I thought this was awesome.

After reading, I went on Goodreads and the reviews made me think I'd read it wrong!

If you've read it and you've got me on GR please read my spoilery thoughts and let me know what you think.

Because I wasn't confused until I read what others had to say!

I'm Vinting again if any UK folks want to check out my Vinted profile.
Plan on uploading more stuff in future too.

https://www.vinted.co.uk/member/220756078-raewatts

This may not be the most popular offering on the Women's Prize shortlist, but I really enjoyed this entertaining family drama.

The Persians tells the stories of three generations of women ranging from the outrageously rich to the determined and revolutionary. We are taken from Iran in the 1940s to New York in the 2000s.

The characters are flawed and it took me a while to warm to them, but in the end I found a lot to like.

Soft pick.

#wondrouswednesday @Eggs 😊
Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView 💕

1) Don't say pizza and naps. Don't say pizza and naps. Don't say pizza and naps.
I think the most important thing in the world is connection to others. Reading On the Calculation of Volume really drove this point home.

2) 😅📚🍑

3) It was probably something really juvenile like a fart 🤣🤣

@The_Penniless_Author @CBee Yours?

#two4tuesday @TheSpineView

1) No, absolutely not. There is simply too much variety and diversity. It's impossible to encapsulate all the rich perspectives and experiences out there.

That doesn't mean we can't try!

2) The tagged is very Millennial and interestingly is based on a book that set about to encapsulate the 60s through a study of objects and a couple. I've not read it, but I'd be interested to know how much this one reflects it.

Let's make June a perfect reading month!

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

Heart Lamp is a worthy winner of the International Booker Prize 2025.

Translated from Kannada, this is a collection of short stories centring the lives of Muslim women in India.

Most of them are splendid and showcase not only a warm writing talent, but also the layers of pain and hardship suffered in a patriarchal society.

There were only two that I felt lacked a point or direction.

Contemplative, human, heart-breaking.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This one was special.

All the stars 😭💕

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'm conflicted.

The writing is great. Sharp and subversive. Lots of social commentary. Centres trans experiences. Some amusing moments.

But I struggled to root for the characters because they were all so very selfish, and showed such little regard for each others' feelings and needs.

Made me miserable in the same way that All Fours and The Pisces did.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'm only 2 stories in, but they've both been brilliant so far.

Incredible.

An atmospheric imagining of the world, say, 10,000 years or so from now.

At first you will be completely baffled, but I dare you not to get drawn in.

This is a majestic parade of ideas told with such gorgeous simplicity and yet never failing to be entirely compelling.

Cast a spell on me.

Read it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(Plan to film a spoiler-free review shortly. Subscribe to the channel or check back if you want to watch!)

"If you are a trans girl who knows many other trans girls, you go to church a lot, because church is where they hold the funerals."

?

Well my prediction couldn't have been more wrong!

Well done to Banu Mushtaq, Deepa Bhasthi and Heart Lamp for winning the International Booker Prize 2025!

I shall be giving it a read and reviewing it on my channel. If you want to hear my thoughts on the other nominees, I do a brief rundown in my prediction vid.

Every book on the shortlist was good 😊

https://youtu.be/n7lrwXGOphc?feature=shared

I predict the International Booker Prize winner (announced tomorrow).

What do you think?

Am I right?

I've been so busy making videos about the International Booker lately that I've neglected reading for myself.

So I'm going to use @Liz_M 's #14books14weeks challenge as an opportunity to read some stuff that I want to read purely for Rae 💙

I decided to choose only from hardbacks that I feel frustrated at having neglected for so long.

Here are my choices 💕

Now where to even start????????

Told through her friendship with the "Narrator" in short vignettes, this is the story of a troubled young woman.

It was written shortly after the death of the author's younger sister, but it is not clear to what degree Fanny is based on her.

It is a moving character piece, that draws a vivid portrait of a complex, multi-faceted personality.

Some very good writing, but I had some issues with (what I assume was) the translation itself.

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

Wanna see some beautiful books??

@Yuki_Onna @BeeMagical

Guys... I don't know if youve seen this yet but THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Photo screenshotted from Rare Birds Bookshop, Edinburgh's Instagram story)

🐰💕🐰💕🐰💕🐰

This tale of millennial angst & dissatisfaction is based on the debut novel (Things) by Georges Perec.

Anna & Tom have all the trappings of a good life, but struggle to find contentment in a world of social media and expectation.

Sometimes a little overexplained, this short novel manages to pack in a great deal of social commentary and uses the couple as a single protagonist to discuss the modern condition.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Video review up at 7pm GMT

Pickles is enjoying going outside now that the weather is warm. She has a mass of tissue causing problems up her nose and is now needing softer food. It's not something the vet can fix unfortunately, but we are giving her lots of love and she still seems pretty happy.

#picklescat #catsoflitsy

https://youtu.be/fb2CfEMAvrw?feature=shared

Have posted my review / discussion of this one.

Spoilers. But having said that.... there aren't many plot points to spoil 😁😁😁

I JEST!!!!

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

^ made a YouTube video showing off the books I bought in Istanbul

Sorry about the terrible audio on this one.

