clearing My ENTIRE TBR... with Bingo! 📚 🏁 TBR200 ep16

Hello, my name is Megan and I have 286 books on my physical TBR. And here's the thing, Slump Nation, Population Me, guys, it's been bad out here. >> It's been the worst week of my life, actually. >> Oh, I'm so sorry. >> Life has been very stressful for the last couple weeks, and my routine has been out of whack. My reading has been out of whack. I haven't had the brain space. Some people when they're stressed, love reading. I can't if life is [ __ ] I can't read. And I have started and then postponed multiple reading vlogs which I never do. But like I was working on a really really big TBR 200 episode where I would be reading really like momentous books on the TBR and it was proving the pressure was too much. The pressure was too much. And so I was on reading sprints lately with my patrons. I was trying to think of another vlog to do because nothing was working. the books I was reading, [clears throat] it wasn't the right moment for them. And I remembered that one of my lovely patrons, Emma, every year makes me a bingo board to read books for my TBR. And I knew that Emma had made one and I hadn't sorted it in. I was like, [gasps] perfect, perfect. So, I said, maybe it's time. Maybe it's time to let a bingo board pick what I read. Here is the bingo board for this year. And let me cut to actually me on reading sprints with my patrons figuring out what line or column of this I wanted to read the books from. This is the bingo book. So I would do like a line of one [music] of these. Is there a line of these that sounds not terrible to me? What would I want to read? Can't spell trees without tea is very light-hearted. So I am leaning toward Is that the first one? Okay. And you know what? A Naked and Death Norah Roberts I think would be quite readable. [music] I'm feeling this line and I could maybe start. Do you know what? I think I'd probably start the JD Rob the Norah Roberts. Middle of the Night Riley Saga is easy to read. This is easy going to be easy [music] to read. And then that's Francis Harding. I've not read Middle of the Night yet. No. Let's do this video. Let's do the bingo board video. Yay. Okay, guys. I feel better about that. I feel like I'm going to start with Naked and Death because I know it will be [music] like formulaic. Norah Roberts like that feels safe to me right now. I need something formulaic. So yeah, that is the line that we are going to be trying to read. It's filled with books that I feel like I can do. I can do they are all in the kind of a brain space that I have available to me right now. So shall we just dive into it? I'm going to hit bingo. It's going to decide what I read. I'm just desperate to get back into reading. I really like I have a deep desire to read. It's just not happening. So, let's see how it goes. Also, bear with me. I haven't been vlogging for weeks. So, like I got to remember how to do that. But anyways, shall I get into it and let a bingo board pick what I read. Hello everyone. Let me tell you what's been happening very, very briefly. If you don't care, skip ahead cuz the culprit the culprit is right here. [laughter] Say hello, Scarly. Yeah, I'm talking about you. [laughter] She really likes kissing me. Her indeed are kisses. Basically, long story short, skip ahead if you're interested. She was really ill. both her and her brothers. So, I don't know if I've told you guys this on video, but um my mom and dad actually adopted her two brothers, her litter mates um as well. So, we've all got these kittens and it's actually helpful because we can both we've been able to see that the same thing is happening. So, they had their second vaccinations, which I just want to say everyone, I am not antivax. I am the least antivax person that you'll ever meet. But, they had their vaccinations and they all got really ill. So they all had the same symptoms of like vomiting, diarrhea, uh losing a lot of weight, temperature, all of that. And um I was really worried about her. I went to the vets a lot. I basically was living at the vets. Also, her and Da's progress together initially before she was ill got set back a bit, but after the vaccination, so she started like, you know, not reacting as well to DA. And so they actually haven't been in contact for like 2 weeks now. and we're going to start reintroducing them today. But so fingers crossed that goes well. But yeah, she was just really ill and they all had this same cycle where they were going up and down, up and down and like we were trying loads of different things and I was sobbing in that vet's office [laughter] many times. So it's just been a bit stressful and like all of my life has been like her and trying to get her well again. But touchwood, she seems good now. Touch touchwood. She's not eating as much today and I'm like, "Holy shit." [laughter] But I think she after she got better, she's been eating loads and I think she's been trying to bulk up like she's gained a lot of weight all of a sudden. So, she's doing well. Anyways, I in that time I've been away did read for the first book for the bingo, Naked and Death by JD Rob. Here's the thing. This is simultaneously it was perfect for me. Like, it was what I needed to be reading. I did not want to be reading it. She's hitting herself in the face with her back legs. [laughter] It was sometimes everything that I needed to be reading right now. And I also did not really like it. >> I hate to say that, but it's true. >> So, if you don't know, this is the In Death series by JD Rob, which is Nora Roberts. Okay, this is our girl Nora, and this is her crime romance long series. There are 60 books plus in this series. Needless to say, I ain't continuing. [laughter] There's 60 plus books in the series. We're following Detective Eve Dallas. It's set in the near future. So, I think this is set in like 2050, 2060. And following Eve, who is a cop and in this book, she's she's uh investigating a series of murders against prostitutes. And we also get introduced to I who I