Such an amazing wrap-up! So many books already on my TBR and many others I have just added thanks to you (like The Factory and The Subtweet). I'm glad you liked Ghachar Ghochar, I'm a big champion of that one. Life for Sale is one I own and I definitely have to get to! I'm so glad you liked Romantic Outlaws, I haven't got to it yet but I want to read it so much it always makes me happy when people recommend it, haha.
Howard's End is also one of my favorite books of all time. The juxtaposition of various opposites (conservative/liberal, English/German, radical/moderate, business people/intellectuals, practical realists/philosophical dreamers, prejudiced/open-minded, and so on) and the exploration of how people who embody them can still meaningfully connect is just so timeless and always stays interesting. The new TV mini series adaptation is also very beautiful and well-done. Thank you so much for sharing your impressions, you've inspired me to try On Beauty.
Yes when you stop to think about it there really are so many pairings going on in the book! It's a lovely read. I didn't know there was a new mini series though, so thanks for the heads up on that! :D
It's been much too long since I caught up with your channel and for that I apologise. I've been meaning to read Beowulf for years (I'd say decades because I first learned of the story when I was eight ... oh lord, that is a long time ago) and the fact that you paired that text with some re-imaginings seemed like such a great way to explore the original text. Similarly, I've had plans to read Howard's End and then go into On Beauty as they're both books I wish to read. I'm glad you had such a successful reading month, and to hear your house move went well, and hope that June proves just as splendid. (and thank you for your thoughts on these books because I hadn't heard of most of them and I always appreciate discovering new writers to read)
Thanks for the kind words! I don't want to jinx it, but June is shaping out to be an amazing reading month as well. Classic and contemporary pairings are always so much fun... I love seeing how authors adapt the story in order to reflect their own time period's values. I hope you enjoy Howards End-- it is a gem! :)
Ahhh you always inspire me! I cannot believe how much focus you must have to read ALL these books each month, most of which are on the dense side. I am trying!! I hate how distracted and busy I can get. I purchased ‘The Novel: A Biography’ based on your past recommendation. I’m taking my time with it, and loving it. I cannot believe you finished it with all the other mammoths that month. Wish we were neighbours so we could just book shop at thrift stores, read, and book chatter together (I’m in Oakville, so close yet so far!). Take care, can’t wait to see your June wrap up!
Small world-- I grew up in Oakville!!! My family still lives there so I am there quite often to visit. If book stores start opening up again I would definitely be down to meet up at some point this summer :) And I'm so glad to hear you're enjoying The Novel so far!
Romantic Outlaws sounds like something I'd like :) I really loved the recent movie about Mary Shelley, and also got curious about the mentions of her mother, who I had not heard of before.
So you finished Proust. Great! It seems you enjoyed the experience. Didn't you love all (or most of the) characters? Who is your favourite? I also hope you laughed quite a lot. I am eagerly expecting your video where you wrap things up. When I read the last pages of Le temps retrouvé I immediately want to reread the entire book again, starting with Combray.
I totally get the feeling of wanting to start again! It's hard to pick a favourite character, but I loved Swann & the grandmother, loved to hate Mme Verdurin, and loved following the drama of Baron de Charlus! :)
I keep looking at your bookshelves~ I'd love to see a book collection tour! Really enjoy your video's it's so impressive how many books you are able to read in a month!
I can't believe you blew through Proust so quickly!! I'll be referring back to your journey reading In Search of Lost Time as I make my way through the volumes, glad to hear the last volume ends on a high note. And also happy to hear you really liked Howards End upon a reread! Funnily enough I think I should reread On Beauty, because I read it before Howards End and found it a bit lackluster, even though I love Howards End haha. And yeah, Measure For Measure is wild haha, definitely wasn't what I was expecting when I read it and was so surprised by its modernity in how relevant it is today. Another great reading month!
