I can't exactly pinpoint it, but Jenny's videos are very soothing to me. I know it sounds a bit silly, but I feel like I'm listening to a book bestie and we can all gush about our love for books. I have also found many book recommendations thanks to these videos. So I just wanted to say, thank you Jenny!
Our reading tastes don't overlap much but I always enjoy your videos because despite that fact, you always make me want to read and appreciate these books. I'm hoping to attempt reading some of these in the new year, fingers crossed.
wow okay you and Claire both gush about Guy Gavriel Kay. Fantasy intimidates me but I trust you both so I'm doing it. Also this entire vid was just such a joy to watch. We have such similar reading tastes.Thank you!!! - Dalia :)
Perhaps more than the anticipation of your top 10 list was the anticipation of seeing what pretty editions of each book you landed on to keep in your library 😌
So glad to see your esteem for “Milkman”. For me it was a unique and memorable reading experience. Thank you for reminding me of “Prairie Fires”. I was intrigued by an extensive review which I read a while ago and since forgotten. “Educated” was a memoir I wanted to recommend to everyone.
I'm in the middle of The Golden Fool right now, as well as a different George Elliot novel, so you can imagine my excitement seeing them so high on your list.
It’s so good to see Hobb so high on your list! I’ve just started my first re-read of the Tawny Man trilogy and it’s so great to be back with these characters. 💙
Your videos always make me want to read read read.. have added several books to my tbr. And currently reading Fire, after watching one of your other videos - really liking it so far😊
I have read several of these and I agree with your descriptions of them. I have several on my TBR and because of your I added a couple more. Of the ones I’ve read The Door is my favorite. It has just about all the elements of what. I enjoy in a story
Numbers 4, 5 and 6 are on my all time favorites list! Occasionally, I pick Do Not Say We Have Nothing up and read a few pages. I'll never stop being astonished by it. I haven't read your top 3, so that gives me something to do :)
Fantastic video! I realize how many books I’ve read because I saw them here. And quite a few that I bought but _still_ haven’t read. Im so glad you started your channel ( so thank you to A Portable Veblen)
Bonjour ! I watched it last night but couldn't reply right away. Great video, and it's interesting to see how long these books we call "favorite" actually remain our favorites. But it was easy to see on your face (eyes and smile) which ones are still in your heart ! And I'm relieved because I either have already read these books, or they are on my TBR - actually I bought a few because of you ;-) and even if they don't reach the top 60 they are still pretty good. I have to say that I don't know why but I had expected to see more classics but actually you read more contemporary authors than I do. Maggie Nelson is also a favorite of mine and I can only recommend enough "Jane, a murder" her last book about her aunt. She gives a beautiful hommage to her aunt, and shows extracts of her diary and her spirit. It's so moving. So strong ! I read Margaret of the First because of you and yes it was really good. Hope 2022 is a great reading year for you ! and it's always nice to see your cats popping up
and I almost forgot Madeleine Thien's book which I love so much ! And I'm so upset because many people had it on their TNR and unhauled it or didn't like it, how come ?
I really enjoyed listening to this! There are several on your list that I have on my TBR and eventually I would like to reread Middlemarch and Room of One’s Own.
What a fun video! Definitely made me very happy. As ever your book enthusiasm is very infectious. What an interesting list of absolute favorites. The only one I've read is Amy and Isabelle. It's the only Elizabeth Strout I've read and it did make me interested to read more of her work. It's not an absolute favorite for me but I do remember it as being one of those books that flowed so easily and effortlessly. It almost reads itself if that makes sense. I very much appreciated the high caliber of her writing. I'm honestly glad that it's the only one I've read off your absolute favorite lists because now I have so many other books to be excited about and to find my way to. Pretty much all of them are books that have periodically been on my mind over the past few years but I've just never picked them up. Prairie Fires especially is one that is going to the top of my list. I've been really wanting to read it for a while now. Growing up my dad read all the Little House books to me and my siblings. That was a very formative reading experience for me so I'm fascinated by the idea of reading a nonfiction on Laura Ingalls Wilder. I'm very excited to get to that one and all of the others. Thank you for sharing. Also, I've just picked up The Lie Tree based on you previously recommending it and it is delectable.
I would love to hear what you think of Prairie Fires if and when you read it! It's not the kind of biography that spoils its subject matter, either---Fraser provides a really well-rounded, fair portrait of Laura Ingalls Wilder, such that I can now think much more critically about her while still enjoying my rereads of her books :)
A nice mix of classic and contemporary - thank you. Of course, I tend to prefer Post Modernism, which is for me a clearer interpretation of reality than its antecedents. Our world often is confusing and the answers we reach sometimes don't make perfect sense, but that's okay. It's precisely because finding meaning is difficult that we are drawn to it. Enjoyed your presentation, and have a Happy New Year.
