 Hello, friends! It's my b- It's my birthday. This video won't come out for a little while, I think it'll come out next week. But it's my birthday and I'm gonna unwrap presents! Oh my god, I'm so excited! So, I have like these 5? 5? For my parents, but we're gonna open them last. We're gonna start with where to begin with this. We have got like boxes upon packages that I think you guys and friends have sent me. So, we're gonna open these now. I honestly can't believe it. A few of these you may see have been opened because they arrived so early. I wasn't expecting anything. I thought it was something I'd bought, but... Don't worry, I haven't looked at anything. I just wanna say a matter of thank you to start off with anyone who's got anything that's completely unexpected. You don't need to, but it's such a wonderful thing and such a lovely thing to do. And I'm incredibly thankful. So, let's just get into it. Okay, I don't even know what order to do these in, but we've got one here. Okay. I'm nervous! I don't know why I'm nervous. Ooh! Okay. So, we have got Nevermore, The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend. Is today a good day? Today's a great day. It's a blessed day. This is a middle grade series which I've always wanted to start. This is from Michelle, Michelle says, Hi Megan, watching your videos always makes me smile, so I hope this book does that for you. After browsing your wishlist, I was shocked you didn't already own this. Pure joy incoming. So, I know that this girl is destined to die on her 11th birthday, and then something happens, she's whisked away into this magical world, and I've always been very intrigued by it. A lot of my friends have read Nevermore. My friends who don't typically read a ton of middle grade, and they really loved the series, so it's just been a middle grade I've always wanted to start. So, thank you so much Michelle, that is so kind of you. Wow, I also really like this cover. It's like shiny, it's very pretty. I haven't been reading a ton of middle grade lately, but I definitely want to read more. So yeah, oh my god. Okay, let's open, we've got two in these kind of packages. Let's open one of these. Who's this from? Oh, it's from Riley! Riley says happy birthday. This is one of my favorite books, so I really hope you love it. If you don't, never tell me, lol. Okay, so here's the thing. A lot of you probably don't know, but I just formed a podcast with Riley for my Patreon. We picked five books for each other that we think they would really enjoy, and we both, like, either bought the books or put them on our wish list or whatever, because we were so excited by what each other was saying. And I saw, I feel like maybe she's got one of those from my wish list. A curious beginning, which is Veronica's Feudal Mysteries. This is the first in the series. Oh my god, I am... I'm so excited! Riley was talking about how it was like one of her favorite series ever, and I've always really wanted to start it, but I was saying how this is like one of the series I don't let myself start. Like, some series I start without even thinking about it, but because I'm trying to limit it now, this has always been one that's like, you can start that when you read less. Do not move, like, when you're reading less, when you're middle of less. The same with In the Hall with a Knife, the Clue Mysteries by Adam and Peter Freund. It's the same kind of thing. They're series I want to read so bad that I'm not allowed to read them until I've read more series. Other series I'll start without thinking about it, but these ones are like treats that I'm saving and savoring. So all I really know about this is that it's like a Victorian mystery series. There's like a romance that goes on throughout it. And Riley has always just spoken so, so highly of this. So, yeah. Thank you so much, Riley! Oh my god! Wow, okay, I feel like, okay, if I read, if I get down, if I read, like, six series, I'm gonna let myself start both the Clue one and this one. No! I need to be more... I need to be more controlled with series. I need to be more controlled because it is a problem. This is so exciting. Oh! I've seen what it is! I've seen... Not me opening three series, the first three books I'm opening. Three first books in series. Um... You guys don't want me to fail! Okay. Oh, this is from Shanice! Shanice is one of my patrons. Shanice is so lovely. And I can't believe it. I actually can't believe that. I can't believe that. I actually can't believe that. We've got the Marlowe Murder Club by Robert Thurrogood. I... can't tell you how excited I am to read this because it's like another, like, mainstream murder mystery book. I think it's also following, like, an older protagonist, which is very similar to the Thursday Murder Club, which was my favourite book of last year. So... I think it's very similar to the Thursday Murder Club. So because of that, I am so... This is, like, one of the number one books. I was hoping someone would get me. Like, I was like... I'm so excited. Thank you so