assume I don't know if she'll have multiple love interests, but I assume that he is going to be her love interest for the series. And I hated how this was written. I did not. >> You may not hold the space for me, and that's okay. But that's a hill I'm going to [ __ ] die on. I think this is poorly written and like who the [ __ ] am I to say? I need to scoot back a bit. I feel like I'm really close but I want a bean bag. So, let me just scoot my ass back. I think it's really badly written now. But I think there is something of the conventions of a genre as real subgenre that perhaps I don't understand because this really reminds me of the Stephanie Plum series I read. It also reminds me of some aspects I don't like about Finley Donovan. These kind of crime romance books and how it balances the two of those I don't enjoy and I think often feels cheap and lazy and subpar. But again, I feel the same way. Maybe I just No, hang on. I'm having an internal conflict cuz I was like I feel the same way about romantic, right? Like I love fantasy books. I love romance books. I don't like romanty because I feel like it doesn't neither of them well. I was going to say maybe I don't like mix of genres, but I love like historical fantastical mysteries. That's like my perfect cross-section. If you give me a fantastical historical mystery, you know, I love that. So, I don't know what's going on here. And I don't think it's just like adding romance to these genres that I don't like because I like romance in other permutations. But there's just something about this specific like woman solving crime with these love interests that I think has a certain tone and a certain cadence to it in terms of the convention of the genre that I don't enjoy. And like who am I to say it's Norah [ __ ] Roberts? You I mean who am I to say it's poorly written but I do think it is. I was not invested in the characters. I was not invested in relationship. It I mean this is written in 1995 guys. This is written in 1995. There are dynamics in the relationship that I do not enjoy. He I don't think it'll be written like that today. Let me just like he he is she sets a boundary and he walks over that boundary again and again and again. And it's always framed as like he knew what was best for her. Like he knew the right thing to do for her and he knew that like pushing that boundary actually be the best thing for her. Excuse me. She says, "I have trauma. I don't want you breaking into my apartment anymore." And guess what? He keeps breaking into her apart, [laughter] >> man. >> So, I mean, I'm giving it 2.5 because I can say all that and also say like, "Hi, Dylan." Yeah. And also say I didn't hate my reading experience because it was what I needed in the moment. I needed no thoughts at Empty. I needed Easy Breezy Beautiful Copper [laughter] Girl. And I think this is in many ways, I mean, it's, you know, trigger warning, this talking about some horrible things. talks about child abuse and it talks about these things in a way that I think is done without a level of care that you would see today. It feels very 1990s way of talking about prostitution, sexual abuse, child child abuse um rather than how it be spoken about modern day. A part of me does feel like I'm insane because I know um Mara who from books like W who loves Nora Roberts does enjoy this series and I think some of my problems with it come from the time period at which it was written and I wonder if I would feel differently if I read one of the newer editions cuz I know sometimes she says like oh you could read this one as a standalone you could read this one as a standalone this one in the I mean there's like two a year what up you know maybe I could read and enjoy one of the newer ones, but am I am I inclined to do that? Not really. I mean, I really enjoyed Obsession by Nor Roberts, which I read on Mara's recommendation. I think I gave it like a four, which is another kind of crime, more less detective, more like cold case small town mystery with a romance and renovation. She loves renovation content, doesn't [laughter] apparently. I really enjoyed that one. So, I'm not like anti uh Nor Roberts in the future, but this just did not work for me. It didn't work for me. I think I'm gonna start next. I think I want to start Can't spell trees without tea. Maybe I'll just work my way along the the bingo board in order cuz I think that was next. So, yeah, I think I'm going to pick up Can't spell trees without tea. Um which so many of my patrons cuz I just had a week long haven't been vlogging, but I have been doing a weeklong readathon over on my Patreon. Um, loads of them said that they loved it. So, I've been yapping. Shut her up. Oh my god, we need to vlog more because you know what? I have some books to haul. We may have just got one off the TBR. We may be adding more than one. So, let's let's go have a look. Okay, I have some books. Technically, I mean, I guess I've bought one of these, but it's a subscription. Excuse me. I didn't cancel my book subscription. [laughter] the summer, but I didn't actively go out my way and purchase something. But let's start with um I believe it's from Estie. One of my lovely patrons has sent me something. So, let's look at that first and then we will look and see mindsite as well. But what has Estie gifted to me? [gasps] Oh my god. Oh my god. This is so exciting. Is there a note? There's no note, but I know it's from you. We have got The Book Witch by Meg Schaefer. This was one of my most anticipated releases. Thanks to SD. So, I believe this is about a a book witch who can hop between books. Very pages and code, Tilly and the Book Wanders, or whatever that is, but like an adult version. I feel like Estie told me that she goes to Nancy Drew. I feel like we go to a Nancy Drew book and I was like, give it to me. Essie really highly recommended this. We go to golden age detective. We go in fantasy books. We go in romance books. It's a magical love letter to adventure book boyfriends and the joys are reading from