how to talk about books, understand what you read, and sound smarter doing it 

This is a huge betrayal of trust. Jack promised to teach us how to trick people into thinking we’re smart about books - but instead he taught us how to actually be smarter about books. 😢

Jack really said: “I’m giving masterclasses before I host the Booker Prize livestream.”

-Did the author achieve what they set out to do? -think about the author's intention -Why? Why did you think it was good? what about it didn't you like? be specific What could've been done differently to make me like it more? how would I improve this? keep in mind perspective pacing how does this choice of pacing add to the overall impact tone who is the intended audience? genre how does it conform/deviate to its chosen genre? how does it communicate with other books in its genre? style structure is it told in a linear, chronological way are there time jumps setting time frame historical context political context political meaning whether the story is an allegory for something else or not characterization how re they brought to life through descriptions/dialogue/writing style/voice how it built to the climax words climax allegory fable explicit/implicit connotations equilibrium ostensible juxtaposition dichotomy catharsis elegy dystopian/utopia protagonist eponymous reliable omniscient narrative voice cliche archetypes faustian bargain machiavellian scarlet letter albatross around your neck jekyll and hyde kafkaesque

30 minutes of Jack explaining how to sound smart, I am so here for this

the thing you said about a book telling two stories, the one told by the author and the one you create while reading, is so true. i once gave a book of mine to a friend and after when she finished it she told me that it felt like she was reading it with me because i underline words and write stuff in the corners of the pages. it was heartwarming.

I hope you have the opportunity to host a TED Talk on this exact topic or how reading books can change your life. This was such an engaging and thorough presentation, well done! 🙂

SIR, a thank you is in order. I have ADHD and have such a hard time remembering what I just read. You are teaching READING COMPREHENSION in the most bite sized and approachable way. Thank you for your service!!

After not finishing a bok for over 20 years (I'm in my 40s), I started reading again last year and have finished 50+ books in the past two years. I forget the majority of the details about every single book though. Hopefully this video will help. Thanks Jack! Love your content. Just finished watching the video... absolutely loved it!!!

As a literature student, I found this really helpful!! Thank you ❤

Great tips, but I would also like to point out that it's important not to obsess over sounding smart or having read all classic literature. Ask yourself why you want to sound smart. If you want to be a professional reviewer or otherwise work in literature, these tips might be very helpful. But if you're just reading for fun, you don't have to read classics, know fancy words to describe your tastes, etc. You don't even need that as a BookTuber, although it would be good if your reviews were at least a little more objective and thought out than "I loved it omg". On top of that, we should also remember why some ways of speaking or some books are looked down upon adn others elevated. The language we use is associated with upper-class, white people and much of the classic must read literature was written by white men. That doesn't mean poc, women or lower-class people have a harder time writing good books. But they may use very different writing styles, language, themes, etc., which may come across as strange to people used to the literature that is praised in western societies. This is not a criticism of this video, btw, I just know what it's like to feel pressured to sound smarter and I'd like people to remember that there isn't just one way to be smart. I guess that's why this video is called "how to sound smart" - you can talk with lots of filler words and haven't read a single classic and never annotate your books and still be much smarter than an articulated person who read every classic there is.

3:03 How to actually take in what you're reading 10:00 How to review books 13:40 What to consider while reading 21:40 Vocabulary to use while reviewing 27:53 Books that are often referenced

Personally, I do actually like reading other people's reviews sometimes before I write my own review. I will already have an opinion formed, but sometimes something is bugging me about a book that I can't quite articulate, and reading other reviews from people who had similar thoughts helps me form my mushy thoughts and feelings into words. One of the slightly corny books but that I actually found really helpful in college when I was first really getting into analyzing literature for the first time, is "how to read literature like a professor" it does a good job of explaining how to spot metaphors and references, etc

