Bookish holidays

As stated in a previous post, that is what I wanted from the holidays. Turns out I got to luxuriate much more than I planned... A nasty cold and a very sore throat made sure I spent the days between Yule and New Year under a blanket with a good book – and as soon as I thought I'd won the battle against the cold, it came back. Not the ideal end for the year, nor a promising start, but it could be worse. It could be raining. Wait... it actually is raining!

But the December 24th and 25th were just about perfect. I even received a bunch of bookish gifts! I love them so much I can't resist the temptation to introduce them here.

I unwrapped this thing and had no idea what it was I was holding in my hands. It turned out to be a graphic novel version of Jane Austen's “Pride and Prejudice!” I haven't read it yet, but the cover is hilarious! I'm not exactly a Jane Austen enthusiast, but I do like her work and find it very interesting how they've become such a phenomenon. Movies and spin-off books and other various variations of these beloved stories... I don't know why, but they always intrigue me (one of the books on my bedside table right now is “Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters” and a while back I finally read “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”). To be perfectly honest, when I first read “P & P”, I didn't get it. I was a teenager (maybe 12-14, I don't remember) and I did not understand the humour or the social commentary or any of that. I thought it was just about these girls who could think of nothing else but how to get married (really, didn't they have anything more interesting to do?) – and, to make it worse, they were looking for wealthy husbands rather than love! (I was a big romantic then already.) I thought it was boring and I scorned the characters for their superficial values. Talk about pride and prejudice. ;)

Second, I got what I'd wished for, namely a new edition of Kaari Utrio's Yksisarvinen (“Unicorn”). It is the third part in her Viking/Crusader trilogy, which I've mentioned before. Naturally, I've read the earlier edition and even own a copy... but this is a new edition and, most importantly, includes previously unpublished material!

Last but certainly not least, this pendant from Jezebel Charms. I had admired their products just before the gift-giving time and said I'd love one but could not possibly choose! They have so many beautiful pieces that picking one can't be done. However... my husband had chosen one, and he had chosen the perfect one! It has a quote from Shakespeare's “A Midsummer Night's Dream” and, coming from him, this is the one. I had tears in my eyes when I opened the box and saw what was inside (what did I say about being a romantic?).

And to fit the themes of this blog, I might mention that among the presents was some delicious dark chocolate from friends in Germany (a review will follow) and hand-made, hand-picked Belgian chocolates from my sister. They were divine!

And now I'll crawl back under the blanket and pick up my book – I'm on part 2 on Guy Gavriel Kay's “The Sarantine Mosaic” (this is a re-read, and I still love these books).