If anyone has read any Elif Shafak or Orhan Pamuk drop me a message... where should I start????

Thank you for supporting the channel. I keep working on it 😊

Bit late, but let's get back to Book spinning.
I'm off work today feeling absolutely awful.
Was in a reading slump before I started feeling ill 😵😵

Deathly boring and mundane as this might have been, it has BOTHERED me. And that's something.

It's basically Groundhog Day if absolutely nothing of any import or interest happened, but the very NORMALITY of it all is what makes it so terrifyingly chilling.

This was not a pleasant reading experience, and yet, there is a talent to making a reader feel they are going slowly insane, so I can absolutely see this book's worth as an experiment.

Guys, I'm so bored.

Like... so bored.

This is literally Groundhog Day if NOTHING HAPPENED.

I MISS ISTANBUL 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Small boat was, by the end, every bit as devastating as I expected it to be.

Based on actual events and told mostly from the perspective of a rescue co-ordinator, this short book explores attitudes to migration, guilt, responsibility and our collective culpability and complicity when it comes to global inequality.

Powerful, and ought to be widely read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Greenteeth is a sweet novel full of folklore and friendship.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I often describe myself as "allergic to whimsy", so wasn't sure this would be my cup of tea, but it was lively, heart-warming, and stuffed full of legends.

I did find it dragged a little at times, but if you like stories of fae and magic, this had fairytale vibes and I cared what happened to the characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

And a bookshop! 😁

Found a library 💕

When you walk all the way to the book bazaar but it's closed already 😭😭😭

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

Forgot to post this...

What colour reader are you?

I'm orange and purple striped 🧡💜🧡💜🧡💜

This is from the Papier Insta page. They do beautiful notebooks.

Guys, when you're down in the dumps what do you read?

- Sad, reflective books to reflect your mood?
- Cosy, cute books to raise a smile?
- Immersive fantasy worlds to escape into?
- Twisty mystery plots to distract your attention?

Masquerade vibes! 💕💕

Are you planning on buying some books any time soon?

If so, consider going to Bookshop.org.uk and choosing Station Books!

You would be supporting my buddy Laura and her partner Ross in their little business down in Tunbridge Wells!

If you live nearby, why not check out the shop 😊

Here are my #camplitsy2025 nominations!
Sorry... I put 5 instead of 4 because I'm TERRIBLE AT THIS SORT OF THING.

- The Lamb by Lucy Rose
- Who Wants To Live Forever by Hanna Thomas Uose
- The Ladie Upstairs by Jessie Elland
- I Want to Go Home but I'm Already There by Roisín Lanigan
- Fair Play by Louise Hegarty

Check out these synopses!!!!! What do you think??

I'm also up for The Dream Hotel, but it's already been nominated lots!

This poetic novel follows Noenka, a woman in Suriname, who leaves her (awful) husband to make her own way in life.

It is written in a confusing and disjointed way that made it difficult to follow, but the writing was gorgeous and powerful.

Agree this may be a good pick for fans of Toni Morrison.

I've just noticed how devastating this cover truly is

Mrs Sneezy says good evening!

#picklescat #catsoflitsy

https://youtu.be/QERwwRKq52U?feature=shared

International Booker Shortlist 2025 reaction video.

Only managed to predict ONE book correct :/

https://youtu.be/6G9Tc9oFeU0?feature=shared

I'm back and still rambling about books 😵😵😵

Guys, I am exhausted.

Anyone else been staring into space for about a week? No? Just me 🥲

Hope you're all doing OK.

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

Join me in the Trans Rights Readathon 21st March - 31st March

Lift up trans voices all year long 🏳️‍⚧️🩵🩷💛💜

Video above demonstrates some trans and non binary authors on my TBR

#transrightsreadathon
#transrightsreadathon2025

Pickles appreciates all the love and support 💕💕💕💕
I will pass on all the hugs and scritches

Mrs Dribbles has a blocked nose and I'm really worried about her.
Please send Pickles good luck. She saw vet this morning and may need investigating.

I want this book and I love the cover.

My friends hate the cover!

Who is right? Haha

If you want an uplifting story with positive representation RUN FOR THE HILLS.

This is a powerful and subversive piece of writing that provokes and challenges the reader to examine the ableism around them.

It explores the realities of living with a severe physical disability and the ramifications on sex, self esteem and fulfillment.

I'm not sure why Enriquez described it as 'uproariously funny'. Stunning nonetheless.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was brilliant.

A creepy suspense novel set in a hotel in Luxor. Starts innocent enough and then gets dark really fast, approaching psychological horror.

The protagonist is a woman in her 80s who has been hotel hopping and meddling in others' beeswax since the death of her husband. SHE IS ABOUT TO MEET HER NEMESIS.

Highsmithian was right. This was right up my street.

@Prairiegirl_reading Also cosy fantasy plans ahead........

@Prairiegirl_reading This isn't the whole lot, but I have something of a collection of Japanese and Korean cosy healing fiction... my plan is to read the lot and make a video about which are best... it may take a while though hehe

Read books. Be kind. Stay weird.

Also cake.