Today we said goodbye to the most wonderful Grandma I could ever have asked for.

Goodbye, Grandma Eunice. We all loved you so very very much 🩵

Quietly touching.

A mother tells her daughters about dating a famous movie star (before he became a star.)

Usually, this kind of slow-paced, deliberately heartwarming, nostalgic type of storytelling is not for me. I steer away from the saccharine.

Ann Patchett creates a wonderful sense of place, her characters are believable, and her writing is lovely.

By the end, I did have an emotional response and it wasn't the one I was expecting.

My new phone won't let me download the Litsy app. Even when I disabled all sorts of security. This is going to make it really difficult to keep up on here 😢

I'll keep trying to get things sorted out, but in case I don't manage it, this is my Insta - https://www.instagram.com/rae.lovestoread/profilecard/?igsh=ejE1a3BrNHB4OGlt

And obviously I'm RaeLovesToRead on YouTube and I have Goodreads too - will post below 💙

Got my #Christmas Crime challenge underway!

M = Mansion (The 31 Doors by Kate Hulme)
A = Agatha Christie (And Then There Were None)

Surprisingly similar concepts! 😅

Reading this directly after And Then There Were None was probably a mistake.

The Thirty-One Doors was far too complicated. Everything from the plot to the house lay-out needed simplifying.

It was atmospheric, with decent writing and lots of good ideas, but it needed a fair amount of smoothing out, because now I have a headache!

The quirky house locked door murder mystery with a creep factor genre is my thing, but this was hard work to read.

#flatlayfriday once more! I'm at Gladstones reading murder mysteries 🔍

Masterful.

Up there with Roger Ackroyd.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This hefty and magical work of literary fantasy is a masterpiece.

Full of atmospheric moments, superior world building, gorgeous prose, and wry Georgian character, Norrell and Strange exudes quality from every pore.

Unarguably a slow burn, this book will linger in the mind long after reading.

I hit a massive reading slump around page 700, but it picked up again by the end, and I will never forget Norrell or Strange in all their eccentricity!

Guess who's back? Back again. Rae is back. Tell a friend.

💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

https://youtu.be/-sqk2YdcIc8?feature=shared

PopSugar prompts dropped today.

Not sure how I feel about them...

https://youtu.be/pXqXb1fyEGg?feature=shared

I made a video of recommendations if anyone feels like joining in for #ChristmasCrimechallenge

See last post with the Bingo square 😊🎄

I've been slumping hard and need some mystery thrillers to get me back in the swing!

If you enjoyed #cloakanddaggerchristmas and are sad it doesn't seem to be a thing any more, I've made an impromptu and last minute FESTIVE BINGO SQUARE for anyone who wants to join me on some murder mystery mayhem this Winter.

'TIS THE SEASON FOR MURDER MYSTERIES!!!! 🎄🎄🎄

@Ruthiella I know you did some prompts last year for us 💕💕

I'll hopefully make a vid this weekend with recs 😊

#christmascrimechallenge @LitsyEvents

This was beautifully written, but I can't remember the last time a book left me feeling this thoroughly bummed out.

So... thanks?

This is a poetic and philosophical tale of a young woman's flight from civilisation into the wilderness of 1500s (?) America.

There's a lot of survivalist detail, which I usually find dull, but the story is embellished with flashbacks to her life before.

I'm not unmoved, but will have to see if it sticks with me.

Nearly finished!!!!! 😄😄

https://youtu.be/NdYOLapRSkk?feature=shared

This month's Illumicrate unboxing.

And I'm dressed as a blanket.

Hopefully I'll get back to some proper booktubing soon. Been in a bit of a slump.

Contemplated posting the moment when I opened the boxes of books I'd had in storage for 3 years... but it was a bit of a let down 🤣🤣

Little sneak preview of my book loft / TBR library 😁
My back, shoulders, arms and hands no longer work as they are meant to, but on the plus side MANY ERECTIONS HAVE BEEN ERECTED!!!!!

Wait'll you see the finished result! 😊

Hooman, we need to address the slight issue of the bowl. It is empty.

Well... not empty. But I already sucked all the gravy off the food you put down 10 minutes ago, so now this needs attending to...

#picklescat #catsoflitsy

I expected more. Probably because not one but TWO booksellers at Waterstones recommended it, and also... the cover. It's great.

This was cosy and sweet, but with next to no plot. The "stories" were bland and basic, and I found it hard to be bothered.

Meh.

Things... may have gotten a little out of hand...

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCSi7lJIMfp/?igsh=ejUzdmF2eXp6anh5

If you want to behold my glorious TBR... check it out on my Insta 💕💕

The sorting begins!!!

I'm using a system! A SYSTEM, I say! 😅 These pictures fail to capture just how many books are in this attic. When I'm finished, I'm planning a full bookshelf tour on my YouTube.

And I'm going to take an INVENTORY!!!!

Moving my TBR to a new place.

I knew I had a lot of books, but THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!!! No matter how many cars I fill up, the books keep coming.

And once I've sorted them, then it's gonna be SHELVES!!!!

Keep dreaming of a better world 💙

Snoodleflooflet

#catsoflitsy #picklescat

https://youtu.be/Qwx8JnPNgz8?feature=shared

I just about managed to make an October Wrap-Up video.

This month includes a who-wore-it-best between these two lake-based thrillers.

Mrs Grumpy says hello!

