Merphy starts reading One Piece and we start getting super hype chapters and story reveals. Now she picks up Hunter x Hunter and the mangaka returns after a 3.5 year hiatus? She must be a good luck charm.
I’m really interested in seeing your thoughts on a manga called “Monster” by Naoki Urasawa. It’s a great series based on human psychology and philosophy with compelling themes. The story is very well written, I think you’ll love it.
@@nevergonnagiveupuntilibeco5690 it’s cool she is reading manga since their are so many new stories she has access to now . I was also going to recommend 20th century boys . Hope she see it.
Hey Merphy, first time commenting. Found your channel through your one piece videos (like a lot of us here lol) and never was a novel reader until you inspired me by watching your other non - one piece video. Thank you for that and keep making awesome videos, will keep looking forward to those!
Hey Murphey, I bought The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse for my mother for mothersday on your recommendation, and she read the whole thing to me on the spot and adores it now. Thanks! What a wonderful book!
Many thanks to Merphy for recommending "The Last Cuentista." I finished it last night and thought it was absolutely outstanding. It was definitely not the type of science fiction that I typically like, and that just made it a lot more fun to read. I would definitely be willing to bump another Merphy recommendation to the top of my TBR if I see another that jumps out at me like that. Thanks again.
I'm so glad you're loving the Memoirs of Lady Trent! Don't forget to pick up Turning Darkness into Light, the companion book about Isabella's granddaughter, after you're done with Book 5 :) (But DO NOT read the synopsis of TDiL before finishing Book 5!)
The saddest thing about the final Hitchhikers book written by Adams was that even he was aware that it was too much of a downer, and he was working on a follow up that would fix all that dark stuff, but then he passed away before he could finish it. :(
I'm currently also reading The memoirs of Lady Trent (I'm on book 5) and thank you so much for introducing me to them, Merphy! After you first described "A natural history of dragons" I was hooked and I'm enjoying them so much, they are for me the perfect books for this moment right now.
Omg! Hitchhiker's guide! I read that this year, i loved it!! It's so hysterical and weird. I want to read the rest, but haven't yet, so nice to hear that you like the second one! :D
Thank you for recommending the Nevermoor series. I just finished it and it was fantastic! I love how Morrigan finds her place/purpose in the world and all of the wonderful characters around her.
Sometimes I read an amazing series and gush about it to my friends without giving spoilers. They still have no clue what I'm talking about but it's still fun
Glad to hear you’re enjoying the Chimera Ant Arc so far. That’s an arc where I always *think* it has a weak start, but no, it’s strong throughout. I only think that because the ending is so good that the beginning feels lesser just by comparison. Not to overhype it.
@@cameroncross2016 That's because the 2011 anime drags the hell out of the beginning of the arc. The NGL section alone has 3 episodes worth of filler. The pacing in the manga is lightning fast.
@@cameroncross2016 Ive never understood this? Like you want less of HxH?? Why? Are you a Gen Z that grew up on 10 second snapchat videos for entertainment? Prob
I just finished A Natural History of Dragons last night and I LOVED it! Thanks for talking about these books Murphy I came across them because of you. I'm moving on to the next book immediately. Yay!
I Followed you for a while now because I love Books. But when you and Daniel picked up One Piece it was a Dream Come True for Me. Someone outside the Genre Discovered this Treasure Oda Left for us. ODA TRUE JOYBOY!!!!!!!!
I read the lady trent series on your recommendation and loooved it :) I also read the spin off novel with her granddaughter (Turning darkness into light) and it was great too ! So thank you so much :)
I think you would love Yona of the Dawn by Mizuho Kusanagi given you've loved the kiss of deception. The story and the characters are complex and amazing, I think you'll be obsessed with it
I'm definitely going to be reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy soon due to your ravings and obvious love for it. Also, because of your love for the Big Panda Tiny Dragon type of books I feel like you may like All Along You Were Blooming by Morgan Harper Nichols. It's a poetry book but I feel like it has similar vibes.
