In 1952, when I was in the second grade, I had saved one dollar to purchase Christmas gifts for my family.

My younger brother and I prepared to walk to town for our "shopping spree." Before we left, my grandmother hugged me and said, "Remember, the best gifts are things that people wouldn’t buy for themselves."

I didn’t grasp the full implications of her advice, but I have thought of it often since then, and I think it’s good advise for today’s shoppers.

As you prepare to do your holiday shopping this year, I invite you to visit the Jesse Stuart Foundation Bookstore in downtown Ashland where you’ll find some unique gifts, including:

• books from our new book store
• books from our bargain bookstore
• collectible items: rare and First Editions by Jesse Stuart, Allan Eckert, Billy C. Clark, Thomas D. Clark and many other great Kentucky and Appalachian authors
• Christmas books and holiday cards
• regional art, both prints and originals , by many local and regional artists, including Jim Marsh, Audra Clark, Caroline Wilson, Doug Adams, and Mitchell Tolle
• original woodcarvings by the Ashland Area Woodcarvers. You should see their work! It’s true art.
• Greeting cards and postcards
• "Kentucky items," including tee shirts, banks, key chains and non-perishable food items, such as Kentucky Straight Coffee
• walking sticks and other craft items

Our 30,000 square foot historic building contains more than 100,000 books and gift items.You’ll find special gifts that are filled with love—the kind of gifts that people wouldn’t necessarily buy for themselves.

I invite your to visit during the holidays. Our store hours are 9am - 5pm, Monday - Friday and 10am - 2pm on the Saturdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The next meeting of our Regional Readers will be Tuesday evening, November 16th, 5:45 - 7:00 pm. We’ll be discussing Verna Mae Slone’s classic, "What My Heart Wants To Tell," a memoir of Appalachian life. A "New York Times" book reviewer said: "Every page made me see for the first time beyond the clichés of mountain life." I am announcing this date early, so everyone in the group will have plenty of time to read and enjoy this brief memoir. The group is open to the public, and we’re always glad to have new participants.