An Academy for Liars was one of my favorite reads of 2024, too! I feel like it’s a book I’ll need to return to this year-the world and characters were just so fascinating to me.
You're the best supporter for Pales. Tine. You didn't give up. I appreciate that. Free Pales.tine 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🔻🔻🔻🍉🍉🍉 Also, as a bipolar , I hope we both recover soon and retrieve our beautiful life as soon as possible. 😢 Love from Egypt 🇪🇬❤️❤️
I admire your vulnerability talking about your bipolar disorder. Mental health awareness is very important to me as I've had my own mental health issues
Aw Jananie thank you for being so transparent and caring on your channel, honestly sharing how this year personally was hard for you, but also encouraging us to continue to take care of ourselves as well! We are all truly doing great, because doing great sometimes means surviving the hardships❤❤❤
So happy to see Brotherless Night on the list! My favorite book of the year was There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak and I've heard NO ONE talk about it!
Jananie, thanks for the recommendation for Brotherless Night. I think you'd really like Shankari Chandran, as she writes books about the Sri Lankan civil war and about the immigration that occurs around that. You might find her book Song of the Sun God hits home especially hard and, while it may be heartbreaking, I think you will appreciate it more than most. Some of her other works include Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens and Safe Haven. As someone who speaks Tamil, it was lovely for me to read all the Tamil words sprinkled through the book and to realise the heart behind the words rather than just their translated meaning. I hope you give her a go.
Wow I’ve read 4 of these books and 2 are on my tbr! I love watching your best of videos every year. I always add more to my tbr after watching your videos! I hope you have a great 2025 and I would love to see a video of you reading more women’s prize for fiction!
Jananie I hope that your 2025 is full of joy and prosperity. Thank you for always sharing such a diverse amount of books in your favs. I am looking forward to checking some of them out this year.
I always look forward to your lists since you put Kaikeyi on my radar last year and it ended up being a fav!! Have you read Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian? If not, I highly recommend that one!!
It makes me so happy to hear about a book that tells the story of the Shri lankan civil war. I don't know anything about it, but after hearing your rec it's something I'm going to pick up. Thank you sharing. It's so important that we share these stories and be aware of what's going on around the world.
I also really went throught it this year -- big breakup, a big diagnosis, awful political events happening globally but also in two of my home countries. But it was also a year in which I reconnected with reading and found this beautiful community. Your videos and book recs got me through some of my darkest moments of depression. Thank you for being here, and for this video. My top 5 this year was: - The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo - A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers - Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou - Human Acts by Han Kang - The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin
I am so incredibly grateful to hear that my videos helped you through a tough year. ❤️ Also thank you for sharing your list, I'm definitely adding the ones I haven't read to my TBR!
@thisstoryaintover 💖🌈 huge CW (state violence, graphic imagery, torture, SA) for Human Acts, if you have not read it yet. It's beautiful and necessary, but definitely a harrowing read. Your discussion of Brotherless Night reminded me of Human Acts (set in 1980, during the Gwangju massacre) and my parents' experience of the military dictatorship in Korea. There is so much horrific, recent history in the aftermath (or continuation) of colonization to learn about. I owe a lot of my education about the Tamil genocide and the Sri Lankan civil war to you.
Same for My Year of Rest and Relaxation. I am still surprised I've liked this so much. Bandit Queens is a favorite from 2023, altough I remember it as a much bleaker book. I got many interesting books from this video, thank you. All the best in 2025
I’m definitely gonna read Brotherless Night 😆😆😆!!! I’m a bit hesitant about reading An Academy for Liars (but I’m gonna read it anyway) because I absolutely adored The Year of the Witching but was meh with House of Hunger 😰😰😰
I'm definitely adding Brotherless Night to my tbr! I also read Against the Loveless World this year and it's my favorite 2024 read. It truly left a lasting impression on me. I read it at the beginning of the year, and I still think about it weekly.
