Last video was over hyped this video is for books that I overhype. I’m part of the problem Last vid: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-80GNy79uTQY.html
I have no idea if you have heard of these Manga books: Solo Leveling by Chugong, there are 6 volumes, I read vol 1-3 so far and it is surprisingly good. It's like a video game, but in book format.
1:55 The Last Quentista 6:32 A Man Called Ove 8:48 Kindred 11:00 The Haunting of Hill House 14:03 Uzumaki 15:54 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy 19:11 Jurassic Park 21:55 Nevermoor Honorable mentions (because we already know Merph loves these): LOTR, Name of the Wind, First Law, Mistborn, Lies of Locke Lamora, Gardens of the Moon, One Piece, Hunter x Hunter
My favorite line from Hitchhiker’s Guide is “The President in particular is very much a figurehead - he wields no real power whatsoever. He is apparently chosen by the government, but the qualities he is required to display are not those of leadership but those of finely judged outrage. For this reason the President is always a controversial choice, always an infuriating but fascinating character. His job is not to wield power but to draw attention away from it.”
@@emilyc.404 (This is referring to the book lol - the "Galactic President" is picked to draw attention from the ACTUAL people that hold power, it just plays as a quick jab to real politics too haha)
I love the lines so much, "Time is an illusion, lunchtime doubly so." "The ships hung in the sky in much the same way bricks don't." "Aren't you just the hoopiest frood to ever know where your towel is."
I’d still highly recommend watching Netflix’s Haunting of Hill House, I’ve always loved the book & 60’s film adaptation and thought the show really nailed the feel of the story, and there’s a thousand details and references to the source material that are seamlessly weaved throughout that are so fun to spot
That show is goated for sure. It’s a “horror” show, but the characters are so fleshed out and developed in a way you don’t normally see at all in horror, and the show really packs an emotional punch
One author entirely worthy of the hype she's been getting is Emily St. John Mandel. Her breakout novel, Station Eleven, was recently adapted into a mini-series, but her other works (The Glass Hotel and The Sea of Tranquility) are equally worthy. Emily St. John Mandel excels at writing multiple POV, interwoven story line novels which tie together brilliantly in the end. If this is your jam, shes well worth the read and the recent hype she's been getting.
Worth noting that the Hitch-Hiker's book is itself an adaptation: it was first written as a radio play. You can probably still get hold of the CD release. The original radio scripts were also published with commentary from the producer and author; some of the stage and effects directions are themselves hilarious.
Just to clarify, the answer to the great question of life, the universe, and everything is 42. The psychiatrists were attempting to stop people from learning what the great question to life, the universe, and everything actually was.
Oh Haunting of Hill House is probably my favorite Horror books ever…like, this book isn’t just about the hunted house but it’s actually about being hunted in real life by trauma or by any some kind of fear. Also you should definitely watch the Netflix adaptation…highly recommend to do it…It’s very different from the book but the main message of the book is shining in the series. Like Mike Flanagan said I love this book I also want to tell a story of my own here! It’s made with love…It’s maybe less scary for me but…it’s much more emotional and real and I can’t stop thinking about it!
Hey Merph just letting ya know that finding your channel recently has been a god send. Watching you fall in love with one piece just as i did over 10 years ago, really got me through some tough weeks. I started watching some of your other videos too and it reignited my love of reading novels. I hadn't read novels in over 6 years and i feel like I found a part of myself that I had lost and you helped me reach that. Love your energy, love your videos and thank you for providing the world with your presence.
Really glad to hear youre getting back to Malazan, I was getting worried you had DNF'd it. I also had to take a few breaks between Malazan books cause it hurts so much, Id recommend having a light easy read at the ready to cheer you up the moment you finish a Malazan book like Diskworld or Hitchhikers Guide, worked wonders for me.
Same. I tend to have Dresden Files volumes as a “break” during my Malazan rereads. Or, really cheesy kissy spicy books, lol. Malazan fans, united in our tears!
I just finished the man called ove today! It was in my tbr for a long time since you recommended it. Don't really read character focused books that much but this book was everything. Totally worth the hype.
Hitchhiker's! Yes! One of my all time favorites. Merphy is a hoopy frood who really knows where her towel is. If you want something similar, check out the work of Christopher Moore. Less sci-fi but same absurdist humor.
Is hearing about amazing books going to make me want to purchase more when I still have plenty to finish now? Yes it is. Am I still going to watch the video anyway and love it? Yes I am.
:) "No I didn't" is such a beautiful out-of-context line for anyone to say. And then you said "chloroformed" instead of "terraformed" and it made me think of who we are as a species that we would definitely gas a planet and say "shh shh shh sleep planet, us humans will take you over now". Kindred continues to sound more and more intriguing the more you talk about it, so if I end up loving it, thank you in advance.
