I RISE TO WATCH A GOTHTOBER VLOG IN JANUARY! All the food in this vlog looks so good lol

I know that I'm late to the party, but I just read this book and also happen to be on 2/3 of my way to becoming a doctor and, God, I hate Andy so much. His patient/friend has a long, consistant history of SH and he won't get him checked in mental hospital, cause "people who regularly self-harm are less likely to kill themselves"??? What is wrong with you, man??? Also I really appreciate an orthopaedist explaining to Willem that according to him Jude's brain "chemically fine", when he's being asked, if Jude has mental illness. First of all, I am pretty sure that whether your symptoms are caused by trauma or chemistry of your brain, it still counts are mental ilness. Second, how in his infinite orthopaedic wisdom did he checked "chemical wrongness" of Jude's brain? I don't think psychiatrist would be capable of making diagnosis like that, mental illnesses are way more complicated and there is rarely one single factor causing it. I fully think this is author's unwillingness to acknowledge that Jude is mentally ill, cause it would make her torture vessel less pretty and noble in her eyes or something. Or maybe she would have to do some research then. Also, "there's nothing chemically wrong with his brain" sounds very much like person with little medical knowledge wanting to sound medical and it yanked me out of the immersion so much. Also, Andy calls Jude crazy (idk what word is used in English version, there is a chance it is a different one) which is like... The very firts thing you are taught not to say to a mentally ill person? Doctor of the year, everybody. (Sorry, if my rant is grammatically incorrect, English is not my first language) Loved your video, btw ❤

Horrid has been sat on my shelf for soooooo long! I really need to actually read it haha!

Is it bad that any book that was just 'okay' and gets unhauled immediately leaves my head, so I don't even remember the titles 😂

My most recent read was Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie and I liked it. Definitely will continue on with the series. I haven’t read any of the ones you mentioned, but been wanting to try Deathnote for quite some time.

You're making me want to go back and reread/continue Death Note lol!

I also had to DNF you've reached sam and honestly, I am at peace with the fact that I am not the reader for every book and every book is not for me

It’s funny how cats pov is a definite no far you, but a yes for me. 😹 I think I’ll be unhauling The Unexpected Everything, it was an ok read, but the same as you I don’t have that much space to keep all the books.

Hell Followed With Us is an incredible book - I can't wait to see what you think of it and the rest of the authors work! Locke Lamora was another one I loved this year, though I haven't continued the series yet because I don't own the other books, so I'm slightly jealous you have them lol!

I think that the fact that the book made you (and lots of other people angry) has already reached its goal of artistic expression, which is to make people think and discuss. I have personally liked the book and I disagree with all of your points, especially the disability point. The character doesn't hate himself or feel ashamed of himself because he is disable, but because the trauma he endured during the formative years of his life has deprived him of all self-esteem and self-love. He attempts to kill himself not because he's disable, but because - and it is explained very clearly in the book - his thoughts haunt him to the point that he has no peace. The second time, he kills himself because he struggles to feel life being worth it, without the love of his life (said very plainly). There are no parts in the book where he ever mention or hints that he would be finally happy if his back was smooth and if he could walk properly. Of course, the physical aspect adds up to the insecurities, but it is not the main source. This is not a book about disability as it is not a book about LGBT+. The rest of your comments on the characters' failures to help, I think it could be due to lack of life experience. Have you ever tried to save a friend from an addition (the cutting is soothing for Jude, it is a coping mechanism, same as any drug)? Have you ever tried to cheer up a depressed? Have you ever tried to talk feelings with a male partner and sensing them completely shutting down? Probably not, because otherwise you would know that most of the time you'd fail and not for lack of trying or lack of love. The fact that by the end of the book you feel desensitised, don't you think it is exactly what Jude feels year after year of abuse? Life is not black and white, you don't always know what to do, and sometimes you do the wrong thing. But that's life. And this is how the book is called a little life, among other million little, strange, imperfect, irrational, inconsistent lives, I dare to add.... Thank you I hope you'll find some of my input worths some thought.

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What a shame about Pageboy!

I really enjoyed One Last Stop :- ) Haha the reaction to Sierra Simone books was the best, always nice to see when books bring someone such joy :- D

You are amazing. Our NGO's magazine, The African Literature Magazine, is running a volunteer educational project in Nigeria and a few other African countries. We use the way you pronounce words in your videos and the books you recommend to help participants improve their English. We are grateful for that.

Night Walks sounds so charming.

that Hunger Games box set is so beautiful 😍

Thanks Olivia for introducing Katie Lumsden.

Thank you for always shouting out Waypoint Books ❤

I may have got 15 books for Christmas including the latest before the coffee gets cold book. You have so many gorgeous books xx

Happy reading! ☺️💛

So many interesting books on this haul, thank you for sharing! I'm reading the second Christmas Notch novel rn! A Holly Jolly Ever After, and I enjoyed that first one as well😁(Oh! Beware the Scott Lynch novels, the series is unfinished (à la GRRM) currently... but The Lies Of Locke Lamora (which was excellent) can be read as a standalone from my experience, whereas the other books end on cliffhangers from what I've heard, so please proceed with that in mind!)

