This collection of original sayings began as email messages to my daughter, Sarah, during her years of college. I encouraged her to believe in herself, to stare hardships in the eye, and to know that kindness is not only to be given, but to be graciously accepted as well.

For me, chocolate is a metaphor for confidence, courage, and compassion. Life isn’t always easy. It is, however, a great deal more rewarding when you have a good attitude, a genuine relationship with your Creator, and a little “chocolate” with breakfast.”

I love that!

This cute little hardcover gift-book contains little sayings such as “Appreciate who you are today. Discover, with joy, the beauty of all you are yet to become,” and “A misstep is not necessarily a mistake. It could be a pivot point for a new direction!”

They are divided into sections on attitude, confidence, courage, and compassion, and have a few colored drawings (like the one on the cover) included throughout.

What a great Valentine’s Day gift (with a bag or box of chocolate, of course!!) for a daughter, friend, or teacher.

Jennifer Donovan loves her chocolate ooey and gooey, or paired with peanut butter. She’s definitely not averse to chocolate for breakfast. She blogs at Snapshot.

The Moment is a book comprised of short essays by a variety of people talking about a defining moment in their own lives. Submissions range from the hilarious and joyful to the disheartening to the stark and sobering, but without fail they are all fascinating, and you will see yourself reflected in these stories from others lives. There’s the girl who flew over her handlebars, later watching her mother pace the room while she gets stitches and realizing what motherhood means—that overwhelming love and concern. There’s the war journalist living with the guilt that he was unable to ferry a wounded man to safety, that being a reporter had overridden his ability to be human. There’s the dead mouse in the bottom of the trash can that prevented a woman from being there to get a call from her doctor. There’s the moment that a phone call came from another doctor, giving a diagnosis of cancer. There’s the first recognition of racism; that others are defining you by your skin colour or ethnic heritage. There’s the child on a family vacation, staring out the window, watching for an escaped prisoner on the lam that was just reported by a police stop and seeing something out there that he tells to no-one. There’s birth and death, growth and change, choices taken and deferred, but all these moments are life-changing and life-defining.

The writers are a mix; some are famous and some are not, and a few essays are in the form of a comic or a poem. Some make you smile, or even laugh; others are poignant, heart-breaking. All are real and honest, which gives them great appeal. They’re short—it’s easy to kick through 5 or 10 anytime you’ve got a minute or two to spare—but they’re well-written and thought-provoking. They’re even inspirational, although I feel that word’s been so overused I’m reluctant to use it.

In short, I really enjoyed The Moment. These brief but profound reads take you deep into someone else’s life, where you may recognize something of yourself as well. I highly recommend it. It would also make a great gift for pretty much anyone.

Elizabeth thinks that life has many defining moments, and she loves to hear about those in other people’s lives. Tell her about a defining moment in your own life at her blog Planet Nomad.

To find out what my son thinks of his personalized book and to enter to win your own, click over to my full review on 5 Minutes for Mom. Leave a comment by February 6 for your chance to win.

Don’t miss a thing: Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed or video reviews on YouTube. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter or on Facebook.

Nancy is happy her son loves his name as much as she does. She writes about her 2 boys, books and life in Colorado at Life With My Boys and Books.

JENNIFER

• I’m feeding Kyle’s love of Calvin and Hobbes with a copy of one of the collections he doesn’t have: The Indispensable Calvin And Hobbes. I’m also trying to expand his appreciation of comics with a really nice hardbound Peanuts collection that I found in the clearance section at Barnes and Noble for around $10.
• My kids’ bookworm roots run on both sides — not only from my own dad, but from Terry’s side of the family as well. My father-in-law and his mother are both huge readers. In addition to some other goodies, I bought The Hunger Games book for my/his grandmother (click the link for a chance to win the book and movie poster). That’s right! I’m giving the violent dystopian bestseller to my grandmother! And what’s more, I think she’ll like it, since she’s a fan of mystery and suspense and has dabbled in sci-fi.