I'm glad I am not the only one who got bamboozled by Measure for Measure! And yes I think reading this much Proust was only possible because of the lockdown situation. It was nice to always have something to look forward to everyday! :)
You have to read Fernando Pessoa, a wonderful portuguese author, and also Hilda Hilst, a brazillian writer, so check it out the review of Better than Food about her book!
Hi Alex! This is going to sound like a weird question, but would you consider reading The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris? This series inspired the tv show True Blood!
Wasn't Romantic Outlaws wonderful! I also have a lovely copy of The Book of Disquiet which I would like to get to soon. Also must get to Heartberries. in Indigenous, Hispanic poetry, looking forward to When My Brother Was An Aztec and Post Colonial Love Song, both by Natalie Diaz.
I haven't ever counted my books because I am afraid to find out the number! :O My favourite way to get books is to find them secondhand (thrift stores, library sales, etc), but I usually buy some new paperbacks every month as well. I try to avoid buying hardcovers though-- when the library is back up and running then I'll have access to new releases again :)
Love your reviews Alex and what an impressive list of reads. I loved Romantic Outlaws and still think about it even though it has been a few years since reading. Looking forward to your Proust review x
Thank you! That's great to hear that Romantic Outlaws has some good staying power. I really enjoyed the reading experience, and I want to look out for some more double biographies since I liked the format so much :)
Such an amazing wrap-up! So many books already on my TBR and many others I have just added thanks to you (like The Factory and The Subtweet). I'm glad you liked Ghachar Ghochar, I'm a big champion of that one. Life for Sale is one I own and I definitely have to get to! I'm so glad you liked Romantic Outlaws, I haven't got to it yet but I want to read it so much it always makes me happy when people recommend it, haha.
Yes Ghachar Ghochar deserves more love! And I owned Romantic Outlaws for YEARS before I read it haha... so glad I finally read it though! :)
Howard's End is also one of my favorite books of all time. The juxtaposition of various opposites (conservative/liberal, English/German, radical/moderate, business people/intellectuals, practical realists/philosophical dreamers, prejudiced/open-minded, and so on) and the exploration of how people who embody them can still meaningfully connect is just so timeless and always stays interesting. The new TV mini series adaptation is also very beautiful and well-done. Thank you so much for sharing your impressions, you've inspired me to try On Beauty.
Yes when you stop to think about it there really are so many pairings going on in the book! It's a lovely read. I didn't know there was a new mini series though, so thanks for the heads up on that! :D
loved this!! now i’m gonna be looking forward to that proust review 🤩
Yes I am looking forward to gushing more about this reading experience :}
It's been much too long since I caught up with your channel and for that I apologise. I've been meaning to read Beowulf for years (I'd say decades because I first learned of the story when I was eight ... oh lord, that is a long time ago) and the fact that you paired that text with some re-imaginings seemed like such a great way to explore the original text. Similarly, I've had plans to read Howard's End and then go into On Beauty as they're both books I wish to read. I'm glad you had such a successful reading month, and to hear your house move went well, and hope that June proves just as splendid. (and thank you for your thoughts on these books because I hadn't heard of most of them and I always appreciate discovering new writers to read)
Thanks for the kind words! I don't want to jinx it, but June is shaping out to be an amazing reading month as well. Classic and contemporary pairings are always so much fun... I love seeing how authors adapt the story in order to reflect their own time period's values. I hope you enjoy Howards End-- it is a gem! :)
Ahhh you always inspire me! I cannot believe how much focus you must have to read ALL these books each month, most of which are on the dense side. I am trying!! I hate how distracted and busy I can get. I purchased ‘The Novel: A Biography’ based on your past recommendation. I’m taking my time with it, and loving it. I cannot believe you finished it with all the other mammoths that month. Wish we were neighbours so we could just book shop at thrift stores, read, and book chatter together (I’m in Oakville, so close yet so far!). Take care, can’t wait to see your June wrap up!
Small world-- I grew up in Oakville!!! My family still lives there so I am there quite often to visit. If book stores start opening up again I would definitely be down to meet up at some point this summer :) And I'm so glad to hear you're enjoying The Novel so far!
