Paula and I run a small business, and there are times when we want to give our merchants and suppliers a small token of our appreciation and just keep our name in a prominent place on their marketing schedule.

Apart from the usual range of pens, pads and mouse pads branded with your logo, chocolates and wine, there is also a large range of unusual and unique corporate gifts available online, from our recommended merchants.

One of those gifts that comes to mind is the Book Biter — a multi-function book holder - which can be used as a book holder, memo stand, paperweight and page marker.

This book biter makes an ideal gift item for any of the avid readers in your household.  It is a very useful gift for  students, teachers and office staff or merchants that you deal with on a regular basis.

Keeping records and taking notes has come a long way from the days of furiously trying to scribble down a teacher’s notes or record minutes of a meeting in a spiral notebook. For years we were able to use mini tape recorders to get the job done. But still there was the problem of transcribing the notes and having enough tape to get the job done.

Luckily now we have digital voice recorders. They work similar to an MP3 player. Everything is recorded digitally which means the unit can just be plugged into a computer and the entire file downloaded

If you are looking for a digital voice recorder to make recording class lectures or personal note taking a breeze then you simply can’t go past “ The Best Digital Voice Recorder”.

The best digital voice recorder has the following features:

It can pick up voices up to 40′ feet away. This means you can place it on the top of a conference table and be assured that every member’s voice will get into the record. It has patented recording software that will remove long pauses in conversation. This saves battery and memory as well as time later on when you’re reviewing the audio file.

The recording technology not only eliminates long pauses but it also reduces background noise. This means the speech you hear is nice and clear. Those letters and words that sound so similar when muffled now will pop out clear as a bell.

The best digital voice recorder connects easily to a computer via a USB connection. There’s no need to try and rig together a bunch of different wires to get the thing to work.

What We Like:

• Small compact design is wonderful. It fits in a pocket easily. It’s so small that you don’t notice carrying it around. Perfect for those times when you have that great idea while you are driving.

• It lasts a long time. The battery is rated for 32 hours of operation. You won’t have to worry about installing fresh batteries every time you use it.

• Recording length is superb in low resolution mode you can record for 132 hours.

CLICK to buy “The Best Digital Voice Recorder”

I find it frustrating when I have a few special books that I want to display out of the bookcase, and they just won’t stand up straight.

Well I have found the answer  – sets of unique bookends that suit the decor, although I have to admit that I have also purchased a couple of sets simply because I like them. This means I can display the books in different rooms such as the study, home office, lounge and even put those beautiful Italian cookbooks on display in the kitchen.

And a set of unique bookends make an excellent gift for every occasion whether they are for a sportsman, fisherman, golfer, lover of all things gothic, little person or dog lover.

Some of these unique bookends are whimisical in design but all are practical.

And there is a huge number of designs to suit every taste and hobby as you can see by the selection below.

I have had a variety of briefcases during my career but the best one I ever had was one given to me by my kids one mother’s day.

It was a beautiful soft leather with triple stitching and lots of pockes for notepads, pens, calculator and laptop. And although it has been many years since I was given my lovely briefcase it is still functional, if in somewhat less than perfect condition.

If you are looking for a new briefcase or perhaps you are looking for a gift for a business friend or school student, then my advice is to spend a little extra and buy a quality leather briefcase. You know it will last for many years and serve them well.