I was like 40 books O_O and then I realised it was spread out over multiple months, not 40 books in December. Phew! Ooh 'The Dead Friend Project' sounds interesting. 'Fungipedia' and 'Fugitive Telemetry' are my most recent acquisitions.

Looks like you have some real gems! Hope that you and your family have a happy holiday!

Horrid cover is eye catching

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Love the idea of wishes instead of goals! I've got a love/hate relationship with vlog editing too, only mine stems from how much I've talked and if the raw footage is over an hour long 😂

I agree about Pageboy. I have Silver Sparrow on audiobook and I tried to read it a while ago but I do need to go back to it. Last book I finished was A Christmas Carol. Great wrap up as always Olivia ❤

im really interested in reading more poetry, so im v excited to read the Come Close Sappho collection

Glad you had a new Sierra Simone to read! I've been rereading some old Georgette Heyer novels that I haven't reread in years recently and super enjoying them. Just so nice to have such a favorite author!

I LOVE THIS!!!! the songs omg iconic

Love the wishes mentality! I'm okay with the "goals" verbiage for myself simply because I'm so loose with them and very willing to change or delete them if they're stressing me 🤣 Great wishes!

I actually liked Maame, I connected with her as character very much but I do understand why I didn't love it (I haven't read luster or such a fun age tho) . I recently read great expectations and I really liked it, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed, I found pip's voice from relatable and witty I own two copies of phoenix by sf said, one is signed and the other is not (my sister copy, she didn't like the book). My signed copy is damaged, I'm too afraid to re read it.

I did intentions this year and probably will have some for 2025 too. Goals is too strong of a word. I need something that I feel I not mandatory to complete. I need to see how I have done with the intentions for 2024. I know I have completed some, but some not.

I have read A Good Girls Guide to Murder and Raybearer from these. And I enjoyed Raybearer the most from them. Definitely need to get to the sequel.

omg i’m always so cynical and scared of series follow ups so i steered absolutely clear of Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes but with Haymitch’s story coming i want to catch up on the buzz haha - maybe i’ll just watch the movie 🤷🏾‍♀️ so happy that you enjoyed a black book for black readers 🤎 actually getting back into booktube and more “literary” discourse has given me weird feelings abt the tension of storytelling as a way of sharing, and learning, different cultural experience vs the white gaze and like exotification (??) of poc stories... usually not a fault of the authors/books themselves but yeah it’s interesting being in the western gaze. really hope you are able to keep finding those books that speak to u xx

super late comment but hello! i love how well u know ur reading tastes and ready to drop a series if its not working, honestly respect! ooh good reminder about City of Brass, i remember being so keen for it when it first did the rounds on booktube but it wasn’t on my to-read list so i gotta add it back!! especially since ive been in the mood for fantasy recently

As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow is the best book I've read this year and I think you'll appreciate that book too!

I ventured my way here just to find a review which hated this book. I hated it. It was like a therapy lesson where the sole purpose is to find a reason to cry and bemoan Life.

The nature book - when I was a kid, I was like "mmm I love nature so much, maybe I should study biology?" and then I realized that I enjoy being in nature so much more than learning about it in a classroom :- ) I didn't realize you read Maame recently, I saw it at The Works but decided not to get it, sounds like I'm not missing much (and I have read Luster and Such a Fun Age too)

Very helpful I think to reframe and rephrase the goal situation to one that feels the best :- ) Hahaha the second-hand bookstore point, I would have to develop some serious strategies if I lived in the UK. You know I'm one of those people who love your vlogs but yeah, not always the best for video performance. Sometimes I will put off some reorganization or similar task for ages because I want to vlog it :- D Clearing out old books on the TBR really is very rewarding :- )

Please prioritize the Winternight Trilogy if you possibly can. A magnificent read, and perfect for winter, too... Babel is also excellent. Homegoing was powerful. Tomorrow x3 resonated with me personally. Ah! I have to read The Battle Drum (and The Ending Fire), The Final Strife was really good! My Dark Vanessa is also on my TBR, I just haven't had the mental fortitude to open it up yet... Travelling Cat Chronicles is quite moving. You can read and enjoy The Lies Of Locke Lamora, but stop there! The series is unfinished (talking GRRM-adjacent territory with Scott Lynch), and it works well as a standalone (or at least I was happy with it at the time), whereas the sequels end on cliffhangers from what I was told... I almost didn't recognize Freshwater (my cover is different), but it was also deeply moving. Recursion was quite the ride! Merry Little Meet Cute was a treat! So many more books I've read and enjoyed or are on my TBR but this comment is already too long aaaaah! Shoutout to showcasing all your books and all the setup and editing you had to do✨💖📚

Hope you have a fab 2025 lovely!!

There is something so satisfying about an unhaul right before Christmas! Oh your nephew is so adorable!!

I recently finished Born Anew in Blood by Maria J Hart, it took a while to get into but now I am hooked on the series and in the middle of the second book! It's a polyamorous fantasy with lots of angst and some fantasy battles

I just read rumaysa ever after and loved it. Silver sparrow is great but like you I preferred American marriage 😊x

I am not able to enjoy The Hunger Games movies. Could you tell me if the books as violent and gory as the movies or are they more character driven?

You are gorgeous!!

Life impossible was def a let down and trying to do too much

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