Bandit queens was one of my faves in 2024 and I think about it every time! Every time I read about women doing wild things I automatically compare to the bandit queens, it’s amazing ❤
I'm interested in this one 4:31. I struggled with depression and anxiety, so sleeping our problems away is really relatable😂 I curiously am writing a protagonist that has that common train of thought😮 9:50 This one sounds interesting too. I've always been curious about our mexican culture between women; it is pretty common to suffer from having a mean mother-in-law, and these same people repeat the cycle when their kids get partners, especially if their kids are men
Great list, I have many of these on my TBR so I guess I need to prioritize these! For sure planning to get to The Fifth Season in 2025. My top 10 of 2024 (from least to most favorite) are: Just For The Summer Remarkably Bright Creatures Tress of the Emerald Sea The God of the Woods Seven Days in June Piranesi The Things We Cannot Say Words of Radiance Beartown Six of Crows
these would probably be my top 10: 1. a sign of affection (as a whole) by suu morishita 2. kindred by octavia e. butler 3. the ballad of songbirds and snakes by suzanne collins 4. the final empire by brandon sanderson 5. small things like these by claire keegan 6. emma by jane austen 7. if you could see the sun by ann liang 8. the governess game by tessa dare 9. check & mate by ali hazelwood 10. before the coffee gets cold by toshikazu kawaguchi
Here's my 10 picks Tales of the body thief by Anne rice book 4 in the vampire chronicles Clytemnestra by constanza casanti Queen of the damned by Anne rice book 3 in the vampire chronicles Miss memory lane by colton Haynes memoir One summer in Savannah by terah shelton Harris Her too by bonnie kistler Stars in your eyes by kacen callender The maid by nita prose Out of shape by gracie gold memoir Good luck with that by kristan Higgins Honorable mentions The wild truth by carine mccandless memoir Be my baby by ronnie spector memoir Pack up the moon by kristan Higgins The hurricane wars by thea guanzon The violence by delilah s dawson Lizzie Blake's best mistake by mazey eddings
I live in de facto dictatorship. So if someone gets arrested you don't ask why. If the men in black take someone in the middle of the night you don't ask why. If your friend asks to spend a night in your apartment because they are afraid they'll come for them you don't ask why. You know that feeling of telling a funny story and people are horrified. Yes, I chose to laugh at this story because crying surely won't help anyone.
An Academy for Liars was one of my favorite reads of 2024, too! I feel like it’s a book I’ll need to return to this year-the world and characters were just so fascinating to me.
You're the best supporter for Pales. Tine. You didn't give up. I appreciate that.
Free Pales.tine 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🔻🔻🔻🍉🍉🍉
Also, as a bipolar , I hope we both recover soon and retrieve our beautiful life as soon as possible. 😢
Love from Egypt 🇪🇬❤️❤️
I admire your vulnerability talking about your bipolar disorder. Mental health awareness is very important to me as I've had my own mental health issues
I also loved the city we became!! Now I'm itching to start Fifth Season haha
Aw Jananie thank you for being so transparent and caring on your channel, honestly sharing how this year personally was hard for you, but also encouraging us to continue to take care of ourselves as well! We are all truly doing great, because doing great sometimes means surviving the hardships❤❤❤
I added most of your top tens to my tbr!!
So happy to see Brotherless Night on the list! My favorite book of the year was There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak and I've heard NO ONE talk about it!
Ooo I'll have to check it out, thank you for sharing!!
Thank you for mentioning! I loved the island of missing trees. I didn’t realize she had a new novel out.
another south asian girlie here and you're a really big inspo to me
🥺💖💖
Jananie, thanks for the recommendation for Brotherless Night. I think you'd really like Shankari Chandran, as she writes books about the Sri Lankan civil war and about the immigration that occurs around that. You might find her book Song of the Sun God hits home especially hard and, while it may be heartbreaking, I think you will appreciate it more than most. Some of her other works include Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens and Safe Haven. As someone who speaks Tamil, it was lovely for me to read all the Tamil words sprinkled through the book and to realise the heart behind the words rather than just their translated meaning. I hope you give her a go.
