I've been reading a new book that I'm really excited about and thought I'd share my thoughts with you guys. The story takes place in a remote Norwegian town where all the men have died in a tragic fishing accident, leaving the women to fend for themselves.

This reality is not just a challenge for the women, but also an opportunity for them to take on tasks that were previously considered too difficult or complicated for them by society. As they try to navigate this new world, they're forced to confront their own mortality and the harsh realities of life in a rural community. The author has done a great job of capturing the grittiness and brutality of survival in such a setting, and I found myself becoming increasingly invested in the lives of the characters.

One aspect that stands out is the way the story explores the Christian vs. realist perspectives on life in this town. On one hand, there's a strong sense of community and resilience among the women, who are banding together to support each other and find ways to thrive in their new circumstances. On the other hand, there's also a sense of desperation and fear, as they try to navigate a world that seems determined to hold them back.

I was particularly interested in the way the author uses this setup to explore themes of power dynamics and control. The Scottish man who has come to town from his past is a major player in this narrative, and his presence sets off a chain reaction of events that raises questions about authority, consent, and the way women are treated in society.

One of the aspects that drew me to this book was the unique perspective it offers on life in rural Norway during this time period. The author has clearly done her research and is not afraid to tackle tough subjects head-on. As I read through the pages, I found myself becoming increasingly absorbed in the world she's created, from the rugged landscape to the intricate social dynamics of the community.

The writing itself is also noteworthy, with a clear and concise style that belies the complexity of the themes and emotions at play. The author has a keen eye for detail and is not afraid to get her hands dirty when it comes to exploring the gritty realities of life in this world.

As I read on, I found myself drawn into the lives of the two main characters - the young married woman who is moving to this remote town from her southern Norwegian home, and the Scottish man who has a mysterious past that threatens to upend their new life together. Both women are facing significant challenges as they navigate their new circumstances, but in different ways. The young woman is struggling to adjust to a new life with a controlling partner, while the older woman is dealing with her own demons after being married off to this man.

Despite these differences, I found myself drawn into both of their stories, feeling a deep sense of empathy and connection to each character. Both women are relatable in many ways, despite their vastly different experiences, and I found myself wondering what it would be like to walk in their shoes.

The parallels between the two characters' experiences were striking, particularly when it came to the way they navigated this new world. Both women were forced to confront the harsh realities of life in a rural community, where survival was far from guaranteed. Despite these challenges, both women showed remarkable resilience and determination, using their skills and resourcefulness to adapt to their new circumstances.

As I approached the end of my reading, I found myself feeling a deep sense of sadness and loss for all of the characters involved. The story is not an easy one to read, but it's a powerful exploration of the human experience that stays with you long after you finish the book.

Overall, I'm thoroughly enjoying this book and am excited to see how the author chooses to conclude the narrative. With its gritty realism, complex themes, and well-developed characters, this is a story that will stay with me for a long time to come.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhi guys it's regan and welcome to the start of another reading vlog before we jump into my tbr first a word from this video sponsor which is pango books and i'm gonna be talking about a very exciting giveaway i am hosting with them hi guys so as i mentioned this video is sponsored by pango books and i'm actually partnering with them for this specific video to do an incredible giveaway which i'm so so thrilled about but before i go into the giveaway details first a little bit about pango books it's truly the people's bookstore it is an app designed by readers for readers it's basically like carrying around a used bookstore in your pocket this is an app that allows you to basically sell and buy used books i personally have both bought and sold via this app and it's a seamless experience in both directions a buyer is easy to peruse and look for specific titles but also if you just kind of want to see what's available you can also narrow down by genre there's new listings constantly being posted on the app so it's so easy to find a title you're looking for and again because it's used generally at a fantastic price and it's sent directly to your door as a seller this app is fantastic all you have to do is take a picture put a description up of your book online on your storefront and then from there people are able to buy or bid on the book if they're interested in it my personal favorite part is how easy they make the shipping component they send the label directly to your email all you have to do is print it out and pop it in the mail and you're done it's honestly a fantastic app for book lovers if you're buying or selling i truly implore you to check it out but now details regarding the giveaway so i'm partnering up with pango books to give away to five of you guys fifty dollars in pango cash to be able to use on their app you're able to basically use these dollars to buy various used books that you see that you're interested in giveaway itself is super easy to enter try to keep the rules as minimal as possible all you have to do is sign up and create an account on pango and then i'll have an excel survey down below and you guys just have to provide your pango username your name and your email address and i'll be randomly picking the five winners and emailing them in two weeks so good luck to everyone looking to enter i'm so excited to be partnering with this giveaway and give you guys an opportunity to shop on the app itself because i truly do love it so so much again i'll have all the giveaway information and the more specific rules and restrictions down below in the description so be sure to check that out but without further ado let's go ahead and dive back into the video and let's talk about my tbr but i am so pumped about this vlog i can't believe i'm even able to start filming in front of bookshelves it just makes me so happy but i have two books on my tbr that i'm really looking forward to reading outside of the reading component of this week another thing i'm really looking forward to is i've decided this is the week i'm going to decorate for fall i have some fall decor on hand but i'm going to do some home goods target runs pick up a few little finishing touches um and just kind of transform this into more of a fall space you know fall vibes all around obviously there's still some kind of decorating i need to do there's some prints i'm looking at that i'm going to also pick up but this week is going to be all about reading and fall and i'm very much looking forward to it but without further ado let's chat about the two books that are on my tbr so the primary book that i hope to read over the course of this vlog is the helm of midnight i've been craving something a little darker a little more sinister and i feel like this book is going to be perfect for that um it is a fantasy horror mashup basically a group of thieves steal a death mask and accidentally unleash a serial killer out into the world once again and it seems that his path of destruction is even worse than before and a group of regulators are gonna go to try to capture his spirit i've heard such great things about this book i'm really looking forward to it i'm just really wanting something a little dark a little grim a little gruesome to get me into the fall spirit and then the second book let me move my gen bookmark is ariadne which is a greek mythology retelling as i mentioned in my tbr i've just been kind of craving some lyrical retelling stories so if i finish home of midnight i plan to pick this guy up and start it uh by the end of the week and this is the story of basically ariadne who is a princess and basically her brother is the minotaur and lives in the maze and then theseus comes and she basically helps him all of that so i'm looking forward to this one as well but my prime book is definitely the helm of midnight and then if i'm able