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Out of the toilets and into the living room, a chamber that is among my favourite breakdowns in the docuseries this was inspired from. So far the details have been pretty compelling in how it is breaking down its history.

Yes the going here has been slow. I blame the physical nature of this read.

I admit to savouring this a little bit in that I focused on other books while letting what has happened so far sink in. There was a massive reveal at this moment that really upped the stakes of the intrigue and I'm thoroughly engrossed by how exactly they will work this out.

And whether Ana will be tempted by the new development.

Two major fantasies on the go is usually my sign to pick up a non-fantasy. This time an ebook that has been languishing in my e-shelf for a long time.

Truthfully, I'm thoroughly disillusioned by the British Royal family since Elizabeth II's passing and their overall treatment of Meghan Markle. But I did enjoy the first in the series in a rom com kind of way, so let's see if it'll scratch an itch.

I'm finally exhuming this book that has been on my TBR for over a decade. So it's been a long time.

I have to say, there is a comfortable familiarity to the narrative so far. The parallels with The Will of the Many is many in fact. But rather than be sort of bored by it, I'm really enjoying it. Which maybe just goes to show that I like what I like.

-nods vigorously- Yup, this was a good choice. This was just the palate cleanser I needed right now on my reading journey. Just something good that I can sink into. I love the character dynamics in this. And it's making me wish I grabbed this so much sooner.

It is stunning reading about Michelle's time as FLOTUS. Moreso, the sheer amount of work she put in to assemble her initiative, the flow chart of thinking she had to account for in the face of lobbyists against her project.

She would have made a great leader how meticulous she is. She also would have despised it, which sort of shows the hypocrisy of leadership.

I don't know what I was expecting grabbing this memoir - maybe something a little elitist or judgemental - but it really is not. It actually really speaks to me in a way I wasn't expecting. Not just about the Obamas, but what led us to right now, that is, a second Trump presidency.

It's really sobering.

It's Friday and if you managed to avoid food poisoning this week you had a more successful week than me.

This book is not unfolding in a way I thought I would. I thought a few reveals would come later. That it did not makes me wonder where this tale may be heading.

Me owning a physical copy of this book is a big reason why I am grabbing it right now. Granted this book being on my TBR to begin with means I always intended on reading it anyway. It just got moved up the priority list is all.

Still early in the memoir so not much to say as yet. It's insightful but not yet deep. I expect that comes later.

Oh it's just a 2 and a half hour audiobook involving a lecture and a response about fiction. Should be a quick thing.

... Except it feels as if you need a masters in English language arts to parse the prose. And not just because they are lectures from the late 19th century.

I had to find a text version of this to even begin to process it. And I feel a bit dumb for it.

Trashy historical bodice rippers are the best. Especially when you need to just switch off your brain and dive into a world of rich people in Regency times.

Just a long way of saying I am in the mood for this in a way the other books I have on the go hasn't been able to touch.

It was this or A Drop of Corruption. And this won out because I've been on the waitlist since release at my library and it is part of a reading challenge.

I feel the gothic vibes will suit the season well. And also curious how it plans to resolve the story as a whole from where we left off.

I'm really thinking the popularity of this book is really a reflection of the time it was published. At least that is what I'm telling myself. Because I have no other explanation for it.

It's readable and it has moments but it's not good. And it doesn't even have teenage angst to explain some of the more juvenile behaviour by certain characters.

Time has been my enemy with this one. I want to read more of this, especially since the audiobooks I had on the go were not good and I'm in the right mood for this nonfiction, but alas, a physical book has been a hard lift. Especially since my copy is a bit fragile.

So I've been stuck with the audiobooks for the most part.

I just want my faith in good and intelligent authorship restored.

This being a really short read is the main selling point for me at this moment. And that it ticks off another reading list book. But mostly the shortness. Just to bridge a bit of a gap as I chip at my reading list and reposition my TBR.

Usually when I finish a book quickly, it's because I loved it.

In this case, I will be finishing this audiobook quickly because I want off this ship and am doing the equivalent of skimming to get it over with.

