Top 10 Books of the Year | Best Books of 2022

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  • Опубликовано: 19 ноя 2024
  • Videos I said I'd link and didn't forget for once:
    Memories of Ice review: • Malazan: Memories of I...
    Monday Is Not Coming video: • Monday Is Not Coming D...
    Liveship Traders Trilogy: • Liveship Traders Trilo...
    Vinland Saga playlist: • Vinland Saga Discussion
    My Merch: merphy-napier-shop.fourthwall.com
    My second channel: / @merphynapierreviews
    WHERE TO FIND ME:
    ► My Patreon: / merphynapier
    ► Reading Spreadsheet: docs.google.co...
    ► Instagram: / merphynapier
    ► E-mail: merphynapier@gmail.com

Комментарии • 190

  • @anamericanseoul1391
    @anamericanseoul1391 Год назад +143

    Glad to see Hunter x Hunter here, it’s such an exciting story to follow through the years. Togashi has a unique way of engaging the reader through his worldbuilding, which is especially prevalent in his return this year. Great pick!

  • @AllyCraig
    @AllyCraig Год назад +76

    It makes me so happy to see Hitchhiker’s Guide getting such love. It’s been a huge part of my life for more than 20 years at this point, wonderful to see it still making new fans.
    Also, if you haven’t read Terry Pratchett yet, I highly recommend the Discworld books. What Douglas Adams did for sci-fi, Pratchett did for fantasy - with the added bonus that he wrote 41 books in the series! Absurd humour, glorious puns, memorable characters, and profound social / political / metaphysical commentary… in a fantasy world where the wizard university librarian is an orang-utan, and Death rides a white horse called Binky. I really think you’d love them - especially the Witches and City Watch sub-series.

    • @Punkandcannonballer
      @Punkandcannonballer Год назад +1

      Huge bummer Pratchett didn't get to 42 and it could have been a part of the answer in Hitchhiker's haha.

    • @AllyCraig
      @AllyCraig Год назад +1

      @@bilbobaggins33 I'm excited for you! I started my Discworld journey last year and I'm utterly besotted with those books.

    • @AeriochKahosZ
      @AeriochKahosZ Год назад +3

      Tiffany Aching will become one of your favorite characters if you read that collection of Discworld stories.

  • @impastomusic
    @impastomusic Год назад +6

    So glad you loved Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy! If you want to dip back into the Discworld, I might suggest the Tiffany Aching series. It is a beautiful, funny, compassionate coming of age saga of a young woman who discovers she’s a witch. There are the Discworld witches and Death, and it’s one of my very favourite series (or technically a subset thereof) of all time.
    Some of my favourites this year were Becky Chambers’ A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Carmen Maria Machado’s In the Dream House, and Patrick Radden Keefe’s Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland.

  • @RKingdom05
    @RKingdom05 Год назад +24

    Your HxH reviews are what introduced me to your channel! I love you reviewing my 2 favorite pieces of fiction, HxH and Vinland Saga, and thanks to you I've read a lot of new books this year! I would love it if you would read the Re:Zero light oder web novel. You vould also watch the anime alongside it, it's my third favorite anime/manga after HxH and vinland sags.
    Also Happy Holidays!

  • @GriffReads
    @GriffReads Год назад +7

    I also read the Liveship Traders trilogy this year and LOVED it. Robin Hobb is incredible at character development. I didn't love the first trilogy (mostly because I found book 3 too slow) but I'm so excited to continue with the Realm of the Elderlings

  • @PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy
    @PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Год назад +11

    I love hearing your reactions to Malazan, Merphy, and Memories of Ice is a truly incredible book. It's also great to hear your positive reaction to A Little Hatred since I strongly feel that Age of Madness is Abercrombie at his very best. Liveship Traders is incredible, and it's what made Robin Hobb a top three fantasy author for me. Hooray for Vinland Saga! 😄Thanks to you, Vinland Saga has become a favorite for me too. What a great year, and I wish you and your loved ones the very best from your reading and life in 2023!!!

  • @thejustinwestra
    @thejustinwestra Год назад +9

    I’m currently working my way through the Lady Trent Memoirs! I just finished the second book and I’m really enjoying them so far. I keep describing the series as charming. The Victorian memoir style is unique and Isabella is an easy character to love. I’m glad to hear dragons will be featured more prominently in books 3-5 though!

