Getting close to 800 subscribers! Best wishes with what you choose to read and to your channel.

so happy to have stumbled upon your channel! loved how tense and uncomfortable the Sudjic is. the END!!! loving your Percival Everett journey! i need to get to him. what do you recommend as a good first start to his bibliography?

I discovered your channel through this video. Happy Reading! 😎📚👍

Jack Underwood's poetry has so much warmth to it. I love his stuff. Finished A Year in the New Life just the other day, which was good, but personally I prefer Happiness. That poem 'I promise when I lift your egg' is my fave one. The book set in Llanelli sounds excellent and I will have to get a copy of the Percival Everett as it sounds amazing. I've avoided In Memoriam. It sounded too commercial and pandering.

Hello! Was about to pick another pride month read and In Memorian got almost picked but The new life won. I had a feeling In Memorian might be like you said. Will still check though. Thanks for the insight :D

Sooooo pleased that RU-vid suggested this video. Am looking forward to having a binge. Totally agree with you about A Flat Place, I don’t know how she did it. It’s exceptional. Really need to read some Annie. Also need to read more Everett. Very excited for the new Garth Greenwell.

you really do love your memoirs, don't you?

Such great recommendations. You are so good at selling these books.

This reminded me a lot of "The House on Mango Street", I suppose that Cisneros was strongly influenced by Brooks.

yayyy a new booktuber to watch :)) I need to read Ernaux she sounds right up my street-all the other books you listed seem interesting too. Taste! I just finished my notes write up of Braiding Sweetgrass. Wholeheartedly recommend especially if your view of nature writing is tainted a bit by bland middle class white cishetero male perspectives. Robin Wall Kimmerer really makes the world feel like somewhere that loves us back as she herself beautifully puts it, which is certainly a think a necessary POV in the old Anthropocene.

It's highly dubious that the unfortunate-looking and unpleasant Sara Ahmed was sexually harrassed.

New subscribers here, nice one!

Loved this book

Question. When do you find your time to read? I’ve only read one this year, after starting a new job, and I have 4 that I’d like to finish in the next couple months.

Just finished it, will hurt, stay with me for a long time, I love how she incorporates ' African Spirituality" into the story, t/y for reviewing...☮💜📚🐝

Your February video prompted me to read “Change” by Edouard Louis again and I was again impressed by it. He leaves you thinking. Edouard shows a combination of calculated actions motivated by strong emotions. I was more aware in this book of his sadness at the loss of some aspects of his life in his native town, of the traces of affection for his father and of the very deliberate and rehearsed process of change he planned for himself. It raised question about the different indicators of class in France and UK, though I wasn’t too sure that the translation got it quite right in the examples of tea drinking or invitation to a meal but recognise that such social subtleties do not translate well from one nation and one language to another. (And also wondered why there are 4 different translators of the 5 books). I’m thinking that maybe I should see all 5 of his novels as forming a multi-volumed novel or book that provides different perspectives of the change from Eddie Belleguele to Edouard Louis. I looked forward to the publishing of this book and was not disappointed. I was delighted and caught up by it.

10:08 calling me out (I will give it back, promise 😂)

I feel like it’s such a fine line between “telling me too much”, where the magic/mystery of the words is taken away, and “just giving me enough to take my breath away.”

loved this wrap up! very interesting insights, thank you so much for sharing ☺

January was a weird month for me, I read Palo Alto by Malcolm Harris, which probably would be good if it was about 5 books, but was desperately in need of an editor as a single one. I continued my personal goal of reading Foucault, and managed his second volume on Sexuality, again not sure I can say it was enjoyable exactly. In terms of books I enjoyed, I loved Against White Feminism by Rafai Zakaria, also really enjoyed Forbidden Notebook by Alba de Cespedes. And I reread one of my best books of all time, All About Love by bell hooks; which apart from the last two chapters is probably the one book that has impacted me the most over the last few years, its funny to reread and realise how much you have grown and how different things grab you. I will read Jessica Au's Fitzcarraldo book, honestly I will read anything they publish.

So many interesting insights here Chris, love to hear all your thoughts on your recent reads!!

How do you find the time for all this reading? X

Been reading a lot of different History and Political and Philosophy books this, year still have loads to get through next year, but also been reading some Biographies - read a great book about historical debt jubilees " Forgive Them Their Debts" by the great Economist Michael Hudson, and The Greek Way by Edith Hamilton and The Song of Achilles was a great book.

