 Today, we're going to be doing episode 2 of Taste the TBR with Valentine's chocolate! So if you don't know, this is a series I've started on my channel, where different flavours of foods fit what I read. So in this episode, we have got two different chocolate boxes, because it was hard to find a Valentine's chocolate box with lots of different flavours in. So each of these has four flavours in. Each of them corresponds to a genre. And whichever chocolates I eat, I'm going to be blindfolded for this one, because they look different. Yeah, whichever chocolates I eat, I have to read a book in that genre. So there are, like, they do share flavours, like both of them are sort of caramel, both of them are strawberry, but like, there's different genres for each of the different types of chocolate, if that makes sense. So I feel like that's all we really need to say. I will introduce you now to what the genres are going to be for the two different types of chocolate. OK, so from the truffle box, raspberry is thriller, strawberry is horror, champagne is non-fiction, and salted caramel is mystery. And then from the heart chocolate box, double dark is contemporary, salted caramel is historical, strawberries and cream is magical realism, and smooth milk is fantasy. I can't see anything. You can't see? No. OK, everyone. Show us in the chocolate. There you go. There's one. I can't even remember what the genres are, because I just wrote them down quickly for each of the different chocolates. I can't even remember. So do you want me to get the book? Yeah, you need the book. Can you pass me the book then? There's a pen on the page that the flavours are on. Are they here? Yeah. OK. So you want to choose that one first? That one. OK, I'm going to take one too, so I get to try the favourites. Are you trying the same flavour as me? Yeah, so I can be the arbiter. I don't like it. Apprehensive, nervous, a bit scared, also weirdly calm, perhaps on the verge of hysteria. OK, you ready? Mm-hmm. Did you get the smooth milk one? That is smooth milk. OK, what flavours are that? Fantasy. OK, I can work with that. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I'm looking at this right now, a nightingale finder. Mm-hmm. Of you finder, I thought. Mm-hmm. This is the weirdest hostage video I've ever seen. OK, OK. Which do you want to use next? Cool. That one. No. You don't like him? Do you want like that? I don't know which one you're looking for. No, I don't like this. OK. They all feel the same. They all feel the same. They all have the same feel. OK, right. Do you want to get one of the same? These ones are really difficult to tell. Yeah, they are. These ones are so similar. Yeah, OK, I got some of you. OK. Mm-hmm. That's strawberry or raspberry? No. That's champagne, I think. Oh, fuck. Yeah, yeah. I don't like that. I'll get you to shoot. So that was nonfiction, everyone. He loves... He's experienced for me to go through how warm I am. Fucking hell. You can tell we don't drink. Yeah. OK, number three. I'm going to go for another hot one because I think they're nicer. That champagne one is gross. I'm going to go for that one, I think. OK. Get one of the same flavor? I'm going to hold still. Are you eating already? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Dark chocolate. Yeah, double dark. Double dark. Contemporary. Contemporary. OK. You guys can't see this, but the way they break when you bite it is really pretty. Mm-hmm. Let's do some more for the fun of it. Depending on what this is, if I really want to read what genre this next one is... Mm-hmm. I might read four in this vlog. Maybe. Just make sure I don't get champagne again. I'm making sure. Drop that. Um, that one. Mm-hmm. I think I know what this is going to be. Mm. That's raspberry. It's strawberry. Ooh. You know, how are we going to tell? I can't tell. Is it the strawberry or raspberry? I think that's raspberry. I don't know. It's not. Mm-hmm. No, they can't see that. Hang on. It could be raspberry. Let me have a look. Unlike Scooby and Shaggy, I'm solving a mystery. Yeah, you can't tell. What is raspberry? I think that is raspberry. It's a thriller. Mm. No, I think I'll just read the three. I was only going to read it if it was a mystery. OK, I want to try one of the ones I haven't had from Hannah. Mm-hmm. That one? Yeah. Have I had that one? Nope. Oh, you want to try? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Should I send one? Mm-hmm. Sorry, this is incredible. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I'm not going to help myself. Oh, that's sort of a thriller. That's so good. Mm-hmm. OK, let's end it there because I'll just video been ten years long. OK, so that's all the chocolates we're going to eat. So in this vlog, I need to read a fantasy, a nonfiction, and a contemporary. So I'm going to go pick those books now, and then I'll tell you what we're going to be reading in this vlog. OK. I have gone through my shelves and I've picked what we're going to be reading. So contemporary. If you watch my TBR Cleared vlog, you know I have to read this book this month. And I was going to... I'm not going to lie, I was hoping contemporary would come up. Or if mystery came up, I was going to bend it into that because it is categorized as second... like it's secondary genre on Goodreads' mystery. So I was going to bend the rules, but we're going to be reading Grown by Tiffany D Jackson. So Nicole picked this for me for my TBR for this month. And I'm really excited to read it. It's