LAUREN

• My son is an avid sports fan. Every year, Santa brings him Scholastic’s Year in Sports. This book is filled with statistics, and my son pores over it for months. This is perfect for the 9-12 age range (or even older for those who love stats).
• My daughter recently started reading chapter books. She found Sophie the Awesome in her stocking. I saw this series at our recent book fair, so I’m sure Santa made a good pick. I think my daughter will enjoy this exuberant character.
• Almost every year, I give my mom the newest Nicholas Sparks book. She has them all, so I think that The Best of Me is a welcome addition to her collection!

DAWN

• Just a couple weeks ago, my children’s school (where I also happen to teach) held its annual Scholastic Book Fair, and I picked up a couple of paperback books for the kids’ stockings. Raining Cats and Dogs: A Collection of Irresistible Idioms and Illustrations to Tickle the Funny Bones of Young People seemed to be perfect for my four year old who loves to giggle over the funny things words can mean.
• For my kindergarten daughter, whose class recently completed an extensive study of bones and fossils, I chose the Scholastic 2011 winner of the “Kids are Authors” contest: What Does the X-Ray Say? I’m a big fan of this campaign that recognizes literary work created by school groups, and the topic couldn’t have been more appropriate for my daughter this year!
• Since my mother-in-law took care of some significant book purchasing this year (Elephant & Piggie and Percy Jackson among the familiar characters in the mix), we opted to get our oldest a book that differed from his usual fare of middle grade and YA novels, and went with a puzzle book. Brain Games: Improve Your Memory is filled with a variety of number and word games that seem like his thing. Though we’re not looking to lower our 11 year old’s brain age, we predict he’ll have fun with this one.

NANCY

• A few years ago my sister and I agreed to give books to each other’s kids. We can order online and have them shipped right to each other’s houses. My niece is in first grade but reading above grade level, and I use my advantage of already having been through that grade with my son to pick out some new material for her. So I got her The Judy Moody Star-Studded Collection: Books 1-3, The Pain and the Great One Quartet Box Set and Ivy & Bean’s Secret Treasure Box (Books 1-3). All are new to her and I think she’ll enjoy them. I also like that you can get boxed sets at Amazon pretty inexpensively.
• The Amazon method also means I get a sneak peek at what the boys are getting. Alex is getting the rest of the Wimpy Kid books that he doesn’t already have, plus both The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back.
• Zach is getting a bunch of picture books, including E-mergency! by Tom Lichtenheld, who we love, and Caralyn Buehner’s Snowmen at Christmas, the newest in a series of books about what snowmen do when we’re not looking.

TRISH

• Most of my nieces and nephews wanted gift cards this year, but my newest nephew is only 10 months old, so I still get to pick out his presents! Along with his regular gift, I tucked in a fun board book, based on a Dr. Seuss classic, called One Fish, Two Fish, Three, Four, Five Fish.
• My son is getting Squish #2: Brave New Pond and Stink Trek: The Adventures of Uncle Stinky #2. Since they are both sequels to books he liked, I know they will be well-received.
• And, although my husband is more of a music buff, he did ask for one book, which I was happy to get him: Normal Christianity: If Jesus is Normal, what is the Church? by Jon Welton.

ELIZABETH:

• I’m late to the party, as usual! I’m on the West Coast, which is a valid excuse, and am also visiting the in-laws, which is even more of an excuse if only you knew! We still haven’t opened our gifts yet, but every one of us is getting books. (Yes, I am pretty sure that I am getting the The Complete Pelican Shakespeare, which I asked for when I realized I’d lost my old copy in one of our many moves.)
• Elliot bought Ilsa 2 books, neither of which I can link since I can’t remember what they were even though I helped pick them out.
• I bought Ilsa some of the Anne of Green Gables books. I grew up in Canada reading L.M.M. Montgomery, and I have passed on my Emily books and attempted to pass on my Anne books. Sadly, I’d read a lot of them to death, and Ilsa’s collection was missing a few. Not after today! Ilsa’s twin, Abel, is getting a comic collection.
• Even Donn, who claims he’s not a reader, is getting 2 books: Elliott Erwitt Paris and Robert Capa: The Definitive Collection Yes, those are picture books!

