**QUESTIONS & CORRECTIONS** (Please, reader, answer these too!) 1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2024 2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2024 3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to. 4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year. 5. Biggest disappointment. 6. Biggest surprise. 7. Favourite new author. (Debut or new to you) 8. Newest fictional crush. 9. Newest favourite character. 10. Book that made you cry. 11. Book that made you happy. 12. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received) **I exchanged this question for favourite book-movie adaptation because it was more relevant to me 13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year? I had a few problems while editing so here are a few corrections: - I say 40 books not 41 because I filmed it right before I finished the 41st book - I changed the order of the questions a bit because I thought they’d flow better for comedic purposes - I say that it is 2023 twice… it’s in fact 2024 - around the halfway point I accidentally have the “subscribe” animation backwards… oops
Thanks so much for tagging me ☺️🫶 my video will be up next week! SO excited to hear what you think about IT 👀 and I hope you finally convince me to pick up 11/22/63
Hi Wera 👋, I am teenager that just got into reading for fun & enjoyment (didn't really read anything aside from mandatory books for school) I have just finished the Witcher saga and I am looking for something else. (was inspired by you, I play a lot of Witcher III, so you came up on my recommended) I have really been enjoying your videos, keep up the good work! 😊 I was thinking of Dune? What do you think? 🤔
I know you didn't ask me but I'll give you a hint anyway. I think Dune is a bit too much for you for now. I know the movies were great but the books are from '60s. Books this old while good, are written completely different and I think there are quite hard to read for younger audience. It would be a shame if they disappoint you and you drop reading because of it. Better to leave them for later down you reading journey. Personally I would suggest something a bit more contemporary with faster pace: -Night angel trilogy -Powdermage trilogy -Lightbringer series -mistborn series I would leave classics and big series for later.
@@felo7474 Thanks, I will look if they are translated to Croatian. I dont mind reading in English but think it's better for me to read in my mother tounge since most of the content I consume is in English. Thanks again, and I will check them out! ☺️
Hi! I agree with felo (thank you for answering). Although I think Dune’s difficulty is quite exaggerated, not only is it big but it’s also slower and has a lot of head hopping so reading it as one of your firsts is like diving into the deep end. Definitely possible, but I wouldn’t recommend it. After you read more scifi I think you’ll appreciate it more as well. If you want to try scifi, maybe Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruochio? I haven’t read it yet but based on reputation I think it fills that Dune-shaped hole and the people I’ve given it to have all loved it. I second Mistborn (tho I think book 1 is a bit slow). I’d love to give you a personalised recommendation. What about the Witcher/books in school did you like / dislike? Go into as much detail as you can and then I’ll reply again. Happy reading 😄
Jay Kristoff is a good shout for the Nevernight Chronicles. I didn’t realise its target audience was young adult as I really enjoyed it before discovering that! Patrick Rothfuss is another one, Kingkiller chronicles.
@@valliyarnlI will try my best!! ☺️ Some of this is directly translated to English, so it might be wrong. Firstly, the Witcher. I really enjoyed reading it. The thing I like the most about the books is the geopolitical relations between the nations on the continet. In my opinion the hardest part of creating any fantasy universe is the world building itself and I think Sapkowski did a amazing job. The thing that really "hooked" me (in the books & games) was just how deep the world is developed. Politics, wars, relations, athmosfere, heck even the people that live in the villages, their traditions, religions, way of being feels so convincing. When I was reading them I felt as if that world really existed. It felt as if that world had real history, present and future. As for the books from school. My favorites were Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm, and The Catcher in the Rye. I like Fahrenheit because it pictures this sci-fi dictatorship that draws a lot of parallels to real life. It's also fun to read and reads fast. Animal Farm is my favorite book as of right now. The charachters are amazing and I had a very fun time analysing that book. Catcher in the Rye left a inpact on me, it is the book I remember the most. I still think about it sometimes. Most of the literature that I enjoyed reading for school, aside from those, was written during the so called "Croatian spring". I like a lot of poetry that we analysed, but I don't think that matters a lot to you.
If you enjoyed Dune, I'd recommend Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio. Not sure if polish translation is any good but great in the original version. Quickly became one of my favourite sci-fi
Cute girl which read all genres? Subscribed. And why no one answer the questions? lol 1. Animal Farm 2. 1918 3. My tbr list is too big for this. 4. Same as 3. 5. Brave New World. 6. The Princess Bride. 7. Alexey Tolstoy. 8. I'm too old for this. 9. Westley was ok. 10. Of Mice and Men. 11. The Princess Bride. 12. None. 13. Dune.