  • @keravnos2231
    @keravnos2231 Год назад +22

    Hands down, its been "kings of the wyld" for me. Soooo good. Happy holidays merph and a happy new year!! 😁

  • @megrose6682
    @megrose6682 Год назад +9

    I adore the Lady Trent series, so excited to see them getting some BookTube love! 🐉

  • @captainperiwinkle
    @captainperiwinkle Год назад +2

    Great to see another Hitchhiker fan, it's a great series! I'm also glad there's a Hunter X Hunter mention (even though currently it's less illustration and more text).
    After reading a bunch of manga I believe you've read each major demographic (shonen - One Piece, seinen - Vinland Saga, shoujo - Fruits Basket) except one, that being Josei, which is supposed to be meant for adult women. I recommend the Josei manga 'Wotakoi: Love is Hard for an Otaku' by Fujita for an incredibly chill romcom of adults being nerdy about the things they love. It's not exactly Pulitzer prize winning, but it's a great palate cleanser if you want a chill read.
    Another book I recommend (I'm not sure you've read it) is 'Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow' by Gabrielle Zevin. I'm pretty sure this book is one of the top books on Goodreads right now, but it's really good nonetheless. It's John Green template book with a little less romance but with a lot of great characterisation and things which it feels only words can describe. It's also about Game Devs, even though it's not that indepth, allowing anyone to pick it up.

  • @Glokta4
    @Glokta4 Год назад +14

    Seeing you draw parallels between Malazan and the First Law series has bumped Malazan up near the top of my TBR. Joe's character work is so amazing.

  • @gilcancelcomas8656
    @gilcancelcomas8656 Год назад +5

    Yay! I'm so happy Merph joined the Hitchhiker's fan club! You really expressed how good it is in a way I could never have done but yet it resounded in every way. Your probably right not to bother with Mostly Harmless. If you were bummed by So long and thanks for all fish (for the way it strayed from the previous books) you'll be extra bummed. It felt like a negative reflection of so long... where it spirals into anti climax after anti climax.

  • @KristinKravesBooks
    @KristinKravesBooks Год назад +4

    Excited to see that Monday's Not Coming on your list! I have loved everything that Tiffany D Jackson has written, but that is definitely my favourite.

  • @kraz3721
    @kraz3721 Год назад +6

    My fav books this year:
    - The Bone Shard Daughter (thanks Merphy)
    - Piranesi (thanks Merphy)
    - Lucky Lada och Jag (swedish book)
    - I'm Glad My Mom Died (thanks Jack Edwards)
    :)
    Me and my husband are taking a long drive for Christmas and I just bought Aquanaut on audio to enjoy on the way, thanks for the recommandations as always!

  • @candacediana
    @candacediana Год назад +2

    My favorite video of the year from my favorite BookTuber, time to add to my TBR!

  • @brittanyallemanayers3447
    @brittanyallemanayers3447 Год назад +1

    I also read and loved The Last Cuentista this year! Some of my top books for the year were A Gentleman in Moscow, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, and Life of Pi

  • @KatieColson
    @KatieColson Год назад +1

    I’m so happy to hear you talk about Mondays Not Coming because I feel like that book is very slept on. I sobbed at the ending of that book. Ripped out my guts and fed them back to me

  • @Paul_McSeol
    @Paul_McSeol Год назад +2

    Best books for me were Mistborn (my first Sanderson) and after not digging the first two wheel of time books I loved the Dragon Reborn. Mat is my jam. Also read the Foundation series (good) and the Southern Reach trilogy (weird but amazing). Those were highlights. Thanks for the list! So glad you loved Hitchiker’s Guide. 😊

  • @g8trbait2
    @g8trbait2 Год назад +4

    I recommend the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown for thrilling action sequences in Sci-fi. Usually I’m not invested during action in books but this really does it for me.

    • @The_Khuzdul1
      @The_Khuzdul1 Год назад +1

      I think she's tried Book 1 of RR twice but couldn't get through it

  • @Shiftarus
    @Shiftarus Год назад +1

    I needed this thank you, I had many book credits stored up for EXACTLY this occasion!

  • @vlanAlf
    @vlanAlf Год назад +4

    I actually like 4th Hitchhiker, mostly because its sundenly completely different, which somehow for me is actually a perfect match for the chaos in the previous books.
    Anyway the 5th is return to the originals, its lots like 3rd, so I think if you love first 3 you will like 5th too.

  • @flyrow3712
    @flyrow3712 Год назад +1

    I found you recently and and I am so happy because you totally gave me some recommendations here.
    Especially with "Money is not coming", sounds really an important book.
    Also with "A Natural History of Dragons", seems like such an interesting view and angle to look on dragons, unlike what we are already used too.
    And lastly, "The Last Cuentista" - now that sounds like a "generic" exiled story with a cool twist, I might give it a try.
    Thank you!

