They are too pretty for that
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I am a hoarder, I’ll admit it, I hoard books but it’s not too bad. At least it’s not corpses or animal bones. Now since my love for books is so well known, I often get books from my friends as gifts and let it be known, my friends are amazing and so are their choices in books. Some of the best books in my little library are from them. From books that take you on fantastical adventures to books that make you fall in love with yourself, they have given it all. Also, the fact that they are bookworms just makes their choices even better.
I won’t lie, some of these books are so stunning that giving them away as gifts makes it almost impossible and I kid you not, every time that they did gift these books to me, they managed to buy a copy for themselves too! Some stories you want to share but also keep a part of it for yourself too.
So why this post you may ask? This one is for those fellow readers who may want to bring a smile to their friend’s face and gift them a whole new world to explore. Now, if you are not a fellow reader, that’s ok! This post is just the right one for you because I’ll show you 3 books that are so good that you may want a copy for yourself too.
1. Babel, or the Necessity of Violence by R. F. Kuang
Genre: Fantasy Fiction, Historical fantasy, Historical Fiction, Dark fantasy, Alternate history
Rating: 4.4/5 on Goodreads
Pages: 542
StealOMeter: 9/10
When I forced myself to stop stalking George R R Martin, I eventually found R .F. Kuang and this is mainly due to the reason that my obsession with Game of Thrones was becoming unhealthy. So, my friends suggested looking for different authors within the same genre, and trust me, fellow readers, it was hard to let go. When you become invested in a series, it is very rare that any other writer can come close to quenching that thirst. But I tried for a very long while to find something similar which was when I came across Poppy War, R.F. Kuang’s first series.
I fell in love with it. It was perfect a whole bloody history with shamans, swords, and strategy. The best part? It was a completed series. I flew through all three books in a matter of days, and once I was done, I was left wanting more.
That’s when my friend decided to gift me Babel, her newest release. I was blown away; it was an unexpected but perfect gift. To be honest I had driven him crazy with my fangirling over the author.
The book cover alone was a beauty to look at, with a beautiful black background and the silver working tower dominating the cover. It was Babel and it was perfect.
Why Would You Want To Keep It For Yourself?
Ok, the first thing is how beautiful it is and the second is the plot! The plot is amazing folks! It’s such a unique world to set up adventure and the world-building is perfect.
It’s about a boy from China who lost his mom and has traveled with the stranger who has mysteriously saved him to Victorian England. It’s about a group of friends trying to fit in while knowing that acceptance is impossible.
It’s about silver, revolution, corruption, and greed.
Babel showcases the beauty of language and how powerful words can be. Within one book she has managed to paint the not-so-pretty picture of mankind and their obsession to make it to the top by trampling the person beneath them.
What matters to human lives when we can have glory?
Some Words That Will Make You Book Thieves:
- “How strange,’ said Ramy. ‘To love the stuff and the language, but to hate the country.’‘Not as odd as you’d think,’ said Victoire. ‘There are people, after all, and then there are things.”
― R.F. Kuang, Babel: An Arcane History
- “But the future, vague as it was frightening, was easily ignored for now; it paled so against the brilliance of the present”
― R.F. Kuang, Babel: An Arcane History
- “If we push in the right spots – then we’ve moved things to the breaking point. The the future becomes fluid, and change is possible. History isn’t a premed tapestry that we’ve got to suffer, a closed world with no exit. We can form it. Make it. We just have to choose to make it.”
― R.F. Kuang, Babel: An Arcane History
2. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
Genre: Comics, Fiction, Graphic novel
Rating: 4.6/5 on Goodreads
Pages: 135
StealOMeter: 10/10
This book is beauty personified, from its artwork to its writing, it’s a reader’s dream. I never thought that I’d love a book as much as The Little Prince or learn so much from it, but I did.
One of my book-hoarding friends had come across this book while she was perusing through the local bookstores near her apartment. She bought it on a whim and once she opened it, she knew she had to get it for us.
Ours is a small group, our love language is books and whenever one of us comes across something truly unique or beautiful, we send a copy to one another. Now, it’s vital that you know we all live in different countries, so it took her a while to gift it to us.
“It reminds me of us.” She said as she told us to expect a parcel from her very soon.
