If you're looking for a murder mystery with twists, intrigue, tension, and suspicion... this ain't it. Everyone is still alive 3/4 into the story.

It was, however, a cosy slice of festive cheer. So if you can overlook the glaring lack of mystery and just enjoy it as a dinner with clashing personalities and a rustic feel, it is at least Christmassy.

Despite the festive minutiae being described, I did enjoy this more than Clement's debut.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

For anyone who is thinking about writing a cosy Christmas mystery, I have some advice. If you're going to do a cheesy set up with festive puzzles or (in this case) characters called Colonel Colman and Reverend Teal... it does not work to start tackling highly triggering subject matter.

It doesn't matter how sensitively it is handled, the book loses its identity as a cosy and leaves you feeling sad.

CW in comments.

⭐️⭐️

Oh hai Good Morning... how's that TBR coming along?

#pebblecat #catsoflitsy

This was a veritable festive bloodbath!

A group of VIPs get locked in a Christmas department store by a Poundland Wonka handing out sus hot chocolates... CHAOS ENSUES.

This was packed full of secrets, deception, gaslamps, creepy passages, automata, firelight, and one grisly grotto. Twists and turns galore, this was a high adrenaline page turner that somehow still managed to feel Christmassy.

Loved it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you're looking for a gossipy tell-all with lots of lurid details, Tim Curry makes it clear from the start that he isn't going to spill the tea on his love life or fellow celebrities!

This is a dignified look back over the roles he has taken on over a lifetime and how they shaped a varied, ambitious and celebrated career.

My favourite of his roles is, of course, that of Long John Silver in the wonderful Muppet Treasure Island ❤️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a big step up from the last 2 festive mysteries Benedict put out. Much more polished, pacey and fun.

The metaphors still suck, the cheese level is insane, and the 80 year olds read like 30 year olds. That said, this was a Christmassy romp with plenty of action, and I enjoyed it more than the others!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#christmascrimechallenge @Ruthiella Set in Winter!

On today's episode of "things Rae might live to regret"...

Whose idea was this?

And why did I buy them?

I read this charming little novella on Audio, and I'm glad I did because you get the full impact of the music.

It's a book about a young man who inherited his profession from his Pop - collecting shrimp with a horse and cart. He meets a film director whose acquaintance opens up his world.

At first, I thought this was going to be very boring, but there were some truly touching moments. Moving, understated, and sweet.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

https://youtu.be/QZkjTuw3Tvw?si=97d1Shc_4_tBKZbE

Thoughts on this year's Booker winner.

Still ill and droopy lol.

An atmospheric, gothic historical mystery that was Rebecca-esque, and a poignant slow burn.

Usually I hate books that flick back and forth in time, but both threads were compelling, and the story had depth and intrigue.

With minor tweaks in the last quarter this could have been a 5 star read, but there were a couple of things that could have made the ending more impactful.

Still a very well executed novel and worth reading.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

https://youtu.be/Q6I18m5FRCo?si=twx12Al-7-3ij64c

@Ruthiella and anyone else joining in the #christmascrimechallenge ❄️🌟🎁🎅🎄

Please excuse the voice / face. I am still sick 🤒

@Ruthiella has made us a lovely Bingo board too for #christmascrimechallenge ❤️🦌❄️🐙🍷🎁🌟🎅🎄

@Ruthiella #Christmascrimechallenge 💕

@Leniverse @julesG @5feet.of.fury @AllDebooks

I've been thinking... if you want to show us all how many you've read, you can post a graphic like the one above with stickers for every book read at the end of the challenge!

That way if you want to read 3x Rudolph books, you can have extra stickers 😁

Sorry about the Lovecraftian looking Snowflake hehe 🤭

Optional, but I love stickers 😅😅

BOOKER ANNOUNCEMENT SOON!!!! Who do you think will win???

Here are my (brief) thoughts:

https://youtube.com/shorts/XHApzXfK7vA?si=7p6eGoxMp4E_QmQL

This is #pebblecat being adorable! She is another kitty friend of mine! #catsoflitsy

Join @Ruthiella and I in reading some mystery novels this Winter!

Feel free to do as many or as few prompts as you like and tag us to let us know what you are reading!

