“my eyeballs rejected the prose” is a thing I feel ALL THE TIME. I wish I could be less picky about writing but sometimes I just cannot with a book and it’s because my brain is trying to nope away from the author’s style. glad I’m not alone 😂
I think I am going to unhaul the wheel of time series, I haven’t started reading them yet and I am 68 years old! I figure there are so many good books out there to read I shouldn’t waste my time on something iffy.
I started The Eye of the World four times already, and decided to DNF it indefinitely just now. I read a bit over 300 pages and the writing didn't work for me most of the time. The only time it did seem to work was with horroresque scenes. However, the worst thing for me was how the plot just went "okay this happened AND THEN this happened AND THEN this happened". I don't have the vocabulary to describe it well enough, but it felt clumsy and lazy; the only driving force was them running away from danger and towards the destination. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind it if we got some character moments, but there were simply none. I know this is book 1 out of 14 (I think?) and I shouldn't expect much character development, but being on the run and bombarded with info drops was just not my cup of tea...
"my eyeballs rejected the prose" is how I'm feeling about the intro of the book I'm reading right now, but it's short and there are some good bits of info hidden in the overwriting so powering through (Ranier Maria Rilke's letters about Cézanne)
I feel less guilty for putting Normal People in the basement, which is where my “maybe I’ll read it one day??” piles mound up. Great video as always thanks 😊♥️
I thoroughly enjoyed Lucy Foley’s books, the guest list and the hunting party. I listen to them on audiobooks. So it may be a different experience if you read the books. I am new to the mystery genre. And both of them have similar settings, but equally enjoyable if you like plot, twists and mysteries.
I’m also a hard sell with Thrillers. I’m rarely “thrilled” when I read them and think that takes a lot away from the enjoyment of the book. The ones I’ve read also seem to never have likable or even interesting characters that I can get attached to so I’m therefore not invested in what happens to them. I much prefer a who dun it, since even if I predict who the culprit is, finding out how everything is done is just as interesting to me. I also tend to be more interested in the characters.
Ouch... I loved wheel of time but if you didn’t like the writing style in book one I don’t see you being happy with a 14 tome series. My eyeballs rejected the prose cracked me up. 😂 different strokes or different folks.
I enjoyed The Eye of the World, but I think I could get why the prose could be bothersome. It didn't bother me only cause I am hyper dense to prose and really only notice problems with it if it's so flowery that I can't understand it lol.
I had read Normal People a little while ago. It's been surprising to me how many reviewers didn't like it. But I think it is two things: it is read as purely love story; or that female protagonist, Marianne appears so weak. But if you read it as a social commentary about such things as class, capitalism, and elitism, and the corrosive effects these they all have on people, you come away with a very different meaning to the book. It may be worth a second read.
Huh, it's been a couple decades since I've read The Wheel Of Time but I don't recall any great change in writing style. I have a lot of thoughts on this series that are similar to my thoughts on Game Of Thrones which kinda boil down to "don't fall so much in love with your world that you forget to tell the story." Also, can we make 2021 the year in which people stop acting like turds to other people for disagreeing with their opinions about media? Like don't be a gatekeeping jerk. Angry, condescending comments don't make people wanna like the thing you like.
Red Rising 😭 lol I read both The Guest List and The Hunting Party this year and I quite liked both 😂 I did guess the killer in Hunting Party verrrry early on but I still liked the messy character study And I LOVED Normal People 🤣 oh boy what a year
@@bookslikewhoa when I was reading the Lucy Foley books in my mind I was like “Mara will be so proud of me reading isolated closed circle mysteries tralala” * Christopher Nolan dramatic movie noise * She hates them
I was very disappointed with An Unwanted Guest. Reviews looked so promising but it was just a really lame murder mystery where the author kept the solution behind closed doors the entire time and all the clues were basically useless. The interactions between characters were also super cringey. Can't believe some reviewers compared it to a Christie novel!
