Does anybody else miss bazpierce so much? 😭 I literally come back to this video every six months just to remind myself that humanity is alright sometimes. 😂 Anytime you wanna upload again Baz I’ll be right there with ya.
I don't understand why there isn't a reality show where you and Ariel live in a house together and argue about books. I would watch the shit out of that.
Wish there were more booktubers like you Barry. Erudite, honest, potentially caustic but fair. You give credit where credit, in your opinion, is due. I think your rant of Anna and the French Kiss could well be applied to many booktubers that seem to be forever reacting orgasmically to every YA novel they glimpse out of the corner of their eyes and who then proceed to give zero interesting comments about the book(s).
21 minutes and 44 seconds of my life VERY well spent. From start to finish I could not stop laughing. Baz, you are a rare necessity and I'm so happy I found your channel.
Oh god please read Eleanor and Park so we can share the hatred. I have literally never heard a single bad review of it ANYWHERE but i despise it! I love you Barry, youre one of the only booktubers that actually read the books i do and arent afraid to completely bash a book with an unpopular opinion.
THANK YOU! I had only heard great things about Eleanor and Park from EVERYONE! All the reviews were 4 or 5 stars. I wanted to vomit throughout the whole novel. It's hardly even a novel. I felt like it was written by 13 year old fanfic writers. Awful plot, awful writing, awful.
YES!! seriously i dont understand how that could be enjoyable at all. It made me so uncomfortable, it was completely historically inaccurate and it was so incredibly predictable..
Nelli Grigs I just found it cringy and boring. I hated the characters, didn't care about their problems and despised the writing style. Nothing felt real in it for me. I hate that for some reason the only books targeted at the 16-22 age bracket seems to be soppy teen romances, supernatural romances and trilogies set in some sort of dystopian world. Come on like, be original.
Finally a booktuber who doesn't constantly post YA books! I'm actually a teenager but I simply can't stand YA I want to read books that will expand my horizons and make me think! I am so happy that I found your channel I think your reviews are very insightful and thought provoking and you're not afraid to voice you're opinions ! I can't wait to watch all of your other videos(; Ps: I'm sorry if my grammar sucks English isn't my first language PPS: do you like sci-if ?
Hey Nora! If you're looking for BookTube channels that focus on classics and modern classics (as well as some obscure authors), make sure to check out Zoey and Matt at Weliveforbooks, Adam at mementormori and Jason Purcell at TheHeavyBlanks. They are amazing! Weliveforbooks and mementomori are the best on BookTube in my opinion. (:
Anna and the French Kiss is (in my opinion) not supposed to be read as a literary masterpiece, so I completely understand why you would be disappointed if you expected to read something equivalent to Romeo and Juliette. Anna and the French Kiss is like watching a guilty pleasure TV show, that in no way benefits you intellectually, but is entertaining, but I assume, you did not find it entertaining either, from your review.
You're the first person I've heard say something negative about Anna and the French Kiss. I have been wondering if I should read it for a while but hadn't yet because I had a feeling it was not my kind of book. Everyone has been talking about how good it is though. I am definitely not reading it now; thank you for keeping me from doing it!
Why the hell not? It's not that you always have to read only brainy classic novels. It's good enough for a cute girly romance when you can switch off your brain
And it sounds like it is very bad like Barry describes and I think he and I have very similar tastes in books so I choose not to read it because I don´t want to read a bad book.
Also, classics are not ´brainy´ they´re just books that are still considered very good after a long period of time and part of the canon. They can still be simple reads.
1. Your summaries of Old Curiosity Shop and Casterbridge are priorities. 2. MOBY-DICK: ALL HAIL, BOW DOWN, YES *high five* THE BEST EVER. FOR REAL THE GREATEST. 3. I almost peed my pants about Anna and the Double Suicide. That's all, you're perf, never change.
"The twists aren't even twisty" in Villette? The crazy ghost nun? The phenomenally unreliable narrator? That amazing scene in which Lucy is looking at Cleopatra? The ambiguous ending? The way in which Lucy hides herself from the reader as much as she hides herself in her simply grey dresses? The conversation about mental health where the doctor just tells her to "cultivate happiness" and she replies with "happiness is not a potato!" I love me some Jane Eyre, but Villette was so much more nuanced and carefully told.
Clara K. Biesel I love Villette too, Lucy is more real than Jane, and the ending was a totally surprise for me I really enjoy the whole book. I don't know how he did not like such a master piece.
I too was disappointed he didn't like Villette. It is a difficult read though. I adore Jane Eyre. It is my comfort book, but Villette has some great passages and is more realistic and like a puzzle simultaneously. Also it is quite long at some parts and I don't always get Charlotte's metaphors, but it is a very clever book and quite unique.
You talked briefly about the Goodreads rating for Anna and the French Kiss. I never truly believe Goodreads ratings for YA (and other genres), because I know the usual readers have a tendency to exaggerate all their feelings. I really liked to see your reaction to Anna. So different from booktube in general. Personally, I didn't like Anna, but I actually liked Lola and the Boy Next Door.