Wow I’ve read 4 of these books and 2 are on my tbr! I love watching your best of videos every year. I always add more to my tbr after watching your videos! I hope you have a great 2025 and I would love to see a video of you reading more women’s prize for fiction!
Jananie I hope that your 2025 is full of joy and prosperity. Thank you for always sharing such a diverse amount of books in your favs. I am looking forward to checking some of them out this year.
Aw thank you so much, I hope you have a wonderful year too 💖
You look like you’re glowin girlll! Happy new year :) I was eagerly awaiting your fav reads!
I always look forward to your lists since you put Kaikeyi on my radar last year and it ended up being a fav!!
Have you read Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian? If not, I highly recommend that one!!
Aw I'm so glad to hear that 🥹💖 and no I have not, but adding to my list now!!!
It makes me so happy to hear about a book that tells the story of the Shri lankan civil war. I don't know anything about it, but after hearing your rec it's something I'm going to pick up. Thank you sharing. It's so important that we share these stories and be aware of what's going on around the world.
Put all the books I haven't read already on my TBR! Very much looking forward to Brotherless Night ❤
I'm so glad!! I hope you love them all 💖💖
Bandit Queens was in my top 10 too!!! I think it made it too 3rd. I loved this book so much and recommend it highly to all my friends :)
I have already more than 100 books on my tbr and it’s only first week of Jan.😂 And keep adding when I see other recommendations.
I also really went throught it this year -- big breakup, a big diagnosis, awful political events happening globally but also in two of my home countries. But it was also a year in which I reconnected with reading and found this beautiful community. Your videos and book recs got me through some of my darkest moments of depression. Thank you for being here, and for this video.
My top 5 this year was:
- The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
- A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
- Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou
- Human Acts by Han Kang
- The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin
I am so incredibly grateful to hear that my videos helped you through a tough year. ❤️ Also thank you for sharing your list, I'm definitely adding the ones I haven't read to my TBR!
@thisstoryaintover 💖🌈 huge CW (state violence, graphic imagery, torture, SA) for Human Acts, if you have not read it yet. It's beautiful and necessary, but definitely a harrowing read. Your discussion of Brotherless Night reminded me of Human Acts (set in 1980, during the Gwangju massacre) and my parents' experience of the military dictatorship in Korea. There is so much horrific, recent history in the aftermath (or continuation) of colonization to learn about. I owe a lot of my education about the Tamil genocide and the Sri Lankan civil war to you.
Same for My Year of Rest and Relaxation. I am still surprised I've liked this so much. Bandit Queens is a favorite from 2023, altough I remember it as a much bleaker book. I got many interesting books from this video, thank you. All the best in 2025
I’m definitely gonna read Brotherless Night 😆😆😆!!! I’m a bit hesitant about reading An Academy for Liars (but I’m gonna read it anyway) because I absolutely adored The Year of the Witching but was meh with House of Hunger 😰😰😰
Fascinating books, thank you so much!
I didn't know Alone with you in the Ether has bipolar rep!! I bought it because it's by Olivia Blake!! Now I'm even more excited about reading it!!
I read 50 books and changed my reading challenge many times. You have some amazing recs
50 books is amazing 👏🏾👏🏾
I'm definitely adding Brotherless Night to my tbr!
I also read Against the Loveless World this year and it's my favorite 2024 read. It truly left a lasting impression on me. I read it at the beginning of the year, and I still think about it weekly.
Ugh yes, I feel that so much, it's such an incredible book 💖
thank you for recommending brotherless night - definite add to my 2025 tbr 🙏🏾
Parker you are the best. Your transparency is awesome! I learn so much from you! 📝
Bandit queens was one of my faves in 2024 and I think about it every time! Every time I read about women doing wild things I automatically compare to the bandit queens, it’s amazing ❤
I really need to read the fifth season!!!
