Yay for adopting a senior baby!! I work at a cat hospital and we love our seniors but people often gravitate to kittens so it warms our heart when our lovely seniors go to great homes! ♥️
Weirdly a kitten was never really on my mind after George. It had been before, this seemed so much... I dunno... right. Though I love kittens, haha. That said we have some amourous behaviour which is very kittenish going on which we need to sort (and he has been neutered) out soon.
Happy Birthday and welcome home Biscuit! There is no age that is too old to make booktube content. While I love the fresh vibrant energy of younger book tubers, I also really appreciate the perspective and thoughtfulness that more seasoned readers bring to the mix as well. Besides you got your mom into this, how would you explain suddenly being too old haha.
In a previous video, when you asked what we’d like to see, I said, “More cats!” You have delivered, and I thank you. Biscuit is the delight that is a ginger Tom - the little rascals of the cat world. 😸 Happy birthday!🎉 No, 42 is NOT too old for a RU-vidr. In fact, I prefer to watch BookTubers who aren’t fresh out of school. The Artist Formerly Known as Your Mother is just one example of the many “mature” BookTubers doing a bang-up job of presenting the kind of content that I want to see. I recently read “Mona of the Manor” and enjoyed it very much. I’ve just finished “James” by Percival Everett; a story told from the perspective of the enslaved character Jim from “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” and I highly recommend it. Now I’m reading a wonderful new nonfiction book by naturalist Sy Montgomery, “Secrets of the Octopus.” 🐙
Happy birthday! I'm fairly new to your channel (found you early this year) and really enjoy your content. I love watching you and your mom together, i have been watching her channel too. I'm 45 and am always glad to find people in their 40s and above with similar tastes in books to me. Biscuit is lovely. ❤
Happy birthday, Simon. 🎉 I will be 78 next week and still love life and reading and watching your videos! I recently read a smashing novella: Eastbound by Maylis de Karangal, translated by Jessica Moore. Now I'm starting on The Women's Prize longlist with The Maiden and Restless Dolly Maunder. I'm enjoying both, so far. Enjoy the newest member of the household ❤
I love your color coordination! I just shared this video with far- off daughter whose husband works in vet hospital and they have cat and two lovely small dogs
Best books read so far this month Enter Ghost Solider Sailor Stone Yard Devotional Sunburn Solar Bones Currently reading/listening to Fayne Service by Sarah Gilmartin Night Swimmers by Roisin Maguire A book I read because it’s on the Carol Shields prize I Have Some Questions For You was just ok. 3 stars.
Happy beated birthday, mine was in March as well :) Always love hearing about your reading plans. I was just thinking this week I am doing a horrible job at working on my reading goals. Mostly picking up books I had been meaning to read for ages (but not really enjoying them as much as I hoped) or getting distracted by shiny new projects. Finished Winter Love by Han Suyin this morning, a wonderful book I have no recollection of ordering but flew through. That's mostly what I want these days, fast paced immersive books.
Happy birthday Simon . Biscuit is very gorgy. I have just read "Fifteen Wild Decembers" by Karen Powell and LOVED it. I am current reading 'Briefly, A Delicious Life' by Nell Stevens.
Happy Birthday, and many more! Hello Biscuit! I am reading Adrian Tinniswood’s “Noble Ambitions: The Fall and Rise of the English Country House after World War II” and Rebecca K Reilly’s “Greta & Valdin” (RKR is a Māori novelist from New Zealand - one ‘for queer romantics everywhere’ to add to your antipodean reading?)
I have an endless tbr list. I just finished Franzen’s Crossroads. & am presently reading The Copenhagen Trilogy. Soon I’d like to start The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler . Happy Birthday!
Forgot to leave what I was reading….Im reading HERC by Phoenicia Robertson that I think the artist formerly known as your mother, Louise Savidge, would find very interesting (each chapter is from a different POV of characters involved in the mythical life of Greek Legend, Hercules).
Oooh I’ve heard very mixed things about that one. I think mums having a slight breather from retellings, though she did read the Colm Toibin, as she feels the market is a bit saturated.
