 It's Chris! Welcome back to one of my favorite videos to film every single year. We're gonna be doing a Christmas unboxing haul, unwrapping with you. I do this every single year where I unwrap my Christmas presents, my book Christmas presents that I've received from you guys and from my family. The Christmas jumpers on. I'm so excited! Merry Christmas. So, I am speechless, I'm gonna be honest. You guys have been so generous with sending me some books for Christmas. I like, I am so thankful and appreciative. It's so very kind of you. Every year, I cannot believe how generous and kind you guys are. So, we're gonna unbox these. My family also got me some. I asked them to get me less this year. So, I've got five from my family. I'm so excited. If you know me, you know I love Christmas. These are my favorite videos to film. I love seeing what you guys have picked at me or my family have picked at me. They often pick great. So, we'll start with what you guys have gifted me. I actually feel sick. Okay, first, first book. Wow, okay. These are all the parcels that I have. Oh my God, this one's a tricky one to open. Oh, there we go. Received since the start of December. I have saved them all. Oh, this one's, this one's in a wrapping. Oh! Okay, what does the card say? Happy holidays from Caitlyn. Thank you, Caitlyn, let's see what it is. Right, what is this book? Oh, we've got Stay Awake by Megan Golding. Oh my God, exciting, exciting, exciting. Okay, this is Megan Golding's release from this year. If you don't like the UK cover, that's what we have in the UK. But I have been so excited about this. I really enjoyed the night swim by Megan Golding when I read it last year. I think I read it last year. I just think her writing is so good. And the premise of this one is our protagonist wakes up in a taxi with no idea how she got there and she sees, or written on her hand, Stay Awake. And I think she wakes up with like a knife in her hand. I don't know why a taxi driver let her into the taxi with like a bloody knife in her hand. Wow, crazy, you're crazy, girl. And I think there's a crime and it says Stay Awake or something similar like in blood on the wall, I don't know. I have heard so many good things about this. Everyone has really been enjoying it. I think it's just gonna be like a fun, quick, fast pace thriller. It looks like it has like a ridiculous amount of chapters. Like a chapter is literally just like a page long. So it's gonna be really fast paced. And I think it's a very unique premise. I really like books that are kind of playing with like a speculative element, a thriller with a speculative element. So, yes, oh my God, thank you so much, Caitlin. Number two, let's see what we've got. I love Christmas. Who got this? They know this stuff. Oh, Jenny! Jenny, Jenny, Jenny, you're so kind. What has Jenny said? As a fellow Chrissy Devote, I had to add this to your hardback collection and naturally, this is the perfect time. Thank you for another year of incredible content. Watching your channel always brings me joy. Jenny! Jenny got me the adventure of the Christmas pudding by Ika Thakristi. Look at her. Are we not obsessed? But she's beautiful. Right. But she's beautiful. I love these hardcover designs that Harper Collins have been doing. Oh my God, look on the inside. Yeah, I love these hardbacks that Harper Collins has been doing and this is perfect. This is, I think, gonna be my Christmas read next year. This year, I'm reading a Christmas romance across the few Christmas days. I think I'll go back to an Ika Thakristi Christmasy mystery. This is Six Stories, first collected together by Agatha herself. Thank you so much, Jenny. That is so incredibly kind. I love, I love the design of this one. Okay, wow, thank you so much. This parcel took a little bit of a battering. Ooh! Okay, we've got The Retreat by Sarah Pierce. So this is the author of The Sanatorium, which I have read and we're following the same character, I believe, the same detective. This is from Amy. Merry Christmas. Of course, I had to get my Facebook tube or something. Hope you enjoy, Queen, from Amy. Amy, thank you so much! So I've been really excited to read The Retreat. I thought The Sanatorium was a pretty good debut. So The Sanatorium, it's like this converted old sanatoriums and made into a luxury hotel. I would say the first two thirds of it were great in my opinion. Like such fast pace, like a really good mystery thriller hybrid where you've got a mystery running throughout it. It feels, you've got a detective, but also there was like moments when my heart was pounding, you know, like in a good thriller does. That was fucking scary. My heart's going pitter-patter, pitter-patter. I feel sick like I could throw up. So I'm excited about this one. I think this is about, yeah, a wellness retreat off the coast of Devon. A woman is found dead, but then there's another victim and we've got the same detective from The Sanatorium. So we're kind of following her story. She's got a lot of storyline to do with trauma and stuff and there's some cliffhangers from The Sanatorium. So thank you so much. I was so excited. You guys are picking such good ones. I mean, they're all books from my wish list. So like you can't really pick badly. Okay, next one. Gosh, my heart is racing. Oh, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. I didn't think