 Hello friends, welcome to my holiday vlog in Palermo in Sicily in Italy Me and Tom went here for a week and we saw amazing places, ate amazing food And I also read quite a bit, so it's a reading vlog and taking you along with me on holidays So I hope you enjoy it Okay, so in terms of footage from the first day, this is all we have This is where we stayed. They had a little book exchange thing there And this was our room. I never filmed a room tour So this is just the video that Tom sent our family, but it was a really nice room to stay in We really enjoyed staying here And then this was a park we discovered right by where we were staying and they had these crazy trees I've never seen trees like it. They were massive and they had like Branches that then also grew out the ground. They were just amazing We often came into this park every day before we had dinner and just had a little walk around and look at the trees But yeah, they were huge and they had all this hanging down stuff, but then they also were like roots, but they're also branches It was just crazy So yeah, we really enjoyed having a walk around this park in the evening And then after dinner we would often go to the marina, which was right by where we were staying as well And I mean look at that sunset. It was so Gorgeous. We loved walking along here as well. This is one of our favorite places to come up of an evening But yeah, it was just so beautiful. Look at that sunset I mean, it doesn't get much better than this when we came here on this Saturday night. We knew We're gonna have a fun time But um, yeah, let's just get into the actual start of me filming the holiday which starts the next day So hello, this is my holiday vlog. We are in holiday in Palermo in Sicily and I thought I'd bring you along with me So we arrived yesterday, but yesterday was more of just like an unpacking day and getting situated So today's our first full day and we're going to the beach. I've got my swimming cosy on But I thought I would quickly tell you quickly because I'm not I'm not bringing my camera to the beach I we are gonna film on phones, but I'm scared of going on Camera stolen, but I thought I would show you what books I bought with me Because this is also reading vlog because I'm hoping to get a lot of reading done this holiday Okay, if you watched this month's TBR Cluedo, you know It picked two books for me to read on holiday and I bought both of those We've got No Filch and Other Lies by Crystal Maldonado. This is like a wide contemporary about This main actress who is kind of like a catfish on Instagram or like the liars about her identity I fake and act like other people. So you do that a lot. I do that a lot and I'm good at it Then we have got what I'm most excited for Carrie Soto's back by Taylor Jenkins read So yeah, this is set in the 90s We're following Carrie Soto who was a world famous tennis player the most prolific female tennis player ever But then her record gets equaled as she decides to come out retirement Then I thought I know why I need to bring a third book at least because those weren't taking long to get through And I got my patrons to vote on a few different picks and they picked a picture of murder Which is a Lady Hardcastle mystery. This is actually going to be my audiobook I have the audiobook downloaded so it'll be like when I'm getting ready and stuff that I'll listen to this We're here for a week. So quite a lot of time to get reading done This is my favorite cozy mystery series We're following Lady Hardcastle and her made flow as they get up to solving murders basically in a small quaint English town And then I thought that might be what I read I that might be what I read But I thought I'll bring a fourth book just in case So I've bought someone in time which is an anthology which is all stories about like time travel and romance Very strange We've got stories by Sean McGuire, Alex E. Harrow and Theodora Goss who are three of my favorite authors And there's other authors that I've always wanted to discover in here. So there are books I'm actually already a hundred pages into no fiction otherwise. I read this on the plane yesterday I'm a hundred pages into this basically the way this has always been pitched is like a catfish on instagram I'm lying online for clout because she wants followers or something Well, she has this famous instagram and get then gets found out But I'm 110 pages in and that has only just begun like the catfishing has only just begun And it's more that she she took pictures of her friend and her friend is very like conventionally attractive She loves a picture so much. She wants to post them and then Tom's running the tap She wants to post them and then she posts one of them and gets while she's drunk And it gets loads of likes and her account blows up And she thinks oh, I could carry on doing this. It's kind of the point I'm up to I'm enjoying it. I'm not enjoying it as much as Fat Charles Charlie Vega, which is this author's first book I feel like I don't read a lot of YA contemporary anymore because it's always virginal and cringy And that was kind of like my initial reaction