to finish it i will start ariadne so that is my tbr for this video very excited also i'm very aware i'm dressed like a suburban mom like about to go play tennis because i'm in a tennis dress even though i'm not it's just really comfortable and i love a fleece so here we are everyone ankle brace it all this is me now 90 day fiance and a healthy lunch these are soups and smoothies uh good soup um so we're gonna enjoy now grab myself a cup of coffee it also looks like it might start raining outside which is just perfect timing because i'm also going to start my book as matilda and i are very cozy on the couch so that's the plan hi friends i'm laundered and i have just been reading before eating dinner and i just passed about the 50 page mark of the helm of midnight and there's still so much for me to encounter about this book it seems to be very intricate world it's very unique and fascinating but what i have kind of gleaned so far i'm very much into so the book opens on the successful heist of these thieves stealing this death mask of this serial killer and it appears to be multi-perspective i'm not sure how many perspectives we're gonna get but one of our primary perspectives is crona and she is one of the regulators which is or appears to be a sort of like specialized policing force i'm not sure like exactly but essentially it opens on them being at this event and they're kind of showcasing all of these like rare artifacts which includes the mask of the serial killer and i still don't quite know like politically what's going on or even the motivations of stealing this mask but what i have seen so far in the 50 pages i've read is some insight into the magic which is just so interesting so first and foremost death masks are like very common in this world and basically you're able to impart like a part of your spirit um and skill set within these masks and they're kind of ranked and organized um based on like their potency like their difficulty to be able to like wield um in this society as well so it's not uncommon to have the death mask in fact it's very common to have one our main character crona is specifically very good at handling even really like high levels of death mask so basically she can grab one that's really good at interrogation or combat and like utilize their echo or skill to help increase her own skill level there's also been some hints at things like enchantments too and it's very much centered around emotion i'm still kind of unclear like the exact range of this but like people can imbue like bravery or despair or happiness within gemstones and then people can wear that and obviously impact them psychologically so she wears like bravery stones um but again there is a lot of regulation in this world as well so it seems like it's very bureaucratic so it appears that there's only like a certain level of like despair or any type of emotion that's allowed to be in a gemstone and that's something that the regulators make sure is maintained throughout society um and then the last thing i've noticed magic system wise is that time is a literal currency so it seems like you can bottle time and then sell it i don't know like the true like impact of that like it's only been kind of referenced um but as a concept that is super cool so for the most part we are following krona who is a regulator they've just had this big robbery so it's like a very big case they're trying to find this death mask again but it seems to be set in this world that has such a fascinating so far just kind of like magic artifact system which i'm very into and i also really kind of enjoy like a fantasy world that has these like extreme bureaucratic elements to it especially when it's kind of like a murder mystery in a way or like a crime focus novel it's very dark it's very interesting i have so many questions we've also gotten like another character point of view uh her name is melanie but i've only read a few chapters of hers and honestly i'm more or less scared that she's going to die but i'm not totally sure like where she's going to fit into the narrative if at all um but through her chapters they've also been kind of getting more of a like general civilian point of view which is interesting but yeah 50 pages i'm definitely very intrigued by the plot and world it's very unique and dark and has very much pulled me in right away so i'm gonna read more now and then i'm gonna take a dinner break and watch some tv with clay and then read more tonight um yeah just just thought i'd give you an update because i've read 50 pages lots of questions but very intrigued is the vibe tacos and we're starting a new show the only murders in the building show steve martin selena gomez heard good things so checking it out all right back to reading we watched the first three episodes of only murders in the building and it's so good i feel like it's like kitschy but kind of dark it's very mysterious like very like whodunit my bangs are just ignore them but the show is great it's also making me miss fall in new york like i know i just left new york but fall was definitely the best season and they obviously don't get much fall in texas so it's making me miss it but anyway i'm going to read now and go to bed but just want to talk about that show because it was so good good morning everyone just up this morning getting some reading in before i go to work i'm really into the helmet midnight so far i'm not gonna lie hi everyone good afternoon if i'm being honest just wanted to show you that i did get dressed so points for that i suppose um been a bit of a chaotic morning but i'm about sorry i got distracted by sunlight but i am about to make lunch and i'm going to read a bit at lunch i've read to page 120 of the midnight helm between last night and this morning and that book has gripped me it's so unique like the world and the magic but also it's like centered on this like murder mystery and you're just shifting from perspectives and obviously the primary perspective you understand why you're reading from them but there's like other perspectives you're like why am i reading from this this is giving me eerie vibes you know so it's just so good so far and i'm really really really liking it but now i'm rambling this was just supposed to be an outfit shot okay bye made a little greek yogurt vegetable dip we also had a pb j before this but getting our veggies in this lunch lunchtime entertainment hi everyone i finished up my work day and i have changed into pajamas um i'm actually gonna sit down and read more of the helm of midnight but i wanted to do a mini reading check reading update because i did technically did do one i think almost in the last clip it's been it's been a day um but this book is so unique and original and it totally is just like this fascinating fantasy world but with this sort of like thriller component and it's totally sucked me in um but anyway i'm gonna read more now and then probably watch more only murders in the building tonight i'm very much on like a thriller kick i guess this weekend because the k drama we're watching too is flower flowers that flower of evil which is also like a thriller based show i'm just i've been craving it i've been craving murder mysteries so i'm gonna sit down and read more and then i'm gonna make dinner over there but for now it's reading and relaxing time finished up the day good stuff um i'm gonna do some fall decor shopping tomorrow it's already mentioned that i'm so looking forward to it i've had it penciled into my calendar for like weeks and it's finally happening so i'm really looking forward to taking you guys along um my apartment's not like fully done decor wise i think i'm going to add like a few more shelves in a few places which would be good for housing decor but um nonetheless i literally started paying for a subscription so i could watch 90 day fiance the spin-offs the main show i'm addicted anyway i'm now going to start dinner i'm making a baked gnocchi dish did i already tell you this found it online it looks delicious fall is pasta bake season people you heard it here not first but i'm just confirming it so let's enjoy ingredients this should be easy and delicious this whole dinner is so easy i'm making an absolute mess but this is just pasta sauce cooked sausage and then i mixed it with a can of no uncooked gnocchi ricotta and i'm about to transfer this into a baking dish so i'm gonna top with more ricotta mozzarella cook it eat it done love it all right before you like how i made this for a dinner for one night like what am i what am i thinking this could be a family babe in fact the recipe literally says serves eight but here we are nonetheless i'm excited to make it and after oh my goodness it looks so good obviously i just put that fresh parsley on top but wow wow yum this looks so good sorry milly none for you treating myself this morning i got some well clay picked me up some oat milk creamer vanilla