Welcome to my channel! I'm Riley, an avid reader who loves exploring a wide range of genres and authors. This channel is dedicated to all things books and reading.
Subscribe to stay updated on all my latest videos, and don't forget to leave your book suggestions and recommendations in the comments. Your ideas might be featured in an upcoming video!
It is without a doubt the first book I want to reread from King. I can see it moving up in the rankings drastically. I just was too young to full appreciate it at the time.
The video is beautifully shot and edited with fantastic looking places whilst you travelled.😍 I find it hard to interact with people face to face and have bad anxiety, so can relate prefer our own company, My last trip was in 2019, Seriously craving a break away from Birmingham UK to a quieter place, to catch up on my ever increasing backlog ha ha😄. I love that you found your happy place and came back feeling refreshed. What are you planning to read next? Currently reading Jurassic park. Easily my favourite vid so far!!! Would love another vlog or roadtrip in the future.😎
@@stephentheshywarrior2759 Thanks for the kind words! I worked really hard on the editing with this one. 100% my toughest project yet, but I did have lots of fun while making it (: Currently at 30% completion for Crime and Punishment. I haven’t picked anything else up yet, but I will be examining my shelves for a nice easygoing book soon. I’m heading back into school this upcoming week. That, paired with full-time work, I’ll be pretty busy… so I won’t have as much time set aside to read. I’ll still complete books, but it wont be as vigorously as in this video haha. Cheers, thanks again for your support, it means the world!
Nice journey and video format, thank you. I prefer to travel with books by my favorite authors. It’s like traveling either with trusted friends or with odd strangers. Even worse, they might turn out to be boring and tiresome strangers.😅
@@identitycat Hahaha absolutely! I was tempted to bring a Stephen King book with me, as he is my favourite author, but I have been trying to challenge myself by reading new authors. Happy to report that I discovered some new friends along the way (: Thanks for the comment!
This is your best video yet! What an amazing and peaceful getaway you have! The perfect reading spot! It looks so relaxing, thanks for taking us along. Glad you had fun and some time to recharge.
this is a really nice video. i also been wanting to get into the crime genre for books but you picked out some interesting ones. thats interesting to hear about Tick Tock, i did not know it was supposed to be a weird comedy i only heard people compared it to his other book Dragon Tears which i have read and enjoyed. but i would not consider it a comedy but does have some amusing parts. interesting to hear more about The Wasp factory but yeah it sounds like a rough read.
@@XanaduCastle Thank you brotha (: Koontz wrote the following, “I decided to tackle a new and strange mix of genres: the supernatural thriller and the screwball comedy.” He executed this perfectly. I will have to check out Dragon Tears, I hear lots of people recommend that one!
@@MJ-vo8hq I haven’t yet! My second-hand bookstore never seems to have his stuff in. I’ve desperately wanted to read, “Once Upon a Halloween” What works of his would you recommend?
So glad you liked the book! It still holds up! Your enthusiasm for it is a lot of fun to listen to. I think you'd also like his novella "Animal Farm". It's about a couple of pigs who slowly take over a barnyard and reign control the other animals. I wonder what else Orwell would have written had he not died so young? Fun idea for a future video: bookshelf tours are always interesting. Would be cool to see your collection, your favorites and the titles on your to-read list. Just an idea. Looking forward to your next review!
Thanks Johnny! I saw Animal Farm in the bookstore the other day. Contemplated picking it up. Definitely will at some point! It’s funny you mention that… I was considering making a bookshelf tour video! I’m close to 250 books owned… so, perhaps when I hit that number, I’ll make one (: Cheers!
I've only read 1984. It was 4 stars for me. You already have a long list, but I would also recommend "The Picture of Dorian Gray", by Oscar Wilde and "Perfume", by Patrick Suskind. And since you tend to love horror, I think you would really like the tales of Edgar Allan Poe (I read a book with a collection of them, called "Fantastic tales"). The first time I read it I was terrified, but in a good way! 😂
@@MarianaSousa-zk8jt Thank you for the recommendations! I just finished 1984 last night. It might be one of the most impactful books I have ever read. Going to review it on my channel sometime soon! The only thing I have read from Poe is “The Raven” so I am definitely wanting to consume more of his works!