Hello I have some questions related to RUclips channel & i think u can really help me with that sis please do tell where can i talk to u please sister ❤
Wow. So of the 40 books you read this year, I also read 7 of them this year too! The Three Body Problem Trilogy, Wide Sargasso Sea, The Bell Jar, Slaughterhouse Five and Fahrenheit 451, …and I answered 3 questions in my mid year vid with the same books you did. So obviously this vid was a massive thumbs up from me 😂
I explain it in great detail in my Three Body Problem video. Blue thumbnail and shocked face* I have it time stamped where I start talking about Deaths End.
Fallout is a game to movie adaptation though, not book to movie. As for whether it respected the source material or not, it really didn't tbh. It kind of just sht all over Fallout 1, Fallout 2 and New Vegas.
Great Video! This has me so hyped to continue my First Law journey and I love to see the Jezel love, he’s not hyped enough! I guess now I’ll have to read The Three Body Problem
Just found this video and channel and you deserve a subscribe. Your energy is infectious and you've read more books than me by a lot. I love your structure of the video too and I might steal it. Keep up the good work. Also Im sad that rhythm of war didnt work for you. It is one of my favorite books if not my favortie,
I'm glad that starting your channel has had a positive impact on your reading - a win for you and a win for the viewers. Great to see Joe Abercrombie as best book (although TWoC is my least fave of the new trilogy, sorry!, but still 5*). I've also got my eye on The Familiar, but the more opinions I hear about it, the more unsure I become. I wonder if Horror Movie is going to be more horror than his other books I've read, which straddle a line between psychology and horror. It's one I hope to get around to. Wind and Truth is what I'd say, too. I feel Kaladin should probably go back to the mud to create emotional impact. I don't want to it happen, but perhaps it needs to. Maybe the words are to do with self-sacrifice this time around? I hope reading WaT doesn't affect how you do in your exams. There's not enough Stormlight on the student doctor curriculum if you ask me. Who cares about histology and clinical best practice? What I want is a doctor with a knowledge of shardblades and bridge four :) And maybe medicine, just to be safe. I’ve put Transcendent Kingdom and White Nights on hold with Libby. They sound really thought-provoking. Thanks! I enjoyed the movie of Cloud Atlas but have only read The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell. The character work and genre change in each section is excellent, though the fantasy aspect of the story is possibly the weakest. Still, it was a very interesting read. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel has a similar structure to Cloud Atlas, so it might interest you. Got to agree with the Orso love, particularly his self-deprecation and desire to do the right thing, but Savine's intelligence and wit or Rikke's sense of humour would probably win me over. This comment is way too long as it is, so I'll post my answers to the tag questions in a different comment later. I hope you enjoyed your trip.
Thank you for commenting! TWoC last? 😭 I assume TTwP is first? I haven’t heard anything about The Familiar yet… but I’m in the mood for smth historical so I want to get to it sooner than later. What other Paul Tremblay have you read? Was it good? As for WaT predictions: Dalinar is gone. Idk how but there’s no way he can be easily accessible to the main cast of the back half. He’s too big of a character and his character arc is done. Kaladin… right after RoW I thought he was a goner. Now I’m not too sure. I could see him as a mentor figure kind of like Zahel/Vasher. After watching the Stormlight predictions video from 2toRamble I think Adolin is dead 😢 A propos David Mitchell: I watched Talking Story’s video and they said that Bone Clocks is quite deep in his mythos. Something about him having his own little version of an interconnected universe (kind of like King but more overt). I have two books before I can read that one. I’m excited to tho! I think Transcendent Kingdom is more thought provoking but White Nights is more beautiful. It also has a sense of melancholia which I love to read because I feel like it underpins so many moments in my life. I read Sea of Tranquility and I enjoyed it. 3.5 star I think? Age of Madness: I love all the characters (or at least appreciate how they’re written in a way that illicit such an emotional response from me *cough* Leo *cough*). By the way, along with Yennefer, Savine is my favorite female character of all time. I’m just astonished by what Abercrombie accomplished with her. And don’t worry about the long comment! I enjoy reading it and having that discussion 😁
@@valliyarnl You're right - TTwP is first. I still loved TWoC but 2 or 3 very small things at the time weren't to my liking, yet I couldn't find anything wrong with TTwP. Speaking of historical, I just finished Lovely War by Julie Berry and really enjoyed it. I'm not sure if it would interest you, but the story is framed as Aphrodite and Ares being put on trial in a hotel room in New York in 1942. Aphrodite gives her defense by telling a tale of love and friendship during WWI, but there's a lot more to it as it takes the reader on quite an emotional journey. The Paul Tremblay books were A Head Full of Ghosts and The Pallbearers Club. I liked both but wasn't blown away. TPC had a interesting format where somebody has come into possession of a friend's memoir, reads a chapter then gives her version of events. A Head Full of Ghosts has a reality TV aspect to it. Both books raise the possibility of a supernatural element, but allow the reader to decide how much is psychological. I think you're right about Dalinar. Adolin might have a price to pay for his actions, so I could see that being a possibility. I've forgotten quite a lot of what happened so I'll have to get a reminder from Coppermind. That's interesting about David Mitchell. If he structures his other stories in the same entertaining way as Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks, I'll have to check out his earlier book. Which are you reading first? How do you feel, in general, about books set in extended worlds? BTW, thanks for your lovely responses on my past comments. I would have said so at the time, but didn't want to burden you with even more comments :)
