Видео

i just reread this again today and i noticed something that i didn't catch the first time around which was about how Ari would have dreams where he was kissing somebody but couldn't see who it was. when i noticed it my jaw dropped open. when i was a kid (7ish) i had recurring dreams of me being on dates dressed to the nines at a restaurant and i couldn't see the person i was with. it wasn't until decades later that i understood that i wasn't looking at myself, i was looking at my *date*. my young brain was already figuring out that i was gay.

... and the sequel might even be better.

Thank you - well said.

Just started reading this today

This book is definitely worth the hype. For beginners, I really recommend it

Impressive review and so thoughtful. I absolutely loved Ari and Dante both books. It really hit home for me as a Mexican american who struggled immensely in high school with my attraction to boys. Some dislike the 2nd book but I so enjoyed due to the growth Ari has.

i love this book.

My boyfriend made me read the book and I'm still on the process of finishing it. I just bought the sequel and hoping to make everything done on the right time. I love it so far reason that I watched your video.

So this is coming out as a film in September and have you seen the trailer on RUclips?

I had an Ari in high school, though mine didn’t magically come out at the end. Do you think it’s really possible for someone to be so in the closet that their parents have to break the news to them? I agree this story was very well structured and a pleasure to read. Couldn’t put it down!

You definitely got it wrong.

Hey where did you get that sweet shirt? I love it.

What a thoughtful review, started to read it today

Do Batman and Deadman already know each other or is it portrayed as a first meeting?

Thank you for reading and reviewing the novel. I cannot agree with your analysis though. It lacks nuance and completely overlooks the richness and depth of Renault's narrative. Ralph is anything but abusive. Quite the opposite. Ralph's decision not to engage with Laurie physically at school not to interfere with Laurie's life and future development in spite of being very attracted to him is one of the main drivers of the story. Hardly a hallmark of an abusive person. Also, Ralph's decided to end his life because he felt responsible for the consequence of Bunny's actions. Yours is a perspective of someone living in 2023 on the time when people had to live and to love by very different rules. That being said I still enjoyed your video so thank you.

Great thoughts on this novel. Many issues may have been due to this book being so dated, especially compared with more current reading. I can tell you put a lot of thought into this presentation!

Hello Ben. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing The Charioteer. I'm sorry you didn't love it as much as me but I enjoyed listening to your review xx

I'm not really into comics but it's intresting to hear your opinion on them, it kinda make me want to go look them up. Great haul ! :)

Hello! I would love to hear your thoughts on Andy Weir's "Project Hail Mary" and R.F. Kuang's "Babel". 🙂

I think my main complaint (re-reading 'Fire From Heaven' currently) is that Alexander is presented as a 'Mary Sue'. He is simply perfect, in almost every possible aspect. A natural leader, talented at just about anything he turns his hand to, a remarkable beauty, etc, etc. This problem is somewhat mitigated by Renault's outstanding prose. Although she can sometimes get mired in the mythology, potentially making it difficult for those unfamiliar with the names and placenames, the history and the events being referred to (a lot is assumed on the part of the reader), every so often she will write a few lines, or a passage, which transcend the text and sticks with the reader long after much of the rest is forgotten. Still, I'm loooking forward to re-reading 'The Persian Boy', but I'm somewhat wary of 'Funeral Games' (long considered the least successful of Renault's 'Alexander Triology').

This one sounds like one I’d really like, thanks for such a great description of it. Loved the comment about brothers 😉.

I read both Hyperion and Fall Of Hyperion. I read them a couple of years apart, and looking back on it I would have read them back to back. It feels like one long book that got split in half. Same goes with Dune Messiah, and Children of Dune.

Do you have some recommendations? Have you read the sequel of Aristotle and Dante?

Ｐ𝐫Ｏ𝕞Ｏ𝓢ｍ

Very thoughtful and well-balanced analysis, Ben. Thanks !

Ben, have you read Bill Konigsberg’s Rafe and Ben books ? They’re Openly Straight (from Rafe’s pov) and Honestly Ben (from Ben’s pov). I loved both. Very intense, moody, poetic and beautiful (Rafe and Ben’s relationship).

Very good analysis, Ben. I’ve read the first 2 Carry On books and really liked them (hint: 2 is better than 1 imo). I’m waiting for my library to get me # 3 in the coming weeks. I’ll definitely read Fangirl. I knew about the book and actually read the first few pages on line. It’s also been adapted as a manga in 3 volumes (very expensive). It would totally make sense that the Carry On books were the product of Cath’s mind, so I think I’ll go for it as soon as I can and then re-read them.

Went a little too fast to read, but I just watched it 3 times. 😆

Alexander: "Go away!" Philip: Yeet!

Norman was based on Alex Rosa's dad

I loved it. I'm customising mcfarlane superpowers into Kingdom come

Read the Murderbot Diaries! 😄

Nice video! It was fun and somehow informative, i wrote down some titles that seem interesting . I agree with your opinion at the intro, books are great but it's important to take into account the environmental impact👍.

