There's nowhere else like London. Nothing at all, anywhere." —Vivienne Westwood
We couldn't agree more, Vivienne. Today's the day, dear readers—we are London-bound in less than six hours! (Insert cartwheel emoji here) Tray's best birthday surprise ever is finally coming to fruition and I am over-the-moon excited. I've still got a few last minute purchases to make and my bags aren't fully packed, but in true Rae fashion, I'm sitting down to write this post. This is why the few hairs my husband has left in his head are gray.
I've of course spent the last precious thirty minutes perusing Audible for books to download. The packing can wait—I've got my priorities, people. You happen to be one of the very top, so as a consolation prize (we still feel bad that we can't take you all along), here are some of my latest favorite listens:
The War I Finally Won. This is the follow-up novel to one of my favorite reads from last year: The War that Saved my Life. Sequels always make me nervous, especially when the first book is a home run, but this book did not disappoint. It did more than that though, it radiated light. These past couple weeks, when darkness hit far too close to home, this book reminded me (as did the people of this beautiful hometown of mine) that not only does good still exist, it shines brighter than ever. To quote Invincible Ada: "You can know things all you like, and someday, you might believe them." I believe, Ada, I believe.
My newest obsession: Inspector Gamache and the town of Three Pines. I can't get enough and I'll wager you won't be able to either. Let me know when you're ready to move to Three Pines with me. This is a mystery series for people who don't like mystery series. Still Life is the first book and I was stunned by how good it was. I've already listened to five more and am downloading the seventh as I type. And you thought I was exaggerating when I said I'm obsessed. Character-driven mysteries set in Canada's version of Stars Hollow? I'm all in. Fair warning: there's a huge helping of salty language in the second and third books (of course none of it coming from my beloved Inspector), so much so that Penny almost lost me as a fan. I imagine the Inspector gave her a stern talking to though and by the fourth book she cleaned up her act. Well done, Inspector.
Now I really must go. We may not post more this week, but we'll be sure to share our adventures on Instagram and Facebook. If you aren't already, be sure to follow us there so you don't miss a thing. Happy listening!