Oh yes! My bad I should’ve explained it a bit more. So I read The First Law Trilogy last December. Thought it was rlly good (book 1 was ok but the rest was amazing). I read Age of Madness the second trilogy in the First Law world and it altered my worldview. IT WILL NOT HIT AS HARD IF YOU DONT READ THE BOOKS BEFORE IT. I have a video where I go into my thoughts about all the works in The First Law world where I go a bit more in depth about my likes and dislikes 😊 I hope you enjoy your journey with Abercrombie and please please please don’t get discouraged by The Blade Itself ‼️
War and Peace has recently been added to me TBR as well because of a fantastic musical called "Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812" that I listend to on Spotify a while back. It's based off of a 90-ish page section from War and Peace; I can't recommend it enough, it's got a really uniqie sound to it and the singing is *chef's kiss*. Can't imagine how incredible the book is if the rest of it is as good as the Great Comet arc
See, this is why I’m happy I made this channel. I never knew about this musical. Now I just have to check it out. I’ll wait until I get past the comet part of the book and listen to it straight away. Thank you!
41 books read so far?? Wow! Great video as always Wera.. best book I’ve read this year would have to be Wheel of Time A Memory of Light.. Okok it’s the only book I’ve finished other than still reading book 3 of the stormlight series! Which brings me to what do I want to read in 2024? Finish the Stormlight series and book 5 which is coming soon…🙂
To be fair Steve, AMoL and Oathbringer are massive tomes that are closer to bricks than novels 😅. I hope you love Oathbringer as much as I do, happy reading!
I checked my books and I listened to 59 books so far and only 2 DNF's. Granted I do listen at increased speed so I tend to through them faster. Just finished The first Law trilogy last month and enjoyed it. Definitely going to continue with the standalones and Age of Madness. Also can't wait for Wind and Truth but sadly I listen to Graphic Audio version so I'll have to wait a year before it's all out. Going to have to dodge a lot of places online. An author I plan I diving more into is David Estes. Finishing up his Fatemarked series and plan on reading another series of his, Kingfall Histories.
HOLY SMOKES 59?! Wow. Tbh only 2 DNFs at that rate is pretty good. I hope you love Age of Madness as much as I do. Definitely do not skip The Heroes tho because it gives a lot of context. Happy reading! I’m gonna have to look into Estes 👀
40 books for half a year is crazy, how do you keep up? I barely done 15 so far. You should definitely reread Crime and punishment, it didn’t quite catch me as well on the first read but the second time did me justice.
I’m NEARLY finished with the First Law trilogy and I agree that Jezal dan Luthar is my favorite character. A close second to me is the Bloody Nine…and somehow I still have love for Superior Glokta… Love that you give Joe Abercrombie all the credit he deserves. True master…
Best book I read this year was called the Storied life of AJ Fikry as its a tear jerker for sure ! Then shoutout to this other short book called Small Things like these by Irish writer Claire Keegan, as there was a mention of Cillian Murphy staring as lead in a feature film and knowing this I just pictured Cillian as I read and it made more real to me because I love Peaky Blinders show. Wera please read Tender is the Flesh by Argentine writer Agustina Batzerrica, the setting is dystopian in where eating humans is a norm because there is a market to clone humans and eat them like cattle.
I’ll probably be doing a Claire Keegan video closer to when the movie comes out. She’s definitely on my to read list :). As for Tender is the Flesh, I actually read it last year and was quite disappointed. 😢 It was so gruesome and shocking but other than that “shock factor” I really struggled to see what the point was. I think I left a review on my Goodreads with a bit more explanation.
Love hearing the Age of Madness gushing. I'm planning to read it next year after I've finished a re-read of the First Law stand-alone novels. War and Peace on the horizon too.
Just a note on Crime and Punishment; its true what you say, there is a lot of seemingly pointless rambling; but at the same time its very much intentional and fitting considering the characters are all psychologically disturbed or abnormal in some way. So, personally for me, one of the my favorite parts were how full of life his dialogues were due to the intentional sloppiness, which in turn created this realism, that is, the characters sounds like how real people talk. But I'm glad you liked his White Nights though, and in the same vein maybe you should try novels less "intense" than C&P, such as the Eternal Husband, Insulted and Injured, Poor Folk and maybe even Brothers Karamazov? Because the problem with crime and punishment for lots of people is its focus on only one character and their psyche, while a lot of his other novels feel a lot more "airy".