Well I appreciate your opinion I think you’re wrong about a lot of things you said I think it was done really well and I would recommend people to read it I don’t think you would be disappointed

The writing is so, so, so beautiful indeed ❤

I must say I disagree with many points made here (by Ben and from comments below). Both books are written from Ari’s point of view. When book I starts in 1987, Ari is 15. When book II ends in the summer of 1989, he’s almost 18 and about to enter university. At that age, the view one has of the world expands dramatically, going from mostly self-centered views on people we know, school, parents and events to discovering, understanding and forming an opinion on friends, lovers, parents, classmates, teachers, society as a whole, etc. The books’ titles hint strongly at this voyage of discovery: it goes from ‘Ari and Dante discover’ to ‘Ari and Dante dive into’. That couldn’t be clearer IMO. Awareness rises exponentially during teenhood, and so should Ari’s thought process, perspective and, yes, his own writing style: he wants to become a writer and it’s only normal that his own writing style should have changed, from the schoolboy of 1987 to the young man he has become in 1989. It’s true that there are 2020s terms (like transgender) that are plugged in, but I don’t think that’s due to sloppiness. I think it’s an expedient used to bridge an unknown reality (in 1989) with one we’re all familiar with in 2022. It’s a writer’s license. Also, the ‘discovery’ of the other 50% of the world (the women/girls around them) is something all gay teenagers eventually factor in when assessing their own place in the world. I find this is done naturally and beautifully. I find the evolution of the characters between the books is quite similar to those of Heartstopper, with the discovery of love (Heartstopper books I and II) eventually giving way to the realization that the world around them makes loving and finding one’s place in the world a complicated journey (books III and IV).

love love love your book reviews Ben! I’ve still got this one on my shelf, you’ve made me want to read it soon. Can’t believe you don’t have more subscribers, but I’m now one of them! :)

your review was worded so perfectly and you describe the book in the way i prob could never

I finished Vows of Empire today and am glad I read the trilogy! It was a fun time.

Great review i love all the points you you said about this book.

Love your review, and I can't help to notice they use a roman tyrant Heliogabalus as the book cover. A strange choice for the publisher.

I just finished this book, and all the reviews I've seen were way too positive in my eyes. I loved the first book, but this one really was cheesey. SPOILER ALERT: The last few chapters were so incredibly bizarre, and Dante acts so out of character. Also, Ari mentions a character named Camilla amongst the dead, but I don't even remember her being mentioned. Also, almost all the women in the story sound the same, Gina, Susie, and Cassandra are all basically become the same person. While some parts of the book were honest taxing to get through, and we're messy, I still enjoyed reading it, cause I too, am a mess 😂

I really enjoyed your review of 'They Both Die in the End' and "A&D Dive into the Waters of the World" that I read this review. I never finished this book, getting to pg 242 before giving up. So I was curious what you thought. Watching your review and how much you loved the book had me questioning why did I give up?!? Then I remembered I read it after 'Red, White and Royal Blue'. So I had to watch your review of that as I was NOT a fan of that book. I'm thinking I may have had biases against Madeline Miller because of my major disappointment with Casey McQuiston. Because of your positive review, I'm now going to reread and finish 'The Song of Achilles'. I'll keep you posted on the outcome.

Great artwork! 👍👍 As for the book, I was not a fan.👎👎 For me the xxx scenes didn't make sense, and had me questioning if the author had even had gay sex. I was half way through the book that I searched out that "he" was a "she" - and that the nonsensical was actually just fanfiction. That discovery made much more sense in my head. I was then able to fully focus in on the characters. But I didn't like what I saw there either. They were self-centred/absorbed and unrelatabe to me. I finished the book but it was a chore. A totally forgettable book for me.

I really enjoyed this book, despite the theme... It had my mind linking back and questioning all that occurred. I enjoy these types of books the best. In the end though, I had thoughts that it was all an elaborate fix up. The "company" that tells you that your going to die, end up making sure it happens even if they have to run you over for it to occur. In the meantime they make as much money off you as they can. But ignoring all this conspiracy theory, I really enjoyed how the two guys "friendship" gets closer and closer. Brilliant stuff! 👍👍

Awesome review... 👍👍 I was a fan of the first book too, so I had high expectations for the second when I heard it was being released. Especially given the title too! I still had those expectations 50 pgs in, as well as 100 pgs and 150 pgs. But after that the book just went down hill fast. By the end, this book didn't need to be written. It felt so unrealistic, and I only finished it due to my respect for the first book. Given the tone of the book, I think the second book should have been written from the perspective of the Parents of Aristotle and Dante looking at their boys evolving love story and reflecting on their own concerns. This would have been more comfortable material for the author and it would have made more sense given the themes he covered. I feel the book was definitely a missed opportunity to make an interesting follow-up book.

Hey... How many pages are there?

I love the review! I just finished reading the book so I wanted to see what others thought of it and stumbled upon this video. Although I enjoyed the book overall, I understood where you were coming from. I might have been blinded by my love for the first book that caused me to overlook the points you've mentioned about the characters and pacing. It was actually pretty refreshing to listen to your comments on this book! Keep up the reviews!!

Is this book really appropriate for high school curriculum? Grade 10??? Seniors maybe, but grade 10??? Seriously!

I've read it, finished it today. Will read the sequel. I liked it even though it is a horrbile and universe.full of evil people.