very much about like abuse of power within the music industry. I think it's quite a heavy read. But since I mentioned it in that vlog, all of you have told me that I'm going to love it. So I'm feeling very positive. And I'm glad I get to vlog it for you because I was going to read it either way. But this is the kind of book that I feel like, you know, you probably just want to hear my thoughts and want to see in a vlog. So I'm very glad we fit that in. And then nonfiction came up. I specifically put that as the champagne one, I remember, because I was hoping I wouldn't eat that truffle. I was thinking about picking one of the nonfiction I want to read the most. Like we've got Unwell Women or Disfigured or Radiant Girls. Like I said, they're some of the nonfiction I want to read the most. But I have nonfiction on my TBR, Cluedo TBR this month in Crippled. Osserity in the Demonization of Disabled People by Francis Ryan. And like, part of me thought, you know, I'm just getting back into reading a good amount a month. Like, do I want to push myself? Or do I just want to read a book that's already on my TBR? So I think I'm going to read Crippled. And I feel like some of you may be interested in this. I think like the demonization of disabled people, particularly like I said in the UK, this book is with like a UK lens, is a real problem. It's a real, real problem in our media. And I'm sure it's the case in many other countries as well. So I feel like this is still something that's going to be interesting for me to read in this vlog. I'll probably just like, read it and then check in with you, because it's quite short. It's only really 200 pages. And then the last one was fan, well the first one was fantasy, which was hardest for me to pick, because I have so much fantasy on my TBR. Fantasy is by far my most own genre. But I don't know if it's my most exciting genre at the moment. Get off your high horse and have some respect. But what I think I'm actually going to pick is Girls of Fate and Fury by Natasha and the Yanks. This is the final book in the Girls of Paper and Fire series, one of my favourite fantasy series of all time. The first book was really influential in getting me back into reading. So that's what our third pick is going to be. I'm going to finish Girls of Paper and Fire. I'm going to read Girls of Fate and Fury. I'm scared because I feel like I'm going to go through a lot of pain, but I'm also excited. I'm excited to finish it. So that is our TBR for this vlog. I think I'm going to start with grown and then read crippled in the middle and then read Girls of Fate and Fury. So I will check in with you when I'm a little bit of the way through this. Okay, so I filmed the clips for this like last weekend, and then I did not read until yesterday, which was Thursday. This video's going up on Sunday, so we're like going to read fast, okay? So I am half way through grown, if I just need ejection. I'm on page 188 and you guys, I kid you not, I kid you not. I read those 188 pages last night on sprints of my patrons in 55 minutes. What the hell? That's so quick. This book reads so fast. So it's literally going to take you like two hours to read like a 400 page book if you pick it up. Like it's so fast. So basically we're following Enchanted and the book opens up with her really confused and possibly having killed her mentor, the pop singer who discovered her. And we kind of go back in time then to see how she was discovered and the relationship that they eventually get into. She's 17, he's 28 and how he's abusive essentially and abusing her severely. And I will say I'm really enjoying this, well, enjoying is probably the right word, but like the story itself, you know, it's very, very easy to, well, no, it's not easy to read. It's easy to read in terms of, you know, it's quick to read. You're constantly telling the page, but it's also difficult to read her going through what she's going through and kind of not having anyone, you know, being shut off from everyone, not having anyone to turn to, feeling very isolated. It's very difficult to read that and I kind of get the impression that it's only going to get worse from here on out. And I think books like this are very important. I will say though, I'm not fully enjoying the writing and I'm thinking maybe that Tiffany D Jackson's writing just isn't for me. Something about the writing just feels a bit simple and like a bit like the character development is a bit rushed for Enchanted as well. The plot is a bit rushed, the pacing is a bit rushed. There's something about it just feels a little bit off to me as a reader. Like I understand maybe what it's trying to signify is kind of her lost in this whirlwind of what's happening to her or fame and like so much happening so fast. But as a reader, it kind of, it kind of feels like the book is over so long a span of time that we're not actually going into detail on any of the moments that I would like to. I'm a little bit concerned. So I'm also reading Monday's Not Coming this month and I feel like if I don't love the writing in that maybe Tiffany D Jackson just isn't for me and I need to like stop reading her although like her new book, just the cover just got released and like I'm so interested in it. All of her books I'm so interested in but the writing that I've read both in Grown and Monday and White Smoke hasn't been for me, hasn't been for me. And so if the same, if it's the same and Monday's Not Coming, I don't think it's fair for me to keep