 So friends, you may or may not be aware that this year there's been some books on TBR Cluedo that I haven't read. I haven't read them. And in this vlog today we are going to be trying to tick off as many of them as we can in a very limited time frame. So I did some research. Last year I had out of 72 books that appeared on TBR Cluedo. I did not read four of them in 2022. Now if you're thinking Megan are you going to try and like get that down to the same number this year? No because we don't have to be the same every year. Well she tried at least you know she but so far this year or this year because we haven't got any more months in the year these are the nine books that have appeared on TBR Cluedo that I have not read. Okay and we are going to be trying to read as many of them as we can in 72 hours just because of how reading for the Goodreads video reading for wrapped up episodes reading for my picture and book club we have 72 hours to read as many of these as we can and I'm not going to put a ton of pressure on myself to read like five or six of them. I'm just going to try and read as many as I can whilst also living my life and doing Christmasy things and doing things with family etc etc as the plan. So if I only read two I'm happy but I would like to get a few more ticked off. Now out of the nine there are three that we're not going to be trying to read in this video. The first of those is The Floating Admiral by The Detection Club. This was on TBR Cluedo for a vlog that I ended up not having time to fit in my schedule. I had to move some things around and this was the video that bit the dust shall we say so I will be reading this next year and doing the video for that. And then out of this stack there are two starts a series possibly three I'm going to have to consult my patrons. There are two that are definitely starts a series and I'm just not starting a series in the last couple weeks of December but that is self sabotage we do not need to do that. So I am not going to be reading Nevermore the Child to Morgan Crow which I know a lot of you might be disappointed by but you know I'm not starting a series in December can't ask me to do that. I can't do it my heart is saying no. I do really want to read this though in the in the new year and then we also have The Gilded Wolves by Rashani Chotsky another start of a series another book that I really want to get round to and read but start of a series so I'm not going to try and read it. I also do have Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade and on Goodreads it is marked as a series but I can you guys please tell me well no we have to find out this answer before this vlog but would you class as a series or would you class these books as companion books because often for me what is class as a romance series are more companion books. I class the Tally Hibbet Brown Sisters series as a series but the Abbey Hermene's part of your world Jules Truley I class them more as companion books and from my research I can't really tell what the connections between the books in this series are so for now I'm not classing this as a series I will ask my patrons though make a decision so these are the one two three there's six books here that we could read in this vlog I'm probably aiming for two to three of them to get read before the end of the year but I'm excited I got lots of fun plans coming up in the next couple of days I didn't tell you so the time limit is because it is currently Thursday afternoon and this video has to go up on Sunday evening but in terms of exporting the video uploading it I probably need to be done reading by like midday on Sunday so that's 72 hours give or take for us to read these books in terms of what I'm going to start with actually let me show you what's in the stack what our options are so like I said we have got spoiler alert by Olivia Date, Mrs Death, Mrs Death by Selena Godin, Nettle and Bone by T. King Fisher, Escaping from Houdini by Kara Manoscalco, The Other Side of Mrs Wood by Lucy Barker and Take My Hand by Deline Perkins Valdez in terms of what I'm going to start with I think I'm going to start with the one I'm most excited to read and that is Nettle and Bone by T. King Fisher I'm falling in love with T. King Fisher I think I've given her is it two 4.5s or one 4 and 4.5 I'm not sure but something around that and this was almost one of the books I chose to read as my first book of the year because I thought it was gonna be five stars but we'll see what I think of it I'm going to read this today I've got the audiobook as well and I'm just excited for this fairy tale this is really my first proper fantasy from T. King Fisher I've read more of her horror stuff so I'm very excited to start with this one it's definitely one of my most anticipated books I want to get to before the end of the year and before I do my best books of the year list because this could be on there who knows so I'm very excited we're gonna start with this I'll check in with you when I'm about halfway through good morning and where I look kind of funny with my hair and plaids and still in my pajamas but I'm not gonna get changed to put makeup on because I will get a foundation I get foundation on everything I'm getting ready but how are we I am halfway into nettle and bone by T. King Fisher and I'm really really enjoying it so basically all you need to know about it is it's about this woman who wants to save her cluster from the abusive prince that she's married to and to do so she has to kind of complete these impossible tasks and then go on this quest with kind of this found family there's a hen there's an evil hen a hen that's got a devil in it let's just say the devil made me do it I love it and there's a bone dog a dog made up of bones I love it and that's basically all you need to know and it's just this lovely little fairy tale like story it's my first T. King Fisher that's a fantasy I've read her horror before and it does feel like a little bit of a different tone but it's a tone that I'm really enjoying if I had to compare it to someone I would say Sean McGuire it's reminding me a lot of Sean McGuire's kind of whimsy and fairy tale likeness and gentleness I don't know I'm just I'm really enjoying it it doesn't necessarily feel like a five star I feel like I get into T. King Fisher so far a four and a four point five so so far all of her books have been really up there listen it hasn't got five from yet I don't know why it's out there I know it exists but this is feeling