Yes I think that I’ll work my way back up to C&P. One of my friends LOVES Dostoevsky (her favorite author) so she’s written a personalised reading plan out for me 😅 And I definitely want to read The Brothers Karamazov one day. Thanks for commenting!
@@valliyarnl Well, you have a great friend then. I am also very much in love with Dostoevsky (I even learned Russian to read him), so I can't wait to hear your thoughts on him in the future!
In this time of massive distractions, congratulations on your achievement. Personally, I prefer a more leisurely rate of reading, but, as I say, good on you.
Haha thank you! Any pace is good except for a too fast one: like if you’re reading just to get that number up. At least that’s my take. I like to immerse myself in what I’m reading. The number is 41 because of a few factors: I audiobook a lot and have a long commute to university, there were a few weeks where I had to CRAM for a video (3bodyproblem), and I usually have 2-3 books on the go at a time. Hope that explains it a bit!
@@valliyarnl I am a primarily audiobook reader because of health issues, I find reading physical books gives me a bad headache. I have several audiobooks on the go at a time and quite a few that remain "to be read". I am genuinely impressed by someone that enjoys reading as much as you obviously do. Reading is possibly the most important skill we learn in life and so few people have a love of reading. It's a shame.
We’re two episodes into House of The Dragon, and it’s been a while since I read Fire and Blood, but so far it’s looking like a pretty good adaptation. I like how they subtly incorporate characters who will play a larger role later in the story. I’m kind of disappointed with the Blood and Cheese changes, the mental mind games were so important for that scene … 😅❤️
@@valliyarnl Babe, do you wish to wait until the end of the universe? I don’t think it’s happening in our lifetime… it’s going to be one of those capsules that only opens after a 100 year or so…
@@valliyarnl Girl, do you wish you wait until the heat death of the universe? Those last books are like time capsules, they’re not coming out in our lifetime… 😆❤️
Its impressive to see how many books youve read! Sadly i only managed to read a few because of uni and work, but i love the variety in all of these you went through in this video, inspires me to move out of my comfort zone with books 😂❤❤
Awwhhh I’m so glad to hear that! Honestly I audiobook a lot so that increases the number. But it’s important to not just read for numbers but to sit with and immerse yourself in the literature. And yes!! Definitely step out of your comfort zone!! It’s my favorite thing 🥰
@@valliyarnl i should defo give audio books a try, i did way back in the day with my favourite book as a teen, which was rangers apprentice and i felt such comfort in those moments on rainy days. Thank you so much for the encouragement! 💜
**QUESTIONS & CORRECTIONS**
(Please, reader, answer these too!)
1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2024
2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2024
3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to.
4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.
5. Biggest disappointment.
6. Biggest surprise.
7. Favourite new author. (Debut or new to you)
8. Newest fictional crush.
9. Newest favourite character.
10. Book that made you cry.
11. Book that made you happy.
12. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received)
**I exchanged this question for favourite book-movie adaptation because it was more relevant to me
13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
I had a few problems while editing so here are a few corrections:
- I say 40 books not 41 because I filmed it right before I finished the 41st book
- I changed the order of the questions a bit because I thought they’d flow better for comedic purposes
- I say that it is 2023 twice… it’s in fact 2024
- around the halfway point I accidentally have the “subscribe” animation backwards… oops
Thanks so much for tagging me ☺️🫶 my video will be up next week! SO excited to hear what you think about IT 👀 and I hope you finally convince me to pick up 11/22/63
Can’t wait for your video 😄😄
Hi Wera 👋, I am teenager that just got into reading for fun & enjoyment (didn't really read anything aside from mandatory books for school)
I have just finished the Witcher saga
and I am looking for something else. (was inspired by you, I play a lot of Witcher III, so you came up on my recommended)
I have really been enjoying your videos, keep up the good work! 😊
I was thinking of Dune? What do you think? 🤔
I know you didn't ask me but I'll give you a hint anyway. I think Dune is a bit too much for you for now. I know the movies were great but the books are from '60s. Books this old while good, are written completely different and I think there are quite hard to read for younger audience. It would be a shame if they disappoint you and you drop reading because of it. Better to leave them for later down you reading journey.
Personally I would suggest something a bit more contemporary with faster pace:
-Night angel trilogy
-Powdermage trilogy
-Lightbringer series
-mistborn series
I would leave classics and big series for later.
@@felo7474 Thanks, I will look if they are translated to Croatian. I dont mind reading in English but think it's better for me to read in my mother tounge since most of the content I consume is in English.
