Books I've Gotten for My Birthday

It's Wednesday! And it also happens to be my birthday! While I was trying to think of an appropriate blog topic for this confluence of events, my husband suggested that I make a list of books I've gotten for my birthday. I liked that idea, so here we go!

(Note: I've tried to put these in order of when I got them, but I can't remember all of them with certainty. This is my best guess!)

(Note 2: If you're interested in any of these titles, I have linked the covers to Goodreads.)

1. While the Clock Ticked (The Hardy Boys, Book 11), by Franklin W. Dixon

I couldn't find this book in my reading journal, which I started when I was ten, so I must conclude that I received this book for my ninth birthday (I remember opening this gift, which was from my sister, while sitting on the living room floor of the house we'd just moved into). I got a few other Hardy Boys books along with this one, but this is the one I remember best.

2. Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson

This one was also a gift from my sister. When she gave it to me, she offered to read it to me, and I eventually took her up on her offer because I couldn't get into the story. But then I hurt her feelings by telling her that her pirate voices weren't good. Needless to say, it took us a while to get through it! I remember that she finished reading it to me while we were staying in a mountain cabin in Georgia to drop her off at her freshman year of college, so I must have gotten this for my eighth or ninth birthday (she went to college when I was ten).

3. The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein

I know for certain that I received this from a friend for my tenth birthday. It was the only birthday I ever had a friend party for (as opposed to a family party), and we asked everyone to bring books to donate to charity instead of presents. The Art of Racing in the Rain was one of those book, and I actually started reading it, but then I felt uncomfortable finishing it because the dog peed on the floor. I had odd qualms about what I thought was "appropriate" and "inappropriate" at that age.

4. The Encyclopedia of Country Living, by Carla Emery

When I was sixteen, I told my parents that I wanted to skip college and become a farmer. After that, I started reading all kinds of books about organic and regenerative farming (I now do marketing for a regenerative farm, so that's pretty cool). My mom gave me her copy of this book not too long after that and it's definitely one of the most emotional gifts I've ever received.

5. The Deal of a Lifetime and Other Stories, by Fredrik Backman

This was a gift from my other sister! She knows that Fredrik Backman is one of my favorite authors, so she got me this collection of three of his short stories.  I was trying to remember if this was a birthday gift or a Christmas gift, but I ultimately decided it was for my birthday. Then I saw in my reading journal that I read it in January 2021, so it's actually more likely that she got it for me for Christmas. But I'm trying to go for an even ten here, so it counts.

6. The Egg and I, by Betty MacDonald

My sister again (the same one who got me The Deal of a Lifetime and Other Stories). I read it in November 2021 and thoroughly enjoyed it! It was first published in October 1945, so some things didn't age very well (I can't think of any specific examples), but overall it was a very fun read.

7. Blackbeard and Other Pirates of the Atlantic Coast, by Nancy Roberts

My sister gave this to me at the same time she gave me The Egg and I. I'm obsessed with pirates, so this was a fun and fascinating read! I read it in January 2022, but I know for sure that it was a birthday gift–I just took a long time to get around to reading it!

8. On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, by Andrew Peterson

My husband got this for me so we could read it together, because we'd been hearing a lot of good things about it. Unfortunately, we might be the only people in the Christian community who dislike this book. It just really wasn't compelling and I didn't love the writing. According to my reading journal, it took us from July to December 2022 to get through it.

9. Mixed Magics, by Diana Wynne Jones

I read this in February 2023. Pretty sure it was another birthday gift I just took a while to read. My sister (the same one associated with the last three books) and I really like Diana Wynne Jones, so this was a delightful gift!

10. Grist: A Practical Guide to Cooking Grains, Beans, Seeds, and Legumes, by Abra Berens

Can you guess who gave me this? I've been reading this off and on (mostly off) since my last birthday and I'm not even halfway through. You'd think a cookbook would be easy to read ... but ... in my defense, this is a really big book. I'm enjoying it though! I just need to pull it out and read a recipe or two every night or something.

And there you have it! Ten books I've gotten for my birthday in the past dozen years or so. Do let me know if you've read any of these. What types of books to people tend to give you?