That was great to watch your enjoyment and buzz from those books. You have convinced me to reread Mrs Dalloway next year along with Do Not Say We Have Nothing which has been on my shelf for years. I totally agree with Lincoln in the Bardo, Milkman and almost any book by Ali Smith being on your list - I think my favourite would be either How To Be Both or Autumn. Hope you have a great holiday and a happy new year.
Great video! Thanks for the heads-up on the author of Old B. In the end, I added a few things to my TBR and also took a few things off it, so this has worked out perfectly!
This was such an interesting video, to reflect on the books that most spoke to us and how that changed throughout five years! I'll definitely be looking forward to doing that in a few years and see how my reading and what I look for changes! :) Ps. I remember you talking about The portable veblen, I got it because of you! Has it been 5 years already? Holy guacamole!
love this!!! a lot of my favourites are in there as well, and i read them on your recommendations! looking forward to reading the others and hopefully fall in love with them as well 💜
This was such an interesting video! This is something I've been thinking of doing too as I think my reading taste has changed so much that I would strongly disagree with my past self!
I was pleasantly surprised by how much these lists held up for me, even for the books that didn't make it to the final list! Maybe you'll be surprised in a positive way too :)
Thank you, Jenny, for this video :) It's been LOVELY if I may say that xD but mostly it made me think how you've been this warm well-spoken funny presence on youtube who I wait for however long it takes cuz your videos have always brought me so much joy
3:05 I tend to lean in a similar direction of generally disliking the sense of there being just the one overarching voice in an author's work. Thomas Bernhard comes to my mind, personally, as an example of this affect wearing really thin pretty quickly, but with that said I think there are also examples where it works. I just read my first Javier Marias (The Infatuations, 6/5 stars), and going by the secondary stuff I looked and listened to alongside it, it seems his novels collectively form sort of a repetitive whole taken together, where there are several different Luisa characters, and the protagonist is always a translator, and all the conversations read like very un-extemporanious dialogues, and so on. I guess it can be a question of estimating the degree to which the author wants to do a version of realism and reckoning whether or not they've achieved it. (-Although in the case of Bernhard I find the mono-voice boring despite the author's probable self-awareness.)
Jen you gotta read the Waves by Virginia Woolf if you haven’t already. It is so beautiful and I think you will like it. My favourite book in the past five years have been The Waves and Do Not Say We Have Nothing. I wish I could read these for the first time.
I haven't read The Waves yet! I own Orlando and still haven't read it, so that'll be my next of her books, but I'll be sure to prioritize The Waves after that
Hmm. After You'd Gone no lo hizo. Podría decir estoy decepcionado... Lo leí después de su recomendación, y es un favorito para mi. Pero, el vaso es media lleno. Hay más recomendaciones para investigar. Saludos, gracias, y buena suerte.
Do you think Prairie fires is interesting/enjoyable for somebody who didn't read any Laura Ingalls Wilder as a kid? I don't know any of her books and reading such a big book in a foreign language is daunting but your description sounds so intreging.
I definitely think it could still be very interesting, even for people who have never read the Little House books! Her childhood life was so eventful and fits into so many broader discussions of history (colonization, the climate crisis, huge financial schemes). And what really moved me about this biography is the way it shows her loyalty to her father. Basically, Charles Ingalls was a man who made a lot of deeply flawed, irresponsible decisions over the years, but Laura loved him to such an extent that she made him the hero of her books. I think that's a really common human dynamic. And in Wilder's case, it helped to create this image of Charles Ingalls as a pioneering icon, when it seems he was more likely a victim of false marketing, governmental indifference, and impossible dreams
Oh youre not the only one 😀. Now, instead, I take screenshots and move them into an album of their own. Then i write them down when i have ten or twenty of them.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
ok this is such a delightful vid but even more(?!) are those pants omggg, i love the flower patterns!
I can't exactly pinpoint it, but Jenny's videos are very soothing to me. I know it sounds a bit silly, but I feel like I'm listening to a book bestie and we can all gush about our love for books. I have also found many book recommendations thanks to these videos. So I just wanted to say, thank you Jenny!
I love Lincoln in the Bardo and Do Not Say We Have Nothing so much that I feel like I need to read the rest of your top 10 now.