TAKING IN WHAT YOU READ📚 1. TAKE A MINUTE AFTER FINISHING TO CONSIDER WHAT YOU READ BEFORE SWITCHING ACTIVITY. 2. READ WHILE TRACING THE WORDS USING PEN/ PENCIL/ FINGER. 3. ANNOTATE BY UNDERLINING AND HIGHLIGHTING. 4. THINK ABOUT THE IDEAS CONVEYED IN WHAT YOU READ. THEY CAN BE A PART OF YOUR ANNOTATIONS. 5. LOOK UP THE DEFINITIONS OF WORDS YOU DINT UNDERSTAND. HOW TO REMEMBER WHAT YOU READ📚 1. WRITE YOUR NOTES WHILE YOU READ AS IF WRITING A REVIEW. 2. FOCUS ON IDEAS UNDERSTOOD BEFORE ALONG WITH SPECIFIC SCENES THAT YOU FEEL TOUCHED BY. 3. FORM A PLOT SUMMARY FROM YOUR UNDERSTANDING. 4. CAN WRITE REVIEWS ON A SOCIAL MEDIA SITE/ READING JOURNAL. 5. RE-READ THESE REVIEWS FROM TIME TO TIME TO REVISIT THE IDEAS. HOW TO REVIEW BOOKS📚 1. DID THE AUTHOR ACHIEVE THEIR INTENTION. WHAT YOU THOUGHT IS SECONDARY. 2. WHY? WHAT MADE THE BOOK GOOD OR BAD? 3. FOCIS ON SUBJECT AREAS, PROSE, PACING OF THE STORY ETC. WAS THIS A PART OF AUTHOR’S INTENTION. 4. WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE LIKED PORTRAYED DIFFERENTLY IN THE BOOK. 5. READ OTHER PEOPLE’S REVIEWS AFTER YOU HAVE FORMED YOUR OWN OPINION AND COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE IDEAS AS A DISCUSSION. WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN READING📚 1. PERSPECTIVE- RELIABILITY OF THE NARRATOR, FIRST PERSON NARRATOR OR SECOND PERSON NARRATOR CONVERSING WITH READER, THIRD PERSON FROM A BIRD’S EYE VIEW (FREE INDIRECT DISCOURSE) 2. PACING- HOW DOES IT IMPACT THE NARRATIVE? ANECDOTAL OR MEDITATION? DYNAMICS BEING FORMED AS A PART OF PACING BETWEEN CHARACTERS. 3. TONE- SARCASTIC/ INFORMATIVE/ MELANCHOLIC/ EXISTENTIAL/ NIHILISM 4. WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE? 5. GENRE- CONFORMITY AND DEVIATION FROM SET STANDARDS OF THE GENRE. 6. WRITING STYLE/ PROSE- DETAILED OR EMBELLISHED WRITING. 7. STRICTURE- ORDER OF THE STORY- LINEAR OR TIME JUMPS. 8. CONTEXT- POLITICAL SATIRE OR SOCIAL CONDITIONS/ CRITICISM. 9. CHARACTERISATION- HOW ALIVE AND CONNECTED DO YOU FEEL TO THEM. HOW ARE THEY PORTRAYED. CAN YOU EMPATHISE. VOCABULARY OF REVIEW📚 1. LITERARY DEVICES 2. BUILDUP 3. EXPLICIT OR IMPLICIT NATURE IF IDEAS 4. CONNOTATIONS OF THE WRITING 5. DISRUPTION OF EQUILIBRIUM 6. OSTENSIBLE/ JUXTAPOSITION/ ALLEGORY/ CATHARSIS/ ELEGY/ DYSTOPIA OR UTOPIA/ IRONY 7. DICHOTOMIES DISCUSSED 8. PROTAGONIST (EPONYMOUS- TITLE) 9. NARRATOR- RELIABLE OR OMNISCIENT 10. CLICHE 11. FAUSTIAN BARGAIN (Trade-off to get something material in place of something spiritual) 12. MACHIAVELLIAN (cunning or unscrupulous) 13. SCARLET LETTER (symbol- albatross) BOOKS TO READ FOR REFERENCE📚 1. Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 2. 1984 by George Orwell 3. Animal Farm by George Orwell 4. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald 5. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 6. Lord of the flies 7. Mythos by Stephen Fry 8. Frankenstein

Thank you Jack for such a helpful, accessible, and informative video! I love how you can explain the basics of what, for many, can feel like an exclusive, even elitist world, all in a very non-patronising way. At the same time, as someone who has always loved studying literature, I was able to learn and think deeper about plenty of new stuff too. You are truly a gifted speaker and teacher!

