In My Mailbox #40 - Birthday Edition!

So I've been a bad person lately - all these people sent me lovely, thoughtful birthday presents and cards and I couldn't be arsed to thank them in a blog post. Well, no. It's true that I couldn't be bothered, but I'm in the middle of exams that I didn't know I had to sit until recently and I'm struggling with a range of health problems from the merely inconvenient to the downright humiliating.

Add to that a mild dose of depression (although whether chemical or circumstantial, I haven't figured out yet) and uhh... you don't get a blog post.

To all those people who sent me nice things and got a mumbled text/Tweet in response - I'm sorry. I really did appreciate everything you did for me. I look at that pile of goodies and it makes me smile that I have friends online who actually know me better than most of the friends I have in the 'real' world. Thank you for putting so much effort in.

And I'm crying.

Awesome.

Anyway, this is what I got for my birthday.

Ellie, from Musings of a Bookshop Girl, sent me the most thoughtful package ever. It was all neatly wrapped up, with a card and an actual non-book present! She'd bought The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick (and the DVD to match!) and Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Food Critic by Ruth Reichl, which is fitting because I think I found out about it via Ellie's wishlist in the first place!

The heart-shaped plaque in the image above was an Ellie-present as well. Two books, a DVD and a shoe related present. That girl knows me well!

For the Ninja Book Swap last month, Laura from Devouring Texts actually hand-crafted me an owl that was reading a copy of Pride and Prejudice. I'd show you a picture if I wasn't typing this at the Law School. That should give you an idea of who this girl is - someone that would sit outside in the horrible Summer heatwave, stitching together tiny bits of fabric as a present.

No owl for my birthday, but she did send me two books! She must have delved quite deep into my wishlist because Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist was very, very close to the bottom. I love getting books that I'd forgotten about completely - makes it even more of a surprise when I open the package! 

She also bought Relish by Lucy Knisley. Her last graphic novel-y thing, French Milk, was really interesting, so I'm really looking forward to reading her next food-related installment. 

Oh Charlotte. How do I love thee; let me count the books.

I bought The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry a few months ago but naturally hadn't touched it since. As you do. But when I read the plot of Rachel Joyce's new book, Perfect, I was desperate to read it immediately. I have actually read the first book now (despite wanting to shake the characters so hard their eyeballs rolled out), so I feel justified in starting the newer one that Charlotte was lovely enough to send!

She also also also sent (three 'also' = very excited) Steadfast by Mercedes Lackey. This arrived separately and a little bit later, which made it an even better surprise when I opened the package and this fell out. I adore this series; it's just proper, adult fantasy that's written perfectly with a completely unique system of magic. See Reserved for the Cat and Unnatural Issue to understand just how thrilled I was to receive this.

As if that weren't enough, she also put a great deal of thought in and chose something that wasn't on my wishlist - a Moleskine book journal! Look how pretty! It has even sections for comments and if you've lent the book out to somebody, all organised in nice, alphabetical order (yeah, I'm a purist).

 Nearly there!

Bex from An Armchair by the Sea is not only a wonderful person, she's a wonderfully talented crafter too. She's sent knitted bookmarks to me before and even has her very own Etsy shop. This explains why, upon opening my birthday present, I found hand-made wrapping paper with frogs.

How thoughtful do you have to be to decorate wrapping paper with the recipient's favourite thing!?

Bex, I ironed this and folded it and it now lives on my shelf until I can find a use for it. I don't know what yet, but god damn it, I will.  

Oh, and there was a book. Which is also excellent, obviously. This is So Many Books: Reading and Publishing in an Age of Abundance by Gabriel Zaid, and it's such a cute little thing. I love books about books, but I'd forgotten about this one until it arrived on my doormat. It's the perfect thing for picking up for a few minutes between exam revision.

 I had a great birthday, so thank you to everybody named above and everybody else that texted/Tweeted to wish me a happy birthday.

I should also mention that I got £80 in book vouchers from various relatives, as I'm that rare creature that actually likes such things. I then also filled in the last stamp on my Waterstones card, so I got a £10 voucher there as well. Funnily enough, when I've spent my £80, I'll also have filled in another card, so I'll get another voucher.

Ha. I see a lot of books coming my way in the future! I haven't touched them yet, as I'm dangling them in front of my face as motivation for finishing my exams. Watch this space for a huge influx very shortly!

Thank you again everybody. Not just for the books, but for your effort and thoughtfulness.