the best off of the wishing game. I am so so excited for this. So Estie, thank you so much. It sounds so good. It sounds so so good. I love the idea of like, you know, paying homage to to stories and to reading and to Oh my god, Essie, thank you so so much. I will have to thank Essie for that straight away. And then I am intrigued to see what is this month's Mindsight book. So if you don't know, this is a Luma Crates mystery thriller dark academia book box. our first month. This is the second one. The first one was um the the the ending rights itself by Evelyn Clark. There we go. I got there at the end. And I don't know what it is this time. I knew from the clues last time that it was the ending rights itself. I don't know what it is this time. It's probably going to be a book I've never heard of because the clues did not give it away to me. As always, I will be rating what I think of the addition. You know, how much I like all of the the designs and all of that. Let's see what it is. Ooh. Ooh. Okay. Okay. Okay. Fellow Creatures by Emma Laousa. Don't know anything about this book. I don't know. I assume this isn't what the normal cover is. Good madam. Let me see your face. If my life can ever be of any use, you come and take it. What is this book about? >> Being a bit sad. We're at one of London's most elite drama schools and our girl Shannon meets Victoria. She becomes part of Victoria's exclusive set of promising young things. Interesting. Okay, here are the sprayed edges for you to see. Let's look at the end pages. Oo, interesting art style. Interesting. >> Interesting. Oh, that is pretty. That is pretty. Like a puppet on a string. Okay, here. Oh, and this is like glossy. Oh, I like the glossiness. Okay, it's easier for me to compare what they did with the ending rights itself because I knew what the actual cover was for that and I knew what the story was about. So, I knew what some of the nods and the winks and the choices were. But, like, I'm kind of vibing with this. This feels more like like a autumn book to me though. I don't know if this is the summer release, but it seems to be, you know, a story of codependency, of, you know, like obsession gone wrong. So, I'm intrigued. I have literally not heard anything about this book, Fellow Creatures. Let me know if any of you have cuz it's now on my TBR, but I have not heard a single thing about it. So, intrigued to see what I think of that. I would give I think I gave the ending rights itself a seven out of 10. I think I'd probably give this a seven out of 10 also in terms of like the design choices. Like it's all nice. I don't know if there's anything here that I'm like like obsessed with, you know, but it's nice. I'm going to go start. Here it is. I'm going to start Can't spell without tea. I'll let you know my thoughts. I'm a little bit of the ways through, but I'm hoping for just a nice cozy fantastical time. Hello everyone. How are we all doing? I have started Can't Smell Trees Without Tea, but I'm only like 80 pages in. So, I want to read a little bit more before I check in with you, but hopefully today. My game is to probably finish that today. So, hopefully I'll be seeing a lot of you today. But, I want to take a moment to shout out a book to you guys that I am very excited about. This is not adding to the TBR. This was on the TBR at the start [laughter] of the video, but the book is The Heirs by Fida BK Emmed. Guys, this is one of my most anticipated releases this year because let me tell you, the synopsis of Freda BK Medy's books are always like the best sounding thing you have ever heard. A shout out, thank you to Osborne YA for sponsoring this video. But this book, guys, oh my god, it sounds incredible. Oh my god, it sounds like everything I've ever wanted. So, the setup of this is there are five progies, five genius children who over the years have been adopted by this billionaire. He's been like collecting really clever children [laughter] and adopting them I think to like you know carry on his legacy perhaps or whatever. And there's an annual ball being held, their father's annual ball and he is murdered. He's murdered at the ball. Love to see it. We love a murder at a ball. And it turns out basically everyone at this ball had a reason to want this man dead. Secrets come out. You know, truths are revealed. Their father had many, many enemies. And perhaps is it one of them as well? Could one of them have murdered their father? It sounds so good. It sounds so intriguing being in this mansion with all these secrets and these betrayals and everything. It just sounds so good. It sounds so good. I can't wait to pick it up. I love the like also just the vibes that the cover gives. I'm just like eating this up. Look at it. Oh my god, it looks so good. Early reviews have been really good. There's also, it seems, some mixed media elements. Like we open up with like a magazine article and we're moving about in time a little bit. I wouldn't call it split timeline, but we're kind of like jumping around in time throughout. It sounds so good. So, I will leave a link down below for you guys to go check this out, but I think this could be like one of the big YA murder mysteries of the season, of the summer, of the year perhaps. I'm so excited to read it and see what I think of it. It just like every part of this book sounds so incredibly good to me. And I think like we're going to be going back. Secrets have laying dormant for decades could be revealed. So super excited to see what I think of it. Leave a link down below if you guys check it out. I'm going to go prep some lunch. I'm not going to film it cuz you've seen me make this lunch loads. It's like this oro chicken feta oro that I make. I'm going to go make that and then hopefully I'll read a lot more. So hopefully I'll see you halfway through Can't Spell Trees Without Tea before the end of the day. That is the goal. Hello everyone. I I've just realized every clip I filmed so far on this vlog has been in this room. I promise I go other places in