Hey Merph, glad you enjoyed Hitchhiker's. If you like Douglas Adams' style, I strongly recommend anything by Terry Pratchett (sorry if you are already familiar with his work, justo followed you recently)
I’ve fell behind in my reading this year but my favorite has been A Gathering of Shadows, the second book of the Shade of Magic series by V. E. Schwab. The way she writes the world(s) of the story is so intriguing and visual to me
Okay, my favorite reads this year so far are: 1. I Sold My Life for 10 000 yen per Year (alternative title: 3 days of happiness) - short manga (only 3 volumes) based on a novel that is so beatifully written and it's sad but it gives you hope, which I'm sucker for stories like that. I highly recommend this one. 2. One of Us is Lieing (YA book) - this book is so pefect for adapting it as teenage mystery drama TV series on American television. Plot of it is: 5 students are stuck together in a classroom and one of them dies, every one of them has something to hide but who is the killer? 3. Pachinko (historical fiction novel) - this one is really sad and most hard to read cause it's most realistic out of 3 and it's about hardships of life. This follows Korean family from 1920s to 1980s that moved to Japan at some point, different generations and their life.
I haven't read the Hitchhickers series in a long time but I don't remember it going downhill that much. There's parts that are better than others but I remember all five books being very good. Many of my favorite parts is from book four.
Marvin is my favorite character in Hitchhiker Guide. His cynicism and deadpan humor was like nothing I've ever seen. Especially because it's coming from a robot.
Lol Marvin was hilarious. I don’t remember the quote exactly, but him complaining about having a brain the size of a planet and being delegated to bringing prisoners to the bridge was hilarious
,@@Yungshamgod I believe it was, "Brain the size of a planet and I've been asked to bring you to the bridge. You call this job satisfaction? 'Cause I don't."
I absolutely love hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. It's an absolute masterpiece, I love, life the universe and everything. Amazing. Glad to hear someone else loved it as much. Ps please make a video on the 3rd book. It's so funny
I’m so glad you’ve been covering Manga like HXH & One piece. I’d love to recommend 5 books: 20th Century Boys, Goodnight Pun Pun, Solanin, and Berserk.
20th century boys is not as good as people say it is. I read it since everyone says it's so great and it was good but only half of it. As it goes on and it gets more and more boring and unnecessarily long. There was no need for friend to be changed/revealed so many times. The author builds up so much tension and keeps trying to create bigger and bigger plot twists writing himself into a corner when the result at the end is lackluster. Good night pun pun is just garbage, predictable and boring asf. Berserk is the greatest manga of all time so at least you've got that under your belt.
I have read the Hitchhiker when I was like fourteen(?), but I think I have to read it again. Because let's be honest, when you are fourteen you don't understand everything. Kind of forgot about it, so thanks Merph... My books I have to read (again) List just became longer... Again. 😂
You have to read The Terror by Dan Simmons ! My friends and I are reading it for our book club and we are all hooked. I would recommend reading it with the audible version that has music. The soundtrack/ sound effects set the perfect mood. Its the terrifying story of the 1845 Franklin Expedition that gets trapped in the Arctic with a some added supernatural elements thrown in. It’s not exactly pirates but its still sailors, ships, and the mysteries of the uncharted seas. It’s terrifying read! It’s a 10/10 so far for me.
Thank you for videos like these. Although I have already got a TBR of over 400 books, its always fun to add more. Just a random thought and suggestion - Have you read "'The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak? If not, please do.
After you finish Hitchhiker's, you ought to give Douglas Adams' other novel series Dirk Gently a try- there's only two completed books in the series, but both are very good and very wild. In fact, the second one is even better than the first in my opinion.
