The "alternate" angle unintentionally showcasing your beautiful collages... DANG!!! So much green and forest and Japan and pastels...! Inspired and envious! Also I feel somehow 1/50th responsible for recommending Tender is the Flesh... pleasantly surprised you got more out of it then I thought you might! Rad!
i’ve been going through a really rough patch in my life recently and your content and book recommendations have been one of few things keeping me sane, I absolutely love your videos 🤍
I have to read Jawbone now. Sounds like an absolute winner. Another recommendation, for the Christmas season: Krampus by Brom. Brom has a very particular voice, and a fixation on disadvantaged and misunderstood “delinquent townsfolk”. He’s also really into mythology and fantasy. He explores Krampus as a self-absorbed person, and the main character, a human guy with a boatload of issues, risks everything to capitalize on Krampus’s power and solve his own problems every chance he gets. Their stories run parallel, and intersect occasionally, but it’s tense when they pull in opposite directions with the stakes so high. Not everyone will like Brom’s writing style, but if you do, you’ll be rewarded for reading all his books, because he explores very similar character types in each one. :) Anyway, I ranted on longer than I intended. Thank you so much for the video. Your reviews are incredibly entertaining and getting insights into these books I never heard of but appeal very much to me is so appreciated. ^^
Jawbone is set in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The high school is actually real and I had a very terrifying teacher who quit working there because the girls were terrible😅 im interested to see how well its all translated into English. I’m so happy you liked it!!
You have become my favorite book tuber this year, you give very cozy vibes! I’ve also read some incredible books because of your channel, so thank you! Also might as well give a recommendation: Walking Practice by Dolki Min! Happy holidays!
jawbone looks incredibly intriguing to me and I must get my hands on it, thank you for drawing attention to it. obsessed with your room the posters look so cool. hope finals went well
“long day at the long day factory” used to describe working to prepare human meat for consumption is so funny like yeah its a damn long day thats for sure. great video like always i love the vibes and i hope you have a happy holidays and restful break from college :3
Hi frankie, I really like your vids and I think your opinions are very well thought out. Sometimes I do wonder though, what's the objective of the full plot summaries? In my view, the people that have already read it already know, and those that are wanting to read it get spoilers I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on it
@@frankiesshelf Also some of us know we won't have the time to read all books that interest us. I personally still enjoy hearing stories in that format (you telling it to us) it has its own merits. And spoilers are not everything!
I enjoy the plot summaries. If I know I probably won't read the book, or if I've read it already, then I find it very interesting to hear. If I start listening and discover I want to read the book, or if it's a book on my reading list, I'll skip over it. Personally, the plot summaries are one of the reasons I love the channel. I'm also very forgetful, so hearing a plot summary on here won't spoil a book for me because I'll probably have forgotten it when I get round to reading the book 😅 I'm reading The Shards currently, and have entirely forgotten Frankie's plot summary, so my horrible memory is working to my advantage
I come here specifically for the spoilers Edit: there’s like a million book channels out there that only gives vague hints and to me it’s infuriating lol
i thought the same exact thing but I like how timestamps are included so we can skip through the summary and go directly to the overall thoughts portion!
I'm glad you read Jawbone !! Monica Ojeda is an Ecuadorian author and I'm glad people know about her because we're a small country that a lot of people don't know about. Also, I feel like you would like Hell Followed with us by Andrew Joseph White. It's about this trans boy (he's 16) who ran away from this cult that brought armageddon to the world to go to paradise (it´s hard to explain).