from the store yesterday so i'm gonna make this fancy matilda has stolen my seat this morning looking like a little cinnamon roll she's like leave me alone i'm relaxing hi everyone good morning coming at you from my office we have my laundry drying over there just ignore it but i wanted to come in and talk about the helm of midnight because i am as you can see about halfway through this book right now and oh my gosh i'm liking this book so much i can't put it down it's completely captured my attention it's delivering everything i wanted and more and i went in with really high expectations but it's just so unique as i kind of already mentioned a large part of this book is following our main character crona as she's kind of going through an investigation i'm trying to figure out who stole the death mask of louis charbonne and also try to solve the murders that are now happening as someone is clearly inhibiting his death mask in killing people not to mention this is also a world where the magic is really restricted and controlled in like a bureaucratic way and it kind of manifests itself in really interesting ways but it's always kind of more like an item-based magic like people themselves don't have magic it's more like things themselves can be enchanted but what's beyond that is we obviously follow crona in the present timeline as she's trying to solve all of these things but we also have two other perspectives one of them is louis charbonne himself but in the past and we basically follow him kind of like leading up to and then as he is becoming a murderer and through his chapters you're also trying to unpack his motivations and you make and it also makes you realize that like the figure this murderer is like more complicated than you maybe would have expected going into it and then the other perspective you follow is a character named melanie and her chapters are set two years prior to the current like events with corona and her chapters seem completely disparate from everything else you're following her she's traveling to the big city from her small town trying to basically get help for her ill mother and she basically runs a mask to kind of like get certain medical knowledge she meets a boy and they have like their own issues but it doesn't feel like it's connected at least at this point to kind of the larger mystery at play i will say that being said like while i haven't been able to pinpoint the connections between these three different timelines and characters you feel like they are connected in some way you just don't know how or why yet and it's just so fascinating and the other thing you slowly begin to realize is that there is a larger conspiracy at play that could go all the way up to the god level not just the higher echelons of the government but the gods themselves which founded like human civilization um and it's just fascinating like the motivations are just like so much bigger than just like one deranged man like killing people because like yes that is part of it but like there seems to just be like so much more than that and the magic and the characters i love crona following her investigation um and just kind of seeing her kind of put together clues is so great she also is really close with her sister who's the captain of like her detective squad and just like learning more about this fantasy world is really fascinating too like how they have everything organized i already mentioned that time is kind of taken and can be bought and sold and it seems to be their primary currency is time itself so there's something called like lived versus borrowed or bottled time the book is just really creative totally pulled in by this mystery i have no idea how it's going to unfurl like but i find myself like trying to piece things together and be like oh maybe maybe maybe and it's just so hard to put down it's spooky it's interesting i am such a fan of this book is really just what i wanted to say and i'm just loving the three perspectives with the three different timelines i think it's so smart as a writing device and it's kind of like pulling you all over the place and it just like uh it also like brings up your anxiety because if you're reading melanie's chapters you're like something feels like this is important to her life but like how does this connect the larger picture i don't know um catch me in the next clip i'm just gonna have like strings and pictures like trying to piece everything together uh no but this book is really good i'm on page 240 i'm not sure if i already mentioned that i have about 200 pages left i'm gonna try to read a very good chunk of this today and then finish it if not today then tomorrow start my second book but just wanted to do a reading check in as i'm not halfway through and obsessed with this so things are going well um i will say i am dressed clay and i are about to leave on our shopping adventure going to the holy trinity of target home goods and michaels to check out some fall decor options gonna get lunch and stuff but just wanted to say hello good morning and ramble on and on about this book because i'm really enjoying it and we're on our way to home goods we've arrived everyone stop one there's another girl in a plaid shirt going inside so we're all here for fall vibes it's a little picked over but we've arrived it's been so long since i've been to a home goods turkey anyone you like that one we've moved on to michael's we're gonna head up another home goods i thought homegoods was a little empty so we've moved on to fall topia friends it's happening folks it's getting fallen here quick refuel before we go to target next stop target i just can't help myself everyone also doorbed so cute finished up the trip with some fall drinks huzzah and we're home and i've pretty much i mean it's all a work in progress but i have hung some fall decor so let me let me give you a tour first and foremost we have this i did the same thing last year i just put up some command hooks some fall garland i have a bunch of these flickering pumpkins from target also from last year i love them um and then i put my new felt pumpkins up i bought some fairy lights i might put the fairy lights around i'm not sure i'm not sure i also don't know if those pumpkins are gonna stay here it's a work in progress as i said um over here there's really nothing just put those two pumpkins we have some garland so i might hang a garland but i don't know but over here is like where i'm very satisfied with hung a garland over the pictures which i think is cute and then new fall pillows this is from last year but we just picked up those two pillows from target today there's maduda um big new pumpkin candle from today hello and then also another flickering candle from last year and a small candle or a small pumpkin over there but it's it's cozy in here um just need to get a few more things so we're gonna get some like real pumpkins to put around but for the most part i think this turned out pretty cute and then we'll just replicate the vibe for the holidays you know so there's that cheers all right it's time i'm in pajamas i'm gonna sit on the couch and do some reading enjoy my new cozy fall atmosphere light a candle pretend like it's 60 degrees outside instead of 92. you know the usual so i'm gonna do that i'll check in after i've read some more um i've already gone on and on about this book so far for this vlog because i'm truly loving it and then i think clay and i are going to read the pasta from last night and watch only murders in the buildings we have a new episode it's gonna be a cozy evening reheated some pasta casserole from last night and you already know 90 day fiance we never made as a hulu clay and i have just been watching hours of 90 day before the 90 day fiance what are your thoughts on this show clay pretty wild it's addicting right yeah that's how you find true love i guess so yeah that's true back to the drawing board and now it is time to get some reading in i'm hoping to almost finish this book tonight and then probably finish it up tomorrow morning and start my second book cheers friends a quick ootv td tv td wearing the balloon jeans i literally wear every day if i'm wearing jeans and then a saison knit it's says on knitwear season knits are always investments for me but they're just so beautiful and i wear them every season i'm just obsessed with them but anyway i'm rambling i did want to come on and say i read to 360 the page number 360 last night um so i'm on track to finish that book today i might switch up the second book i plan to read i haven't decided yet but needless to say men the helm of midnight is so good and i should be careful i don't want to slosh the little bit of coffee i have left in here but anyway good morning sometimes life is about making yourself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich i have been craving these all week so i've been eating them all week with no regrets