  • @DanaArena
    @DanaArena Год назад +6

    Merphy, happy holidays and happy new year!! For 2023 I recommend you to read "Golden kamuy" it's wild and I think you will enjoy it ; D

  • @nieggka
    @nieggka Год назад +2

    I got around to reading Frankenstein this year, which I think is a new favorite "classic" for me. Also "1491: new revelations of the America's before Columbus" was a great one. Then "a closed a common orbit" by beck chambers and "the ten thousand doors of January" were also great.

    • @LenaWolschaap
      @LenaWolschaap Год назад

      Becky Chambers is so good, I love how deeply she explored the central themes in acaco through different characters eyes and perspectives

  • @FairladyZ2005
    @FairladyZ2005 Год назад +2

    Hitchhikers is amazing. Though I admit I've only read through book 3 so far. I'd love to see a channel tackle some absurdist fantasy like L. Frank Baum's Oz books, Robert Asprin's Myth series, Piers Anthony's Xanth, or Patrica C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles. Natural History of Dragons is one I want to get around to. Last Cuentista sounds fascinating too.

  • @HunchbackJack
    @HunchbackJack Год назад +2

    Great to see Hitchhikers still being discovered and appreciated decades after it was written. Douglas Adams was an extraordinary person, and his books are clever, silly and very very funny. It's worth reading some of his non-fiction essays; he was amazingly perceptive as well. The Salmon of Doubt collects many of them.

  • @lcasito96
    @lcasito96 Год назад +2

    Me looking at my to-be-read pile of books: Ah, here we go again..

  • @nonakind
    @nonakind Год назад

    Just orders The Last Cuentista and will arrive tomorrow. I look forward to reading it over the weekend 😊 Thank you for this recommendation.

  • @marioksmith
    @marioksmith Год назад +1

    Favorite fiction: Beartown by Backman.
    Nonfiction: The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan. The title says everything. It was a fantastic read. Deep, informative, easy to read, full of real life drama and great "characterization". Loved every single page.
    Manga: Monster by Naoki Urasawa. I'm only half-way through the series, but can already highly recommend it. In fact, can't wait to see your reviews about it, Merph. :)

  • @brightwatcher3757
    @brightwatcher3757 Год назад +1

    My top read was “Kings of the Wyld”! I’ve been recommending it to everyone!
    Close second is “Song of Achilles” with “Grave Peril” up there too!✨

  • @rolling.reggie
    @rolling.reggie Год назад +1

    You are such an inspiration for me to read more, I have been slowly getting back into it as a hobby and definitely added a few of these to my list.
    Aquanaut especially is high on mylist, watched the film (not documentary) about it called Thirteen Loves and cannot recommend it enough!

  • @CestKevvie
    @CestKevvie Год назад +1

    Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is phenomenal, one of my all time favorite sci fi novels! Hoping to read more of that series next year. OMG I remember that cave rescue! Definitely want to listen to Aquanaut!

  • @dracul74
    @dracul74 Год назад

    I have thought a bunch of times about digging into Erikson’s books… this will push me to pick one up. Thx.

  • @thiadesg
    @thiadesg Год назад +1

    So glad to see the Memoirs of Lady Trent on your best books list! Have you checked out Turning Darkness Into Light yet? It's a companion story about Isabella's granddaughter :)

  • @nathanponnan6081
    @nathanponnan6081 Год назад

    My top 5 fav books this year :
    1. Alone In Berlin
    2. Kane And Abel
    3. The Architect's Apprentice
    4. A Monster Calls
    5. Gone girl

  • @Mermer-16
    @Mermer-16 Год назад

    I read Liveship this year, and it was funny that two of my favorite booktubers did too: you and Mike from Mike's Book Reviews!
    From your summary, The Last Cuentista reminds me of The Giver.

  • @esteban280889
    @esteban280889 Год назад +1

    Yay, glad Memories of ice made top 10. Cant wait for you to start malazan 4

  • @ladymary-s_eagle
    @ladymary-s_eagle Год назад +4

    I found some amazing suggestions in this video... so thank you so much! 😊
    One of my absolute favourites was Leave It To Psmith by PG Wodehouse. There comes a point in every Wodehouse story after which you just cannot stop laughing and I love it!
    I wrote about this under another video I think.... but I would love to see your reaction to a Wodehouse story, if you ever read his works.