I hope you have a great holiday, Frankie!! Thanks for all the wonderful content this year 😊 since we're throwing recommendations out there, I just read At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop (translated from French) and it was one of the most haunting books I read this year (hopefully one you havent already read). Maybe not a cozy holiday book, but I absolutely loved it.
eeee i don't know if you've already read this or not but Drive your plow over the bones of the dead by Olga tokarkzuk is a good book about animal rights and being a witchy old lady hehe, also happy holidays xox
YES i absolutely agree with ur review of tender is the flesh. i feel like im constantly being gaslit when everyone talks about LOVING it, it was genuinely a good idea but was executed really poorly (probably translation issue) i was super disappointed by it and its one of my least fav books lol
I am once again recommending, “Notes On An Execution” by Danya Kukafka. It is a story about a man who is counting down his days on death row where he has been sentenced to lethal injection for killing multiple women. We get to see the story of these murders through his perspective as well as the perspectives of his victims and the women in his life. He’s a narrator that you will love to hate, but you will also be tempted to feel empathy for. It’s a very complex commentary on the death penalty and what justice really means.
I don’t subscribe to any book RUclipsrs or really engage in that side of the Internet. But you got me back into reading and I’ve read several of your recommendations Big Swiss being my favorite. And currently reading our share of night. Thank youuuu
So I don't know if you have ever picked up the night circus but it's one of my favorite for rotation. Its a very singular book. I haven't had the same feeling in just about any other book.
I love your videos so much! Thought I'd recommend you two books that I think you'd really enjoy: The Simple Art of Killing a Woman by Patrícia Melo (translated by Sophie Lewis) and Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. The Simple Art of Killing a woman follows a Brazilian lawyer who goes on a work trip following an assault by her boyfriend at a party; we see her try to reconcile with her mother's murder through a series of ayahuasca trips, all while she tries to get justice for a murdered native girl. Parable of the Sower was written in the 1980's but begins in 2024, and deals with a dystopian America that is falling apart; the story follows a young black girl named Lauren who tries to establish a religion and community following the destruction of her home, and the deaths of those closest to her.
Just gonna throw a few recs in the comments again - Tongue Party by Sarah Rose Etter, May We Shed These Human Bodies by Amber Sparks, and And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin are three I think you may enjoy. Tongue Party may be hard to find though because Cake Train is a closed press.
You and your viewers all seem like you'd enjoy Francis Spufford's CAHOKIA JAZZ, which made some early "likely best of 2024" lists then disappeared but it's so so good. Almost James quality. It's a very cool alternate history/detective noir story set in an America in which the indigenous population survived smallpox etc in much greater numbers and so remained a significant force on the continent and retained territorial rights but have developed in parallel with white European settlers and imported/enslaved Africans to develop urban culture that retains tribal traditions... but also plays host to jazz musicians and whatnot. It's exquisite. This was a great year for books but even with all the stuff that stole its thunder, Cahokia Jazz was my favorite new bin of 2024!
Have you ever read Water Shall Refuse Them by Lucie McKnight Hardy? it's been a couple years since I've read it but I remember loving it - it seems like the kind of book you'd really like
Ok, I‘m also leaving a book recommendation. Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver. It’s this kind of slow, gothic, coming of age-ish story about a girl growing up with her father, who is gradually driven insane by his fear of witchcraft.
Ok, Tender is the Flesh is fine. It's. Fine, is the only word I have for it. However there's another author who wrote a similar universe, only in my opinion better. Far more fleshed (pun intended) out, and with characters you connect more deeply with. It's called Meat by Joseph D'Lacey. It's also government sponsored cannibalism, but it gives you so much more. Love it. Highly recommend.
I loved loved loved How We Named the Stars by Andrés N. Ordorica. An impactful story of the MCs connection to his Mexican heritage, unresolved love, and formative queer experiences in a collegiate setting 🦜
Hi Frankie. First, long time subscriber you are the reason I read countless books recommended by you. Please please. It’s slightly long but has short chapters. Give Josh Malermans Incidents around the house a chance pleaseeeeee
Since you're looking for recommendations, I'd highly recommend Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. It's a strange coming of age story with a big dystopian twist, and also my favourite book. It's better to go into this book blind, apart from knowing that the narrator is very unreliable and you've got to read between the lines to figure out what's really happening. Also American Psycho, since you enjoyed The Shards. Another Ellis book about a serial killer, but from a very different perspective. Very funny and satirical, and very brutal, with a compelling, obsessive, and highly detailed narrative voice. The gore is heavy and it's considered an extreme horror book, just so you know. For a shorter recommendation, I'd say Open Throat by Henry Hoke. It's a heartfelt magical realism book told from the perspective of a queer mountain lion who lives under the Hollywood sign. The dialect is quite unusual because the author is trying to channel the voice of a lion, so if that's something you're not into, maybe skip it.
