BOOKISH FINDS: Christmas Gifts

So my To Be Read pile has gotten bigger again… but it’s not my fault if people buy me books. Although, I did ask for some of them. It’s hard to be a bibliophile and not ask for at least on book related item for Christmas. What else are you supposed to ask for? You just can’t go wrong with a book (in my eyes anyway). This year, I got a super-exciting bookish gift from my long-suffering family: my mother is taking me to Hay-on-Wye festival in May! She might not survive two nights with me dribbling over all the bookshops and poor, unsuspecting authors. It will be a full time job trying to rein me in. The scent of a thousand books might push me over the edge. I can’t wait for the event programme to be released in April. As if that wasn’t enough, I got more literary delights in the form of books:

1,234 QI Facts to Leave You Speechless

There were a few QI books that were purchased as presents for other relatives and I couldn’t quite keep my nose out of them and started interrupting conversations in order to spout random facts that had nothing to do with what anyone was talking about. My sister bought one for me as a surprise so I wouldn’t be bereft when they were given to other people. She may regret that in a few weeks. There’s nothing better than a good fact.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and The Moon and Sixpence by Somerset Maugham

My mum and dad bought me these beautiful Penguin novels as a surprise. I’ve never had one of the classic orange books before and they are everything I dreamed of. Both editions are older than me, and my parents. Wuthering Heights is a 1946 edition and The Moon and Sixpence is a 1952 edition.  I’m slightly terrified of handling them, let alone reading them but I’m going to give them the care and respect their age deserves. I may invest in protective archival gloves. My mother must have sensed that I wanted to read Wuthering Heights. I’ve nearly finished Jane Eyre and was thinking about making my way through the rest of the Bronte sisters’ work.

The Girls by Emma Cline

The Girls has been on my TBR list for a while. There are a lot of books on that list but this is definitely at the top. So, when my aunty asked what I wanted for Christmas I immediately asked for it. She went the extra mile and got me a lovely hardback copy too. It sounds like such a gripping novel- the story of cult members in California- and I can’t wait to read it in 2017!

Polar Bear hot water bottle by Paperchase

Although not a book, this hot water bottle is a perfect reading accessory to snuggle up with while the winter is refusing to leave. I’ve been a little ill since Christmas – it’s probably festive withdrawal symptoms- so this little guy has been a welcome companion, and he’s cute.

Emma Bridgewater Retro Portable Radio

Again, not a book but I could resist adding this to the post. Another surprise present from my lovely parents. When I ripped off the wrapping paper like a gleeful toddler all I could see was the back of the box which had pictures of crockery, and for one moment I thought my parents had bought me a ceramic chicken. It would have been cool but this radio is infinitiely cooler. The oranges design is so perfect and sometimes I like to read with the radio on, so it’s kind of book-related right?