  • @groofay
    @groofay Год назад +37

    I just started Malazan this month, and Gardens of the Moon is already drawing me in like few other fantasy I've ever read. I feel like I'm seeing something human play out in all its mess and complexity.
    Anyway, happy holidays Merphy!

    • @hiimmloom
      @hiimmloom Год назад +3

      Same! I finished it a few days ago and can't wait untill i get to buy the next couple books after christmas!

    • @ladrac198
      @ladrac198 Год назад +3

      I'm starting my first full reread of Malazan today! I DNF'd at one point halfway through book 7 and returned and finished earlier this year, and I already can't wait to start again. It's the BEST fantasy series I've ever read.

    • @tiagodagostini
      @tiagodagostini Год назад +2

      The series is amazing, although memories of Ice will be either the one you like the most or the one that makes you almost drop the series in the garbage can (like for me) (the final quarter of the book is full of nonsense stupid decisions that destroy the characters for me)

    • @matthewwhite3967
      @matthewwhite3967 Год назад +1

      @@tiagodagostini Care to elaborate? I found the last quarter of MoI to be absolutely thrilling, but I've only read it once several years ago now so I may be forgetting a few things.

    • @tiagodagostini
      @tiagodagostini Год назад +2

      @@matthewwhite3967 Sure.
      The first half of the book in the bridgeburners side is about getting help from the barghest. When they get to the first battlethe bahrghest do basically nothing, and the vast majority of the enemy army was dealt by Anomander in a single pass, making the bhargest useless. But they could still be used in the upcoming terrible final fight. But no, we leave them behind at the first logistical problem, a logistical problem caused by a non justified hurry (remember they stalled a lot on the first half of the book, in fact given how Rake dealt with the army he coudl have flown there at page 5 of the book and wiped the army by himself and no one would have died).
      Why? Because the military genius are rushing like mad to reach the enemy fortress, with no reason at all for that hurry! There was not a single strong reason why they could not move their forces as a whole. Then they send the bridgeburners ahead, another completely moronic decision military wise. You NEVER want to warn your enemy with a weak attack that cannot really harm them. IF they had limited themselves to scout, great, but their attack was absolutely moronic. Then that moronic decision leads to the need to hurry and do another moronic decision of split their forces once again.
      When the battle starts.. btw where is anomander rake, the freaking largest dragon since Tiam? Nowhere. But after the bulk enemy forces had been defeated he appear in moonspawn to basically topple some walls. Yet another moronic decision. Anomander and Silanah would have been infinitely more useful in that fight from the start (btw, where in hell was Silanah? Taking a nap?
      Every single action of the second half of that book was of a military stupidity that is unmatched in history of fantasy and these decisions were taken by people that were supposed to be great generals. That CRUSHED so many characters for me that I was glad whiskeyjack died there.
      Aa I shall not forget, Toc, the dumber. I am in an overpowered party with the first sword of the empire, two elder gods, an azathanai and 3 seguleh. The enemy army of almost zombies is no match for us, but what do I do? I try to pretend I am a "zombie" to mix with them? WTF dude.. how could someone be that dumb? Acts of stupidity that cannot be understood destroy a book.

  • @SarahAtHeart
    @SarahAtHeart Год назад

    I read The Last Cuentista because of you and really enjoyed it. Thank you!

  • @JohnG225
    @JohnG225 Год назад +1

    Hitchhikers Guide is the right book to have at the top of your list. My favourite novel of all time.

  • @LeeDeeThe1
    @LeeDeeThe1 Год назад

    Thank you for making me aware of the Malazan books, love them so much!

  • @zarahpadilla5380
    @zarahpadilla5380 Год назад +1

    Thank you for reacting to HxH. It's my absolute fave. Will check out Vinland saga as well since you recommend it.

  • @cindywitte5052
    @cindywitte5052 Год назад

    Merphy, love your channel. My top ten in no particular order. "Winnowing Flame" trilogy. "Nettle and Bone"
    "Monday's Not Coming" "Hidden Pictures" "Persuasion" "Joyland" "Memory of Light" and
    "The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches". I've already read "Hitchhiker's" and "Age of Madness"

  • @ABookFiendNamedMel
    @ABookFiendNamedMel Год назад +1

    I’m so glad to hear you liked Hitchhikers! So good! Now, I think if you go back and read Pratchett you’ll like it a lot better than you did! Also, if you do I recommend reading the watch series, I think you’ll like Captain Vimes! First book is Guards Guards

  • @notrixamoris3318
    @notrixamoris3318 Год назад +1

    HELL YEAH!!! A positive video and a good solid list Merphy...