my [laughter] house. But how are we doing? I'm on reading sprints with my patrons now. So that's why I'm on this camera and that's why we got to sit here because I got 7 minutes left of the sprint. I am halfway through Can't spell treason without tea. Let me give you my thoughts on this one. So, this is a cozy fantasy where we're following a couple uh a lesbian sappic couple who are like already together and one of them is a mage and one of them is a queen's god. They both have these very important jobs. They are they are girlies who are doing work but they kind of like had enough and they want to be together and so they decide to run away together and open up a bookshop/ tea shop. Basically, that's it. It's very Legends and Lattes coded if I do say so [laughter] myself. >> It's a conspiracy theory that I'm actually interested in. >> It might have a little bit. It might have a little bit of the plot of Legends and Lattes going on about it. That's a coffee shop. This is a bookshop and a tea shop. Here's the thing. I'm enjoying it. I'm enjoying it. I'm having a nice time reading it. I like the characters. I like all the cozy like listen listen. I love Legends Lattes. I love the spell shop, which is like a jam spell shop thing. [laughter] Love anything. I love cozy fantasy where there is a hint of like mundanity or like the logistics of running a shop like them making the tease, them sourcing the books, them hiring this like little street urchin off the street who they like rescue. I love all that. I love all that. However, there is something about the writing itself, the writing style that I'm not connecting to in the way I did with like something like Legends and Artes in the Spell Shop. When I have equivalents, in the genre, in the plot [laughter] that I adore, it's hard to not compare them. And there's something about the writing in this that I'm just not as connected to. I was just saying on stream like every cozy fantasy is going to have a little bit of like trying to show the beauty of life and like isn't life wonderful and we get to love and like all of that [ __ ] and I love it in other books but in this one it just hasn't quite landed right for me sometimes and has felt a bit inauthentic and has felt a little bit like this is what we say in cozy fantasy books so I have to say it I think some people if they're like not in love in love with the writing style they can still love a book but for me that is I always say writing styles is the number one most important thing for me. Like I either vibe with your writing or I do not. And there is something there's moments with the writing that I don't vibe with. However, however, I recognize I'm the problem. I'm the problem. I'm the problem. It's me. >> Oh, she's such a pain in the ass. >> Oh my god. She's such a drama. >> Such a pain in the ass. >> Stay home, dude. >> Because I am slumpy, right? I am not live loving when it comes to reading. I just didn't like [ __ ] Norah Roberts, Naked and Death. And I thought I was going to laugh cuz Mara loves it. So, I recognize part of it is me. Part of this is me. I am finding it not as easy to read as I sometimes do. My mind is a bit scrambled. I don't have as much routine because I'm like trying to split myself between two cats still and make sure they get enough love and attention and are happy. I just want my cats to be happy. Anyways, have we spoken about that? I can't remember what I've spoken to you about. They're still separate. Skully's up here. She's happy. Can you see her? You can maybe see a paw, but there's moments of this that I'm really enjoying. And I'm feel like it's becoming more and more moments that I'm really enjoying. It's also interesting following a couple who are already together. Part of me is like, I love that. We don't have enough of that, right? Like stories of couple who are already in love and like living their life, but part of me does love the fool. You know, as someone who's only ever planning on having one of them in her life, cuz she's freaking ended up basically married to the guy she fell in love with at 16. I like to live by carelessly through other people. And the moment where you fall is so special. So, part of me feels like that is a little bit missing. I don't know. I don't know. I'm enjoying it. It's just not going to be a five star. I'm having a lot of fun reading it. I'm enjoying it. I'm reading it with my eyeballs, guys, which considering I'm in a slump is crazy. [snorts] That's crazy of me to be doing. So, I want to get close to finishing this tonight. I need to if I want to get this vlog out when I want to get this vlog out. I would like to like it enough to want to continue the sequel. Let's go see Scaly, shall we? Do you want to go see baby Scaly? Hi, baby. Do you have something to say? I hope that's made everyone's day. I hope that sounds as good as I imagined it [laughter] sounded. All righty. I'm going to go read some more, but I'm going to go make some spag bowl, actually. And then I'll read some more this evening. And I'll love my skull. I love you. You're up too high to kiss. We like to kiss. Anyways, I'll see you guys in a bit. Color [singing] in the ark of a wave dripping off words that you say when [singing] the bowl slows [music] down. [singing] There's a break color in the [singing] turn of a phrase. [music] Curving a moment space to spin [music] something around and to change [music] into change to change into change. I've just pulled out the camera and Scully has come running over. [laughter] Sorry, I know I said I was going to film somewhere other than this room last time we spoke, but my camera's here. There's loads of stuff in the Oh, my fan's on. There's uh there's loads of cat stuff downstairs that I need to sort out, like [sighs and gasps] cat tents, cat tunnels, everything cat you can imagine. But here's the thing. We need to talk because I have finished Can't Spell Treason Without Tea. And I'm going to give this a three star. I'm sorry. I really didn't love this. There were moments I did