Today is the day after American Thanksgiving, better known as Black Friday. According to some sources, Black Friday is the single biggest shopping day in the U.S. (Canadian retailers have tried to jump on the Black Friday bandwagon, but since our Thanksgiving takes place on the second Monday of October, it really doesn’t get the same buzz.)

In celebration of Black Friday, I’ve selected a handful of cool things for the writer on your list (which might actually be you). But a word of warning:  if you’re looking for the same old, same old, you’ve come to the wrong blog!

The list price for the Altwork Station is $5,900 US, but early adopters can purchase for $3,900 to $4,900.

Sonoma Valley, California, based startup Altwork’s objective is to redefine how your computer and workstation work with you, to support
you in being more productive, comfortable, and healthy.

After five years of engineering and over $1M of founder and angel investment, Altwork is launching a pre-order campaign to finance the additional tooling and development needed to scale production of the world’s first workstation designed for high-intensity computer users. There’s a great YouTube video on the website that starts off with a typewriter. The times they are indeed changing.

The Book and Bed Hotel: a one-night stay costs less than $40 US. Of course, you do have to get to Tokyo, Japan, first.

Located in Tokyo, Book And Bed is “an accommodation bookshop.” According to the hotel’s website, it’s “the perfect setting for a good nights sleep is something you will not find here. There are no comfortable mattresses, fluffy pillows nor lightweight and warm down duvets.”

What the Book and Bed does offer is an experience and lots of books!  The ‘Compact’ compartment measures 205 x 85 centimeters (80.7 x 33.5 inches), and the ‘Standard’ is 205 x 129 centimeters (80.7 x 50.8 inches); the price at the time of writing this post ranged from  3,o00 to 4,500 yen per night (US$28 to $38 approx.)

Art Nouveau ring, c. 1900. Seriously, how gorgeous is this?

This ring is no longer for sale on 1stdibs.com,  but it was when I first discovered it on Pinterest a couple of years ago. This Art Nouveau ring by Louis Zorra celebrated the 1900 Paris Exposition. Art Nouveau became popular in the 1890s. Artists drew inspiration from both organic and geometric forms, evolving elegant designs that united flowing, natural forms with more angular contours. The Art Nouveau style gave way to Art Deco in the 1920s, but experienced a revival in the 1960s. It  is now seen as an important predecessor of modernism. (And, yes, that’s Arabella Carpenter, owner of the Glass Dolphin antiques shop from The Hanged Man’s Noose, showing off a bit).

And for those on a more limited budget: 

Book-shaped plates, platters, and dishes. Found on GoneReading.com, prices range from $10 to $25.

The best book on writing, period. There have been many covers. This is the version I have on my bookshelf.

Last, but not least, The Hanged Man’s Noose: A Glass Dolphin Mystery, available in print and eBook at all the usual suspects—or contact me for a personalized, signed copy.

Hey, you didn’t think I’d pass up the opportunity to promote my own book, did you?

Happy shopping!

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