Our reading tastes don't overlap much but I always enjoy your videos because despite that fact, you always make me want to read and appreciate these books. I'm hoping to attempt reading some of these in the new year, fingers crossed.
wow okay you and Claire both gush about Guy Gavriel Kay. Fantasy intimidates me but I trust you both so I'm doing it. Also this entire vid was just such a joy to watch. We have such similar reading tastes.Thank you!!! - Dalia :)
Perhaps more than the anticipation of your top 10 list was the anticipation of seeing what pretty editions of each book you landed on to keep in your library 😌
I know, they're so prettyyy my literary childreeen
So glad to see your esteem for “Milkman”. For me it was a unique and memorable reading experience.
Thank you for reminding me of “Prairie Fires”. I was intrigued by an extensive review which I read a while ago and since forgotten. “Educated” was a memoir I wanted to recommend to everyone.
I'm in the middle of The Golden Fool right now, as well as a different George Elliot novel, so you can imagine my excitement seeing them so high on your list.
It’s so good to see Hobb so high on your list! I’ve just started my first re-read of the Tawny Man trilogy and it’s so great to be back with these characters. 💙
Ugh the Tawny Man trilogy is EVERYTHING, my favorites of the whole series
Your videos always make me want to read read read.. have added several books to my tbr. And currently reading Fire, after watching one of your other videos - really liking it so far😊
Gratitude for sharing, what a bibliography.
I have read several of these and I agree with your descriptions of them. I have several on my TBR and because of your I added a couple more.
Of the ones I’ve read The Door is my favorite. It has just about all the elements of what. I enjoy in a story
Numbers 4, 5 and 6 are on my all time favorites list! Occasionally, I pick Do Not Say We Have Nothing up and read a few pages. I'll never stop being astonished by it.
I haven't read your top 3, so that gives me something to do :)
Fantastic video! I realize how many books I’ve read because I saw them here. And quite a few that I bought but _still_ haven’t read. Im so glad you started your channel ( so thank you to A Portable Veblen)
Bloodlands and Prairie Fire are going in my checkout cart. And yes: Middlemarch is perfect!
Bonjour ! I watched it last night but couldn't reply right away. Great video, and it's interesting to see how long these books we call "favorite" actually remain our favorites. But it was easy to see on your face (eyes and smile) which ones are still in your heart ! And I'm relieved because I either have already read these books, or they are on my TBR - actually I bought a few because of you ;-) and even if they don't reach the top 60 they are still pretty good. I have to say that I don't know why but I had expected to see more classics but actually you read more contemporary authors than I do. Maggie Nelson is also a favorite of mine and I can only recommend enough "Jane, a murder" her last book about her aunt. She gives a beautiful hommage to her aunt, and shows extracts of her diary and her spirit. It's so moving. So strong ! I read Margaret of the First because of you and yes it was really good. Hope 2022 is a great reading year for you ! and it's always nice to see your cats popping up
and I almost forgot Madeleine Thien's book which I love so much ! And I'm so upset because many people had it on their TNR and unhauled it or didn't like it, how come ?
I really enjoyed listening to this! There are several on your list that I have on my TBR and eventually I would like to reread Middlemarch and Room of One’s Own.
What a fun video! Definitely made me very happy. As ever your book enthusiasm is very infectious. What an interesting list of absolute favorites. The only one I've read is Amy and Isabelle. It's the only Elizabeth Strout I've read and it did make me interested to read more of her work. It's not an absolute favorite for me but I do remember it as being one of those books that flowed so easily and effortlessly. It almost reads itself if that makes sense. I very much appreciated the high caliber of her writing. I'm honestly glad that it's the only one I've read off your absolute favorite lists because now I have so many other books to be excited about and to find my way to. Pretty much all of them are books that have periodically been on my mind over the past few years but I've just never picked them up. Prairie Fires especially is one that is going to the top of my list. I've been really wanting to read it for a while now. Growing up my dad read all the Little House books to me and my siblings. That was a very formative reading experience for me so I'm fascinated by the idea of reading a nonfiction on Laura Ingalls Wilder. I'm very excited to get to that one and all of the others. Thank you for sharing. Also, I've just picked up The Lie Tree based on you previously recommending it and it is delectable.
I would love to hear what you think of Prairie Fires if and when you read it! It's not the kind of biography that spoils its subject matter, either---Fraser provides a really well-rounded, fair portrait of Laura Ingalls Wilder, such that I can now think much more critically about her while still enjoying my rereads of her books :)
Loved watching this! I have loved the Robin Hobb books and am just about to start the Tawny Man trilogy.
Will you do a video of the best 2021 books?
