Tag Archives: Birthday Book Haul

Stacking the Shelves with my Birthday Book Haul (30 Jan ’21)!

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It was my birthday this week and I had a really lovely day. We’re in lockdown in the UK so it was a stay at home birthday with just me and my husband but he made it such a nice day. I got some fabulous gifts (including a mix tape that he made for me of songs that were in the charts on the day I was born, which I love), and he cooked me a curry in the evening. We watched Joker and had an evening of music and wine, it couldn’t have been a nicer day.

It was weird having a lockdown birthday but it gave me time to reflect back over the last year. It’s now almost a whole year since I last went in a shop (the first week in February 2020) or anywhere at all in fact. I know it’s been an horrendous year for everyone but I was thinking back over my personal year and realised that I’ve actually achieved a lot over the year and I want to celebrate those achievements. I’ve lost over three stone since September, which I’m really proud about as I’ve been overweight for a long time and it’s nice to finally be doing something about it. I’ve still got weight to lose but I’m more than halfway to where I want to be. I’ve managed to come off some of my medication, it wasn’t easy but it was absolutely worth it and I’m glad I did it. I’ve discovered that between my husband and me we can cut my hair at home and make a decent job of it. He cut five inches off my hair and I cut myself a fringe in and a few layers at the front.

For my birthday I got lots of lovely presents, including some new clothes in my new size which is lovely. I was delighted to be given new books from my husband, my mum-in-law and my best friend and all were total surprises.

I’ve been wanting to get the Bananarama and Phillip Schofield memoirs so was thrilled with those and I think I’ll read one of those next. Push sounds so dark and so good and I’m keen to pick that up when I’ve finished my current reads. The Apollo book is a very heavy coffee table book full of stunning photos of the Apollo missions and I’m excited to sit and look through it. I’ve always been obsessed with space travel and the moon landings so this is a book to treasure. Pause for Thought is from my best friend and I’m looking forward to dipping in and out of this one. Finally I got Barack Obama‘s memoir from my Mum-in-law and I’m very happy to have a copy of this one. It’s a very big and heavy book but one I’m keen to read soon.

My (Belated) Birthday Book Haul!

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It was my birthday back in January but ill-health has meant I haven’t managed to take photos of my lovely new books, or to write a blog post about them until now. I was very spoilt with the books I received so I wanted to share them… better late than never!

My husband bought me such an amazing stack of books plus a fabulous snuggly cape that I wear wrapped around me when I’m reading. I really feel the cold these days and this cape is the best thing ever! 🙂

 

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Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

I’ve already started reading this one and it’s brilliant! I love Queenie and can’t wait to read what happens next!

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Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman

This is a book that I’ve ummed and aahed about buying for myself but I’m so glad that I now have my own gifted copy as it is a book I really do want to read. I need to get my brain back in gear before I pick this up but I’m so looking forward to it.

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Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roper

This is a book I’ve wanted to read ever since I first heard about it last year. I saw Megan, and her family, on the Louis Theroux documentaries over the years and I’ve been so keen to read more about Megan’s story. I think this will be a fascinating read.

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Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

I did get a ebook of this for review but I’ve really been wanting to have a physical copy so I was thrilled to open this book on my birthday.

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Quichotte by Salman Rushdie

I haven’t read anything by this author for years but this book really appealed to me and so I was delighted to open it on my birthday. As soon as my reading mojo returns I will be picking this up as it’s really calling to me from my TBR!

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The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

This book sounds so good, and isn’t it a stunning looking book?! I can’t wait to curl up (in my new reading cape!) and get lost in the pages of this book. It sounds magical!

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Somewhere Becoming Rain by Clive James

My husband bought me this one as I’m a huge Philip Larkin fan, and I also love Clive James’ writing and I’m so happy to have this one. I think this will be such a treat to read. The text is small for my poor eyes so it might have to be a book I dip in and out of but I’m so looking forward to getting to it.

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10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak

This is another book I’ve secretly had my eye on so am very pleased to have my own copy. I’m fascinated by the premise of the novel so I don’t think I’ll be long getting to it.

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Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham

This book was one my husband bought for me on a whim as we enjoyed the recent drama about Chernobyl. It’s a book I’d heard of but I didn’t own and it’s one I really want to read. I always like to read more in-depth around dramas based on true stories that I’ve enjoyed on TV.

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The Orchestra of Minorities by Chicozie Obioma

I don’t know a huge amount about this book but I read the blurb and it sounds like a book I will really enjoyed so I’m happy to have it.

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The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

This is a book I already own a copy of and I’ve read and loved it. I will make sure my extra copy finds a new home though.

