I have had Dark Matter on my shelf for months and picked it up this week because of you and Ashlynn. It was incredible and is getting me out of my slump! Absolute 5 stars, can’t stop thinking about it. Love the channel and appreciate all of the hard work you both put into your videos. 😊
I just read that in November in basically one sitting. So good! I just finished his Wayward Pines trilogy this month so just have Upgrade and Recursion left to read. 😄
Awesome list. I love how passionate you get on the books you love the most. You're doing a great job. Love and hugs to you, Ashlynn, and Meshack (beautiful pup).
Stephen King is unparalleled to me honestly. I am not as much of a fan of his newest novels, but man, his body of work as a whole is simply astoundingly good! I still think about the end of the Dark Tower series to this day.
Ian I just found you through the Library of a Viking! Just want to make sure you are aware of Christopher Buehlman ? He is one my newly discovered favorites! The Blacktongue Thief is in my top 5 of all time. The other 4 are Fellowship, Hunger of The Gods, Before They Were Hanged & Enemy of God. If you loved the Witcher you will love Between Two Fires!!
Great video! I haven't read Dark Matter, and I don't know why. I actually read his Wayward Pines series back in 2016 and loved them, but his books are exhausting 😴. I'm going to give this one a read soon to get me out of a slump. Thanks!
My favorite read is the manga, Berserk. It was absolutely incredible. Very dark and very very graphic. Not for the faint of heart at all! But wow. The characters are so complex. The story is absolutely amazing. The exploration of trauma is masterful. The epic romance makes me cry. The artwork is great. RIP Kentaro Miura.
The Stand tv series back in the day was my favourite thing and I always put the book off because man that is a big book lol But you convinced me, it's on my list for next year!
Favorite series this year for me, was hands down, Darker Shades of Magic by V.E. Schwab Please put it on your list for next year (pretty please) - I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.
Man we have so much in common as far as our book choices! Lonesome Dove, The Stand, Pierce Brown (LightBringer), the Dark Tower, I’m currently reading Wolves of The Calla. I found you through the video we did with Sam and so glad I did!
I love the variety of books on your list ! Housemaid dark matter and IT were great! I have lonesome dove & and prince of tides and I’ll get to them sooner now . Yes ! The stand by Stephen King was definitely a 6 star read !
I first read Dark Matter in the fall of 2020 when I first joined Book of the Month. I thought the genre was sci-fi and not thriller but now that I have just finished Recursion and Upgrade, which are also marketed as sci-fi, I can see why both of you describe it as a thriller. I definitely need to reread it bc it was an immediate 5 stars for me. Highly recommend Blake Crouch’s other books but I think Dark Matter will still be my favorite
Just want to say thankyou for introducing me to Red Rising earlier this year! By far my favourite books of the year, and I'm just about to start Iron Gold now. Great vid!
Thank you!! And it’s my pleasure! Red Rising is a stunning masterpiece of science fiction. Freaking Iron Gold, and the other two books after it, are so good!!
Have you read Cornwell's The Saxon Stories? My introduction to his work (and what made me a diehard fan) and might be something you'd enjoy too, given your praise. Great list! Got me interested in a couple books I'd never heard about
Awesome list, man! I think that thanks to you I'll start 2024 off with the Stand. My favorite of this year is definitely The Liveship Traders Trilogy, started the year off with those books and just can't stop thinking about them. Robin Hobb's character work is very much on par with Stephen King. Amazing books, would really really recommend them! Appreciate the videos, man!
I was so excited when you said Dark Matter, I just bought the book last week and it’s my first time with this author so I am evermore pumped to read it.
Also, btw, you’re among the reasons why I’ve begun opening myself upto the fantasy genre. I’m more of a literary, classics, and narrative non-fic type of person but just seeing you in Ashlyn’s videos reading CHONKERS, totally content in your little corner completely endeared me. I also think I’ve realised I really want to explore big books with big ideas and epic fantasy seems to be where it’s at💁🏻♀️
You convinced me to get Dark Matter. I was thinking about it since you got it. Couldn’t help myself when I saw it in the store. Thank you! Can’t wait to read it!