Coming from an English lecturer, one more recommendation for books that are commonly referenced is the Bible. There are so many books with biblical references, and having even a general understanding of the bible and its stories can also help create a good literary foundation.

Thank you Jack for summarizing the entire introduction to literary studies course I did, but then so much more fun haha

I study literature in another language. And I will definitely have to come back to this video and take some notes, I think it's super helpful to be able to talk about literature in English. Thanks Jack :)

This is genuinely one of the most useful videos anyone could watch to not only improve their reading, but also their writing and public speaking skills. By the title I thought it might be short-cut tricks to appear smart, but following these steps will actually make you smarter and a better reader, writer and speaker. Well done! Succinct and extremely useful.

As someone who LOVES books and talking about books this is SO helpful!! Thank you for posting yet another video that I didn't know I needed! ❤🐱

this is the most helpful video i’ve seen in a long long time thank you Jack! I’m definitely someone who loves reading then can’t remember specifics about books i read or how i felt. Being in a book club where we actually have very in depth discussions has also helped! I always remember those books very well.

Thank you, Jack, for this encouragement to be more involved in reading 🥰 from someone who've just got out of her reading slump 🥳

Love seeing how serious and passionate you are about this. Thanks for all your help ❤

Loved this video!! You packed so much learning into such a bite-sized snapshot! ❤ Something else I would also love to see is a video sharing creative tips on the practicalities of how to weave reading into your life as a daily habit - I’d be so curious to hear more about which times of day you find most effective to read, your favourite places to read, how you create your reading set-up, and how to become a reader for life! Much love ❤

Thank you so much for this! I'm always so impressed with how eloquent your reviews are so it's cool to see behind the curtain of your process.

thank you so much for putting this video together! i’ve loved your videos for years and i love the way you talk about books

I have a physically reading journal that I log every book I read and buy in, and I write a review of every single book I read. My favourite way to review novels is to use CAWWPPER (my own version of a review method used by a booktuber, can't remember who). This is how it works: I rate every element on a scale of 1 (terrible) to 10 (outstanding). For example, my review of my most recently read book, The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid (which I adored) looks like this: Characters - 10 Atmosphere - 9 Writing - 9 World - 10 Plot - 9 Pace - 9 Enjoyment - 9 Relationships - 9 I then add all these numbers up and divide by 8 to get the average (in this case, my final number was 9.3). This then corresponds to my star rating scale, which looks like this: 0 - 1 = 0.5⭐ 1.1 - 2 = 1⭐ 2.1 - 3 = 1.5⭐ 3.1 - 4 = 2⭐ 4.1 - 5 = 2.5⭐ 5.1 - 6 = 3⭐ 6.1 - 7 = 3.5⭐ 7.1 - 8 = 4⭐ 8.1 - 9 = 4.5⭐ 9.1 - 10 = 5⭐ So in this case, The Wolf and the Woodsman gets 5 stars! I then go through every category and write out more detailed thoughts about how each element was handled (e.g the characters were really well developed, the world was flat and poorly developed (not the case for this book but as an example), the relationships between the characters were mostly strong, the pacing was slow but even). This system really forces me to get specific about what made the book good or bad or just okay. It seems like a lot but it has made my love of reading even deeper.

I just have to say as someone who has a degree in Linguistics and specialized in Discourse Analysis filler words or the more technical term "discourse markers" such as "like" and "um" are not bad. We say those words because that's us trying to process our thoughts and keep a conversation going. Every language has filler words. I just hate that people think they make us sound dumb when it shouldn't be that way. Anyway, this was a great video with a lot of good tips. I cant wait for when you release your book Jack 😊

Well presented! And wow did this bring me back to my middle school and high school literature classes! No matter what was assigned (short story, poem, play, or essay) I was required to fill out an analysis worksheet after reading. The sheet contained questions about most of the literary elements named in this video from tone, theme, plot, perspective, audience, setting, etc. At the time, I found them so boring to do because I wanted to simply pour into the literature for fun without having to stop and take notes . But of course I realize now these exercises were not only there to help students retain what we read, but to help develop us into a more critical readers .