I think you will like the Netflix adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House as it focuses on family, relationships, memory and not just plain horror - it is so much more than that. I loved both the show and the book as two separate things and in my opinion they are a lot more enjoyable when viewed that way.
As a fan of Shirley Jackson and someone who loves The Haunting of Hill House, the Netflix show is still phenomenal despite being very different! Check it out!
What a perfect time to find your channel! My pick for this is Ann Leckies Ancillary Justice She won multiple awards for the book, and it certainly leaves you asking a lot of questions
The Haunting of Hill House is one of the best modern TV shows I've seen. From what I understand it's very different from the book but I think it's very worth the watch. I'm a bit of baby with horror, but Ladyknightthebrave's video on it convinced me to watch and it was just excellent!! (Also the practical effects, especially on episode 5, are amazing. And there are a bunch of fun videos on youtube tracking all the hidden ghosts throughout the series)
DON'T PANIC. Printed in large, friendly letters on the cover. Every single character in Hitchhiker's Guide is a joy, especially Marvin, but the guide itself is also hilariously written, from the development of The Probability Drive to the last message for humanity from the dolphins.
I had never heard of The Last Cuentista but I will keep that one in mind. I don't usually like middle grade, but my daughter is at that reading level and I try to share some reads with her. We even started a mother-daughter book club, which we need to get going again. We just need to wait for a French translation on that one.
Glad you're getting back into Malazan. Book 2 is absolutely heart wrenching, I completely understand taking a break after, I had to take a break as well. I'm currently on book 8 and this is definitely a series you wanna read slowly, its heavy af.
The HGttG is such an amazing series and I'm so glad you pick it up. With that said, try to get the original radio series as well, its incredible, Douglas Adams is a genius
14:02 Oh wow I just finished reading Uzumaki yesterday! It's the first manga I've ever read so reading it backwards was so weird. On a real note, I have actually started noticing spirals in my day to day life...
The haunting of hill house on Netflix is genuinely amazing I highly recommend it! Especially since you read the book and see the parts of the book the show used. It's one of my favorite series of all time
Great video. I am so glad you are going to continue with Malazan: Book of the Fallen. It takes a bit to get used to the writing dynamics but by the time I finished the last book, The Crippled God, I was just amazed... I still don't know whether I am over it.
Books that i have read that deserve their popularity: Loraine Hansberry: A Raisin In The Sun William Shakespeare: Hamlet Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility Arthur Miller: The Crucible Chris Wallace: Countdown 1945 Jane Austen: Emma
If you loved HHGttG this much, really need to read Discworld if you haven't already. It's the same constant hilarity but with a much deeper point, though with the balance more tipped toward the serious point over the humor. And, you know, I kind of have to agree on liking the JP novel more, at least on a story level. The movie is still amazing and nothing actually seeing beats the epic T Rex moments on screen. But yeah, the book did a lot better then the movie.
Yessss I feel kinda vindicated with this video. I sent you a copy of Nevermoor in 2020 and you didn’t seem too stoked about it. I am so incredibly happy that you have enjoyed the whimsy of Juniper and Nevermoor so far! :)
I remember when A Man Called Ove (En Man Som Heter Ove) came out back in 2012. We gave it to my dad and grandfather like a joke gift. They never read but they rarely read books so it's understandable. But it's so it's surreal to see how popular he has become outside of Sweden.
I suspect Merphy wouldn’t like Berserk, but it is and always has been my GOAT fantasy story. It was the first manga I ever read, and nothing from any medium has come close to occupying the same amount of space in my head. I will continue to be a conductor on the hype train for this series.
@@skyladani it is such a shame, you can't say this thing isn't for you if you haven't read it😕, why not embrace it? I think that through all the darkness she would find in Berserk, there is A LOT of beauty she would absolutely love...
@@carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723 if it comes with the fucked up shit that happens in Berserk, you can absolutely say that lmao (and that's coming from someone who's adored Berserk for years!)
@@viinaart The worst part about Berserk is when you try to tell people about it. If you try to explain what happens in the story, you come off as a sick and twisted individual.
The way you described The Last Quentista reminds me of Red Mars. It's about people who start a colony on Mars hoping to create a utopia, but they bring with them all the old problems of Earth which they were trying to escape. It's a very character driven story about humans who -- despite tremendous technological progress and achievement -- are still only human.
Jurassic Park was a surprised, I read to book so many years ago and I loved it. Thanks for letting it getting some deserved hype. The movie was amazing, and still is today but the book just make it even better.
There’s an old black and white moving based on the haunting of hill house. Which I really enjoyed.not to many special effects and a lot left to the imagination.
It's a bit of a tough novel but I think House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski would be such a great read for you for similar reasons to why you enjoyed the Haunting of Hill House. It's a book I've read again and again for over 10 years and it affects me all that same. It's a book I'll never be able to forget.