Since it was a bit of a discussion on one of the comments on your worst books, I'm going to bring it up here. I think you would absolutely enjoy Mushishi for the slower, quieter pacing; the Character focus of each "short story with a theme", learning a bit more about some culture and worldbuilding, and beautiful artwork. yes some parts may seem at first like "info dumps" but it's not quite the same like say what happens in HxH. It's a little closer to how Lady Trent goes on her little tangents about dragons as it's an "Mushi Expert" talking about the Mushi that is plaguing the situation. It's not action packed, but that's not the point of the anime. (I would also suggest Vampire Princess Miyu due to the Mermaid Saga, but that may actually be better for October to bring up again lol)
My recent favourite is Leviathan wakes. I was afraid massive space opera wasn't my thing, but boy, was I wrong. It's a master piece, with amazing word building, great characters ans a płot which keep you on the vergo of your seat. And I finally have a looong series to sonk in for a while.
I am very interested in The Memoirs of Lady Trent. It is the whole traditionally fantasy aspect but approaching them in a scientific manner through the eyes of a naturalist. Something about combing a fantasy with a sci-fi element or academic lens always gets my attention. I am so happy that I found three new favourites this year, especially considering how last year I only found one. There is Toil and Trouble which is a YA anthology about women and witchcraft. A lot of the stories were surprisingly mature and dealt with dark themes and persecution and I adored it. Then there is The Embalmer by Anne-Renee Caille. This was a novella following a woman who was taking notes during an interview with her father about his career as an embalmer. And I, being my quite morbid self, loved it. The final one which I continuously recommend based on the detail of the surgeries and the writing alone is Night Theatre by Vikram Paralkar. This follows a surgeon working at an underfunded clinic, and one night a family of dead people walks into a clinic with fatal wounds. If he doesn't stitch them up by sunrise they will all drop dead again. I adored it, and it was amazing.
Hey Merphy! I series that is aimed at a younger audience but has a unique narrative is "A Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snickett. Really funny, think you would enjoy!
I am reading a Bleach novel and there is a specific quote that instantly made me want to write it to you: "The ocean that had started as a lump, covered the sky, eventually undulating in one direction to turn into gigantic river that ran freely through the air." - Bleach: Can't Fear Your Own World (Volume 2, page161). I would send it to Discord, but haven't found a link to it.
One manga series I really hope to see your reaction to is Kingdom, it's a war series that happens in ancient China... It's easily one of the best uses of wars and pre-guns warfare in fiction that I have ever seen, without compromising characters or scale like it usually happens with this huge battles
Happy to hear you enjoy Hitchhiker’s, despite not being into what you named absurd literature. Loved the first part of the series too. The last book however - I really didn’t like and I still find that instead of closing up the books, it opened up a lot of strange questions and made basically everyone annoying characters and the ending… Well.
The Hitchhiker series does NOT go downhill. The series has a slight dip and then arrives at "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish", one of the greatest books of the 1980s.
I read an edition with the five books (Idk if its a different edition from yours), and I liked the first four, even the slower one where Arthur meets her lover, but I have to say that the fifth book (Mostly Harmless) has the worst ending I've read ever. Its literally SPOILER: "and they all died, the end". But the other ones were good lol
My edition is also an omnibus of the five. And yes, "Mostly Harmless" is the least satisfying of the five ... even to Douglas Adams himself after he wrote it.
I read A Natural History of Dragons on your previous description of Jane Austen and Dragons. I really loved it! I plan on reading the others- so Thank-you for the suggestion.
I've read: The Big Brain by Gary Brandner Some Calvin & Hobbes Books The Old Man & the Sea by Ernest Hemingway - listened to the audiobook read by Charlton Heston The Executioners by John D. McDonald- inspiration for Cape Fear
Murph, if you're liking The Hitchhiker's Guide as much as it sounds like you are I can't recommend the Discworld highly enough. I think you would get a massive kick out of it
For books I would say The Goblin King is a very intriguing political drama in a fantasy world with a Goblin main character who is such a likable protagonist. For manga since you have read shonen try an interesting seinen. Golden Kamuy is one I would recommend. A war veteran and an native girl are trying to find a treasure hidden away and the only map is tattooed on the body of escape convicts. It is hilarious, thrilling, heartfelt, and insightful into this native culture. Highly highly recommend.
