 Hey friends! How are we doing today? It's a video I'm very excited to film because I'm very excited to find out what I got because we are filming. Oh my god, I can't even get all the parcels up. We're filming a birthday book haul. It's my birthday. It's my birthday! It's my birthday to me! This book haul is gonna be a little bit smaller than like previous birthday book hauls because usually a big chunk of these videos is a book sent to me by my family. Usually they give me a lot of books for my birthday but we just did presents a little bit differently with the move to Wales this year and how my birthday coincided with it. So this is just a book sent from you guys which I am overwhelmingly grateful for. Thank you so much. I am so excited to open these on it. It's so so kind of you to send me gifts on my birthday um so just get into it. It's actually two days after my birthday. It's like a second birthday. I waited till I can film this video and I was so excited. You guys are so kind. Let's find out what the books are because like I can't wait any longer but thank you so much in advance to everyone who sent me something. Now first you've actually got one we don't need to unbox because this arrived before we moved to Wales so I had to open it then and it is The Other People by CJ Tudor. Now this is from Jay. Jay says happy birthday it was one of my favorites in 2023. I hope you enjoy the back. Here's the thing. CJ Tudor for me has become such a reliable thriller author and this one sounds so good. It says driving home one night Gabe sees the face of a little girl he knows in the rear window of the car in front. She mouths one word daddy. He never sees his five-year-old daughter Izzy again and it's about him trying to find his daughter. And listen I'm very excited to do this one. Thank you so much Jay. This is like a back for this book that I've been meaning to get around to for quite some time. I really enjoyed The Chalkman by CJ Tudor. I really enjoyed The Burning Girls. I really enjoyed The Drift. They were all like solid four stars and here's the thing. I know it's not a five. I don't know if me and CJ Tudor but being like a solid four star is almost as good for me as being like you know like there's some authors like if five stars and then I give them three stars like I don't know what I'm getting from them. I know what I'm getting from CJ Tudor. CJ Tudor knows what to give me and I'm very grateful for that. So that's our first book. Now let's open the ones that we don't know what they are shall we? Oh I'm so excited. Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up. Oh my god. Jesus Christ. Check out the label. Oh my god. Is there a note? Oh if you've got this to me please let me know. There's no note. Oh my god. I am so excited. I'm getting bedraggled. I need to calm down. It is Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Wersley. So Lucy Wersley has done the Agatha Christie book that I really want to read. However I have found out there's a lot of spoilers apparently in Lucy Wersley's Agatha Christie book for like Agatha Christie books and I'm you know I'm trying to make my way through them but it's gonna take me a while Lucy. But she also has written one about Jane Austen and I watched some documentaries. I don't know how similar like the information will be from what the documentaries were. I guess more in detail but I really enjoyed the documentary I watched that Lucy Ferney did on Jane Austen and oh my god I'm so excited. Oh my god please let me know if you got me this. Thank you so so much. This yeah yeah yeah I have become a bit obsessed with Jane Austen. I've always had an affinity with Jane Austen like you guys know my history of pride and righteousness. I loved things I was drinking. Did anyone watch Austenland? Does anyone remember that? I think Jennifer Coolidge was in it. It was ahead of its time. Austenland incredible incredible incredible and you know this is kind of a nonfiction I'm really interested in like reading more about women that really interest me. So both this and Agatha Christie book I need to get to. I feel like if there is spoilers for Jane Austen books in this AI's read a bigger chunk of them there's not as many books to get through like Agatha Christie is 100 like Lucy calm down. I do expect me to have read a lot of them but um you know with Jane Austen books you kind of do know what's gonna happen and I don't feel like knowing what's gonna happen is the worst thing in the world you know. So oh thank you so much who have got me this. This is one I really wanted to get my hands on so thank you so much. Oh there's two books okay let's see what we've got. Oh these are from Shanice one of my patrons thank you so much. Shanice's happy birthday have a great day. Okay let's see what we've got. Oh okay first we have got This Book Kills which is like a YA murder mystery that came out last year that I've been very intrigued by. So this guy dies is set at a private school this popular guy dies and he dies in the exact same way that our main character wrote about a character dying in a short story she wrote and then she receives a text thanking her for the inspo. Not you are on the vision board oh my god. I've been really intrigued by this one since it came out and I'm always here's the thing I always want more YA murder mysteries that I can enjoy because I think there's something very special about a YA murder mystery and like the tone it strikes like I love a good girl's guy to murder I really enjoy the Trudy Divya series but I feel like sometimes it's a little bit difficult to find the good one so I'm hoping this will be one of the good ones. So thank you so much Shanice. Shanice also got me Silver Knight Trade by Silvan Rana Garcia. I am so excited so this one is about it's set in like the film industry in the 90s in Mexico City and it was about this film that was never finished because they believe there's a curse over it and our main characters are trying to finish the film together. I'm really excited. Here's the thing. Me and Silvan Rana