While flipping through a friend's L.L.Bean catalog, we were surprised to see quite a few cool things for the home. We like the classic looking Moonbeam clock ($36). It comes in a few great colors and we love that it attempts to wake you first with its gently illuminating light. If you fall back asleep, a bell sounds. Our kind of clock.
The Moonbeam is a thing of beauty, but unfortunately, it's not a joy forever. Prospective buyers should be aware that it's a bit tempermental -- the knobs used to set the time and alarm are very fragile and, if turned the wrong way even once, cause the clock to malfunction.
Gently illuminating--if cornea-searing, flashing light is gentle, then okay. I bought one of this from LL Bean a few years ago, and in addition the sheer awfulness of being woken by that blinking light, the clock only worked for about a month or so, then no longer kept time. (And I don't mean good time, I mean any time. Although I guess you could say it's right twice a day.) Mind you, this is an electric clock, so there's really no reason for that. It does look cool, but I wouldn't waste your money.