I came across from ur Stephen King video recommendation - have to say thank you for helping me choose the next book to read! I haven’t read the Twilight series since I first read them in HS (never really liked them then nor understood the craze) but it’s still funny to hear ur opinions lol. The only Colleen Hoover book I ever read was Verity - I heard it was one of her better works?? but it was still not great, def a fast paced thriller and quick to get through if ur in a slump. Curious to see what you will read throughout this year!
@@Artsby.bianca Hey! Thanks for sticking around (: What book are you going to read next?? Happy to help in making that decision! Thanks for the comment (: Happy reading!
@@RileyReads19 Hey! Happy to stick around :) I’m thinking of Doctor Sleep then IT (this one has been on my shelf for way too long and I’m scared of it lol but I have to read it already!). Since I already read The Shining might as well read the sequel & u convinced me to do so. Btw I noticed ur background with the bookshelf of Stephen King books, have u read all or most of his works already? :)
@@Artsby.bianca I have read 51 of his books! My first book was The Shining and I read it when I was 17. It reminded me how much fun reading is! It was the Covid lockdown that got me motivated to start reading again, and I started reading almost everything King wrote. He is by far my favourite author, but I’m trying to branch off and read different kinds of books (this is why I picked up Twilight and It Ends With Us😂) I really hope you enjoy Doctor Sleep. If you loved the movie, the book is nearly the exact same. I found it hard to put down and I finished it in like 3 days haha. Also, don’t be afraid about the size of IT. I always recommend the audiobook… it is truly magical and makes the journey that much more engaging for me! Happy reading (: welcome to the channel 😊
@@RileyReads19 Omg, u’ve read almost all of his books by now! The Shining was also my first book of his. I read it in Uni to compare it to the film for my film class. After that, slowly I’ve been wanting to venture more into his universe. I really do enjoy his writing style and concepts so I’m excited to read more of his stuff. I do have a bit of his collection on my bedside as my tbr lol I just need the time to read them! Glad to hear that u got back into reading. I’ll have to say if you enjoy thriller I highly recommend Lisa Jewell, Gillian Flynn & Riley Sager as well as Nick Cutter (he’s more horror) - if u haven’t read any of their books! If u want to venture moree out there (in genres u might not be familiar with), then I recommend Emily Henry, Madeline Miller and Fredrik Backman, & TJ Klune. If you’d like, I’ll let u know if I enjoy Doctor Sleep and IT! & I def will look into the audiobook lol again, thank you for the recommendation! Happy reading! 😊
@@Artsby.bianca That’s so cool how you read The Shining for a film class in uni! Thanks for the recommendations! I haven’t heard of Lisa Jewell yet (i’ll check out some of her works) but I have read Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” as well as Nick Cutter’s, “The Troop” Planning on picking up Nick Cutter’s “The Deep” and “Little Heaven” sometime soon (: Sounds like we enjoy similar stories/authors haha. So happy you found my channel!
i think its cool to see people try reading stuff out of their wheelhouse. there is a few i have myself that im interested in that are from genres or authors i dont know too much about. Dan Simmons is a great writer and i cant wait to get through more of his books.