This video has left me with a huge smile from ear to ear because I’ve learnt tons in just 30 minutes! And, as always, I’ve ended up with and extended wishlist of books to read 🤭 THANK YOU!!! 🙌

Thank you so much, reading is my fav hobby but I'm the only avid reader in our friend group so I have to resort to online spaces to find a community. Here reviewing is the way to go but it is not my forte. You really eased my anxiety around this 💗 definitely this pointers will help in enhancing the reading experience too. Again thank you!

i have been missing taking english classes like crazy lately, but hearing you use all these fun little words for elements of story and literary devices made me feel at home again, so thank you thank you for bringing a much needed smile to my face

This is a very accessible guide to more mindful reading and reviewing. Well done Jack.

I recently got into the habit of annotating my own books lately and now i cant stop lmao. I swear the paper they use for books is lovely to write on.

I just finished watching this and you have very good points. I tend to be lazy and just give star ratings and not elaborate too much because I am afraid I'm just bland with my thoughts. I have always wanted to discuss books more in depth and I think this video has helped me. I'm looking forward to actually having a more intelligent conversation with my daughter who knocks me out of the park with her thoughts on books. Thanks 😊

i made a page full of notes from this 30 minute video. jack this was so informative! appreciate it so much! a much needed video!

Something I just want to add about the topic of filler words is that often they appear more in "femininized" speech and it's worth maybe thinking about why that is perceived as "less smart" in society at large.

Being part of this channel has inspired me to pick up reading. Thank you for having this channel ❤

A master class in reading by Jack!! I can't tell you how much I loved this ♥👏👏👏

Saved this one for a many rewatch. Thanks Jack!

Thank you so much for this video! I'm a very passive reader so advice on how to read actively from your favourite book critic is the best early Christmas present 😊

Honestly, this was so insightful and helpful! Thank you for sharing your process with us

Thank you Jack this was very educational. I wrote down all the questions you recommend to ask ourselves on the front of my reading journal and will be using them in my future book reviews.

Well done Jack! 🤩 Thanks so much for sharing this with us! 🙏🏼

Part of me is super interested in engaging with my reading, reflecting, taking notes, etc, but another feels it takes some of the fun out of it, overthinking it, while I find interesting to just notice my feelings about a book as it is so subjective but still valid? 🤔 Not that knowing why we feel things isn't interesting or good but it feels like work and often requires extra effort

Wow this is one of my favourite videos by you, super informative and helpful!

That was indeed extremely interesting and taught me a lot. Thank you Jack! Loved all your tips ❤

LOVED this video and didn't know I needed it! For the longest time, it has been difficult for me to really sit down and focus on my reading (my brain registers the words, but doesn't remember them), and often I do not so much remember the details of the books as much as what the feeling they left me with was... But that does not explain a book too well when you try to convince someone to read it 😆I will definitely try thinking more in these terms the next time I read

Loved this! More videos like this!!! I’ve been trying to find free courses to delve into understanding books better and this was just the introduction!

i could listen to you talking about books all day! such a great video.

Thank you, Jack, that was very useful. I admire you and your way of thinking,creativity and hard work.

Fantastic! I so appreciate you. I wish more people on Goodreads used this criteria.

This was another great video! I have been writing reviews and summaries of the books that I read on notion for 2-3 years and it's been great because it helps me remember the plot. I also like reading these reviews and remembering the time when I read each of these books for the first time.

Such a great video on explaining and talking about your craft. I think we all would love a part two where you divulge on the things you weren't able to touch on! :)

omg thank YOU!! I really needed this because I never know how to write reviews and now I've finally made a big document on notes of this video that I will go by thank you so much! ^^

Thank so much so much Jack for sharing this! 😊

Loved this video! I also feel like most of the tips can also be used when discussing other narrative art forms, so that's very useful! :)

Amazing pieces of advice and guidance!!! Thank you!!!

4:18 This actually might be great for me since I sometimes involuntarily take peeks at the rest of the page when there is a tense scene, thus spoiling myself

Even though it's not common in the channel I'd really enjoy seing some spanish literature like the Quixote or a hundred years of solitude. There are great translations for books in spanish and they are some of the best books ever written in my opinion

Finally!! This is exactly the video I have been searching for! Thank you Jack! Many notes were taken. 😊

Really enjoyed this Jack. Thank you!