My father tried to get me to read Wheel of Time when I was a teen because it’s his favourite series but I couldn’t get past the prologue 😂 I’m definitely willing to watch the adaptation when/if it’s released! I didn’t really have many worst/disappointing reads but my two 2-stars were Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje and Kitchen Curse: Stories by Eka Kurniawan 🙃
I have read 4 WoT prose and if anything the prose have gotten more over written, book three gave me hope but boy was book 4 so long, and its so many people’s favorites. I am buddy reading it with a friend and thats been fun but if I didn’t have that I would probably dnf it
I read Postern of Fate out of curiosity after I had read several other Christie books. I knew this was considered one of her worst & that she was suffering from cognitive decline at this point in her life. This review is pretty accurate. I remember the language being mostly OK, but the story didn't go anywhere or make any sense. Lots of meandering. I'd only recommend it to diehard Christie fans who want to do a early/late comparison.
Great video. Most disappointing book I read this year was Battle Ground by Jim Butcher. Poorly edited, messy plot, the misogyny and racist stereotypes were pravelent throughout: 2 stars. Makes me regret investing so much time in this series.
If this is the same Evelyn Lozada from reality tv, then she is a well known colorist/racist who has referred a black woman as a monkey and called an asian woman “ling ling”. Interesting how her protagonist is mixed black and asian after her controversy.
I totally get where you're coming from. It's hard for me to give bad reviews because I think too much about how the author might feel, but I also always try to include how I think they could have improved the story. But you're so right about the fact that without reviewers giving negative or less positive reviews, you can't genuinely line up your reading tastes.
thanks for this video Mara! i agree that “negative” reviews have their place! i totally agree with your critique of Lucy Foley! Her stuff just didn’t work for me :(
I don't read a lot in a year. But I've read postern of fate and the hunting party! I couldn't agree more with POF, the fact that even in het worst book, there's a few moments of light made me a bit warm and giddy. She's my favourite author for a reason! Hunting party failed as a whodunit. It never told you who died till the very end. So the book feels like an endless setup!
After reading Margaret Rogerson's fae book I'm mildly obsessed with the fae, but I specifically like her version.. I'll have to keep an eye on the Awakening. I'm reading the Bear and the Nightingale right now and it feels like a long prologue too, I hear it's like 80% prologue. And I hate slow paced books, even more slowed down by unfamiliar words that even internet doesn't want to help me with........... But I'm enjoying it. It's kinda miserable to read especially in winter but I'm still enjoying it, eye on the prize I'm waiting for the hot Santa demon god person... And Action!
What I really dislike about Lucy Foley and her books is how she benefited from being publishing inner circle. Like you I thought Hunting party was a 3 out of 5. It brought nothing new to the table, it was readable. But it was very aggressively marketed, at least in the UK, which is what I get exposed to here in Ireland. I feel like I have seen this again and again. I read a mediocre book which had a huge publicity push and then I find out the author worked in publishing. Meanwhile I'm sure there are far more original books which I'm not seeing because they get a tiny marketing budget.
She cheated her way into publishing by bypassing the submissions process altogether, literally walked into the office as an editor (though how she can be qualified to edit anybody's work when her own is so full of gaffs "the thunder was loud, followed a moment later by lightning.." beggars belief) and put her manuscript on top of the pile. Publishers would sooner hype their own in house staff than take chances on a complete unknown. It's not fair, but that's life. And they had so much surplus stock, they had to give away free copies with The Irish Times, with a six figure advance they had to try and recoup their investment hence the hype. It was a moderate success, sales wise, but hardly a world beater.
I think I've DNFed Red Rising twice!! the writing was a big turnoff for me and I'm just so picky about sci fi that I don't feel like taking another chance on it
I didn't make the connection when you were talking about The Wrong Mr. Darcy. I haven't watched Basketball Wives in years. Fortunately for me, I've outgrown that kind of entertainment. I can't see her writing a good book. She is not someone with profound thoughts nor has depth. As far as the questionable POC rep, I'm sure she didn't know anything about it. From what I've seen of her, she doesn't appear cultured at all.
In my opinion....no, the Wheel of Time writing does not get better. It's about the same for the 11 books I read in the series (never read the ones that Sanderson finished). Outside of "I was young, foolish, and left unsupervised" I'm really not sure how I made it through those 11 either based on my reactions to the few times I've tried to reread the series since. Ended up watching synopsis videos for each book from Daniel Greene just to catch up on the major plot lines and find out how everything ended.