all right taking a midday break because we are starting a new decor project we're hanging up these little record holders hello matilda on that wall we're gonna make a little record grid with these they're from etsy wish us luck we're gonna try to do it with command strip so you don't have to drill in so many holes in the wall but tpd if that works out progress is being made clay and i painters tape is worth all the extra effort because then you won't screw it up in theory we have our records um you know we're just game planning it out new project update we're almost done it's going well command strips literally are just everything and we're done we definitely hung it way too high but we're trying not to think about that are we matilda but outside of it being way too tall we think it looks nice i just can't i'm trying not to think about how it's too tall but it needs to be like six inches lower but it looks nice otherwise job well done team poor clay has no idea i'm gonna make us redo this entire thing in about a week because i think it looks amazing but i can't i need to move the whole thing like eight inches down is anyone else am i losing it can i keep it or it doesn't need to be shifted down i think it needs to be shifted down right it's time for midday coffee and uh i well not really midday it's like 5 p.m coffee and i am going to finish my book before the football game tonight so matilda and i are gonna go hang out on the couch and read home of midnight hi i have just been sitting here and i'm happy to report i finished the helm of midnight this book is over 450 pages i want to say yeah 451 and i really enjoyed this book from beginning to end obviously i don't want to speak too much about the plot because a lot of it is it being a central mystery and i will say it kept me guessing and just like completely sucked in until the end i felt like it had really interesting action um it was really intense and suspenseful and gruesome and dark but also combining elements of again just such a fascinating magic system from the bottled emotions to the time component as well as some other enchanting base magic like the masks itself obviously with the multiple different perspectives i feel like you just got really attached to a variety of different characters within this book obviously crona i would say is probably our main character i really loved reading from her point of view i felt so rooted in her life and in her story i also really enjoyed the different relationships that was present in the story there was kind of a hint at some romance there was also a fantastic kind of sisterly bond um but like melanie's chapters and even charbonne's chapters were at least very interesting to read from as well and overall i just felt this book really kept me in trance i kept wanting to flip the pages and i think kind of shifting across these multiple timelines was just overall really really effective the payoff was good the writing was great i hope there's more books i feel like there might be i feel like this could be like a serialized series or even just like a trilogy but i just feel like the world and the magic and like there's still questions kind of open that's the overall like main mystery but questions of like corruption as well as the origin of the magic and the gods itself which were kind of hinted at in this book i feel like that could be expanded on more and like other installments so i'm hoping there are more books there but yeah i really enjoyed the helm of midnight it was exactly what i was hoping it would be and i am a big fan so 450 pages read so for this vlog i am going to start another book tonight i am deciding what i want to read next but i think it's going to be like a historical fiction book nonetheless i'm really jazzed i'm so happy i was able to finish this but now i'm going to probably make dinner but uh we'd love to have some productivity in the early evening you know and just in time for kickoff and while i was reading clay hung that um which is like a little leaf banner he's just been uh he was pretty excited about that so i thought i would show it off so huzzah alrighty officially changed in pajamas and i'm about to start cooking dinner so let me give you the rundown so tonight i'm making like mediterranean steak bowls so i'm gonna make some couscous some skirt steak or i think this is round steak i don't know a small arugula salad i'm making i'm a i have some hummus i'm gonna make like a quick little tzatziki cucumber red onion i have lemons in there and feta if i have it in the fridge but um this should actually be pretty quick to put together so i'm just bringing the chicken stock to a boil to cook the couscous and then everything will be done shortly dinner is almost done arugula salad my tzatziki sauce hummus and then the steak is cooking it's like 39 seconds left this really took me all of 15 minutes to make couscous cook so fast huge fans and the bon appetit everyone just doing the usual now that uh falls upon us and if you're wondering if matilda wanted to hang out with us the answer is of course not she kind of barricaded the door i know she's like don't bother me you guys all already know what's up officially in bed first football game of the season has been watched um and i'm now going to start a new book i've decided to switch to the mercies which is another kind of like dark atmospheric bleak story but it centers a small town in norway i want to say um and set in the 1600s witch trials that sort of vibe so i'm going to start it tonight i don't think i'm going to read a bunch because i'm pretty sleepy but nonetheless i will start it tonight and then read more tomorrow and i will check in with you guys in the morning hi everyone good morning happy friday i have just been working away at my desk but i wanted to pop in to talk about what i read last night because i did start the mercies as well as i read a bit this morning and i'm currently about the 70 page mark and i'm really really liking this book so far it's definitely slow moving and kind of grim which was exactly what i was hoping for kind of this beautifully unwinding historical fiction story i would also say the overall setting in premise is really really fascinating this is a multi-perspective tale but we open on one of the perspectives which is marin and essentially she lives in a very small remote norwegian town and the year is 1617 and the town has just faced a tragedy and that is all of the men in the town have died in a tragic fishing accident so not only do these women have to face grief and have to mourn the loss of their loved ones they're also now confronted with a reality of they have to kind of band together to be able to take care of themselves but also take on tasks that are traditionally not allowed for them by society um and you see how this particular reality kind of divides the town based on like a pure christian point of view versus a more realist we've got to feed ourselves point of view and at the beginning of the story as well a man comes into town from scotland who became famous due to his participation in the witch trials and then the other perspective i've encountered i've not really read much from her point of view yet is a young woman who has recently just been married off to this scottish man and she is also moving to this remote norwegian town versus her life she's always spent kind of more in town in more southern norway so in a lot of ways her life has also been turned upside down not quite in the same way but she's also facing a new life in a new reality both as a young married woman a man she does that know who is also very controlling it is now living in a very different and far away place very far away from her family so these two perspectives are incredibly different but you can also see the parallels of how they are the same and what a lot of it is the same is just the reality of being a woman during this time um again i've only read about 70 pages i'm really looking forward to reading more and i will read more today but just wanted to let you know i have read and give you kind of just an early update on my thoughts and feelings which are very positive uh slow moving grim but i feel like it really captures that vibe this sort of like cold brutal survivalist vibe so yeah just thought i'd give you guys an update i gotta get back to work i'll be making lunch soon but i have red all righty taking a break from work because i'm gonna make lunch i'm basically making exactly what i made i'm so bread right now but i made for dinner last night so just couscous salad steak mediterranean bowls they're really tasty so we're gonna reprise and it's a fast fast lunch so that's the plan let's get cooking i gathered ingredients it'll actually be faster because like my tzatziki sauce is done and everything and i just gotta cook the couscous it'll be snappy only mildly important but i bought a lemon squeezer the other day and it has