enjoy it, but they were moments. They were moments. It's an interesting one because I feel like I agree with the reviews when I read both the four star reviews and the two star reviews. And that's an interesting place to be. You may be thinking, Megan, you gave it a three. So, I'm trying to fix this camera. That's better. You know, you gave it a three. That makes sense. But like to a group of people who really really enjoy the book and people who probably really dislike the book is an interesting place to be. I was at times invested in the plot and the story line. I love being in a bookshop, a tea shop, and the quaintness of that. There were moments I' I'd be reading it and I'd think to myself, "Huh, I'm really enjoying this now. [laughter] I'm having a good time." But then it would just become boring again. Like it would kind of like I'd work up to the enjoyment and then I'd stop reading for the day and then I'd pick the book up and I'd be bored again. I'd have to like work my enjoyment level up. Skully wants to fight my laptop. Okay, she's running away. One of my biggest problems. Right, this is we're following a couple who are like already together before the book. So, you don't follow the fall, which I think I mentioned last time. You know, maybe that has something to do with Oh, I didn't have a problem like the kind of not following the fall of the romance and them falling for each other. But my problem with this dynamic, this relationship was the way they spoke to each other. The way they communicated felt too perfect. Too perfect. One of them would say to another, "Tell me how you're feeling, my love." and the other one would like communicate a problem that they're having in a way that didn't upset the other one that was like perfectly like rooted in sense and in like grounded which you don't necessarily feel when you're feeling emotions, right? You may say something rash or whatever and they'd always resolve it. It was like [laughter] very perfect. >> It's not realistic. It's just not realistic. And it had just none of the messiness of real human communication to me. Like there was all like they'd be like they would have an argument and one of them be like this has devolved into an argument too quickly. Like calling stopping the argument in its tracks. And that doesn't happen. If you're having an argument, you're having an argument. You know what I mean? Listen, I'm not one to be like, "Oh, this is too woke." Or [laughter] like, I don't know. But it felt very therapy speak. It just felt too perfect. It felt too perfect. the way they were speaking was like perfectly written to not upset the other one or or if they did give them miscommunication, they would resolve that miscommunication straight away like, "Oh, I didn't mean that." You know, and it just took me out of it. I was like, "Come on, make each other a bit mad." You know what I mean? There needs to be some I don't know. I don't necessarily need conflict, but it felt like we kept like going up to a conflict, right? like stuff would happen that they didn't agree with the way each other was acting or the decisions the other other one was making. It wasn't like it was like sunshine and rainbows. Things were happening that were a conflict in their shared life. And I think like we kept like almost getting there or like going there in a roundabout way in a way that felt very uh yeah unsatisfying to me. I mean yeah I I I enjoyed it in moments but overall was not for me. So, I think guys, and this is pretty major. Let me get it behind me. I don't think I'm going to read the sequel that I have. I have an arc of this that I requested. Not dang, it was a se a sequel. I don't think I'm going to I don't think I'm going to continue in the series. And so, we've gotten two books off of the TBR here. Not one, but two with only reading one book. I just think I have a lot of books on the TBR and I don't need to read this one. So, I think I'm going to start middle of the night next. I think a Riley thriller could be actually I'm just making my way along the bingo line. [laughter] So, I'm going to start middle of the night next. We'll see what I think. Might check in halfway. Might just read the whole thing depending on how like quick easy bees beautiful covergirl it is. Depending on how many thoughts I have for a Riley thriller. [music] Hello. Hello everyone. How are we doing? We are at the beach. We just popped down to the beach. This was not on my evening plans, but Tom got home from work. I was feeling pretty rough today. I'm like I was a little bit I got hormonal issues going on. They're not fun. And yeah, [laughter] I was planning on getting in bed as early as possible. But Tom's like, "Why don't we go sit on the beach, you can read, and then we'll go for dinner at one of our um favorite places." And I was like, "You know what? Hell yeah." [laughter] So, we've just popped down to the beach to have a read. I am Hang on. I'm holding the mic so I can't hold it up. I haven't got the dust jacket on it anyway. But I am I'm just under halfway through Middle of the Night. Well, a little bit under halfway through. I'm 120 pages in, but I feel I feel equipped to talk to you about this book. Um, I'm enjoying this quite a bit. Here's the thing. Okay, synopsis. We're following Riley Saga's first male main character. It's really brave, bold step for Mr. Riley to take. >> You deserve an Oscar. you actually deserve an award. >> When he was a kid, he was camping in his back garden with his friend in a tent. He woke up, the tent had been cut from the outside and his friend would was missing and he's now moved back into his family home, you know, 30 years later and strange things start occurring. The presence of his friend, he feels around him. He feels his ghost perhaps. It's a little bit of a haunted story perhaps. I feel like we've just Whoa. Oh, can you guys see the birdies? [ __ ] I don't know if I caught that. A whole load of birdies just flew up in the air. Here's the thing. I have been slump nation as [laughter] we