@@XanaduCastle I appreciate it brotha. There are just soooo many different books and authors and genres, and such little time to consume them all. It’s always fun diving into something new, so I appreciate your comment! Thanks for always commenting and watching my content man. Much appreciated (:
You know what… I literally saw that book at my local bookstore the other day. I was so close to picking it up, but the edition was a bit rough and tattered. Definitely on my TBR though! Thanks for the comment (:
I wanna read summer of night soooo bad Im glad you enjoyed it!! My girlfriend reads a bunch of Colleen Hooger books, she doesn’t like them tho so idk why she does 😂🤷♂️
Nick, you will absolutely love it brotha! Please let me know when you read it. Dude, my sister is the same way lmao. She says she isn’t a good writer but has also read everything she has published😂 Thanks for tuning in brotha, appreciate you 👊🏽
Have you read "The Nix" by Nathan Hill? I loved it. It came out in 2016 and Entertainment Weekly chose it as their #1 book of the year, and I agree! It has a little of everything, it's funny, and some great writing. It will always hold a permanent place on my bookshelf. Look it up and see if it might be something you'd be interested in. Literary fiction is my favorite genre. I don't use social media either (except for RU-vid comments 😅). Glad to hear I'm not the only one!
I haven’t read it yet! I will add that one, along with East of Eden, to my TBR shelf. Thanks for all the recommendations and for watching my content. I appreciate it very much (:
I read the Twilight series a couple of years ago and I thought the first book was kinda fun, but the rest felt repetitive, especially Breaking Dawn, that book was unbearable to read. How a book can be that long and absolutely nothing happens on it?
100% Even the whole idea of finding these other vampires in order to build witnesses for the Volturi… that WHOLE section ended up being useless because as soon as Alice shows up, things are fine lol.
I think Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer is very haunting, some of the imagery still sits with me a couple of months after reading. 10/10. At The Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft was confusing, but once everything locked into place, it became really interesting and creepy.
Revival is one of the BEST Stephen King books I've read so far. I highly recommend it. It's a rollercoaster of a story but you will not want to put it down I finished it in 3 days.
Hello, I found your channel through Cliff's Dark Gems. I have a new booktube channel too. I just finished The Shinning and I loved it. So much more to the story than in the movie. I plan on reading It this October. I've heard good things about it. I loved The Dark Tower series. I was sad when it ended.
Have you thought of writing yourself? Please add this question to your next Q&A video if there's one at all. (Again and unrelated, kudos to your way of expressing yourself, constant speech with no hesitation or self correcting).
That’s an awesome question. Never thought about doing a Q&A video before… maybe I will make one for a milestone event (maybe if I get like 1k subs). I do practice writing in my spare time. I write short horror stories, screenplays, and I am also working on my thesis for my psychology degree. I appreciate the kind words 😌 thanks for the feedback!
I'd like to recommend East Of Eden by John Steinbeck. It has some of the best writing you'll ever read, and unforgettable characters. I reread it every 18 months or so. My all-time favorite! 1984 is good; I'd vote for that one to be the first read from your list. One classic I'd like to finish is Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I got about a quarter through it a year ago but I definitely need to return to it! Great video!
I'm reading Don Quixote too, the Penguin Classics version translated by John Rutherford at present. I started on Aug 2nd and coming along very well. The episodic formatting of the chapters help steer the narrative on despite the daunting book length, coming in at 1023 pages (inclusive of notes).I notice you have a different translation, that can affect a book's reception. The other great translation is the Edith Grossman version, which most people I hear prefer for its accessibility. This is the novel that started it all, so, it is quite fitting you placed it first in your video sequence. Good luck! First time here👍
Great video as always. You're in for a treat with Dracula and 1984, both 5* reads for me. If you like audiobooks there's an excellent edition of Dracula on audible with Tim Curry as one of the narrators.
@@DisquietandDragons-lh3zm Thank you for the comment and suggestion (: I do enjoy a good audiobook. There’s a good chance that I’ll listen to it sometime in October!
I have always wanted to read Dracula by Bram Stoker or Frankenstein by Shelley but dunno how they'll will read due to the age. I do read things that aren't books, comics from the 40s onwards from DC and Marvel. Some of which are particularly densely written at times so I imagine I'll be ok regardless. Plus I'm a horror nut.😄 Great video. Always look forward to your uploads.😁
@@stephentheshywarrior2759 Thanks for the comment (: I say give it a try! If you end up not liking it, you can always put it down and try again sometime in the future! That’s cool that you like reading comics from the 40s! Do you have physical copies or do you read them online?
