I'm sure Daphine du Maurier's fame doesn't need this babbling 'girlie voiced' inane comments. Why does she think we are interested in her vacuous opinions? Stumbled on this by mistake. Memo be more careful about what I alight upon.

I too, wanting to read a Dickens, chose Hard Times because it was so much shorter, perhaps even half the length of his usual novels. However, there was another reason, because being interested in education, I commented to someone at the time that whenever a Minister of Education sticks their nose into the schools, their thinking is entirely 'utilitarian'. They are invariably, as proud 'people of industry', unconcerned with the humanities unless they are harnessed to commerce in some way. It was pointed out to me that 'utilitarianism' has been deep in the British establishment since the industrial revolution and the philosopher John Stuart Mill was a great champion of this way of thinking. But Mill is very heavily satirised by his contemporary Charles Dickens in Hard Times. With Mr Gradgrind especially, Dickens wanted to show the terrible idiocy of these people who think themselves more sensible and pragmatic than anyone else, but their philosophy leads to an inhuman tyranny - we are all but cogs in the wheels of the machine. So I read Hard Times with growing anger at Mr Gradgrind and all he represents - even now! It should be said though - credit where credit's due - Mill was an advocate of women's equal rights, in part because women could not choose to divorce, which meant he could not marry the woman he loved.

Congrats on finishing your phd! 😊

Hope you enjoy the rest of Hard Times 😊

Best wishes with what you choose to read. I hope you get some great stories.

Lolly Willowes is a gem! Hope you'll enjoy it 🤓

Huge congratulations on your PHD Dr Carly! So pleased to hear how you well your spoken word festival was received. Really great to hear about all the things you are doing at the library and changing opinions and bringing di ersoty to your town 💜📚

DR ROBBO IN DA HOOOUUUSEE!

Congratulations!! 🥳

Massive Congratulations Carly 🎉🎉🎉❤️❤️❤️ I always love seeing what you do with the displays in your library and hearing about what you are doing with the book group. Such a lovely catch up ❤

Congratulations!

Wop, wop🎉🎉 congratulation!!

Woo! Congratulations Dr Carly! Amazing news!

Congratulations on your PhD Dr. Belle!

I gave In Defence of the Act an easy 5 stars - absolutely loved it. I DNF’d Soldier, Sailor but, having watched a few more reviews I gave it another go and it turned into one of my favourites of this year. As a queer woman I didn’t think I’d relate but I really enjoyed the writing. Stick with it for the first few chapters and it will probably reel you in. Very powerful book.

❤❤

Very happy you enjoyed Piranesi! 🌞

Huge congratulations on your submission! As for the viva, just try and enjoy it. Remember, noone else is more of an expert than you on this topic now and noone else is ever going to read this in its entirety but your examiners so it's a chance to have a really good conversation about it. Don't stress too much, you will be absolutely fine. It's lovely having you back talking about books!

@katiejlumsden brought me here. Happy Reading! 😎📚👍

I very much like your presentation, but wish to add that a few years ago in a secondhand bookshop, I discovered 'The King's General', which I'd never heard of. I love it so much that have now read it three times. It's set during the English Civil Wars of the C17th, but most intriguing is that she used the house she lived in which was built around 1600. At the end of my copy was a footnote about a secret room and staircase discovered in the early C19th during a reconstruction. The room by her time had either gone or been sealed, but its existence in the past intrigued her. She wrote this book right after WW2, and so going back exactly 300 years to the corresponding decade (from the 1940s to the 1640s), she found a way of writing about the situation of women in particular and the desperate circumstances both during the war itself, the damage done and the aftermath. I love the book and highly recommend it.

I wonder if they were the same self indulgent, depressing, boring unlikeable women in the book as in the show.

I have missed your videos but completely understand you need to focus on your thesis. Best of luck with your submission!