to this fact she has I go on there's a lot of interesting elements to this like She doesn't our main character doesn't live with her parents even though they live a block away They left her with her grandparents, which was a baby, you know She is in kind of relationships Ships that she's in because she wants to feel loved the amount of validation that she gets from instagram And like places her self-worth on that it's interesting a lot interesting discussions Her friend is an ex-beauty youtuber who quit because like she started talking about how like I got so obsessed with the metrics and the views and I'm like Wait, is this a fucking play about us? But yeah, I'm enjoying it more and probably gonna finish this today at the beach So I'll give you more thoughts once I've read it all But um, yeah, this is like the perfect holiday book because it's so easy to get through Okay, so today we've got a lot planned we've got a food tour this morning where we're gonna go around some of the food markets and try different local food Then we're gonna do our first popper exploring of Palermo because because we went to the beach yesterday We haven't really got into the main bit So we're gonna go to some of the churches and stuff that we want to go visit And then this evening we're gonna go to the football stadium and go for a tour of the football stadium So I'll take you along with me. I have not finished No field trip in other lives yet, but I think I'll finish it today. So I hope I'll be able to tell you what I think of it tonight Emily knows about this You know what is this? This is something called cupuza. Have you ever heard about cupuza? It's the local zucchini guys We call long zucchini. I don't want to touch it because it's biggest It's a rice ball. It's breaded inside the rice is yellow. Why? It's a plan We had the food tour and then we got really tired So we came back out of nap and now this evening we have come to the botanical gardens to have a look around This is one of the things we're most excited to come see So, yeah, do you want to know what we've been done because we literally Uh, the tour was from like 11 till three the food tour Um, and we went back and had a nap and now it's like six ish And we are here. So we're gonna have a look around So we'll see how this is. So morning is the next day and I thought I'd let you know I finished no field trip in other lives just now All right. No, I'm not gonna cry Side of cringy y a and it that's so weird to me because I really felt like with Cristina Cristina Maldonado's debut I didn't feel like that and I was like, wow, I found the gal You know what I mean? I found the y a contemporary that I love But there was just so many phrases in this that I was like like it would say like He's my mf best friend or like Where was a bit where they're at like a campfire? So she's at a campfire with a girl that she likes She like meets the girl's best friend who's not like very trusting of her and she goes I'm surprised by how truly kind and welcoming this group is I mean aside from Vanessa who is giving me some well-deserved side-eye respect I prefer really not to Not to speak If I speak I am in in big trouble In big trouble. Firstly, why is this side-eye well-deserved? We haven't established that and then respect like I didn't love it. I just didn't love it I didn't feel attached to any of the kind of romantic relationships that were in this I found, you know, the whole idea around the catfishing Uh, this is a minor spoiler. So like skip ahead to like 20 seconds if you if you don't want to hear But like for a big proportion of the ending because obviously, you know going to this the catfishing is going to go wrong Right, she's going to be caught out of using this girl that she works with photos for this Her own like this new instagram where she pretends to be her, you know, it's going to go wrong. She Basically decides like this point on not to like post any more photos She knows she should delete it, but she just never deletes it Like she could just think it's months because she's like, yeah, I'm gonna delete it at some point I'm gonna delete it like girl So, I yeah, I just didn't love this I probably will give maybe crystal mother stuff a go in the future But maybe I'll end up listening to just the audio book rather than buying physical editions Um, I've also I loved the friendships in this and particularly the relationships she has with her grandparents Her grandparents the ones who have raised her and I loved that relationship and the discussions around, you know difficulties with her parents I found that a really interesting perspective that I've never really read from before like the idea that her parents are literally just down the street But they Have left her with her grandparents and she was young and she's never really had a relationship with them I really liked that part of the storyline that was kind of there Today we were supposed to go to a town nearby called sefaloo We'd already bought the train tickets, but then we watched some more videos We were like we originally planned to go there to swim again But because we'd be doing