I LOVE THAT YOU HAVE MADE THIS VIDEO BC I NNEEEEEDDD THIS 😭😭

I missed this kind of content. Thank you very much

My main concern when talking about books is that I read and write book reviews in English, which is not my first language. As a result, when I converse with my friends, I struggle to express my thoughts and emotions in my native language since I cannot find the right analogies immediately. Thank you for the helpful video! I'm glad to see that I'm doing some of the things right. However, I'm going to try to get rid of those annoying filler words :)

The tip of thinking about what could be changed in the book to make it better for us should be used together with taking in the book for what it is. It‘s also important to think „why specifically did the author write it like this?“ even though we would’ve done it differently.

Jack is such an icon (: I’m sending you love!

this is pure gold, It took me while to watch it because I thought it was realated on a criticism to be posh or arrogant as a reader but the tips are awesome, i'll use them for my next novel readings

Thank you!! A friend I read with always has such insightful things to say while I’m just “It was good!” Hoping to improve!

This made me think, I love it. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

This masterclass by this master is mastered. Thank you Jack ❤

Wow I loved this so much. Thanks Jack!

the literary references / idioms really help i think, thankies

This is really informative and helpful. Just what I need-as a newbie booktuber who’s terrible at reviewing books. Thank you for sharing Jack.

very informative and a video I feel like I've been searching for forever!

One big factor that affects my review of a book is how subtle or heavy handed the author was in the themes. I really dislike when authors smack you across the head with the point they are trying to make rather than trusting the reader to figure things out for themselves. I suppose that would fit into writing style.

Thank you so much! This was such a great video for someone who wants to start writing reviews.

you are so smart, jack. i admire you.

LOVE this video! I need to apply these tips to the movie reviews I post on my channel. Thanks, Jack!

This is literally what I studied in Narrative Text Commentary in Uni!!! I loved that subject, thanks for the video!!

going to start using it for my NCERTs. thankyou very much

this video should be called "how to BE smart when you talk about books" because these are some really good tips after the video was over i closed youtube, got out some paper, and wrote down everything i could remember (very much in the spirit of the first few tips) and i feel like i got so much more out of it definitely going to be adding a lot of these to my reading routine

this was so helpful jack....literally sat down and took notes📝

I've learned so much with you and discovered so many great stories that my Tbr lowkey hates you but I love you sooo much! 🥲🤍

jack coming in clutch thanks bestie

Jack! We need a highly specific book reccomendations video for this giving season 🎉

We need more videos like this from Jack.

Jack showed in 30 minutes what Literature professors have to teach in 3 years. You are SOMETHING ELSE Jack! 🙌😎

Excellent video. This was so helpful. This is a master class on reading.

Thank you very much for putting complicated words on the screen! My English is not good enough to understand such words as those,so it would be hard to translate it just by hearing them. Now i can learn and use them, thanks again!

Thank you for this eye opening instruction video 🙏🏼

how did you know i needed this???

As a non-native speaker of English I disagree with the advice of looking up words every time you don't know them. When I started reading I was 8 and didn't know a lot of words in English. I constantly looked them up and it made reading quite arduous. I asked my dad, who was an avid reader, got advice. He told me to start understanding words based on context and only look up if I can't work it out. That's how I learnt English. I still look up words when I'm not confident about them. But I don't do it constantly. Just a tip if you're just starting your reading in English

I love this, definitely have to add Othello to the list for Shakespeare's tragedies to read though! It's brilliant! I teach English and I loved hearing all of the 'buzz words'. We drill Connotations and Allegorical into our students, as well as Inference 😂 The poor mites! Thank You for another great video though Jack. And your 2 beautiful quotations: "Art disrupts dichotomies!" And "That is the beauty of reacting to art. We all have a different response, opinion or perspective." (Or something along those lines). ❤

I'm definitely taking notes on this one!

i'm thinking this could also apply to me as a writer, because every time someone asks what my book is about, i either shrug or go into a plot summary, which is so far from what i want people to take away from it!! despite being an avid reader for my whole life, i just haven't trained the book talk muscle as much

Thank you so much for this video! It was extremely informative and inspiring!

This was truely helpful. Thank you.

im loving the extralarge format !

Jack thanks a lot for this video i read a good amount of books every month but don't retain most of them u have no idea how helpful this was

I love that this exists.