Well I can't comment directly on any of the books, since I have not read them. I can at least say that I appreciate conversation starters like this. I'm learning that there is a level of stigma on BookTube about BookTubers saying "hey I didn't like this book". Correct me if I'm wrong. Point being, I think it's good to discuss the pros and cons of a book, and for people to say "This book wasn't good for this and this reason." Oh! And I definitely agree that the argument/defense for a series like Red Rising, where apparently it gets better later, is rarely encouraging to me. The first book needs to draw me in.
I love SSF so much, but I DNF’d Red Rising twice. I could not find one thing to connect me to any of the characters at all. So, it’s not just you! Ditto on Eye of the World. Tried twice. The worst writing! I’m not “sticking with” anything over thousands of pages just to see if it gets better. Hard nope.
Postern of Fate is definitely not my favourite as well. Was difficult to follow through. However i guess i join the many who really like the Guest List. For me i dont need the characters to be likeable even the main character so yea you would have a problem with it. I'm hoping to read the Hunting Party.
I have not read any of these books so I have no opinions to share lol, although I am planning on giving Lucy Foley a go! I have heard mixed things but I only started reading mysteries and thrillers 2 years ago so I'm still figuring out what I enjoy and discovering authors. Definitely with you on the "not willing to put in the work". I think I only dnfd 2 books this year but I did give up on quite a few series after only reading the first book. I used to be of the mindset of "I started it, now I must finish it" but if there's something I've learned this year in particular is that I'd much rather stop if I'm bored/not interested and pick up something else. I'm likely not going to remember anything about the thing I gave up on a few months down the line anyway. Your videos have been a source of joy in this ridiculous and terrible year. Sending you
"my eyeballs rejected the prose" is now how I will describe the awful work of fiction that is Moby Dick. I relate on the mystery /thriller thing. Give me a well done who dunnit any day over some supposedly "twisty thriller". Most of those "twists" are not so twisty in my experience. 😍 the end of year lists
Whew! I can accept your choices (I know, you're relieved). If you're curious, my least favorite read this year was "The Devil's Missal" by Cathy Dobson. Utter ridiculous rubbish. Can't wait to see your favorites video!
I didn't like "The Eye of the World" either. I think I have mentioned it before that I only read it to have a read along with my teenage son. I made it through three books. They just weren't for me. I'm not a fantasy hater either. "Lord of the Rings" are on my all time favorites list.
"I would rather get tropes that I love executed well" - Yes! And, honestly, yes to the whole speech! I know it's subjective but so often I find 'out of the left field' turns to be either too much of a reach or have a random feel to it. Or, another variation of it, author pulls so many fake-outs that when you get to the "ultimate" twist, you're like... 'ok' because you aren't even surprised anymore.
My husband loves the Wheel of Time series so I tried reading the first book and had pretty much the same reaction and quit after 20 pages or so. The number of random names the author threw at us was also super unnecessary and I found that hard to get past. I listened to the audioof Normal People and found it meh at best. I've heard the show is better but I'm not sure I care enough to try it haha.
Listslikewhoa is one of my favorite times of the year! I cackled when you said "My eyeballs rejected the prose." I've felt that way so often while reading.
You've pointed out in other videos the changes you've seen in Nora Roberts standalone to a romantic suspense novels. I think that like those books, her trilogy writing may be changing as well. Rather than three sets of related protagonists each with a complete story of their own in one of the books of the trilogy, it seems as if she is writing a novel in three parts. I thought Year One was written that way last year as well. So this (and possibly future speculative trilogies if she continues in this vein), may work better for you if you wait to read them after they all have been published.
Great video! I will put off reading Postern of fate but will eventually as you encouraged me to read everything by Agatha Christie starting next year as I have not read her in years and wanted to start reading her again as I forget the plots of the few i read. Love your nail polish and sweater!
I was excited about the Hunting Party because I adore secluded murder mysteries cut off from the outside world and the summary sounded interesting. So I got a sample for it on my kindle. And it has just fallen flat so far, not a big fan or the writing style or the characters. Which just makes me disappointed. My problem with thrillers, it's 2020 most twists/turns that are used are giant clichés and have all been seen before. Or they are so far out of left field to be shocking they don't make any sense to the story as a whole. And it just feels forced and fake. Like I rather have a solid mystery where your working out the clues along with the sleuth of the story. Plus mysteries are usually filled with tropes I love.