Once again seems we are pretty aligned in our tastes, I loved the feminist Killjoy, as well as Ordinary Notes and Diego Garcia, I was busy working my way through some back catalogues this year so didn't read too many other new releases, also I am firmly still in a non-fiction phase... have you read Cruel Optimism by Lauren Berlant, or Olivia Laing's Everybody? Those were 5 stars for me, and again Terrance Hayes continues to dazzle me. Not a big tv watcher, more a youtube video essay enthusiast tbh. I read non-fiction by Julie Myerson on your recommend maybe early in the year and loved it. Also love if books could kill, truly hilarious.

I will read anything published by Fitzcarraldo at this point. They never miss. They’re so good at picking up interesting narratives told in surprising ways. And often by writers who just aren’t in the limelight (for better or worse).

Chris, mate, you should try to do more. I really appreciate your videos but lately, not enough 😀 All the very best for 2024.

Oof, these are fantastic choices ❤

I just finished this and I had faith for the first half that it was building to something but it never came. I really don't know what the book was trying to say.

I’m a cis woman so i may be speaking out of my depth but I like how the chapter is titled megan/morgan in the way that it shows their transition from megan to morgan and how they figured out their identity- it’s quite an interesting question of identity and the continuity of identity between the past (megan) and the present (morgan). that’s just my interpretation. I also hear where you’re coming from when you criticised Dominique and Amma’s conversation and the controversy of what they were saying but I liked how real it was in representing all kinds of black women from different walks of life and therefore with different opinions. It’s not realistic for all black women of all generations to agree on everything, and a lot of what Dominique was saying sounded like things women in my own family would say. Evaristo unpacks the nuances of the black female identity through these characters and I like how Dominique has a “flawed” view and struggles to get on board with modern ideas because it’s real. I do understand what you mean about it not being resolved as well as Penelope’s racism though, it could have been better executed

I just found your channel and have been enjoying your videos! Thank you for putting this out :)

I just finished this, amazing. Honestly I couldn't put it down. Loved it, great recommend thanks!

She is an interpreter not a translator!. How did you read the book and still get it wrong?

You did an amazing job at explaining everything easily and in detail, thank you! May I ask if the book is highly academic? I'm looking for some introductions to feminist literature but I'm worried that I won't understand this?

I have a recommendation yall!! It’s called “I wish you All The Best” by Mason Deaver and it’s about a teenager coming out to his parents as Non-binary. It covers mental health and queer youth issues and I highly suggest it if you are interested in learning what some people have to go through :) ❤❤

Can you put age ratings please? I love queer romance but the spice is to much for me sometimes..

Omg these are great! It’s good to see some non romance/YA recommendations sometimes (not that those aren’t great too)

Such a helpful video! I’ve just begun to read this book for my upcoming uni project and this has helped inspire me to get reading. Thank you! xx

Have you read a A Little Life? If so, did you have a similar feeling of events being unbelievable? I loved A Little Life but personally I found it gratuitous and a disconnect at times because it seems beyond the realm of likelihood. I didn’t feel like that with Young Mungo though, so would be interested to hear your thoughts.

It sounds interesting. I’m currently reading Hanne Orstavik’s ‘ Ti Amo’ which is a very raw account of her late husbands death and it’s got me much more interested in this very confessional, raw, non fiction genre

Best book I’ve read in years

Great review

READ HELL FOLLOWED WITH US. it’s got trans, queer, and neopronoun rep and it’s honestly the best book I’ve ever read. There’s a tiny bit of romance but not in your face and handled well, May not be for everyone because of it’s horror aspect but if you do like horror it is THERE for you.

books that I loved this year (not necessarily published this year): Can the monster Speak by Paul B Preciado, Sexed Up by Julia Serano, Females by Andrea Long Chu, She of the Mountains by Vivek Shraya, but honestly so many good books this year. I agree about Beyonce, for me the whole album is fire, but Alien Superstar is my best. Also massively got into Prioritise pleasure by Self Esteem this year, and what can I say I loved the Kim Petras album...

So good to hear you speaking so meaningfully about “Cells”. Happy New Year! 📚

Favourite book this year was White Teeth, Zadie Smith. Alien Superstar is THAT song

Ok thx for recommendations but it’s already Christmas Day 🥲

I will check it out, love this publisher. Have you read King King Theory? So good

Loved this book, read it earlier this year.

Can't wait to read this one!

I love this review! This book meant a lot to me when I first read it at age 21. I thought the adaptation was excellent too, sad about Oliver's casting though. The weird uncomfortable stuff in the novel is turned up to 11 in the bizarre sequel though! I actually said "what the fuck" out loud while reading it a few times!