Acting superior over books does not make you superior. I haven't even read Anna and I felt bad for the poor book. You didn't need that much time insulting it. Just say you didn't like it and bye. YA is not the devil. It's a different genre. You know how you have to really READ classics? You need to really read YA as well.
Agreed! I've never read Anna & the French Kiss because it doesn't really interest me but, I thought his 'review' of it was just really over the top & unnecessarily disrespectful to the author
I read a lot of different genre including a fair amount of YA, and I can safely say that Anna and the French Kiss is a fucking disgrace to YA. I read it, and it was indeed the worst book I've ever read from the YA section. You see, I live in Paris, and obviously the book is set there. I just couldn't believe how full of inaccurate places/history/words/spelling/fucking everything the book was. Stephanie Perkins describes the french people as pretentious assholes who spend their spare time watching mimes, she talks about 'the chimney smoke in the air' even though there's a law against chimney fire inside of apartments in Paris, the places were all wrong, I don't even want to talk about the names because fuck, the only indian girl in the school is named Rashmi?????? And Étienne St. Clair?? Please, don't get me started with the love interest, cheating on his girlfriend but oh that's okay because his girlfriend is a bitch and Anna feels really really bad. Oh Anna really is an idiot, self-centered Mother of Cliché of all the teenagers in the world, yeah she totally sounds like a real life teenager because she says stuff like "oh my GOD. My life is RUINED, like RUINED." and I'm basically quoting there. She doesn't even know how to spell yes in french O-U-I not w-e-e, the word is just so common jesus christ. So basically, yes Barry was right, the book was shit. So unresearched, so full of offensive clichés, an insult not only to french people but also americans described as morons and uncultured through Anna, his review was well deserved. I still can't believe this book is rated 4.15 on goodreads. It was literally the complete YA cliché, a pure disgrace.
This video is fantastic! Moby Dick was the first full novel I ever read and I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did. Your views on Anna and the French Kiss had me rolling, perfection.
Barry, I don't know how I survive between your video uploads. And you've now convinced me to read two novels I have avoided like the plague: The Mayor of Casterbridge and Moby Dick.
God I miss you on RU-vid. I'd love to see where you are now with your reading tastes and how you discuss the books you read and utterly demolish disappointingly horrible books in reviews. You never had an equal here on RU-vid and I suspect, still wouldn't if you picked up where you left off. I bet your genius has been fully realised in recent years/months, I'm just sad I can't view the glorious evidence. Hope you're happy and healthy Baz. :)
I just want to say that I predominantly read YA, but after discovering your channel a few weeks ago, I am inspired to throw a few classics onto my TBR pile. Your reviews are brilliant!
not going to lie, haven't read the majority of the books you talk about but it's so fucking interesting to hear you talk about them at all, and I do get some reccommendations dont worry
Initially in reading Vilette, I didn't like it at all, but in time I found that it grew on me, and now holds a nice steady place in my heart. It's definitely not a masterpiece, but it did touch me.
I really disliked Anna and the French Kiss. It follows the same formula that so many other stories in that genre follow, so I'm not sure why people think that this one stands out. The characters are flat. I know little about Anna and St. Clair's group of friends, and I hated how St. Clair's girlfriend was treated as an obstacle to their relationship. I wish that there were more stories for young girls that gave the message that the girl who is dating the guy that you like isn't Satan. I don't think that Anna ever learned that message.
i actually laughed hard at your comments on Anna and the french kiss, you tube seems to be overrun by YA lovers which is embarrassingly sad. people need to discuss classic and decent books more on you tube instead the evil scripts that are YA novels :P
Richard Flanagan has a lot of nerve lifting his entire title from a classic of Japanese literature. The real Narrow Road to the Deep North was written in the 16th century by Zen Buddhist monk-poet Bāsho. It is a beautiful and haunting tale of a pilgrimage in feudal Japan. Well worth a read. It was available from Penguin classics for many years.
At 10:51 your review of Anna And The French Kiss and the Book Publishing Industry, that was brilliant! This is your best video! I loved everything you said and agree with you.
Oh my god, Barry, I am borderline crying at the Anna and the French Kiss review. Effing fantastic. (But on a serious note, please don't get rid of the publishing industry because I would REALLY LIKE TO KEEP MY JOB!)
I just cannot get over the fact that, IMO, your taste in book is just so... well, perfect! Period. Paragraph. Plus, cherry on top of the cake, your accent.
I just love your reviews. Seriously, you are amazing. Most booktubers are sooo boring and dull, so I don't really follow them anymore. You are different and being different is awesome. Your sarcastic thoughts and rants are just priceless. Please make more videos. Serve humanity!!
I read Starter for Ten earlier this summer because I heard you raving about it in a previous video and I adored it. Very funny and realistic. I felt it really captured what it's like to be at university, the social awkwardness, the new experiences and the difficulties of leaving school friends behind. Very strong novel.