know. I've actually since I read Can't Small Trees, I read another book for a future vlog cuz I had to read it for my book club that I gave two stars. Like, it's been it's been like it's been so [laughter] horrible. I haven't been enjoying my reading. This book, it's just a Mr. Riley classic. You know what I mean? Like, I've read every Riley Sega. This is the only one I haven't read, I think, that's out. It feels like coming back to a friend, right? This is an author I've read many times before. It's an author who I trust. It's an author whose writing I enjoy. And so, there's that ease to it. But also, I haven't read many thrillers this year. I was looking back on it. I was on reading sprints for my patrons this morning, and I thought, hang on, what was the last thriller I read? And I've read some like I read Dissection of a Murder, which I really enjoyed, but that's very like court setting, court case, like lawyers. It's so courtheavy. I haven't really read this year your classic American thriller. I've read some like UK kind of based stuff, but there is something about like small town Americana. This one Whoa, there's a motorbike going past. I don't know if you can hear that. This one is very pronounced like the it's set in a culdeac like suburbia, the American dream, you know what I mean? Like that aspect of it is very pronounced. And I I do love occasionally like your kind of stereotypical American thriller, small town, cold case, true crime, detectives, like you know, I do enjoy a bit of that and I haven't really read much of it. Do you know who I really want to read that I've never read? I really want to read a Mary Kuba. I'm hoping that her release this year, I think it's called It's Not Her. I'm hoping that that's in the Good Reads Choice Awards this year because I'm interested. I mean, I could read it anyway, but like will I get around to it? I'm barely reading. That's [laughter] why it would just try eggs on the TBR. So, I'm hoping that I'll have an excuse to read it. But yeah, I'm just I'm having a nice time at the moment. It feels like a very strong four. You know, that's where I'm at. I'm really enjoying it. I find yeah, the setup interesting. I find the character voice enjoyable to read from. I think it's laying a lot of little tiny mysteries and questions very well about all of these different characters. There's like a little something here and a little something here, a little bit what's the truth there and what's happening there and suggesting an event of something that happened to us in the past cuz we're reading most in the present but we do have flashbacks to the past like when his friend went missing. Whoa, birdies. Ah, I don't know [laughter] if I got them again. trying to show the birdies off that I think is is making me really intrigued to read on, you know, like those little little questions, little hints that like, hm, that's a little strange, you know, like there's something going on with his mom or there's something going on with like what him and his friend did earlier the day before or there's just like these little little hints of stuff. So, um yeah, I'm having a great time. I'm hoping to read as much of it today as I can. We'll see how much I get around to. cuz we're going to go for dinner and then I want to like probably have a bath tonight [laughter] and then I want to spend some time with my cats and make them happy. So yeah, we'll see. But I'm I'm having a really great time reading it. So yeah, we're going to go for dinner tonight. Maybe I'll film a little bit of that. It's pretty good. I feel like I remember hearing mixed things about it, but I feel like this is really this is it just it's meeting me at a good time. It's meeting me at the right time for this book, you know? Anyways, let's go read some more, shall we? Hello. [music] Hello. >> [music] >> You've grown on [music and singing] so version of beyond. Crystal castle [singing and music] in a blue sky. Maybe vision, maybe dream. I imagined you were pulled to a new sweet by [singing and music] and by. Hello. Hello. How are you all doing? We are in my office again. [laughter] I'm about to take a thumbnail, hence why we're here. I will film somewhere else in the house in this video. I promise. I have finished Middle of the Night by Riley Sager. And I'm giving this four stars. I really enjoyed it. I had a good time. Here's the thing with this one, though. Is it one of the Riley's where he's doing something like really imaginative, really different like House Across the Lake for example, or I feel like Survive the Night has aspects of it even though I didn't love that one. No, it is not one of those. Is it on the other hand one of his thrillers where he does like the basic thriller to a really, really, really high standard that I feel like is accessible to everyone and like everyone can enjoy it. like uh The Only One Left or The Last Time I Lied, which is probably my favorite Riley. No, I don't think it's perfect. I don't think it's doing anything new, anything different like some of his other books do. But I had a nice time. Now, I wouldn't recommend this as your first Riley, right? But if you're a Riley completionist, I think you'll enjoy it. Listen, it was seemingly what I needed to get me out of a slump. It seemingly is the first book in a while that I've not disliked to some degree and I've like really enjoyed my reading experience and wanted to pick up and found easy to read. And for that I say thank you, Riley. And I do think the first half is stronger than the second half, but I think it had some interesting twists. I do think the ending is pretty satisfying and there's some themes that he's obviously running throughout the book to do with like parenthood and stuff like that that I think has a satisfying end. scary, but I honestly don't have many thoughts on it. I just it was just really nice to read a book and enjoy the reading experience of it. And I think perhaps because of that, I didn't think too critically about it. I didn't think too in deep about