Hey can I ask you something ? I heard some rumours about the book "Lord Edgware Dies" and they were kina weird for a Poirot book. Um is it true that this book includes sadistic or gay characters or anything else ?
You summed up my thoughts on The Hunting Game perfectly. It’s why I didn’t read The Guest List. I love mysteries, but I generally don’t enjoy thrillers. I have yet to read a blend of the two that I actually enjoyed. Have you tried Japanese mysteries? They have a style called shin hokaku, which is locked room style, with a strong tendency toward the closed circle aspect. And they are genuine whodunnits. Posters of Fate is rather badly written. I enjoy it because I enjoy Agatha Christie, but it’s by far her worst book as far as being disjointed and wandering. And Robert Jordan is much better at storytelling than at writing, if that makes any sense. Lol. His world is mind blowing, and the writing does improve by (in my opinion) book 3, but it’s also a nearly 14,000 page series that could have been edited down to half of that so I completely understand not wanting to push through it.
Thanks for another satisfying video. Sorry if this is repeat question I vaguely remember someone else asking but can't remember which video but can you say more specifically what you think is overwritten? I say this not having read the Wheel of Time at all. Because I can totally get on board with ornate descriptions of the ways the light is hitting a particular leaf in the forest if I feel like the author is doing original or evocative things with that leaf description, even if it is pretty extra. But I know some people abhor that type of thing flat-out. But I think overwritten could mean very descriptive prose that is you don't believe is doing anything original or interesting in its description? Overly formal writing with tired or cliche language that isn't serving the story? Thanks!
In this case, I mean overwritten in the sense that there is so much detail given about every little thing that happens that the pacing slows to a snail pace and very little actual happens in terms of ratio of writing:action
"My eyeballs rejected the prose" Thank you for that fabulous quote. 😆
Hahaha agreed!
“my eyeballs rejected the prose” is a thing I feel ALL THE TIME. I wish I could be less picky about writing but sometimes I just cannot with a book and it’s because my brain is trying to nope away from the author’s style. glad I’m not alone 😂
Same! So many people don't care about writing style, and I wish I was more like that 😭
Haha, right?? For some things, I can push through it, but if it's a 1000 page tome or if the writing is one of the main attractions... nah
I dnf’d the audiobook of Normal People. My overall impression was that the book was simultaneously boring and annoying.
I think I am going to unhaul the wheel of time series, I haven’t started reading them yet and I am 68 years old! I figure there are so many good books out there to read I shouldn’t waste my time on something iffy.
Life is too short to read books you're only tepidly excited about
I started The Eye of the World four times already, and decided to DNF it indefinitely just now. I read a bit over 300 pages and the writing didn't work for me most of the time. The only time it did seem to work was with horroresque scenes. However, the worst thing for me was how the plot just went "okay this happened AND THEN this happened AND THEN this happened". I don't have the vocabulary to describe it well enough, but it felt clumsy and lazy; the only driving force was them running away from danger and towards the destination. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind it if we got some character moments, but there were simply none. I know this is book 1 out of 14 (I think?) and I shouldn't expect much character development, but being on the run and bombarded with info drops was just not my cup of tea...
I also tried exactly for times, but I never got to 300 and just gave up. This hyped series simply isn't for me.
Oh boy. I bought three of the Pierce Brown books on a frust rampage last year, hope I will like the first better.
"my eyeballs rejected the prose" is how I'm feeling about the intro of the book I'm reading right now, but it's short and there are some good bits of info hidden in the overwriting so powering through (Ranier Maria Rilke's letters about Cézanne)
I feel less guilty for putting Normal People in the basement, which is where my “maybe I’ll read it one day??” piles mound up. Great video as always thanks 😊♥️
I thoroughly enjoyed Lucy Foley’s books, the guest list and the hunting party. I listen to them on audiobooks. So it may be a different experience if you read the books. I am new to the mystery genre. And both of them have similar settings, but equally enjoyable if you like plot, twists and mysteries.
Totally agree with you on Normal People... do not get the hype!
