So glad that you are back!! Finally!! Noone reviews books like you, or reads so broadly ! I love that you always pick up such clever observations of each book, even if you didn't really love it. You always have a positive take away, while still being honest. I really missed your videos! You make want to read more and better. Thank you!
Thank you for a wonderful and entertaining wrap up. I’ve missed your videos but this year has been so strange! I’ve been shielding since March and I’m so grateful to have been reading, not the wonderful books that you’ve read, but books that have taken me out of the pandemic and into fantasy worlds and into historic eras. Be safe 🥰
Yay! So happy to see you back on booktube. You always have the best recommendations! Will definitely look into Sonnet’s Shakespeare by Sonnet L’Abbé and the poems of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.
Glad you're back! Would you ever consider making a video about what it's like being a teacher? The pros/cons of the job and how you approach creating class materials/reading lists would be especially interesting. Cheers!
Great to see you Alex! I’m glad to hear you’re well and that your reading seems to have been going well too! In solidarity with the Irby love, and I Will Never See The World Again sounds great to have on my radar. Looking forward to pt. 2!
Yay I am so happy you’re back! I follow you on goodreads and see your older reviews all the time when I am browsing books and think, “where is she?!” Haha!
It is great to have you back! Glad you took time for yourself, it's so important to just preserve some semblance of mental stability right now... I don't know how you're managing so much honestly
I love your wrap ups and I always get such good recommendations! Lol when you said henry david thoreau i literally went "ugGHHHHHHH UCK" and when the next thing you said was "I know people like to roast him," i got a good chuckle. you got me!
So glad you're back! I knew the school year was going to have a tough and busy start. Please take care of yourself. You'll always have subscribers to come back to :) Also, I'm definitely getting 'Will and Testament' now. I've been on the fence about ordering it.
So good to see you, Alex!! Hope you've been hanging in there okay with COVID teaching. I just got Hurricane Season out from the library - glad to hear it was a highlight for you! :)
Hey Claire! Pandemic teaching is bizarre but I've been lucky enough to have outstanding students so far this year so that helps immensely! Good luck with Hurricane Season-- it is brutal but its intensity is strangely compelling!
Definitely worth the wait!! Look forward to your upcoming reviews. Not sure if you are hearing it enough, but thank you for teaching each day under these new and unusual circumstances.
That is very kind of you to say! It is certainly weird being back at school but my students have all been so patient and kind throughout all the changes that it makes it all worthwhile!
Good to see you! So many great reads! And you read some Ivan Coyote, yay! Thanks for bringing up Black Writers Matter, I wasn't aware of that one. Sor Juana was such a fascinating, intelligent, brave woman. I had to skip over your Shakespeare reads because one of my 2021 projects is to finish the Shakespeare I haven't read. :) Happy December!
Yes I need more Ivan Coyote in my life! And I hope you have fun with your Shakespeare project! I'm already missing diving into his plays, so I guess I'll have to start making up for it by exploring other Elizabethan playwrights!
Good to see you are back. Great wrap up. I do love Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Her poems are beautifully written. You probably know she was a nun, I think that makes her feminists views even more interesting. I’m glad you liked the translation. Looking forward to your detailed video about The Red and the Black.
Good to see you haven’t abandoned booktube. WIT is what I’m here for...obviously. The best modernisation of Taming of the Shrew is 10 Things I Hate About You, others should give up trying to do better. The Stranger on a beach seems suspicious, hope you didn’t run into any Arabic people. Love Flights, she is an amazing author. Hurricane Season was great too, I love it so much. I also had the privilege of talking with Sophie Hughes about her translations and that book. Still haven’t read Will and Testament yet, but I will...soon I hope. Love to see more French Canadian books, I need to read more of them.
Yes thankfully my trip to the beach did not end in calamity! Sophie Hughes did such an impressive job-- that cannot have been an easy work to translate and she did a phenomenal job of preserving the atmosphere!
@@bigalbooksforever translating can’t be an easy job, there is so much to consider, my main issue I would struggle with is, do you go for accuracy or try to keep the beauty of the language
@@KnowledgelostOrgOnline I know! I would want to spend an entire year translating one page haha. I think there should be a translator rating spectrum where you could see their bias towards accuracy vs. beautiful prose style!
I actually met Evan Winter back when he was self publishing. A very nice dude! I want to ask though, on the topic of translated poems, do you think they work? I feel that poems, hinging so, so heavily on the absolute specificity of the word choice, the syllable count, the absolute precision!, I always wonder how exactly they can be translated while still maintaining the actual feeling of the original text, while remaining to have some lyrical grace. I’m curious what an English teacher thinks.
