Books you got given for Christmas!

I once received £100 worth of book tokens at Christmas from my boss. I spent 6.5 hours in my favourite Waterstones with a basket and sat down at regular intervals to have short conference calls with two bookish friends to discuss my choices.

I got a book about Black Sea authoritarianism and The New Silk roads by Peter Frankopan. Particularly excited about this as his Silk Roads was the first book I read last year.

Ooh, this thread is making me so jealous! I would like the Murakami, Ie Guin, Sue Black's book (I wrote something about her a few years ago, thought she was fascinating), George Saunders' new one and Washington Black.
Harvey, am intrigued by Circe; is it about Circe or is that too obvious?
Elle, is Mikhail and Margarita anything to do with The Master and Margarita, which is my most favourite book ever and always?
I'm also now intrigued by the Kermode book, which I'm surprised by.
I always give loads of books at Christmas, which I think is a really massive hint that I'd love the get the same back. However, I only got:
Flights (Olga Tokarczuk), which i'm about 2/3 through. Intriguing and slightly odd, really delicate spinning of the threads
How to eat a peach (Diana Henry), a book of menus and recipes but also a book of stories about food. Have read it all and it makes me want to invite lots of people over to dinner and cook all the menus.

I asked for, and received, Cassandra Darke by Posy Simmonds.

A most excellent book. I already own Tamara Drewe, and now need to get Gemma Bovary. Posy is bloody brilliant.

A History of Britain in 21 Women by Jenni Murray.
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Unplugged by Gert de Mangeleer (cookbook)

Amazon wishlists are wonderful things!

All That Remains: A Life in Death by Sue Black which I asked DH to get me. It's good but taking a while read. Finding some chapters more interesting than others. Enjoying having a hardback instead of usual Kindle.

Wanted Blue Peter book! Keep meaning to see if in sale!

I got Becoming Michelle Obama. Twice.

It is good but I’ll only read one of them.

I got Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. It was bloody brilliant, I've just finished it. My DP got it for me and he's great at choosing stuff that I'll enjoy.

My sister got me three brilliant books:

The Haunting of Hill House, A Pocketful of Crows and A Haunted Life - a biography of Shirley Jackson.

Read the first two and only have the biography to get into now.

Satsuke, BI'm like you, best present ever is a book token. You have a thing to open on the day, the anticipation of what you can spend it on, the delt looking through the bookshop - going to an actual bookshop! with thousands of actual books, new ones! - the pleasure of choosing, of buying, of taking it home, the smell of a new book and then you get to read it..... Some 40 years ago I was given £60 of book tokens as a leaving present, back when paperbacks cost less than a fiver apiece, I felt like the world belonged to me when I was in Foyles! No matter how I try, I cannotpersuade people that book tokens are like giving me presents 3 times over, so I get given stuff instead.

This year, though, I got the latest in The Invisible Library series, the 5th. I like this series, it's fun and I like parallel universes being linked through a fantastical library run by rather severe Librarians. I think it's run it's course now, mind.

I gave dh Gnomon by Nick Harkaway, which has been quite highly anticipated by both of us as we enjoy NH. DH gave up on it quite quickly, sadly; I started it a couple of days ago, and it's brilliant! I am absolutely loving it so far - about half way through.

It's not Christmas without books.

I was given Across the Nightingale Floor: Tales of the Otori Book 1 by DM. Absolutely loved it Japanese fantasy with a wonderful feeling of place, strong characters and a twist which I wasn't expecting. All the other books in the series are now on my wish list (I have too many unread books to buy more at the moment).

DB gave me The Definitive Biography of Freddie Mercury which DH nicked and tells me is excellent. I love Queen so a good choice and looking forward to reading it.

My lovely DF(riend) gave me I Love India Anand Anjum is one of my go tos for good curries. This combines interesting looking receipes with background on India and memoir. Ingrediants for the first recipie to try on this weeks shopping list.

Not a bad haul (I also got some other lovely thoughtful presents so very happy).

Michael Cain's Blowing The Bloody Doors Off

Anna Burns. I loved it, but I know other people have found it hard going.

Rise by Gina Miller, so politics
Milkman - who wrote it? It’s supposed to be good, on Booker short list or summat. I’ve not read it.

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of The Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
Quesadillas by Juan Pablo Villalobos

All three look ace.

Circe by Madeline Miller, so far it's one of the best books I have read in ages

I also bought as a present "Spinning Silver" by Naomi Novik and when the person I bought it for has read it I am hoping to borrow it :)

I got "Bookworm" by Lucy Mangan - really enjoying it so far.

I also got "Early Riser" the new Jasper Fforde, "The Mortal Word" which is the latest in the Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman and "Record of a spaceborn few" by Becky Chambers (which is the 3rd in her series, really enjoyed the first 2 last year).

I find it helps to have a very specific wishlist :)

My family refused to buy me any books! I have far too many, lots of them unread. I read loads but not quite enough to keep up with how many I buy - if I see something interesting, I grab it in case I can't remember it for next time! Unfortunately, I have over 500 unread books in my house so I can see their point... but I was a bit disappointed, especially when I realised my mum had relented and bought a book. Peter Ackroyd's history series, the tudor one. I already have it....

I only got one, which made me quite sad!
I’d love to get books, but agree that people tend not to in case I’ve already got it.

2019 Almanac

Elle I agree, the Mark Kermode book is wonderful. I already want to read it again! I've read all his books about films at least twice.

I didn't get any books for Christmas, but I've been buying quite a few Kindle books with money I received.

@CakeBeTheFoodOfLove I am so envious of you starting out on that series!

I got:
Becoming by Michelle Obama (hit so far)
The final part of the Karl Ove Knaussguard series (all 1120 pages of it)
How Does It Feel - A Life In Music by Mark Kermode, loved it and it has renewed my desire to learn to play double bass
Mikhail and Margarita by Lekstron Himes, one of the beautiful Europa imprints
Sundry others that I can't remember off the top of my head. It's been a good Christmas when you measure the amount of books you receive by the foot, I think