 Hello friends! We are somehow almost at the end of 2023. Don't talk to me actually, I don't want to talk about how that's happened. Where has the year gone? And today we are going to be doing the end of year book tag which I do every single year. I think it's a good way to look towards the end of the year. My end of the year feels more squished than usual as well because if you guys know I'm going to Costa Rica for like 10 days and all I think I'm there, 9, 10 days. So that takes up a good chunk of November and then December is its own beast. With all the content I want to make in December it's like it's not even like part of the normal year. It's the whole new entity. I wanted to do this now and I did think oh maybe I'm a bit early to the end of your book tag. Like am I am I pushing it a bit? Like is this a bit early? Because I think often I do like to do these a bit early. I get quite excited for like new eras. I always say I love a Monday, I love a start of a new month, I love a start of the year. Like anything that's a new beginning, I love. So the way to go okay this is the beginning of the end of the year. Like it gets excited. Well guess what people? I get excited about small things. But the creator of this tag, Errol Basette, did just did the tag on her podcast with Raylene, books on bound if you listen to that. So if the creator of the tag has done it I am justified in doing it. So it's basically just a little tag to tell about the books that I'm hoping to read in the rest of the year. All of my content is planned so I know roughly the books I'm gonna be reading towards the end of the year. Okay but shall we just get into it and chat about the end of year book tag and see am I am I ready? Can I actually feasibly read all the books that I need to read in the two and a half months at the end of this year? We'll see. Right now what I want you to know is you're going to fail miserably. We'll see how strong seasonal effective disorder kicks in. Hopefully it won't be that bad. I'm going Costa Rica. That should that should tampon in a bit. Keep the depression at bay. Anyways love that. Let's get into the tag. The first question is are there any books you started this year that you need to finish? And my answer for this is usually a hard no because I never start books and don't finish them. Well unless I'm DNFing them. But DNFing I DNF maybe like let's be honest two books a year like I don't I don't DNF and once I've started a book I'm finishing it I'm committed I'm there I'm writing it out I don't I don't DNF but I do have one book and I wasn't going to tell you about it. When I didn't realize this was a question in the tag and now I have to be truthful. I just I wasn't going to mention it I wasn't going to tell you about it but let's let's okay. I have read have I still got the chapter yes I've read the first 87 pages of the other side of Mrs Wood by Lucy Barker which when I was starting it I started this the other week and I was like oh this is the perfect like autumnal book what a great time to read this. Turns out the video that I was supposed to be reading it for I like I'd got it in my brain that I needed to read this book and I didn't so buzzwordathonvlog that I just did. I went through I reacted to the books right I built my TBR I didn't need to read one of the prompts for buzzwordathon if you haven't seen I did a video where I completed the buzz year-long buzzword readathon in a week and one of the prompts is something with other in the title and I'd filmed that you know the opener to that okay I have to film it before TBR and whatever and then for somebody someone else making TBR could I and then thinking of what my TBR was for this video I I thought I hadn't read a book with the word other and I thought I had to read this for a while even though when I'm filming that I I don't put this on the TV and then I watched the clip back once I was like 80 pictures and I was like oh shit I read this you sound rather stupid to me you know you know you're sort of person you had a brain you'd be dangerous there the thing is I put it on TBR Cluedo otherwise I just wouldn't read this this year I would just like shelve it and read it whenever it came up but I am doing a video at the end of this year which I'm getting increasingly daunted for where I finish I read every book from TBR Cluedo that I haven't read yet this year well there's there's a fair few of them guys there's a fair few of them and I don't think I've got any videos coming up uh towards the end of this year that I'm gonna fit many of them in so so I am gonna have to read this by the end of the year and listen I was enjoying it I enjoyed the first 80 pages of it it wasn't amazing but I think it had a good vibe to it a good autumnal vibe it's Victorian it's seances I was enjoying it but now I am gonna have to finish this I don't know why I thought that I that was just something that's my brain it's not cooperating at the moment so I am gonna have to finish by the end of the year when I do that TBR Cluedo video listen December it's stacked I'm pretty sure it goes like Goodreads Mystery of the vlog which I'm gonna read like 10 books for and then the TBR Cluedo vlog next week how am I gonna do this everyone take a deep breath and please believe me and also wrapped up will be back which will be a vlog away December I'm just accepting I have no life which is always December but I yeah I'm excited to finish this but yes we do have a book this year that I have started and not finished that I need to finish by the end of the year next question is do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year okay so the next two vlogs that I'm doing are quite autumnal what don't I want to tell you the whole TBRs for them what what ones do I want to tell you about okay I'm gonna tell you the one that I'm most excited for I'm actually this is what I'm gonna start today I'm ridiculously excited for this but like a lot of you probably won't be excited for this because it's not out yet it doesn't go out till next year the title is the antique hunter's guide to murder this is an arc I very kindly got sent what antique would you kill for it's enough to bring tears to my eyes no matter who you are where you come from if you've got a dream there's no one out there that can stop you from achieving so this is a murder mystery I'm gonna reading some murder mysteries this week um I usually do this vlog in November but obviously I'm away a lot in November so I'm doing it in October murder mysteries are very very autumnal to me I love I love murder mysteries so I'm