absolutely changed my life like recommend best five dollars i've spent a while and lunch is served back to my office because i got work to do but this is so good and i'm not exaggerating when i say it takes no time i'm going to show you a quick ootd this blouse is a couple months old but there is almost an exact blouse available on urban outfitters so i'll link it below just been relaxing and i'm about to finish some editing for the day there's my book on the couch my book and uh you know casual but i'm gonna bring this the living room and my computer i'm gonna finish editing and then get ready for the weekend hi everyone and welcome to the end of the vlog the next day i just wanted to quickly wrap up everything i was able to read over the course of the week which was honestly quite a bit i read over 500 pages almost 600 pages which is more than average for me but um i wanted to start first with the mercies um i was able to pass just 100 page mark of this book and i plan to finish it over the course of this weekend i really am enjoying this it's dark and grim and i enjoy this setting quite a bit i actually found out i was reading it that this was actually inspired by true events it definitely adds an even more chilling element to the story it's very character focused i'm really enjoying reading from the two women's point of views i find them to be very like tragically relatable in some aspects and then i'm looking forward to their lives kind of crossing paths more and more um yeah i'm definitely looking forward to finishing this book the writing the setting everything has really drawn me in so yeah i did read over 100 pages of this and then obviously i read the entirety of the helm of midnight which was 450 pages new fave honestly a perfect fall read loved every second of this but yeah that is the end of this reading vlog again big shout out to pingo books for sponsoring this video be sure to check out the giveaway details down below but i hope you guys enjoyed and i will see you soon with another video soon goodbyehi guys it's regan and welcome to the start of another reading vlog before we jump into my tbr first a word from this video sponsor which is pango books and i'm gonna be talking about a very exciting giveaway i am hosting with them hi guys so as i mentioned this video is sponsored by pango books and i'm actually partnering with them for this specific video to do an incredible giveaway which i'm so so thrilled about but before i go into the giveaway details first a little bit about pango books it's truly the people's bookstore it is an app designed by readers for readers it's basically like carrying around a used bookstore in your pocket this is an app that allows you to basically sell and buy used books i personally have both bought and sold via this app and it's a seamless experience in both directions a buyer is easy to peruse and look for specific titles but also if you just kind of want to see what's available you can also narrow down by genre there's new listings constantly being posted on the app so it's so easy to find a title you're looking for and again because it's used generally at a fantastic price and it's sent directly to your door as a seller this app is fantastic all you have to do is take a picture put a description up of your book online on your storefront and then from there people are able to buy or bid on the book if they're interested in it my personal favorite part is how easy they make the shipping component they send the label directly to your email all you have to do is print it out and pop it in the mail and you're done it's honestly a fantastic app for book lovers if you're buying or selling i truly implore you to check it out but now details regarding the giveaway so i'm partnering up with pango books to give away to five of you guys fifty dollars in pango cash to be able to use on their app you're able to basically use these dollars to buy various used books that you see that you're interested in giveaway itself is super easy to enter try to keep the rules as minimal as possible all you have to do is sign up and create an account on pango and then i'll have an excel survey down below and you guys just have to provide your pango username your name and your email address and i'll be randomly picking the five winners and emailing them in two weeks so good luck to everyone looking to enter i'm so excited to be partnering with this giveaway and give you guys an opportunity to shop on the app itself because i truly do love it so so much again i'll have all the giveaway information and the more specific rules and restrictions down below in the description so be sure to check that out but without further ado let's go ahead and dive back into the video and let's talk about my tbr but i am so pumped about this vlog i can't believe i'm even able to start filming in front of bookshelves it just makes me so happy but i have two books on my tbr that i'm really looking forward to reading outside of the reading component of this week another thing i'm really looking forward to is i've decided this is the week i'm going to decorate for fall i have some fall decor on hand but i'm going to do some home goods target runs pick up a few little finishing touches um and just kind of transform this into more of a fall space you know fall vibes all around obviously there's still some kind of decorating i need to do there's some prints i'm looking at that i'm going to also pick up but this week is going to be all about reading and fall and i'm very much looking forward to it but without further ado let's chat about the two books that are on my tbr so the primary book that i hope to read over the course of this vlog is the helm of midnight i've been craving something a little darker a little more sinister and i feel like this book is going to be perfect for that um it is a fantasy horror mashup basically a group of thieves steal a death mask and accidentally unleash a serial killer out into the world once again and it seems that his path of destruction is even worse than before and a group of regulators are gonna go to try to capture his spirit i've heard such great things about this book i'm really looking forward to it i'm just really wanting something a little dark a little grim a little gruesome to get me into the fall spirit and then the second book let me move my gen bookmark is ariadne which is a greek mythology retelling as i mentioned in my tbr i've just been kind of craving some lyrical retelling stories so if i finish home of midnight i plan to pick this guy up and start it uh by the end of the week and this is the story of basically ariadne who is a princess and basically her brother is the minotaur and lives in the maze and then theseus comes and she basically helps him all of that so i'm looking forward to this one as well but my prime book is definitely the helm of midnight and then if i'm able to finish it i will start ariadne so that is my tbr for this video very excited also i'm very aware i'm dressed like a suburban mom like about to go play tennis because i'm in a tennis dress even though i'm not it's just really comfortable and i love a fleece so here we are everyone ankle brace it all this is me now 90 day fiance and a healthy lunch these are soups and smoothies uh good soup um so we're gonna enjoy now grab myself a cup of coffee it also looks like it might start raining outside which is just perfect timing because i'm also going to start my book as matilda and i are very cozy on the couch so that's the plan hi friends i'm laundered and i have just been reading before eating dinner and i just passed about the 50 page mark of the helm of midnight and there's still so much for me to encounter about this book it seems to be very intricate world it's very unique and fascinating but what i have kind of gleaned so far i'm very much into so the book opens on the successful heist of these thieves stealing this death mask of this serial killer and it appears to be multi-perspective i'm not sure how many perspectives we're gonna get but one of our primary perspectives is crona and she is one of the regulators which is or appears to be a sort of like specialized policing force i'm not sure like exactly but essentially it opens on them being at this event and they're kind of showcasing all of these like rare artifacts which includes the mask of the serial killer and i still don't quite know like politically what's going on or even the motivations of stealing this mask but what i have seen so far in the 50 pages i've read is some insight into the magic which is just so interesting so first and foremost death masks are like very common in this world and basically you're able to impart like a part of your spirit um and skill set within these masks and they're kind of ranked and organized um based on like their potency like their difficulty to be able to like wield um in this society as well so it's not uncommon