If you’re like me and never know what to tell people you want for Christmas, you may find it easier asking for books. Last Christmas, I asked a few family members to each get me a Blind Date with a Book Box. I’d been promoting the Blind Date With a Book thing in my secondary school to get more kids reading. In fact, one of the charity shops in town were kind enough to donate a few bags full of books to wrap up and decorate! They turned out to be a great hit amongst the kids and I decided I wanted in on the new fad that seems to be taking online retailers, like Etsy, by storm (also, I couldn’t justify the money for some of them when I’m supposed to be ‘saving’).
The beauty of asking them for Christmas, however, is that it creates the perfect opportunity to create a fresh TBR (to be read for anyone new to the term) and read books you may never have otherwise picked up.
As much as I would love to be able to reach those exciting reader milestones of 100 books before December, I’ve realised I just don’t have that kind of time on my hands (especially with a new born, though, saying that, do children’s books count?) Thus, I have set myself a task of FIVE specific books I would like to have read before Christmas 2025. And if I succeed with time to spare, I’ll extend my goal.
I would love to hear your thoughts, especially if you’ve already read the books yourselves! I’d also love to hear any other recommendations of where I could go next.
A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout
If you’ve seen my previous posts, you may recognise the author of this book. She wrote From Blood and Ash, one of my most recent favourite reads. As it turns out, the series has a prequel series called Flesh and Fire that goes through the origins of that which happens in the Blood and Ash series.
The book follows the story of two main characters, the Primal of Death and Sera. Sera’s life has never been her own and though many believe her to be a chosen Maiden, she is in fact, as assassin tasked with a mission she may soon not be able to complete. (I can’t say much more than that without having read the book to start with.)
One of the things I fell in love with regarding Blood and Ash is the history of the world she has created, which lays the foundation for the entire plot. A Shadow in the Ember is the re-telling, if you like, of that history, allowing us as the readers to fully understand what happened and how everything came about in the first place. And there’s nothing I love more than falling in love with a series’ characters, and then given the chance to go back and see where it all began. If it’s done well, I’m left with goosebumps galore!
Have you read it? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Okay, I didn’t know much about this series until my husband bought me the first two books for Christmas as a surprise. Apparently, his boss in work recommended them for me! Once I had the books, it seemed as if they were everywhere, from good old Waterstones, to the dedicated book aisles of Asda and Tesco. Not to mention the way they suspiciously pop up in my ads everywhere I visited online (as if it’d been listening to me…)
From what I can tell so far, the book is about a young girl who is forcibly recruited into training where she must fight to survive and join the army’s elite.
Now, the thing that piqued my interest with this book is that it holds all the things I do truly love in a book (at the moment, anyway): dragons, enemies, lovers, death… consider my interest piqued! Plus, it seems if you’re someone who loves Jennifer Armentrout, then this is an author who’s writing one might enjoy.
Besides, I need to know what all the fuss is about…
North Child by Edith Pattou
If you’ve read my About page, you may be wondering why this book is on my TBR list. North Child was the book that got me into reading in the first place. Before then, I used to hate reading – it was boring, tedious and I didn’t enjoy any of the stories I read. But 14-year-old me was taken aback by the main character, Rose, who was born facing North and was deemed a strange child compared to the rest of her siblings (What 14-year-old child doesn’t relate to someone who feels like they don’t fit in?).
Stories say she is to travel far away from home on a perilous journey and when she does so, she makes a pact with a polar bear who carries her on his back. He takes her to an enchanted castle where she finds her true destiny.
The reason this is on my TBR list is because that was quite a long while ago…17 years ago to be exact. Now, I don’t know whether or not this is just me, but I struggle to remember details of books that I’ve read after a little while (though it’s like reading the book for the first time again!). I’m often asked what my first book was that made me want to read and it’s embarrassing not remembering what happens in North Child, yet the feeling of wonderment, excitement, and even comfort remains at the forefront of my mind. What I do remember, though, is loving it and immediately going to the library to find more books (much to my librarian’s delight and where I spent the next three years of my break and lunch times).
That book turned what I once found to be nothing more than an annoying task, into a passion, paving the way to shaping my identity and personal growth. Where things became extremely difficult for my family at that time, books offered a safe escape through which I learned more about things I’d always struggled with, for example, my emotions. It also helped me to connect better with others (with friends and other kids in school, in particular.)Now, I’m a teacher (an English one) and I am so eager to show all children that they can enjoy reading, no matter the format it appears in. I want it to inspire others to find their own gateway into the realm of reading, especially young children.
What was your book that started it all?
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
I started reading this book years ago and for whatever reason, I never finished it. I have always been fascinated by Japanese culture, from the clothing styles way back in the day to the variety of seafood dishes they’re so well known for. Don’t even get me started on the beautiful language itself! Another thing that always intrigued me, are Geishas.
The book explores the life of a young girl who is sold by her father to an Okiya which is a boarding house for young geisha. For those of you who don’t know, geisha are young women trained to entertain gentlemen with dancing, singing and conversation. As the title suggests, it’s narrated from this young girl’s perspective in the form of a memoir.
For some reason, I’d always been under the impression that the book was based on a true story, however, it’s fiction. Despite that, there seems to have been some controversy surrounding the book when it was first published. One of the characters mentioned in the book, is a real person and she sued for defamation. Of course, this is part of what has made me want to finish it.
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
Okay, I’m not someone you will find heading out on those late evenings to see an opera. Having said that, there has always been something about this haunting love story that has intrigued me. I don’t own a lot of physical DVD’s but this is one that I do own and watch it often.
For anyone who doesn’t know, it’s a tragic love story between a young soprano called Christine and a mysterious musical genius who hides amongst the shadows of the theatre.
Truthfully, it’s not just the music that I adore – I’m a sucker for an age old love story that ends in tragedy (I know, I know) but it’s probably also the reason I’ve rewatched Romeo and Juliet so much (the DiCaprio version, of course). When I first found out this was a book too, I just had to buy it. If ever there is a film and a book to accompany it, you can almost guarantee I will be reading the book as well.
In fact, this book was bought for me by a friend TWO Christmases ago and so it’s about time I get onto it. I’m eager to see how different or similar it is to the film and whether or not the lack of song throughout changes anything for me or even changes anything about the story itself.
If you’ve read it before, I would love to hear your thoughts!
Dear Readers 