Birthday Book Haul 2021

 

Hey my lovelies, happy Wednesday! Today we're mixing it up with a mid-week blog post, so I hope you don't mind. I know there hasn't been a blog post for a couple of week now, so apologies for that, I have just been super busy and, if I'm completely honest, feeling a little uninspired with blog post ideas. However, it was my birthday at the beginning of the month and I was lucky enough to be gifted some AMAZING books from my wishlist, so I thought today I would sit down and share them with you. A new book reel has also gone live on my Instagram, so make sure to head over there and give it a watch, and without further ado, let's get into the books!

✨ Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie (Wordsworth Collector's Edition) - Another edition of Peter Pan to add to my collection. As it is my favourite story of all time, I seem to have now made it my mission to own it in every edition possible. I'm embarrassed to say that I think this is my fifth copy? These Wordsworth Collector's Editions are stunning though, and I'm hoping to grow my collection over time. 

✨ Power by Naomi Alderman - I have seen this book floating around for a while now but it hadn't caught my attention until quite recently. A piece of feminist speculative fiction, Power makes the reader pose the question: what if we lived in a woman's world? This dystopian is giving me all of the Atwood vibes so I'm super excited to give it a read.

✨ Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi - This was 100% going to make it onto my bookshelves one day; it is literally my dream novel. Travelling from the Gold Coast of Africa to the Deep South of Mississippi, Home Going follows the story of sisters Effia and Esi - twins sold into completely different identities. I think this may have to be the next book I read!

✨ Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid - This is a typical "bookstagram made me do it" purchase! I feel like everyone and their dog has read Daisy Jones and the Six and love Reid's writing style, so I'm intrigued to see what the hype is all about. I don't know a lot regarding the plot, but I'm hoping it's going to provide all of the 70's culture and nostalgia. 

✨ The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Another one by Reid and another very highly rated story in the bookstagram world. I'm actually reading this as part of a book club in April, so I'm saving it until then. The Hollywood glamour and style that the blurb exhumes definitely caught my attention. It follows the story of ageing Hollywood glamour star Evelyn Hugo, as she reveals the truth about her scandalous life to unknown news reporter Monique Grant. 

✨ Three Women by Lisa Tadego - A book that has been sat on my #tbr for the longest time. Three Women by Lisa Tadego is a work of non-fiction which explores the stories of three women and the intricacies of 21st-century sexual politics. Almost 10 years in the making, I am so excited to add this to my non-fiction reads of 2021. 

✨ My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite - Like Three Women, My Sister the Serial Killer has been on my wishlist for a long time. This book has been reviewed within an inch of it's live, and the impression I get is that you either love it or hate it. It's quite a short book so I'm hoping to get through it quite quickly, and I'm looking forward to forming my own conclusions about this one. 

✨ The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett - Recently nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2021, this was a must on my #tbr list. The Vanishing Half follows the story of twin sisters, runaways from the age of sixteen, and the paths their lives lead them on. Spanning from the Deep South to California during the 1950s to 1990s, I can already tell this is one I'm going to love. 

✨ Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell (Exclusive Edition) - To start, we just need to talk about this BEAUTIFUL edition. Published as a special hardback by Waterstones, when this book came on offer I just had to add it to my list. Chosen as the Waterstones Book of the Year 2020, and winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction 2020, this is definitely a novel of high esteem. You probably guessed, but Hamnet it the story behind Shakespeare's most famous play 'Hamlet', so I'm very happy to add this to my ever-growing collection of historical fiction. 

So there we go my loves, those are the books I received for my 22nd birthday. I am super excited to have new books to get stuck into, and can't describe how excited I am to read each of these. I am incredibly grateful to have received such amazing gifts, and want to thank my family and friends for making my lockdown birthday so special. Lots of love xoxo