I don’t think I’ve commented before, but I enjoy your channel so much! There aren’t many RU-vidrs with the same love as I have for books, Agatha Christie, Tudor history, and all things vintage! I’m so glad you decided to come back. Congratulations on your marriage and getting your Master’s!
It was such a joy to see a new video by Lil. I’ve missed you ❤. I agree entirely and I think we should read what brings us joy and comfort - no explanations necessary. Look forward to the video and have an awesome reading year. ❤❤
I was so happy to see you pop up. You have such a refreshing and original content. I was afraid you had gone for good, but yes, life intervenes. Thank you for all your reading recommendations and congrats on your Master’s degree and your marriage.
You’ve only come into my feed before Christmas and I think your content is refreshingly different . Looking forward to seeing more in the future . RU-vid needs people like you ❤
So pleased to see you again Lil! A nice bunch of picks from your year. So glad you mostly had the reading you needed to support you in a busy year of change.
Hi Lil! Happy to see you back here 😃 Always will 😊 I own Mama on your recommendation and loved it. I'm in a slump at the moment because I can't settle on a book or genre, meh. I think last year's favourites were (in no particular order) The enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim (a you book, I think?) The invention of nature by Andrea Wulf (I love nature) Piranesi by Susannah Clarke (strange & compelling, a reread) The left hand of darkness by Ursula Le Guin (conceptual sci-fi about friendship and love) Persuasion by Jane Austen (I was surprised that I liked it so much)
I am so thrilled to see you back again! I’ve been missing you. I owe you a debt of gratitude because my entire reading life changed after I started watching you back during Covid lockdown winter. I love DES, Clavering, Fair, Pym and just about everyone else that I discovered mostly due to your channel. Hope we’ll continue to see you but certainly understand that you have a life and responsibilities aside from BookTube. Welcome back! ❤️
So glad you’re back! I don’t often comment but I wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your videos. You give such wonderful recommendations and reviews. Love your DSP reviews, and you’ve convinced me to read Agatha Christie and now I’m working my way through the Miss Marple series and loving them! Love D E Stevenson too. Thank you!
I love your videos so much, Lil! Thank you for being here. I've just been reading a mystery series set in Tudor England by Fiona Buckley, so fun! One of my favorite book series of 2023 is the Emma M Lion books by Beth Brower. They're fictional journals set in 1880s Victorian London and they're sooo fun!
Welcome back! Fav books were The Feast, The Hero of This Book, and A Pin to See the Peepshow. Brit Library Women series not too available here in Canada but suggested it to library and they ordered it. By time I finished 4 more people were waiting so hopefully theyll be open to ordering more titles.
So pleased to see you back 🥰 Nice selection of best 2023 books. Going to have a look at that favourite of yours (have already 2 of the others). As for me, I read across genres, so many of my titles might not appeal to you. Having said this, let’s see. My favourites were: Stoner by J Williams (portrayal of a quiet life, but one with rawness), The Guns of the Dawn by A Tchaikovsky (imagine Elizabeth Bennett put in a Regency war), Lady Trent series by M Brennan (these are so good, especially the audio - Picture a world similar to Victorian England but one where some types of ‘dragons’ exist, and I mean the reptile kind and not the more fantastical ones. Now zoom in a young girl who is fascinated by the natural world and wants to study it, problematic since women are only allowed to become wives in this society, and you’ll have an idea of the story), Dune (re-read from over 20 years ago, very philosophical), Farseer by R Hobb (I reckon you may like these too. They are more historical novels than pure fantasy, and Hobb is known for being one of the best for her character portrayal and development + her writing style), How Do You Live? by G Yoshino (a philosophical story disguised as a children’s story - felt modern although written in 1937), and I read all the Lord Wimsey mysteries in order (so good!). Have a wonderful 2024!
Welcome back! I've been wanting to read some more vintage mystery and romance, and of course your channel was the first I thought of. You recommended Murder While You Work by Susan Scarlett and I loved it! Can't wait to read another you recommend. 😊
So so lovely to have you back ❤ your videos are always so interesting and thoughtful and you are intelligent without being intimidating! I also got married in 2023 and my reading year was a bit haphazard! I enjoyed reading Jane and Prudence (thanks Lil), Julia Fox’s Sister Queens and Young Anne by Dorothy Whipple. Please please keep the videos coming 📚❤
Yay! Was looking forward to seeing you back, Lil. I've really missed your content ☺I relate to what you said about feeling like you can't fully be yourself and I'm at the same stage in life now where I'm just like, whatever, old fashioned is how I am. One Year's Time is on my list too so hoping to connect with it in the same way ☺Hope you're having a good start to 2024! x
Oh, 🥁 🥁 there you are!!! So glad to see you again, i had only recently subscribed and you disappeared ! 😮 My shelves are stocked with Dean Street Press, ive got 12 of the BLWW (LOVE these 📚). My source has 5 more which i will get soon, and about 4 or 5 to preorder, inc the Milne , the von Arnim. Ive got Wentworth, every E Taylor i can get my hands on LOVE her, etc. Im so into the early/ mid 20th century now, bc of you. Etc!! So please , i hope you get back into posting. Congrats on marriage, best wishes to you , both, of course, 😊. See you SOON, yes?! 📚
Glad you're back! Well done on your MA and congrats for the wedding. Please keep making videos if you can many of us really enjoy them even if we forget to comment sometimes :)
Oh, I'm so happy you're back! Been missing your book reviews so much since we enjoy the same kinds of books (minus so much interest in the Tudors, although you made me want to read The Queen's Favourite!). I loved the fact that you're real enough to have a Harlequin as your favorite book of the year. How wonderful! In general, I really like Burchell, and own several of her books. Please keep making videos! ❤
Lovely to see you back again, so happy you didn't give up RU-vid!! Yeah life is a bit of annoyance isn't it!! Been there myself the last few months, so I knew what you meant!! Really enjoyed the book listing, I really want to read The Tall Stranger now, think I need to add it to my Amazon list 😊 I'm still reading Miss Pettigrew....I'm loving it, I can see why it's one of your fave books, it's lovely, what a mess she's got herself into, lol!! I'm a little like Miss Pettigrew, especially with the sherry!!! Happy new year, hope this years lovely to you!!xxx
I'm so glad to see you back here! I've missed your videos and books. Also, thank you for the Robert Dudley book - did you know it's 1 of 6 book series? I'm looking forward to reading it.