on reading her like on her, on the ratings I'm giving her books like it's not fair if I know a writer's writing is not for me to keep hoping that's going to change rather than just removing myself from the situation. I don't think it's really fair. So I don't know. We'll see, we'll see. I mean, and I don't want you to think I'm not enjoying it. I'm really, really enjoying it and I think it's a very interesting book and I think like you're so drawn in I'm reading it so, so fast. But there's just like a few things about it that are like a little bit off for me. But anyway, I actually need to tell you, hang on right after I filmed the clip saying I was going to read Girls of Fate and Fury for the fantasy pick, I changed my mind. No, you've made the wrong decision! I've realised I was a fantasy book I've been wanting to read even more for a long time. So I'm going to read Where the Drowned Girls Go by Shona McGuire and said I have literally been like salivating at the mouth to read this book. This is like the seventh installment of the children's series, one of my favourite series ever. We're following one of my favourite characters, Cora as she goes to this new school instead of Ellen the West home for her children. I'm just so excited, I don't think you understand. So I still really want to read Girls of Fate and Fury soon obviously, but I just felt like this was a perfect opportunity to finally read this and it's like an archive got and I'm just like excited to read it. So we're going to be reading this at the end of this vlog. We'll probably read Crippled and then this. So I'm going to go downstairs and I'm just going to literally spend like 50 minutes reading this book and yeah, I'll check in with you when I'm done. I didn't love it you guys and I feel like I'm actually not even allowed to say that. Like I feel like this book I'm not even, I shouldn't admit I'm not loving it. I'm going to give it three stars. I'm giving it three stars. Now here's the thing, I thought all of the issues surrounding enchanted's abuse, like the covering of the abuse, the discussion of it, all of these things were done so well. I just didn't like the writing. We have a problem everyone. This is not a one-off. I don't like that. I don't like D.Jax's writing I don't think. I mean I'm going to read Monday's not coming this month and like finalize my opinion but I'm like scared and terrified and crying like crying in the corner like actually weeping. I thought so much this book was brilliant. I thought the discussion of like of innocence and having your innocence stolen away and like you know being a mature child people saying you're mature for your age is not the same as being an adult right and how we don't believe black women, how poorly black women are treated in these kind of situations and they were you know reveal the abuse that they've suffered. I thought it was all so so brilliantly done and I think it's such an important book to read and I also think the extent of the abuse is displayed really well whilst also being written for a YA audience. There's certain aspects of this of like drug addiction and stuff like that that is hinted at but if you know what she's talking about it's very obvious but I think the young audiences it would still display the idea behind what's happening without necessarily saying it outright so I thought that was done really well as well. I just didn't like the writing it felt so rushed to me the pacing felt so rushed, the characters beyond enchanted didn't feel like real characters even Cory who is the the elder man. I don't know how I want this to be written right because it's YA and like part of this feels like I'm just not the audience for this so I shouldn't critique it but it he just felt like a pantomime villain sometimes which I go back and forth about whether a discussion around this should be nuanced or those kind of monsters you know these men who are monsters should be displayed like this I go back and forth about how I would want it to be displayed but I just didn't feel like his character was any of the characters were believable. I didn't feel like any of the characters were believable because the dialogue felt so like wooden, kind of stilted I don't know how to explain it and it's not a problem I have very often with YA I can't really think of any like other contemporary YA where I've felt like this but I've now felt like it with both of Tiffany D Jackson's books so I generally think the problem is me and like everyone else can love her books and I just maybe shouldn't read anymore I mean I need to read one that's not coming because it's on my TBR Cluedo TBR so I will read that later this month but like after that I don't know if I'm gonna read Tiffany D Jackson's Future Stuff. Me begging to love a Tiffany D Jackson book because I love her concept so much. Does that sound like something you want? Yes. But let me tell you you'll never get it. And it's hard for me to write this because I think objectively in terms of how the issues in this are handled it is done really well especially for a YA audience. I think it's done so so well. It's a very heavy hitting book it covers so many really heavy hitting topics but my personal enjoyment of it wasn't very high so I really struggled to know how to rate it but I think I'm gonna give it a 3 star is what I'm falling on. I feel like I probably feel about rounding up to a 3.5 but I think it for me it is a 3 and I also feel like there's some elements later in the book to do