So glad you loved Hitchhiker's Guide so much! You should also consider listening to the BBC radio play - it's my favourite format to experience the story in and the cast is just perfect!
I think you meant Terraform instead of chloroform ..... For the last cuentista.... But yeah that was a good book Also I got my coworker to agree to try out Backman so I'm excited for her to love him and for me to lend her ove and for her to cry
If possible, definitely give the Haunting of Hill House show a chance. The writing and direction of it is phenomenal. It's probably one of the best loose adaptions i've ever seen!
The last cuentista - they gather up "the people who matter", I imagine they were in for a rude surprise when they got wherever and they were short on janitors and plumbers etc.
I started reading Fredrik Backman because one of the videos you talked about Ove. All I can say is, Thank you. I had an amazing experience with the author so far, SO. MANY. FEELINGS.
thanks, i love book recommendations of different genres (mostly fantasy/scifi/horror/nonfiction). also Jurassic Park is in Top3 of my favorite books, i read it once a year :D
I've noticed a few comments suggesting this already but I feel it's worthy of being restated! The Netflix Hill House miniseries was one of the best shows I've seen in a long time and EASILY the best in the horror genre, so much so in fact that it has really made it hard for me to watch anything else in the genre because it set the bar so freaking high. My advice would be to watch it as a completely different show and not as an adaptation of the book. I know that might be kind of tough to do but if you could treat it as a separate story I think you would enjoy it immensely!
two books I'd like your opinion on: - The buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro, it's a bit of a different take on fantasy - The beach by Alex Garland, basically about a backpacker in Thailand anyway, two very different books which you may have already read, but i'd be interested in what you have to say about them! Also I'd love to hear daniels thoughts!
Fredrick Backman is very hyped in Sweden so he gets some justice over here at least! (But they did him dirty with the Swedish covers) Also reading Backman in Swedish is a great blessing (it also means I’ve already read The Winners-It was GREAT). And btw for context Ove is a very typical old man’s name in Sweden.
I've had nevermoor since I was seven I saw it in a shop while I was travelling and I liked the cover (the newer one) and I had no books so I asked my mother to buy it and she did absolutely one of the best children's books ever
I don't usually read middle grade books but the ones you've recommended in this video do sound interesting. It'd be cool to see a video on middle grade sci-fi/fantasy recommendations.
As a Swede I'm so proud of Fredrik Backman, even though I don't know him at all 😄 But I love his books too, and it's great to see his talent reach outside of Sweden 😊🥰
The Last Cuentista! That was a great book! I remember that I was looking for another book on Goodreads and this beauty appeared and I couldn’t resist falling in love with the cover and once I got a copy I couldn’t stop reading. It was so good! I definitely recommend it to everyone
I picked up nevermoor because of you and it's soo fun, the very definition of fun, i'm loving it. I'm also definetely going to read hitchhikers now too
The Hill House show is great IMO. More horror emphasis, and the story is indeed quite different. But, you can tell there's a lot of love for the original story and tons of sly references (cup of stars, character names, etc.)
I would love to see a video about dinosaur books you've read (if there have been enough to do so 😂 ). I could use recommendations for the dino collection I'm making!
Watch Lady Brave Knight's epic video on the show and then make up your mind about whether you want to watch it. There is spoilers. This is a show that is better on the second and third watch if that tells you anything about how to feel about spoilers. I personally feel like the show and the book (and both films) all have their own thing to say about the themes of the book. Seeing the other interpritations actually really made me appreciate the book more.
If you like mature middlegrades, I may have an author you might like? Her name is Sarah Singleton, and I have read three of her works. I have read The Poison Garden, which involves a secret society, ghosts, and murder. Then I read Heretic, which follows a catholic girl during the catholic persecution and she finds this other girl in the woods with green skin. So this girl is trying to help this other girl in the woods, whilst her family is being punished and attacked due to them being catholic. The last one I read was Century, which is hard to describe. There is this family that lives only in the night, and there are gaps in their memories, mysteries in the recent family history and so on. And the main character, who also sees ghosts, starts to question this. I see no one talking about her books ever, but I loved each one and they are never quite what I expect.
I'd definitely recommend the Haunting of Hill House. I had no idea what to expect when I started it and I was blown away at how good it was. It sounds like a loose adaptation based on your description but definitely worth the watch.
Hi Merphy! Thanks for your recommendations. Will check them all out. I did check out "A Man Called Ove" a few months ago and loved it (even had my brother read it). And many many thanks for the update on Malazan. FYI, MoI is the favourite of many Malazan fans. I hope you enjoy it as much as you did the first two.