to have the death mask in fact it's very common to have one our main character crona is specifically very good at handling even really like high levels of death mask so basically she can grab one that's really good at interrogation or combat and like utilize their echo or skill to help increase her own skill level there's also been some hints at things like enchantments too and it's very much centered around emotion i'm still kind of unclear like the exact range of this but like people can imbue like bravery or despair or happiness within gemstones and then people can wear that and obviously impact them psychologically so she wears like bravery stones um but again there is a lot of regulation in this world as well so it seems like it's very bureaucratic so it appears that there's only like a certain level of like despair or any type of emotion that's allowed to be in a gemstone and that's something that the regulators make sure is maintained throughout society um and then the last thing i've noticed magic system wise is that time is a literal currency so it seems like you can bottle time and then sell it i don't know like the true like impact of that like it's only been kind of referenced um but as a concept that is super cool so for the most part we are following krona who is a regulator they've just had this big robbery so it's like a very big case they're trying to find this death mask again but it seems to be set in this world that has such a fascinating so far just kind of like magic artifact system which i'm very into and i also really kind of enjoy like a fantasy world that has these like extreme bureaucratic elements to it especially when it's kind of like a murder mystery in a way or like a crime focus novel it's very dark it's very interesting i have so many questions we've also gotten like another character point of view uh her name is melanie but i've only read a few chapters of hers and honestly i'm more or less scared that she's going to die but i'm not totally sure like where she's going to fit into the narrative if at all um but through her chapters they've also been kind of getting more of a like general civilian point of view which is interesting but yeah 50 pages i'm definitely very intrigued by the plot and world it's very unique and dark and has very much pulled me in right away so i'm gonna read more now and then i'm gonna take a dinner break and watch some tv with clay and then read more tonight um yeah just just thought i'd give you an update because i've read 50 pages lots of questions but very intrigued is the vibe tacos and we're starting a new show the only murders in the building show steve martin selena gomez heard good things so checking it out all right back to reading we watched the first three episodes of only murders in the building and it's so good i feel like it's like kitschy but kind of dark it's very mysterious like very like whodunit my bangs are just ignore them but the show is great it's also making me miss fall in new york like i know i just left new york but fall was definitely the best season and they obviously don't get much fall in texas so it's making me miss it but anyway i'm going to read now and go to bed but just want to talk about that show because it was so good good morning everyone just up this morning getting some reading in before i go to work i'm really into the helmet midnight so far i'm not gonna lie hi everyone good afternoon if i'm being honest just wanted to show you that i did get dressed so points for that i suppose um been a bit of a chaotic morning but i'm about sorry i got distracted by sunlight but i am about to make lunch and i'm going to read a bit at lunch i've read to page 120 of the midnight helm between last night and this morning and that book has gripped me it's so unique like the world and the magic but also it's like centered on this like murder mystery and you're just shifting from perspectives and obviously the primary perspective you understand why you're reading from them but there's like other perspectives you're like why am i reading from this this is giving me eerie vibes you know so it's just so good so far and i'm really really really liking it but now i'm rambling this was just supposed to be an outfit shot okay bye made a little greek yogurt vegetable dip we also had a pb j before this but getting our veggies in this lunch lunchtime entertainment hi everyone i finished up my work day and i have changed into pajamas um i'm actually gonna sit down and read more of the helm of midnight but i wanted to do a mini reading check reading update because i did technically did do one i think almost in the last clip it's been it's been a day um but this book is so unique and original and it totally is just like this fascinating fantasy world but with this sort of like thriller component and it's totally sucked me in um but anyway i'm gonna read more now and then probably watch more only murders in the building tonight i'm very much on like a thriller kick i guess this weekend because the k drama we're watching too is flower flowers that flower of evil which is also like a thriller based show i'm just i've been craving it i've been craving murder mysteries so i'm gonna sit down and read more and then i'm gonna make dinner over there but for now it's reading and relaxing time finished up the day good stuff um i'm gonna do some fall decor shopping tomorrow it's already mentioned that i'm so looking forward to it i've had it penciled into my calendar for like weeks and it's finally happening so i'm really looking forward to taking you guys along um my apartment's not like fully done decor wise i think i'm going to add like a few more shelves in a few places which would be good for housing decor but um nonetheless i literally started paying for a subscription so i could watch 90 day fiance the spin-offs the main show i'm addicted anyway i'm now going to start dinner i'm making a baked gnocchi dish did i already tell you this found it online it looks delicious fall is pasta bake season people you heard it here not first but i'm just confirming it so let's enjoy ingredients this should be easy and delicious this whole dinner is so easy i'm making an absolute mess but this is just pasta sauce cooked sausage and then i mixed it with a can of no uncooked gnocchi ricotta and i'm about to transfer this into a baking dish so i'm gonna top with more ricotta mozzarella cook it eat it done love it all right before you like how i made this for a dinner for one night like what am i what am i thinking this could be a family babe in fact the recipe literally says serves eight but here we are nonetheless i'm excited to make it and after oh my goodness it looks so good obviously i just put that fresh parsley on top but wow wow yum this looks so good sorry milly none for you treating myself this morning i got some well clay picked me up some oat milk creamer vanilla from the store yesterday so i'm gonna make this fancy matilda has stolen my seat this morning looking like a little cinnamon roll she's like leave me alone i'm relaxing hi everyone good morning coming at you from my office we have my laundry drying over there just ignore it but i wanted to come in and talk about the helm of midnight because i am as you can see about halfway through this book right now and oh my gosh i'm liking this book so much i can't put it down it's completely captured my attention it's delivering everything i wanted and more and i went in with really high expectations but it's just so unique as i kind of already mentioned a large part of this book is following our main character crona as she's kind of going through an investigation i'm trying to figure out who stole the death mask of louis charbonne and also try to solve the murders that are now happening as someone is clearly inhibiting his death mask in killing people not to mention this is also a world where the magic is really restricted and controlled in like a bureaucratic way and it kind of manifests itself in really interesting ways but it's always kind of more like an item-based magic like people themselves don't have magic it's more like things themselves can be enchanted but what's beyond that is we obviously follow crona in the present timeline as she's trying to solve all of these things but we also have two other perspectives one of them is louis charbonne himself but in the past and we basically follow him kind of like leading up to and then as he is becoming a murderer and through his chapters you're also trying to unpack his motivations and you make and it also makes you realize that like the figure this murderer is like more complicated than you maybe would have expected going into it and then the other perspective you follow is a character named melanie and her chapters are set two years prior to the current like events with corona and her chapters seem completely disparate from everything else you're following her she's