i DNFed tender is the flesh because the writing did not do it for me. i chronically DNF books if i don’t instantly love them and yeah i agree with you that the writing is just way too heavy-handed and was over explaining everything. which was so disappointing because i was also recommended the book a ton and was so surprised it wasn’t well written considering how popular it is
So glad I never got to Tender is the Flesh - it just sounds like a book with interesting premise that author couldn't execute well. As for the recommendation, I think Dr. Edith Vane and the Hares of Crawley Hall by Suzette Mayr is an interesting read.
Yay new Frankie video 𓅮𓅮 I have two recommendations: -The Discomfort of Evening -My Heavenly Favorite both by queer writer Lucas Rijneveld in translation from Dutch
Love your videos!!! Have you read Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte? I have never read another book like it, it left my friend and I speechless. That's all I'll say...
excited to watch this! i'm going to give you another recommendation- my favorite book of 2024, feast while you can by mikaella clements & onjuli datta. it's a lesbian horror novel and seems like it might be something you enjoy!
👀⭐️👀⭐️👀 Frankie video👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Loved this video -- I don't even care if you spoil the twists! I love your careful reading and insights. I'm pretty sure I recommended these before, but just to make sure, 1. Iodine, Haven Kimmel 2. The Enchanted, Rene Denfeld Even if you hate both of these, I'd love to know why. I live for this kind of stuff! Good luck with your finals and Merry Christmas!
i felt the exact same way with tender is the flesh! saw this book all over the internet and it seemed right up my alley but then i read it and was just disappointed. it was alright but not really worth all the hype it got unfortunately.
I’m so sorry but I immediately skipped to see what you had to say about tender is the flesh. I hate that book and I feel so validated about what you said lol. My favorite scent is jasmine and it ruined this for me. I don’t even read much and I bought that book full price because I thought the cover was so good 💔
just starting the video and I'm making a bet you won't like TitF Edit: Not it's not the translation. I read TitF in spanish and I also thought the book was super heavy handed
I didn’t like Tender is the Flesh and I’m probably in the minority. I thought the prose was really flat but that might have been an issue with the translation, and the protagonist was very unlikable to me. It wasn’t really all that fun of a read either lol.
We gettin multiple angles in this video!?
I was stunned as well
your voice is so comforting
The "alternate" angle unintentionally showcasing your beautiful collages... DANG!!! So much green and forest and Japan and pastels...!
Inspired and envious!
Also I feel somehow 1/50th responsible for recommending Tender is the Flesh... pleasantly surprised you got more out of it then I thought you might! Rad!
EVERYBODY GET UP FRANKIE POSTED 🗣️🗣️
i’ve been going through a really rough patch in my life recently and your content and book recommendations have been one of few things keeping me sane, I absolutely love your videos 🤍
sending you a hug!!🧡
I have to read Jawbone now. Sounds like an absolute winner. Another recommendation, for the Christmas season: Krampus by Brom. Brom has a very particular voice, and a fixation on disadvantaged and misunderstood “delinquent townsfolk”. He’s also really into mythology and fantasy. He explores Krampus as a self-absorbed person, and the main character, a human guy with a boatload of issues, risks everything to capitalize on Krampus’s power and solve his own problems every chance he gets. Their stories run parallel, and intersect occasionally, but it’s tense when they pull in opposite directions with the stakes so high. Not everyone will like Brom’s writing style, but if you do, you’ll be rewarded for reading all his books, because he explores very similar character types in each one. :) Anyway, I ranted on longer than I intended. Thank you so much for the video. Your reviews are incredibly entertaining and getting insights into these books I never heard of but appeal very much to me is so appreciated. ^^
Jawbone is set in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The high school is actually real and I had a very terrifying teacher who quit working there because the girls were terrible😅 im interested to see how well its all translated into English. I’m so happy you liked it!!