with psychological mental health issues and I don't know if that thought fully realised within the book. The strongest part was the main storyline and there were a few other offshoots of the story that weren't dealing with the abuse that we're dealing with other possible side storyline that could have been influencing the whole story and I didn't feel like that was really worked so I hate myself because I wanted to love this so much. I am now gonna go start crippled. Well actually what I'm gonna do right now is I'm gonna edit this vlog up to where we filmed so far because I don't want to do too much editing tomorrow so I'd rather edit everything that I filmed today today and then do a little bit of work tomorrow. But actually I've already read the first 30 pages of this and I have been really enjoying it. I feel like I'm just gonna read the whole thing and then chat to you because it's already 200 pages long. Okay so I I've finished crippled and I really really enjoyed it. I'm gonna give it 4 stars I think this book is like essential reading, particularly if you're from the UK because it is very much through this like, you know, UK lens of how the policy of austerity from the coalition and conservative governments has damaged disabled people's rights and freedoms even more than they already were so I don't know if it's like super relevant for an international audience I mean I think it is but I don't think you'll necessarily understand all the context behind it and what the governments here did and how terrible they were so it's very much looking at the demonization of marginalised groups, you know, how society is supposed to protect those, you know who are most marginalised but it doesn't and those are the ones often without a voice and often get forgotten. This book relies really heavily on statistics and case studies, so disabled people talking about their situations and how terrible it's been for them and all the awful repercussions you know, people being left without their benefits, being losing their house, being put in temporary accommodation that's completely unsuitable for them, kids not being able to go to school because the council won't find a proper place for them, like so many areas of life it covers and shows the awful impact that has happened to disabled people in the UK recently over the past couple years it makes you so angry at the government like I hate them but it makes you so angry at the government there was a section on when I can't remember all the terms properly but disabled people had to be reassessed for like whether they were fit to work and whether they could keep their kind of I'm not fit to work benefits essentially and how so many people who were obviously not fit to work were told that they were and this process was all allocated or you know delegated to these private companies it was preached to the populace you know the general populace as this will save us money right we're going to the whole rhetoric in the UK in the media is get rid of the scroungers stop people being lazy why should someone go out to work and make money when their neighbour gets to lie in bed all day the curtains don't even open fearing to us the fact that they're not able to get out of bed you know like it's the rhetoric was so pervasive and dangerous and harmful but anyway you know they said we're going to save money we're going to stop the people who are stealing your money essentially well more money was spent paying those private companies to do a terrible job than was saved by taking away so many individual people's benefits that they relied on it's just terrible it makes you so angry and I think this book does a great job of detailing what has happened the one thing I feel like I would want from it and why it's a four star not a five star is there's not much suggestion of what happens now do you know what I mean I feel like it was missing a chapter at the end it went through sections of poverty work independence housing women and children and then it's the conclusion and I feel like before the conclusion we needed a chapter on what the next step should be what needs to happen from local government to you know national government all the way along to erase these changes that have impacted people so severely so that's why it's a four star I think it's really really important that people read this book I think it's written really really well I think it's important to read this stuff and get angry and then don't just live in a state of like ignorance essentially so yeah I really really enjoyed it I just would have liked a kind of next steps kind of chapter if that makes sense now I just got a parcel my address is literally all over it it's here from I think it's from the coal so basically the coal told me that she sent me a book from book depository for my birthday and then it's like never arrived and I always like she always said to me I want to see you open it on camera so I haven't opened it now it could be something else but I haven't ordered anything and it's come from Australia so I'm pretty sure it's from the coal let's just open this now and see what it is so it's called Aggie Morton Mystery Queen the body under the piano and I think it's like a middle grade mystery series but I think it's in I think that's Agatha Christie what I have never heard of this inspired by the real life queen of crime Agatha Christie oh my god it is I'm pretty sure it is Nicole how have I never heard of this oh my god you guys a middle grade based