I know what you mean about reading on trains! I find C R Lorac' s Golden Age British Crime so fine past month. Fire in the Thatch and Murder at the Milk- Race. You have tons of reading years ahead. So young! Keep up your BiokTubes! Lovely Biscuit
Happy birthday, Simon!🎉 oh my!!! What a beauty Biscuit is!! It looks like he is settling in wonderfully 🐈. ❤ I would love to hear you talk about the Womans Prize....which I'm sure you will...and I'd love to hear about your reading in translation journey as I am on my own translated fiction journey right now. I have just read The Vegetarian and it blew my mind a little 😵
There will be plenty of Women's Prize content incoming, I worried there was a bit much lately so had a breather, but it will return. The Vegetarian is great isn't it?
Happy birthday! Also, welcome Biscuit! I enjoy watching whatever you post, I would love to see more sorting out the shelves if that’s something you enjoy filming. I hope you have an amazing day! 🥳🥳
I do sorting of the shelves on Patreon, though I actually haven't done any sorting of the library for ages as you could see from that horrifying clip in the video. Thank you for the birthday wishes.
Eyy up Simon. If ur 2 old 2 hava youtube channel where does that place yer mum! J jokin. Lovely: cat, tea and books! And happy birthday. Hope u hada gr8t meal. No reading copies at work took my eye, no books mentioned on yr channel available so got a Nicci French n hopin it continues its initial promise/premise. Hi to Chris!
Happy Birthday Simon!🎉❤ Biscuit is a gorgeous boy, hope he settles in well. At the moment I'm reading Paradise Lost by John Milton. I'm happy with any content you create, I love all your reccomedations. 🙂
Sounds like a great plan. Hope you had a great Birthdayyyyyy! I really enjoyed the vibe of this video. I am currently reading The Power of Now and Life in Five Senses. I'm finding the first book a bid tough to process, but I think it will be worth finishing. Biscuit is a cutie, seems like he's defintely unfolding his personality lol
Happy Birthday! Biscuit is a lovely present. He looks to be settling in so well. I just really surprised myself and absolutely inhaled Kate Foster's The Maiden, which is obviously on the Women's Prize for Fiction longlist. I listened on audio, and loved all three of the Scottish narrators. I would never have picked it up left to my own devices so am so glad it was longlisted. Will be interested to hear your thoughts when you get to it.
I’ve read The Maiden now and my thoughts will be dropping in the next vlog in the next day or two, I’ve two Women’s Prize vlogs coming in one week. Whoops.
Happy birthday I turned 52 last week I’m currently working through the booker international longlist on mater 2-10 I’ve four left to read one of them being white nights
I've just finished The Night Swimmers which was wonderful and I thought it would be a hard act to follow but Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter which is also brilliant has stepped into the gap. Hugs for biscuit.
Reading A Deadly Education atm and enjoying it. My aim is to stop trying to read terribly cool/influential books that I don’t enjoy. I love all your videos so I have no recommendations unfortunately.
Hope you had a great day Simon :) Content wise, I would like to see more Read With Me videos (if you've got the time, obviously), whether that be live or not.
Awwww lovely you got a new puppy. This room is usually mum's room. We have been doing up the spare-spare room, which may become a room for foster cats long term... maybe. Mum has some competition. Lol.
Getting a bit weepy when you mentioned the cat's age. Having recently lost my senior kitty, my heart breaks when I hear someone abandons their baby. Thank you for taking in an older cat, and happiest of solar returns. 💙
Sorry if this made you feel emotional. I am trying not to judge his former owners because a) I don't know the whole story b) you never know what circumstances someone goes through. I am just glad we could give an *older* gentleman a home.
Hope you had a wonderful birthday. Don’t stop making the videos your never too old to do whatever you want to do. Plus i look forward to watching your videos and content with a cuppa of an afternoon, it keeps me company. So thank you and keep doing what your doing. 🎉
Happy birthday, Simon! Aww, your kitty is adorable -- keep us posted on how the integration with your other kitties is going. I'm just happy to see you talking about books in any way you want to. I love your book challenge on storygraph, I love your book hauls, I love your mom and you together, I love all of it! I also have wanted to read more Australian fiction, and so I've been following a booktuber called Gunpowder, fiction & plot. He's really fun, and I adore his recommendations. I would *love* to watch you unpack all those bags and reorganize your library. I'm currently reading The Still Point by Greenwood, and just finished Elena Knows by Pineiro, and So Late in the Day. Good lord, Keegan is an amazing writer! One of my recent favorites is Monstrilio by Cordova. I hope you have a great birthday!