much, Shanice. It's not that long either. It's only, like, 330 pages. That's not too bad. And, um... Yes. A lot of people have told me that I'm going to love this. It's got puzzles. Stereos. The Thursday Murder Club. The Marlowe Murder Club. I just feel like it's meant to be. I must love elderly murder clubs. Ooh! This is not one I was expecting to get. Let's see the note. Who's this from? Sarah! Oh, Sarah. Hi, Meg. Happy birthday. I hope you have the best day. I've heard great things about this book. So this is How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao. Ooh! It's been compared to, like, Gossip Girl. I've heard it's, like, dark academia vibes. Ooh! I'm so excited. This wasn't one I was expecting someone to get me. Lesson number one. Sinclair Prep students betrayal will haunt you from the grave. Ooh! How exciting! I think it's, like, a very, like, juicy thriller with, like, twists and turns and betrayal and, like, backstabbing. I'm hoping for good things from this because I read another, like, Gossip Girl, like, um, compared book in Ace of Spades. And I wasn't, like, obsessed. So I'm hoping I'm gonna love this one. I don't know. I've heard a lot of good things about it. It was one of my most anticipated releases of last year. So I feel so happy to own it. This is amazing. Another one that's not too long. Is this under 300 pages? Oh, it's under 300 pages. Interesting. Well, guess what, people? I get excited about small things. So, yeah, I really love the idea of, like, Gossip Girl, prep school, backstabbing kind of thing. But I want to read a book where I really, like, enjoy it. You know what I mean? I love opening these. Okay. Oh, we've got two. Okay, hold up, hold up, hold up. Oh my God, Melissa. Melissa's another one of my patrons. I mean, Sarah's one of my patrons, but I don't want anyone to feel left out. But, um, Melissa has got me two books. First one is Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers. Courtney Summers is quickly becoming, like, one of my favorite authors. Like, I'm absolutely obsessed with her. You know, Sadie and the project have both been five stars. One of the books I've read from Courtney Summers have been five stars. So, we were talking actually, you know, live about how I need to read more Courtney Summers and, like, get through her backlist. So, Melissa says, Happy birthday. Hope you have a great day. And, oh, I was worried I had shit on my jumper then. I don't. Um, and 22 treats you well. I hope this helps you start your Courtney Summers backlist reading. I don't know too much about this one. I watched a video of Courtney Summers actually talking about each of her, like, backlist books recently. It was really interesting because she didn't talk about plots. She just talked about vibes. And that's, like, what I want. I just, I know the vibes of this. But can I explain to you the plot? No. I think it's about this girl who's like a perfect student, perfect girl, and that kind of starts to fall apart, essentially. And then, Melissa has only gone and sent me a book that wasn't on my wishlist, which I love when people, like, love a book so much and they want me to read it. I know this one wasn't on your list, but I haven't stopped thinking about this book since I read it and I think you enjoy it. Also, the cover is incredible. Hope you love it or at least don't hate it. Which is Ghostwood's Son by Erica Waters. I've heard people, like, I haven't really heard anyone speak about it. I've seen it on, like, Instagram. Like, people post it on your Instagram. But I haven't actually heard what anyone's, like, opinions on it are, or what the plot is. A fiddle made of secrets. A song to raise the dead. Oh, this sounds so interesting. I think she's trying to, like, clear her brother's name. He's been accused of murder. And she's like, do I want to, like, you know, speak to the dead and try and call his name? Or do I want to dredge that all up? So, oh, how exciting. Thank you so much, Melissa. Oh, Lauren. Happy birthday. Thanks for your entertaining videos and excellent recommendations. I hope you have a wonderful birthday. This book is on my February TBR. I think it's going to be great. What is it? I'm so sorry to be here. Seriously, would I? This is the dream. Okay, okay, okay. So many beginnings by Bethany Seymourro. This is one I actually have plans to read soon and I was going to get it if I didn't get it for my birthday. So this is a little women remix. So it's not like a retelling. It's like a remix of the story. We have got the four March sisters. They got the same names, but they are black girls kind of living during the time of the American Civil War. And I am just so excited to read it. I have plans for a series that this is going to appear in. And I'm just so excited. I've heard so many good things about it. Now, me and Bethany Seymourro, I already read one of her books and I didn't love it. I think I gave it like two and a half stars, but this is a bit different. And like, I don't know. I feel like I'm really going to enjoy her books