I’m also a hard sell with Thrillers. I’m rarely “thrilled” when I read them and think that takes a lot away from the enjoyment of the book. The ones I’ve read also seem to never have likable or even interesting characters that I can get attached to so I’m therefore not invested in what happens to them. I much prefer a who dun it, since even if I predict who the culprit is, finding out how everything is done is just as interesting to me. I also tend to be more interested in the characters.
I like the choice to cut off years in November and carrying over to the next year.
9:06 so they aren't books like **whoa**?
It makes end of year list making SO much less stressful!
yes I always feel a bit sad when someone picks Postern of Fate or Passenger to Frankfurt as their first christie read.
Woof, yeah, not the right way to start!!
Ouch... I loved wheel of time but if you didn’t like the writing style in book one I don’t see you being happy with a 14 tome series. My eyeballs rejected the prose cracked me up. 😂 different strokes or different folks.
Exactly! Glad it’s series you love 🥰
I enjoyed The Eye of the World, but I think I could get why the prose could be bothersome. It didn't bother me only cause I am hyper dense to prose and really only notice problems with it if it's so flowery that I can't understand it lol.
I had read Normal People a little while ago. It's been surprising to me how many reviewers didn't like it. But I think it is two things: it is read as purely love story; or that female protagonist, Marianne appears so weak. But if you read it as a social commentary about such things as class, capitalism, and elitism, and the corrosive effects these they all have on people, you come away with a very different meaning to the book. It may be worth a second read.
Huh, it's been a couple decades since I've read The Wheel Of Time but I don't recall any great change in writing style. I have a lot of thoughts on this series that are similar to my thoughts on Game Of Thrones which kinda boil down to "don't fall so much in love with your world that you forget to tell the story."
Also, can we make 2021 the year in which people stop acting like turds to other people for disagreeing with their opinions about media? Like don't be a gatekeeping jerk. Angry, condescending comments don't make people wanna like the thing you like.
Red Rising 😭
lol I read both The Guest List and The Hunting Party this year and I quite liked both 😂 I did guess the killer in Hunting Party verrrry early on but I still liked the messy character study
And I LOVED Normal People 🤣 oh boy what a year
Lol opposites attract!!! 🤣
@@bookslikewhoa when I was reading the Lucy Foley books in my mind I was like “Mara will be so proud of me reading isolated closed circle mysteries tralala”
* Christopher Nolan dramatic movie noise *
She hates them
I was very disappointed with An Unwanted Guest. Reviews looked so promising but it was just a really lame murder mystery where the author kept the solution behind closed doors the entire time and all the clues were basically useless. The interactions between characters were also super cringey. Can't believe some reviewers compared it to a Christie novel!
My father tried to get me to read Wheel of Time when I was a teen because it’s his favourite series but I couldn’t get past the prologue 😂 I’m definitely willing to watch the adaptation when/if it’s released!
I didn’t really have many worst/disappointing reads but my two 2-stars were Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje and Kitchen Curse: Stories by Eka Kurniawan 🙃
I have read 4 WoT prose and if anything the prose have gotten more over written, book three gave me hope but boy was book 4 so long, and its so many people’s favorites. I am buddy reading it with a friend and thats been fun but if I didn’t have that I would probably dnf it
Hunting party just takes a while to pull the trigger and when it does its over quickly and rushed
I read Postern of Fate out of curiosity after I had read several other Christie books. I knew this was considered one of her worst & that she was suffering from cognitive decline at this point in her life. This review is pretty accurate. I remember the language being mostly OK, but the story didn't go anywhere or make any sense. Lots of meandering. I'd only recommend it to diehard Christie fans who want to do a early/late comparison.
Normal people is unreadable - I kept waiting for the moment I was going to start enjoying it but it never happened :(
Great video. Most disappointing book I read this year was Battle Ground by Jim Butcher. Poorly edited, messy plot, the misogyny and racist stereotypes were pravelent throughout: 2 stars. Makes me regret investing so much time in this series.
If this is the same Evelyn Lozada from reality tv, then she is a well known colorist/racist who has referred a black woman as a monkey and called an asian woman “ling ling”. Interesting how her protagonist is mixed black and asian after her controversy.
I totally get where you're coming from. It's hard for me to give bad reviews because I think too much about how the author might feel, but I also always try to include how I think they could have improved the story. But you're so right about the fact that without reviewers giving negative or less positive reviews, you can't genuinely line up your reading tastes.