Use the hashtag #christmascrimechallenge 🎄🎅🦌🌟🎁🍷

Can't wait to see what you're all reading! All welcome to take part.

Lots of love ❤️

I found this one all the more affecting and absorbing for NOT romanticising its characters.

It's formed by layers of unresolved resentment and suboptimal family dynamics, and its very imperfection is what chipped away at my heart.

Flashlight is about family, history, migration, change, identity, Korea, America, and Japan. It's about what we take for granted and how we don't always value what is most important to us.

Quietly touching ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Please all enjoy this photo of my friend's cat, Bramble.

#catsoflitsy

Bookspinnnnnnn

https://youtu.be/etBXEVlax5s?si=VxUubwjnetfwPxnb

And here is part 2!

ONE HUNDRED BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS! Boom! 😊

Well, now I'm bummed out.

Istvan's story is one that holds the reader at a distance, while also giving us a visceral impression of his world.

I've never really read prose like it. It's so basic and pared back, but still manages to say everything that it needs to say. Imagine the absolute opposite of Charles Dickens' prose, but with some synergy with his story arcs!

This book felt intentionally directionless, which may frustrate some readers.

Hated this.

The main character is an insufferable misogynist with no redeeming features, and since he doesn't seem to care what's going on, there's no reason why we should either.

Read as an example of the Hardboiled subgenre, and suitably unimpressed.

⭐️⭐️

This one won me over by the end. The last few chapters are explosive, and I loved the devotion of the love interest 😋

Having said that, I don't disagree with the criticism either. Fourth Wing isn't perfect. It's clichéd, the MC is annoying, and the world-building is sloppy and jars with the modern language.

Still, there is a reason why it is resonating with so many readers, and I'm invested now.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

https://youtu.be/4u0ApQUG8II?si=QSHhDG-ly5UFQ8Qi

My 100th video special!

Part 1 😁

ONE HUNDRED BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS!!!!!!!

Grab a pen 😋

Reading this for HRCYED subgenres prompt and I'm not sure I can weather the sexist writing to enjoy the story.

"She was a blonde woman of a few more years than thirty. Her facial prettiness was perhaps five years past its best moment."

Feminist rage piqued.

I woke up with Vodka Cranberry by Conan Gray in my head this morning and it's been popping up in my brain all day.

I AM NOT OKAY 😭😭😭😭

Oh my days, this song is destroying me 💔💔

But you should all go and listen to it.

I'd never even heard of him until yesterday.

#Tuesdaytunes @TieDyeDude

https://youtu.be/RsFSyBiBxeA?si=NlJe9v2pXoz4lRy_

@ChaoticMissAdventures #10beforetheend

I made a TBR video for 10 before the end (with bonus Xmas Crime TBR) if anybody fancies it

Cannot cope with how cute my tiny robot paperweight is 😭💕

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I wish I hadn't known who did this one because it was ingenious. I'm such a fan of the TV series that I know most of the stories...

Regardless, this was splendidly enjoyable and intricately plotted.

Probably my favourite Poirot. Maybe even my favourite Christie. Up there with Roger Ackroyd and And Then There Were None, with the added bonus that it feels like you're floating down the Nile.

Love love loved it.

10 before the end of the year?

How about these hardbacks staring accusingly at me from beside my sofa?

Or maybe just the 10 or more books I'm reading at the moment 😅😅

#10beforetheend @ChaoticMissAdventures

If you've read any Patricia Lockwood before, you'll know she has a unique way of expressing herself. She's a singular, irreverent, poetic voice, and I respect her work.

Some of her latest writing is pure fire. Some of it is so abstract that it lacks clarity and I found it a struggle to extract meaning.

This book explores how the pandemic left her feeling detached from reality both mentally and physically.

Varies from chapter to chapter!

A very pretty red oak ❤️🌳

Reading over Reality 📚📚

This one has some great characters that made for some genuinely entertaining moments.

A memorable episode of the TV series, and as far as I recall, significant changes were made to adapt it.

Enjoyable despite some dodgy behaviour from Poirot!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This one had me slumping hard for the first 40%. There just wasn't anything to draw me into the story. It would have been a DNF... but I don't usually DNF.

And I'm glad I didn't because the second half of this book was good. I started to care.

