Oh Christmas tree, oh christmas tree: 10 of the best book Christmas trees

I love Christmas and I love books. So what better way to celebrate the glory of the two than to bring them together to create...wait for it.....book Christmas trees! Who knew they were a thing?

Here are a few of my favourites that I stumbled across recently - I still can't believe it took me so long to find them!

Which of these is your favourite? Which of these will you be re-creating at home? Or do you have your own unique version you'll be making?

It's my birthday and I'll eat book-themed cakes if I want to

To celebrate the fact that Julia Blogs Books has lasted one whole year, and to help you work out which cake you should make me to celebrate, I've compiled a collection of flippin' awesome book-themed cakes. I've also provided suggestions as to the category the cakes fall into in case that helps you decide which one to choose. You're welcome.

1.  The cute-as-a-button cakes

I love these because they combine some of my favourite things into one edible delight - cupcakes shaped like teacups with a book on top. Just to clarify, I don't actually drink tea with cream and miniature books on top - I'm lactose intolerant. Also, actual miniature books would probably break my teeth. So if you select these, I would like the edible variety on top thanks. With lactose-free cream.

2. The I-could-totally-imagine-sitting-down-to-a-fancy-cup-of-tea-with-this-book-themed-cake cake

So classy, so chic. As the name suggests, this cake should also be served with tea in a fancy china teacup. As well as lace doilies on the table to complete the picture. Although I will definitely get crumbs (and possibly splashes of fancy tea) over the doilies so I do apologise for the mess in advance. I'm sure you'll understand.

3. The book-themed cakes for indecisive people

Remember how I've said that some books are so good that I just want to eat them? Well, it looks like this is the perfect alternative, especially for an indecisive person like me. 

4. The prankster cake

If this cake was given to me I would walk right up to it and to try pick up the book I was most interested in - probably Jane Eyre because I still haven't read it. I know, I can't believe I just admitted I haven't read Jane Eyre yet either, but it's true. Please stop judging me. Anyway, after attempting to pick up the faux book, I would end up with cake all over my hands and you would be angry with me because I'd have just ruined all of your hard work and there'd be a big chunk of cake missing and I probably won't have washed my hands so no one else would want to eat it. So perhaps this isn't the book-themed cake you should organise for me. Though I'd still be grateful if you did.

5. The nostalgic cake

This cake just makes me so happy.

6. The how-do-people-even-come-up-with-these-ideas cake

This is pretty freakin cool. Especially if the desk and lamps are edible too - shotgun those.

7. The ok-I-get-it-you-can-make-a-really-fancy-cake cake

The creme de la creme of book-themed cakes - it's ridiculously impressive, right? I'd be so chuffed if you thought I was worthy of receiving this cake that I'd feel eternally indebted to you. But that's not a feeling I'm entirely comfortable with, so perhaps we could avoid it altogether by you just choosing a less fancy cake to begin with you show off.

8. The failed attempt

Ok but I didn't mean for you to get me a cake so unimpressive that it's the laughing stock of all book-themed cakes. That's not very nice. But I give you points for trying. Only just. 

9. The I'm-pretty-sure-this-isn't-book-themed-but-maybe-it-is-so-I'll-give-it-the-benefit-of-the-doubt cake

This image came up when I was searching for book-themed cakes. I really want to work out what relevance it has to book-themed cakes because there has to have been one for it to show up in the search. Especially because no other cooked turkey pictures came up. All I've got at the moment is that perhaps it's based on a book about a turkey. A turkey who tries to escape his impending death by rounding up all the other farm animals and sabotaging their slaughter but isn't successful and ends up on his ranch's family dinner table that night - kind of like Babe but with a bad ending. What a depressing book; what sicko would want to immortalise that through cake? Nevertheless if that is the story it is commemorating, I feel conflicted about whether or not I would eat it since I am vegetarian, but if it was actually cake inside then I think I would. On the other hand, if it would just be a ploy to trick me into eating meat then I would be very unhappy and disappointed with you, you sick sick person.

5 ways I know I'm reading a bloody* good book

Working out the difference between an 'I-don't-regret-the-time-I-spent-reading-that' type of book and an 'oh-my-gosh-wow-I'm-going-to-treasure-that-forever' type can be difficult. Or, more accurately, books that fall closer to the latter's end of the spectrum - and which therefore could be classified as bloody good - can be tricky to confidently ascertain. For, how can you be really sure that a book deserves such an esteemed reputation? 

After much research and consideration, I have compiled a foolproof checklist to use when determining whether a book truly belongs on the OMGWIGTTTF scale. I hope it'll be of as much assistance to you as it'll be for me. Here we go.

5. I'll want to hold it lots.
Just like some children take a beloved toy with them everywhere they go, I'll do the same with a bloody good book. It's partly because I'm trying to absorb the book's bloody goodness as much as possible. And partly because I want to show it off. It's more than that too, I just can't articulate it all in this small space. All I know is that if I can't be reading it, holding it is enough to keep me happy.

4. I'll become a little bit obsessed about it.
If you see me using a computer or spending lots of time on my iPhone while I'm reading a bloody good book, then you can be pretty certain I'm finding out whatever I can about it. I'll want to know when the book came out, what people thought of it, whether any films have been made about it, and what different cover designs exist for it. That's only the beginning. Sadly I don't have a particularly good ability to remember much of the facts I do learn, but I really enjoy them at the time.

3. I'll read during any spare minute I've got.
That's right. I'll read while I'm walking to walk. I'll read instead of watching a TV show I really enjoy. I'll even read in the shower (that's not true, but if it were possible I would). The only way to tear myself away from the bloody good book is during non-negotiable parts of my day, such as work or eating dinner. Otherwise my eyes are glued to the book.

2. I'll read past my bedtime.
Now I know what you're thinking: all avid readers will read past their bedtimes. Right? Wrong! There's nothing more I like than getting a good night's sleep; and often a book won't even keep me from achieving this. But if it's a bloody good book, I will most definitely read past my bed time. I'll even look forward to doing so, convincing myself that the grumps which will manifest themselves in me come morning-time will be highly worth it. Now that's a bloody good book.

1. I'll eat the book.
I won't. But if I could I probably would. That's how highly I admire a bloody good book. Isn't that what happens when people really really like something - they just want to devour it? Like that saying, 'it looks good enough to eat'? Well, with bloody good books, I feel like they're good enough to eat. And I would if I ate books. Which I don't. 

* I was hesitant to use the word 'bloody' initially - it can sound quite vulgar. However, after much thought and deliberation (you could even say too much thought and deliberation), and when used in the passionate, Australian sense that I wanted to use it in, it was actually the only word that properly captured the essence of what I'm describing.