sightseeing I didn't really want to wear my swimsuit underneath my clothes the whole day And there's nowhere to get changed. I'm not really a type person to just strip on the beach So we've decided to actually just go back to mondello in a couple days the beach that we went to earlier because we loved it so much So yeah, we're not going to have any more the train tickets were more expensive It's not like buying train tickets and not using them in the uk, which is unthinkable They weren't that expensive So we're actually going to do some sightseeing today, which we haven't done We haven't ticked off a lot of the major places that we want to go see So we're going to go into the city center again And go exploring and then tonight I am going to start carry soto is back, which is so excited It has to be a five star. It has to be has to be a five star. I'm very excited. So Let's go explore some Places churches theaters stuff like that. Okay, let's go So this is the teatro massimo, which is the third largest theater in europe And we just came along for a tour of it. We thought we'd just be getting a normal tour But something we didn't know was actually that the orchestra was practicing in there when we went for the tour So I'm going to be quiet and let you listen to what we encountered when we walked in We went to visit the Palermo cathedral as well, which was pretty special We've got the we've got the car and so to his back right here's the thing The book opens up with us meeting carry and her dad Watching this new tennis player like in the 90s Um who was about to beat carry's record for the amount of is it slams? I don't know like wins of major tournaments And carry decides to come out of retirement with her dad as her coach to win another slam To prove she's the best basically, but then it goes back For the next like 70 pages right at the start of the book into Carries childhood and her winning all of the tournaments back in the day I'm just not sure that worked best for the pacing of the book It made me think of how a man will be rising We learn all about the the cast's childhood But the chapters would alternate and I feel like that works a lot better because the present day story kept moving Whereas it felt like we just spent 80 pages getting all like the background information as to why carry So turns the way she is why she's seen as the battle acts and cold Why she's so focused on just winning and having to be the best um It felt like Okay, you have to know this before we move on to the story, which I wasn't 100% into Don't say that Mona don't ever say that But I'm still enjoying it now. We're in the present day, and I'm enjoying it a lot more already Even though it's only been like 10 pages. I just felt like it was a weird pacing decision What if you'd already done what you've done would barely be rising and it worked so well So I'm a little bit of pressure on it because I'm worried it's going to be my first Ter Jenkins read that's not a five star, but like that's really in the world I don't know and I think carry soto is like I knew this from reading man of your rising if you read that You know, she's a difficult character to be the main character because she's difficult to kind of like She's she's purposely difficult to like that's kind of the whole thing about her, you know She barely got as many sponsorships as her counterparts even though she was the most successful tennis player because she wasn't Likeable so it's an interesting main character for Ter Jenkins read to go for and I think I would have enjoyed it more if if we'd alternated at the start rather than Having just going back in time. I don't know today this morning We're gonna go to the catacombs And then we're going to go back in because that's a bit out of the city And then we're going to come back into the main city and we're going to go to some more churches in the norman palace I think So Yeah, very excited. I'm hoping it's going to be a bit less hot today. I haven't already told you guys It's been so hot and humid. I think like 80 humidity Or something so it's been really hot. So I'm hoping it will be a little bit a little bit So I'm hoping it will be a little bit less hot today, but Let's go. She said this is a strange angle There's not many good places in this flat that have good lighting and I don't have my tripod with me So I have to like put you on things also ignore all the rest in the back. Um There's only a small wardrobe here with like one clothes drawer. So tom's had to put all his clothes on that Anyways, we went back to the beach today I didn't feel many of it because it was literally the same We're in the same exact place as we were earlier in the week, but we're in such a good time I got a bit of a I mean, I didn't think I I didn't think that was possible for me. I know I know it's red at the moment, but I mean The waves were so strong. So when we went last time it was just still water But today we had so much fun like massive waves would come and we have to like jump with the waves It was so much fun And I read the whole of carry soto Sitting there on the beach. I had so much fun So I was 