Thanks again, and I will check them out! ☺️
Hi! I agree with felo (thank you for answering). Although I think Dune’s difficulty is quite exaggerated, not only is it big but it’s also slower and has a lot of head hopping so reading it as one of your firsts is like diving into the deep end. Definitely possible, but I wouldn’t recommend it. After you read more scifi I think you’ll appreciate it more as well.
If you want to try scifi, maybe Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruochio? I haven’t read it yet but based on reputation I think it fills that Dune-shaped hole and the people I’ve given it to have all loved it. I second Mistborn (tho I think book 1 is a bit slow).
I’d love to give you a personalised recommendation. What about the Witcher/books in school did you like / dislike? Go into as much detail as you can and then I’ll reply again.
Happy reading 😄
Jay Kristoff is a good shout for the Nevernight Chronicles. I didn’t realise its target audience was young adult as I really enjoyed it before discovering that!
Patrick Rothfuss is another one, Kingkiller chronicles.
@@valliyarnlI will try my best!! ☺️
Some of this is directly translated to English, so it might be wrong.
Firstly, the Witcher. I really enjoyed reading it. The thing I like the most about the books is the geopolitical relations between the nations on the continet. In my opinion the hardest part of creating any fantasy universe is the world building itself and I think Sapkowski did a amazing job. The thing that really "hooked" me (in the books & games) was just how deep the world is developed. Politics, wars, relations, athmosfere, heck even the people that live in the villages, their traditions, religions, way of being feels so convincing. When I was reading them I felt as if that world really existed. It felt as if that world had real history, present and future.
As for the books from school. My favorites were Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm, and The Catcher in the Rye. I like Fahrenheit because it pictures this sci-fi dictatorship that draws a lot of parallels to real life. It's also fun to read and reads fast.
Animal Farm is my favorite book as of right now. The charachters are amazing and I had a very fun time analysing that book. Catcher in the Rye left a inpact on me, it is the book I remember the most. I still think about it sometimes.
Most of the literature that I enjoyed reading for school, aside from those, was written during the so called "Croatian spring". I like a lot of poetry that we analysed, but I don't think that matters a lot to you.
oh wow! such a wonderful RUclips channel and our tastes are so similar! Hi from Ukraine and I really hope to see more of your videos
Hi to Ukraine from Poland!!
If you enjoyed Dune, I'd recommend Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio. Not sure if polish translation is any good but great in the original version. Quickly became one of my favourite sci-fi
Cute girl which read all genres? Subscribed.
And why no one answer the questions? lol
1. Animal Farm
2. 1918
3. My tbr list is too big for this.
4. Same as 3.
5. Brave New World.
6. The Princess Bride.
7. Alexey Tolstoy.
8. I'm too old for this.
9. Westley was ok.
10. Of Mice and Men.
11. The Princess Bride.
12. None.
13. Dune.
Haha thank you for answering the questions!! I agree Animal farm is a FANTASTIC novel. I read his 1984 and it’s one of my favorites so far this year.
Wera thanks so much you are so kind. I am recording my freakout tonight it will be out Tuesday.
Thank you for responding! Excited to see your responses 😁
Hello I have some questions related to RUclips channel & i think u can really help me with that sis please do tell where can i talk to u please sister ❤
Wow. So of the 40 books you read this year, I also read 7 of them this year too!
The Three Body Problem Trilogy, Wide Sargasso Sea, The Bell Jar, Slaughterhouse Five and Fahrenheit 451,
…and I answered 3 questions in my mid year vid with the same books you did.
So obviously this vid was a massive thumbs up from me 😂
I’m gonna have to check out your video when I have better WiFi then 😉
you may have a video on it but what made Death's End such a disappointment for you?
I explain it in great detail in my Three Body Problem video. Blue thumbnail and shocked face* I have it time stamped where I start talking about Deaths End.
Fallout is a game to movie adaptation though, not book to movie. As for whether it respected the source material or not, it really didn't tbh. It kind of just sht all over Fallout 1, Fallout 2 and New Vegas.
A) yes I know
B) if Tim Cain liked it , why can’t I?
Byłem tu zanim suby kanału wyjebały w kosmos
Hey! It’s the guy from the Grand Canyon. Great videos keep it up!!!
Hi Audrin! Hope you got back to Bright Angel ok 😅 I published this video the day we met actually. Thank you for checking it out 😊
Great Video! This has me so hyped to continue my First Law journey and I love to see the Jezel love, he’s not hyped enough!