@@RileyReads19 one of my main hobbies is collecting comics in physical collections like paperback, omnibus, epic collection, which I've been doing for over 17 years. :-) I'm only in my mid 30s but find reading comics relaxin and helps me take my mind off real world issues. Admittedly I haven't read tons from the 40s as my main preference is 70s onwards but like to read them for background information and see how comics evolves over time. I do want to get into more modern independent comics (there's loads) and Manga also but haven't yet due to space and for my wallets sanity ha ha😄 That's some good advice Riley. I'll probably try Dracula out in the future. Have a good weekend mate😁
@@stephentheshywarrior2759 That’s super cool man! I always love hearing about people’s hobbies and interests. Also, I totally relate when you say that reading takes your mind off real world issues… I feel the same way haha. Hope you have a great weekend as well (:
Kudos on your list, man! If there's one thing I've gathered from the various lists of everyone's SK rankings, is how almost each book hits differently with each reader besides the Top 10 books which are more or less the same. Personally I've only read 10 books of the king of horror but this is my current ranking: 1. Under the Dome 2. The Stand 3. It 4. 11.22.63 5. Needful things 6. Pet Sematary 7. Outsider 8. Salem's lot 9. Firestarter 10. Talisman A. I sort of got lost with the Talisman at the second half but I must say that you got me intrigued to give Black house a shot. B. I wholeheartedly enjoyed 'It' but I did wish there was more "screen time" for It in the book. C. Under the Dome was a gem for me, mainly for the aspects you mentioned.
@@yair1010 Thanks for the comment brotha! Very solid top 10. Under the Dome was a suspense-filled book. Personally, I struggled with the corruption of power and the evil-doings of Jim Rennie and his son Junior (along with the police force). I just found it hard to enjoy watching these awful things happen to these innocent people😂. Still a great book!! Definitely give Black House a try. I liked listening to the audiobook (as I felt it fit the narrative style better). There are Dark Tower tie ins however… so, if you haven’t read those books yet, you might not appreciate it as much, and that’s perfectly understandable! Thanks again for your comment (:
@@RileyReads19 Completely understandable with Jim Rennie and his thugs but on the other hand, it makes their Karma be so satisfying IMO 😄 Well I am certainly planning to give The Dark Tower series a go so either way Black house will have to wait a bit 😆 Aside from that, my next two reads of King will most likely be The Institute and a bag of bones :)
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is my worst book, mainly because as a South African I know nothing about baseball. Great ranking, mine differs from yours, but that is what's great about these kind of videos. The Stand is my favorite King book. If you enjoyed that you will love Swan Song by Robert McCammon. IT is awesome, You have to read Boy's Life by Robert McCammon. Awesome video! I do recommend Skeleton Crew as well. Keep going Constant Reader!
Firstly, congrats on the 100 subs!! I just happened to finish the final girl support group a few weeks ago and it was good. It was also my first Grady Hendrix book. Ive seen my fair share of slasher films, so it was cool to hear the references throughout the book. I just wish there was more of an elaborate ending. I felt like rushed, but it was an overall good read. The troop is another book on my list and you’re the 2nd person to suggest it. I’ll take it as a sign to read it after I’m done reading my current book.
Hey brotha, Thanks for the comment (: I totally understand what you mean about The Final Girl Support Group. Personally, I thought the ending was a tad bit "rushed" but I absolutely loved all the slasher horror movie references! Definitely give The Troop a go! It is such a great read. Cool concept, great characters, fast-paced... there truly isn't much to not like about this novel, in my opinion. I am excited to hear your thoughts whenever you come around to reading it!
I saw Cliff (Cliff's Dark Gems) recommend your channel, I'm so glad I checked your video out, it's awesome. The Troop is so good. I enjoyed it, it gets very dark very quickly for sure. I found a lovely hardback copy of Phantoms a while back but haven't read it yet, happy to hear it's a good one. Some non-Stephen King horror I'd recommend would be: The Cabin at the End of the World- Paul Tremblay The Haar - David Sodergren Haunted - James Herbert Thin Air - Michelle Paver The Voices - F.R. Tallis Looking forward to watching your other videos.