@@zedsan-g3l I honestly haven't watched the anime. I heard first season can be a bit rough with the CG but the other seasons got better so I assume it was liked enough. I usually read the manga since it is faster than watching. Also you get a more direct vision of the story the author is trying to tell
I will definitely check some of these books. I'm currently reading Flowers over inferno by Ilaria Tuti and The New York trilogy by Paul Auster, very interesting books. Also I know it is getting old but I highly recommend Monster and especially anime Mushishi, manga is great but anime is just magical. This is just small recommendation I love all your content.
I wonder if she'll like Chimera Ant. It's only 2 choice. Either she'll absolutely LOVE it or absolutely HATE it. No in-between's here. I'll be honest, first time I watch CA I HATED IT. The only thing on my mind was I wanna see the Phantom Troupe. Instead we get some random ants. The weird thing is, now I LOVE IT (more than York New). But that doesn't happen after I rewatch the show. Perhaps it was Togashi's Magic (?) or Nen :D
@Krys i agree with you, but i can also see the opposite side since i used to hate it. There are people who even think CA is the worst & boring, and I can definitely see where they’re coming from.
CA is make or break. But she isnt a casual reader that just watches it for the action, shes read some of the best fantasy works ever, its easy to distinguish that this will definetely be up there among the best, after she finishes it. 9 times out of 10 shell love it
@@JaswiL-_51 I think it's very well written just too long. It if was like 30% shorter it would be great. I feel like I could have gone longer with tournament and way longer on greed island but chimera ant overstays it's welcome.
If you like Douglas Adams, then you might also enjoy Jasper Fforde who is like the British version of Adams. The Thursday Next series is one of my favorites and peaks towards the middle books. If you enjoy absurdism, you might like that as well.
I'm surprised you haven't read Hitchhiker's Guide until now!! I mostly read highly recommended series and this was amongst them and I just fell in love with it, it's up there among my favorite things I've read. I'm not exactly knowledgeable about authors/series and such but do you have any recommendation that would fit the same sort of humor Douglas Adams' work have? So far the only one I've found that I really dig is Norm MacDonald's Based on True Story: Not A Memoir
Ive been re-reading the mixed media mess that is homestuck and boy howdy is that comic so much funnier than i remember it, its so much more listless too. It's such an interesting piece of internet history and if you havent read it, its as good as a weird property as any to read
It’s really hard to find but “Last Chance to See” is my favorite Douglas Adams. He goes out with a zoologist to look at very endangered animals. The rest of the Hitchhikers guide is still funny but not as well like by many
The 4 books that originally make up the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy series are all brilliant and to me are all equally good. The 5th book however... Honestly, you won't miss anything if you skip that one. It seems that Douglas Adams was bullied into writing the 5th book and it really shows that he was not into it, plus I totally agree with him that the series had to end at the 4 books and be done there.
Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson would be to your NF tastes, I bet. It's about technical divers who explore very deep shipwrecks. Also, Devil's Teeth by Susan Casey, which focuses on the research done on great white sharks at the Farallon Islands, off CA's coast. Technically, these islands, which are rocky and forbidding, lie within San Francisco's city limits. Other Non Fiction my wife and I have enjoyed are, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, (all his books are excellent), and The Hot Zone by Richard Preston, about the discovery and spread of Ebola-Z. (Scariest book I've ever read.)
I just finished The Darkness Outside Us, it was fantastic! Very heartbreaking and devastating at points. It is about two young space travelers who are on a ship where the AI who runs the ship isn't telling them everything.
Hitchhikers doesn't go downhill as such, it's more that the series becomes more and more bitter towards the end. I get the feeling from them that Addams didn't really want to write them but felt like he had to because people always wanted more hitchhikers. He said he regretted ending the series the way he did. Dirk Gently is a fun read all the way (though there's only two and a half books). I get the same feeling from the Lost World - Crichton didn't want to write it and it came across that way when reading, but it's still good. Just nowhere close to Jurassic Park.
