An up-and-down Christmas

Amazon aims for record Christmas, says the Bookseller blog. "Amazon is preparing to buck the economic gloom with another record-breaking Christmas. According to the Sunday Times, the online retailer expects to sell more than one million items on its busiest day this year, up from 900,000 last year." Yet, a day later, Barnes and Noble predicts terrible Christmas, asserts the same blog. "A "terrible" Christmas season is in store for US chain bookstore Barnes & Noble, according to an internal memo from the retailer's chairman seen by the Wall Street Journal. In his memo, Leonard Riggio, the retailer's largest shareholder, noted that comparable store sales, a key retail indicator, recently declined for the first time in the retailer's history. "Never in all of the years I've been in business have I seen a worse outlook for the economy," wrote Mr. Riggio. "And never in all my years as a bookseller have I seen a retail climate as poor as the one we are in."

What can one say? Buy books for Christmas presents, I guess. If you are short of ideas, here are the top ten most wanted toys, according to The Times Alpha Mummy blog. I am amazed at the low rankings of 8, 9 and 10 (anything Dr Who, High School Musical and Hanna Montana*, respectively). [*real name Miley Cyrus, or even realer name, Destiny Hope Cyrus.] Here are some Christmas present ideas for a DS-owning adult (I'm tempted even though I don't own a DS, though I live with someone who does). But returning to business, i.e. books, here is Richard and Judy's Christmas list of 20 books(no 'adult' fiction!).