  • @kischinhevsky
    @kischinhevsky Год назад

    Just found your channel yesterday and watched a bunch of your videos.
    Nice to see that you're hooked on a lot of manga, and especially One Piece. While watching your reviews about it I kinda felt as if I was talking to a friend that got interested in the series after suggesting it to them, and I felt weirdly happy about it.
    From the videos I watched and what you said you liked about manga, I think you'll enjoy like reading Oyasumi Punpun. It's a pretty heavy and dark "coming of age" story showing the point of view of a boy named Punpun, and his mental struggles and how he deals with relationships. I'm probably not making it sound like a good or interesting story but, it's my favorite manga right next to One Piece even though they're completely different.

  • @tab75draws82
    @tab75draws82 Год назад +1

    Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy was the first book to make me laugh out loud. So happy you liked this book. Another book you might like is Death: A Life by George Pendle. It is the memoir of Death. A dark humor book that is very engaging. Such a fun read.

  • @annevandermey7551
    @annevandermey7551 Год назад +1

    Definitely enjoyed the Lady Trent series this year which you introduced to me. Some of my other favourites include A declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H.G. Parry. Such an amazing blend of magic and history regarding the abolition of slavery in England. I also caught up on a lot of Sanderson this year thanks to the kickstarters. Oh and am testing the waters with Manga again. Catching up on Vinland saga and Full Metal Alchemist!

  • @arcanethink
    @arcanethink Год назад +1

    I highly recommend picking Berserk back up again. You will love it.

  • @joshwright9043
    @joshwright9043 Год назад

    Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is one of those books I could read over and over again and never get sick of. Excellent top pick.

  • @PatrickPaul1203
    @PatrickPaul1203 Год назад

    I love that Hitchhikers was the top of your list. If book 4 was a bit of a bummer I don’t recommend the last book, it’s dark. I do highly recommend his other series Dirk Gently and his non fiction Last Chance to See

  • @curse4384
    @curse4384 Год назад

    Ur my favorite youtuber to put on while i sleep, I have insomnia so thank u for the indirect help😊

  • @reginaldh2079
    @reginaldh2079 Год назад

    Happy Christmas Merphy and team! Have a great one.

  • @beaufloyd
    @beaufloyd Год назад

    If I remember correctly on the Hitch Hikers books the 4th one was a downer for me as well but it all comes full circle with book 5. I remember being satisfied with the ending and getting a laugh to boot!

  • @JaswiL-_51
    @JaswiL-_51 Год назад

    14:27 OMGGGG I LOVE THAT YOU PUT THE EYES ACCESSORY👀 ON THE FROG THAT'S GOLDEN LMAOO

    • @JaswiL-_51
      @JaswiL-_51 Год назад

      AND IT FITS PERFECTLY AS WELL HAHAHAHAHA

  • @yuizaift8940
    @yuizaift8940 Год назад +1

    I'm glad there're two manga series in your list
    Best Manga that i read in 2022
    Vagabond
    Slam Dunk
    Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku
    Blame!
    Gantz
    Holyland
    Liar Game
    Otoyomegatari/A Bride's Story
    Ajin - Demi-Human
    Spy x Family
    Dandadan
    Master Keaton Only 7 out of 12 Volumes
    Astra Lost In Space
    Kaiju No. 8
    Tokyo Revenger

    • @Donkeyhead
      @Donkeyhead Год назад +1

      I've read everything except Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku and Master Keaton, and they've all been great, so I guess I'll give those two a try :) Master Keaton seems to be available at my local libraries even.

  • @JesusIzAPunkRocker
    @JesusIzAPunkRocker Год назад +2

    Finally read Hitchhiker's Guide this year too! The first 4 installments!
    The ridiculousness is just so fun. I love the bit where Ford explains how a towel is perhaps the most useful item in the universe, and the backwards logic of how they're mostly useful because if people see a hitcher who can be all over the universe and still 'know where their towel is' then they assume the hitcher really must be someone not to be messed with x).
    And Adams' writing really is quite witty and fun to unpackage.
    I remember this quote from the beginning of book one, when the vogon ships invade:
    "The great ships hung motionless in the air, over every nation on Earth. Motionless they hung, huge, heavy, steady in the sky, a blasphemy against nature. Many people went straight into shock as their minds tried to encompass what they were looking at. The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't."
    I love how absurdly descriptive that is. How they hang in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't x)

  • @Books_BrewsandBeyond
    @Books_BrewsandBeyond Год назад

    I bought Gardens of the moon recently to read next year after your recommendation a while ago.