IANNNNNM MY MANNNN. Now I have a bunch of stuff to add to my recs🙏🙏🙏. I’ve been so busy but now I got time to read so I’m pumpeddddd. Just got malice !!!!!!! I’m so excited thank u so much for everything you’ve done for this community I love that we can all talk book together much love brother ❤
@@iangubeli I HOPE SOOO. I picked it up since you’ve raved so much about it and the last 2 times you did that and I bought books was red rising and the dark tower books . Safe to say both HEAVY HITTERS!!!!! So I’m absolutely pumped to pick it up and just read 200 pages straight lol . Much love brother . Hope there’s drama and politics cause that’s MY thing 😁
Hi from one Utah booktuber to another! Ian, looks like you read some great books this year. I love The Stand and It. Both in my top books of all time. I've bumped Joe Abercrombie up in my tbr after hearing yours and others thoughts. A few of my favorites from this year include How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu, The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin, and Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Cheers!
oh my gatos, Dark Matter was so good! What a fun and quick read, but also with some deep, profound questions and thoughts (life choices, and regret vs gratitude). Basically read it in one sitting. I'm a physics nerd, so I especially loved the fact that he had a tesseract-shaped chandelier... and the other physics-related things, which I will not spoil. Even if you don't think you're a SciFi fan (brain does not compute lol), give this a shot! He has fun with science without getting too technical. Highly recommend!
You've sold me on The Warlord trilogy! Just bought the first book, I've been missing both fantasy and historical fiction so if this kills two birds with one stone - that's a win! My fave book this year was 'The Man Who Was Thursday', I'd recommend it for a break from heavier reads, the audiobook had me laughing out loud 😂 it's a strange mix of mystery, politics, religion and straight up silliness and it's absolute gold. A bizarre book but easily an all time fave!
Totally adding this to the list!! It sounds awesome! And the Warlord books are stunning. They’re the perfect reads for fantasy and historical fiction fans!!
Ian I just watched you on Sam Harrison booktubers 2023. Since you love Wizard & Glass are you aware of the comic books Dark Tower: Beginnings which is a prequel series to Wizard & Glass. These comics are about Roland’s adventures leading up to the flashback in book 4. They are so good! I think you can get them now in one bind up. I bought them back in the day when they were originally released monthly. Also the closest King book to the feel of the Stand is Under the Dome. You are going to have to read it in 2024.
Ian one more recommend: check out Talking Story’s 10 Ten Moments of the Warlord Chronicles. I asked him to do this video when he started the trilogy and he does not disappoint!! I also just ordered The House Maid from the Library! Thank you
This was so fun to watch! I'm definitely going to have to read more Stephen King this year! My favorite book of 2023 was originally Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar, until I read 11/22/63 by Stephen King (which was AMAZING). Then I read Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson, and I've been obsessed every since. I read it for the first time in September 2023, and I did a re-read in January 2024. It is such an amazing book!
I want to read all of these books except the Housemaid and It! and Golden Son was amazing! I just listened to the first three Red Rising books back to back and im listening to book four... it's safe to say I'm obsessed!
Stephen Lawhead has some good series one is the pendragon cycle based on the legend of Arthur and Merlin etc pretty epic, other is Song of Albion trilogy a epic celtic mythology warrior kinda thing one of my favs. If anyone is into that kinda stuff I'd recommend. Old but gold.
Love your videos. ⭐ Oooo need to read Dark Matter! I've heard great things. My top 5 of this year were all over the place 😅 The Will of the Many by James Islington The Only One Left by Riley Sager The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden The Spectacular by Fiona Davis The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
IT🤡 was also on my top books but of 2022. Even though I didn't sleep well for days, that massive book was so good. Next year I'll be reading The Stand. My favorite read of 2023 is The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
If you haven’t read Lancelot by Giles Kristian, read it, I can’t even begin to describe how incredible that book is. And just to convince you, the red rising saga is one of my three favorite series all the time. Of, and Golden Son is world’s most perfect book 🙏
❤📚 You had me adding Lonesome Dove to the tbr. I tried Dark Matter on audio and couldn't do it. I wonder if the physical book would work better. Edit! Omgosh, with husband thrfting books, and just bought The Prince of Tides! I just hollered. 😅😅
Wow! Some of your favorite books are my favorites of all time. The Stand, It, Lonesome Dove, Bernard Cornwell. If you loved The Stand, I would recommend Needful Things, Tommy Knockers and my absolute favorite book by Stephen King, Bag of Bones! My favorite book this year, I think it’s Fourth Wing. I might have to think on that.
I just started reading mystery/thriller this year and enjoying branching out to different genres besides fantasy. I have heard of three books on this list which were Dark Matter, The Housemaid, and It. I read Red Rising last month and enjoyed it a lot. I have plans to read the next two in the trilogy eventually. My top ten books of this year were Eva Evergreen Duology, The Inheritance Games and The Naturals series, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Fourth Wing, Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Infernal Devices Trilogy, the first two books of ACOTARs (I have plans to read the third book A Court of Wings and Ruin next month to finish the series), Kiki's Delivery Service, and My Neighbor Totoro.