I guess now I’ll have to read The Three Body Problem
Say one thing for The First Law series, say it gets better with each instalment ;)
@@valliyarnl I believe it, Logen 😅
Just found this video and channel and you deserve a subscribe. Your energy is infectious and you've read more books than me by a lot. I love your structure of the video too and I might steal it. Keep up the good work. Also Im sad that rhythm of war didnt work for you. It is one of my favorite books if not my favortie,
I'm glad that starting your channel has had a positive impact on your reading - a win for you and a win for the viewers. Great to see Joe Abercrombie as best book (although TWoC is my least fave of the new trilogy, sorry!, but still 5*). I've also got my eye on The Familiar, but the more opinions I hear about it, the more unsure I become. I wonder if Horror Movie is going to be more horror than his other books I've read, which straddle a line between psychology and horror. It's one I hope to get around to. Wind and Truth is what I'd say, too. I feel Kaladin should probably go back to the mud to create emotional impact. I don't want to it happen, but perhaps it needs to. Maybe the words are to do with self-sacrifice this time around? I hope reading WaT doesn't affect how you do in your exams. There's not enough Stormlight on the student doctor curriculum if you ask me. Who cares about histology and clinical best practice? What I want is a doctor with a knowledge of shardblades and bridge four :) And maybe medicine, just to be safe. I’ve put Transcendent Kingdom and White Nights on hold with Libby. They sound really thought-provoking. Thanks! I enjoyed the movie of Cloud Atlas but have only read The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell. The character work and genre change in each section is excellent, though the fantasy aspect of the story is possibly the weakest. Still, it was a very interesting read. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel has a similar structure to Cloud Atlas, so it might interest you. Got to agree with the Orso love, particularly his self-deprecation and desire to do the right thing, but Savine's intelligence and wit or Rikke's sense of humour would probably win me over. This comment is way too long as it is, so I'll post my answers to the tag questions in a different comment later. I hope you enjoyed your trip.
Thank you for commenting! TWoC last? 😭 I assume TTwP is first? I haven’t heard anything about The Familiar yet… but I’m in the mood for smth historical so I want to get to it sooner than later. What other Paul Tremblay have you read? Was it good? As for WaT predictions: Dalinar is gone. Idk how but there’s no way he can be easily accessible to the main cast of the back half. He’s too big of a character and his character arc is done. Kaladin… right after RoW I thought he was a goner. Now I’m not too sure. I could see him as a mentor figure kind of like Zahel/Vasher. After watching the Stormlight predictions video from 2toRamble I think Adolin is dead 😢 A propos David Mitchell: I watched Talking Story’s video and they said that Bone Clocks is quite deep in his mythos. Something about him having his own little version of an interconnected universe (kind of like King but more overt). I have two books before I can read that one. I’m excited to tho! I think Transcendent Kingdom is more thought provoking but White Nights is more beautiful. It also has a sense of melancholia which I love to read because I feel like it underpins so many moments in my life. I read Sea of Tranquility and I enjoyed it. 3.5 star I think? Age of Madness: I love all the characters (or at least appreciate how they’re written in a way that illicit such an emotional response from me *cough* Leo *cough*). By the way, along with Yennefer, Savine is my favorite female character of all time. I’m just astonished by what Abercrombie accomplished with her. And don’t worry about the long comment! I enjoy reading it and having that discussion 😁
@@valliyarnl You're right - TTwP is first. I still loved TWoC but 2 or 3 very small things at the time weren't to my liking, yet I couldn't find anything wrong with TTwP.
Speaking of historical, I just finished Lovely War by Julie Berry and really enjoyed it. I'm not sure if it would interest you, but the story is framed as Aphrodite and Ares being put on trial in a hotel room in New York in 1942. Aphrodite gives her defense by telling a tale of love and friendship during WWI, but there's a lot more to it as it takes the reader on quite an emotional journey.
The Paul Tremblay books were A Head Full of Ghosts and The Pallbearers Club. I liked both but wasn't blown away. TPC had a interesting format where somebody has come into possession of a friend's memoir, reads a chapter then gives her version of events. A Head Full of Ghosts has a reality TV aspect to it. Both books raise the possibility of a supernatural element, but allow the reader to decide how much is psychological.
I think you're right about Dalinar. Adolin might have a price to pay for his actions, so I could see that being a possibility. I've forgotten quite a lot of what happened so I'll have to get a reminder from Coppermind.
That's interesting about David Mitchell. If he structures his other stories in the same entertaining way as Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks, I'll have to check out his earlier book. Which are you reading first? How do you feel, in general, about books set in extended worlds?
BTW, thanks for your lovely responses on my past comments. I would have said so at the time, but didn't want to burden you with even more comments :)
Hope you love The Bloodsworn Saga! Great video as always 😊
Ed
Thank you for watching!
That means a lot 😊
I can’t wait to get started!
Hey! It’s the guy from the Grand Canyon. Great videos keep it up!!!
Hey! It’s the guy from the Grand Canyon. Great videos keep it up!!!
I’ve read all of these books this year too. And I feel the same way about the dark forest. I can’t wait for Stormlight 5.
