Brainwyrms sounds like an experience for sure 😅 I really need to read more Elif Shafak. I've only ever read The Island of Missing Trees and adored it... Any idea where to go next? Not sure if Three Daughters of Eve would be the right one for me atm.
My favourite Shafak is 10 minutes and 38 seconds in this world, but it's about the last thoughts of a murdered sex worker, so that is either going to be perfect or the complete opposite of what you're looking for now. 😂
I have heard such good things about julia and as someone who liked 1984 I am really looking forward to seeing how it builds on it. Chlorine is one on my wishlist because I do like genre blending books and read quite broadly, so pretty perfect for me. I'm fascinated by the mermaid aspect and the mental health intersection -- it reminds me of a particular short story in thecollection where europe begins by yoko tawada that I really love. I really liked rootless and it was a slow build one for me where I liked the second half a lot more than the start when we finally really got into the situation. Very good character study and pressures on women commentary due to culture. I liked the ending! But agree it can get lost in the noise. Patsy is one I definitely need to read, it sounds like. I am I am I am is waiting for me on my shelf, and the way you describe it makes it sound like a five star prediction for me! I really liked so late in the day, and I am happy to know there is a longer short story collection for me to get to in future. Brainwyrms sounds so horrific that now I want to read it?? Don't know what that says about me... But the themes sound important and relevant too. Also the cover is amazing. Good to know a woman is no man is where to go next. I have loved the two ozeki I have read and have my year of meats and all over creation to get to next. Super excited for them both. Themes are perfect sounding for all over creation
So Late in the Day is published as a stand alone or with two additional short stories, but these are not new ones, they are taken from already published collections. Which might be interesting for readers who have never read Keegan before, but only for them. For me the way this book is published is a bit impudent, if you look at the price and what you get for it. I'm a big fan of this author and as much as I enjoyed the prose, I couldn't say the same for the story. It was a bit too much on the nose for me and there wasn't enough meat to it to be able to leave a real impression on me.
I love McMillan's poetry so it was good to hear you talk about Pity. I will consider whether to read Brainwyrms. I was impressed by Tell Me I'm Worthless but I am not sure I need to be that revolted. A Woman Is No Man sounds like one to read.
I've never read his poetry, but it's nice to know he's talented with words in multiple ways. I can tell you the acts in Brainwyrms without any details, if you struggle to make a decision. I completely understand, and I'm not sure I would have read Brainwyrms, had I known what was in it. I definitely have complex and contradictory emotions about it.
Emily (the recent film) is also a fictionalised version of Emily Bronte's life and the events that inspired Wuthering Heights. It's not your standard biopic and it's very fictionalised, but its really very good as an origin story for WH.
Are you taking part in the #irishreadathon in March? The best books read in February so far Greta & Valdin Hello Beautiful The Bandit Queens 🍀👋☘️🇮🇪📖☕️📚📕
Ooh, I have a library hold on Greta and Valdin, nice to know you liked it. I haven't made any reading plans for March yet. I need to look at all the longlists that are dropping, what their dates are and figure out my plans from there... But I love Irish literature and I don't need much encouragement to fill my gaps with that readathon. 😊 So I'm a firm probably, but I'm leaving things until the last minute to decide. 😜
I really enjoyed the audiobook of Fifteen Wild Decembers the narrator made it for me. I have The Storm We Made beside the bed but I've just finished The Garden of Evening Mists and not sure it will live up to that novel also set in Malaysia. Julia sounds pretty good.
I would wait before starting The Storm We Made, but this is actually a little rule I have in general. I try to pick a different setting and a different nationality or ethnicity of authors when I pick my next read.
have not read Ozeki's latest but have All Over Creation on my bedside table. May now start there. love so many of Ozeki's books. Hope to find it as good as you report. Have not heard about it from anyone else. Thanks for so many great reviews.
@@GunpowderFictionPlot she referred to so many authors that I thought, okay I’ll go and read those ☺️. The Storm we made, really touched me. But some books just come at the right time.
I was working at a bookstore and read this in ARC form. I was so disappointed when the book came in. I recommended it a lot but had to keep reassuring customers that it was not chick-lit.