That's so cool! I've watched a few of his interviews and he seems really sweet. As for the translation question-- I struggle with this all the time!!! I'm definitely not a poetry expert, but I agree that word choice and sound play such an important role that it seems impossible to truly capture the essence of a poem. I can still enjoy translated poetry if it has strong imagery or emotions, but I'm sure it's not even close. For example, I enjoy Pushkin but I know his poetry isn't nearly as epic as in the original. Bilingual editions are helpful though-- even if I can't understand what the words are it's nice to get a sense of what it would sound like!
@@bigalbooksforever that was generally my idea. I feel with prose it isn’t really a problem, like I hardly regret the fact that I had to read a translated Proust, I don’t feel like I lost anything. I think the best works to be translated are the ones that allow wiggle room, without betraying the text. Which is the opposite of poetry.
@@bigalbooksforever The evil algorithm tried pushing other book channels on me while you were gone but I was like nah I know she'll be back eventually.
So glad that you are back!! Finally!! Noone reviews books like you, or reads so broadly ! I love that you always pick up such clever observations of each book, even if you didn't really love it. You always have a positive take away, while still being honest. I really missed your videos! You make want to read more and better. Thank you!
Thank you-- I really appreciate hearing that! Comments like this remind me that running this channel is still a worthwhile endeavour! Happy reading!
Always enjoy your wrap-ups. Your enthusiasm for reading is infectious, even through the screen!!
I'm glad to hear that! Reading brings me so much joy so it's nice to be able to spread some of it around :)
So good to see you! Glad to hear you’re ready to upload videos again! Your enthusiasm for reading and books is infectious ! 😀
Thank you for a wonderful and entertaining wrap up. I’ve missed your videos but this year has been so strange! I’ve been shielding since March and I’m so grateful to have been reading, not the wonderful books that you’ve read, but books that have taken me out of the pandemic and into fantasy worlds and into historic eras. Be safe 🥰
Agreed! This year would have been 1000000 times worse without books! 😱
Yay! So happy to see you back on booktube. You always have the best recommendations! Will definitely look into Sonnet’s Shakespeare by Sonnet L’Abbé and the poems of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.
That's great to hear-- both great poets who deserve more love! :)
It’s so lovely to see you back!!
Glad you're back! Would you ever consider making a video about what it's like being a teacher? The pros/cons of the job and how you approach creating class materials/reading lists would be especially interesting. Cheers!
Thanks for the suggestion-- I'll keep it in mind! :)
Great to see you Alex! I’m glad to hear you’re well and that your reading seems to have been going well too! In solidarity with the Irby love, and I Will Never See The World Again sounds great to have on my radar. Looking forward to pt. 2!
Part 2 will cover my rockier months, but yes I am starting to get things back on track!! 🙈
Yay I am so happy you’re back! I follow you on goodreads and see your older reviews all the time when I am browsing books and think, “where is she?!” Haha!
Haha yes I totally stopped updating goodreads at the same time I stopped making videos! That is next on the list! (:
It is great to have you back! Glad you took time for yourself, it's so important to just preserve some semblance of mental stability right now... I don't know how you're managing so much honestly
One day at a time is my motto this year 🙈
I love your wrap ups and I always get such good recommendations! Lol when you said henry david thoreau i literally went "ugGHHHHHHH UCK" and when the next thing you said was "I know people like to roast him," i got a good chuckle. you got me!
Hahaha that's amazing! Gotta love authors who bring out strong opinions in people! :)
So glad you're back! I knew the school year was going to have a tough and busy start. Please take care of yourself. You'll always have subscribers to come back to :) Also, I'm definitely getting 'Will and Testament' now. I've been on the fence about ordering it.
Thanks for that! And I hope you enjoy Will and Testament... it's an intense one but it really drew me in!
So good to see you, Alex!! Hope you've been hanging in there okay with COVID teaching. I just got Hurricane Season out from the library - glad to hear it was a highlight for you! :)
Hey Claire! Pandemic teaching is bizarre but I've been lucky enough to have outstanding students so far this year so that helps immensely! Good luck with Hurricane Season-- it is brutal but its intensity is strangely compelling!
@@bigalbooksforever I’m glad you have such great kids this year! They’re lucky to have you, too!! :)
Definitely worth the wait!!
Look forward to your upcoming reviews. Not sure if you are hearing it enough, but thank you for teaching each day under these new and unusual circumstances.
That is very kind of you to say! It is certainly weird being back at school but my students have all been so patient and kind throughout all the changes that it makes it all worthwhile!
Good to see you! So many great reads! And you read some Ivan Coyote, yay! Thanks for bringing up Black Writers Matter, I wasn't aware of that one. Sor Juana was such a fascinating, intelligent, brave woman. I had to skip over your Shakespeare reads because one of my 2021 projects is to finish the Shakespeare I haven't read. :) Happy December!