Jurassic Park and Haunting of Hill House are SO good!!! One thing that totally meets the hype for me is Jane Austen in general and Pride and Prejudice in particular. The woman's grasp of the English language is just IMMACULATE, it's such a satisfaction to read every line on every page. I also think CS Lewis' The Screwtape Letters is absolutely brilliant, full of little prickly insights and in-your-face statements mixed in such an effective way.
Great set of books! I'm glad you loved the Hitchhiker's Guide. Douglas Adams worked out the story in several iterations -- radio plays, TV mini-series, and books. You might like the original BBC mini-series. When it comes to Jurassic Park, I love both the book and movie, but I like the characters in the movie a lot more. The children, Ellie Sattler, and Ian Malcolm are all much better characters in the movie. I also like the treatment of John Hammond in the movie. He's still self-deluded and arrogant, but in a more humanized way.
Haunting of hill house is not a true adaptation but OMG is the show an almost perfect horror story. It’s worth a watch as a show that ultimately just happens to have the same name. It’s brilliant.
I loved the Haunting of almost as much as I loved the Haunting of Bly Manor. Totally not the book, but enough that did doesn't actually hurt each other. (IMO)
What are the odds I come across this video the same WEEK I’m on a crighton spree? Jurassic park, Sphere, working on Andromeda Strain and it’s getting good. If you havnt read Sphere…. AMAZING. And I agree Jurassic Park book felt so more realistic and had incredible scenes that would have been amazing in the movie
I have recently found your videos and I'm jumping around, watching them. I have not read the Haunting of Hill house, as a matter of fact, I didn't even know it was a book. However, I would highly recommend the Netflix show. If you can try to divorce it from the book in your head (as it does not sound anything like what you're describing the book to be), I think it's a worthwhile watch if you like horror/suspense shows. The acting was really good. The cast is reused for the director's other shows (The Haunting of Bly Mannor and Midngiht Mass --both really good). I felt like it was smartly written and smartly directed and was very good. If you can get past the fact that it has the same title as a book that it doesn't seem to follow (which is odd, I'll grant you) then I really think you'd like this. Just my opinion. Thanks for your videos! They're a lot of fun to watch and I'm getting great recommendations for things to read!
Jurassic Park is such an amazing book. It took me by surprise but it was my favourite book of 2020 and has stayed at the top of the list. The book is everywhere (thrift stores, book exchanges, free libraries) and is unfortunately overshadowed by the movie so I feel like a lot of people pass over it now.
The Haunting of Hill House show was so different from the book because it takes place 50-60 years after the book. It's a sequel of sorts. There are connected characters and everything. The tv show is extremely raw and vulnerable and emotional, especially for those effected by family trauma. It's definitely worth a watch and the differences from the book are only there because it was intentionally meant to continue the story, not retell it. Love your videos! Thanks so much for all you do!
Hooray you’re back on the Malazan series!! I tell folks to give it through the end of Book 3. If it doesn’t grab you by then for the full commitment, you at least got a fantastic trilogy. :-) I reread them every year, because it’s such a beautiful journey. I think this will be my 9th or 10th time through, and I still catch something new each time. They destroy you yes, because at some point pretty early on, the characters just become family. So there are many times you’ll cry through tears, but 10 pages later you pump your fist with a “heck yeah!!” moment.
I'll add "The Last Quentista" to my TBR. it sounds a little similar to a YA scifi book series i read in the 90's (which i wish i could remember the name of again). Its protagonist, a young boy, is also on a spaceship where the people are layiing in a cryo stasis and he wakes up alone after the spaceship arrives to a new solar system. And each book is basically consisting of a fun adventure as he explores the planets and figuring out why he is the only one that woke up on the ship. I wish i knew the name of series and author but my memory is so bad with names. :( /mini rant over. Anyway, i'll give the "The Last Quentista" a read. 😀
I'm so thrilled that you loved The Hitchhiker's Guide and already moved on to The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, which has the best/funniest opening lines of any book ever, in my opinion.
I strongly urge you to watch the Haunting of Hill House series. You'll find it interesting how they used all the same names and high points, and incorporated them into the new storyline. I found it enjoyable to read the book again the compare. Have a great day. I love your videos.
Good list, I think in an effort to expand my reading horizon I should check out Backman. The content isn't generally in my wheelhouse, but you love it so much I feel like I should definitely give it a shot. Also, I'm not fully through Malazan Book of the Fallen, however, if House of Chains hurt you, there's a fair bit more where that came from, you may need to buckle up for the emotional ride that's coming, at least through book 5, can't say beyond that. Again, thanks for the list. I think I'll grab that Cuentista book so I can read it with my daughter in a couple years since she's only 5 now.
The Horror Story was the most feminist course I took in college and The Haunting of Hill House was one of the keystones of the class. Was always vaguely aware of the book through its absolutely pervasive influence on the genre but after reading it, I was surprised how understated and how quietly political it was. The latter bit might have come from reading it right after The Yellow Wallpaper though.
