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Great responses Gareth. Loved this. The book tube community is really worth celebrating 😊

This is going to be long, and rambling, so I'm going to write it in a text editor first, in case RUclips delete it. I figured when you never sent the review, that you'd decided that 'The Secrets of Water' wasn't really a fit for the magazine review section, so you didn't bother, as I instructed. Ironically, the things you said about the book in this video has convinced me that it probably is a fit, albeit he's one of those one-off supernatural investigators, who hadn't planned on getting involved in that sort of thing, and likely wouldn't again... so you're going to have to write that review after all! When I first talked to the publisher, 4 Horsemen, about getting review copies, I had no idea how enthusiastic they'd get! They suggested they send me everything they had that was occult detective related, and I said fine. They sent me nine books! Firstly, I was never going to find the time for all of them, so at my own expense I farmed several of them out to other reviewers. The first thing that became apparent was that not everything they sent really fit the brief, so I said in those cases, the recipients could simply review the book on their channel. I also fixed up for BookTubers outside the UK to get digital copies, as I wasn't about to send books published by an American publisher back across the Atlantic. It didn't go that well. One of the Books 'The Conspiracy of the Ravens' sounded fascinating, but sadly neither Debs, nor Jim liked it. As reviewers, we can only offer our honest opinion. Greg DNF'd 'Journey Into Hell'. I can only hope Olly likes it better, when/if he gets around to reading the paperback I sent him. I actually bought the hardcover of that one, so I *really* hope I like it more than Greg did! LOL Trust me, Gareth, no one understands imposter syndrome better than me! Back when my co-editor, John Linwood Grant, had a heart attack, and was out of action for a long time, I freaked. I got barely anything done. Despite the fact that I'd edited quite a few books by myself before the magazine started up, I just didn't have enough faith in myself. I didn't believe I could do it without John. That's been a factor again, recently, with the latest health crisis he's still working through. Although there have been a number of other factors slowing things down this time. The thing is, while I still think John is a far better writer, editor and reviewer than I could ever hope to be, there have been occasions when he's sent me something he'd been working on, and was struggling with, that I've been able to help him with, so I can't be totally useless. I constantly second guess myself as a reviewer too. I read reviews by other people, and think, "I could never have written anything as good as that!" I read some of my older reviews, and I'm downright embarrassed. When I took you to task about your paperback formatting, I was trying to help, but things you've said since have made me think I've contributed to your current problems, which was never my attention. Stuff like book formatting is a pain in the arse, and can be expensive if you need to get someone else to do it. I only mentioned it because I know that just one negative review on Amazon that mentions something like that can cripple sales. Don't forget that you'll be going through an editor. I will read what you send, and, if it needs any I'll suggest improvements. If Roy, M.J. and Olly can do it, you can too. I have faith in you! I still want to see a story by you in the magazine one day. I remember you commenting in a video once that I told you that we didn't want werewolf detective stories. That's not exactly what I said. What I said was, we tend to get offered quite a few stories where the investigator is a werewolf, so it would have to be a bit different in some way, or at least very good. I didn't just veto the idea completely. Next time we open for submissions, I really want some BookTube authors to at least submit something. This may not be for quite a while, as we've filled #11, and #12 already, but keep us in mind. Obviously there's no guarantee of getting in. We get a lot of submissions, and most have to be rejected. The truth is, we always seem to be fighting against illnesses, or other disasters that make it difficult to get the magazine out on any sort of sensible schedule, so we do end up having to reject lots of really good stories. That still doesn't mean you shouldn't try. Have faith in yourself. You can write!

Good tag video Gareth! And thanks for putting Kings of the Wild on my radar. Although that was some really unfortunate sticker placement!

You did the tag! _Brilliant!_ 🎸

No words, just hugs! 🤗 🤗 🤗

Wonderful Video Gareth! The All About Holly group read was definitely an amazing experience. I still need to do the tag and will definitely check out some of the channels you have mentioned.

Thanks for tagging me, Gareth! 👋

This was delightful, Gareth. Thank you so much for doing my tag. I loved all of your responses to the prompts. You are so genuine and thoughtful, Gareth. I'm so grateful for your friendship.

Big hugs to you! ❤🎉

Ahhh! You just reminded me yet again I have to pull out and read Daytripper!

It'll be interesting to see if you'll still read comments on a video this old. We disagree on these. I thought episode 6 was by far the weakest of this batch. As predictable as they come. Not a high point for me.

