what I read in April! new series, fantasy romance, classics 

Your book of the month sketches never fail to make me smile! I love your creative take on it ❤

I loved all of Middlemarch but can understand your reaction. Her goal was to show that even the residents of a provincial little village have interior lives and passions as complex and varied as the people in London. It’s a true panorama of humanity. I’ve read it twice.

I know it's going to be a good day when Mustachioed Emma turns up! 😍

The fact that i read the once upon a broken heart series earlier this year and completely forgot it's supposed to be taking place in the Magnificent North until Emma mentioned it, really tells you everything you need to know😂

"did you steal this from tolkien?" as a long time fantasy reader: the answer is ALWAYS yes I only just reread LOTR a couple months ago so Im not going to be joining the club this time. Enjoy!! Im still chugging along on middlemarch. the boring bits are worth some of the transcendent prose bits imo

1/2 way through The Count of Monty Christo;love it,fantastic read. I remember when I was a kid and used to sleep in dad’s library/Den, and remember The COMChristo in two hard backed volumes that used to sit above my head. Tried to read it then but it was literally over my head. Ironical to be enjoying it so much now I’m 73!

Emma: Take a shot every time I yawn Us: *Falls down the stairs* *alcohol poisoning*

The tell-tale heart reference in the intro lmaooo

i loved middlemarch so much and i flew through it cause i was so invested in everyone’s stories, but i can understand why you got to certain parts and you were getting bored with it 😂 i loved eliot’s analysis of humans and societies, i loved how she was giving every single character their perspective and being very understanding about their actions etc… it was so eye-opening. while i would have jut been like oh this person is good oh this person is bad and i don’t like it, having eliot saying the why’s and how’s was so much deeper and nuanced

i finished once upon a broken heart at 4 am because of insomnia and idk if it was late-night delirium but I wouldn't have thought possible to read about dimples and icy-razor blade-sneers so many times in a book

Emma's intros are the best! 😂

I think the enjoyment of Middlemarch is better if you are older and can look back at yourself as you yourself learned lessons in how to value your own abilities and your own nature.

I wish you were my literature professor ❤ You're so smart and have such a charming personality. I learn a lot from your videos 😊 Thank you Emma 🌸

Candle=Lit. Wine=poured. Lights=dimmed. I am ready to hear sleepy Emma blabber about books.

I will never get tired of your BOTM skits!

I have another few hundred pages of Middlemarch left and I'm feeling similar to you but a bit more positive overall, I think. There are times when I'm getting bored and irritated and just waiting for the end of the chapter but then there are also times when I'm completely bowled over by her prose and how well she articulates the intricacies of the world and characters. For me, the latter feeling is more common.

Thanks for another video Emma!!! You have no idea how much better it makes our day! Thank you!!

emmie‘s wrap ups are honestly the best

Dear Miss,many and many thanks for your great,perfect,brilliant first-class channel and your interesting,helpful and useful videos (and not only about books)! Warm greetings and big respect from the Central Europe. And btw - a huge benefit for me : I try to improve my English. Have a wonderful,beautiful spring - time and take care,please.

If you liked historical fantasy romance, then try "Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms". Regency, queer, cozy, Bridgerton-esque hug in a mug. It's a recent indie/self-pub release. A real gem ❤

32:18 i also really love Dorothea! I think she’s one of the most likable characters in classic literature!

Your sketches are the best ad reads of any youtuber I've seen

emmie, i trust u and your opinion on books so so much, every book i read from u changed something within me, and i started the dante monte cristo bc of u and i love it !!!! would also like an updated version of your all time favorite books :) love u so much 💗💗💗

Your take on the books and your voice Emma are always a delight! Waiting eagerly for your upcoming video with Carolyn

this wrap up was so cozy 💝

I would LOVE a spoilery recap of the OUABH series with all your commentary!!!

Best way to wind down and find comfort.

really love this videos, especially for this monday morning. ❤❤

im in the middle of my exams thank you for making it easier

I read a lot of great stuff in April. Some there's a chance you'd like: Just City -Jo Walton Doomsday Book - Connie Willis Saint Sebastian's Abyss - Mark Haber Unselected Journals of Emma m. Lion - Beth Brower

The bookman is back!!!! I'm in love with Spy Family! ❤️

I TOTALLY AGREE WITH ONCE UPON A BROKEN HEART

Interesting choices. Probably not something I would pick but happy to hear all worked out! I also read Middmarch back in March and it was a 3/5 for me, for similar reasons as you stated.