I don't feel as positively about AI, robotics and automation as the author, but by the end I was invested.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you thought The Honjin Murders had an unnecessarily convoluted solution, wait till you read this one!

I enjoyed this historical murder mystery immensely, although the background events were sobering (it is set in 1940s Osaka). Although written by a modern author, it was interesting to read a Japanese perspective from this time.

The author evidently loves the mystery genre because they've lovingly thrown in all the best elements.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

10th Anniversary edition arrived today.

I have read (but not finished) a lot of books this weekend #turnthepage @Bookwormjillk

It's been a wonderful retreat with the #gladstonerds

@Leniverse @julesG @Oryx @jenniferw88 @squirrelbrain @scripturient @rockpools @TrishB @MicheleinPhilly @BarbaraBB

Books:

Endling
Murder in the House of Omari
Dumb Witness
The Will of the Many
Will there ever be another you

Wish I could stay here another week 🥲💕

Endling was an incredible, multi-faceted read.

Yeva is a conservationist trying to save populations of rare snails from dying out. Nastia and Sol are trying to lure their activist mother out of hiding by staging a kidnapping of marriage-industry bachelors.

Their plans are swiftly derailed by the Russian invasion.

I found the storytelling so compelling that even the unsubtle metafictional elements managed to win me over.

A writer to watch.

#turnthepage @Bookwormjillk

So far this readathon I have finished Endling (rtc), and been reading Dumb Witness, Murder in the House of Omari and the new Patricia Lockwood: will there ever be another you!

Not sure of page counts but I think I'm doing pretty well!!! 🩷

When you're not sure which books to take on the retreat so you get a bit carried away...
#gladstonerds

@Leniverse @julesG @Oryx @scripturient @squirrelbrain @BarbaraBB @rockpools @TrishB @jenniferw88 @MicheleinPhilly

Time for some serious reading and sticky toffee pudding 🩷 #gladstonerds

@Leniverse @julesG @Oryx @scripturient @squirrelbrain @BarbaraBB @rockpools @TrishB @jenniferw88 @MicheleinPhilly

https://youtube.com/shorts/WF6QbSucLQA?feature=shared

Booker Shortlist reaction in under 3 minutes ^

Who is your winner?

I would guess I'm going to be team Audition, but the others have chance to win me over yet!

Yeah, I'm kidding myself with this one. This is clearly not the book I should be reading right now.

Not a DNF! Just... on hiatus!

I will rejoin the narrative when I feel more inclined to take a philosophical journey up my own 🍑

This book isn't bad, but it is sombre, creepy, scratchy, parasitic, windy, and dense.

If you're after some existential dread, this will be your jam!

Spiralling this week. Full of regret and confusion and sadness.

Going to submerge myself in the surreal, experimental narrative that Cărtărescu has created here.

Also, music.

I wanted to post this on #TuesdayTunes that @TieDyeDude hosts, but for some reason I got a bit shy about posting my Playlists. (In fact, I'm still not going to link it ?)

At the moment, I have an eclectic mix of songs on repeat. Top right is a song that found me on Insta. Amazing track.

The Flood by Aurora is another that I'm overplaying.

"Maybe there was never a daemon... maybe it was just me dreaming..."

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Poetry. Something I throw myself into when I'm in pain and struggling to cope.

This is a new collection from Bad Betty Press, an anthology of poetry on the subject of mental health.

May we continue to find solace in words when things chronically suck.

Sending hugs to anyone who needs one: 🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂

I can't cope 😭😭😭

Illumicrate Farseer trilogy editions are beautiful 🩵

I also read this.

There wasn't really much to it.

I don't really feel like I got enough of a sample to be able to deem this bad or good. Every time a story almost got going it ended.

Maybe it worked better as the radio series for which I understand it was initially written?

ARC read on behalf of Station Books.

Another funny, twisty, epistolary mystery from Janice Hallett - this one revolving around a local pub quiz.

Great fun as always. Parodies the eccentricities of British life in a very amusing way. I was more invested in the quiz drama than I was in the actual mystery!

Could have done with losing 100 pages or so, and the plot was completely ridiculous, but still a raucous and entertaining read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Not a lot is going well this month (year), but on the plus side... please admire my crystals 🩵

#shelfie