traveling to the big city from her small town trying to basically get help for her ill mother and she basically runs a mask to kind of like get certain medical knowledge she meets a boy and they have like their own issues but it doesn't feel like it's connected at least at this point to kind of the larger mystery at play i will say that being said like while i haven't been able to pinpoint the connections between these three different timelines and characters you feel like they are connected in some way you just don't know how or why yet and it's just so fascinating and the other thing you slowly begin to realize is that there is a larger conspiracy at play that could go all the way up to the god level not just the higher echelons of the government but the gods themselves which founded like human civilization um and it's just fascinating like the motivations are just like so much bigger than just like one deranged man like killing people because like yes that is part of it but like there seems to just be like so much more than that and the magic and the characters i love crona following her investigation um and just kind of seeing her kind of put together clues is so great she also is really close with her sister who's the captain of like her detective squad and just like learning more about this fantasy world is really fascinating too like how they have everything organized i already mentioned that time is kind of taken and can be bought and sold and it seems to be their primary currency is time itself so there's something called like lived versus borrowed or bottled time the book is just really creative totally pulled in by this mystery i have no idea how it's going to unfurl like but i find myself like trying to piece things together and be like oh maybe maybe maybe and it's just so hard to put down it's spooky it's interesting i am such a fan of this book is really just what i wanted to say and i'm just loving the three perspectives with the three different timelines i think it's so smart as a writing device and it's kind of like pulling you all over the place and it just like uh it also like brings up your anxiety because if you're reading melanie's chapters you're like something feels like this is important to her life but like how does this connect the larger picture i don't know um catch me in the next clip i'm just gonna have like strings and pictures like trying to piece everything together uh no but this book is really good i'm on page 240 i'm not sure if i already mentioned that i have about 200 pages left i'm gonna try to read a very good chunk of this today and then finish it if not today then tomorrow start my second book but just wanted to do a reading check in as i'm not halfway through and obsessed with this so things are going well um i will say i am dressed clay and i are about to leave on our shopping adventure going to the holy trinity of target home goods and michaels to check out some fall decor options gonna get lunch and stuff but just wanted to say hello good morning and ramble on and on about this book because i'm really enjoying it and we're on our way to home goods we've arrived everyone stop one there's another girl in a plaid shirt going inside so we're all here for fall vibes it's a little picked over but we've arrived it's been so long since i've been to a home goods turkey anyone you like that one we've moved on to michael's we're gonna head up another home goods i thought homegoods was a little empty so we've moved on to fall topia friends it's happening folks it's getting fallen here quick refuel before we go to target next stop target i just can't help myself everyone also doorbed so cute finished up the trip with some fall drinks huzzah and we're home and i've pretty much i mean it's all a work in progress but i have hung some fall decor so let me let me give you a tour first and foremost we have this i did the same thing last year i just put up some command hooks some fall garland i have a bunch of these flickering pumpkins from target also from last year i love them um and then i put my new felt pumpkins up i bought some fairy lights i might put the fairy lights around i'm not sure i'm not sure i also don't know if those pumpkins are gonna stay here it's a work in progress as i said um over here there's really nothing just put those two pumpkins we have some garland so i might hang a garland but i don't know but over here is like where i'm very satisfied with hung a garland over the pictures which i think is cute and then new fall pillows this is from last year but we just picked up those two pillows from target today there's maduda um big new pumpkin candle from today hello and then also another flickering candle from last year and a small candle or a small pumpkin over there but it's it's cozy in here um just need to get a few more things so we're gonna get some like real pumpkins to put around but for the most part i think this turned out pretty cute and then we'll just replicate the vibe for the holidays you know so there's that cheers all right it's time i'm in pajamas i'm gonna sit on the couch and do some reading enjoy my new cozy fall atmosphere light a candle pretend like it's 60 degrees outside instead of 92. you know the usual so i'm gonna do that i'll check in after i've read some more um i've already gone on and on about this book so far for this vlog because i'm truly loving it and then i think clay and i are going to read the pasta from last night and watch only murders in the buildings we have a new episode it's gonna be a cozy evening reheated some pasta casserole from last night and you already know 90 day fiance we never made as a hulu clay and i have just been watching hours of 90 day before the 90 day fiance what are your thoughts on this show clay pretty wild it's addicting right yeah that's how you find true love i guess so yeah that's true back to the drawing board and now it is time to get some reading in i'm hoping to almost finish this book tonight and then probably finish it up tomorrow morning and start my second book cheers friends a quick ootv td tv td wearing the balloon jeans i literally wear every day if i'm wearing jeans and then a saison knit it's says on knitwear season knits are always investments for me but they're just so beautiful and i wear them every season i'm just obsessed with them but anyway i'm rambling i did want to come on and say i read to 360 the page number 360 last night um so i'm on track to finish that book today i might switch up the second book i plan to read i haven't decided yet but needless to say men the helm of midnight is so good and i should be careful i don't want to slosh the little bit of coffee i have left in here but anyway good morning sometimes life is about making yourself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich i have been craving these all week so i've been eating them all week with no regrets all right taking a midday break because we are starting a new decor project we're hanging up these little record holders hello matilda on that wall we're gonna make a little record grid with these they're from etsy wish us luck we're gonna try to do it with command strip so you don't have to drill in so many holes in the wall but tpd if that works out progress is being made clay and i painters tape is worth all the extra effort because then you won't screw it up in theory we have our records um you know we're just game planning it out new project update we're almost done it's going well command strips literally are just everything and we're done we definitely hung it way too high but we're trying not to think about that are we matilda but outside of it being way too tall we think it looks nice i just can't i'm trying not to think about how it's too tall but it needs to be like six inches lower but it looks nice otherwise job well done team poor clay has no idea i'm gonna make us redo this entire thing in about a week because i think it looks amazing but i can't i need to move the whole thing like eight inches down is anyone else am i losing it can i keep it or it doesn't need to be shifted down i think it needs to be shifted down right it's time for midday coffee and uh i well not really midday it's like 5 p.m coffee and i am going to finish my book before the football game tonight so matilda and i are gonna go hang out on the couch and read home of midnight hi i have just been sitting here and i'm happy to report i finished the helm of midnight this book is over 450 pages i want to say yeah 451 and i really enjoyed this book from beginning to end obviously i don't want to speak too much about the plot because a lot of it is it being a central mystery and i will say it kept me guessing and just like completely sucked in until the end i felt like it had really interesting action um it was really intense and suspenseful and gruesome and dark but also combining elements of again just such a fascinating magic system from