Simon, I found this wacky book thing that you might find interesting. I'm following the Tournament of Books, as I usually do, every year since 2015. That's not the thing, but as I was reading lit articles, I saw this in the online magazine, Electric Lit: The Tournament of Sadness! It's a sad books competition! Sigh, the perfect thing for me! There's a bracket and everything, and I'm totally geeking out over it! Round 1 started yesterday, and I haven't been able to find the actual battle, and it doesn't seem like I can copy a link to the article here. Anyway, I googled "electric lit sadness" to find it. Maybe you'd be into it?
Welcome, Biscuit! So happy you’ve adopted your very own ginger cat. 42 is not too old for a RU-vid channel. I’m the voice of wisdom (😂) speaking from the decade older than you. Hope it’s a marvelous year of reading. 🎉🎉🎉
Thank you for adopting a senior! ❤❤ He's lovely and one lucky guy. Biscuit looks good on the bed, too. And happy birthday, Simon! Here's to a fabulous year ahead.🎉 Love to hear your plans - bookish and otherwise as it's you and how you relate to books is why I'm here.
Happy Belated Birthday, Simon!! Many blessings to you and Chris for adopting an older cat…that doesn’t happen often. I worked in animal rescue for a decade and it’s always kitten mania for people (why?! Theyre little scamps! 😅🤣) Give him his own time to come around and the 3 will live in harmony 🧡 And I’d absolutely love a goals video. Always look forward to Lauren and the books “10 goals in 10 months” videos. Inspiring!
We’ve heard that older cats are getting adopted more which is lovely. We also heard lots need fostering for a while which we might be considering, maybe. Will see how we get on with Biscuit settling in. Baby steps. Btw. He seems fine with it all it’s the other two who may need to come around a little.
Happy birthday Simon 🥳 sounds like you’ve had a lovely day 😌 Aww Biscuit 🐈 very handsome - he looks at home already 💛 I’ve been to Kew Gardens today with my husband & our oldest son (the latter bought tickets for my Mother’s Day gift) ☺️ Before going in my son (a keen reader yay) & I popped into The Kew Bookshop (next to the 🚂 station) which was a delight 🤗 I treated myself to Enter Ghost (Isabella Hammad). I’m currently reading one you brought to my attention - The Furrows by Namwali Serpell - which has been poignantly intriguing 👍 Please carry on making these RU-vid videos 🙏🏻😘
Oooh I might be going to Kew Gardens in a few weeks which I am very much looking forward to. I don't know if I have ever been to The Kew Bookshop. One to add to the list.
Yes do pop in - it looks so inviting from the outside & doesn’t disappoint inside. Yes, it’s rather cosy, but it provides all the necessary 📚 my son saw a book he liked in the window display (Booker Int 2024 longlisted) & my choice - Women’s Prize longlisted - was immediately obvious. Plus, a Roxy Music album was playing - perfick 🎶🤗 💛
Happy birthday Simon! Currently reading Local Fires which is great so far and just after finishing Pity by Andrew McMillan which I adored so thank you for those reccs! I’ve also picked up his collection Physical. Big Swiss is next up I think..
Thank you so much for the birthday wishes 🧡🐈 Sadly I won’t be reading anymore Collins (and that one looks and sounds great) I just can’t separate the authors awful views from her work.
happy birthday simon...and congrats on the newest member of your household...he's a beauty...if you do wind up in ruby slippers please share a foot shot with us..
We've got a very anxious cat which is good because weirdly he only goes as far as our garden so we don't have to worry that he will run off, and ours doesn't seem to realize he is a cat 🤣
Awwww an anxious cat sounds a bit sad to me, do you mean more timid? Mildred is a bit agoraphobic so doesn’t go out without us but Oscar roams, they’re all different.
Simon, what a lovely idea for setting intentions! And a very happy birthday to you.Thank you also for introducing me to Charlotte Wood. Living in South Africa, we do not have access to the lovely book stores you and Louise love to browse in, but one of the benefits of a certain retailer which shall not be named, is that your can peruse via samples and then order from whichever retailer offers the best deal. I have also enjoyed Maupin’s books for many years and have re and re-read the first six Tales of the City books numerous times. What I love most about his writing is how he can make absolutely absurd plots completely believable.