anyone would get this one. Clara. Clara says, Merry Christmas. This was a surprising five star route for me this year. I hope you enjoy it. And it is Poster Girl by Veronica Roth. So here's the situation with this one. I never read, Veronica Roth was, which one was she? Which, which early 2010s sci-fi dystopian? Was it Divergent? Is Veronica Roth Divergent? I feel like Veronica Roth's Divergent. Anyways, I never read Veronica Roth when she was that girly back in the day. It doesn't tell me under, also by Veronica Roth, it only says chosen one. So we're pretending the past didn't exist. We are going to pretend we didn't hear that. So yeah, I was never interested in that. That's not my kind of thing. This is dystopian-esque though. I recently this year read the forward collection, which is six sci-fi really short novellas. And for me, the Veronica Roth one, which is arc, I believe was by far the best one. It was so good. It was, like it made me really emotional in like, it only, it's only like 20, 30 pages long. And so I've been really intrigued by this and I love the cover for it. I think it's so cool. It's a haunting dystopian mystery that explores the expanding role of surveillance in society and inescapable reality that we welcome all too easily. I'm super interested in this. After reading arc, I'm super intrigued. And this also has like a mystery running through it about missing child. I think we're following like the ex poster girl of the regime who is now in jail and has the offer to be freed if she tries to find this missing girl. So I didn't think anyone would get this, but I've had really good things about this. And I feel like I loved, I was so shocked at how much I loved arc that what a great pick of bestie. Next one. Wow, this is, I love Christmas. So this is from, oh, Maya, one of my patrons. Thank you, Maya. I just read this one. It reminded me of darker wants and future witches. So Maya has sent me Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher. I'm so excited. This makes me so happy. There's loads of T. Kingfisher on my wish list because I wanna get into T. Kingfisher. Everyone's been loving, obsessed with T. Kingfisher this year and I've never had anything by her. I'm beyond excited. Oh my God, this is probably gonna be my first T. Kingfisher. I'm speaking too fast. I know I am. I'm so sorry. Take a deep breath, calm down. I know this one is about a girl whose sister is married to an abusive prince and I think she wants to rescue her. I've had such good things about this. I know Mara really liked this one and me and Mara are listening to my book Twins. Or at least I'm pretty sure Mara liked this one. Yes, I am. Cause Mara is the one who I've heard talking about it the most. Yes, I'm pretty sure it was on Mara's best, was it on Mara's best or? I don't know. My memory is really bad. Anyways, I feel like T. Kingfisher could become a new favorite author for me. I feel like, you know, the people who I typically have very similar reading tastes to have actually been loving T. Kingfisher this year. So wow, Mara, what a wonderful choice. Thank you so, so much. Next one, let's see what we have. Oh my God, you guys were so kind. I just can't get over it. Thank you so much. Okay, what, oh, okay. This is gonna be a difficult one to read. Okay, so this is from Meg. Thank you so much, Meg. I recently listened to this audiobook, which I can highly recommend. I think everyone should read this. Hope you enjoy it. Meg is very kind of gifted to me. Know My Name by Chanel Miller. I am scared to read this. I know it's gonna be heavy. Chanel Miller was the woman who was sexually assaulted by Brock Turner and she wrote that impact statement that was very, like, became viral everyone when she was, I think, still anonymous. Know My Name, she is telling her story. I'm not sure if I'm gonna be able to listen to the audiobook, I'm gonna be quite honest. I may just have to read it physically, but I have heard so much wonderful, wonderful things about this speaking of Mara. I do know this was Mara's top non-fiction of this year. She gave it five stars. I don't know if excited to read this is the right word, but I do wanna get back into reading more non-fiction and this is one that I wanna put really high up my list because I have just heard so many wonderful things about it and I think stories like this are, you know, like Meg says, everyone should read this. They're incredibly important to be heard. So thank you so, so much for gifting this to me. Next one, let's see what we got. Oh, this looks pretty. Oh, okay, okay, okay. Who is this from? Let's see. Oh my God, okay. This is from My Secret Center. So over on my Patreon this year, we ran a secret center and this is from, I don't know who this is from. This is from My Secret Center. How exciting. So My Secret Center has done, like this is a great pick, has picked Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. I recently read the gloss, it's right here. Can I reach it? Oh, I read the gloss hotel this year. I wanna say it at the start of this year and I really enjoyed it. I loved her writing. I actually do like how these look together. They look cute together, right? I was actually surprised at how much I really enjoyed the gloss hotel and so it made me really wanna pick up all of Emily St. John Mandel's stuff. So what is this one about? I've