2017 Book Guilt

Hello!

A few weeks ago, I was scrolling endlessly through my subscription box trying to catch up with videos when I came across one from Kristina Horner. Some of you may know her, she's a fabulous Youtuber with a big array of hobbies and interests, one of which being books. The video (which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxzrJnD0leg) talked about having books stuck on the shelves for a long time and even though you desperately want to read them, something else always comes up and you just, forget. I don't know about you but this ALWAYS happens to me. There are (and i'm not exaggerating) hundreds of books in my possession that this very thing applies to. So with Kristina's video in mind, I had a look through some of the books I have access to (see earlier post on why I am so limited here: https://loadedshelves.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/the-last-2-months-where-ive-been.html)

I've come up with 5 books that i've had forever that I still haven't read. Well, in all honestly I mean 'finish'. Because 4/5 of this books i'm a fair way into them already!

1. Illuminae - I actually started reading this the same week I bought it. I was completely thrown off by the style of the book and it was a pretty busy time of year at work. It didn't feel like something I wanted to invest time in at that time and I completely forgot about it. One of my best friends, Holly has positively RAVED about it and I bought her the second book Gemina for Christmas. It's only fair that I give it another shot whilst things are relatively quiet at this time of year.
2. Paper and Fire - I'm completely ashamed to say that this was my most anticipated book, I read the first chapter and then got sideblinded by a bunch of life stuff and it got put back on the shelf for a rainy day. Rachel Caine is probably one of my top 2 authors of all time and I FLEW through the first book in the series, I'm desperate to get through this one but i'm worried I might need to re-read the first book in order to fully appreciate it. Anyone have a great summary I could read instead?
3. The Wind Singer - My mum bought me the whole series at a closing down sale a few years ago because she thought i'd enjoy them. My boyfriend has since told me that he also thinks i'd really like them. So why haven't I even cracked open the front cover yet?? I honestly don't know. So hopefully in 2017 i'll be adding this to my read pile.
4. The Red Pyramid - Okay, i'll fess up. This is the most embarassing one on the list. I've had this on my bedside table for....almost 3 years. Before Alex and I started dating, he gave me this and a bunch of other Riordan books. I read all of them except for this one - oops? If that wasn't bad enough, i've used this book of MULTITUDES of readathons and I'm ashamed to say that i'm still only half way through. The worst part is that i'm enjoying it....a lot. It's just one of those books that is so memorable it's easy to put down and forget about (for months, apparently) but still remember exactly what's happening. I'm determined to get this one DONE.
5. The Mark of Athena - Again, i'm more than half way through this one and was loving it. I have the whole set in GORGEOUS hardbacks in a case and I can only say that because they're so beautiful, I don't like having them out of place. It's fine to pick up and read whilst i'm at home but they're definitely not being shoved in my bag or taken on trains etc. Which honestly limits my ability to read them. However, i'm desperate to move on to the newer Riordan/Percy-related books and so i'm going to have to bite the bullet and actually read them. With extreme care.

And they're my 5 books that give me the biggest book guilt! I only picked 5 due to limitations but also because it's way more realistic. I read around 60 books a year on average so 5 is completely doable without taking away any 'but i just really want to read ....' moments that will inevitably arise during the year! I would love to know what makes your lists so either leave them below or send me links to your own posts!

Books I Got For Christmas

My first official post of 2017! Let's just ignore the fact that it's the end of January already. It's absolutely flown by! I've got a fair few catch up posts to make and so I thought i'd start with this one because lists of books get me excited! There are 2 categories for this one, books I got as gifts and books I got with vouchers. I've got a steaming cuo of tea and Netflix in the background so let's get straight to it then!

Books I Got As Gifts

The Christmassaurus by Tom Fletcher
I don't think i've ever met anyone that didn't love Tom Fletcher and his brand new Christmassy dinosaur book was literally all i'd wanted for Christmas. I've already finished it and it was beautifully charming and I can 100% see myself reading it annually for a little Christmas treat. Though obviously aimed at children, there's just something magical about it that adults will also love. It's a gorgeous hardback and full of beautiful illustrations.

Billy & Me by Giovanna Fletcher
You might be sensing a bit of theme now.. I started watching Gi's videos when she joined in with the Dear Carrie/Dear Tom series and I just LOVE her. My boyfriend wont be impressed with me saying this, but we watch Tom, Gi and Carrie''s videos together and it's become a bit of a thing. This beautiful hardback edition of Billy & Me was a complete surprise. I haven't read any of her books yet but i'm truly looking forward to it.

On The Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcher
....A complete Fletcher Christmas. Another gorgeous hardback from my boyfriend and the cover is to die for. From what I know about the story i'm going to fall in love and probably even shed a few tears in the process (i'm a crier!). Excited to get stuck into this one.

Scott Pilgrim Vol 3 & Scott Pilgrim Vol 4
I'm talking the regular graphic novels. I adore the Scott Pilgrim movie and immediately bought the first 2 books in the series all those years ago. Sadly I couldn't find the others in the local comic store and they got pushed to the back of my mind. I'm not sure how Alex remembered I wanted these books as it was long before we started dating but he did, and now my love is reignited and I want to finish the series at long last.

Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them - The Screenplay
I completely ADORED the movie. I don't know how it escaped my knowledge that they had released the screenplay as a book but mum came through! The book itself is stunning. A deep blue with gold lettering. I haven't had chance to look at it any closer but I forsee a wonderful day of re-living the film with hot chocolates and popcorn in the near future.

The Illustrated Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets by J.K.Rowling
There are no words to describe how magical it is to still receive Harry Potter books for Christmas. Though it's not necessarily a book that I would pick up and read (it's damn heavy!), the illustrations are perfect and I love flicking through and getting a real sense of everything.

The Complete Shakespeare Stories by Matthews & Ross
So, if you know me then you know I love Shakespeare and anything remotely Shakespeare-y. I own the complete collection multiple times so i'm thrilled to have another set! These ones are written for children and so are basic story lines and it's exciting to just HAVE them! They will definitely get used a lot as memory refreshers and in the future if there are ever any mini readers in my life.

Next bit...! This is just a quick list as a lot of them were just impulse-in-the-sales buys but i'm excited nonetheless.

Books I Got With Vouchers

Mind Games (Demon Trappers) by Jana Oliver
Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven
If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
Disney's Fairest Of Them All
Disney's The Beast Within
Disney's Once Upon A Dream

So a pretty big haul! I'm really happy to start the year with a LOT of new reading material that is hopefully going to boost me to read a lot more in 2017....or at least with more regularity :) Happy new year guys! Let me know if you've read any of them and what you thought!