I love this list!! Red Rising and the ACOTAR series are some of my favs! I get wanting to branch out. I have been taking a break from fantasy myself, and it has been so rewarding!
Favorite is actually a series Caraval. City of ghosts series by v.e.schwab. Arc of the scythe series. Im reading Crescent city series now and loving it.
I'll join you as well...My top ten 1. Monkey King (translated by Julia Lovell) 2. She who became the sun/He who drowned the world 3. The Buried Gaint 4. Babel 5. Small Favors 6. The Travelling Cat Chronicle 7. The River Enchanted/ The Fire Endless 8. The Women in Me 9. Hello Beautiful 10. No Exit I've ordered Fonda Lee's Jade series. Really looking forward to reading it in the new year
My favorite book is Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Follett and Bernard Cornwall are two of my favorite authors. Haven't read a bad book by either of them. Haven't read The Warlord trilogy yet either so I need to check it out soon.
I didn't know Lonesome Dove was a book til you. I'm thinking about reading it. The movie (which I found out later was actually a miniseries) is one of my top 10 movies of all time.
Woah!! Did I miss the video where you talked about Prince of Tides?! I have never seen anyone mention yet alone list it in their top ten!! I loved that book.
My top 3 of 2023 are The Cloisters by Katy Hays (Dark Academia mystery), Echo Boy by Matt Haig (YA Sci-fi) and A Dowry of Blood by S.T Gibson (Gothic Fantasy) .
Added a few into my mountain of a TBR list! I would also love to see perhaps a top 10 series of 2023. There's a series I reread, it is a Chinese translated web novel series called The Heaven Official's Blessing. It is the most heartwrenching book series I have ever read, and I still think about some scenes till today. The character development is insane.
oh, shoot! Sorry Ian, I've forgotten to mention that there is lgbt at the end of this book...you may remove this title from your tbr and it's ok! @@iangubeli
Hi Ian! Found you via your sweet wife and just have to say I love watching your book videos!! It’s awesome hearing reviews from a male point of view! Also, question, have you ever watched Olan Roger’s’ videos? I swear something about the way you say things and your mannerisms totally remind me of him! 😂 Maybe you’ve never even heard of him but just had to say that!
Thank you so much!! And yes, Olan is a legend!! His content has given me so much joy over the years! That is the biggest compliment I have ever been given🙈🙈
This couple has been a gift to us book lovers this year. I’ve got so much joy from the two of them. So grateful to have encountered you both and all my love for the coming year❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I would have to say that my favorite series that I read this year was Red Rising,and Golden Son is by far the best so far. I've yet to read LightBringer. I'm currently reading Dragon Teeth by Michael Chrichton and it's really good. It's about the Bone Wars out west. One thing about his books is they're very easy reading.
I finished the Infected series by Scott Sigler the war in book 3 was sooo epic I forgot to cry till the end and was like ohhh yeah that happened😢 sooo good
My favorites from this year are Sword catcher by Cassandra Clare Stormlight archive 1-4 by Brandon Sanderson Dune Messiah by frank Herbert Crave series by Tracy Wolff Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix The stand by Stephen king It by Stephen king Rose madder by Stephen king
My 2023 top 10 so far (I have a sneaky suspicion one of my last December reads will disrupt this list): 1. Light Bringer 2. Dark Age 3. The Way of Kings 4. Iron Gold 5. The Lost War 6. Dune 7. Warbreaker 8. Pet Semetary 9. The Burning God 10. The Two Towers If I’d read the original Red Rising trilogy for the first time this year (I read them for the first time years ago and not including re-reads on this list), they would all dominate. RR is my #1 series of all time, by a country mile. Great video mate!
I read The Stand a few years back and it was one of my favourite books. This year my top read was a nonfiction called ‘Unruly: The Ridiculous History of England’s Kings and Queens’ written by a British comedian called David Mitchell. If you love dry irreverent sense of humour then this is the book for you.
my top 10: 1. Oathbringer - Brandon Sanderson 2. Rilla of Ingleside - L.M. Montgomery 3. Morning Star - Pierce Brown 4. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas 5. The Wise Man's Fear - Patrick Rothfuss 6. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy - Eric Metaxas 7. Murtagh - Christopher Paolini 8. Belles on Their Toes - Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. 9. The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis 10.Last Argument of Kings - Joe Abercrombie
I actually read Swan Song in November and…WOW!! It was awesome!!! I like how different the two books are from each other, but there is something about The Stand for me!!