gonna be reading murder mysteries this week and this is one of the ones I'm gonna be reading this doesn't come out till February next year but I'm I just can't wait any longer if you don't know me if you don't know me guys if you don't know me I am obsessed with a show called Barking Hunt I've admitted this a couple times it's one of my quirks it's a show on BBC UK usually it's like at around lunchtime for like grannies and students with people who watch this show there's two teams they get 300 pounds to spend an antiques fair they buy three items and then they take them to auction and try and make a profit okay if you watch Barking Hunt you know that it's slightly embarrassing the admitting this but I have watched every episode that's available on BBC iPlayer I've run out of episodes to watch the obsession that I got with it was was borderline unhealthy I don't know how I'm gonna integrate in society after this so I don't watch antiques roadshow which is like another antique I only watch Barking Hunt but this is like pitched as like I think the daughter I think the author of this is the daughter of like a very well known expert on antiques roadshow but it's made a mystery around antiques I this might be this is like a five star prediction this is a five star prediction I'm so excited guys I'm so I'm so I'm so excited to read this I think it's gonna be incredible it's murder mystery vibes oh I think this is just it's a surreal tunnel and then I'll tell you about one other book I think I've told you about this already I think this was on my full tbr but I'm gonna be reading finally sleuthet by Brom this is when I saw a lot of people reading last autumn and was very jealous that I wasn't reading it but it's set in Connecticut in 1666 and an ancient spirit awakens in a dark wood and we're following a recently widowed outcast who she turns to this spirit for help and it's going to be witchy it's going to be I mean I love I don't read enough like what era is the 1600s what's the term for that stewart no you know how like 1800s is victorians what 1600s okay yeah this is like Charles the second era but then also you're just out of like well this isn't set in the UK it's set in the US but like in my brain okay so we've just had Oliver Cromwell we've had away with the monarchy in the monarchy's back and it's he's the king who bought back partying if you don't know I used to know all the lyrics that song come on Megan oh dolly wasn't jolly he was glum and he was proud being miserable as sin only sinning's not allowed when all he died and people said charlie me hearty get rid of us a lot of the party this is actually what they call the monarchy restoration essentially it's like huge celebration anyways if you don't know what that is I'm sorry sorry you've suffered anyways I'm excited because I do I love witchy stuff set in this era I think it's just rife rife for the right right right it's amazing shut up Megan he has illustrations which I'm very excited for I think this is gonna be my flavour of horror it's got a vibe to it it's got I'm so I'm like foaming at the mouth I'm so excited I cannot wait to read this I think I'm gonna love it so um yeah this these two this week I finally bring in the autumn vibes to me also because like it's finally autumn in the UK it was freezing yesterday I had to whip out the heated blanket guys it was freezing in the UK finally it's been like 26 degrees last week or something ridiculous oh next question is there a new release you're still waiting for let's look at my reading tracker where I've got all my releases I don't know if there's a release I'm still waiting for that I'm gonna read if I'm honest with you before the end of the year let's have a look oh I am gonna be reading the Christmas appeal by Janice Hallett before the end of the year I didn't love love love the appeal I mean it was a five star production and it wasn't a five star but I did I love Janice Hallett stuff and I'm you know the twyford code was like a 4.5 and the mysterious case the apathetic angels of the five so I'm very excited for the Christmas appeal and I am gonna reading that for the end of the year bookshops and bonedust I'm very excited for bookshops and bonedust legend and lattes will get into this but it's probably still my favorite book I've read this year and it was the first book I read this year so but I don't think I'm gonna read bookshops and bonedust before the end of the year and heart stop of volume five comes out in December already pre-ordered that I'm so excited for that but again I don't think I'm gonna read that for the end of the year like obviously it would take me like 30 minutes to read it but there's no vlog it would fit in for the end of the year and I feel like we've waited this long that I'd be letting you down if I didn't vlog hearts of volume five so I don't think I'm gonna read that before the end of the year but those are probably the ones that I am most excited for but yeah probably only reading the Christmas appeal which out of those three it's the one I'm least excited for but it is that I'm gonna read it around Christmas time and I'm excited to read some Christmas-y mysteries around Christmas time I always love doing that that's like that's another one of my traditions I love reading Christmas mysteries that's what's Christmas is about isn't it yeah what are three books you want to read before the end of the year okay I've seen the next question and I'm I'm gonna save a book for the next question so three other books that I want to read for the end of the year let's be realistic what do I think I'm gonna read for the end of the year okay one of the books I most wanted to read for a couple months now is The Only One Left by Riley Sager I am 90% sure this will be nominated for the Goodreads Mystery Thriller Awards there's a small chance it could go under horror it's been on some horror lists but that would be wrong that would be wrong Goodreads I'll call you up and tell you that would be wrong I'm hoping that this would be nominated for the Mystery Thriller and I means I will read it for the end of the year we're following Laura Hope who everyone thinks is a mass murderer her whole family was murdered and then we have a character who's like looking after Lenora in her old age and she starts typing her story on the typewriter me and Riley Sager whatever I think of the the book we always have a good time Riley gives me fun come on like Riley's a mainstay I love his his ideas I love the synopses and I just really I've heard so many good things about this one I'm really hoping