A Belated Book and Christmas Present Haul

Guess who's back! 

Hint: it's not Slim Shady.

It's been ages since I last blogged. I didn't mean for so much time to pass between posts, but it's been a rough couple of months. I've had a horrendous cold the last couple of weeks, which floored me more than Covid did. I could barely lift my head off my pillow at all last week and just napped and read, but thankfully, I'm feeling much better now. Then before that, I kept suffering from blurred vision and migraines (I think from eye strain), and then my glasses broke, so I couldn't see a thing for a couple of weeks while I waited for new ones. And that's without adding in chronic pain flares and appointments on top of it all. I've just not been up to blogging lately, but I'm hoping I can get back to it now I'm feeling human again.

Anyway, I realised I never managed to show you what I got for Christmas or the books I bought in the days afterwards, and the posts had somehow got lost in my drafts. I know, I know, it's almost April, but I thought you might still like to see what I got. I have some cool things to show you, and I promise they're not overly festive!

So, first up is one of the best backpacks ever. It's no secret that Robin Hood has always been one of my favourite Disney films, and I was so excited to get the Loungefly Robin Hood Floral Folk mini backpack from my younger sister on Christmas Day. It had been on my wish list for ages, and it's even more beautiful in real life than I was expecting. I love the folksy style of the design, the soft denim-blue colour, and how it feels like leather even though it's faux. It's perfect. 

My older sister and brother-in-law got me this gorgeous Vendula London zip around wallet from The Botanist collection. I love the little foxes and embroidered wysteria, but all the little details are amazing, and the soft sage-green colour is so pretty. The vegan leather is so soft, too. This design is sadly no longer available from their website, but you might be able to find it in store or from a stockist.

I, naturally, received a couple of things from Erstwilder from my parents. I got the Warren the Wombat brooch from the Kutopia collection, which is one of the cutest brooches ever, and I also got a funky pair of large, mirrored, metallic-purple crescent-moon drop earrings. I forget which collection they launched alongside... maybe Halloween? But regardless, they're awesome.

One of the coolest presents my family gave me was Labyrinth Monopoly. I grew up on this film, and it's still one of my favourites, so when I saw this game, I knew I needed it and added it to my Christmas list. I really didn't expect anyone to get it for me, so I was thrilled to get it on Christmas morning. It looks amazing! The only problem is, I still haven't managed to get anyone to play it with me yet. I might have to coerce the family into a game over Easter.

Another of my all time favourite Disney movies is The Rescuers, and it's one I watched to death when I was little. My sister remembered, and gave me this amazing set of soft toys of Bernard and Miss Bianca with Evinrude and his little leaf boat. I've never seen soft toys of these characters before, and they're so cute, I could die! They were from the Disney Store as part of the Disney 100 collection, but they're no longer available on the UK website, only the US, which you can find here.

I was excited to get a shower gel and body yoghurt in the seasonal Pears & Share scent from The Body Shop that I'd really wanted to try. The fragrance is lovely, and both products make my skin so soft. 

Have you heard about The Body Shop teetering on the edge of administration? I'm so shocked! It's not a brand I ever expected to struggle. They've already closed half their shops, and I'll be so sad if we lose them altogether. I've been using their products since the nineties, and there are so many I'd miss if they went under. I need my Vitamin E moisture cream, and Satsuma shower gel!

I also received this cute grey owl print scarf, and a set of Faith-In-Nature body washes from my best friend. I haven't tried the shower gels yet, but the grapefruit and coconut ones smell so good.

Of course, there were a few tasty treats as well. I got a Cadbury selection box and some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups from my parents, and some M&S Choc Corn (chocolate-covered popcorn) from my sister and brother-in-law. My cousin gave me some Belgian chocolate seashells, too, but I may have lost all control and eaten those before I could take photos!

I also got some books for Christmas, which are always welcome presents with me. I love new books, and enjoy collecting them... not that you would know from my Instagram posts, or anything... My parents gave me the latest Clare Mackintosh mystery, A Game of Lies, which I'd been coveting since last summer, and my Auntie gave me a YA Fantasy boxset called Beautiful Creatures. I'd never heard of the series before, and don't know if it's any good, but there's only one way to find out.

A few days after Christmas, I then went book shopping to Waterstones with my sister to spend our Christmas money, and picked up four new hardbacks- three of which have gorgeous hidden covers! I bought A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid, The Serpent & The Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent, The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon, and Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare. They were all half price in the Boxing Day sales, too- except A Study in Drowning, which was full price. Not too shabby. I haven't read them all yet, but The Serpent & The Wings of Night is incredible- kinda like The Hunger Games but with vampires, and I enjoyed A Study in Drowning, too.

And last but not least, I bought a few of the books from my wish list on Boxing Day when they were all on offer on Amazon. I think they were all half price or less, so it would've been rude not to! I got The Marriage Act by John Marrs, The Sentence by Christina Dalcher, and The Last Goodbye by Tim Weaver. I still need to read them, but they're three authors whose books are auto-buys for me as they're always amazing. I'd recommend John Marrs and Tim Weaver if you love thrillers, and Christina Dalcher if you enjoy suspenseful feminist fiction that smashes the patriarchy. 

I've bought a number of new books since I got these, so I might do a seperate haul or some reviews to show you the beautiful copies I've bought so far this year soon.

Have you bought or been gifted anything interesting lately?