like another four or four point five but I'm really loving the found family relationships I'm really loving the quests the audiobooks nice it's not a super like I don't feel like there's a ton to say it's just a nice book it's a nice book you know and I love anything that's got a fairy tale like twist to it but a bit darker I'm not I realize I'm not the biggest fan of like YA fairy tale retellings that like oh I don't know how to explain it they can be dark like Cinderella is dead for example I didn't enjoy dark things happen in that but tonally it's not there's there's not this like almost sarcasm or like a dry humor to it and I think that's what I enjoy paired with a fairy tale like retelling but it's good I'm really enjoying it and I'm glad I'm finally getting around to it because I almost read it as my first book of the year and um now I could be reading it as one of my last books of the year but today I'm getting ready because me and Tom are going into London to do some Christmas shopping I'm so excited we're gonna go I'm gonna go look for some clothes I just feel the need to completely redo my whole wardrobe I just don't like any of my clothes anymore so I made the decision to cross Christmas and my birthdays in January to just get a lot of clothes basically I also I don't buy clothes very often like some of my newer newer clothes are like ones I got to go to uni five years ago like I really I don't buy clothes very often so I just feel like I need a refresh anyways I'm very excited to go into London maybe see some Christmas decorations feel a little Christmassy so I'll take you along with me a little bit but um yeah I'm gonna keep reading next to the bone on the train um while we're there and I'm gonna listen to the audiobook now as I get ready as well so yeah I'll see you in a bit so I finished next to the bone by T. King Fisher and it's gonna be four stars I really enjoyed it but I almost don't have anything to say I don't have anything to say I've just reached the end of the year guys and I'm just like I've read 150 books about some ever I just kind of feel like I really enjoyed this but I don't know what to tell you it's dark it's a modern twist on a fairy tale it's funny I think the humor of this really is it is one of the plus points to me it's just not quite a five star I don't know what's wrong it's just not quite a five star but it's close but it's not quite a five star something I do enjoy about this and the more I read kind of fairy tale inspired books is seeing books talk about the same elements but kind of adapt them in new and different ways like for example um the goblin market I never counted the goblin market before I read um an absolute dream by Shunmugwai where that's like the setting and I thought Shunmugwai came up with that I'm gonna be quite honest to you but it seems like it's a uh widely recognized phenomenon but it's just interesting seeing these ideas and places and themes come up in different books but see the different ways that they've been adapted so yeah I really enjoyed it not my favorite T. King Fisher but I would I just I don't know what's wrong with me guys I'm feeling a little bit burnt out from reading I think I don't know it's Saturday evening you last saw me so we went shopping yesterday and Friday and we got back at like 10 o'clock at night it was a long it was a full day um outing so let's be honest I'm only gonna read one more book in this vlog I did really want to try and read three but we're only reading two so we have got escaping from Houdini by Caroline Skalkari brought to tom's and mrs death mrs death and really I should read escaping from Houdini because I should make progress in the series especially because when I did my series checking video I marked this as red because I was like oh I'm gonna read that point of the year done I don't want to do that I don't want to do that I don't want to read escaping from Houdini I don't want to do it don't want to do it sorry I'm very sorry if I've let anyone down or if I've caused any ag but I have to look after number one here's the thing this series I do want to finish it but it's this is never going to be anything more than a three or four I it's never going to be anything more than a three or four so I am going to read mrs death mrs death because I feel like this is I mean I'm filming my best books of the year video on like Monday or Tuesday and so I feel like this if any if either these two have a chance to get in there it's this one because I know this one is very unique and very strange and very weird so I'm I'm going to I'm going to read mrs death mrs death sorry just forget the fact that I put this mark this was right on my series check in and that may have affected a few of the stats just forget that we're gonna forget that we're gonna expunge that from our memory so I'm gonna go start mrs death mrs death I don't know if I'll get halfway through tonight if so I will check in with you with my thoughts but I'm very excited I'm very excited to give this a go um it's the next day it's sunday so I've only got till this afternoon through this but it's a very quick read I'm 90 pages in I did want to get halfway before I check check before I checked in with you but we're about to go out for a walk and I'm probably going to read most of what's left on the way there and the way back in the car so I need to check in with you now since I'm only 90 pages in I'm really not sure what I think about it yet I'm completely honest with you so I've fallen two characters falling mrs death who is mrs death she creates death she oversees death and she meets wolf who is a troubled young writer and we're really following wolf's backstory as well and wolf's very much living in poverty and I don't know much more than that yet I have no idea what's going on I love it it's very strange we've had like interludes with wolf's dreams that are written in a very unique way like very like three words with dashes three words with dashes like a kind of ongoing sentence and there's some parts that are more poetry and then we're reading I'm in the middle of like an interview between mrs death and wolf so there's a lot of elements that are written in interesting ways I'm enjoying it also the audiobook is narrated by the author which I haven't listened to that in a fiction book for a really long time often non-fiction books particularly like memoirs or stuff um are narrated by the author but I haven't read a fiction book narrated by the author in a really long time and I'm