 

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The Little Book of Meditation by Gilly Pickup

My best friend gave me this gorgeous book about meditation, which is wonderful and I’m enjoying dipping in and out of it. She also made me this lovely bookmark, which will get a lot of use as I read my way through all of my fab new books!

 

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My lovely mum-in-law gave me some book tokens, which is always a wonderful gift to receive. I’ve spent some of them on The Flame by Leonard Cohen. This is a book I’ve wanted for a while as I adore Leonard Cohen’s song lyrics and poetry so I will enjoy reading my way through this one. I still have some book tokens left over so I’m looking forward to spending those when I spot a book I’d like.

 

 

Have you acquired any new books this week? I’d love to know what you got. Or have you read any of my new books and recommend I get to any of them sooner rather than later? If you’ve shared a book haul post this week then please feel free to share you link below and I’ll make sure to visit your post! 🙂

 

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Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality, which is all about sharing the books that you’ve acquired in the past week!

 

Stacking the Shelves With A New Book Haul (2nd Feb 2019)!

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Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality, which is all about sharing the books that you’ve acquired in the past week!

 

Books I Bought This week

How To Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind by Dana K. White

I read Dana’s book about decluttering last year and enjoyed so when I spotted this book in a recent Kindle sale I snapped it up. I still can’t resist books about tidying up or about decluttering (see my post here about doing the #konmari method if you want to know more about my decluttering experience).

The Geography of Friendship by Sally Piper

I saw a fab review of this book on Linda’s Book Bag recently and immediately pre-ordered a copy. It arrived yesterday and I can’t wait to read it.

The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

I’ve wanted to read this book for such a long time so I’m happy to finally have a copy on my TBR.

Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly

I hadn’t heard of this book until it got recommended to me on Amazon this week but I immediately bought it. I love books about space!

First Man: The Life of Neil Armstrong by James Hansen

I missed seeing the film based on this book at the cinema so while I’m waiting for it to be on Sky I decided to buy and read the book.

Misogynies by Joan Smith

This is a book I’ve wanted to read for such a long time so I grabbed it when I spotted it in a sale this week. I don’t think this will be on my TBR for very long at all.

The Jigsaw Man by Paul Britton

I’m really enjoying reading about psychology at the moment so when this book about forensic psychology and profiling was recommended to me this week I couldn’t resist buying it right away. I’m reading it already and it’s really interesting.

What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt

I read this book years ago and adored it but my copy seems to have got lost so I bought a replacement copy this week and would like to try and re-read it this year at some point.

Birdman by Mo Hayder

This is another book that I owned and read a long time ago but somehow have lost my copy so I’m happy to have a replacement now. Mo Hayder is one of my favourite authors and I live in hope that one day she will publish another book, it’s been a few years now since her last one.

 

Books I got on Pigeonhole

I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella

I’m really enjoying reading this new one by Sophie Kinsella. It’s a fun novel and great escapism.

Gallowstree Lane by Kate London

The first instalment of this arrived on my app yesterday so I hope to start reading it over the weekend. I’m looking forward to it.

 

Birthday Books

Birthday Girl by Haruki Murakami

My husband got me this for my birthday this week and I’ve already read it. I loved it!

At The Birth of Bowie by Phil Lancaster

My mum-in-law gave me this book as part of my birthday gift and I’m really looking forward to reading it soon.

 

Books I Received for Review

Spare Room by Dreda Say Mitchell

I’ve already read and reviewed this one so you can find my full thoughts here if you’d like to know more.

The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald

I’ve been eagerly anticipating this novel as it sounds so good! I was thrilled to then get a review copy and I can’t wait to read it!

Almost Love by Louise O’Neill

This is another book that I’ve had my eye one and have been waiting for the paperback release so I’m delighted to have a review copy to read.

The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna by Juliet Grames

This book sounds so good, I am thrilled to have a gorgeous paperback proof to read. It definitely won’t be on my TBR for very long as I’m really keen to read it asap!

 

 

Have you bought any new books over the last week? Please tell me below. 🙂 If you join in with Stacking the Shelves please feel free to leave your link and I’ll make sure to read and comment on your post.

My Lovely Birthday Book Haul!

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It’s Stacking the Shelves day! Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews, which is all about sharing the books that you’ve acquired in the past week!

It was my birthday last weekend so today I’m sharing my birthday book haul! I was very spoilt for my birthday with lots of lovely gifts including some fabulous new books! My husband collects records in the same way I collect books so we understand each other and he never minds giving me books as gifts. I feel incredibly lucky!

 

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The gorgeous hardback of Three Things about Elsie by Joanna Cannon! I did put this on my wish list as I read a proof copy and loved it so much that I knew I had to have a finished hardback as well.