#catsoflitsy #picklescat

Hated it. Knew I'd hate it. At least we can tick this one off the list.

If you like the idea of a nightmarish, Bat-adjacent dream sequence with some violence thrown in, this could be the high concept horror novella for you.

If, however, you prefer substance and plot to vibes, and don't like migraine-inducing visuals, give this one a miss.

Need some Adam West Batman to recover now.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was exceptionally mad and I was down for it.

If you like your genre-blending mysteries, here we have a locked mansion mystery with a sci fi twist.

It doesn't quite reach the meta-heights of Evelyn Hardcastle, but still I had a blast.

Could have done with less cannibalism 🤣

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

November #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

I'm hoping I can up my game this month, reading-wise. I've been so unfocused in recent times.

Need to do a full inventory of my shelves as well. Fingers crossed I'll be getting my own place so will need to sort out all of my books! It will be a huge job! 😅

It's my second lake-based mystery of the month, and this one is giving me major Stuart Turton vibes.

(In case you haven't been paying attention, I have unilaterally decided that he is my author bestie, haha.)

Also, today is Day 1 of me turning over a new leaf and trying to get my life on track. I've even started selling a few items on Vinted.

https://youtu.be/rR24EHcbQrk?feature=shared

October 2024 unboxing!

With BONUS Evernight unboxing.

Seriously loving the cover of this months Evernight pick 🥰🥰

Bye bye Fang! I miss you already! Such a sweet boy.

UPDATE: SORRY FOR THE CONFUSION. FANG IS VERY MUCH ALIVE!!!!! He is not my cat. He was an adorable feline buddy I made this weekend. Sorry 💕💕💕

#catsoflitsy

Rae meets Susanna Clarke.

Photos weren't allowed, but the talk was fascinating. She was in convo with Rev. Richard Coles.

Found out that she once lived in Southwell. REPRESENT!!!!!!!! 🥰🥰🥰

I'm still only halfway through this wonderful and expansive book, but it's spellbinding and I love it.

Rae meets Fang.

This floofy customer is the adorable Fang 🥰🥰 He even allowed me to scritch his belly so I would say we are now besties.

#catsoflitsy

Rae meets John Gwynne.

And apologises profusely for missing the talk 😢😢 He was absolutely lovely.

I'm about to start book 2 of the bloodsworn and now I have a copy of the final instalment 🥰🥰

Rae meets James Logan.

See previous post. I love love LOVED The Silverblood Promise. If you liked The Lies of Locke Lamora, give this one a go!

He's also a Midsomer Murders fan so I have decided we are friends now.

Rae meets Tasha Suri.

Sadly it took me 6 hours to get down to London, so I didn't make it on time for the event 😭😭😭 It was John Gwynne, Tasha Suri and James Logan.

I've heard these are amazing 🥰🥰

My Autumn aesthetic ☕️🫖🍁🍂

Am I trying to distract you all from my lack of reading progress this month? Perhaps.

I have the attention span of a gnat at the moment, and some chonkers on the go.

What's that? I'm getting worse at these thumbnails you say?

https://youtu.be/B5pBzaHISd4?feature=shared

Video about my recent *ahem* activity on Vinted. Got some lovely books 😁💕

S.O.S.

Have discovered Vinted.

The books are cheap. The edges are sprayed. The bargains are endless.

Send help! I need an intervention!

And Pickles isn't exactly a brilliant life coach 😅

Allow me to sneak in a quick #flatlayfriday before the day is over.

My book trolley collapsed :/

Guys... Guys... Guys... this was... brutal.

If you enjoyed Skyrim and want to be immersed in a Norse-inspired world of Vikings and gore, Gwynne has you covered!

We have three POV narratives, their various quests intertwining to form the first part of what looks to be a bloody, action-packed trilogy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Co-ordinating with my bag.
Procrastinating on doing my paperwork by posting pics of myself co-ordinating with my bag ✨️💕

They see me haulin'

They hatin'

Didn't miss me at all 🤣🤣

#picklescat #catsoflitsy

This is where I am in my head 📚

@squirrelbrain @Oryx @jenniferw88 @julesG @Leniverse @scripturient @TrishB @BarbaraBB @LeeRHarry @MicheleinPhilly @rockpools @jhod @Susanita

Missing my happy place already! Roll on 2025!

Hopefully by this time next year I will have my life together too.

@squirrelbrain @Oryx @jenniferw88 @julesG @Leniverse @scripturient @TrishB @BarbaraBB @LeeRHarry @MicheleinPhilly @rockpools @jhod @Susanita

For me, Ali Smith's books try too hard to be too many things, making each aspect feel dilute.

There are moments of genius throughout Autumn, but the structure is so ad hoc, that we lose impact.

We have a neighbourly love story, some unsubtle thoughts about Brexit and bureaucracy that resonate (albeit in a heavy-handed way), and some info about Pauline Boty.

All very interesting, but the lack of cohesiveness in the narrative frustrated me.

This was... readable, but a bit bananas.

It will divide opinion, of that I am certain.

By 200 pages in, I was telling everyone I thought I could see where it was going... BOY WAS I WRONG.

And yet, by the end I could feel myself rolling my eyes.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars

View from my bedroom

#gladstonerds

@squirrelbrain @Oryx @jenniferw88 @julesG @Leniverse @scripturient @TrishB @BarbaraBB @LeeRHarry @MicheleinPhilly @rockpools @jhod @Susanita