A nice mix of classic and contemporary - thank you. Of course, I tend to prefer Post Modernism, which is for me a clearer interpretation of reality than its antecedents. Our world often is confusing and the answers we reach sometimes don't make perfect sense, but that's okay. It's precisely because finding meaning is difficult that we are drawn to it. Enjoyed your presentation, and have a Happy New Year.
That was great to watch your enjoyment and buzz from those books. You have convinced me to reread Mrs Dalloway next year along with Do Not Say We Have Nothing which has been on my shelf for years. I totally agree with Lincoln in the Bardo, Milkman and almost any book by Ali Smith being on your list - I think my favourite would be either How To Be Both or Autumn.
Hope you have a great holiday and a happy new year.
Great video! Thanks for the heads-up on the author of Old B. In the end, I added a few things to my TBR and also took a few things off it, so this has worked out perfectly!
This was such an interesting video, to reflect on the books that most spoke to us and how that changed throughout five years!
I'll definitely be looking forward to doing that in a few years and see how my reading and what I look for changes! :)
Ps. I remember you talking about The portable veblen, I got it because of you! Has it been 5 years already? Holy guacamole!
love this!!! a lot of my favourites are in there as well, and i read them on your recommendations! looking forward to reading the others and hopefully fall in love with them as well 💜
This was such an interesting video! This is something I've been thinking of doing too as I think my reading taste has changed so much that I would strongly disagree with my past self!
I was pleasantly surprised by how much these lists held up for me, even for the books that didn't make it to the final list! Maybe you'll be surprised in a positive way too :)
Thank you, Jenny, for this video :) It's been LOVELY if I may say that xD but mostly it made me think how you've been this warm well-spoken funny presence on youtube who I wait for however long it takes cuz your videos have always brought me so much joy
3:05 I tend to lean in a similar direction of generally disliking the sense of there being just the one overarching voice in an author's work. Thomas Bernhard comes to my mind, personally, as an example of this affect wearing really thin pretty quickly, but with that said I think there are also examples where it works. I just read my first Javier Marias (The Infatuations, 6/5 stars), and going by the secondary stuff I looked and listened to alongside it, it seems his novels collectively form sort of a repetitive whole taken together, where there are several different Luisa characters, and the protagonist is always a translator, and all the conversations read like very un-extemporanious dialogues, and so on. I guess it can be a question of estimating the degree to which the author wants to do a version of realism and reckoning whether or not they've achieved it. (-Although in the case of Bernhard I find the mono-voice boring despite the author's probable self-awareness.)
So much fun, soo great!🙆🏻
Jen you gotta read the Waves by Virginia Woolf if you haven’t already. It is so beautiful and I think you will like it. My favourite book in the past five years have been The Waves and Do Not Say We Have Nothing. I wish I could read these for the first time.
I haven't read The Waves yet! I own Orlando and still haven't read it, so that'll be my next of her books, but I'll be sure to prioritize The Waves after that
Yesss ! But no. I haven’t watched it yet but my wishlist is going to grow big!!!
Hmm. After You'd Gone no lo hizo. Podría decir estoy decepcionado... Lo leí después de su recomendación, y es un favorito para mi. Pero, el vaso es media lleno. Hay más recomendaciones para investigar. Saludos, gracias, y buena suerte.
Do you think Prairie fires is interesting/enjoyable for somebody who didn't read any Laura Ingalls Wilder as a kid?
I don't know any of her books and reading such a big book in a foreign language is daunting but your description sounds so intreging.
I definitely think it could still be very interesting, even for people who have never read the Little House books! Her childhood life was so eventful and fits into so many broader discussions of history (colonization, the climate crisis, huge financial schemes). And what really moved me about this biography is the way it shows her loyalty to her father. Basically, Charles Ingalls was a man who made a lot of deeply flawed, irresponsible decisions over the years, but Laura loved him to such an extent that she made him the hero of her books. I think that's a really common human dynamic. And in Wilder's case, it helped to create this image of Charles Ingalls as a pioneering icon, when it seems he was more likely a victim of false marketing, governmental indifference, and impossible dreams
@@InsertLiteraryPunHere Thank you - now it's on my list.
The Door is also a movie with Helen Mirren as the housekeeper.
I didn't know about this, it sounds amazing!
@@InsertLiteraryPunHere A well kept secret.. I kept hearing about the book and thought. Wait ..I've seen that movie!
It's on Prime and called The Door.
Am I the only one who’s busy marking down the books that I want to read, and had to stop the video every 5 sec?
Oh youre not the only one 😀. Now, instead, I take screenshots and move them into an album of their own. Then i write them down when i have ten or twenty of them.
👍
Hey