Okay, so here we go. It's December 1st and that means time to start my Twelve Days of Christmas book recommendation lists. I decide the categories and they might make more sense to me than anyone else, but still they are pretty darn useful. I just figure that we all have heard plenty from the major newspapers, magazines and critics about what the best books of 2006 were (in their opinions anyway). Those lists don't really help if you are trying to buy a few books for a friend who's into military history, or urban fantasy or modern biography - you need book ideas by subject or for certain personalities and not just what was big this year in fiction.

Consider this my rebellion against the establishment. I'm a real James Dean Jr., aren't I?

Alright, first day and this is for all the aspiring writers out there. Doesn't matter if they are twelve or twenty or fifty, if you know someone who writes as a hobby and is working on being published (or already is), then these are some books they would love.

Everyone who has read it will tell you that Stephen King's On Writing is the best book on the craft ever published. Think what you might of his books or style (I think he's great) but across the board, this book offers wonderful anecdotes about his own career and insight into his methods. He also shows an excellent example of editing and rewriting and goes into detail about how hard it was to return to the job after his brutal accident. It's a wonderful reference written in Kng's standard compelling style.

I would also add Ray Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing. This collection of essays were printed in various publications over the years and show how Bradbury became a writer, his early successes and dedication to hard work and what he thinks it takes to be a success. Writing is the only real job that Bradbury has ever had, and he is a national treasure. His fans will really love this one, but any writer will find much food for thought in its pages.

Writers on the Air, edited by Donna Seaman. Donna is my editor at Booklist and I reviewed this interview collection for Bookslut. She hosts a Chicago radio program where she speaks at length to authors about their work, their research methods and what they hope to accomplish with their words. The thing that really impressed me about this one is the sheer diversity in her guests - from Kate Moses to Ward Just to Terry Tempest Williams there are writers from all levels in their careers and multiple genres who have sat with Donna and talked about the craft. I have used Writers as a jumping off point for other authors and books I want to read and find it to be one of those books that I return to again and again. I've learned alot from reading it and I'm sure I'm not alone. (And really, if I didn't like the book I never would have reviewed it - trust me, it's fab.)

Beyond books though, there are tons of literary magazines out there that older teens and adults might not know about. You can buy a subscription to one or more of them or select a group of back issues. I subscribe to the Virginia Quarterly Review and love it - it's a great mix of fiction and non and is always thought provoking. For back issues though, you might want to consider a group that has author interviews that will spark a writer's creative juices.

Stephen King gave an interview to the Paris Review this fall that had everyone talking. (It's all new content - nothing from his writing book.) In light of Richard Powers' National Book Award win you might want to reach back to the Winter 2002 issue in which he was interviewed and I highly recommend Winter 2003 where Andrea Barrett was the interviewee. (She was also interviewd by Glimmer Train not that long ago as well. Barrett is one of my favorite authors, and I can't recommend her sthort story collection, Ship Fever, enough.)

In Winter 2005 The Missouri Review ran an interview with A.M. Holmes whose deep thoughts on just what being a writer means never fail to impress me. (It also has an essay from Scott Russell Sanders who is wonderful as well.) In Winter 2004 (Issue #18), Tin House interviewed Paul Collins, a great writer and reader who I emailed with earlier this year for Bookslut on his latest book. I also highly recommend Sixpence House, a book about how he and his family tried to buy a house in Hay-on-Wye, the town of books in Scotland. It didn't work out (he's back in Oregon), but the book is funny and wise and all about books. Trust me - you can't go wrong with Collins for a writer.

Honestly, you could skip the back issues and just hit your local bookstore and buy the new issues of any number of literary magazines so your writer has a nice pile to choose from. Over at the Emerging Writers Network, Dan Wickett has a very impressive list of links for literary journals for you to browse. Take a look, buy a few issues and wrap them up with one of the books I've mentioned here. I guarantee you the writer in your life will appreciate the gift - and also the fact that you are acknowledging their passion.