From your thoughts on Half a Soul and enjoying the commentary on the time period, I feel like you would really enjoy Gad's Hall and the Haunting of Gad's Hall by Norah Lofts- it's a bit more of a fall read, but i think you would really enjoy it- it's really a generational story, but i dont want to spoil too much!

LOL. That was one of the funniest bookman skits you've ever made :)

Begging you to give a shot to bungou stray dogs. Manga + light novels. You won't be disappointed. Especially since all the characters are based off of literary figures and even the story has that element. ❤❤❤

Re Once Upon a Broken Heart: I definitely think the character of Jacks is what made me read the first book so quickly! Its been a couple weeks since I finished it, but thinking back he's the only character whose story I want to know the end of. Everyone else I dont really care for.

Hi Emma, I was just thinking you might enjoy making a “read with me” on your ASMR channel. And thanks for this video today. Love it!

Your sketches are hilarious! Very cute vlog

"let the best liar win" ... "so not you" 🤣

I really hope one day you read Brandon Sanderson mistborn trilogy, I feel you’ll love how descriptive it is and that it feels like it’s real and makes sense unlike Once Upon a Broken Heart

oh my gosh i read middlemarch in april too! for a victorian novel class

I also read Half a Soul and OUABH in April! You’re right, there’s something in OUABH that makes it so addicting, I could not put it down. I can’t even explain what happened in that book but I did have a great time 😂

34:00 - There's a nice British TV adaptation from 30 years ago, which you may want to watch.

Forget Middlemarch. When are you going to read The Key to All Mythologies by Edward Casaubon?

I almost slept through this I'm so glad I checked another time before I went to sleep

Great wrap up 📚☕😺🌈🫖🌷🍄🌸

Whatever your sponsors pay, it’s not enough 💯/💯 every time

Just what I need after a long day working 😍

Actually, the way you talk about Beauty is a Wound males it more interesting to me.. I was disinterested in it when I saw your rating on Goodreads but now that I heard your thoughts, I think it is inviting me to read and study it

Emma, I LOVE YOUR BOOK OF THE MONTH ADS 😂❤ 🇿🇦 0:46

Oh my word my experience with the Once Upon a Broken Heart series (and everything else by Stephanie Garber for that matter) is totally similar to what you described- like it's makes NO SENSE so many plot holes and dropped plot points but also for some reason I can't stop reading it???

Was looking for the live of MIddlemarch on Carolyn's channel and I didn't see it there. Are there plans to have it up on one of the channels?

I am still reading Beauty is a Wound. I am not really enjoying it but I am determined to finish it.

You’re so beautiful Emma (: inside and out! Love watching your videos 🤗

It was so hard this month. I wanted all the books 📚

Your review of Gasper's book cracked me up. One thing I cannot do is read anything I am not enjoying and I can't stand poor writers. I'm always amazed they get published. I just finished a book you recommended, Whaton's Icefields and it was beautiful, moving, haunting. I loved it. So thank you for that review.

Your remarks about Beauty is a Wound are appreciated. I thought it was just me. I’m about 40% through it, and keep thinking that the most interesting person in the book is the person least talked about. I did think of One Hundred Years of Solitude (one of my favorite books) when I read the first page, but you’re right-aside from some magical realism, there’s no comparison. I feel like I respect this book-it seems like a huge undertaking for the writer-but I don’t necessarily like it….

yea i said in my review that i would never recommend Beauty is a Wound to anyone ever. I read most of this book on a plane and boy did i regret that decision

I think this was the first sponsor ad I actually watched.

I liked Beauty is a Wound.

I'd really love to know what you'd think of Belladonna by Adalyn Grace. Personally, I wasn't very interested in it at first but I bought it on a whim, and actually became one of my all time favs. A little spooky, a little dark, little bits of mystery and romance. I absolutely cannot wait to start Foxglove.

A historical romance/mystery recommendations is stalking Jack the Ripper series!!!!! Its so atmospheric

I was yawning along with you :)

Yes agree I started really strong and was really into the book and then d and ft it at 600pages just thinking I am not enjoying this book,and could be reading something else. Very unusual for me to dand f a book so far into it. I usually give a new novel 50 pages, and if it hasn’t grabbed me by then. It’s not going to!

"I'm getting a part of my couch" 😂 Don't we all? 🤪

Re: The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born; in Philosophy often the argument meanders over to the definition of Morals, Ethics, and, Good. Theoretically, there is no objective moral good so it's often a difficult exercise because some of us - perhaps many of us - feel that obviously there is in the world good and bad, even if our language suggests that there should not be. When we read a story with a character who believes in and demonstrates an absolute moral good we wonder if what we accept about subjectivity is in fact wrong?