  • @MacabreAxe
    @MacabreAxe Год назад

    Book 9 of the Rivers of London series, "Amongst Our Weapons" is definitely one of my stand outs for the year. Alongside Lost Metal, it's been a good year for fantasy~

  • @barbarasusej
    @barbarasusej Год назад

    Thanks for my 2023 TBR

  • @cheyannelencioni9394
    @cheyannelencioni9394 Год назад

    Top read this year was Surviving Savannah by Patti Calahan. Highly recommend for a shipwreck/historical fiction adventure!

  • @seanfoster6846
    @seanfoster6846 Год назад

    Aquanaut is such an amazing story! I highly recommend the Nat Geo documentary The Rescue that chronicles the same events

  • @OnefortheBooks
    @OnefortheBooks Год назад

    Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has been in my all-time favs since middle school. I just read the Memoirs of Lady Trent this year and ADORED them. Totally agree about the second book being the weakest though!

  • @JayGTheAwkwardBookworm
    @JayGTheAwkwardBookworm Год назад

    Mondays not coming is on my TBR for this month!

  • @Limonada_RC
    @Limonada_RC Год назад

    I read the Last Cuentista too, such a delightful book to be honest, I loved that book also when I read that book I felt like watching a pixar movie like cartoon style!

  • @trevorreads
    @trevorreads Год назад

    Dang. So many of these are totally new to me! Gonna have to check these out for sure! Thanks for the recommendations!

  • @Yondi1000
    @Yondi1000 Год назад

    Similar to your recent video, I think it would be fun to see you react to one star reviews of these books!

  • @Ozgipsy
    @Ozgipsy Год назад

    Great recommendations Merphy, merry Christmas mate

  • @wintershogun2696
    @wintershogun2696 Год назад +6

    glad to see vinland saga getting the love it deserves

  • @christina_1313
    @christina_1313 Год назад +25

    So you want to tell me FMA is not on the list?! :O
    It was a fun journey through this reading-year. Some books I love, that you discovered for the first time and some books you enjoied and then I read! Your videos are both fun and emotional and most of all honest! Can't wait for next year to start :D

    • @carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723
      @carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723 Год назад +1

      Yeah, it surprises me that FMA is not on the list (it is a total masterpiece imo) and it also surprises me even more that Vinland Saga was not the number 1. But well, opinions are opinions, everything is subjective.

    • @raykings5244
      @raykings5244 Год назад +6

      @@carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723 FMA was goated for it's time period. But without nostalgia glasses it was a shounen story that was good but overrated. With that genre it can be expected for things that shouldn't happen to happen and make no sense. FMA has it's insane heights but some of the lows and the whole I am going through this gruesome story without killing anybody really drags it down from masterpiece level for me. The author multiple times had to pull some mental gymnastics storytelling to adhere to that standard.

    • @carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723
      @carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723 Год назад +1

      @@raykings5244 I respect that but I disagree about the nostalgia factor. The argument of nostalgia factor is overrated xD. People say the same about Naruto for example, and Naruto, with or without nostalgia *is* great and had a HUGE quality (masterpiece level), it is a shame that the last part of the story did a lot of things wrong. But despite of that, Naruto is great.
      And I don't think that you necessarily have to kill characters all the time to be a masterpiece.

    • @raykings5244
      @raykings5244 Год назад

      @@carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723 I understand the argument being overused. But I believe it has merit in this situation. With Naruto I think it's a bit different. Even though the animation didn't age particularly well. The story and characters popped off. Still to this day it has multiple banger arcs in succession. The first 10 or 15 episodes might not have been crazy but once you start the chunin exams its a ride until the end. For me Naruto was a masterpiece. But Naruto Shippuden wasn't. The beginnings of Shippuden was good but it had many mistakes as it went on that dragged it down.
      I say FMA has the nostalgia effect because I watched the first regular FMA when it came out. Loved it and rewatched it like 7 times. But it wasn't until like 4 years ago I watched FMA Brotherhood. I finished it and I wouldn't call that a masterpiece. It wouldn't even be in my top 10. The thing is you have to take the time into consideration. When it came out there was 4 anime a season and not much competition. So for many that was one of their first experiences with a good story. So when they think back on their time with it they'll only have good memories because at that point they wouldn't have enough taste to care about the downsides.
      I also agree people don't have to die often or even at all for a story to be good. That is dependent on the world though. AOT would be much worse if the good guys live and bad guys die. It is really difficult to write a seinen tough world and have the mindset that regardless of what happens nobody is going to bloody their hands. The adherence to that wish meant that sometimes the author had to pull some bs to make it work. Now it is true that if the author was more skillful he could have pulled it off with no bs. That's asking for a lot. And is unlikely to happen.