I have like the same taste you do! I also read the remembrance of earths past trilogy and dune 1-4. I'm also on a stephen king binge.
hi queen new subscriber here u r so well spoken wowee 😣💞
💋💋💋
I’m taking this as my sign to FINALLY get into Joe Abercrombie lol have you read the first law series? cuz I thought about starting there!
Oh yes! My bad I should’ve explained it a bit more. So I read The First Law Trilogy last December. Thought it was rlly good (book 1 was ok but the rest was amazing). I read Age of Madness the second trilogy in the First Law world and it altered my worldview. IT WILL NOT HIT AS HARD IF YOU DONT READ THE BOOKS BEFORE IT.
I have a video where I go into my thoughts about all the works in The First Law world where I go a bit more in depth about my likes and dislikes 😊
I hope you enjoy your journey with Abercrombie and please please please don’t get discouraged by The Blade Itself ‼️
War and Peace has recently been added to me TBR as well because of a fantastic musical called "Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812" that I listend to on Spotify a while back. It's based off of a 90-ish page section from War and Peace; I can't recommend it enough, it's got a really uniqie sound to it and the singing is *chef's kiss*. Can't imagine how incredible the book is if the rest of it is as good as the Great Comet arc
See, this is why I’m happy I made this channel. I never knew about this musical. Now I just have to check it out. I’ll wait until I get past the comet part of the book and listen to it straight away. Thank you!
how did you read so many books?
Audiobooks and long commute haha
41 books read so far?? Wow! Great video as always Wera.. best book I’ve read this year would have to be Wheel of Time A Memory of Light.. Okok it’s the only book I’ve finished other than still reading book 3 of the stormlight series! Which brings me to what do I want to read in 2024? Finish the Stormlight series and book 5 which is coming soon…🙂
To be fair Steve, AMoL and Oathbringer are massive tomes that are closer to bricks than novels 😅. I hope you love Oathbringer as much as I do, happy reading!
I checked my books and I listened to 59 books so far and only 2 DNF's. Granted I do listen at increased speed so I tend to through them faster.
Just finished The first Law trilogy last month and enjoyed it. Definitely going to continue with the standalones and Age of Madness. Also can't wait for Wind and Truth but sadly I listen to Graphic Audio version so I'll have to wait a year before it's all out. Going to have to dodge a lot of places online.
An author I plan I diving more into is David Estes. Finishing up his Fatemarked series and plan on reading another series of his, Kingfall Histories.
HOLY SMOKES 59?! Wow. Tbh only 2 DNFs at that rate is pretty good. I hope you love Age of Madness as much as I do. Definitely do not skip The Heroes tho because it gives a lot of context.
Happy reading! I’m gonna have to look into Estes 👀
40 books for half a year is crazy, how do you keep up? I barely done 15 so far. You should definitely reread Crime and punishment, it didn’t quite catch me as well on the first read but the second time did me justice.
I hope my C&P experience is the same as yours. As the the amount, it’s bc I audiobook a lot and had a long commute to university 😂😭
I’m NEARLY finished with the First Law trilogy and I agree that Jezal dan Luthar is my favorite character. A close second to me is the Bloody Nine…and somehow I still have love for Superior Glokta…
Love that you give Joe Abercrombie all the credit he deserves. True master…
Oooo for me it’s
1. Jezal
2. Glokta
3. Logen
But I love them all. the ending will FLOOR you… and then you’ll have Age of Madness to look forward to 😊
Definitely need to add White Nights to my list!!!
Best book I read this year was called the Storied life of AJ Fikry as its a tear jerker for sure ! Then shoutout to this other short book called Small Things like these by Irish writer Claire Keegan, as there was a mention of Cillian Murphy staring as lead in a feature film and knowing this I just pictured Cillian as I read and it made more real to me because I love Peaky Blinders show. Wera please read Tender is the Flesh by Argentine writer Agustina Batzerrica, the setting is dystopian in where eating humans is a norm because there is a market to clone humans and eat them like cattle.
I’ll probably be doing a Claire Keegan video closer to when the movie comes out. She’s definitely on my to read list :). As for Tender is the Flesh, I actually read it last year and was quite disappointed. 😢 It was so gruesome and shocking but other than that “shock factor” I really struggled to see what the point was. I think I left a review on my Goodreads with a bit more explanation.
Love hearing the Age of Madness gushing. I'm planning to read it next year after I've finished a re-read of the First Law stand-alone novels. War and Peace on the horizon too.
Glad to hear it!!
Thinking 18 books was a lot I read last year
Watching Wera discuss 41 books read in half a year 😦
🤣🤣
18 books is a great number! And remember quality over quantity!!!