once I like really get into them. I feel like that was just a one off. Okay. Oh, we have notes. Okay. Oh my God. I'm so excited. I'm so happy. Oh my God. Jesus Christ. Check out the label. They've blessed me. So these are both from Hannah. The first one, Hannah says, Happy birthday, Meg. I hope you have a lovely birthday with Tom and your family. Thanks to all the hard work creating content and your Patreon. Your videos often pick me up when I'm down. Thank you so much. I'm going to cry. So Hannah got me the Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective, Secrets and Lies in the Golden Age of Crime. So this is nonfiction about Maud West, who was a female detective, like spot, not spot, detective. She was a little female detective in like the Edwardian period. And I read Stephen Fry's Edwardian Secrets. I really like his series on Audible. He sounds Victorian and Edwardian Secrets. And there was like a whole section on Maud West and like this secret like Lady Detective, who existed in that time when, you know, women weren't really able to do stuff like this and how cool she was and how amazing she was. And this is nonfiction about her. And I'm just so excited. I think like the idea of like a female detective agency within this time is something I find very like intriguing and like, I don't know. I think if I ever wrote a book, I'd love to write it about like female detectives like in this historical time. I think it's so interesting. So I really want to learn about Maud West and her story. So I've just been so excited to read this. Thank you so much, Hannah. And then Hannah said, Happy birthday, make this book sound so interesting. I would be intrigued to know if you like it. Oh, you don't understand how excited they are. So we have The Monogram of Murders by Agatha Christie slash Sophie Hannah. So Sophie Hannah is like a thriller author and she is writing new Agatha Christie books. She also writes her own books, but she is writing new Urquiparo mysteries. And obviously a lot of you will know I'm reading the Urquiparo mysteries in order. But I feel like because these are new, they're kind of separate from what Agatha Christie wrote, I can read them now. I'd really like to. So this is the first one. So yeah, I don't know. I'm just really interested to see how an author who is like working, I think with like the Agatha Christie estate to write these books, is adapting Urquiparo like through almost a modern lens with everything we now know about thriller and mystery writing. It just really intrigues me. I really want to reach Sophie Hannah's own stuff as well, but I thought maybe I'll start with this with like a familiar character. And yeah, I'm really, really excited to give this a go and like read some of the more modern Agatha Christie slash Sophie Hannah books that are being written. So thank you so much, Hannah. That is so kind of you. Next we've got a big box, which again, I opened because I was like, that's not books. I don't know what it is. But I soon realized it wasn't, what the hell? It wasn't something I opened. There's a note. Okay. Oh, this is from Hannah as well. Okay, hold up. What is this? Hannah, what a happy birthday Meg. I thought I would also send you. This is a little cozy reading aid. I hope you like the scent. I would be sending you like sweet smelling Woodwick candles. Oh my God, Hannah. Hold up. Hold up. Hold. What? Oh my God. Oh my God. I love Woodwick candles. And Hannah got me one called Golden Trees. Oh my God. It smells so good. Hannah. Oh my God. It smells so good. Oh, and that's so unexpected. Thank you so much. That's so kind. Thank you so, so much. Oh my God. I'll light that tonight when I'm back home. How exciting. Thank you so much. Okay. We have got three packages left. Two little ones on a big one. Let's do the big one. Oh my God. I'm going to cry. Oh my God. I'm going to cry. I'm going to cry. I'm going to cry. So this is from my Aunt Debbie. Jesus, I listened to this book on Audible. I loved it. Thank you so much, Debbie and John. Thank you so much. Are you guys ready? I don't think you're ready. I don't think. My feet. You can't see my feet. My feet are like paddling in midair with excitement. I'm gagging. Doors of January. Oh my God. I'm about to freak out. This is like my first book. You can't see because of the light. This is my first book ever with like proper deckled edges. Not the deckled edges. Oh, I've never had something like that. And I love it. Oh my God. Okay. So a lot of you know that the Once and Future Witches by Alexi Harrow was my second favorite book of last year. And I have quickly just decided I need to become obsessed with everything Alexi Harrow has written. And this is, I think her debut, the 10,000 Doors of January. And I'm just so excited. I don't really know the plot. I know it's about doors. I think it's actually very similar plot wise to the Starless Sea. I've heard like super similar. They came out about the same time. So it's not like one copied the other. They are literally the same plot. Oh my God. This