I love how most of the books you hold up in these videos are from the library! A lot of book-reviewers on yt seem to buy all of the books they read, and it’s refreshing to see you show that you don’t need a lot of money to enjoy reading.
You hating deckle edged books hurts so bad 😭 I just came from your fall reading list and saw that you want your own copy of east of eden. I was like “ooh i have that! and it’s paperback with a perfectly broken in spine. and it has those gorgeous deckle edged pages! i wish i could give this to Frankie” and here you are 😭 i thought we were twins but here you are.
I agree with your thoughts about short chapters. I think I am much more compelled to keep going when the chapters are less than 10 pages. I do like to read blurbs, though, before I look into acquiring any book. Most of them do not contain spoilers, though in most nonfiction, you generally know the outcome anyway, especially if it is about a common topic. I read a work of biographical fiction this year that practically laid everything out in the blurb, but the connecting pieces of how we got from one point to another made it intriguing enough to read anyway. The problems from that book occurred elsewhere. I have heard of a few of these writers, such as Max Porter, Rachel Cusk, and Joan Didion, and would like to look into Shy some more. I did read In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado. It was pretty creative and insightful. I judged that book for the Booktube Prize and, for its category, it was quite underrated. While I like used bookstores, I am not incredibly fond of thrift stores. I remember visiting one in which 80% was women's clothes and it had a stall where you could try on the clothes. I can see where they have fallen out of favor, but I also see where some people would still want to try on clothes that they are looking to buy. It is still not right to take it out on someone that did not have a part in making the decision to remove the room or the stall. Thank you for sharing and I hope you enjoy each of these when you get to them! -Josh
deckle edges will always be the death of me >.> can't wait for your thoughts on some of these! i wish i could do Cusk all over again! and the Noor Naga is absolutely wonderful. hope you have a good rest of your summer reading!
We have the exact same taste in books but also it couldn't be more different and I don't know how else to explain this. You're going to really like If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English and are totally right about the summer vibes
I’ve been loving your videos. They’re super well-edited and you’re so well spoken about the recommendations. Loved your magical realism short-stories list and I have a ref for one: People From My Neighborhood by Hiromi Kawakami. Super short chapters, like 10 pages max. Super weird, very fun.
Omg I just listened to Lemon!!! I loved it so much, hope you give it a go. Istg people might be rating it bad because they think that it is about solving a crime but it is actually not. The translation was also good, I sometimes struggle with translated literature but the language in this was goood
When I first heard of 3 Body Problem, my friend loaned it to me with a page taped over the blurb rhat spoils the idea of the book. Going through that book having NO idea what it was going to ve about was so awesome. All she told me was that ut was sci fi. Why do they do that with the friggin blurbs though!?
I loved 'Salt Slow.' Had to DNF 'Dogs of Summer' because it was triggering for me. 'Her Body and other Parties' is on my list too, I LOVED 'In the Dream House' and am eager to read more from Machado. 'Elena Knows' is on my list too! Sounds so good and also, stunning cover.
i just started it today! i’ve realized every piece of argentinian i’ve ever read has been so good, if i could only read lit from one place in the world it would be argentina
deckled edged also bug me! Tin Man sounds good! I'll have to check it out as an ebook. K I also love knowing very little going into a book, I agree often the blurb tells you too much! Yet... I keep watching booktube videos. Like, I want it both ways. I want to hear people talk about books but also not know that much going in.
Magma was disturbing , but not unrealistic and I thought about it a lot after finishing it . ( think I read it in one sitting) The ending was great imo, though I wonder about the impression it might give on a person the character’s age v mine. That’ll hopefully make more sense once you read it .
So, basically, you are not much into reading, but do like a good book that will keep you entertained and try to find one that will engage you. You choose books with interesting premise or subject, but don't like to read about complex things, and do think that for you chapters should not be too long. Well, I am maybe wrong, but do think that Asian literature matches your requirements, Asians do write short forms and do not develop complex themes in a Western manner in their works. I hope you will find a book you will enjoy and hopefully more books that will keep you engaged. Or, you can try some poetry, there are absolutely wonderful poems. I do know it sounds like a sci-fi, but, amazingly, there are. No blurbs there.
I read Her Body and Other Parties this past June. 100/10. So good. One of my top books of the year dare I say. (I've read 45 book this year so that's saying something)
i mostly go into books blind too. not necessarily because the blueb spoils the plot but because blurbs feel so badly written that it bores me directly :‘)
Just found your channel and subscribed. We seem to have similar tastes in books. Out of curiosity: why do you hate the word sapphic? As a bi woman I find it really convenient to have a word that means “women loving women” and includes more than just lesbians.
that makes sense! i just really don’t like when it’s used because people don’t like the word lesbian which i’ve seen a lot!! so i prefer not to use it as a replacement for the word lesbian :)
i’ve got to elena knows, lemon, shut up you’re pretty, hurricane season, if an egyptian cannot speak english, her body and other parties, salt slow, dogs of summer, earth eater, and shy!! i think we all knew i wasn’t gonna read the white album
Hot take: if you can’t get your point across in less than 200 pages….why should I care? Also saying this as some one who dabbles in fantasy so take my opinions with a grain of salt 😃