@@iangubeli Personally, I found the Stand to be a bit more fantasy driven (which isn't my favorite genre) vs Swan Song to be more of that post apocalyptic survival horror (which I love). Glad you enjoyed it!
I have The Stand and I am not buying any more books until I read all the ones I already have (or so I say 😅), so hopefully I will be getting to that one soon! I’ve never read a Stephen King book and for some reason when I bought it I thought it would be the perfect one to start with even though it’s humongous 🤣 so now it’s been sitting on my shelf for a year. IT I will not ever be reading. I watched the Tim Curry movie when I was 3 and was absolutely traumatized, I am still terrified of clowns because of that. So that one is a no for me 🙅🏻♀️ I really want to read Dark Matter, too, but I have so many books that I own that I haven’t read yet 😬
The Stand is amazing!! I think there is no bad book to start with King. The Stand is a great introduction, especially to his world building and character development capabilities. IT is not for the faint of heart. I freaking love Tim Curry’s portrayal of Pennywise. I could see where that would utterly traumatic as a child! Dark Matter is a must read! An absolutely perfect book!!!
Have you read 11/22/63 by Stephen King? It’s a really cool concept! I read it back in 2017 and still think about it and consider it one of my favorite books to this day. Would love to hear your thoughts on it!
I keep on asking people but I think you’re the perfect person to ask: what Stephen Book do you think I should read first to get into his writing or his lore? I’ve never read anything by him and 2024 I want to make the year where I finally get out of my comfort zone now that I’ll be graduating college. Love you and Ashlynn!
if I may jump in as a big SK fan who just recently started reading his books there are several approaches you can take, but I would suggest you either of these two: 1. if you have a movie that you like that is based on SK novel read that first. That's what I did with the shining. 2. find a SK book that is in the genre that you already enjoy - thriller, horror, fantasy, detective, dystopian or even historical fiction with a sci-fi twist (11/22/63 my all time favorite book) or even sci-fi/thriller. But even if you choose a genre be prepared that most of SK books have a some kind of a twist like a detective novel with supernatural elements and so on. But generally speaking good first reads would be in my opinion Misery, The Shining, Mr Mercedes, Billy Summers, Long Walk. There are also many other classics that I haven't read yet but people seem to love, like Salems Lot or Pet Cemetary.
I agree!! I started with “The Gunslinger.” It’s the first book in SK’s fantasy series “The Dark Tower.” It was amazing, but that book isn’t for everyone. I think starting with one of his classic works like “The Shining,” or “Misery,” or “Pet Semetary” would be fun places to start. King has written in so many diggers that you honestly can’t go wrong with what you pick!
Awesome vlog as usual 💯‼️ loved seeing how you spend your work day. I have read maybe around 33% of this list and and watched the GOT series 💜💜💜💜 which I love so so much and I have seen the new film adaptation of Stephen King’s IT. I do want to get into Joe Abercrombie but I have to agree with Ashlynn and her reason why I haven’t gotten into it as well as why I haven’t gotten to Iron Gold because the first 3 books are just so so good especially Golden Son and Morning Star that I don’t want to be disappointed. I also have read some romance books that very spicey and more erotica then plot and they have just made me not want to read adult books much right now I have gone back to YA and even middle grade books. The most spice that I like and find fun and entertaining are books like Fourth Wing and SJM and Acotar series even if the idea being with a male has giant bat wings is kind of gross and creepy for me. I also have ADHD and dyslexia and so I will keep your recommendations and Ashlynn’s because they are definitely more my speed. I do want to read the darker shade of magic series and the Farseer trilogy. 😅
Honestly, Iron Gold is still so incredible! It’s so different from from those first three Red Rising books, but in such a good way. You’ll enjoy them!! Just know that the next three Red Rising books get dark. There is a lot more violence, but there is also a lot of great, unforgettable moments!!
I read Under the Dome (around 1075 pages) and I was absolutely sucked in the entire time. Stephen King is a literary genius. Under the Dome has made it to my top 3 favorite books of all time. 1. 11/22/63 - Stephen King 2. Stardust - Neil Gaiman 3. Under the dome - Stephen King. My favorites of this year so far. 1. Under the Dome. 2. 1q84 (japense 1984 retelling) and 3. The Lore: Olympus graphic novel series