I'm interested in this one 4:31. I struggled with depression and anxiety, so sleeping our problems away is really relatable😂 I curiously am writing a protagonist that has that common train of thought😮
9:50 This one sounds interesting too. I've always been curious about our mexican culture between women; it is pretty common to suffer from having a mean mother-in-law, and these same people repeat the cycle when their kids get partners, especially if their kids are men
Anyone else here obsessed with Olivia's Cooper "Manifestation Hacks"? It's like discovering a secret treasure map of manifestation!
Scam
Great list, I have many of these on my TBR so I guess I need to prioritize these! For sure planning to get to The Fifth Season in 2025. My top 10 of 2024 (from least to most favorite) are:
Just For The Summer
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Tress of the Emerald Sea
The God of the Woods
Seven Days in June
Piranesi
The Things We Cannot Say
Words of Radiance
Beartown
Six of Crows
So many good ones on your list! I loved Seven Days in June 💖 will add some of these to my TBR!
these would probably be my top 10:
1. a sign of affection (as a whole) by suu morishita
2. kindred by octavia e. butler
3. the ballad of songbirds and snakes by suzanne collins
4. the final empire by brandon sanderson
5. small things like these by claire keegan
6. emma by jane austen
7. if you could see the sun by ann liang
8. the governess game by tessa dare
9. check & mate by ali hazelwood
10. before the coffee gets cold by toshikazu kawaguchi
omg i loved 7th and 1st sm!
I have so many of these on my TBR!! Thank you for sharing!
@@thisstoryaintover thank you for the great video!! i got so many recs :)
Happy New Year! May you continue to inspire us and give us joy in reading. Have a great year ahead!
Happy New Year to you too! 💖
Great way to start the new year!
Omg I feel so sorry for you and your dad. Thank you for sharing a part of your story🫶
🤍🤍🤍
Thanks! I've added them to my reading list.
I looooved the Bandit Queens!!!❤
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson and Funny Story by Emily Henry were my best books of 2024. 📚
Brotherless Night was so impactful! The pure definition of what a 5 star book is
Thank you for the video🎉
As a bipolar, I'm not in the right head space to read sad books although I know a lot of good ones and I'm eager to read. Unfortunately. 😢
Me too! I need books that takes me out of my reality
Rec-Shadows and Whispers. K C Mills - Urban fiction- Heavy bipolar rep
And I'm all over here, I loved Hades x Persephone and Get a Life, Chloe Brown 😂😂😂 i definitely read to escape and not get heavy! 😊
💜💜
the fact that nobody talks about the book called Hidden Signs of the Universe by Olivia Cooper speaks volumes about how people are stuck in a trance.
I loved The Bandit Queens and I don't see a lot of people talking about it.
Here's my 10 picks
Tales of the body thief by Anne rice book 4 in the vampire chronicles
Clytemnestra by constanza casanti
Queen of the damned by Anne rice book 3 in the vampire chronicles
Miss memory lane by colton Haynes memoir
One summer in Savannah by terah shelton Harris
Her too by bonnie kistler
Stars in your eyes by kacen callender
The maid by nita prose
Out of shape by gracie gold memoir
Good luck with that by kristan Higgins
Honorable mentions
The wild truth by carine mccandless memoir
Be my baby by ronnie spector memoir
Pack up the moon by kristan Higgins
The hurricane wars by thea guanzon
The violence by delilah s dawson
Lizzie Blake's best mistake by mazey eddings
When I see someone with ADHD who reads that much, I have some faith in myself that one year I can hit at least 20-25 books a year
❤
Adding An Academy of Liars to my 2025 TBR
I hope you love it!!
I live in de facto dictatorship. So if someone gets arrested you don't ask why. If the men in black take someone in the middle of the night you don't ask why. If your friend asks to spend a night in your apartment because they are afraid they'll come for them you don't ask why.
You know that feeling of telling a funny story and people are horrified. Yes, I chose to laugh at this story because crying surely won't help anyone.
Forget everything else and pick up book Guarded Laws of Money Manifestation. It’s the only book that truly delivers.
Are you Indian??