The Age of Madness trilogy is top tier. Every word is *chef's kiss*
100% 🥰
Just a note on Crime and Punishment; its true what you say, there is a lot of seemingly pointless rambling; but at the same time its very much intentional and fitting considering the characters are all psychologically disturbed or abnormal in some way. So, personally for me, one of the my favorite parts were how full of life his dialogues were due to the intentional sloppiness, which in turn created this realism, that is, the characters sounds like how real people talk. But I'm glad you liked his White Nights though, and in the same vein maybe you should try novels less "intense" than C&P, such as the Eternal Husband, Insulted and Injured, Poor Folk and maybe even Brothers Karamazov? Because the problem with crime and punishment for lots of people is its focus on only one character and their psyche, while a lot of his other novels feel a lot more "airy".
Yes I think that I’ll work my way back up to C&P. One of my friends LOVES Dostoevsky (her favorite author) so she’s written a personalised reading plan out for me 😅
And I definitely want to read The Brothers Karamazov one day.
Thanks for commenting!
@@valliyarnl Well, you have a great friend then. I am also very much in love with Dostoevsky (I even learned Russian to read him), so I can't wait to hear your thoughts on him in the future!
Glad to see the progress you've made so far! I'm pretty well through my first half of this year's reading and am enjoying it for the most part.
Glad to hear that 😄
I would like to recommend Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Its my favorite book of all time and i see that absolutely NO ONE talks about it.
@@skalhamzain7543 fantastic book
It’s definitely on my to read list. Fun fact: Joseph Conrad was Polish and English was his third language (French was his second) 😄
@valliyarnl Woah, didn't know that!
Omg War & Peace?? Good luck!!
I need it haha
In this time of massive distractions, congratulations on your achievement. Personally, I prefer a more leisurely rate of reading, but, as I say, good on you.
Haha thank you! Any pace is good except for a too fast one: like if you’re reading just to get that number up. At least that’s my take. I like to immerse myself in what I’m reading. The number is 41 because of a few factors: I audiobook a lot and have a long commute to university, there were a few weeks where I had to CRAM for a video (3bodyproblem), and I usually have 2-3 books on the go at a time. Hope that explains it a bit!
@@valliyarnl I am a primarily audiobook reader because of health issues, I find reading physical books gives me a bad headache. I have several audiobooks on the go at a time and quite a few that remain "to be read".
I am genuinely impressed by someone that enjoys reading as much as you obviously do. Reading is possibly the most important skill we learn in life and so few people have a love of reading. It's a shame.
8:20 - The girl from Fallout and you share lots of similarities :O are you sisters? 😂
Haha personally I don’t see it but I have been getting that a lot 😅
Tbh being compared to Ella Purnell is single-handedly destroying my insecurities
@@valliyarnl I'm glad it's destroying your insecurities! I've meant it as a compliment and in the most positive, respectful way of course
I don't even read book like that I'm just here vibin
Haha. I appreciate you vibing here Lord Hokage 💜
We’re two episodes into House of The Dragon, and it’s been a while since I read Fire and Blood, but so far it’s looking like a pretty good adaptation. I like how they subtly incorporate characters who will play a larger role later in the story. I’m kind of disappointed with the Blood and Cheese changes, the mental mind games were so important for that scene … 😅❤️
I will get to GoT when Winds of Winter is announced ;)
@@valliyarnl Babe, do you wish to wait until the end of the universe? I don’t think it’s happening in our lifetime… it’s going to be one of those capsules that only opens after a 100 year or so…
@@valliyarnl Girl, do you wish you wait until the heat death of the universe? Those last books are like time capsules, they’re not coming out in our lifetime… 😆❤️
Red Sister?!😭 I loved that book.
I knowwww 😭😭 I’m still gonna give Grey Sister a try tho bc I constantly see it in people’s top10s.
Its impressive to see how many books youve read! Sadly i only managed to read a few because of uni and work, but i love the variety in all of these you went through in this video, inspires me to move out of my comfort zone with books 😂❤❤
Awwhhh I’m so glad to hear that! Honestly I audiobook a lot so that increases the number. But it’s important to not just read for numbers but to sit with and immerse yourself in the literature. And yes!! Definitely step out of your comfort zone!! It’s my favorite thing 🥰
@@valliyarnl i should defo give audio books a try, i did way back in the day with my favourite book as a teen, which was rangers apprentice and i felt such comfort in those moments on rainy days. Thank you so much for the encouragement! 💜
@@ibib2449 YESSS Ranger’s Apprentice was a core book for me too !!!
@@valliyarnl that book literally started my medieval fantasy addiction in pretty much all form of media, so im glad you know of that book as well! 😂💜
Love this! I think The Dark Forest took a lot of us by surprise. Thanks so much for the mention in this video and congrats on 5K! 🎉
Thank you!