Garcia. We've had mixed luck. I loved Mexican Gothic but everyone loved Mexican Gothic. I thought daughter of Dr. Moro was okay and I didn't really enjoy Velvet was the night so we've had mixed luck but Silvan Rana Garcia is one of those authors that her synopses always get me. Like her synopses always really really excite me so I think that I mean I think this could be a win but I'm going into it a little bit tentatively because I know we can have mixed results but her synopses always get me. Her new book. I haven't even read the synopsis yet. I saw Taylor Jenkins read post a screenshot of Silvan Rana Garcia's 2024 release and I already know I'm gonna read that. I already I haven't even read the synopsis of that but just the cover I already know how does she ensnare me like this again and again? I'm obsessed. This is so kind of you guys. We've got a note. Thank god I hate when there's no notes. Melissa happy birthday Meg. I hope this year is kind to you. Thank you so much Melissa. No you didn't. One of the books that I have almost gotten so many times in bookshops over the since it came out Rouge by Mona Awad. Oh my god this is such a good pick. I have read Only Bunny right by Mona Awad. I've already read Bunny which I didn't love as much as everyone else did. I thought it was good. I enjoyed it but I didn't love it as much as everyone else but I feel like this one it could be really good. So it's about this character who's been obsessed with skin and skincare videos for as long as she can remember. Her mother dies. That sends things into a bit of a spiral. This is a surreal descent into the dark side of beauty envy grief and the complicated love between mothers and daughters. I think this is going to be really good. I'm really interested in this whole like this springing up of like horror surrounding beauty and like aging. I know there's not is it natural beauty that was also nominated in the Goodreads Choice Awards for horror. I'm really interested in the subsection. As someone who loves like beauty, YouTube, skincare, YouTube, whatever it's so interesting to see that turn into like a bit of a horror sub genre or like sub topic. I think this is going to be it. I think I'm really enjoying this. I think I might enjoy this like some people enjoyed Bunny and then haven't enjoyed this like I think this could be it for me. So thank you so much Melissa. Next one. Let's see what we've got. You guys are too kind honestly. What have we got? Oh shut up. Who got this? Hannah off of Beijing. Happy happy birthday. That'll make sense a second. I mean birthday. I haven't read this but it's on my TBR for obvious reasons. I'm using as a guinea pig a fun nonfiction hopefully. She can't be butt a backstory. Oh my god. I'm so guys I'm so excited for this one. So this is about bums. So you admit I have a nicer ass for probing. A looser ass. Excuse you. I had heard of this until I saw it nominated for one of the nonfiction categories of Goodreads Choice Awards and I think this came second. This got more votes than it had ratings just because people like me voted for it because it's about butt. And I'm I'm obsessed with this talking about the perception of women's bodies. I also think the the perception of like what what butt you should it's very interesting. Like when I was growing up it was like does my bum look fat in this? Like it was a bad thing and now you want a fat fat ass. Show me. And I have someone who this isn't something you guys know because you don't see my lower half of them. They have quite a large derriere. And that does form part of my identity in my personal life. That sounds weird. It's just you know my mom will be like oh do you have a great thumb? Don't you make it up there yet? You know what I mean? It's going down a route I don't know if everyone can do. But not funny. Ha ha. Funny weird. But this fascinates me. Oh I'm gonna have to read this soon. Thank you so much Hannah. Also it's not too long. This is fascinating. This is fascinating. I am so so excited to read this. Oh my god. I'm so excited to read this. Thank you so much Hannah. That is such a great gift. My goodness. Oh this one oh I'm gonna have to get a scissors for that one. Let's do all the other ones first. There's a parcel that went home before I changed my amazon address to this address and my dad had to send it to me but I need scissors because like look at how like I can't show you the front necessarily without we'll do that. Like this man whenever he wraps birthday and Christmas presents it's a running joke that like you can't get into them because he just like very tightly wraps everything. Oh what is this? Oh there's no night again. Okay please let me know if you got this again. Oh my god we have got Island of Whispers by Francis Harding illustrated by Emily Grabbet. This is like a I think this is middle grade and it's kind of a graphic novel not entirely like it's a story and it has illustrations by Francis Harding. I've read only one book from but I feel like could become a favorite author. I own a lot of Francis Harding books now I think I own this maybe is my fourth that I haven't read. She's making up. I wonder like which author makes up the biggest percentage of my TBR. Probably Francis Harding and I think this is like a middle grade that she's come out with. There's a trick to seeing the dead. On the island of Merlank the dead must not be allowed to linger. Their ghosts can kill you on sight. When young Milo is thrust into the role of Theriman following his father's sudden death he is tasked with carrying the dead away. Pursued by a vengeful lord and two malignant magicians Milo must navigate strange and perilous seas where untold threats whisper in the mist. Does he have the courage and imagination to complete his urgent mission? I'm so excited I think this could be like a magical little book. Like do you know it reminds me of like A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness that kind of book that is maybe written for kids is maybe written for someone older. I mean is