Good luck with all your PHD stuff Carly ❤ I loved this book too. The mother daughter relationship was done beautifully I completely agree. I loved Prophet Sing although it’s BRUTAL ❤

13:46 - have you read Gender: A Graphic Guide by Meg-john Barker and Jules Scheele I love that book - very much due a re-read💜📚

12:58 - this sounds awesome...adding!💜📚

12:34 - now you are making me really want to read it!💜📚

11:49 alas no points for me...I saw both Charlie and Willow recommending/ wanting to read it. That and "Days at Morisaki's bookshop" I now have on my Storygraph tbr 😆💜📚

11:36 - is it the bookshop book Gareth was telling everyone about?...that's my guess

6:37 - that is awesome! 💜📚

6:13 - please tell me you read Mrs S last week - it's like you personally ordered a heatwave for a seasonal read vibe!😃💜📚

Oh I am so pleased you shared those photos - what a great niche "book covers I find amusing!" I now want to know the synopsis 😂 - the weasle in the attic looks very cute! 😂 yes it was me with the pint of tea! ☕️🫖☕️🫖☕️ Awww that's so lovely you and Lisa went to Daunt books - next time I def want to go there and Forbidden planet, also Scoob I missed that one. Love book buy influence💜📚

Wow that pint of tea looks amazing! A perfect accompaniment to a book!

It was brill and I hope we get to chat next time! I also didn’t take many photos or much footage so I’ve been enjoying watching everyone’s book hauls and vlogs. Lisa is so lovely! I wanted to walk to Daunt but my feet were done in by that point. Mrs S sounds great. Loved The Secrets of Hartwood Hall. I’ve actually wanted to read some Mary Oliver for some time - I don’t read much poetry but hers is very beautiful. ‘What you are looking for is in the library’ sounds so good. Ooo None of the Above supposed to be great. Ahhh - I really enjoyed Hex. Very poetic and very short. House of Doors sounds excellent. It was such a great day! Looking forward to another one! ❤

I also got Mrs S that day! It was so lovely to meet you ❤

Loved meeting you Carly. 😊Mrs S is so so good!! Thank you for shouting out the readalong too, so excited to re-read it ❤What you are looking for us in the library was really good too. Haha looking forward to finding out about your onion 😉❤️

I am doing The readalong in September with Charlie & Charlie. I have ordered What You Are Looking For Is In Thw Library after watching everyone book hauls from London. I read Hex last year and quite enjoyed it .

I live in the 🇺🇸 and I have the US copy of Katie’s book. I find it interesting that the American cover is different. Thank you for telling me about the readathon.

It was so much fun meeting everyone😊 I know my sister Charlie has raved about house of doors so I hope you enjoy it. I loved secrets of Hartwood hall and it’s probably my best book of the year 😊

I loved meeting everyone book-shopping. I said I was not getting involved with Booker, but then I bought Prophet Song. The fomo is real. So happy to have discovered your channel through the meet up.

I haven’t read any Oyeyemi, I fear she may be a bit weird for me, and from your review I think that even more. I do have White is for Witching on my shelf though, so that will be my attempt one day 😂 Also, it was lovely to meet you yesterday 🧡

It's good to have you back, and it sounds like you're on a roll with your reading! Best of luck with your thesis, these last few months are genuinely the hardest, but it will be worth it when you get to the other side! Sending you all the best! Ps: the word you are thinking about the Indian discrimination system is the caste system.

lovely video! Genius and ink Virginia Woolf on how to read is now on my to read list❤

Thank you so much! I am nearing the end of this book, and it’s so good, but I don’t have anyone to talk about it with! Your video gave me the discourse I needed! I’ve been loving it, and thinking I need to re-read Orlando, because my younger mind most likely missed a few things! Thanks for making this video!

Carlye! Just heard Demon Copperhead has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Ill have to move it up on my TBR!

Carlye, I live "across the pond" but order via Book Depository because 1) the UK covers are so much prettier than US covers and 2) I've never received a damaged book from BD and conversely get a damaged book every other order from Amazon. Are there other Book sellers who ship internationally now that Amazon has decided to close BD?

You might enjoy Geraldine Brooks Year of Wonders if you haven't already read it. She's a brilliant writer as well.

Hamnet is one of my all time favorites. O'Farrell had me from the first sentence to the last. Absolutely loved it.

Sometime can you do a vid explaining the differences between the Women's Prize and the Booker?

I'm sooooo glad I found your channel my cousin across the pond. Not only do I love Du Maurier but I also love Historical Fiction where I can learn about the experiences of others. Some of my favorite recent reads are My Name is Resolute by Nancy Turner, This Tender Land by Krueger and Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes.

Love love love Du Maurier! Thank you for sharing!