The only problem with that whole part of my life was that I was so burnt out on reading stuff for class that I had little-to-no interest or energy to read anything that I really wanted to. I gave my brain a break for a while, but now that I pass all the student busily rushing to class (late) on my way to work, I find myself yearning for learning! Since I don't have the cash right now for a fun community college course I'm hitting the books hard! I've rediscovered how important just sitting and reading a book is. It's been so long since I've been able to live vicariously through a book, I needs my reads! Other than clever puns, this post is about what I have on my fall reading list and I want to share them with you, my faithful readers!

1. Ulysses by James Joyce: Touted as being the greatest novel of the 20th century, I was embarrassed to have two English degrees without reading this crazy book. I have always been very intimidated by this book, seeing as how most people have a really hard time comprehending it because of Joyce's insane style, but I'm up for the challenge!

2. Big Sur by Jack Kerouac: I'm just now rereading On The Road and I had forgotten just how fun Kerouac is. My fall state-of-mind seems to hang around that central California golden haze, dotted with empty beaches and VW vans. I haven't had the chance to read a lot of Kerouac and thought this would be a good fall read. Coolness guaranteed.

3. The Captain's Verses by Pablo Neruda: Everyone should sit and read Neruda with their cup of tea or coffee in the morning to remind themselves how beautiful life is. One of my greatest wishes is to one day wake up and be able to see the world through his eyes and accompanied by his words. His poems make you laugh, smile, cry, blush, you name it. I like to recommend Neruda to people who say they don't like poetry because, to me, he's impossible not to love. He makes love poems for real human beings!

4. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Marquez is a mad man. What goes on inside of his head is a marvel of modern science, but a wonderful one at that. If you want to get lost in an intricate world of details, fun, and craziness, I would absolutely read his work. I have only gotten a few pages into this one and I already know it's going to be a favorite. 

Book recommendations are good, reading what you want is great, but reading whatever you can is even better. I was not that kind of person growing up, writing more than I ever read and I still regret it to this day. I missed so many lazy afternoons curled up with a book, I have a lot of catching up to do! So, instead of spending a dreary autumn Sunday wondering what to do with your life, head to the library, bookstore, or fire up your Kindle and get some pages under your belt. You will never regret knowledge! Read away!!