90 ish pages in about that and I read just all of that sitting on the beach and Okay First thing I just want to say this is the perfect book to read on the beach Like I could not have wanted anything else to sit there and read on the beach It was it captivated me. It drew me in like it was it was just exactly what I needed And I all want you all want to hear the rating. I know you do And I'm gonna give it five stars. It just feels right For the first half I was like, oh my god, I technically says probably like a 4.5 if we're being truthful I think it's my least favorite out of the kind of new era tear Jenkins reads that I've read But I still really I just had a great time reading it. So, um, if you don't know in this we're following carry soto I think I've told if I told you that already She's a tennis player who comes back to try and reclaim her record for most slams I think I told you that, you know, carry is a very interesting character when you read malibu rising You don't really like her. I I knew it was the point going into this but You really over the course of this book get to understand her and understand her and her dad's relationship is a massive part of this You know, I think tear Jenkins read is very good at having complex characters to have a lot of layers to them Whilst also making it so readable There's this quote in the I have the waterstones edition and it says like exclusive content It's just like a four page letter from Nothing Particularly, you know out of the ordinary But she says years ago when I first got the idea to try my hand at fiction I told anyone who had listened that all I wanted to do my highest goal was to entertain Yes, I'd like to write something that matters. Yes, I have a lot to say But I believed with my whole body that the stories that had had the greatest impact on my life Did so not just because of what they taught me or how they changed me But because they found me at a time in which I needed to forget my own troubles for a moment And I just felt like she does that so well, you know, it's crazy that This work that obviously obviously had spent, you know, probably like almost two years on or something We did because a year months and months and months of her life I read in one day, you know, practically like a late morning into afternoon and Enjoyed it so much and just devoured it. Isn't that crazy? And it makes it seem so effortless and for a book to seem effortless It has to have months and months and months of work behind it in order for you to read it effortlessly in an afternoon So I just loved it. I I really did. It's my least favorite I feel like it doesn't like it doesn't feel as full a story perhaps as um Other ones, but you know, this was written in the pandemic And I feel like I've been having that feeling with a lot of authors where I've perhaps read Older books from them and the books that are coming out now, which were written in the pandemic. They all feel a bit like We were all struggling. So I just feel like I can excuse it But um, you know, the way this book looks at the way that women are meant to behave and be nice in society I really enjoyed. I mean, my favorite part was probably Carrie and her dad's relationship It has a lot of fucking tennis, by the way Like a lot of tennis. I I find tennis incredibly boring. I know Wimbledon's like a big British thing, but I couldn't give less of a fuck Why would you say something so controversial yet so brave? But um, I loved reading about the tennis like I mean, that's a skill I feel like I've just got to give it five stars based on that I never thought I'd enjoy reading about tennis because I The sport I can see most is football or soccer God it's clueless clueless all over again You know, I watch football most every week, but that's like a team sport And the idea of following a sport where it's all on that one person. It is their Success, I feel like it makes the stakes higher and it makes the person More motivated because it's all on you. It's not anyone else when you're out there. It's all on you So I really enjoyed that aspect. I really liked reading the tennis I think I often enjoy reading stuff that would have seemed mundane to me I often think of the example of in Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay, which is non-fiction essays My favorite chapter is not the ones on like, I mean, I loved all of it It's a five star one of my favorite essay collections ever, but not the Not the ones on the subjects that I am interested in, but it's the one about how much love scrabble I have heard some criticism about Terjean could read writing another Hispanic main character when she's been criticized about elements of her portrayal in the past Um, so, you know, I would recommend going and reading own voices reviews for that Um, and yeah, it is my least favorite out of the four. I'm not gonna lie to you It is my least favorite. I feel like it's not quite as successful But it kept me entertained and happy and engrossed for the time I was there And it's probably a 4.5 before being in it picky, but I'm giving it a 5 So it's currently Sunday evening. We fly back Tuesday