You have become my favorite book tuber this year, you give very cozy vibes! I’ve also read some incredible books because of your channel, so thank you! Also might as well give a recommendation: Walking Practice by Dolki Min! Happy holidays!
thank you ❤️❤️ !! walking practice looks so weird i love it . what a crazy cover
@ It was in my top 5 reads this year, the illustrations also go into the book too, with each chapter having a new picture equally as weird!
i love the multiple angles
jawbone looks incredibly intriguing to me and I must get my hands on it, thank you for drawing attention to it. obsessed with your room the posters look so cool. hope finals went well
I love this video concept, and the additional angle is giving cinematography.
“long day at the long day factory” used to describe working to prepare human meat for consumption is so funny like yeah its a damn long day thats for sure. great video like always i love the vibes and i hope you have a happy holidays and restful break from college :3
For real I cackled at this
Seeing that you read Jawbone has made my holiday season; wonderful. 🙌🏼 Glad you loved it.
IT WAS SO GOOD
Hi frankie, I really like your vids and I think your opinions are very well thought out.
Sometimes I do wonder though, what's the objective of the full plot summaries? In my view, the people that have already read it already know, and those that are wanting to read it get spoilers
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on it
the entire point of everything i do on here is i have fun doing it lol
@@frankiesshelf Also some of us know we won't have the time to read all books that interest us. I personally still enjoy hearing stories in that format (you telling it to us) it has its own merits. And spoilers are not everything!
I enjoy the plot summaries. If I know I probably won't read the book, or if I've read it already, then I find it very interesting to hear. If I start listening and discover I want to read the book, or if it's a book on my reading list, I'll skip over it. Personally, the plot summaries are one of the reasons I love the channel. I'm also very forgetful, so hearing a plot summary on here won't spoil a book for me because I'll probably have forgotten it when I get round to reading the book 😅 I'm reading The Shards currently, and have entirely forgotten Frankie's plot summary, so my horrible memory is working to my advantage
I come here specifically for the spoilers
Edit: there’s like a million book channels out there that only gives vague hints and to me it’s infuriating lol
i thought the same exact thing but I like how timestamps are included so we can skip through the summary and go directly to the overall thoughts portion!
I will be needing more of these types of videos
I'm glad you read Jawbone !! Monica Ojeda is an Ecuadorian author and I'm glad people know about her because we're a small country that a lot of people don't know about. Also, I feel like you would like Hell Followed with us by Andrew Joseph White. It's about this trans boy (he's 16) who ran away from this cult that brought armageddon to the world to go to paradise (it´s hard to explain).
I hope you have a great holiday, Frankie!! Thanks for all the wonderful content this year 😊 since we're throwing recommendations out there, I just read At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop (translated from French) and it was one of the most haunting books I read this year (hopefully one you havent already read). Maybe not a cozy holiday book, but I absolutely loved it.
eeee i don't know if you've already read this or not but Drive your plow over the bones of the dead by Olga tokarkzuk is a good book about animal rights and being a witchy old lady hehe, also happy holidays xox
Perfect start to my morning!! thanks!!
Everytime you post I get so excited!
YES i absolutely agree with ur review of tender is the flesh. i feel like im constantly being gaslit when everyone talks about LOVING it, it was genuinely a good idea but was executed really poorly (probably translation issue) i was super disappointed by it and its one of my least fav books lol
i yelped when i saw that you posted !!! i am in my icky hometown for xmas and rewatching your vids is getting me through it
wait this is such a fun idea :0 audience interaction and the fun of new books
Please read chain gang all-stars. I know it's a door stopper but it's so good and not enough people are talking about it.
your foot peeking up at 54:21 reminded me of a worm poking their head out of dirt
I am once again recommending, “Notes On An Execution” by Danya Kukafka. It is a story about a man who is counting down his days on death row where he has been sentenced to lethal injection for killing multiple women. We get to see the story of these murders through his perspective as well as the perspectives of his victims and the women in his life. He’s a narrator that you will love to hate, but you will also be tempted to feel empathy for. It’s a very complex commentary on the death penalty and what justice really means.