off of Agatha Christie I'm pretty sure and she crosses paths with a Belgian boy named Hector Perot oh that's so cute I'm so excited to read this oh my god oh my god how exciting this is like a dream how did I not even know this existed okay I need to go head off and do loads of research on this book in this series I'm so excited thank you so much Nicole Nicole is the best now I'm gonna go out for a walk and then I'll probably come back and read where the drone goes go after that it's poetry it's one of God's masterpieces this series it's difficult to talk about right because this is the seventh in a series and it's such a short book that it's difficult to not spoil the other books or not spoil parts of this book so I'll try and keep it as vague as possible it's not like number six across the green grass fields where that was like you could start with that book that was like completely non-spoilery this is spoilery to across the green grass fields beneath the sugar sky and come tumbling down I think at the very least definitely those three but I love it so we're following Cora who we've had in the previous books and I really loved her character but I could not predict like how much I would love her character in this book I absolutely love her so she is struggling with PTSD from things that happen in the previous books and so she wants to leave Ellen in the west home away with children and she hears about this other school that Ellen doesn't like her students going to they're very strict very extreme but Cora wants to go there because she believes it's the only thing that could kind of free her of the PTSD that she is experiencing. I think I really love the one set at the schools I love the school setting there is something special about the portal world but I know a lot of people much prefer the portal world books but I really like the book set at the schools and this one was so interesting like the idea of this alternate school that's like for the kids who have been to this portal world but like isn't all like kind of lovey-dovey like LOS like it's like it was really interesting and so much fun to read about. I already want to reread this I've got like cat hair stuck to my face um I already want to reread this I think I will probably reread it with the audio book maybe in the next few weeks if I get a chance like I absolutely loved it Korra is an amazing character she's got so much character development on you know the importance of friendship to her the importance of being a hero um the PTSD that she's struggling with being fat is also a big part of the story and the fat phobia she's faced throughout her life and as someone as a child who grew up fat like I think it was very relatable for me to read and I think Sean McGuire was spot on with a lot of what was written Sean McGuire is always just so spot on with what these kids are feeling and their emotions and I just think it's so beautifully written like it's so gorgeously written I just I just absolutely adore it I love the new setting I need to reread the whole series because it's like my favorite and it's five stars if you didn't know it's five stars I don't know if I said that I mean just the writing Sean McGuire has literally my favorite writing in the world like literally my favorite writing in the world I really need to read the Adebra Baker short stories which are kind of tied to middle game if you don't know they're like books that are in middle game and she's written them and they're kind of like kids short stories and I own both of those so I really need to get to them at some point but I just love this and I'm so excited for the next books in the series we've already got I think two or three more confirmed that are going to happen like not what they are we know they're tied to the next one which is lost in the moment and found and I think we all know well if you read this it's pretty obvious who that book is going to be about it's a character I don't know much about so I'm really excited for that and yeah I just loved it if you just need fun emotional detailed vivid worlds cozy read short reads like read this series like if you haven't picked the series up yeah I don't know what you're doing I don't know what you're doing if you get it you get it if you don't you don't if you know you know if you don't know like honestly I feel bad for you and this one was really fun because I although I loved reading across the Greengrass Fills where it's this whole new setting not tied to the other books at all where so much of the context is built up of what happened in the previous books that's really fun as well so I just loved it I absolutely loved it it's amazing it's amazing it's got like illustrations in it as well this is the arc I got sent I probably will get the full version there's some illustrations throughout the book as well thank you for watching this vlog I hope you've enjoyed it it was a lot of fun letting Valentine's chocolates pick what I read let me know what you thought of any of the books I read in this video I think Grown gonna be quite a controversial one because I didn't really like it a lot of people did but like this is your sign to just go ahead and read this and this is my first 2022 release I've read which is really fun be gone to the end comment a door emoji comment a door or a sea wave emoji because Cora is like a mermaid so comment either of those down below if you've gone to the end thank you so much for watching and I'll see you very soon in another video bye