 

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Spaceman by Mike Massimino

I’ve already read this book – I started it as soon as I finished opening my presents and I loved it so much. It’s such a good book, especially if you love the space shuttle and want to know more about how astronauts train.

 

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Endless Beach by Jenny Colgan

I love Jenny Colgan’s books so I was super happy to open this gift. I’m excited to escape into this book soon.

 

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The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night by Jen Campbell

I’ve had my eye on this book for a while but hadn’t actually seen it in real life until I opened my gift – it’s such a gorgeous naked hardback. I’m really looking forward to reading this short story collection!

 

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Relish by Prue Leith

I love Great British Bake Off and had seen Prue Leith interviewed on TV a couple of times while that was on and it seems like she has had a fascinating life. This book was such a surprise but I’m really keen to read it (it’s a doorstop of a book though so it might take me a little while!).

 

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The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down by Haemin Sunim

This book is so gorgeous and it’s one I’m really intrigued to read soon. I’ve spent a lot of time over the last 18 months or so working on health stuff and that includes regular mindfulness and mediation so this book seems like it will be a perfect read for me.

 

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The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie, Partners in Crime by Agatha Christie, N or M? by Agatha Christie, By The Pricking of My Thumbs by Agatha Christie, and Postern of Fate by Agatha Christie

I’ve been enjoying re-reading some Agatha Christie books in recent years but I somehow never read the Tommy and Tuppence series so I’m looking forward to reading this set of books.

 

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Inside the Wave by Helen Dunmore

This poetry collection sounds like it will be an emotional read but it’s a book I definitely want to read when I’m in the right frame of mind for it. I was excited to get a copy of it for my birthday.

 

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Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor

I’ve been so keen to get hold of this book and almost bought it on ebook recently so I’m glad I didn’t because the hardback is stunning. I love Jon McGregor’s writing so this book will be a real treat to read.

 

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The Story of Beatrix Potter by Sarah Gristwood

This hardback is another book that is so lovely and my photo doesn’t do it justice. It’s a beautiful book with glossy photos and I’ve enjoyed looking through it. I’m excited to read it soon.

 

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I also got a Nirvana record, a gorgeous dressing gown, some lovely new toiletries, a bag, money and book vouchers! So I was very spoilt… 🙂

 

 

So that’s my most recent book haul! Have you got any new books this week? If you join in with Stacking the Shelves or if you’ve done a book haul on your blog this week please feel free to leave your link below.

 

My Birthday Book Haul!

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It was my birthday at the weekend and I was very lucky to receive lots of lovely new books so wanted to do a haul post.

My husband gave me 21 books! Some of them he chose from my wish list but others were brilliant surprises. I’m very excited to read all of my new books but I have to be honest and admit to an immediate favourite because it’s such a beautiful book.

 

It’s Well-Read Women by Samantha Hahn. I’d not heard of this book before but it’s a perfect gift for a book lover. Samantha has picked some iconic women from literature and a favourite quote by them, and has then painted their portrait. I’ve added a photo of one of the spreads so you can see how gorgeous this book is. This is definitely a book that I’ll treasure.

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This was such a great surprise pick for me. I read Sebastian Barry’s Secret Scripture last year and really enjoyed it so I was really wanting to read this one. My husband must have had great foresight to pick this up for me as it won the Costa Book award this week!

 

These are two books that caught my eye online recently as I really wanted to read them both so added them to my wish list. They’re both huge hardbacks so will have to wait until I feel a bit stronger but I’m really looking forward to reading them.

 

These were two surprise books and both are perfect picks for me. I love Chris Bohjalian’s novels so am thrilled to have this one in hardback. It’s a beautiful book, the photo I’ve taken doesn’t do the cover justice. I’ve already started reading this one and am very much enjoying it. Whitegirl sounds fascinating and I’m looking forward to reading it.

 

These three children’s books are lovely. The Literature Book has lots of snippets about books and some great quotes in it, it’s perfect for me to flick through when I’m not feeling well enough to read a book. The Teddy Robinson Storybook is one my mum used to read to me when I was little but my copy got lost many years ago. This is part of the same series as my copy of The Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse that I got for my birthday last year so I’m really happy to have matching editions. The Dylan Thomas book is a gorgeous clothbound hardback, with lovely illustrations. This will definitely be on my December TBR for this year!

 

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I really like the Penguin Little Black Classics so these were great choices for me. He picked up books by three classic authors that I love and all three of these books are ones I’ve never read before.