She didn’t give any further explanation, but I am not disappointed about that, because had she even told us what it was, it couldn’t be compared to the joy of reading it and experiencing its beauty.
Why Would You Want To Keep It For Yourself?
It reminds you of home, that’s all I can say. All in white with a dark blue binding and an artistically messy sketch on the cover, it’s elegantly simple. You may think the book is childish and, in a way, it is, we all think that just because there aren’t pages upon pages of sprawling language a book isn’t meant for the adult reader but that’s what makes this book unique, its simplicity.
It’s about a boy and his three friends discovering what it means to be friends. Simple right? You can stop till there or you can fall into the book. You don’t need big, fancy words to prove cosmic themes or describe human nature, sometimes simple words are enough.
I got a lot from this book, I got to rediscover the way we complicate things in our minds when all the answers are right there and all we have to do is just learn to be ourselves. I got to see how fortunate we are to be accepting and be accepted by the ones we love.
I got to rediscover my home, hope, and dreams.
Not only did I read this book, but I got to see the words come to life.
If there is any book that belongs in your or your friend’s library, it’s this one.
Some Words That Will Make You Book Thieves:
- “What is the bravest thing you’ve ever said? asked the boy.
‘Help,’ said the horse.
‘Asking for help isn’t giving up,’ said the horse. ‘It’s refusing to give up.”
― Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
- “What do you want to be when you grow up?”“Kind”, said the boy.”
― Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
- “The greatest illusion,” said the mole, “is that life should be perfect.”
― Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
3. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Genre: Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction, Contemporary fantasy
Rating: 4.4/5 on Goodreads
Pages: 357
StealOMeter: 9/10
This was one of the very first books I was given as a gift, not out of kindness but more or less as a sarcastic insult on my birthday. Basically, one of my friends was being persistent about a book, saying that I should read it, but I kept putting it off for some reason or the other. Mostly because I am very picky, and also very annoying, but hey in my defense I read it as soon as I received it.
I am furious that I hadn’t read it before and had deprived myself of it for so long. As soon as I read the name Lucifer I blazed through the pages in a matter of few days as sat in a corner sighing at the unfairness of it all.
Why can we not slip into the worlds written between the pages?
It seems unfair that all these beautiful worlds end within a few pages, and we are left wanting more.
“There are no sad endings in TJ Klunes books.” My friend said to me when we were discussing the book, and she was absolutely right. It felt impossible for me to be sad as I was reading it.
Why Would You Want To Keep It For Yourself?
The book demands attention without being too gaudy, it’s designed with an eye-catching template and warm scenery. Happy, content, and family are the words I’d use to describe this book because the characters radiate such positive energy.
You feel a sense of belonging while reading this book, as though you truly aren’t alone and soon you’ll find your own tribe, a group of people with whom you belong, who will accept you exactly as you are and will complete you.
As for the plot? You’ll love it.
There’s a social worker who just wants a vacation, there’s an orphanage, the orphans aren’t exactly human and then there are bad guys. Oh, also there’s a bellhop who really likes his job.
Trust me this is a book worth keeping and gifting. You turn the pages, and you can smell the sea and tranquillity.
Some Words That Will Make You Book Thieves:
- “We should always make time for the things we like. If we don’t, we might forget how to be happy.”
― J. Klune, The House in the Cerulean Sea
- “You’re too precious to put into words. I think … it’s like one of Theodore’s buttons. If you asked him why he cared about them so, he would tell you it’s because they exist at all.”
― J. Klune, The House in the Cerulean Sea
- “A home isn’t always the house we live in. It’s also the people we choose to surround ourselves with. You may not live on the island, but you can’t tell me it’s not your home. Your bubble, Mr. Baker. It’s been popped. Why would you allow it to grow around you again?”
― T.J. Klune, The House in the Cerulean Sea
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Reading isn’t just about breezing through pages, it’s about pouring a whole new world into your soul and when we gift a part of our soul to someone else, you gift that whole world, and you get to share it with someone.
Sharing adventures, emotions, and the bittersweet moment when the pages end. It’s a very big part of being a reader. So, this isn’t just some random list of books, it’s a list of books that have in some way or the other managed to affect me.
Giving gifts is easy and wonderful but some of them exist to be shared. So, if you ever want to slip into adventures together then these books are for you.