morning So I'm gonna focus on really trying to finish a picture of murder tomorrow We have to pack So I'll I have the audiobook so I'll listen to some of the audiobook I did start the audiobook on the plane here But I didn't read much. I have no thoughts. I've really read like 20 pages of that Yeah, we're gonna focus on a picture of murder for the end I probably will read half of it and then I'll finish it on the plane home Um, I do not think I'll be getting to someone in time unfortunately But I do hope to get to it soon because I don't read a lot of anthologies and interests me So anyways, I know this vlog hasn't been the best because the holiday has been kind of like go go go go go I haven't had a lot of chances to sit down with you And chat about the books, but this one I actually wanted to talk about Whereas no filter in other lives was kind of a big disappointment for me And I just didn't really have any more thoughts on it than It was a bit cringe. So anyways, let's hope we have good luck With this one where I've given this series so far four five four Stars and this is the fourth one. So let's hope for another five if the trend continues Okay. Hi I'm back home. So I think I last spoke to you on the sunday night Monday we went and filmed a few of the bookshops I had in that bookshop tour video that I did And then we came back and packed and just like ate at the same place Been eating a lot got the ice cream that I got every night I don't know which it was like nothing the most recent ice cream that you saw the one That's like vanilla. It was caramello. It was this caramel ice cream with this thick caramel sauce on top I had that every night. I'm not gonna lie to you No, I don't think you understand I'm upset Sometimes lunch and dinner So yeah, and then early Tuesday morning we travelled home So I did finish a picture of murder on the plane. I pretty much read the whole thing on the plane I didn't really read anything on the monday. I literally read the whole thing on the plane And you know, this is like the fourth in the series. So you don't need Much about it from me But for those of you who are interested in my thoughts in the series, this is my least favorite in the series so far But not by much. I gave it a 3.5 which is still a good rating I think it could have been hurt by the fact that this is set in like late october And it was very atmospheric It's very like halloweeny And I think I actually should have read it around then because I think that could have helped Whereas I was reading it like in the sun Or in like this hot-ass plane with all these people around me and it just didn't really like fit Mentally with what I'd just been experiencing but I just didn't find the mystery as compelling So basically this like cast of actors come to stay with Lady Hardcastle on flow And they have like this show they show like a moving picture that they show called the witch's downfall Which there's protesters outside protesting against moving picture So you're like is one of them going to be involved and um the actors start Turning up dead in ways that echo their film And I just felt like it was pretty obvious what was going on the whole time I still love the writing. I still loved Lady Hardcastle's and flow's relationship I still yeah, I still enjoyed it But I just didn't enjoy it as much as the other ones in the series But I think it would have been a four had I read it in like october And it'd been more like cozy creepy. I just like it wasn't the right vibe Whereas these two were the right vibe, but obviously I didn't love no filter and other lies We're just gonna forget about it. Okay. We're just gonna pretend it doesn't exist We are going to pretend We didn't hear that But Carrie Soto's back was an absolute win for me. I loved it so much I've been thinking about it a lot since I read it and like it's a five. We're giving it a five I had a really good time. I almost cried reading it Tarjan because he just gets me Anyways, these are the three books that we read obviously a picture of murder was just kind of like a fun Quick audiobook to read on the plane home But I'm happy with reading three books in a week even though I wasn't holiday and it was like a busy holiday It wasn't like the cruise I went on where I read all murder mysteries on the cruise I actually read two books on that holiday, but it felt like a holiday that was easier to read on Whereas this holiday felt like apart from the days that we went to the beach where I think I read a lot There wasn't much time for reading. So I'm pretty happy that I read the three books Let me know what you thought of any of these if you've read them, which ones you're most excited to read Thank you guys so much for watching this vlog. I hope you enjoyed it I know that my check-ins were more sporadic than usual throughout books But that's because you know, we were here there in every way I wasn't always easy to film a check-in when I got to a certain point in a book So I hope you still enjoyed this vlog. I hope you enjoyed coming with me on holiday Thank you guys so much for watching and I'll see you very soon in another video. Bye