Books you got given for Christmas!

[tobee]

What books did you get given for Christmas?

What did you think of the choices people made for you?

I was sad to only get 3 books for Christmas (maybe that makes me greedy). I love to get given books but I'm hard to please, which isn't very fair of me. One of the books is a bit of jokey book, one I, unfortunately, already had, one is by an author I don't really like. 😬

Just interested in people's hits and misses.

Disclaimer:- I'm sure I've inadvertently given duff books to people many times.

I got Transcription, which I wanted, and Normal People which I hadn’t particularly but was pleased to get as it was a surprise. I also got a slightly obscure Tolkien which was quite thoughtful but I think I will need to reread LOTR to appreciate it as I haven’t for some years! I wanted Michael Palin’s new book.

I find one of the awful ironies about being known to be “a reader” is that you don’t often get bought books as people don’t know what you’ve already read or own. People close to you don’t like getting a voucher but my favourite present as a child was always book tokens and I’d still love to receive them now, even if only for a few pounds, as I usually use the library/charity shop, or my Kindle so a new book is still something of a luxury.

I got Fox 8, an illustrated short story by George Saunders, who wrote Lincoln In The Bardo, my fave book last year. Also The Stranger Diaries, by Elly Griffiths, a great read.

I just love being given books! I love putting them in a pile on my bedside table.

Also, it feels so sad when you get given a book you already have; especially when you have to do the fake response

I got £40 vouchers from my MIL, who was really apologetic for being unimaginative as she got me the same last year. I LOVE getting them though and raved about how excited I was last year to use a basket for the first time ever as I had too many books to carry in Waterstones!

I got London Rules by Mick Herron. Looking forward to the commute this week!

Men, Women and Chainsaws by Caroline Glover. It’s non fiction but appeals to my trivial knowledge

Gone Viking by Helen Russell. I love receiving books as gifts.

I got the first of the rivers of London series - so excited!

I got born lippy by Jo Brand , looking forward to reading it

@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

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.

2019 Almanac

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.

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 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 :)

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 :)

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

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.

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.

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

Michael Cain's Blowing The Bloody Doors Off

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).

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.

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.

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.