It’s time once again to highlight a few items that would make great gifts.

EBOOK READERS

Ebook readers have come a long way. Initially ridiculed and misunderstood just a few years ago, now ereaders are pervasive and have even changed the way we read. Taking along a bookshelf full of books on a trip is trivially easy, highlighting passages and taking notes is done with the swipe of a finger, and purchasing new books can be done from almost anywhere with the click of a button and made available for reading within minutes.

There’s a new batch of Amazon Kindles to choose from, including the Kindle Paperwhite:

the Kindle Fire,

and the super cheap Kindle Graphite

Confused as to which one you should buy? Here’s a feature comparison of all the Kindle models.

EBOOKS

Need some good books to go on your new ereader? (And, of course, you can read these ebooks on your computer, iPhone, or iPad too…)

The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life, by Tim Ferriss.

The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, 2012 Edition

The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories, edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer.

The Best American Noir of the Century, edited by James Ellrow and Otto Penzler.

PHYSICAL BOOKS

Hey, they still make physical books too, out of paper and ink and stuff. Here are some good ones.

Digital Rapture: The Singularity Anthology, edited by Jim Kelly and John Kessel.

Errantry: Strange Stories, by Elizabeth Hand.

Buffy: The Making of a Slayer, by Nancy Holder.

The Art of Fermentation: An In-Depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes from Around the World, by Sandor Katz.

CAMERA

I know everyone is all about smart phone cameras these days, like the ones on their iPhone. Yes, it’s all about the photographer, but a good camera and lens can do wonders for the quality of the pictures people post on their blogs and Facebook updates. Your pictures don’t have to be grainy and out of focus!

You can spend thousands of dollars on camera equipment, but here’s a great camera and lens that take super photographs and that don’t cost too much. But don’t take my word for it—read Craid Mod’s review of the Lumix GF1 and pancake lens as a travel camera.

I’m not a photographer, but I thought the GF2 and pancake lens worked very well when I recently travelled through Europe for three weeks. Here’s some sushi at Sticks N Sushi in Copenhagen, in low light:

Sticks N Sushi sushi taken with Lumix GF2 and pancake lens

Here’s the camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 12 MP Micro Four-Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 3.0-Inch Touch-Screen LCD and 14-42mm Lens (Black)

Here’s the pancake lens: Panasonic LUMIX G 20mm f/1.7 Aspherical Pancake Lens for Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Cameras

There’s even this retro/steampunk looking camera case: COSMOS Brown Leather Case Cover Bag For Panasonic GF2 14mm Lens Camera. NOTE: this case fits perfectly with the pancake lens!

FITNESS

To stay in shape, most of this year I’ve been working with kettlebells and bodyweight exercises, especially pull-ups. I’ve also been training in Muay Thai kickboxing.

But to mix things up, I’ve also liked the Ultimate Conditioning programs by Scott Sonnon. I’ve tried the ULTIMATE CONDITIONING Striker’s Workout and the ULTIMATE CONDITIONING Kicker’s Workout. These workouts don’t have you just punching and kicking in the air, like TaeBo. Rather, in order to improve your punching and kicking, the workouts focus on the muscles and joint movements that will provide you with more power in your punches and kicks, as well as improving your conditioning. Lots of good instruction, focus on technique, and multiple difficulty levels.

EXTRAS

Two more great gift ideas that don’t fit into the above categories.

The first is just a very simple pocket knife, the Opinel No 6 Carbon Steel Folding knife. This is a classic French knife, with a beech handle and carbon steel blade. Take it along for a picnic, throw it in your work bag, use it to open boxes, or just sit outside beneath a tree peeling an apple while dreaming of being in the French countryside.

The second extra gift idea is the Zojirushi 4-Liter Electric Water Heater. Yes, it boils water, but it’s a water heater unlike those electric pots you cooked noodles in while in college. This heater keeps water the right temperature all day—just press a button and out comes hot water, perfect for tea, coffee, oatmeal, and, yes, noodles.

That’s it—I hope you’ve been able to find something on the above list to give yourself or a loved one.

See you next year!