enjoying it I feel like especially with a book like this you know Selina Godin knows more knows better than anyone the cadence the exact cadence of the words and I think that's important in a book like this really how it flows and the intonation on certain parts it's almost like a performance art piece hearing it hearing her narrate it so that's really adding um a really really great element to it for me and I'm a sin I'm just gonna go read the rest which I know is the bulk of the book I'm still not really sure what I think of it I still could love it or not love it which isn't very myself or second but I think I probably would still feel the same if I checked in with you halfway I think it's the kind of book that you have to finish to really know what you think of it you know it's so short and it's strange and like you're kind of grappling with everything that the book is trying to do it's not like a traditional genre fiction that I read with fantasy or mystery where you comment it with certain conventions that kind of help you you understand right away kind of what the parameters of the book are and what it's trying to do this is so unique that you are I feel like throughout the whole book trying to equate yourself with what it's trying to do so I'm gonna go continue listening to the audiobook and reading this and I will probably check in with you once we're back from the walk um and then yeah I'm I'm excited I think it's very unique also talking a lot about like deaths that Mrs. Death has encountered I'm enjoying it so I will check in with you once I've finished it and then we'll have ticked two books on TBL Cluedo which is better than nothing okay who wanted to say hi it's a christmas dog Freddie are you a christmas dog who keeps eating christmas cookies are you a cutie hello oh he's lemme get those christmas cookies you know when you've been on like a cold winter's day walk I just want to go have a nap but I can't because I've finished this vlog after you it's only our fault no I'm kidding um I finished Mrs. Death Mrs. Death okay I want to simultaneously say yes I was right and this is the kind of book you can't really um review midway you have to kind of read the entirety of it and then by the end I completely understand what this book is trying to do I completely understand what we're going for I think achieved it but also I want to say I am perhaps too dumb for this book I'm not alone tell me how stupid you are I don't read books like this guys or I do once in the blue moon I perhaps this did not strike me at the most perfect time because this book is very clever it's very clever and I understood everything it's saying oh I'm like choking Mrs. Death is coming for me I understood everything it was trying to say but do I really think I unpacked everything to the depth that it could be and really dove into the book and like I think you could read this two or three times to really take everything in and read it with the audiobook and read it just physically I just think there's a lot that you can glean from this book this is not sitting nicely on this it's like we're on a bouncy castle I think there's a lot that you can glean from this book and I'm not necessarily gleaning it you know but I did really enjoy it by the end I fully understand we're going for I really don't want to tell you anything because I think this is the kind of book that you should go into blindly but if you like clever books I think I'll enjoy it I just like silly murder mysteries guys and all cosy fantasies with like an elves making tea shops what is there to say this is obviously about death and I think the way it examines like particularly I didn't expect it to go into kind of like pop not pop culture well it does go into pop culture a bit but then also kind of histories of killers and death I thought was very interesting um and it's you know this is a very experimental piece of fiction I was looking it's quite it's got quite a low rating and I do understand why have I told you what I'm rating it I'm gonna give it 3.5 I really enjoy it I think on another day this could have been a 4 or 4.5 had I gleaned more from it I think it's the kind of book that like has to hit you at the right moment on the right day with the right vibe you know what I mean I do think though that this book the way that it talks about life and talks about living and like indirectly talks about wanting to appreciate life and appreciate being here being thankful and season the moment season the day I think was very interesting and it simultaneously combines this dark subject matter with quite a a positive at times I can't explain the at times positive outlook on life I think it's a very interesting book and I would recommend picking it up just to see what you think of it I don't think all of you will love it but I do recommend picking up to see what you think of it well everyone we completed two more books that were on TBR Cluedo this year that I had not read so I believe per my calculations this could be incorrect but I believe for my calculations out of the 70 books that were on TBR Cluedo this year because we had two deep records throughout the year out of the 70 books on TBR Cluedo I read 63 which isn't bad you know because I'm a completionist I feel pressure for that number to be 70 do you know what I mean to have read every single book but no one out there no book cheaper if you go watch back and spoiler alert if you go watch back everyone's monthly TV hours no one's gonna have read every single book well here's the tea I'm happy 63 out of 70 that's what 90 percent I've read 90 percent of the books so on TBR Cluedo this year that's fine it's fine and I just want to apologize I feel like this vlog has not been my best um Season Effect Disorder is slipping in a little bit and I'm trying to resist it but the past couple days I think it's impeded my ability to talk about stuff a little bit I'm just not quite feeling myself and I can just I know the feeling I've been with this for over a decade now and um I just know when it's starting to creep its way in and so that's been taking up a lot of my mental space I think so apologies if this vlog wasn't as good as usual but my next two vlogs are very exciting we've got a wrapped up coming before Christmas and then we've got a Reading Christmassy Matter mysteries coming before Christmas I'm very excited for both of them so they'll be coming over the next week or so and I thank you guys so much for watching and I'll see you very soon in another video bye