I read someone's undergrad dissertation that was entirely about the anthropomorphism in Maus... Something to do with the idea of a person being easier to empathise with than the person themselves. I mean, there was loads of other stuff beyond the superficial, but that was the main gist. I dunno, I found it fascinating at the time but I may reread Maus since it's been a while. Your whole section on Anna and the French Kiss made me shed actual tears of laughter. Amazing.
I can't wait til you read Dickens' Bleak House. I studied that book and expected to be kind of bored and just adored, admired and wanted to run off with Dickens. So then I went and read other Dickens, oh my god, man is a genius. I know that's kind of given but when you hear it it's one thing, but when actually start reading the books and see it, it's another thing completely.
Good review and a sharp tongue! I will disagree with the anthropomorphism in Maus. I feel that it distinguishes the different groups that are just so crucial to telling the story. While this is only evident in their appearance from the neck up, his point in selection and using this as the crucial point in saying who is who is what makes this a unique graphic novel. I am glad you enjoyed it, though. You sounded enthusiastic about Moby Dick as well. Perhaps it is time that I add that to my collection. -Josh
Barry, I've missed your wit, and sarcasm, not to mention your excellent reviews. I love Thomas Hardy,read "Jude the Obscure" while on 8th grade vacation,and fell in love with his writing. Hope you had a good "Holiday",always look forward to your Vlogs !
Sorry just realised you done this a year ago! I watched one of your videos the other day and couldn't get enough so decided to watch a few others! There is a comment below stating " this is like American Idol for books" which sums this up! You have cheered up my really shitty day! so thank you and cant wait to watch much more and pick up Moby Dick tomorrow!
I felt the way you did about Anna and the French Kiss with Sarah Waters' 'The Little Stranger'...! I nearly gave up on reading for good... And don't even get me started on Kate friggin' Mosse... I mostly only read classics now, for the sake of my samity. Thanks for the recommendation of The Mayor of Casterbridge. Have you tried Balzac's 'The Wild Ass' Skin'? It's a beautifully written book.
As a 40yr old book lover,I have been searching and searching for a reviewer who isn't an 18yr old girl reviewing vampires or fantasy,and at last I have found you! Loved this video. You have an amazing way with words,and funny to boot! Keep it up. Subscribed. Ps Casterbridge is one of my all time favourites too.
I've missed you, it's lovely to see you're back. I'd love to see you roast more books in the future because your review of Anna and the French Kiss was just inspired! ;)
Seeing the sheer surfeit of insults and derogatory language shift from absolutely offensive to a tone of laudatory praise was so shocking! I mean the constrast wooh. Anna and the French Kiss---->The Mayor of Casterbridge. This was a fun review
Barry, please give We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves a chance. I really enjoyed it and I think we have a similar taste in books. It's not fluffy chick-lit, I promise! Loved every second of this ridiculously long video :)
I really recommend "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" it's about two guys who like to make films together (and other stuff happens) and it has references to 2001: A Space Odyssey, Apocalypse Now and many more great films! I think "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" would be a great YA novel for you (because Catcher in the Rye).
I'm not sure what genre it would be, but I think you should try 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' by Khaled Hosseini. I'm a slow reader but I managed that in 2 days. He also wrote 'The Kite Runner' which i've not gotten to yet but is supposed to be incredible.
I love your videos Baz, i'll have to catch up as my first video of yours was the Lemon Meringue Pie? I know you made a pie, can barely remember which one.
You really make me want to hurry up and get to reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall already (I have it waiting as a free ebook). So far I've read Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre from the Brontës - liked Eyre, didn't like Heights. So I'm still missing Anne. And it's oh so entertaining when you hate a book. Warms my heart, it does. I also want to read that Orwell book, now, with Orwell hatin' on classic literature.
Have you read "the perks of being a wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky? I read it years ago as a teen and it left a huge impression on me, which was kind of a surprise as I too was not fond of YA books. I've not seen the film but I highly recommend the novel.
I enjoyed Maurice, but there was some frustration towards the characters. I'm interested to hear your take on it. You might also find Giovanni's Room by Baldwin worthwhile - and it's brilliantly short.
Oh my god, Barry. I liked Anna & the French Kiss *ducks and hides* ....... But your review KILLED me. Dying laughing omg. I'm sorry you hated it so much 😁
Made of brilliance. Peace out. I'm away, reading Hardy, Joyce, Melville and Nicholls. P.S. Crossing Anna & Co. out of my reading list, because I don't want to.spend my time on this book. Especially since my opinion is usually different and I don't want to be disappointed by YA novel again.
Poooooo! - sad to hear that you didn't like Villette as I'll be reading it in the next few weeks. Although I did totally disagree with you about Wuthering Heights as I LOVED IT so fingers crossed I'll like Villette too. Great to hear your opinions though! Great video!
I highly recommend poetry by Dan Beachy-Quick. He was my professor in college and most of his poetry is about Moby-Dick. He has a book called Whaler's Dictionary. I think you would enjoy it.