Yes I need more Ivan Coyote in my life! And I hope you have fun with your Shakespeare project! I'm already missing diving into his plays, so I guess I'll have to start making up for it by exploring other Elizabethan playwrights!
New subbie here..love your content! There's literally no one else on booktube that has this quality! Great reads and recommendations:)
Thanks for checking out my channel-- I'm glad to hear you're liking it so far! :)
Good to see you are back. Great wrap up. I do love Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Her poems are beautifully written. You probably know she was a nun, I think that makes her feminists views even more interesting. I’m glad you liked the translation. Looking forward to your detailed video about The Red and the Black.
Yes she seemed like a real eccentric and original thinker! I'd love to continue reading and learning more about her :)
YAY! You are back!!
So glad to see you and your books, Al! Stay safe!
Thanks, I shall try! :)
Bread video!, glad to have you back
Thanks, that is so nice to hear! :)
Your hair!! 😍😍
Oh! I’m so happy!🤗 Welcome back.
Thanks! I've missed this! :)
OMG it helped! I was thinking about you for the last few good days and I was hoping you will come back! Such a happy day
Haha I think your manifestations helped give me the energy to try filming again! 🙌
@@bigalbooksforever I'm a rational person who always seek answers in science but after this how can I not believe in magical thinking?! 😄
@@TheJane1775 right? Sounds like you have some powers-- use them wisely!
@@bigalbooksforever hahaha I'll do my best! 😄
It's so great to see you back! Looking forward to whatever videos you have the time or energy to post. It's been a rough year :)
Thanks! I'm inconsistent with posting at the best of times haha but yes this year took things to a different level! 🙈
Glad to see you back :)
Thanks Sabrina-- hope you're doing well! :)
Good to see you haven’t abandoned booktube. WIT is what I’m here for...obviously. The best modernisation of Taming of the Shrew is 10 Things I Hate About You, others should give up trying to do better. The Stranger on a beach seems suspicious, hope you didn’t run into any Arabic people. Love Flights, she is an amazing author. Hurricane Season was great too, I love it so much. I also had the privilege of talking with Sophie Hughes about her translations and that book. Still haven’t read Will and Testament yet, but I will...soon I hope. Love to see more French Canadian books, I need to read more of them.
Yes thankfully my trip to the beach did not end in calamity! Sophie Hughes did such an impressive job-- that cannot have been an easy work to translate and she did a phenomenal job of preserving the atmosphere!
@@bigalbooksforever translating can’t be an easy job, there is so much to consider, my main issue I would struggle with is, do you go for accuracy or try to keep the beauty of the language
@@KnowledgelostOrgOnline I know! I would want to spend an entire year translating one page haha. I think there should be a translator rating spectrum where you could see their bias towards accuracy vs. beautiful prose style!
@@bigalbooksforever that sounds like a good idea but a lot of work
missed your videos !!!! :))
Yay! so happy you’re back !
Thanks-- glad to be back! :)
So glad to see a video!
Thanks for watching it! :)
Wow 😮 I really really love this video please stay safe love from Australia xxx
Thanks, I shall try! :)
yay welcome back
Hey! I hope you've been keeping well! :)
I actually met Evan Winter back when he was self publishing. A very nice dude!
I want to ask though, on the topic of translated poems, do you think they work? I feel that poems, hinging so, so heavily on the absolute specificity of the word choice, the syllable count, the absolute precision!, I always wonder how exactly they can be translated while still maintaining the actual feeling of the original text, while remaining to have some lyrical grace. I’m curious what an English teacher thinks.
That's so cool! I've watched a few of his interviews and he seems really sweet. As for the translation question-- I struggle with this all the time!!! I'm definitely not a poetry expert, but I agree that word choice and sound play such an important role that it seems impossible to truly capture the essence of a poem. I can still enjoy translated poetry if it has strong imagery or emotions, but I'm sure it's not even close. For example, I enjoy Pushkin but I know his poetry isn't nearly as epic as in the original. Bilingual editions are helpful though-- even if I can't understand what the words are it's nice to get a sense of what it would sound like!
@@bigalbooksforever that was generally my idea. I feel with prose it isn’t really a problem, like I hardly regret the fact that I had to read a translated Proust, I don’t feel like I lost anything. I think the best works to be translated are the ones that allow wiggle room, without betraying the text. Which is the opposite of poetry.
Al!
Hey! :)
@@bigalbooksforever The evil algorithm tried pushing other book channels on me while you were gone but I was like nah I know she'll be back eventually.
@@esunsalmista LOL yeah the algorithm doesn't look kindly upon slacker channels like mine!