the bottled emotions to the time component as well as some other enchanting base magic like the masks itself obviously with the multiple different perspectives i feel like you just got really attached to a variety of different characters within this book obviously crona i would say is probably our main character i really loved reading from her point of view i felt so rooted in her life and in her story i also really enjoyed the different relationships that was present in the story there was kind of a hint at some romance there was also a fantastic kind of sisterly bond um but like melanie's chapters and even charbonne's chapters were at least very interesting to read from as well and overall i just felt this book really kept me in trance i kept wanting to flip the pages and i think kind of shifting across these multiple timelines was just overall really really effective the payoff was good the writing was great i hope there's more books i feel like there might be i feel like this could be like a serialized series or even just like a trilogy but i just feel like the world and the magic and like there's still questions kind of open that's the overall like main mystery but questions of like corruption as well as the origin of the magic and the gods itself which were kind of hinted at in this book i feel like that could be expanded on more and like other installments so i'm hoping there are more books there but yeah i really enjoyed the helm of midnight it was exactly what i was hoping it would be and i am a big fan so 450 pages read so for this vlog i am going to start another book tonight i am deciding what i want to read next but i think it's going to be like a historical fiction book nonetheless i'm really jazzed i'm so happy i was able to finish this but now i'm going to probably make dinner but uh we'd love to have some productivity in the early evening you know and just in time for kickoff and while i was reading clay hung that um which is like a little leaf banner he's just been uh he was pretty excited about that so i thought i would show it off so huzzah alrighty officially changed in pajamas and i'm about to start cooking dinner so let me give you the rundown so tonight i'm making like mediterranean steak bowls so i'm gonna make some couscous some skirt steak or i think this is round steak i don't know a small arugula salad i'm making i'm a i have some hummus i'm gonna make like a quick little tzatziki cucumber red onion i have lemons in there and feta if i have it in the fridge but um this should actually be pretty quick to put together so i'm just bringing the chicken stock to a boil to cook the couscous and then everything will be done shortly dinner is almost done arugula salad my tzatziki sauce hummus and then the steak is cooking it's like 39 seconds left this really took me all of 15 minutes to make couscous cook so fast huge fans and the bon appetit everyone just doing the usual now that uh falls upon us and if you're wondering if matilda wanted to hang out with us the answer is of course not she kind of barricaded the door i know she's like don't bother me you guys all already know what's up officially in bed first football game of the season has been watched um and i'm now going to start a new book i've decided to switch to the mercies which is another kind of like dark atmospheric bleak story but it centers a small town in norway i want to say um and set in the 1600s witch trials that sort of vibe so i'm going to start it tonight i don't think i'm going to read a bunch because i'm pretty sleepy but nonetheless i will start it tonight and then read more tomorrow and i will check in with you guys in the morning hi everyone good morning happy friday i have just been working away at my desk but i wanted to pop in to talk about what i read last night because i did start the mercies as well as i read a bit this morning and i'm currently about the 70 page mark and i'm really really liking this book so far it's definitely slow moving and kind of grim which was exactly what i was hoping for kind of this beautifully unwinding historical fiction story i would also say the overall setting in premise is really really fascinating this is a multi-perspective tale but we open on one of the perspectives which is marin and essentially she lives in a very small remote norwegian town and the year is 1617 and the town has just faced a tragedy and that is all of the men in the town have died in a tragic fishing accident so not only do these women have to face grief and have to mourn the loss of their loved ones they're also now confronted with a reality of they have to kind of band together to be able to take care of themselves but also take on tasks that are traditionally not allowed for them by society um and you see how this particular reality kind of divides the town based on like a pure christian point of view versus a more realist we've got to feed ourselves point of view and at the beginning of the story as well a man comes into town from scotland who became famous due to his participation in the witch trials and then the other perspective i've encountered i've not really read much from her point of view yet is a young woman who has recently just been married off to this scottish man and she is also moving to this remote norwegian town versus her life she's always spent kind of more in town in more southern norway so in a lot of ways her life has also been turned upside down not quite in the same way but she's also facing a new life in a new reality both as a young married woman a man she does that know who is also very controlling it is now living in a very different and far away place very far away from her family so these two perspectives are incredibly different but you can also see the parallels of how they are the same and what a lot of it is the same is just the reality of being a woman during this time um again i've only read about 70 pages i'm really looking forward to reading more and i will read more today but just wanted to let you know i have read and give you kind of just an early update on my thoughts and feelings which are very positive uh slow moving grim but i feel like it really captures that vibe this sort of like cold brutal survivalist vibe so yeah just thought i'd give you guys an update i gotta get back to work i'll be making lunch soon but i have red all righty taking a break from work because i'm gonna make lunch i'm basically making exactly what i made i'm so bread right now but i made for dinner last night so just couscous salad steak mediterranean bowls they're really tasty so we're gonna reprise and it's a fast fast lunch so that's the plan let's get cooking i gathered ingredients it'll actually be faster because like my tzatziki sauce is done and everything and i just gotta cook the couscous it'll be snappy only mildly important but i bought a lemon squeezer the other day and it has absolutely changed my life like recommend best five dollars i've spent a while and lunch is served back to my office because i got work to do but this is so good and i'm not exaggerating when i say it takes no time i'm going to show you a quick ootd this blouse is a couple months old but there is almost an exact blouse available on urban outfitters so i'll link it below just been relaxing and i'm about to finish some editing for the day there's my book on the couch my book and uh you know casual but i'm gonna bring this the living room and my computer i'm gonna finish editing and then get ready for the weekend hi everyone and welcome to the end of the vlog the next day i just wanted to quickly wrap up everything i was able to read over the course of the week which was honestly quite a bit i read over 500 pages almost 600 pages which is more than average for me but um i wanted to start first with the mercies um i was able to pass just 100 page mark of this book and i plan to finish it over the course of this weekend i really am enjoying this it's dark and grim and i enjoy this setting quite a bit i actually found out i was reading it that this was actually inspired by true events it definitely adds an even more chilling element to the story it's very character focused i'm really enjoying reading from the two women's point of views i find them to be very like tragically relatable in some aspects and then i'm looking forward to their lives kind of crossing paths more and more um yeah i'm definitely looking forward to finishing this book the writing the setting everything has really drawn me in so yeah i did read over 100 pages of this and then obviously i read the entirety of the helm of midnight which was 450 pages new fave honestly a perfect fall read loved every second of this but yeah that is the end of this reading vlog again big shout out to pingo books for sponsoring this video be sure to check out the giveaway details down below but i hope you guys enjoyed and i will see you soon with another video soon goodbye\n"