I can’t wait for your opinion on the rest of the Once upon a broken heart series. I hope you don’t have trypophobia because if you do the amount of holes in the last book is going to be a problem.

About Beauty is a Wound. I didn't like it either. But there seem a lot of people who like it. This made me think. How can you possibly like this? I found a YT video from AwkwardWijaya. She liked this book so much because it doesn't shy away from the controversial and hard topics. Exactly the reason most of us didn't like it. Her argument was that most pre-independence type books down play what happened, because they try to present these topics in a more (morally) accessible way. But that doesn't do the topic right. So she was kind of relieved that there finally was a book that didn't beat around the bush. Personally I wouldn't be able to tell. Simply because I haven't read (I think?) pre-independence/colonial type books. Which makes me unable to compare and differentiate between them. We are rating this book with completely different perspectives and backgrounds. Craving a bigger Dewi Ayu storyline becomes more insignificant. I totally get where she is coming from.

When I was reading Once upon a broken heart, I didn’t like the pink hair girl. And was annoyed))) but there is something about this book, I think it pulls the right strings and pulls you back as soon as you bounce back. Idk😅 also as soon as I made my peace that she is actually 17, and the first book about first love and how stupid we are, or most of us about it, I think she did grow as a character at the end. Idk, I liked it, after all my thoughts, I think it’s a lovely story, actually, like kind reminder for girls about something… don’t want to go into spoilers. Yes, this book will not open eyes on anything, but will be a gentle reminder for younger/older reader to live life with everything in it

This sounds like a weird comparison (probably is lol) but if you like The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born, you might like The Crying of Lot 49

Days and life is gloomy nowadays... But ur consistent videos make me so happy, emma ✨❤

Hi Emma! Did you get to read Touch Me Not by Jose Rizal? What can you say about it?

ily

Yayyy yayyy yayyyy 🥺✨

usually my tolerance for poorly written books is so low, and ouabh definitely is, but for some reason i just love it it’s so addicting and the senseless plot and juvenile writing doesn’t even bother me😭she put something in that series idk

I feel exactly the same about the once upon a broken heart trilogy, it feels very addictive and entertaining but if you think about it too much, it’s ruined 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

Perfect timing, drowning in revision

I've missed Book Man! Lol I love your BOTM sketches, they're always so fun I think my biggest issue with Beauty is a Wound (aside from the obvious) is that the writing is so detached from the actual story. Like there is so much violence and abuse and horrible things happening in this book, but the writing talks about it so plainly that I didn't feel like I was reading something so gratuitous because it felt so dry! There was zero emotion in the narration and for such a dark book, that seemed like a really weird and wrong choice.

Emma, i would appreciate if you made a video or add a segment in a video of your position about Palestine. i have been a long time supporter of the channel and i look forward to your videos! i want to be more conscious about the content creator im consuming content of. i think its fair. thank you.

Once Upon a Broken Heart by emmiereads. Secure that bag, Emma.

I'm currently reading Strange & Norrell, but boy I wish I could read LOTR for thr first time again🥲

Your review of "Once Upon a Broken Heart" is the reason I'm so very afraid of ever publishing anything of my own. I know, saying it sounds awful and I know you're being straight-up honest and everything but I wouldn't have the strength to hear those words about myself, you know? I know myself on that. I would feel so very hurt. And that makes me a horrible potential writer because I can't stomach that criticism without doubting everything about myself in the process. I'm way too insecure to pursue the career.

Hey emma very random question, do you watch f1 races?

Moustache Emma goated

Emma I would like you to know that because of you, I went to the bookstore today (something I almost never do!) and got the Penguin Classics, cloth-bound hardcover edition of the Count of Monte Cristo. It's so preeeeeetty but it was also crazy expensive, so if I don't like it you owe me 30 bucks (jk I trust your recommendations) Wish me luck 👍

💚💚💚

Lord of the Rings has Valar, Game of Thrones has Valyria, Name of the Wind has Vintas - every fantasy book since then is just following suit with a V word for an old and mysterious place or concept 😂

So you moved? I think I missed something

Once again our erudite and soft-voiced host balloons our TBR to a singularity...

I hated Evangeline inner monologue! She was a pick mee

I hated the broken heart crap 3 books - utter nonesense

people like junk food it's fun, isn't reading suppose to be fun? lol😁🙃😉😊🐈🐈‍⬛

Memorize this sentence well. If you have not read the Qur’an, then you have not read anything comparable to it, even if you have read billions of books.