I don’t subscribe to any book RUclipsrs or really engage in that side of the Internet. But you got me back into reading and I’ve read several of your recommendations Big Swiss being my favorite. And currently reading our share of night. Thank youuuu
Totally agree about Tender is the Flesh! I was very underwhelmed.
So I don't know if you have ever picked up the night circus but it's one of my favorite for rotation. Its a very singular book. I haven't had the same feeling in just about any other book.
I'll second this! My friend Bonnie crocheted me a red scarf after I made her read it 😊
I love your videos so much!
Thought I'd recommend you two books that I think you'd really enjoy:
The Simple Art of Killing a Woman by Patrícia Melo (translated by Sophie Lewis) and Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler.
The Simple Art of Killing a woman follows a Brazilian lawyer who goes on a work trip following an assault by her boyfriend at a party; we see her try to reconcile with her mother's murder through a series of ayahuasca trips, all while she tries to get justice for a murdered native girl.
Parable of the Sower was written in the 1980's but begins in 2024, and deals with a dystopian America that is falling apart; the story follows a young black girl named Lauren who tries to establish a religion and community following the destruction of her home, and the deaths of those closest to her.
also I would love to hear your opinion on Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel The Eternal Husband
if i can ever bring myself to read another dostoevsky i will .. big if
@frankiesshelf I believe in you
Just gonna throw a few recs in the comments again - Tongue Party by Sarah Rose Etter, May We Shed These Human Bodies by Amber Sparks, and And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin are three I think you may enjoy. Tongue Party may be hard to find though because Cake Train is a closed press.
If you like something similar to Jawbone, you should read Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino or Penance by Eliza Clark.
You and your viewers all seem like you'd enjoy Francis Spufford's CAHOKIA JAZZ, which made some early "likely best of 2024" lists then disappeared but it's so so good. Almost James quality. It's a very cool alternate history/detective noir story set in an America in which the indigenous population survived smallpox etc in much greater numbers and so remained a significant force on the continent and retained territorial rights but have developed in parallel with white European settlers and imported/enslaved Africans to develop urban culture that retains tribal traditions... but also plays host to jazz musicians and whatnot. It's exquisite. This was a great year for books but even with all the stuff that stole its thunder, Cahokia Jazz was my favorite new bin of 2024!
Have you ever read Water Shall Refuse Them by Lucie McKnight Hardy? it's been a couple years since I've read it but I remember loving it - it seems like the kind of book you'd really like
Ok, I‘m also leaving a book recommendation.
Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver.
It’s this kind of slow, gothic, coming of age-ish story about a girl growing up with her father, who is gradually driven insane by his fear of witchcraft.
Ok, Tender is the Flesh is fine. It's. Fine, is the only word I have for it. However there's another author who wrote a similar universe, only in my opinion better. Far more fleshed (pun intended) out, and with characters you connect more deeply with. It's called Meat by Joseph D'Lacey. It's also government sponsored cannibalism, but it gives you so much more. Love it. Highly recommend.
I loved loved loved How We Named the Stars by Andrés N. Ordorica. An impactful story of the MCs connection to his Mexican heritage, unresolved love, and formative queer experiences in a collegiate setting 🦜
My recommendation to you is Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino, literally the one book that got me into writing.
Hi Frankie. First, long time subscriber you are the reason I read countless books recommended by you. Please please. It’s slightly long but has short chapters. Give Josh Malermans Incidents around the house a chance pleaseeeeee
Love your videos!
I have two translated recs from indie presses for you;
Fowl Eulogies-Lucie Rico
Tropic of Violence- Natacha Appanah
Happy Holidays 🎄
Natacha Appanah is such a great writer -- I really loved The Last Brother. 💚
Since you're looking for recommendations, I'd highly recommend Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. It's a strange coming of age story with a big dystopian twist, and also my favourite book. It's better to go into this book blind, apart from knowing that the narrator is very unreliable and you've got to read between the lines to figure out what's really happening.