 

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I’ve never read any Angela Thirkell but she’s an author that I’ve heard great things avid recently so I asked for a selection of her novels. I’m really looking forward to starting these lovely Virago editions.

 

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The Regeneration trilogy by Pat Barker is another set of books that I’ve wanted to read for ages and have never got around to so I put these on my wishlist too. I hope to read these soon.

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Edna O’Brien has been an author I’ve wanted to read for the last couple of years but quite a few of her books seem to be out of print. I was so happy to receive these three books from my wish list and I really can’t wait to start reading!

 

 

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My husband also got me David Bowie’s Let’s Dance on CD. This is one of first albums I loved as a child, and whilst I fully acknowledge that it’s not his best work it is the album that made me love his music, and as I got older I gradually bought and fell in love with every single album he made. I can’t play records anymore as I don’t have the dexterity in my hands to use the turntable so I’m really happy to have this on CD again!

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I also received this gorgeous bouquet of flowers that had a lovely box of chocolates with them!

My lovely mum-in-law came round to see in my on my birthday and she gave me, amongst other things, some Amazon vouchers and I’m so tempted to spend them on some new books but am trying to resist for now!

I wasn’t well enough to go out and celebrate my birthday but still had a really lovely day at home. Books are such an amazing gift, especially for someone who’s housebound most of the time, as they are a gift that lasts for such a long time.

 

I’ll still be joining in with Stacking the Shelves tomorrow as I have bought a couple of audio and ebooks this week so look out for that post then.

 

My Birthday Book Haul!

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It was my birthday this week and I was very spoilt with lots of lovely new books so I thought I’d write a little blog post about them. It’s unusual for me to get so many books for my birthday so I was very excited to get so many this year!

My wonderful husband gave me a parcel before he went to work and in it were seven books! I’d actually been looking at some of these books on a very rare trip out of the house the other week but I didn’t buy them, so he went back and got them for me! 

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The books are:

A Proper Family Adventure by Chrissie Manby (I love this series so much and am pleased to have the next one to start very soon!)

The Hidden Girl by Louise Millar

More Than Just Coincidence by Julie Wassmer

Two Fridays in April by Roisin Meaney

Love in the Afternoon by Penny Vincenzi (I’ve loved all of her novels but have never read any of her short stories so I’m really looking forward to reading this one)

The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths

The Restoration of Otto Laird by Nigel Packer

 

 

He saved the best presents until last though as when he got home from work he helped me downstairs and gave me another stack of gifts which included these gorgeous books…

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The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon

I’ve been wanting to read this novel ever since I first heard about it so I was beyond excited to open this parcel last night! I’ve already started reading it and it’s everything I hoped it would be and more. It’s a beautiful looking book too – I’m so pleased to own it in hardback rather than ebook (which is what I more often than not buy these days).

 

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Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse by Ursula Moray Williams

This is one of my childhood favourites, I have such fond memories of learning to read it by myself. I first saw this edition online a while ago and showed it to my husband as it’s so lovely but I never got around to buying it. I was so pleased to received it yesterday – it’s such a pretty hardback book and even has a yellow ribbon bookmark in it, just like my childhood books used to. I’m not reading much at the moment with feeling so unwell, and I reckon that delving into this old favourite might be just what I need! 🙂

 

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So This Is Permanence: Ian Curtis, Joy Division – Lyrics and Notebooks edited by Deborah Curtis and Jon Savage

I’m a massive Joy Division fan, and have been for years and years, and have read so many biographies of them over the years but somehow this book has passed me by. I was so thrilled when I opened it though as it’s one of the most stunning books I’ve ever owned – it doesn’t show up too well on this photo but it’s clothbound and really lovely. This is definitely a book I will treasure forever.

 

He also got me some gorgeous Michael Kors perfume in a lovely set, and next time I’m able to leave the house we’re going shopping for a new picture for the living room, which will be part of my birthday present too.

 

 

My lovely mum-in-law also spoilt me and her present included two fab souvenir books about David Bowie, they’re also books that I will treasure.

 

 

I was also given some money and a gift card, some of which I’m saving, but I couldn’t resist treating myself to some of the books that were released yesterday. These are the books I chose for myself…

How Not To Disappear by Clare Furniss

The Woman Who Ran by Sam Baker

While My Eyes Were Closed by Linda Green

 

So all-in-all it was a really lovely birthday and I’m hoping that all of my fabulous new books will help me get my reading mojo back!

 

I’m still not up to blogging regularly but I will blog as and when I can, and I will make sure to honour all my commitments to blog tours etc though. I hope to be back blogging at full speed soon but I need to get my health back on track first. Thanks to all of you who have stuck with me, it really does mean a lot to me.