that we're gonna be successful and then I need another book oh what am I realistically going to read see a book I would love to read before the end of the year but I can't see it happening but let me just say it no there's no video that this could this could okay there's like one video which I'm gonna be reading one book of all that there's a small chance which if I can read this book I will pick this book but chances are small but um Starling House by Alexi Harrow I really want to read this before the end of the year like I have just oh it sounds so amazing it's gothic I've pitched this book to you so many times how embarrassing would it be if I don't read um I mean I probably won't but I would love to read this before the end of the year I'd love to read this in autumn it comes out at the end of October here in the UK but there's this house nobody in the town of Eden remembers when Starling House was built but everyone agrees it's best to let this ill omen house and it's lonely last air go to rot I loved the ones of future witches by Alexi Harrow this has footnotes I love footnotes I love footnotes and I just think the atmosphere and the vibe of this is gonna be incredible so I would love to read this before the end of the year but the chances are quite minute and then what other one do I want to say oh I know I'm gonna read this before the end of the year and that is lost in the moment and found by Sean McGuire these are always a five star for me listen it's short which I love it's 146 pages and I know this one is with tackling more difficult topics in this edition of the wayward children series but they're always a five star it's a five star series for me now I give every single book five stars I love it I love it I love it I love it love the wayward children series Sean McGuire's writing is just impeccable yeah I just I'm very excited to to read this edition I'll be reading this in a couple weeks so yes okay that's my next those are my three two of which I'm definitely well one I'm definitely reading one I'm 90% going to read and one I'm like 10% gonna read if we're honest but I really want to read it okay and then the next question was is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year and there's only one answer for this let's be honest the last level to die by Richard Osman oh again this is another one I think is going to be nominated for mistruth thriller which I'm going to be reading the top 10 nominees this is the fourth in the thursday mad cup series which is one of my favorite series to ever exist and I love it incredibly so much I love her I love her that's real even though she's fictional it's real and that's important to me and I have heard nothing but amazing things it's got like a 4.6 average rating on goodread let's see what it actually is because it this will be changing rapidly because it just came out because last time I looked at 22,000 ratings let's see how many it has now I might even be up to like 30 it's now got 27,000 ratings on a 4.59 which is like still amazing that's like a ridiculously high rating um so we're following this I mean you all know an only class of characters who solve mysteries together and I know I know I'm gonna cry throughout the entirety of this book and like some people say oh I mean I was talking to like Katie Colson about this and she was like oh I I'm sorry that you know that like everyone's crying because sometimes that can make it less impactful I don't think that's gonna be the case I think I think I'm gonna be waterworks throughout the entire thing so yeah like I said legends and lattes the first book I read this year and I don't think anything else has topped it for me in terms of my favorite book of the year I think this could I think this could I think this could if anything is gonna top legends and lattes I think this is the only book that's gonna do it okay now I'm gonna top and then the final question is have you already started making reading plans for next year yes I have so in terms of how far ahead my content is planned all of my videos are planned for January all of my vlogs are planned for February and into March and I've already planned out some long-running series I've got two long running series of vlogs that I think I'm gonna be doing over the course of the entirety of next year so that's that's the plan which I am very excited for there are two series there's one that's gonna be a vlog every month um which I'm not gonna tell you anything about and then there's one that's gonna be probably four vlogs out the year which I have to it's gonna be to do with classics and retellings I want to get into my classics era I want to be like a classics girlie and I want to really look at my taste in in retellings because it's something I've been thinking a lot about lately well I think we know what it is but I'd like to explore that a bit more in depth but yeah I've got a lot of exciting videos coming next year I've got some really fun like stupid reading vlogs I really want to do they're filming with excitement I mean just reading vlogs are really a what filming with excitement making reading vlogs filming reading vlogs and I've got a lot of really exciting ones coming for next year I haven't figured out goals though I haven't planned out goals which yeah we'll come up with them at I mean when it comes time to it but yeah I haven't really figured out if there's any set goals that I want to aim towards next year in my reading I don't think I don't really like stringent goals but yeah I haven't planned those out yet but I have started planning out a lot of my reading I've planned out like really like a quarter of my reading for next year which is kind of crazy we don't really talk about that but yes the answer to that is yes end of year book tag the answer is yes so there we have it that is my end of year book tag I hope that was vaguely interesting to you um I'm really excited for the end of this year it's my favorite time to make content I have got so many fun videos coming throughout the next couple months for you and I hope you're excited for them too so let me know any plans that you have already for your end of year reading do you have a book that you still think could become your favorite book of the year let me know some books you'd like to read before the end of the year if you got to the end of the video comment the purple heart emoji or is there a fox emoji there's a fox emoji yeah there is comment the fox or purple heart emoji because I think it's gonna be my favorite yeah um and I will see you very soon in another video bye