@@DisquietandDragons-lh3zm Hi! I’m happy to hear you liked the video. Welcome to the channel! I have read The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay, and I really liked it! I also loved the movie adaptation. Thanks for your recommendations! I have The Haar currently on my tbr, and I also added the other books you mentioned on there as well. I feel like I have soooo many books to read now! I’m already at a new record for books read this year… I’m guessing that that number will continue growing rapidly😅
Mine was The Hardy Boys! I'm an 80s kid, and the series got me hooked on mysteries. It's written for young teens, but the books are fun at any age. If you have a couple of hours to spare, give Witness to Murder a try.
Aw, thank you very much! That’s super kind of you. I will probably make another video some time in the future when I have read a few more horror book. Lots of people are leaving great recommendations, and so I feel like I need to go book shopping again 😂 I haven’t read The Exorcist… but I have seen the movie! I think it would be a fantastic book to read in October. I’ll have to add it to my TBR shelf!
Stephen king is my personal favourite but my top picks would be: Necroscope by Brian Lumley I am legend by Richard matheson The Fog by James Herbert Pretty much most of Lovecrafts stories Congrats on 100 subs keep the vids coming 👍
@@RileyReads19 yeah it’s pretty good, I know people tend to like Stephen kings settings of small town America but being from England I do have a soft spot for horror stories set here as well 🤣
Congrats on 100 subs! Onwards and upwards! I would recommend you pick up Clive Barker, Robert McCammon and Dan Simmons for your horror itch. I recommend Watchers and Intensity by Dean Koontz, my favorites. You are doing great man, keep churning out the videos.
@@CliffsDarkGems Thank you for the kind words and recommendations! I’m currently reading Summer of Night by Dan Simmons. I am really enjoying it so far! He is an excellent writer. I have Robert McCammon’s “Swan Song” but I’m going to wait until I feel like I’m ready to read a post-apocalyptic novel! Really looking forward to it though. I’m still trying to find a second-hand copy of Boy’s Life because I have heard that it is one of his best. I have Intensity by Dean Koontz on my shelf! I have heard great things! I’ll have to pick it up sometime soon. Thanks again (: happy reading!
Great to discover your channel. IT is awesome! The Dark Tower series is my favorite of all time! Jimmy Mango is indeed an awesome booktuber. I really enjoyed the Mr Mercedes Trilogy, as well as The Outsider, but not as much as his horror novels. A group recently did a read through of all Holly books in order and we had live chats. That was fun! The book and movie of The Green Mile was sublime. Great video man, subscribed!
@@CliffsDarkGems Hey man, thank you for your comment! I read all the Holly books last summer. It was a fun time! I can only imagine how much fun it would have been to have live chats with others who are also reading it. I need to find a book club lol 😂 Happy you’ve found my channel. I’m going to subscribe to yours as well 😎
I really enjoyed The Troop and I wanna check out The Deep soon, as well as The Ruins!! I recommend The Yellow Wallpaper by Charolette Perkins. It’s an incredible short horror story! Also Johnny Got His Gun. It’s an anti war novel but I’ve never had a book scare me like that one. Great vid bro!!
lots of good picks here and i also enjoy Dean Koontz but i have yet to read Phantoms and its been on my list for a wile as it does sound really good. when it comes to Nick Cutter, i really am intrigued by The Deep because underwater horror sounds terrifyingly awesome. i also really enjoy authors like Dan Simmons and Robert McCammon
@@XanaduCastle I currently am reading Summer of Night by Dan Simmons and I am loving it so far! I also have Swan Song by Robert McCammon on my shelf right now. I got 100 pages in, but honestly, I wasn’t feeling it (at this precise moment), so I put it back on the shelf and will revisit it at a later date. Thanks for your comment! (:
