JANUARY BOOK HAUL

I told myself at the end of last year that I need to stop buying physical books to try and get through all the unread ones on my shelf in the new year. The main reason being that I do not have enough space to put them all. So far, I think I have done good with sticking to that goal.

This month has been a whirlwind. I had so much to do and there happened quite a lot in the lives of the loved ones around me, which had an impact on me too. However, I have completed many tasks on my to-do list these past two months and one of the them was cleaning out my bookshelf.

It felt so good to go through all my books and to look at what I already own and how many of them are unread (basically all of them). Just by doing that, my brain automatically put a block on the part of me that just wants to keep buying books.

So, I put away the books I already read and the books I do not think I will be reading anytime soon in the future just to declutter a bit and to help me see which ones I want to get to. It has helped more than I thought it would and that is something I recommend to any bibliophile.

The other reason I want to stop buying books (physical copies mostly), is because I want to help the environment a bit by reducing the amount of paper I use. It has been a goal of mine to start creating less waste.

I completed high school through homeschooling and so, I kind of had my own system. In 2017, I started using my iPad Pro and Apple Pencil to do my homework, take notes and write things down. It felt good to help the environment, even if it was in the smallest way, so I would like to keep trying to reduce my paper usage wherever I can.

The inspiration to start using my Kindle again and to buy less physical books came from a video I watched on YouTube by Plant Based Bride. You can find the video I mentioned here.

But that does not mean I will never buy a physical copy of a book because that is just what bookworms do, am I right?

Without further ado, let us look at the books I received this month!

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The first few books I got were bought by my dad. We went to the city for the day and he bought me these as a treat for successfully finishing high school. I am not the kind of person who likes big celebrations so this was really nice and special.

• Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman: I have been hearing many amazing things about this book over the past year or so, and just had to buy it to see what it is all about.

• Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery: This is one of the classics I want to read this year. I mentioned it in my previous blog post but the biggest reason I want to read it is because of the Netflix series, “Anne with an E”.

• You May Now Kill the Bride by R.L. Stine: I do not think this one is very popular because I have only seen it on bookstagram a handful of times but it was on sale so I thought it was the perfect chance to finally get to it and give my own opinion. The synopsis sounds really good and I am hoping the story will be too.

• Wilder Girls by Rory Power: This book kind of exploded in the book community when it was released. I have heard a bit of mixed reviews about it but will give it a go and see what I think of it.

• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness: I have been wanting to get to this trilogy for so long. Being one of the biggest bibliophiles, I wanted to buy the hardcovers but their price is/was quite expensive. When I saw this edition at Bargain Books, I decided to just buy it because I will never get to it otherwise. It is quite a big book but I do not mind at all. I find myself enjoying longer books more, so I cannot wait to binge the three. 

• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens: This is another book I mentioned in my #CommunityClassics reading challenge post. It caught my eye in the classics section and I bought it on a whim. My mother actually had this as a required book in high school and that only intrigued me more.

• City of Bones by Cassandra Clare: I am hoping (crossing all my fingers) to binge all of Cassandra Clare’s books this year. She has quite a lot of books so I cannot guarantee that I will finish them all but she is one of the authors whose books I am hoping to catch up on soon.

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The Book Case had a Black Friday pop-up sale a few months back and even though I have not read Tomi Adeyemi’s first book yet, I have heard only amazing things about it. So, when I saw that they had an exclusive, signed edition of the author’s second book, I knew I had to jump at the opportunity as only a limited amount were available.

Not only did I receive this rare edition for a good price, the team at The Book Case also threw in a candle, bookmark and art print. I really loved the items as they were practical and are things I would use. Like burning the candle while reading the book on my bed in the corner where all my art prints are put up and using the bookmark to keep my place as my puppy constantly seeks attention.  

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A while back, I entered a giveaway on my friend, Ruby at Ruby Rae Reads’ Instagram page and never did I think I would win. I received the book, Frankly in Love which we are planning to buddy read this coming month.

I also received lluminae from Readers Warehouse along with many other goodies, which really took me by surprise. It was a book I have been wanting to buy but just never got around to do, so I really appreciate it.

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That is it for this blog post! What books have you bought and/or received in the first month of the new year?

Keep on reading and never stop telling stories.

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