I who have never known men is definitely at the top of these lists 😁

This is the first of these videos that featured episodes I saw recently, and I actually agreed with you on all of them! 🙂

Great video Gareth!! So many great recommendations here. Thanks for putting all of this together. :)

I think The Arrival was my favorite among this batch of six. The idea that the investigators all see a solid plane, but they see different seat colors and different identification numbers, is an intriguing situation. The episode that makes me the most uncomfortable is The Shelter; because of that, it may be the most effective one.

Hello, Gareth! Have you heard of a book called Raised Eyebrows? I actually reviewed it for one of my earliest videos. In the early 1970s, a college student named Steve Stoliar started a petition to get some Marx Brothers movies "out of the vault" and shown in theaters for the first time in decades. Steve ended up working for Groucho as a result. Great read! Sad turn of events as well. Steve himself does the audiobook. I came across the memoir from Rob Zombie. He bought the movie rights, but couldn't get the movie made. HAPPY READING 📖 ✌️🙂

You had my favorite episode, "Two," I love it.

I adore the episode with Bronson and Montgomery. 👍

This whole conversation has been giving me flashbacks to the time my nine-year-old nebling said he was never going to care about politics because it was boring, and I had to explain what "the personal is political" meant, using his Lego as an example. Which... I think got the idea across? Except now entire adults on Tiktok never seem to have heard of any of this. I'd add that not only was House in the Cerulean Sea rooted in the Sixties Scoop (about which I have a lot of feelings), but the romance is between two men. I guess it's heartening that a lot of folks are young enough not to know how political gay adoption was ten years ago, but I suspect they're about to find out when it's on the line again going forward.

My issue with politics in novels is that a lot of writers who have a serious political stance (regardless of which side they're on or what they believe in) treat fiction as merely a means of shoehorning heavy-handed arguments into a popular medium, writing lectures and diatribes thinly veiled beneath the garnishes of fiction. I'd much rather read nonfiction and get their argument outright than have to suffer through several hundred pages of unimpressive fiction which often comes across as patronizing towards the reader. The best examples of political novels, both Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 included, succeed first and foremost as novels. Both Bradbury and Orwell respected fiction as an art form, they didn't treat it as merely a vehicle for their beliefs, and that comes across clearly in their writing. They respected their readers enough to believe that they would understand the underlying messages in their stories, that their readers didn't need to be browbeaten into agreeing with them.

Congratulations 👏🏽. Happy reading!

Great discussion. Thanks Gareth.

Great discussion. I completely agree, those who say books shouldn’t be political are pretty much talking about all books. Jane Austen immediately springs to mind, Charles Dickens, many of those classic authors. Politics is society and trying to find a book that doesn’t deal with some sort of society is quite hard

I bet you this man speaking has a dark side to him as well. It's natural. Don't be all speaking too righteously about others xD

I am really disappointed in Gaiman. American Gods is one of my favourite books. Even if he is found to have done nothing illegal I am still concerned about the fact that there was a significant power dynamic imbalance between him and his children’s nanny. I might reread this books I already own by him but I am extremely hesitant to give him my money by buying any more of his books.

I was hesitant to watch this video because I've been in my feelings about this discussion. I'm glad I watched because you provided such a thoughtful discussion. I love sci-fi, horror , and dystopian books precisely BECAUSE they open up a space for reflection on the political systems that create the social problem/horror/oppression that characters are defying/overcoming/resisting. I agree that Sayaka Murata does a fantastic job qt writing stories that challenge the values and expectations society places on women as reproductive units. She really goes into the deep end in this conversation in Earthlings. I also agree that The House in the Cerulean Sea is cleverly political - I am a social worker and I appreciate the angle of social care and foster care. You didn't mention Mariana Enriquez...ans Im wondering if you've read her work? She is Argentinian and she writes reall great political and historical fiction horror - highly recommend. Claudia Piñeiro is another Argentinian writer who doesn't shy away from political discussions through the stories she tells. Also it's pretty impossible to be a Latin American writer (especially female writers) and not be influenced by our politics in the what, how, and why of our storytelling. Thanks again Gareth.

❤❤❤

Thanks so much. I loved all the videos. I gained so many books for my tbr.

Thank You for pointing out that how women Are Dressed in movies is Political.

aaAAAhhhhh, did you not hear about the kerfuffle about Cerulean Sea and the feathers it ruffled about residential schools over there?