forgotten. Oh, girl. Too much drama for me. I've forgotten because Emily St. John Mandel's plot is always impossible to describe. Sea of Tranquility is a virtuoso performance, a novel that investigates the idea of parallel worlds and possibilities and plays with the very line along which time should run. Okay, fun, that's all I need to know. I'm just, I'm gonna read more Emily St. John Mandel. I really like this cover as well. I'm so excited. I just thought her writing just felt so rich and detailed but also to the point, like it was a very unique style of writing that I hadn't read a lot before. Three more gifted from you. This is just so kind. Okay. Okay, yes. This is from another one of my patrons, Lauren, who Lauren, I love you. You're always very, very, very kind. Lauren has gifted me The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager. I am so excited through this. This is genuinely one of the books that I have been wanting to buy the most because I just wanna know. I just, you know, Riley Sager has been a little bit controversial the past couple of years. Not in terms of like controversy but like dividing opinion, you know, the past couple of years with his releases. I didn't love Survived the Night but I just feel like I'm gonna love this. I really do. I just have this feeling that I'm gonna love it. I did not tell you. I just think she's very delusional and maybe possibly insane. I've read every Riley Sager. My favorite Riley Sager, the only five star I've ever given him was Last Time I Lied but I also enjoyed Look Every Door and Home Before Dark. I did not enjoy Final Girls or Survived the Night. So that's my Riley Sager journey and I'm intrigued by this. I'm also so excited for his ones coming out next year. It sounds really, really good. But I know this is about a woman who lives across the lake from this couple and she sees, I think, them fighting and then the woman goes missing. I just feel like me and Riley might vibe on this one. This is probably one of the books I've been thinking about the most lately. I've really been so excited to read this. So Lauren, listen, you picked so well because I have just been really looking forward to reading this. So thank you so much. I can, oh, I'm not kidding. If I was to buy a book myself of my wish list, this has probably been one of the ones I would have bought because I've just been very intrigued by it. Next one. Oh, what is this? Oh, we have got Maybe and Another Life by Taylor Jenkins-Reed. This is from Melanie. Merry Christmas Meg. Hope you have a fantastic festive season. I love your content and can't wait to see what you have planned for 2023. Melanie, thank you so much. That is so incredibly kind of you. I listen. Every full-length novel that I have read from Taylor Jenkins-Reed, I have given five stars. Now, I know, I really wanna read her backlist but I know this is all the different vibes. So I'm not necessarily expecting the five star vibes like I do for her modern books but I have just been so excited to read some of her backlist. I think this one is like actually kind of like sci-fi-esque where like we're following the main character's life through two different parallel lives that she could have lived from like one decision that she makes, I think. Which is kind of like, I feel like Ms. Taylor was like, oh, I'm so creative right from the beginning, I don't know. I feel like I loved her Jenkins-Reed's writing. I always say her writing is just amazing. So I feel like I could still give this five stars. So thank you so much, Melanie. Final one that you guys picked off my wish list. Let's see what we have. This is one of the books that I was most excited for. Who got this for me? Of course you did. So this book is from one of my patrons, Melissa, who is just so incredibly kind. Shacked Melissa, Melissa is just like amazing. Melissa really helped me run the Secret Center on the patron this year. So Melissa says, Merry Christmas. I hope you have a wonderful time and a happy new year. It's our wives under the sea. I, Melissa, I always associate this book with you. I have been so excited. I love the UK cover. Isn't the UK cover just like beyond? It's so cool. I just noticed about like these wives on this deep sea mission and their relationship isn't quite right and something changes going on. I am so excited. This is, I'm just beyond excited for my 2023 reading, guys. We're just gonna kill it. I can't wait. This is a five-star prediction for me, I would say. I just think it's gonna be my kind of thing. It's gonna be this quiet, introspective hover. I'm so excited. Then let's get into the gifts my family have gotten me. So we've got two that my grandparents have gotten me first. Let's open these. Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes. Okay, so I love the cover for this one. Okay, we have got Death on Gokumen Island by Sashiyokamizo, I love this cover. So this is now my third in the series that I haven't read that I own, but I should get through some of them soon. So Sashiyokamizo is a very famous Japanese mystery author and Pushkin Vertigo are slowly translating his books. This is the fourth one that has been translated. And it's kind of like golden age crime, but from Japan. And I just think it's so interesting to read this stuff and to see what mystery tropes pervade across cultures on which ways they're different. I've only read the first one that got translated The Honjin Murders, but I do wanna make my way through all of these. Okay, wait, the detective, the main detective, like the Poro arrives bringing news of a death. It triggers a series of grotesquely staged murders. What the hell? Okay, I'm super duper, duper excited. What a great pick. What have we got next? Let's see. Oh gosh, I'm pretty sure my dad wrapped these and he is just like, it's impossible to get. Oh, this is one I've been so excited for. I'm pretty sure this is one I heard again from Mara, just this old book all around me. In Defense of Witches, Why Women Are Still on Trial by Mona Sherlock. So this was originally written in French. It's been translated into English. Yeah, this is basically about the history of women being framed as witches and witchcraft and the way in which kind of witch archetypes, modern witches are how that's been kind of the idea of a witch has now pervaded into modern society as well. I am so intrigued by this. I also really like the cover. I think it's so cool. And again, hoping to read an iOS this every year, but I really am hoping to read more nonfiction. So yes, this is one that is on the top of my listie. Then we've got three from my parents as well. Let's see what we've got. They always pick really good books. So let's see what we've got. Oh yes, this would be perfect to read now. Maybe I'll have to read this in January or February. We have got White Out, which is the sequel to Blackout. This is a kind of, I don't wanna call it an anthology in a way that like this is where authors have all written separate short stories. It's by Donnel Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nick Stone, Andrew Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon. And it's like a romance book that they all kind of write separate parts of, but it all comes together in one. And this one is set just before Christmas. Oh my God, I'm not gonna read this right now. It has to wait. It'll either be in January or February or I will save it to next year. I really loved Blackout. And again, I thought how it was different from a typical anthology really set it apart in that like their stories all connected and overlapped. And it was obviously planned this all together. So when I heard they were coming out with Whiteout, I was incredibly excited. Oh my God, we've got like texts and stuff. So excited. Okay, yes, I love it. I love it. Wow, great pick, Mum. I am so proud of her I could cry. Then what is this? Oh, I knew she'd pick this. We have got the Cat Who Saved books. Can you, you can't really see the cover. It's like the light. Whoa, I don't really know much about this. It was about a cat and books. I know a lot of people have been really enjoying it. It's very short. I knew my mum would pick it. We love cats. Look at the cat. I mean, come on. I think it's about a little like second hand bookshop that exists and a cat there. I don't know. I've heard it's pretty touching, emotional. I mean, it's about cats and books. They're literally my two favourite things. So I'm pretty sure I'm gonna love this. And yeah, I knew this would be one that my mum would pick because she's just sees cat and she goes, right? Like, and then final. Why did they say love Steve and Jen? I love mum and dad guys, come on. Oh, okay. Yes, yes, yes. Another nonfiction that I've been super excited for. We have got Undocted by Adam Kay. So this is the author of This Is Going to Hat, which I've spoken about quite a few times. But if you don't know, that was the diaries of Adam Kay while he was a junior doctor in the NHS. And it's very harrowing. It's very emotional. It's very angering, but joy-filled. Like it's incredible. It's so well done. And I believe this is him kind of writing more of a reflection on what it was like to leave being a doctor because he quit. Alternating between hospital admissions and personal ones, this book looks back at Adam Kay's extraordinary medical education and the scars that he has been left with. He's very funny, right? The books are super funny. They have kind of this dark humor to them that I feel like in order to work in the NHS in the present day and have some semblance of like sanity after it's been so wrecked by the conservative government here in the UK. Yeah, you have to have. So I'm really, really excited to read this. My mum probably picked it because she also loved this as a kind dad. So great pick, mum. Can I get all these books? Can I hold them all up at the same time? Let's see. Whoa, these are all the books I got for Christmas. Yeah, I am so happy. There are so many there that I am just so incredibly excited to read. So thank you, I'm gonna put this down again. Thank you so, so much to any of you that got me a Christmas gift on my wishlist. I cannot tell you how thankful and appreciative I am. It truly means so much. And I'm just so thankful. So thank you so much. I hope that you guys had a wonderful Christmas if you do celebrate it. Let me know which of these that you have enjoyed or let me know which of these that you want me to read so you know if you wanna read it or not. I would love to know. If you got into the end, comment any kind of Christmasy emoji down below. Christmas tree, wrap presents, Santa Claus, anything Christmasy down below. Thank you guys so much for watching and I'll see you very soon in another video. Bye.