I kinda of see you as a blessing and here is why. Just when you when I was thinking merphy will catch up with hxh and there will be no more hxh videos How sad. togashi said "I am back"
I think people get upset with chimera ant because it’s long and explores a lot of different characters and perspectives which to some people drags. I loved it. It’s probably also the most dark
Looking forward to reading some of these books 📚 please stay safe and enjoy your reading prayers and thoughts to you and your family love your family friend John xxx
Merphy starts reading One Piece and we start getting super hype chapters and story reveals. Now she picks up Hunter x Hunter and the mangaka returns after a 3.5 year hiatus? She must be a good luck charm.
She should read Nana......
@@idonteatspiders2986 yes. and D. Gray Man
@@raphaic5671 True. D. Gray-man is such a gem
I’m really interested in seeing your thoughts on a manga called “Monster” by Naoki Urasawa. It’s a great series based on human psychology and philosophy with compelling themes. The story is very well written, I think you’ll love it.
20th Century Boys too also by Urusawa..... I just finished it 2 days ago and im desperate for content
Same it's arguably the best mystery manga out there
@@nevergonnagiveupuntilibeco5690 read Pluto and Billy Bat both are by Naoki Urasawa the author of Monster and 20th CB
also Naoki Urasawa the author has his official RUclips channel ruclips.net/channel/UCkIFOAoFm47XOAlJwTa6Ieg
@@nevergonnagiveupuntilibeco5690 it’s cool she is reading manga since their are so many new stories she has access to now . I was also going to recommend 20th century boys . Hope she see it.
Honestly, it’s such a pleasure to hear about other people’s favorite literature(even if I don’t always feel the same about their faves)
Hey Merphy, first time commenting. Found your channel through your one piece videos (like a lot of us here lol) and never was a novel reader until you inspired me by watching your other non - one piece video. Thank you for that and keep making awesome videos, will keep looking forward to those!
Same! I watched Daniel Greene and Merphy’s One Piece videos and after years of not reading a book I picked up Mistborn
Yes I started reading Mistborn and Percy Jackson for the first time
Oh that’s fantastic :)
The passion Merph has for books, especially her favorites, make her so enjoyable to watch!
Hey Murphey, I bought The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse for my mother for mothersday on your recommendation, and she read the whole thing to me on the spot and adores it now. Thanks! What a wonderful book!
My favorite books of the year, so far, were The Dragon Reborn, Red Seas Under Red Skies, The Well of Ascension and Before They Are Hanged.
I really enjoyed red seas under red skies I read it last year
You really like Second books from trilogies huh?
Aside from Dragon Reborn
@@sumitrana2420 I haven't figured that out. Haha, you may be right.
Many thanks to Merphy for recommending "The Last Cuentista." I finished it last night and thought it was absolutely outstanding. It was definitely not the type of science fiction that I typically like, and that just made it a lot more fun to read. I would definitely be willing to bump another Merphy recommendation to the top of my TBR if I see another that jumps out at me like that. Thanks again.
I'm so glad you're loving the Memoirs of Lady Trent! Don't forget to pick up Turning Darkness into Light, the companion book about Isabella's granddaughter, after you're done with Book 5 :) (But DO NOT read the synopsis of TDiL before finishing Book 5!)
The saddest thing about the final Hitchhikers book written by Adams was that even he was aware that it was too much of a downer, and he was working on a follow up that would fix all that dark stuff, but then he passed away before he could finish it. :(
Yeah the ending definitely left a bitter taste in the series. I would read all the other books again, but not the final one
Yay!!! I’m so glad you’ve read Hitchhiker’s!! It’s far and away my favourite book.
I'm currently also reading The memoirs of Lady Trent (I'm on book 5) and thank you so much for introducing me to them, Merphy! After you first described "A natural history of dragons" I was hooked and I'm enjoying them so much, they are for me the perfect books for this moment right now.