book has footnotes. You're kidding me. This book has footnotes. And they were roomies. So excited. Alexi Harrow has like the most beautiful, gorgeous, lyrical writing ever. So thank you so much. I'm so happy. This is like probably one of the other books I was most like wanting to get. You guys know me so well. Like you honestly know me so well. And then we have two packages. We only have these two left. And I know Nicole has sent me two books. These are only parcels left. And she said it would be like a series. So she said there wouldn't be notes. So I tried to like, I don't know. These two parcels look similar to me. So I was like, I'm going to save them to last. And then they're different than the others. All the others were Amazon, but these weren't. So let's see. I don't know what series they could be that are this size. Oh, okay. Let's open the other ones to see if I'm right. And then we'll talk about them together. Oh my God. Nicole. Okay. So these are the final two books I don't have of the Forgotten Women series. We have Forgotten Women, The Scientists, and Forgotten Women, The Artists. So these, I think you've probably heard me talk about them before, but these are series of books about Forgotten Women throughout history. These books have gorgeous, let me try and show you, like gorgeous illustrations about each woman and like a little, like a couple pages about each of these women throughout history. And I just love like women's history. I love learning about Forgotten Women. I love learning about, yeah, women that kind of time has ignored and not remembered. And so I have now the writers, the artists, and the scientists, which are the last three books that I haven't read. So I need to read them all. Thank you so much, Nicole. These are just, honestly, you guys, they're not very well read. Like I don't, I think like on Goodread, they've got like 30 ratings or some shit. Like they haven't got a lot of ratings, but I love them. I think they're so interesting. They're so informative. And I just love learning about women. Women. Women. These books really remember these women and it does such a good job of, you know, intersectionality and representing all kinds of women throughout history, throughout nations, races. Like I think it does such a good job of it. So if you've ever been kind of interested in Forgotten Women, Forgotten Women's History, I'd really recommend these. I am so excited. Thank you so much, Nicole. Oh my God. I love them. I just love this series. So I really need to read the rest now. Okay. After all that excitement, we have, oh my God, I almost dropped them. The five books that my family and my parents have got me. So they always choose quite well. I think my dad chose these again. Do you remember my Christmas book haul when Iron Raptor, they got me? And I was like, my dad picked these because he like got like assassins, whatever the sequel to assassins apprentice is. Oh my God, I can't remember now. He did it again. So I'm intrigued to see what he's picked. Ooh. Okay. So he picked me Jane Still by Lindsay Faye, which is another one of the books that Riley recommended to me when we did our podcast. This is a Jane Eyre retelling. On the front it says, reader, I murdered him. I think it's about this like, this murderous woman. And Riley was telling me like, Jane Eyre is a book in the book. And like the woman be like, my life kind of like mirrors Jane Eyre. Isn't that weird? We're both called Jane, but it is a Jane Eyre retelling, but the book exists. I don't know. It sounds so interesting. Riley really sold it to me. And it's got like sections of Jane Eyre at the beginning of each chapter that kind of mirrors it. So I am so excited to read this. It's a very good pick. After reading it, they never learned. That got me so excited to read like female killer books. I don't know why I really like it. Number one, please judge me. Number two, please hate me. Cause number three, I love it. I'm intrigued to see if Jane Still is going to be similar, where the killing is kind of like feminist. Okay. Next, what have we got? Oh, he's only gone and got another one. Riley, Riley's influence on me. Okay. Then we've got Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton, which is another one that Riley recommended to me on the podcast. Riley was telling me this is about like this town that has to make sacrifices to the devil. There's like three characters who are like, you know, that is affecting them differently. I think they're in a polyamorous relationship. It's fantasy. It's horror. It's horror. It's spooky. Oh my God. I'm so excited. And like Riley, when Riley was talking and like, I like fairy tales. I like dark fairy tales. That's kind of my thing. Like I feel like that's definitely a little bit of me. And I'd always thought this was a romance. Whenever Riley, I was telling Riley, whenever I like heard her speak about it, I always thought it was like a fantasy romance, which I haven't ever really read. Like not a fantasy with romance in it, like a fantasy romance. And