it. I just read it and had a nice time. And that's what I got to say. I know not the most insightful review. I think it's an interesting characters. I really enjoy the setting of the culdeac. It feels very claustrophobic. It allows us to kind of like meet all these different characters and different families in a really natural way, but a really interesting way. Now, onto something ridiculously exciting. Are we ready? I'm not ready. I'm going to cry. As many of you know, The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine [ __ ] Ar. [laughter] It's one of my most anticipated releases for this year. And I'm also on a book buying ban this summer. I've yet to buy a book and we are like halfway through July. I June, July, August, I was on a book buying ban. I'm doing okay so far, but many of you said to me when I said I was going to book buying ban, we'll allow it if you break the ban to buy a unicorn hunters. [gasps] And I was thinking about it. I was probably going to do that, but then one of my lovely patronons, Barbara, who I've been lucky enough to get to know a bit, reached out and said she accidentally got a second copy of the Fair Loot edition of the Unicorn Hunters and would I like it? And I said yes. So, it's arrived and we I'm not ready to look at this. >> [laughter] [groaning] >> BUZZING. OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD. I'M so excited for this pack. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Okay, [laughter] I see it. I see it. I see it. Let me in. I have seen pictures of this uh of this special edition. Oh my goodness. Okay, so the dust jacket. Beautiful. Beautiful. Love the dust jacket. Love the sprayed edges. But if I'm not mistaken, the true standout of this is the hardback. Oh my god. There's something Oh my god. Oh my god. There's something about this design that feels so nostalgic to me. Like every I just wanted I was like this is like art. Like I love it. Like there's something about this. >> I don't know. Oh, I love it. Oh my god. I cannot wait. I cannot wait to read this. And this is a very unique edition. And it's going to be interesting to review this because I think this edition, the fairy loot one in particular, has 20,000 extra words than the usual one. And I just think that's such an interesting idea. And it's not like it's not shown which ones are the extra words, but am I like gagging to get 20,000 more words from Katherine Arden? Yes, I will read anything that woman writes. And so to have more of it is just so exciting. Oh my go [laughter] I'm so happy. I love it so much. It's so beautiful. Oh my god. OH MY GOD. I'M SO EXCITED, GUYS. When am I going to read The Unicorn Hunters? I'm going to have to read it soon. It's going to be five stars. It's going to be maybe my favorite book of the year. It's going to be maybe my favorite book of the year. Let's be honest with ourselves. Okay. I today I'm going to try and get a lot of reading done and I am going to start Pimona Afton can so solve a murder which is next in the bingo line. We're almost there. Well, we've still got two books to read but it feels like we're almost there. [laughter] So, I'll see you when I have some thoughts on that. [music] Hello everyone. One of my neighbors has just started playing music really loudly so hopefully you can't hear it too badly. I ended up finishing Pomona after console sober murder. I have read it all. Okay, this one's going to be tricky to talk about. A little bit tricky. I'm giving this 3.5, which is a good rating. I enjoyed this, but it is Can you fit in there? I'm not sure even she thinks that she can fit in there. [laughter] No, she's moving on up. I It was fine. It was fine. The premise of this is we're following Pimone Afton who is a hotel heirs. So she lives in the hotel rentree. She's a trust fund baby. She never had to work for anything in her life. Her grandmother's murdered. She discovers her grandmother's body. There's a clause on her grandmother's will that says if I die of unnatural causes, my whole family gets cut off from everything cuz I think she was afraid that someone was going to murder her, which did happen. And so yeah, she is suddenly having to make it on her own and she decides to try and solve the murder. um in order to get her life back. She also there is a bit of a romance in this which we'll get on to with the guy that she moves in with and it was fine. Listen, I enjoy Tinsley Mortimer [laughter] trying to solve a murder. >> Tinsley was the it girl. The it girl. It girl. She was the it girl. The premise of this hotel eras, this rich kind of stuck up oblivious to real life girly trying to solve a murder is fun and I I I enjoyed the reading experience of this, but I am not going to remember this book in 2 years. I'm sorry. I think it's a fun time. I think if you're like looking for something you can just kind of put on as an audio book whilst you're doing stuff, maybe that's the level of enjoyment it is for me. It's not going to stick with me. It's not going to be a book that I recommend loads. And I think I have a problem with mystery x-romance. This is our second one in the video. The second one in the video where it's a mystery and a romance. And I don't feel like it's doing either of them satisfactoryy. Isn't that what is that? Why do I not like that? Why do I not like it when romance combined with other genres? That's what it's breaking down to. I like a romance book. I don't like a fantasy romance book. I don't like a mystery romance book. But yeah, obviously I didn't love the Norah Roberts and I didn't love it in this one. I didn't I didn't give a anything about the romance. I didn't feel particularly connected to the romance. As someone who reads a lot of mystery, I think maybe this is a gateway into a mystery. If you if you read more romance, maybe this is a good kind of first mystery, but there wasn't many twists and turns. There wasn't many clues. We kind of like made a list near the start of the book of everyone that we thought it could be who thought we