Yet another fantastic video - your reviews are always so interesting. I've added several books to my TBR although I am on a book buying ban (BBB) 😮 Thanks again 😊
I just finished Chlorine this last week and it really didn't work for me. By the end I just didn't know what the point was. Just added Mercy Street, A Woman is No Man, and Patsy to my TBR. I think I Am I Am I Am is my favorite Maggie O'Farrell book. Great video!
The only reason I didn’t love the three daughters of eve is because i felt like mona and shirin’s point of view was not given their due point. The blurb made me think that all 3 girls would be given equal importance but instead the other 2 girls were stereotyped as faithless or faithful and reduced to being peri’s friends . Also the entire deal with the prof was predictable and the ending kind of frustated me. I loved the description of istanbul and the east-west conondrum.
Shirin and Mona didn't get the time I was expecting either. I do hate when blurbs set up false expectations. I actually don't disagree with any of your criticisms of it, I feel like I read the book with Rose tinted glasses now. 😂
I’ve preordered the paperback of Strange Sally Diamond. Excited that if I love it there is another book to follow on. So many books I want to read in this video. I did chuckle over your review of the Brontë book. Pretty much if the word Brontë is used as the premise or in the description of a book, I’m in. I’m simple in that regard. 😂 Thanks, Scott! I appreciate all the work you put into your videos.
Great inspiring video as always! I DNF'ed The Vulnerables. I thought it was such a mess, full of references to other writers and works (which is okay), but it didn't really add anything on its own. It didn't feel like a novel, but some random thoughts and ideas. To quote a Swiss critic who critiqued this on a literary TV show: I want the 27 minutes back it took me to read this novel! Love your new intros with the teasers, btw.
Thank you. I really enjoy making the intro, I find myself very curious to see what the authors of the books I enjoy look like, I am glad you like it:) Authors making references to books is always a miss for me, I think I'm pretty well read, but what I haven't read is infinitely larger than what I have, and what I no longer remember is pretty large too. I always end up getting some things and missing others and as you said, it adds nothing to the novel.
I just bought a copy of Brainwyrms since I've heard so many good things about it! I'm saving it for the fall season though since that's when I like to read horror/thriller books
I’m so happy you liked Three Daughters of Eve! I read it in January and it has become my favourite book of the year (so far). The most impactful scene of the novel for me was the discussion Peri has with her mother in the hospital after they witness her brother humiliating his wife in a truly vile way (if you know you know). Peri’s realization that religion does not necessarily ‘oppress’ her mother as she believed but instead gives her the strength to get through her life was such a poignant moment. I’m obviously glad to have loved the book but what makes me even happier is that this is the second year in a row that a novel by Elif Shafak has become my best book of the year. Last year I read 10 Minutes, 38 Seconds in this Strange World and even now, over a year later, I still cannot stop thinking about it! I might even give call it my favorite book of all time (definitely top 3 at least). I was so nervous starting TDOE because I kept worrying that it wouldn’t live up to 10 Minutes and that ES would just be a one hit wonder but I needn’t have been worried. Now that I consider her to be a favorite author I went to the bookstore and bought a bunch of her backlist, I have 4 books by her now all of which I’m super excited to read 😁
I think 10 minutes and 38 seconds is an absolutely amazing book too. I'm planning to read The Bastard of Istanbul this year and her new novel when it comes out. :)
I adored Hamnet and it's still the only O'Farrell I have read. I periodically look at her other novels but i just cannot decide which to head to next! I'm from just outside Sheffield and now live in Leeds so I am super keen to get to Pity. I was in London this weekend and saw the musical Standing at Sky's Edge, set in Sheffield during the time of Thatcher and the shutting of the mines. It's based in an apartment block that I would drive past as a child every week so dear to my heart somewhat. The show is INCREDIBLE. Anyway, back to the books! Ha. I read a Woman is No Man 2/3 years ago and it was super emotional. Thanks for another great video.
I love Leeds, I spent a week there in my 20's and I loved it. I hope you love Pity, I got the ARC on Net Galley, maybe worth seeing if it's still there and getting to it early. Sky's Edge sounds fantastic and such a cool experience when you witness something super local. Read The Marriage Portrait next! I've not read much of her backlist, but I get the feeling you can't make a mistake. Thank you for the comment, I would love it if this means you were considering making videos again.