Seriously, this book is so blatantly male fantasy its actually cringey. I've read much better in my free ebook collection.

Well, both audiobooks I have on the go are kinda busts. The good news is, they're audiobooks, so they should be done with quickly.

The thing with this book is that it seemingly decided the most boring parts of Twilight was the foundation by which this book will be structured. It's tedious in its exposition and vagueness while drip feeding information and plot points.

The deeper I get into this audiobook, the more I'm thinking "This was a mistake."

Between the repeated and frequent male gaze sexism and the tech bro smugness, it's almost intolerable. I'm actually speeding up the audio past what I'm normally comfortable listening at because it means I get done with it sooner.

Not like I'm missing anything meaningfully of interest at that increased pace.

I'm genuinely really enjoying this. It may take cues from Hannah Montana in terms of executable realism, it's still more believable to me than some other Regency plots I've read. And entirely unique too. At least I haven't encountered this particular set up.

The title though is a total misnomer though. Our heroine is not an heiress and she is certainly not without a cause.

Pretty sure I FOMO'd this ebook. I just remember this being popular in the early 2010s and that was enough for me to grab it while it was on sale.

I am questioning my memory though. Because the way this is written is boring. It's spending way too much time on the wrong damn things than the actual interesting shit. And it doesn't sport the prose to excuse it as a slow burn.

And it's nearly 600 pages...

Reading in order to complete the alphabet for 2026.

Honestly, I had a different book lined up for this, only to learn it is nonfiction. Which isn't a bad thing, but I tend to only read one nonfiction at a time and I already had one on the go and the next queued. So this was the backup.

This apparently was written by a former Microsoft tech guy... And boy does it show in the writing so far.

Finally made it out of the bedroom section and into the next one, the bathroom section, of the book.

The bedroom started off interesting but then went into stuff that felt less about the structure (or walls) that make a bedroom and more into somewhat adjacent items. It wasn't bad just less interesting for me.

Woof. The main conflict of this story is hitting very close to home for me. The good news for this book in particular is that I'm in the right season to deal with the emotional aspects it broaches.

I want to call it a domestic thriller, but apparently it's not. Lacks appropriate criminal danger or dread. Apparently just family drama.

Sometimes I just get the itch to read a bodice ripper. And it's been a while since I picked one up and I've been missing the sheer irreverence of it.

Also,I pulled this out of my free ebook collection so it is even more guilt free in terms of value haha.

Nearly 100 pages in and I have very little idea what is going on or what kind of story this is telling. For a moment I thought it was going to be some kind of paranormal adventure of sorts. But now it's shaping up into a romance? And I'm asking what's the point of all the other stuff so far. Very confusing.

The sheer amount of history it tells. The universality of the message. The way it celebrates women in particular. It is easy to see why this book is Dan Brown's most famous, and best.

I will say one thing about its inferior movie adaptation: I loved Ian McKellen's performance so much that when I read about Tebing's girth it makes me do a doubletake.

Yes this is going slowly. But when you are moving at about a page at a time with the little, you have to take the pace they set.

Although even to this point, it is clear why this is not a favourite in the series. The tone is incredibly melancholy compared to prior installments, and it is not entirely on Puddleglum for the shift in tone.

I don't know what I was expecting from this, I sort of picked it up on a whim after haunting my shelves for some time, but I'm actually kind of enjoying it so far.

Also, I believe Nick Cordero, the Canadian stage actor who died of COVID during the pandemic, is one of the voice actors in the audiobook of this.

I could blame an illness for the slow progress on this book so far, but the real downside is the fact I am reading this before I go to bed.

This is not boring (at least I'm not finding it boring), I'm just going to bed exhausted more often than not and as a result, have been passing out after a page or two.

Well I tried to start a completely different book, only to be held up by the hold list. So I went ahead with this one, which is also being held up by a library hold but not as direly.

I just started so I don't have much to say, but at over 500 pages I'm hoping there is something here I will like.