I've never really read any of them, but it's not. It's more fantasy that has a romance in it. And I was like, okay. Okay. Okay. I'll buy it. Next. What have we got? Oh my God. I can't get in. Oh my God. This one is so exciting. So this has just come out. It is the key in the lock by Beth Underdown. If you watched my most anticipated releases video, you'll recognize this. By day, Ivy mourns the loss of her son Tim in the Great War. But by night, she mourns another boy, one whose death decades ago haunts her still. For Ivy fears, there is more to what happened all those years ago. The fire at Pony House, and the terrible events that came after. Truth she must uncover, she's ever to be free. I would love to see that. Yes, me too. I would love to see that. I'm so excited. Also, someone called me out. Like in the video, I'm like, oh my God, I love the cover. The cover is literally like a Cluedo board. Can we guess why I love the cover? So yeah. This is like a historical Gothic mystery. And I'm so excited. It's actually not even that long. I thought it'd be longer, but it's under 300 pages. Oh, we love to see it. Short chapters. Oh, we truly, we truly love, love to see it. So yeah, this is just one of the releases at the start of this year. I've been most excited to read. Oh, didn't I fucking say? Didn't I? Can I just, can I just take a moment of silence for myself? In that video, I swear if you go back and watch it, I say, oh, it's a bit more like literary historical fiction. Think Elizabeth McNeil. Who is the fucking top blurb? Elizabeth McNeil. I am so powerful. My mind, oh, it amazes me sometimes. Frankly, I just know my shit. Oh my God. How exciting. Yeah, that's like one of the first 2022 releases that I've gotten. How exciting. Oh, we have another 2022 release. Okay. This wasn't, hang on. I didn't put this on my, most anticipated. Had it already come out, or did it actually come out in 2022? Actually, that's outrageous if I didn't put this on my, I didn't. We have The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett. So I just read The Appeal this month by Janice Hallett, and I didn't love it, but I felt like I really could. So I really wanted to read like her next book and then kind of figure out where I sat with her books. This is like another kind of like mixed media mystery. I think this one is told through audio files. So I'm going to get the audio book. I'm hoping it might be full cast. We're following a protagonist who found a copy of Miss Children's book by disgraced author Edith Twyford. It's margins for the strange markings and annotations. Wanted to know more, he took it to his English teacher, not reading the train events he was setting in motion. She became convinced that the book was the key to solving a puzzle and that a message and secret code run through the novels. Then she disappeared on a class trip, which sounds so interesting. I'm so excited. My one critique of The Appeal was that it was like all emails. This is all audio files. I would prefer a mix in everything. I don't know. I am really excited for it though. I'm hoping I'll love it even more because there was like something about Janice had itself like the way the characters interacted, but I found so compelling and interesting. But yeah, I just didn't quite love it, but I'm hoping I'll love that one. And then this is a strangely shaped book. What the hell is this? Oh wait, I know what this is. It's not something you guys want to see. You're not going to be interested. I can't believe I'm opening this on the book haul. Anyway, it's a cookbook. It's the new pinch of non-cookbook. I really like the pinch of non-cookbooks in the UK if you didn't know. I can't believe we're ending on this. So this is the new one. Thanks guys. No, I'm so excited. It's just a funny thing to be unboxing. Yeah, I really like these cookbooks. I like cooking. I cook like all my lunches and stuff and I help mum figure out what we're cooking for dinner. And I just really like these cookbooks, these new ones that have come out. This is the newest one. So yeah, this is on my list, but probably not what I should have unboxed in this video, especially saving it to last. So there we have it. That is all of my birthday book haul. I did so well. I'm so happy. Thank you so much to anyone who sent me a book. It's so, so kind of you and lovely of you. And yeah, I'm just so excited to read all of these. So let me know what you thought of any of these books that I've hauled today, what your opinions on them are, what your favorite ones here that you read are. And thank you so, so much for watching. I hope you've enjoyed the video. I'm off out now to go get some food on my birthday. But thank you guys so much because you really make every day lovely and wonderful. So thank you so much. If you've gotten to the end also comment like the cake emojis or a birthday cake or like the cake with candles emoji. Comment that down below if you've gone to the end. And thank you so much for watching and I'll see you very soon in another video. Bye.