  • @rhylin26
    @rhylin26 Год назад

    I don’t remember subscribing to your channel, but I am glad that I did. Looking forward to checking a few of these books out.

  • @DJWARREADY
    @DJWARREADY Год назад +1

    Really good list and great video! I´m so happy to see Vinland Saga and Hunter X Hunter in your Top 10. Some of my favorite stories of all time. My top 3 reads this year gotta be Mushoku Tensei Light Novel, Kubera a manhwa and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Also, I wish you Merphy and your family (of course the rest of the channel) Merry Christmas and happy new year!

    • @carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723
      @carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723 Год назад

      Mushoku Tensei is GOATED

    • @DJWARREADY
      @DJWARREADY Год назад +1

      @@carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723 MT Goat series

    • @runhigh123
      @runhigh123 Год назад +2

      She might get revolted by Rudeus's incel behavior esp at the beginning (although the point is overcoming that side of him by starting a new life in an Isekai) and DNF the series without the latter great parts.
      For a light novel, personally , I wish she read 'Ascendance of a Bookworm' because not only is it a great series, but also about a bookworm(more like book maniac) girl who got isekaied into a world where there is no books, and I feel she will like it as a booktuber who loves books.
      Also, ReZero (along with anime up to masterpiece of season 2), although Subaru is kind of unbearable at the beginning. (and has some Japanese otaku elements)

  • @jimsbooksreadingandstuff
    @jimsbooksreadingandstuff Год назад

    Maybe I should re-read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, for me it definitely went downhill after the second book. Aquanaut sounds fascinating and that cover on a Natural History of Dragons...just, wow. Have a great Christmas and hope you have a great reading year, 2023.

  • @berserker8884
    @berserker8884 Год назад

    Man I'm super excited for Malazan, as always! I'm especially excited if you get to book 5 next year, which is one of my top 3 Malazan books!

    • @carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723
      @carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723 Год назад

      Seeing your profile picture I wanna ask xD
      Malazan or Berserk?

    • @berserker8884
      @berserker8884 Год назад +1

      @@carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723 both! And One Piece. These are the holy trinity for me! They are all different and unique and all three are very special to me

  • @Donkeyhead
    @Donkeyhead Год назад

    My favorite reads this year in no particular order (Only manga):
    - Kaguya Wants to be Confessed to: The Geniuses' War of Hearts and Minds
    - Prison School
    - The Fable
    - The Heroic Legend of Arslan
    - Akatsuki no Yona
    - Blood on the Tracks
    - Golden Kamuy
    - The Blue Period
    - Land of the Lustrous
    - Palepoli

  • @seanhalpin87
    @seanhalpin87 Год назад +7

    Can't pick one, so I'll pick a trilogy that not enough people have been talking about.
    The five warrior angels trilogy by Brian Lee Durfee, so amazing.

  • @pintpullinggeek
    @pintpullinggeek Год назад

    Looking forward to starting Memories of Ice in the new year. Had to take a bit of a break after finishing Deadhouse Gates because that ending was....yeah.

  • @gwenttreebeard
    @gwenttreebeard Год назад

    My top two this year would be Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo and The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec. The Witch's Heart made me cry and had a slow burn relationship that I was rooting for the whole book that had a bittersweet end and ugh I just loved it.

  • @RottenBen
    @RottenBen Год назад +1

    I've been blitzing through the audiobooks for the Hitchhikers series, and I actually really liked book 4. More so than the previous 2. The previous 2 had gone too big in terms of how confusing things got, and 4 felt like a more contained story (which is obviously not what audiences of absurdist fiction want, I can understand that), so it was easier for me to follow. The first 3 were referred to as a "trilogy", so I think Douglas Adams wanted to change it slightly. There was a bit of mystery that I liked trying to figure out ("where did this new Earth come from? Why is it back?"), the only thing I didn't like about the book is that that mystery wasn't solved. I'm gonna read the 5th book (mostly because I already have it as an audiobook), so I'm prepared for the disappointment everyone is talking about, but I think the stories were good for a short read to do in less than a week. Thinking about putting a "DONT PANIC" label on the back of my smart phone, though.

  • @ToddsBookTube91
    @ToddsBookTube91 Год назад

    Nice video Merphy! Merry Christmas to you and your family!