I’ve been seeing Jan Brett’s Home for Christmas on several must-have lists this season, and looking through her body of work I’m shocked and a little embarrassed that I have never read any of her books before. Home for Christmas is the story of a Rollo, a troll who runs away from home because he’s tired of doing chores. He encounters many animal families along the way, experiencing the life of owls, bears, otters and other northern animals before he realizes, as one may expect, there’s no place like home.

Brett’s artwork is nothing short of amazing, the details and flourishes are entrancing and keep you coming back for more. It’s the kind of book where you notice something new on each reading. The borders contain images of Rollo’s family back home – continuing their lives but also missing him greatly – along with additional drawings of the animals he’s visiting.

I was first introduced to the story of The Polar Express by the Tom Hanks movie, which my children happen to be watching while I’m writing this post. When I learned the movie was based on a book, which some people feel is far superior to the movie, which can be creepy and even a little scary, I knew I had to check out the book.

And the book is absolutely far superior to the movie. The basic story, for those unfamiliar with it, is of a boy who wakes during the night to find a train, the Polar Express, outside his window. The Polar Express takes children to the North Pole where they see hundreds of elves and meet Santa. Santa picks a child, our hero, to request the first gift of Christmas. He asks for a bell from Santa’s sleigh, but when he gets on the train, he finds no bell in his pocket, only a hole. Christmas morning he opens his presents and discovers one final one, the bell. He and his sister hear the bell but his parents think it’s broken – they don’t believe, so can’t hear it’s chime. It’s a beautiful and simple story, free of the roller coaster ride that is the movie.

Bear Stays Up for Christmas was the third book by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman about the lovable Bear and his woodland creature friends. It’s sweet but simple story and illustrations makes it one of my favorite Christmas books.

Bear’s friends wake him up for Christmas and though it’s winter, so all he wants to is sleep, he helps them cut down a Christmas tree, then they decorate his cave. Bear’s friends all drift off to sleep and he stays up to make them their Christmas surprises. They give him a quilt so once the celebrations are done, he snuggles under his new quilt to finally go to sleep.

Check out Dawn’s post on holiday picture books for a few more ideas for last-minute gifts.

Nancy has been enjoying reading Christmas and winter books, possibly more than her kids. She writes about her 2 boys, books and life in Colorado at Life With My Boys and Books.

This book is fantastic. It’s like a patisserie course between covers, available for you to follow at your own pace. It begins with Baker Buddy Valastro reminiscing about his childhood in the kitchen, the bakery where he grew up and learned all the tools of the trade. He goes on to discuss kitchen tools and ingredients, providing reasons why, for example, it’s worth buying cake flour instead of just using all-purpose, or what a well-stocked kitchen will contain.

The recipe portion begins with cookies, goes on to pies and tarts, and ends up with cakes. This isn’t necessarily the order a beginning cook should follow, but it does make for an easy thematic arrangement. Each recipe is fully explained and often illustrated with step-by-step instructions, especially if it’s at all complicated. You’ll learn how to deal with fondant, pipe filigree designs, make edible animals to decorate a zoo-themed cake, and much much more. By the time you’ve completed any recipe, you’ll feel you took a class on it; and you’ll be amazed at your prowess. The instructions are so thorough that it takes away any fear.

Baking with the Cake Boss: 100 of Buddy’s Best Recipes and Decorating Secrets is a gorgeous book. It would make a fantastic last-minute gift for anyone who’s interested in learning more about baking, and since baking benefits everyone around you, it’s easily justifiable as a gift for yourself.

Elizabeth loves baking and has the figure to prove it! Read more at her blog Planet Nomad.

