I'm SO glad to hear that you liked Penance. I just picked it up to study it for my own writing project (which has a bit of a true crime element to it) - thanks for sharing!!

I'm interested in attending next year!

Sounds like a great time and such a thoughtful gift! I definitely would've chosen to see Danez Smith. I adore their poetry.

I love that your MIL gives you books. How wonderful!

I am excited to hear your book plans! The God of the Woods looks interesting. I read the author's 2nd book, Long Bright River and enjoyed it. The line at the library is crazy long though so I won't get to it this year.

I have several books I’ve started this year that are ‘lingering’, so I feel your pain Alyse 😉. I really enjoyed Some People Need Killing and don’t think it feels super long compared to some big chunky non fiction books. As for plans for next year, I have a few buddy reads planned but that’s it, going loosey goosey but I love to hear other people’s plans and goals!

Woo Woo sounds great! I had similar feelings about New Animal not QUITE working, but really loved the depiction of death through the eyes of a mortuary cosmetologist - it was pretty much that perspective that saved the book for me. Here's hoping that Woo Woo is a little smoother!!!

You're killing it! Great job. The Becky Chambers books are a treat! No real hardship there. 😂

Congrats on your goal progress! The last three books that I've read are "All the Colors of the Dark", "The Searcher" and "The Henna Artist"

You're doing a great job! I have some goals that are just impossible at this point...but the world won't end and now I can do a better job of figuring out my goals for 2025.

You’re doing so well! I don’t have goals but I do track certain things out of interest. My non fiction is usually only 10% of my reading, short stories is usually about 20% but is 17% this year but then I’ve read more plays so 🤷‍♀️ . It’s just interesting to see how it changes every year although my translated fiction has stayed pretty steady at 30+% of my reading. I love big books so 15% of my reading is over 500 pages. You’ve excelled yourself on the buying front which I cannot say I have 😊 . There are seven authors I’ve read more than two from and most of those are old favorites which you’re right, can definitely mean you end up rating more books higher. 🤔

I've been reading Wellness since July. Today I declared it a DNF. I'm moving on to nonfiction November. Just started The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

First Blood sounds incredibly interesting but it doesn't have an audiobook yet. 😢

I don't read many thrillers but All the Missing Girls sounds good. I'm adding it to my TBR. I dnfed The Marriage Portrait but your enthusiasm is making me reconsider. It was too slow 🐌 so maybe I can wait until that's what I want. I loved Hamnet but that was slow too. I really want to try Spy X but according to my library, everyone else wants to too. 😢

Happy 2nd Booktube Anniversary! As for small press booktubers, have you checked out Eyes on Indie?

I haven't read Hamnet yet, because I'm kind of afraid I won't like it as much as The marriage portrait either. I heard so many people who loved Hamnet then being disappointed by The marriage portrait and then like a smaller group of people who think The marriage portrait is the superior book. But never someone who is loves both books equally?

I’m glad Piglets was enjoyable even if not a stellar read and a shame about Slugs. I seem to DnF short story collections more than anything else, especially as I read more and more of them and get to know what I do and don’t like. September turned into a bit of a Victorian classic month with a reread of Wuthering Heights as one of the highlights!

Love your content too. Yay two years!! :)

2 years?? Time has flown by!!

Happy 2nd Booktube Anniversary! We are so lucky to have you entertain and enlighten us!

Congratulations on two years! I think it’s totally normal for some of the enthusiasm to wear off as well as figuring out what kind of videos you enjoy making, rather than what’s expected. Vlogs are sometimes harder for me to watch because I listen to most videos and vlogs you kind of want to watch, but I’m happy with whatever you put out and thank you for the recommendations you’ve given me over the years!

I loved themed vlogs! And apparently I'm in the minority but I feel the same way you do about TBR videos-- that it just means those books get talked about twice. I skip all TBR videos. Love your channel. You are continually reminding me how much I love translated and small press books. As for other booktubers, my fave is Modern Ajumma ❤

Freshly HYPE!!!