Yes I know but I don’t think I will do the series, I just wanted Robert Dudley, but you never know. I might pick the others up if I fancy it later down the line
Really glad to see you back. I had been wondering about you. I also read The Tall Stranger this year. You put me on to D E Stevenson and I love reading her! I also love history and will be putting The Queen's Favourite on my list!
I'm so happy to see you're back on RU-vid! I cannot imagine trying to balance completing an MA, planning a wedding, and getting married on top of doing book reviews and all other other things associated with making videos. Good for you for taking time off! I loved One Year's Time! Liza is such a relatable character. I think we've all been a Liza at one point in our lives. I know I have! And Under the Stars of Paris is such a gem of a book! When you recommended it on your channel, I thought I would like it too. But my goodness! Who knew vintage Harlequins were so well-written, plotted, and just plain good?! Thank you for all of your stellar recommendations! The Queen's Favourite is in my cart as we speak. And I'm still on the look out for the Model Girl series. Welcome back, lady! ❤
Just wanted to drop a quick note to say how much I love your videos! Your recommendations, especially on Agatha Christie, got me into reading her books, and I'm loving every page. Congratulations on your master's and wedding - that's amazing! Keep making those awesome videos, and all the best in your endeavors! 💖💐
I can see you in a dusty pink version of that dress on the cover:) Some vintage books I've discovered over the past year have the theme of a married couple getting involved in some mystery. They are very light and remind me of the "screwball comedy" films of the '30s. One series is by Frances Crane and involves a private investigator called Pat Abbott and his wife Jean. All of the books have a color in the title. They started in 1941 with the last book in 1965. Another series is by the married writing team of Frances and Richard Lockridge. (They met as reporters on the same newspaper.) One of their series involves a married couple named Pam and Jerry North, who are strictly amateur detectives. The books ran from 1940 to 1963. They also had three other series and were co-presidents of the Mystery Writers of America. The received a special Edgar award in 1962. Frances died in 1963 and Richard continued some of the series alone but did not write any more Mr. & Mrs. North books.
So glad to see a new video from you, you have been missed! Love hearing about the style of books you like. I love agatha christie too, I also picked up a few Frost novels this year too, based on your recs, they were so entertaining, thank you!
Wonderful to see your video pop up on my feed! 👏🏻 Under the Stars of Paris is completely out of my wheelhouse but you made it sound so good! Lucky for me, it's on KindleUnlimited (in the States), so I'm going to give it a go. What a fabulous edition you found! 📚 Some of my 5 star reads for 2023 would be: The Count of Monte Cristo, Macbeth, David Copperfield, The Song of Bernadette, Anne of Green Gables and Elephants Can Remember (a Poirot).
Lil, I'm so happy to see you back with this awesome video 🥳💜 I'm thrilled to see some of these books on your list...The Tall Stranger and One Year's Time have been on my TBR for a while and you've inspired me to read them! I also wanted to thank you for bringing Mary Burchell's romances into my life...I'm now hooked! I felt just like you did about Harlequin Romances (love love Keeping Up Appearance's Daisy!), so it's such a relief to be able to give up that stereotype and enjoy them. lol. I also wanted to thank you for recommending the Sara Gay Model Girl series. I've only read one, but I want to read the rest this year. You always find the best vintage fashion novels! Thank you and many hugs for a more relaxing and enjoyable reading year! 🤗💕🥰📚
It’s great to see you do this vlog, Lil! I have wondered how you’re doing but don’t usually ask bc for some people it might make them sad so not asking is actually a way some people give the other person space and privacy when life happens. But that said, so glad to see you and hear your top reads. 😊 I very much enjoyed Dragonwyck by Anya Seton-do you know it? Also Bone China by Laura Purcell, except for the ending. And for history, Pen and Sword’s Madame Tussaud. What an incredible life!
Some of the books that I have read and really enjoyed lately are Iris in Winter by Elizabeth Cadell (my first Cadell!) Apricot Sky by Ruby Ferguson, Seaview House by Elizabeth Fair. And I’m continuing working through DES who’s a favorite. I loved Iris in Winter so much that I read Family Gathering the following weekend. Right now I’m reading Village Story by Celia Buckmaster. I’m having a harder time getting into it. But I read it on the heels of Tom Tiddler’s Ground. I’m also reading A Chelsea Concerto which is very interesting, but just started it, so not too far into it. I’ve really gotten into Miss Read’s Thrush Green series for some bedtime reading. I’m on the third one. It’s very soothing.
If you like the subject, genre and it's well written any book can be the best book of the year. My favourite book of 2023 was Katja Hoyer's book Beyond the wall about East Germany. Great use of source material and well written.
