50 Books Challenge 2025 Part Nine

Lovely book pics. No books here, but I’ve got a Waterstones voucher which I might spend on a cook book.

Also many thanks to I believe @Megbusset who wrote about Gamesmasters and also I think the Ian Leslie Beatles book - both received with immense pleasure by DP today 💐

Thank you @Southeastdweller as ever - and happy Christmas to you and all 50 bookers

46 The Battle for Spain: the Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 by Antony Beevor

‘Leaflets appealing for resistance to the bitter end blew in the wind, along with identity cards that had been thrown away.’

This has been a bit of a beast. A big solid military history is harder these days with my phone-shredded concentration, and I did struggle with the patchwork of different organisations that made up the two sides. It’s also relentlessly depressing, as civil wars that act as proxies for a bubbling wider conflict and training grounds for two militaristic dictatorships will always be. But ultimately it is rewarding. Not quite as beautiful as his co-authored ‘Paris after the liberation’, it is nonetheless an elegantly and carefully written narrative that by all accounts is well based on the evidence, not easy in a conflict that has as many myths as histories (I finally know what the band Durutti Column thought they were on about. Feels too bleak to cry about but nonetheless, knowing the post-fascist miracle that is modern Spain, I couldn’t help welling up.

Happy Christmas to everyone. I hope that you’re all having a lovely day. I’m very envious of all your great hauls. I moved just 2 weeks ago so we’re not celebrating Christmas until January so no books yet but I just discovered the 12 Days of Kindle Sale and I’ve treated myself to a few.

Merry Christmas all! I have been very lucky with my book haul (my mum is also a massive reader so is very generous buying books for me).

Hope everyone has a lovely day.

Merry Christmas all / Nadolig Llawen I chi gyd.

No books here apart from one on crochet (I’ve just taught myself). Lots of lovely presents though.

These were my book gifts. Very happy with them.

Merry Christmas to all you fantastic 50 Bookers!
I got Peter Ross’s latest book for my birthday earlier this month and a considerable amount in book tokens for birthday and Christmas, so I’ll be planning my order and pre-order list in the New Year. Last year’s book tokens lasted me until September! I have been politely firm about people not assuming what books I would like
Whatever you are doing today I wish you peace and joy. X

DH did well with the book choices

I forgot I told DH to order me Twas The Krampus Night Before Christmas by Jonathan Green!

It's a choose your own adventure but a bit DnD like as I had special abilities and could gain and lose points and had to roll dice to determine combat. I hadn't realised I'd have to put effort in other than turning pages, but it's been very entertaining for the last 90 mins and I think I got a long way through the story. I am sure I died right at the end. Might suggest to DH we read/play this together later and see if we can get further.

Highly recommend as a Christmas gift to the geek in your life next year!

Merry Christmas to all on this thread. I wish I could invite you all round for a Christmas book party!
I don't see any book shaped presents for me under the tree this year but you never know.

My books were :

Bouddicas Daughter by Elodie Harper
Go as a River by Shelley Read
Broken Country by Clare Lesley Hall

Happy Christmas all! Love seeing the book piles 🙂 I got one book, as requested from DH - thanks to your recommendations! Really looking forward to it.

Merry Christmas to all my fellow 50 bookers!
I was expecting one book for Xmas but got four. DH and I got a larger joint present for each other, so to speak, so for my present from the kids we set a small budget and I sent him a list of four books and asked him to pick one. He got me all of them!
I have read all these before but I'm collecting the books I've borrowed in the past and loved, now that I have the space for them.

Happy Xmas 50 bookers! Lovely morning here. Hope you all have a great day. Couple of the recommendations that made it onto DD's pile. & yes it was a pile & i dont care 😁

Yeah no one buys me books either I’m too hardcore to buy for!

Happy Christmas fellow readers, and thanks to you all for another great year of reading recommendations - it really is a joyful part of the internet ❤️

I'm another one that everyone is too scared to buy books for so not expecting anything but I have bought a few for my teens.

Not sleeping brilliantly so managed to finish 2 last night/this morning.

146. Bury Our Bones in The Midnight Soil - V.E. Schwab. I think this could be good if you're in a slump and would enjoy some vampires with a feminist lesbian twist! It follows 3 characters, Maria/Sabine in the 1530s, Alice in 2019 and Lottie in the 1830s. The older ones particularly are looking for ways to escape the patriarchal bonds of society. It did sag a bit in the middleand as ever with multi-viewpoints, some draw you in more than others, but I really enjoyed this. I listened to the audio which was good.

147. On The Calculation of Volume, 2 - Solvej Balle. The second part of the groundhog day series, where Tara is stuck in reliving the 18 November. In this one, she tries to live through different seasons on the same day by travelling from North to South. It dragged a bit in the second half for me but ends on a cliffhanger that makes me want to read the third. These are quite short books for anyone (like me) looking to get their stats to a round number by year end!

Happy Christmas everyone 🎄

Wishing you all lots of lovely books, and time to read them. ☕️

I doubt I shall receive books, but in fairness, my TBR pile is substantial, I shan’t be short of material.

I don’t know if I will be getting any books but I have bought The Stolen Crown by Tracy Borman for 99p over my Xmas coffee 😀

Merry Christmas - not expecting (m)any books but looking forward to seeing other people’s hauls!

Happy Christmas, everyone! Looking forward to seeing what bookish presents everyone's unwrapped later - we haven’t done the gift thing yet but if my instructions were obeyed I should be receiving three ☺️

Have a lovely day, all.

Merry Christmas to the best corner of the internet!

I'm not expecting books as gifts, I am a bit difficult to buy for reading wise as my tastes are a bit eclectic and most people know I keep a list but don't know what's on it! So I popped onto Amazon and got

You are here by David Nichols
Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder

Then I remembered I wasn't supposed to buy any more books until I had made a big dent in my TBR pile. Oops! To be fair I have no plans really between now and 2nd January, so I am expecting to get through several books!

Merry Christmas , Bibliophiles!

No sleep for me last night so will have to power through the day.

Doubt I have a book. Everyone seems scared to buy books for me even though I have a list!

Hopefully, Stepmum will see sense and send Amazon vouchers. (last years was Lakeland vouchers - nice but not a bookseller!)

It's quite urgent . My TBR pile is down to two.

Merry Christmas, everyone! 🎄🎁📚

Merry Christmas to my online book friends! As we’ve been up since the crack of dawn here’s my book haul, along with some book related blu rays. I hope Santa brought you all lots of good reads 🎅🏻 🎁