I have heard great things about both Annie Bot and I Who Have Never Known Men....I need to get my hands on those!

I just read Dogs of Summer too, I think you nailed it--really interesting vibes but the plot was forgettable.

Two five star books in a month is great! It looks like Nothomb might be a new favorite author for you. I have a feeling I will feel the same way as you about I Have Never Known Men, i don’t think it can possibly live up to the hype for me.

I'm so glad that you loved The Marriage Portrait!!!

What a pleasant surprise! I love the intermission with Big and your background music! All the Missing Girls is my favorite Megan Miranda. I'm glad that you enjoyed Fourth Wing!

You are most welcome for "Funny Story", I will also gift you "Happy Place" once I've read it. I pre-ordered one of the Cormoran Strike books once, but that was an easy solve, I just sent the second copy to you!!! So curious as to what you'll be reading on vacay in November????

Thanks for sharing, several of these books are of interest to me!

I have that exact edition of Garden by the Sea I bought last year from my own indie and haven’t read yet 😊 I did read her The Time of the Doves this year though and really liked it.

These all sound so interesting!!

Oooh, I have Mystery Lights on my shelf for October as well!

Loved woodworm - I gave it 5⭐️ and just read pink slime which is also good/ atmospheric 3.5⭐️

Thank you for sharing! Shared this video in our newsletter

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on THE BOOK CENSOR'S LIBRARY!! 🥰

Great list!! Thank you so much for sharing! I wanted to read Woodworm the minute I saw it, but then as it started to get more popular I lost interest. 😅😅😅 I need to just pick it up!!!

Apart from The Abyss, I’m surprised that all the ones I wanted to read were already on my TBR so I’m not as clueless about new releases as I thought 😉. I have The Book Censor’s Library sitting on my shelf and this will give me greater impetus to read it soon. I read Samar Yazbek’s Planet of Clay and didn’t love it so wasn’t too interested in this new one but would be keen to hear your thoughts if you get to it. Definitely an interesting list and yes, great to see so many Arabic language books!

Venomous Lumpsucker sounds awesome. Possibly a critique of the super rich 🤔

You know me, "All You Can Kill" sounds especially good!

The Living Disability anthology sounds fascinating!

I love it when I haven't heard of any of the books in these types of videos!! I'm prob most interested in Bog Wife - sounds like a great autumnal read

Amazing wrapup!!! :) Was super curious about a ton of these books and its great to hear your thoughts on them!

women in translation month poetry edition???? hell yeah as someone who's dabbling more into poetry i would love that

I had been wondering where you had got to but August is also my busiest month so I figured life stuff! I have actually heard quite a few people say the Croft book was disappointing so I don’t think you’re alone. I think Vagina Obscura is the most appealing but I’m not reading much non fiction at the moment so it will have to wait!

Hi, Alyse, just found your channel and like your taste in books. Wow! What a challenge to read 300 books of more than 500 pages. I am new to your channel and you might have read some of the ones I am going to mention, but some may be new to you. Here we go: Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, Demons by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, Bee Sting by Paul Murray, Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov, The Red and the Black by Stendhal, Any Human Heart by William Boyd, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

Great job on goal 1! My favorite books over 500 pages are: Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne, and Blankets by Craig Thompson. (That last one is a graphic novel.)

You've sold me on "Enter Ghost" and "Saint X", I've ordered both from Amazon. Since we've last chatted, I've read The Housemaid, By Frieda McFadden A Talent for Murder, By Peter Swanson, Yours Truly, By Abby Jiminez, and now I"m reading The Seracher, By Tana French.

That’s great you’re doing so well on your main goal! Very restrained! My books in books out is looking good, mainly because I unhauled 100 or so books 😉. I always have loosey goosey goals but I’m pretty much on track, reading a bit less globally than I’d like but I’ve been really into the Victorian classics this year and that’s also the reason I’ve read 11, 500+ page books which are either classics or non fiction (the notes add up 😉)

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on I Who have never known Men. The author is Belgian and I am considering saving it for Eurovisionathon in April.