Omg! Hitchhiker's guide! I read that this year, i loved it!! It's so hysterical and weird. I want to read the rest, but haven't yet, so nice to hear that you like the second one! :D
Thank you for recommending the Nevermoor series. I just finished it and it was fantastic! I love how Morrigan finds her place/purpose in the world and all of the wonderful characters around her.
Anytime Merphy mentions Hunter X Hunter It feels great
Sometimes I read an amazing series and gush about it to my friends without giving spoilers. They still have no clue what I'm talking about but it's still fun
Glad to hear you’re enjoying the Chimera Ant Arc so far. That’s an arc where I always *think* it has a weak start, but no, it’s strong throughout. I only think that because the ending is so good that the beginning feels lesser just by comparison.
Not to overhype it.
I actually think its way too long of an arc
@@BMB57 yeah the first like 20 episodes could have been condensed into like 5
@@cameroncross2016 That's because the 2011 anime drags the hell out of the beginning of the arc. The NGL section alone has 3 episodes worth of filler.
The pacing in the manga is lightning fast.
@@guilhermemartins2606 ah that would explain it, I only started reading the Manga where the anime left off
@@cameroncross2016 Ive never understood this? Like you want less of HxH?? Why? Are you a Gen Z that grew up on 10 second snapchat videos for entertainment? Prob
I just finished A Natural History of Dragons last night and I LOVED it! Thanks for talking about these books Murphy I came across them because of you. I'm moving on to the next book immediately. Yay!
I Followed you for a while now because I love Books. But when you and Daniel picked up One Piece it was a Dream Come True for Me. Someone outside the Genre Discovered this Treasure Oda Left for us. ODA TRUE JOYBOY!!!!!!!!
I read the lady trent series on your recommendation and loooved it :)
I also read the spin off novel with her granddaughter (Turning darkness into light) and it was great too !
So thank you so much :)
I think you would love Yona of the Dawn by Mizuho Kusanagi given you've loved the kiss of deception. The story and the characters are complex and amazing, I think you'll be obsessed with it
I'm definitely going to be reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy soon due to your ravings and obvious love for it. Also, because of your love for the Big Panda Tiny Dragon type of books I feel like you may like All Along You Were Blooming by Morgan Harper Nichols. It's a poetry book but I feel like it has similar vibes.
Hey Merph, glad you enjoyed Hitchhiker's. If you like Douglas Adams' style, I strongly recommend anything by Terry Pratchett (sorry if you are already familiar with his work, justo followed you recently)
I’ve fell behind in my reading this year but my favorite has been A Gathering of Shadows, the second book of the Shade of Magic series by V. E. Schwab. The way she writes the world(s) of the story is so intriguing and visual to me
Okay, my favorite reads this year so far are:
1. I Sold My Life for 10 000 yen per Year (alternative title: 3 days of happiness) - short manga (only 3 volumes) based on a novel that is so beatifully written and it's sad but it gives you hope, which I'm sucker for stories like that. I highly recommend this one.
2. One of Us is Lieing (YA book) - this book is so pefect for adapting it as teenage mystery drama TV series on American television. Plot of it is: 5 students are stuck together in a classroom and one of them dies, every one of them has something to hide but who is the killer?
3. Pachinko (historical fiction novel) - this one is really sad and most hard to read cause it's most realistic out of 3 and it's about hardships of life. This follows Korean family from 1920s to 1980s that moved to Japan at some point, different generations and their life.
Merphy starts reading HxH and suddenly Togashi returns from his hiatus? She needs to pick up Vagabond ASAP.
All the hiatus mangas! Haha
If only she could work her magic on Berserk. 😭
@@Zivilin Raising the dead is asking a little too much.
@@Zivilin she didn't like it
@@Moody.Smiruai Which I'd say is perfectly reasonable. It's a masterclass in writing, but its just SO dark.
I haven't read the Hitchhickers series in a long time but I don't remember it going downhill that much. There's parts that are better than others but I remember all five books being very good. Many of my favorite parts is from book four.