• Select the perfect book. Fans of the total blockbuster The Help will love The Secret Life of Bees. That book convinced people who are generally non-readers to read! If that’s the case, it’s unlikely that they’ve read The Secret Life of Bees. Synopsis from the publisher: This is the story of Lily Owens, a girl who has shaped her life around one devastating memory—the afternoon her mother was killed, when Lily was four. Besides her harsh and unyielding father, Lily’s only real companion is Rosaleen, a tender, but fierce-hearted black woman who cooks, cleans and acts as her “stand-in mother.”

  One summer afternoon in 1964 in South Carolina—a place and time of seething racial divides—violence explodes and Rosaleen is arrested and beaten. Lily is desperate, not only to save Rosaleen, but to flee from a life she can no longer endure. Calling upon her youthful daring, she breaks Rosaleen out of jail and the two escape, into what quickly becomes Lily’s quest for the truth about her mother’s life.

  They are taken in by three black, beekeeping sisters, May, June, and August, and Lily is consumed by their secret world of bees and honey, and of the Black Madonna who presides over this household of strong, wise women. Lily’s journey is one of painful secrets and shattering betrayals but it is a passage that ultimately helps her find the thing her heart longs for most.

  In a strong, irresistible voice that catches us up and doesn’t let us go, The Secret Life of Bees takes us into a world apart— into a mesmerizing story about the divine power of women and the ability of love to change one’s life.

• Give them a favorite book in a new form. I often suggest audiobooks as an entirely new way to experience a favorite book, but a collectible version such as this The Secret Life of Bees 10 anniversary special edition would definitely replace the dog-eared paperback in their collection (and the price is great!).
• Make a themed gift pack. What about including this beautiful version with a jar of honey and some nice tea (because books and tea go so well together)? Or maybe even the DVD of the movie version?
• If one book is good, several is better. Why not upsize the gift of the novel with another novel by the same author (or in the same theme). I appreciated Sue Monk Kidd’s bestselling novel more after reading Traveling with Pomegranates, a memoir where she discusses the origins of the book (as well as some great mother/daughter stuff). This much less well-known book would go great with the anniversary edition of Secret Life of Bees.

Have you ever given or received a book in a creative way? I’d love to know.

I’d also love to know your thoughts on the anniversary of this book. Have you read it and loved it? Did you miss the boat and look forward to reading it now?

Leave a comment, and you’ll be entered to win a copy. We’ll announce the winner January 4. The giveaway is closed.

• The winner of the beautiful book Real is #5 Sara.
• The winner of the We Bought a Zoo book is #21 Megan Earley.
• The winner of Lynn Austin’s Wonderland Creek is #2 Liz.

Jennifer Donovan is so happy to be able to share fun books like these with you. She also blogs at Snapshot.

Don’t miss a thing: Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed or video reviews on YouTube. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter or on Facebook.

The Rapid Fire stories are seven stories that work together to unlock a secret. It’s all about the Cahills and Vespers, the next generation in this series.

Seven days, seven stories—one explosive secret.

Celebrate the holiday season with The 39 Clues. Beginning on December 25, a different top secret eBook short story will be released daily, leading up to an explosive finale on December 31. Codes hidden in each of the seven stories combine to unlock an exclusive card and medal on http://www.the39clues.com.

You can preorder them all now for just 99 cents each, and they’ll be delivered right to your device each day.

What a fun way to encourage reading during the holiday break!

Keep up to date by liking the 39 Clues Facebook page

In honor of the 7-day, 7-story release of the Rapid Fire stories, we have an excellent giveaway for one of you (U.S. addresses only): a boxed set of all 10 original 39 Clues books in paperback (a $70 value).

Leave a comment if you’d like to win. We’ll announce the winner on December 28. Of course, you won’t have it in time for Christmas, but this is the kind of gift that is sure to thrill kids from 8 – 12 years old if they have any little kernal of reading love.

Don’t miss a thing: Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed or video reviews on YouTube. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter or on Facebook.

Jennifer is going to set her 2nd grade son loose on the 39 Clues this summer. She blogs at Snapshot.