Also American Psycho, since you enjoyed The Shards. Another Ellis book about a serial killer, but from a very different perspective. Very funny and satirical, and very brutal, with a compelling, obsessive, and highly detailed narrative voice. The gore is heavy and it's considered an extreme horror book, just so you know.
For a shorter recommendation, I'd say Open Throat by Henry Hoke. It's a heartfelt magical realism book told from the perspective of a queer mountain lion who lives under the Hollywood sign. The dialect is quite unusual because the author is trying to channel the voice of a lion, so if that's something you're not into, maybe skip it.
As a Fernanda I am almost obligated to read Jawbone.
If you ever do this again I would love hear what you think of my recommendation: The Glass Castle
woooo best way to spend my morning this is extremely exciting for me
should do an anti-rec video, where we send in the worst books we’ve ever read and get to see Frankie rip them to shreds
Check out Vaccuming in the dark!
I loved this! Do you/would you ever write fiction?
i DNFed tender is the flesh because the writing did not do it for me. i chronically DNF books if i don’t instantly love them and yeah i agree with you that the writing is just way too heavy-handed and was over explaining everything. which was so disappointing because i was also recommended the book a ton and was so surprised it wasn’t well written considering how popular it is
So glad I never got to Tender is the Flesh - it just sounds like a book with interesting premise that author couldn't execute well.
As for the recommendation, I think Dr. Edith Vane and the Hares of Crawley Hall by Suzette Mayr is an interesting read.
Yay new Frankie video 𓅮𓅮
I have two recommendations:
-The Discomfort of Evening
-My Heavenly Favorite
both by queer writer Lucas Rijneveld in translation from Dutch
Love your videos!!!
Have you read Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte? I have never read another book like it, it left my friend and I speechless. That's all I'll say...
excited to watch this! i'm going to give you another recommendation- my favorite book of 2024, feast while you can by mikaella clements & onjuli datta. it's a lesbian horror novel and seems like it might be something you enjoy!
yess i can’t say no to lesbian horror thank you
👀⭐️👀⭐️👀
Frankie video👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Loved this video -- I don't even care if you spoil the twists! I love your careful reading and insights. I'm pretty sure I recommended these before, but just to make sure,
1. Iodine, Haven Kimmel
2. The Enchanted, Rene Denfeld
Even if you hate both of these, I'd love to know why. I live for this kind of stuff! Good luck with your finals and Merry Christmas!
OMG you pronounced "MO-WALK-EE" right I'm so happy rn 27:23
Closer by Dennis Cooper next pleease. I have to know your thoughts on it😽
it’s at the top of my list ! i just can’t find it anywhere
i felt the exact same way with tender is the flesh! saw this book all over the internet and it seemed right up my alley but then i read it and was just disappointed. it was alright but not really worth all the hype it got unfortunately.
I’m so sorry but I immediately skipped to see what you had to say about tender is the flesh. I hate that book and I feel so validated about what you said lol. My favorite scent is jasmine and it ruined this for me. I don’t even read much and I bought that book full price because I thought the cover was so good 💔
you should read leech by hiron ennes
Am I one of the first people here? Time to cozy up and watch this video ❤
back again to recommend grey dog by elliot gish :-)
New Frankie video!!! New Frankie video!!!!
👋👍
just starting the video and I'm making a bet you won't like TitF Edit: Not it's not the translation. I read TitF in spanish and I also thought the book was super heavy handed
I didn’t like Tender is the Flesh and I’m probably in the minority. I thought the prose was really flat but that might have been an issue with the translation, and the protagonist was very unlikable to me. It wasn’t really all that fun of a read either lol.
not to sound american, but YOU'RE NOT AMERICAN???
EVERYBODY GET UP FRANKIE POSTED 🗣️🗣️🗣️