could who had a motive for the murder and we went down the list crossing them off one by one like interviewing them and being like, "Oh, okay. It wasn't you." And then moving on to the next one. You know, it just wasn't a satisfying mystery either. But I do think it's a fun book. I think it's a fun time. I think it's an enjoyable time. I love a good bit of Tinsley solving [laughter] solving a murder. But yeah, it's it's not going to stick with me. And this is a series. I don't think I I won't let me say I won't be continuing the series. It felt a bit debuty to me. And I don't think this is technically a debut because she this author writes non-mstery romcoms just just romance books under a different name. And so yeah, that it felt it felt like a debut and it's not a debut. That's not necessarily And what do we mean by that? We all say that, don't we? We all say, "Oh, it's it's debuty to me or whatever." What does that really mean? I think we all know what it means. I think it's a shorthand for some things, but uh anyways, it felt like a debut and it's not a debut. So, I don't know. I honestly I don't really have many thoughts. Like, is it fun? Yes. Is it warm? Is it kind of cozy in a certain way? Yes. Is the character Afton a fun one to follow her journey throughout the book? Yes. These are all positives, but it's just not already. It's like one of the more forgettable books I've read this year, sadly. It's now time to get on to our final book of the vlog, The Library Tree, which I am very excited about. I'm really looking forward to reading another Francis Harding. So, yeah, I'll check in with you once I've read a little bit of that. Uh, okay, everyone. [laughter] We have a bit of an issue and I come here begging forgiveness. Here's the thing. I am 68 pages into The Library Tree by Francis Harding and I don't want to read it. [music] I don't want to read it, but I don't want to unhaul it. I'm soft dnfing this book. Listen, I am bored. However, I love Francis Harding's writings. A skin full of shadows by Francis Harding is like five star plus. There is something about this right now that I am not resonating with. It feels Whoa, Scummy. Hey baby. It feels like it is dragging. I feel like I am winging through trial with the pacing of these first like 70 pages trying to read it. It ain't working for me. But I do think it could work for me one day. I just think what this is is not going to work for me right now. I'm still in a very sensitive place with my reading. Just coming out of a slump, I feel like, and I feel like reading this would put me right back into the depths of a slump. That threw me right back into the throws of PTSD. >> So, I'm going to soft DNF it. I soft DNF books maybe like two or three times a year where I say, "Now is not the right time for me to read this. I'm going to put it down. I'm going to read something else." And I have never regretted doing that when I repick that book up. I've always enjoyed that book more when I repick it back up. So, I feel like it is the right decision for me. I mean, what do I tell about this? We're following I don't know if this is YA technically or or a children's book. We're following this young girl who's like super into science. It is historical and, you know, she lives like a very rigid life and she wants like adventure outside of it. But yeah, not a lot has happened in those first 70 pages. So, I feel fine with my decision to soft DNF. However, that does I mean read the bingo. [laughter] [gasps] I'm not going to read four more books in this vlog. That has been going on for like a month. I kid you not, because of my slump, this vlog has been happening for like a month. I'm not going to read four more books to try and make bingo. So, I guess we're counting this as bingo. If I was dnfing it for good and getting off the TBR, I'd feel no qualms about that because we're getting something off of the TBR. I am not. for this. [laughter] In this instance, I am not getting something off of my TBR. I am just putting it down for now. So, sorry that that I mean, I'm really sorry that's not a very satisfying end to the video. I wish that we were not ending on this cuz I feel like my decision would have been the same if id read this earlier in the video because there is something that tells me I could love this. But right now, I am pulling teeth trying to read this book. I'm so sorry. It's just not it's just not working for me thus far. But yeah, that means we kind of have bingo. [laughter] I don't know if we should really count it, but like I guess we have bingo. Thank you for like, you know, forgiving me. Just preemptively anticipating please have please can I have your forgiveness in this instance? >> I'm not one of those people that forgive and forget. I'm one of those people that [ __ ] takes score. >> That does leave us on 284 books on the TBR. I would really like in my next vlog to get that below the 280s to get into the 270s cuz then it feels like we're really cooking. I mean, there was remember there was a time when we kept hovering around that 300 mark. We're gone from that, baby. We're never going back up to 300 again. I really believe it now. So, 284. I mean, again, this is the lowest my TBR has been in so long. I don't know when the last time it was, it was this live. But yeah, anyways, sorry that it is like a really, really unsatisfying end to this video. I promise my next video is going to be a really fun one. My next vlog, I should say, is going to be a really fun one because I don't know how long it's going to take. It's going to be the start of like a new minieries I'm doing within TBR 200. Uh where Scully just started eating. I can't stop reading until I find a five star within specific parameters. And so, who knows? But we're going to get a five star. I'm by by hook or by crook. I'm going to get 10 more five stars this not 10 uh seven more five stars this year. so I can have 10 five stars. Anyways, I will let you go. Thank you so much for watching and I'll see you very soon in another one. Bye.