  • @giorgiadifeo23
    @giorgiadifeo23 Год назад

    Favourite book was Words of Radiance, hands down.
    As for the other favourites I have, in no particulare order, Beartown, The republic of thieves, Babel, Bloodmarked, Heartstopper, Fruits Basket and Naruto

  • @nikgokuhil
    @nikgokuhil Год назад +2

    I hope you get to watch Mushishi soon too

  • @AeriochKahosZ
    @AeriochKahosZ Год назад

    If you liked Hitchiker's Guide, try Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul. You will probably like the Dirk Gently books.

  • @delatoba
    @delatoba Год назад

    My favourite books this year are Circe by Madeline Miller, Vicious and Vengeful by V.E. Schwab, Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher, Babel by R. F. Kuang and Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree!

  • @angelaholmes8888
    @angelaholmes8888 Год назад

    Here's my top ten
    1. Dolores Claiborne by Stephen king
    2. The great peace by mena suvari her memoir
    3. Billy summers by Stephen king
    4. Not my father son by Alan Cumming his memoir
    5. The heart principle by helen Huang
    6. The cactus by Sarah Haywood
    7. They never learn by Layne Fargo
    8. A king of battle and blood by scarlett st claire
    9. The charm offensive by allison Cochrane
    10. Iron widow

  • @johngriffiths812
    @johngriffiths812 Год назад

    Thank you for this, really enjoying A Natural History of Dragons. one thing though, why is the spine of the book so similar to the other books. i looked and could only see book 2 on the bookshelf of my local book store. took effort to realise it had book 1 sitting next to it. so so!!! similar. Forgetting that loving it, it's got that vibe of Jane Austen mixed with The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle, which is one of my favourites.

  • @carlpeterson8740
    @carlpeterson8740 Год назад +1

    If you loved Hitchhiker's guide that much, try the MYTH series by Robert Asprin. A lighthearted fantasy series full of humor and does not take the genre super serious

  • @shaylic3795
    @shaylic3795 Год назад

    Would highly suggest Discworld series from Terry Pratchett if you liked Hitchhiker’s Guide.

  • @miandagny
    @miandagny Год назад

    I first read hitchhiker's guide in high school. It was interesting that this series, dune, enders game, and a couple others had such strong first books that I loved a lot then all of the sequels that I read were so much worse than each of the initial entries.

  • @gabbleratXD1
    @gabbleratXD1 Год назад

    Wow you have two big lenses in that frame I really like your big round glasses

  • @OliviasCatastrophe
    @OliviasCatastrophe Год назад

    I really need to read joe abercombie at some point. I love me some great character writing. And it can be so difficult for there to be good action scenes as well. I read my first tiffany d jackson now and really had a great time. Can't wait to go back and read monday is not coming! I am going to be trying robin hobb books in 2023 for sure -- but oh no for assassin's apprentice not being good as that is the one I have 🙈 Ooh middle grade scifi okay I'll read that :)

  • @booklanerecommendations
    @booklanerecommendations Год назад

    Here is my top 10:
    1. The Lost Metal
    2. Skyward
    3. The Bone Shard Daughter
    4. The Secret History
    5. Vicious
    6. Best Served Cold
    7. Red Seas Under Red Skies
    8. Uprooted
    9. The Emperor's Soul
    10. Cemetery Boys
    The first three are basically tied. So are 7 and 8, which were good for completely different reasons.

  • @matheusvmoraes
    @matheusvmoraes Год назад

    My top reads of the year were The Shadow Rising, Red Seas Under Red Skies and Before They Are Hanged.

  • @jeroenadmiraal8714
    @jeroenadmiraal8714 Год назад

    My top novels of the year is a shared first place between the Malazan books and the Winnie-the-Pooh books. Epic!

  • @weewer3369
    @weewer3369 Год назад

    Thanks for the recs!

  • @torcheditz
    @torcheditz Год назад

    really nice! might try to read some of them

  • @gabriel.audish7
    @gabriel.audish7 Год назад

    w person for putting vinland saga love it

  • @priscilladias8544
    @priscilladias8544 Год назад

    Mauler and Questus by english writer Shawn Williamson. Mauler is indicated by english writer, historian, cinema director Andrew Sinclair. He compares It with White Fang by Jack London.

  • @nathantaylor8705
    @nathantaylor8705 Год назад

    Great video, defo be looking up ABERCROMBIE's book. I discovered The Wheel of Time series this year and found it really immersive. Halfway through 2nd book in series now, really recommend.