I agree with you. Robert Jordan is...not a great writer lol. He could've used a college writing class or at least a high school one lol
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!!!
Another Red Rising truther ❤
The Guest List was on my "wants to read " list...but there are plenty of other books on that list...
thanks for this video Mara! i agree that “negative” reviews have their place! i totally agree with your critique of Lucy Foley! Her stuff just didn’t work for me :(
I don't read a lot in a year. But I've read postern of fate and the hunting party!
I couldn't agree more with POF, the fact that even in het worst book, there's a few moments of light made me a bit warm and giddy. She's my favourite author for a reason!
Hunting party failed as a whodunit. It never told you who died till the very end. So the book feels like an endless setup!
I almost feel like the marketing for Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware should be switched.
Based on my limited reading with both, I can see that!
Lucy foley books was awful I agree
After reading Margaret Rogerson's fae book I'm mildly obsessed with the fae, but I specifically like her version.. I'll have to keep an eye on the Awakening. I'm reading the Bear and the Nightingale right now and it feels like a long prologue too, I hear it's like 80% prologue. And I hate slow paced books, even more slowed down by unfamiliar words that even internet doesn't want to help me with........... But I'm enjoying it. It's kinda miserable to read especially in winter but I'm still enjoying it, eye on the prize I'm waiting for the hot Santa demon god person... And Action!
How dare you have completely valid reading experiences! 😠😂🤣 (But note to self to never read these books lol 😅)
SAME feelings regarding Red Rising. I read two books in and that was more than enough for me.
Going extra saucy...love it..and yeah Normal people ugh...
I love Red Rising but your criticisms are spot on!
Your videos are just THE best unexpected discovery of 2020 for me 👏
Glad you like them!
What I really dislike about Lucy Foley and her books is how she benefited from being publishing inner circle. Like you I thought Hunting party was a 3 out of 5. It brought nothing new to the table, it was readable. But it was very aggressively marketed, at least in the UK, which is what I get exposed to here in Ireland.
I feel like I have seen this again and again. I read a mediocre book which had a huge publicity push and then I find out the author worked in publishing. Meanwhile I'm sure there are far more original books which I'm not seeing because they get a tiny marketing budget.
She cheated her way into publishing by bypassing the submissions process altogether, literally walked into the office as an editor (though how she can be qualified to edit anybody's work when her own is so full of gaffs "the thunder was loud, followed a moment later by lightning.." beggars belief) and put her manuscript on top of the pile. Publishers would sooner hype their own in house staff than take chances on a complete unknown. It's not fair, but that's life. And they had so much surplus stock, they had to give away free copies with The Irish Times, with a six figure advance they had to try and recoup their investment hence the hype. It was a moderate success, sales wise, but hardly a world beater.
I also DNF'd Normal People, could not stand the writing at all. I'm still on the fence when it comes to The Guest List haha
Bad/negative reviews are just as valid and necessary as good/positive reviews 👏
🥳
"My eyeballs rejected the prose" lol
Mara...don't blame your poor eyeballs. Have courgae and own up to your decisions.
Haha thanks for holding me accountable :D
What does DNF mean?
It means they quit book and haven’t finish it cause it wasnt enough good
I had no desire to read The Wheel of Time series and now that I know the writing is bad I definitely don't want to read thousands of pages of that lol
I think I've DNFed Red Rising twice!! the writing was a big turnoff for me and I'm just so picky about sci fi that I don't feel like taking another chance on it
my interest in wheel of time is limited to the tv show, I don't think I'll be able to actually make it through the books
I didn't make the connection when you were talking about The Wrong Mr. Darcy. I haven't watched Basketball Wives in years. Fortunately for me, I've outgrown that kind of entertainment. I can't see her writing a good book. She is not someone with profound thoughts nor has depth. As far as the questionable POC rep, I'm sure she didn't know anything about it. From what I've seen of her, she doesn't appear cultured at all.
In my opinion....no, the Wheel of Time writing does not get better. It's about the same for the 11 books I read in the series (never read the ones that Sanderson finished). Outside of "I was young, foolish, and left unsupervised" I'm really not sure how I made it through those 11 either based on my reactions to the few times I've tried to reread the series since. Ended up watching synopsis videos for each book from Daniel Greene just to catch up on the major plot lines and find out how everything ended.