Sending huge happy belated birthday wishes, Simon! Congratulations on the loveliest new addition to your family, too. It always warms my heart to see people adopting senior pets. They’re so often overlooked in spite of them having so much life and love to give. This was such a great idea for a video. Also, reading poetry in the bath - an absolute yes to that! ☺️
Happy birthday! 🎂 I really enjoy your videos whatever the topic and you sharing your thoughts and experiences around you reading sounds fantastic. I feel like you could talk about recycling and make it enjoyable. Would also love to see you organizing the library, no pressure to do it all at once. Shuffle and chat, make it a series. I’ll bring a cuppa. My birthday wish for you is just for you to be kind to yourself. Goals are great, but I heard a lot of “more” and that’s great if it’s what you want. Just remember to scale back on other things to make room for it. And I’m currently reading The Maiden, obviously. Happy birthday again!
Being kind to myself has been a huge goal this year and I’m definitely working on it. The library sorting will appear but on patreon. It’s meant to be a monthly series but that hasn’t quite happened. Oops.
Happy Birthday, Simon!🎂and Welcome, lovely Biscuit!🐈I like your plans very much and am happy to hear that you’ll still be covering the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Booker shortlist😊📚I’m currently reading and enjoying The MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut.
Hi Simon I have finished Ordinary Human Failings by Meg Nolan, enjoyed it. Now reading Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville, not sure about this one. How is your Women’s Prize reading going? Happy birthday 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Happy Birthday ( it’s probably past your birthday when you read this…so Happy Birthday Season! ) I like your idea of letting content arise from your reading, your reading life. I like your trips, and how reading and bookstores fit in to your trips. I like Biscuit. I’m currently reading *A Flat Place* and *Brotherless Night*.
Oh I celebrate my birthday for a while. One of my birthday presents from Chris isn't until a week on Friday so that is when the (very chilled) celebrating will end... maybe. Lol.
Happy Birthday Simon!! 🥳🎈 And welcome cute Biscuit! 🐱 Your orange and white striped shirt is a lovely homage to your newest family member. 🥰 I’m happy to watch any bookish (and travelogue content!) you post - regardless of your age! 😉 Currently reading “The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket” - fascinating!
Happy Birthday, Simon! 🎂 I enjoyed hearing about how you came to adopt Biscuit- he's beautiful! I'm currently reading How To Say Babylon. I'm going back and forth between the Women's Prize Non-Fiction and Fiction longlists (not all the books, just the ones that most appeal to me).☺ Wishing you a wonderful year ahead!
Thank you so much! I am looking forward to How To Say Babylon. I read her poetry collection last month and she is quite the writer. I also love when poets write novels and non fiction.
I'm absolutely thrilled for you and Chris! Welcome, Biscuit. George paved the lovely way. I didn't know that about cats humping, how hilarious. I think your goals sound great, I'm particularly in favor of creators forming videos around what they want to read anyways, and not the other way around. And hip hip hurray for RU-vid creators in their 40s and beyond, please stay ❤❤❤❤
George did pave the way, if it hasn’t been for that lovely ginger unit visiting then we wouldn’t have ended up with the tiny ginger one. Lol. Ps. Am staying. Was just a very random birthday thought. I think reflecting had gone into over thinking.
Happy birthday, Simon. I just finished Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh, which is based on a true incident of mass poisoning in a French village in 1951. Funny that you voiced your intention to read more Australian books. I just now rooted through several stacks of recently bought books to find my next read and settled on The Beast's Garden by Kate Forsyth.
Happy, Happy! 🎉 Here’s to many, many more! I’ve been slow at reading physical books this week because I was diagnosed with a wee bit of pneumonia on Tuesday and that and the antibiotics have me pretty exhausted. But I am reading the second book in what will be a trilogy, The Collapsing Wave by Doug Johnstone, very Scottish in location with a main character called Sandy who is an 🐙! Loved the first book and loving this second one also, just had to keep my eyes open sometimes. After this book, I hope to start James by Percival Everett, which I picked up from my local indie at they were opening on the morning it came out, on my way home from urgent care. Priorities!!! I adore Biscuit! 🐈
Hi Simon and Biscuit! Happy birthday, I hope you enjoy the occasion. In terms of content, more of the same would suit me just fine 💛 I am currently reading The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne, and so far think it’s excellent.