Romantic Outlaws sounds like something I'd like :) I really loved the recent movie about Mary Shelley, and also got curious about the mentions of her mother, who I had not heard of before.
Both Marys are icons! I didn't know there was a Mary Shelley movie though, so thank you for bringing that to my attention! :)
So you finished Proust. Great!
It seems you enjoyed the experience. Didn't you love all (or most of the) characters? Who is your favourite?
I also hope you laughed quite a lot.
I am eagerly expecting your video where you wrap things up.
When I read the last pages of Le temps retrouvé I immediately want to reread the entire book again, starting with Combray.
I totally get the feeling of wanting to start again! It's hard to pick a favourite character, but I loved Swann & the grandmother, loved to hate Mme Verdurin, and loved following the drama of Baron de Charlus! :)
I keep looking at your bookshelves~ I'd love to see a book collection tour! Really enjoy your video's it's so impressive how many books you are able to read in a month!
I am thinking about making that a summer project! :)
I can't believe you blew through Proust so quickly!! I'll be referring back to your journey reading In Search of Lost Time as I make my way through the volumes, glad to hear the last volume ends on a high note. And also happy to hear you really liked Howards End upon a reread! Funnily enough I think I should reread On Beauty, because I read it before Howards End and found it a bit lackluster, even though I love Howards End haha. And yeah, Measure For Measure is wild haha, definitely wasn't what I was expecting when I read it and was so surprised by its modernity in how relevant it is today.
Another great reading month!
I'm glad I am not the only one who got bamboozled by Measure for Measure! And yes I think reading this much Proust was only possible because of the lockdown situation. It was nice to always have something to look forward to everyday! :)
I've had The Subtweet on my radar for awhile now, but you definitely made me want to get to it sooner rather than later! :)
It is a lot of fun! I'm glad that you're planning on reading it. As an additional bonus it is quite short and difficult to put down :}
You have to read Fernando Pessoa, a wonderful portuguese author, and also Hilda Hilst, a brazillian writer, so check it out the review of Better than Food about her book!
I own the Book of Disquiet and I'm really looking forward to it! I will need to check out Hilda Hilst though!
@@bigalbooksforever Oh my god! This book is amazing, you won't regret it ❤️
pro trick: you can watch series on flixzone. I've been using them for watching a lot of movies recently.
@Kole Jaxx Definitely, have been watching on Flixzone} for since november myself :)
I loved Watership Down, it was wonderful 🤗
Yes it is a gem! I think of it every time I see a rabbit now :}
Hi Alex! This is going to sound like a weird question, but would you consider reading The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris? This series inspired the tv show True Blood!
I haven't read a lot of vampire themed books, but I do enjoy horror every now and then so I'll keep it in mind!
@@bigalbooksforever 😘❤️❤️
Wasn't Romantic Outlaws wonderful! I also have a lovely copy of The Book of Disquiet which I would like to get to soon. Also must get to Heartberries. in Indigenous, Hispanic poetry, looking forward to When My Brother Was An Aztec and Post Colonial Love Song, both by Natalie Diaz.
I just read her for this first time this month (When My Brother Was An Aztec). Her poetry is brilliant. I'd love to read more of her work :)
How many physical books do you have? Do you usually buy a book if you want to read it?
I haven't ever counted my books because I am afraid to find out the number! :O My favourite way to get books is to find them secondhand (thrift stores, library sales, etc), but I usually buy some new paperbacks every month as well. I try to avoid buying hardcovers though-- when the library is back up and running then I'll have access to new releases again :)
@@bigalbooksforever maybe you could do a bookcase tour or organization vlog
@@evanissioti7643 I am thinking about making that a summer project! :)
Love your reviews Alex and what an impressive list of reads. I loved Romantic Outlaws and still think about it even though it has been a few years since reading. Looking forward to your Proust review x
Thank you! That's great to hear that Romantic Outlaws has some good staying power. I really enjoyed the reading experience, and I want to look out for some more double biographies since I liked the format so much :)