Speaking of Agatha Christie, I would love to hear your take on Sophie Hannah's reboot of Poirot.
My eyeballs rejected the prose....😂😂😂 Awesome!
Well I can't comment directly on any of the books, since I have not read them. I can at least say that I appreciate conversation starters like this. I'm learning that there is a level of stigma on BookTube about BookTubers saying "hey I didn't like this book". Correct me if I'm wrong. Point being, I think it's good to discuss the pros and cons of a book, and for people to say "This book wasn't good for this and this reason."
Oh! And I definitely agree that the argument/defense for a series like Red Rising, where apparently it gets better later, is rarely encouraging to me. The first book needs to draw me in.
I love SSF so much, but I DNF’d Red Rising twice. I could not find one thing to connect me to any of the characters at all. So, it’s not just you!
Ditto on Eye of the World. Tried twice. The worst writing! I’m not “sticking with” anything over thousands of pages just to see if it gets better. Hard nope.
Wheel of Time....
.... it didn't get too much better. I tried so hard to get into it, but DNFed on the 4th book.
Postern of Fate is definitely not my favourite as well. Was difficult to follow through. However i guess i join the many who really like the Guest List. For me i dont need the characters to be likeable even the main character so yea you would have a problem with it. I'm hoping to read the Hunting Party.
I was really underwhelmed by Red Rising too. It had some cool ideas but it just didnt really work for me.
I have not read any of these books so I have no opinions to share lol, although I am planning on giving Lucy Foley a go! I have heard mixed things but I only started reading mysteries and thrillers 2 years ago so I'm still figuring out what I enjoy and discovering authors.
Definitely with you on the "not willing to put in the work". I think I only dnfd 2 books this year but I did give up on quite a few series after only reading the first book. I used to be of the mindset of "I started it, now I must finish it" but if there's something I've learned this year in particular is that I'd much rather stop if I'm bored/not interested and pick up something else. I'm likely not going to remember anything about the thing I gave up on a few months down the line anyway.
Your videos have been a source of joy in this ridiculous and terrible year. Sending you
Oooooh some Normal People shade. I was putting it off because when it came out I was like "there's no way this is not overhyped". But maybe now?
"my eyeballs rejected the prose" is now how I will describe the awful work of fiction that is Moby Dick. I relate on the mystery /thriller thing. Give me a well done who dunnit any day over some supposedly "twisty thriller". Most of those "twists" are not so twisty in my experience. 😍 the end of year lists
Whew! I can accept your choices (I know, you're relieved). If you're curious, my least favorite read this year was "The Devil's Missal" by Cathy Dobson. Utter ridiculous rubbish. Can't wait to see your favorites video!
Ok, now I get what I was feeling after finishing the Awakening. It didn't go anywhere anf the audiobook was long!
Omg normal people WAS SO BAD AND I FINISHED IT
Loved your energy! I didn’t know Evelyn Lazado had a book!?
I didn't like "The Eye of the World" either. I think I have mentioned it before that I only read it to have a read along with my teenage son. I made it through three books. They just weren't for me. I'm not a fantasy hater either. "Lord of the Rings" are on my all time favorites list.
Ooooohhhhhh The Guest List was sooooooo gooooood!!! 😁😜😎😍🤩 One of my favorites of the year!! 🎉
My most disappointing books I read this year are Fix Her Up, The Cursed Sea and Flame in the Mist
"I would rather get tropes that I love executed well" - Yes! And, honestly, yes to the whole speech! I know it's subjective but so often I find 'out of the left field' turns to be either too much of a reach or have a random feel to it. Or, another variation of it, author pulls so many fake-outs that when you get to the "ultimate" twist, you're like... 'ok' because you aren't even surprised anymore.
Totally agree with Red Rising, I was bored and never continued. I went I expecting to love it buy it was meh.
My husband loves the Wheel of Time series so I tried reading the first book and had pretty much the same reaction and quit after 20 pages or so. The number of random names the author threw at us was also super unnecessary and I found that hard to get past. I listened to the audioof Normal People and found it meh at best. I've heard the show is better but I'm not sure I care enough to try it haha.
