Christmas Book Haul 2020

It's hard to believe that we're now at the end of 2020, and Christmas felt so different to what has come before. However, another Christmas means another book haul, and this blog wouldn't be the same without a 'Christmas Haul' post. So here we are!

I'm always so lucky that friends and family automatically think of books when giving me gifts, and I got some amazing ones this Christmas! 

Join me as I take a look at what I'm adding to my shelves this Christmas, and my first impressions of them all! 

 The Siren - Kiera Cass

I've had my eye on this one for a while, because I'm such a fan of The Selection series. It's such a wonderfully light-hearted and fun fantasy series, and so I was keen to try out more of Kiera Cass's books. I've heard The Siren is also a great read - and I'm hoping it's impresses me a little more than The Betrothed, which I read earlier this year and unfortunately wasn't a huge fan of!

Complete Collection of Hercule Poirot Stories - Agatha Christie

As the enormous Agatha Christie fan that I am, I already have all the individual collections of Poirot short stories, and I love tucking into them every now and again (I've even just finished a re-read of Poirot Investigates!). However, I was super chuffed when my boyfriend gave me this complete collection as a gift, because I love that they're all in one place. It makes no sense for me to buy them again in a new volume; as a gift, however, it made me very happy!

The Ten Thousand Doors of January - Alix Harrow

This one has intrigued me for a while now. As soon as I first saw the title (and the beautiful cover!) I knew I had to read it, so was glad to see it turn up in my stocking! I read a lot of books that were published quite a while ago, but as a more recent publication, I'm excited to get up to speed with this one.

Wish You Were Here - Renee Carlino

I read a couple of Carlino's other books (Swear On This Life and Before We Were Strangers) in the past eighteen months, and found myself a new author to explore. I gave both of those books five star ratings, and so I knew I had to work my way through some of the author's other books. Therefore, when I opened Wish You Were Here, I was so excited! I can't wait to get into this new novel!

The Diary of a Bookseller - Shaun Bythell

I picked up this book on a trip to Waterstones months, if not over a year, ago, and very nearly bought it on the spot. I loved the structure of diary entries, and could see it had the potential to make me laugh out loud. I made a mental note to ask for it for Christmas instead, and I definitely wasn't disappointed when it made an appearance. I'm looking forward to cosying up with a cup of hot chocolate and tucking into this one very soon.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales From the Cafe - Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Before the Coffee Gets Cold was arguably my favourite book of 2020. I'm certainly not exaggerating when I say that I found it utterly beautiful, and I even bought it as a gift for my mum to enjoy as well! Therefore, getting the sequel for Christmas made me so happy. I'm hoping this one will be just as magical and make me feel just as happy and uplifted as the first.

Two Can Keep a Secret - Karen M. McManus

This is another author that I only discovered over the past year - there seems to be a consistent theme of that happening! I read One of Us is Lying and One of Us is Next earlier this year and absolutely loved them! I liked the clash of YA and murder mystery, and so just know I'm going to love the rest of McManus' novels. 

The Imposter Cure- Jessamy Hibberd

I'm not a massive reader of non-fiction, but my boyfriend really knows his stuff, so when he gifted me this book I knew it would be a great fit for me. I'd previously heard Jessamy Hibberd discussing her work on the Freedom Pact podcast, which I love, and so I feel this was such a great recommendation for me! Fingers crossed I'll find it as inspiring and motivating as other recommendations from the podcast have been!

Instant Karma - Marissa Meyer

Anyone who has followed my reading over the past year will know by now that I've uncovered a major appreciation for Marissa Meyer's work. I read The Lunar Chronicles in 2019 and thought it was a fun and magical series, and then I read the Renegades series in 2020 as well and ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. Meyer is clearly a really consistently powerful author for me, and so I knew as soon as Instant Karma was announced that I would need to get my hands on it. Thankfully, my family thought the same thing!

The Queen of Nothing - Holly Black

I've had The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King on my shelf for a little while now, and they've had so many great reviews that I knew I'd have to try them eventually. However, I'm definitely a series binger, so I knew I wouldn't be able to start it without the final installment in the trilogy. I've had my fix of fantasy for a while through my recent read of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series (eeeeek!), but now I've got this complete series, I'm looking forward to the day I'm ready to start it!

Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World - Mark Aldridge

Do I even need to explain this one? Hercule Poirot is my favourite fictional character of all time, and so this book was an absolute no brainer gift for me. Thankfully, my dad is also an Agatha Christie fan, and so he gave me this absolute beauty!

Moonflower Murders - Anthony Horowitz

And finally, this crime story from Anthony Horowitz. I've loved the author's other crime novels, and Magpie Murders is a particular favourite of mine, so when this was released it went straight onto my list of must-reads! It's a hefty one, but I have a feeling it'll fly by!

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So there we have it!

I have a horrible tendency to get amazing books for Christmas and then take years to actually read them, but I'm making a promise to myself that these will not be the same. In 2021, I plan to read every single one of these books - and hopefully, I'll enjoy them all as much as I'm anticipating!