A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness? It's kind of it. It's a horror but maybe I feel like a kid could read that. You know what I mean? I feel like we're like oh that's not for kids but like what I was reading when I was a kid wasn't for kids either. I was eight years old sitting there with breaking dawn on my school desk like yeah and that bitch absolutely. I'm a little bit concerned. But you know like a middle grade that's very heartwarming that's very emotional the illustrations look absolutely beautiful. I really like the illustration style. I just saw one where was the one I just saw? I really like the illustration style it's very unique. So thank you so much to whoever gifted that to me please let me know who you are so I can thank you. Oh this is a thick book. Oh my god there's no note again. What is amazon playing at? Please let me know if this is from you. We have got The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence. This is a thick boy. I'm not sure I knew how thick it was. How many pages is it? Okay it's not that bad. It's 560 pages. That could be worse. I've heard really good things about this. Oh this is very short synopsis. Let's read this together. Ever has lived his whole life trapped within a vast library older than empires and larger than cities. Leveria has spent hers in a tiny settlement out on the dust where no one goes and nightmares stalk. The world has never noticed them and that's about to change. I love a good like fantasy about books. Look at the cover. It's a library. It's a motherfucking library. Do you know what I mean? I love anything. Like I loved The Library of the Unwritten and I really need to continue on with that series. Like I love fantasy surrounding round books and do you know what? I'm glad this is long. Yes it's intimidating. I think I prefer fantasy that's long. I really like a fantasy where you really get into the nitty gritty and get into the depths of it. I feel like I've been reading a lot of fantasy lately. There's been very, it's felt very surface level and I feel like I'm hankering after a fantasy series that really fucking dives into it. The Greenbone Saga, Jade City, Jade War, Jade Legacy. I didn't love Jade City but by the time we were in Jade War and Jade Legacy they were so long that we knew the world in so much depth and I adored that. So I think we've now got three books that you need to tell me if you got me please. These ones are the Jane Austen ones. Please because I hate not knowing and not thanking people. Okay let me go get scissors and we'll open this last package. How am I even supposed to get into this? Steven what are you doing? I think I'm just gonna have to like cut the top of the package off. Oh my god you guys can't see what I'm doing because this is requiring intense focus. Oh my god. May I take a break? Jesus. Oh my god. Who is this from? Emma. Some sequels to make 2024 easier. Well I wonder what the other book is. Let's talk about this one first. Thank you so much Emma. We have got What the Chance is the Archive of Forgotten which is the sequel to the Library of the Unwritten. I literally just mentioned that. Okay is it a coal incident? Is it a coal incident at SU? Is it a coal incident? Thank you so much. This is a series I really need to make progress in because I feel like I'm forgetting what happened in the Library of Written. Unwritten a little bit. I'm definitely gonna need like a like a what's the word? Spoint no like what's recap there we go. So I don't want to tell you what this one's about but basically the Library of Written in Hell is like where these books live. I'm gonna do a really bad job explaining this book and we've got these characters who had to go on this kind of quest to save the library and it was very good. I really really enjoyed it but like I said I'm definitely gonna need a recap but I loved the humour of these. I loved the world building. I love the characters so thank you so much Emma. I'm really excited. This is a series I feel like I should prioritise finishing this year. What is our other sequel? This is perfect. Oh my goodness. Okay we've got Into the Riverlands by Nevo. So this is the third and the singing hill cycle and my mum gave me the fourth. It was my fault. I put the fourth on my wishlist which I never really do with sequels when I don't have like the earlier ones but I put the fourth on my wishlist and I didn't have the third yet. So I was gonna buy this soon anyway so thank you so much Emma. I'm gonna be reading this soon actually probably next month or the month after. I'm gonna be reading Into the Riverlands. So this novel series are following Clarke Chee as they travel around and they gather stories from people and I just love this series so much. I read the first two and I just think they're really a love letter to the art of storytelling and I adore it. I love it so much. I think these, this series is incredible. I think the way that Nevo writes is absolutely amazing. I own two of her full length novels that I need to get around to because I just love her writing. I think it's so unique. Oh it's gonna be so good. These are lovely lovely short little novellas and I'm so excited to make progress in this series. So let me pull these books together. Okay this is my birthday book haul which I am so excited to read all of these. Thank you so much to any of you who sent me one of these. I am so appreciative and again if you're one of the people who I didn't have a note please message me so I can thank you personally but this is just so kind of you guys. Thank you so much. I'm so excited to read so many of these. Oh these are these are really good picks for guys. Some of these I think I'm gonna read very very soon like I'm gonna read Into the Riverlands very soon. I'll probably read Island of Whispers for that video in the same video as well but I need to get to Butts ASA. So thank you so much guys. I really appreciate your generosity. So I'm gonna go read the first page of all these like I do whenever I get new books and yeah I'll see you guys soon in another video. Bye!