Listslikewhoa is one of my favorite times of the year! I cackled when you said "My eyeballs rejected the prose." I've felt that way so often while reading.
You've pointed out in other videos the changes you've seen in Nora Roberts standalone to a romantic suspense novels. I think that like those books, her trilogy writing may be changing as well. Rather than three sets of related protagonists each with a complete story of their own in one of the books of the trilogy, it seems as if she is writing a novel in three parts. I thought Year One was written that way last year as well. So this (and possibly future speculative trilogies if she continues in this vein), may work better for you if you wait to read them after they all have been published.
Great video! I will put off reading Postern of fate but will eventually as you encouraged me to read everything by Agatha Christie starting next year as I have not read her in years and wanted to start reading her again as I forget the plots of the few i read.
Love your nail polish and sweater!
Agatha Christie is my favorite author too. I also had to DNF Postern in Fate this year - ugh!
I was so let down by Red Rising. It felt so long for a short book.
Very that for me :/
Nigh on a decade is my new favorite phrase.
I love your insights: honest, personal, useful.
I dnf'd Red Rising. Glad to see someone else who didn't like it.
Woww completely agree on normal people and I feel sooo seen
DNF has officially changed to Eyeball rejections
I support this :D
I was excited about the Hunting Party because I adore secluded murder mysteries cut off from the outside world and the summary sounded interesting. So I got a sample for it on my kindle. And it has just fallen flat so far, not a big fan or the writing style or the characters. Which just makes me disappointed. My problem with thrillers, it's 2020 most twists/turns that are used are giant clichés and have all been seen before. Or they are so far out of left field to be shocking they don't make any sense to the story as a whole. And it just feels forced and fake. Like I rather have a solid mystery where your working out the clues along with the sleuth of the story. Plus mysteries are usually filled with tropes I love.
Ooo a video I would love to see are your favorite/recommend isolated closed off mysteries. One of mine is And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.
Hey can I ask you something ? I heard some rumours about the book "Lord Edgware Dies" and they were kina weird for a Poirot book. Um is it true that this book includes sadistic or gay characters or anything else ?
There is some subtext that implies one of the less savory characters is gay, but it is not overt
You summed up my thoughts on The Hunting Game perfectly. It’s why I didn’t read The Guest List. I love mysteries, but I generally don’t enjoy thrillers. I have yet to read a blend of the two that I actually enjoyed. Have you tried Japanese mysteries? They have a style called shin hokaku, which is locked room style, with a strong tendency toward the closed circle aspect. And they are genuine whodunnits. Posters of Fate is rather badly written. I enjoy it because I enjoy Agatha Christie, but it’s by far her worst book as far as being disjointed and wandering. And Robert Jordan is much better at storytelling than at writing, if that makes any sense. Lol. His world is mind blowing, and the writing does improve by (in my opinion) book 3, but it’s also a nearly 14,000 page series that could have been edited down to half of that so I completely understand not wanting to push through it.
I have several Japanese mysteries like that on my TBR, so... someday!! :)
Please please tell me where you got your copy of murder on the orient express the one on the middle shelf it’s gorgeous
I think the one you're talking about is from the faux leatherbound line from Barnes & Noble
Did you do one for the best books of 2020? If not will you?
Yes, it will be here in ~2 weeks... there are best of lists for a bunch of genres before then
Thanks for another satisfying video. Sorry if this is repeat question I vaguely remember someone else asking but can't remember which video but can you say more specifically what you think is overwritten? I say this not having read the Wheel of Time at all. Because I can totally get on board with ornate descriptions of the ways the light is hitting a particular leaf in the forest if I feel like the author is doing original or evocative things with that leaf description, even if it is pretty extra. But I know some people abhor that type of thing flat-out. But I think overwritten could mean very descriptive prose that is you don't believe is doing anything original or interesting in its description? Overly formal writing with tired or cliche language that isn't serving the story? Thanks!
In this case, I mean overwritten in the sense that there is so much detail given about every little thing that happens that the pacing slows to a snail pace and very little actual happens in terms of ratio of writing:action
@@bookslikewhoa aha! thank you for clarifying
red rising was painful for me to read. i also thought it was incredibly derivative and hate read the last 25% of it.
Whew, I'm glad there's at least one other Worldhopper on my side for that one :D