Hey Gareth! Great video. Loved it. Thanks for including me, it was fun to do. There are a lot of great books on this list … and my TBR keeps growing. 2024 was a great reading year.

Soooooo much to say on this! But one of the first things that pops up in my head is something from a buddy read of No Logo: "the right to speak freely is not the same as the right to be heard" --what do you think? When there's so much information now, money becomes speech because it gets billboards and a high-tech loudspeaker...:/ Does the government have a responsibility to curate/monitor/provide space? Etc...

Dispossessed! Im in! I think i just finished one that was in the same arena, _The Telling_. Shall I read Lathe of Heaven first? I did Razorblade Tears this year as well. I liked the social messages, but wasnt blown away by the plot. Was it different then his other books plot wise.? That said, i didnt put it down much. Convenience Store Woman sounds like great fun. Intriguing, thank you!

What a thoughtful video! Knowledge is power indeed. Just look at the history and ongoing practice of denying certain groups of people an education or access to literacy. I love all the science fiction examples.

Am I tripping or does the cover of Pat’s favorite book look like it’s moving? The text on top of the green grass is playing tricks on my eyes. Great job, everyone! 👏

Some classics authors who wrote very political books: Charles Dickens, George Eliot, William Makepeace Thackeray, Victor Hugo. More modern classics: Toni Morrison, Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, Ayn Rand. There’s too many to list. I haven’t even gotten to contemporary authors. 😂 Not only are books often political but they can be beautifully subversive. Isn’t that why they often provoke small minded people to ban them? It can’t always be about some twisted view of morality right? 😊

Excellent discussion Gareth. Love your historical perspective. I think it’s safe to say that publishing books, particularly the Bible in languages other than Latin, has always been political and books have, throughout history had political impact or intent. From Herodotus and Thucydides to Harriet Beecher Stowe and Harper Lee books have always been political.

Nice to see Pullman's His Dark Materials, an enchanting series. I'd add to your list Alan Moore and David Lloyd's V for Vendetta. A brilliant piece of work.

Great chats and thoughts, Gareth! I think if the author writes something and they outright say it isn't political, then it isn't. Books can and cannot be political, depending on the book and writer; it just depends.

The issue with trying to keep politics out of something is that it is naive in its assumptions. Politics is a very broad concept and covers many things including things that we may not initially think of as political. Many things we take for granted today were highly contentious political topics in the past. They haven't lost their political nature just because they are now not seen as contentious. This includes things like slavery, rights themselves, child labor, the idea of governance itself, laws, products, markets, pricing, etc. Anything dealing with two or more people in some kind of social arrangement can be considered political from some way of viewing it. Even if we could, (we can't), why would we want to remove this entire dimension of human experience from our art?

On another Dickens book A Christmas Carol is full of warnings about the treatment of the poor, outsiders, money and the horror of work houses, HG Wells book The Time Machine is about both the disastrous outcome of industrialization and how the people who run the machines enslave those who don't. Also about how inventors are made to use their humane projects to help in the war effort, and how the inventor has to even fight with his friends to use the invention for peace.

The hardest thing for people to do is hold two differing opinions at once. They gave a Noble prize for realizing this in recent memory. As Jung said it takes 20 years for these insights to trickle down to the broader public. A great example is the book by a famous author. Go Set A Watchman. I have heard much and read many reviews, but so few have actually read the book. They claim that Atticus Finch was racist. The book itself clearly states that Scout was the Bigot, but a little one. Atticus argued that we could not raise some boats by sinking others. We need to lead with an open mind to understand ourselves through understanding others. Maybe if we admitted this is hard to do? The hard to do is what makes us more than our previous selves.

Interesting discussion, burning books is a political act. Knowledge is power. We tell the truth but tell a lie... Brave New World is closer to our current world than 1984 imho....we are distracted from what is happening by drugs and social media (soma and the feelies).

Books may not be political but book tube may be?

This was absolutely fantastic!

Awesome choice and it was from this actual year which was good too!

Great video Gareth. Congrats on the new subscribers, very well deserved. Love your channel. Looking forward to the second Winter of Wyndham. Got five to choose from this year - Stowaway to Mars, Sleepers of Mars, Wanderers of Time, Consider Her Ways and The Day of the Triffids 😊

Congratulations on the new subscribers, Gareth. I'm not new, but these sound like great plans, and I look forward to seeing what happens with the channel in the new year. Oh, and that "Black Box of Doom" title is great. 😂 Have a good one.