Welp, consider me sold on The Memoirs of Lady Trent, i'm absolutely picking that up next.
Marvin is my favorite character in Hitchhiker Guide. His cynicism and deadpan humor was like nothing I've ever seen. Especially because it's coming from a robot.
Lol Marvin was hilarious. I don’t remember the quote exactly, but him complaining about having a brain the size of a planet and being delegated to bringing prisoners to the bridge was hilarious
,@@Yungshamgod I believe it was, "Brain the size of a planet and I've been asked to bring you to the bridge. You call this job satisfaction? 'Cause I don't."
@@evilgenius4213 lol
Whether she's gushing or roasting, her energy is always infectious
I absolutely love hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. It's an absolute masterpiece, I love, life the universe and everything. Amazing. Glad to hear someone else loved it as much.
Ps please make a video on the 3rd book. It's so funny
I’m so glad you’ve been covering Manga like HXH & One piece. I’d love to recommend 5 books: 20th Century Boys, Goodnight Pun Pun, Solanin, and Berserk.
20th century boys is not as good as people say it is. I read it since everyone says it's so great and it was good but only half of it. As it goes on and it gets more and more boring and unnecessarily long. There was no need for friend to be changed/revealed so many times. The author builds up so much tension and keeps trying to create bigger and bigger plot twists writing himself into a corner when the result at the end is lackluster. Good night pun pun is just garbage, predictable and boring asf. Berserk is the greatest manga of all time so at least you've got that under your belt.
I have read the Hitchhiker when I was like fourteen(?), but I think I have to read it again.
Because let's be honest, when you are fourteen you don't understand everything.
Kind of forgot about it, so thanks Merph... My books I have to read (again) List just became longer... Again. 😂
Hitchhikers good is a great book to read. The audiobook is absolutely fantastic too. Stephen Fry does the narration and his voice is golden
Read the Last Cuentista off the back of you mentioning it in previous videos, just wanted to say I really liked it; so, thank you!
I needed a ray of sunshine this morning. Thanks Merphy!
When Marvin waits billions of years as a valley, cracked me up so much!
You have to read The Terror by Dan Simmons ! My friends and I are reading it for our book club and we are all hooked. I would recommend reading it with the audible version that has music. The soundtrack/ sound effects set the perfect mood. Its the terrifying story of the 1845 Franklin Expedition that gets trapped in the Arctic with a some added supernatural elements thrown in. It’s not exactly pirates but its still sailors, ships, and the mysteries of the uncharted seas. It’s terrifying read! It’s a 10/10 so far for me.
i binged the nevermoor series because of you and now i have fun withdrawals
Thank you for videos like these. Although I have already got a TBR of over 400 books, its always fun to add more.
Just a random thought and suggestion - Have you read "'The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak? If not, please do.
After you finish Hitchhiker's, you ought to give Douglas Adams' other novel series Dirk Gently a try- there's only two completed books in the series, but both are very good and very wild. In fact, the second one is even better than the first in my opinion.
Since it was a bit of a discussion on one of the comments on your worst books, I'm going to bring it up here. I think you would absolutely enjoy Mushishi for the slower, quieter pacing; the Character focus of each "short story with a theme", learning a bit more about some culture and worldbuilding, and beautiful artwork. yes some parts may seem at first like "info dumps" but it's not quite the same like say what happens in HxH. It's a little closer to how Lady Trent goes on her little tangents about dragons as it's an "Mushi Expert" talking about the Mushi that is plaguing the situation. It's not action packed, but that's not the point of the anime. (I would also suggest Vampire Princess Miyu due to the Mermaid Saga, but that may actually be better for October to bring up again lol)
My recent favourite is Leviathan wakes. I was afraid massive space opera wasn't my thing, but boy, was I wrong. It's a master piece, with amazing word building, great characters ans a płot which keep you on the vergo of your seat. And I finally have a looong series to sonk in for a while.
I am very interested in The Memoirs of Lady Trent. It is the whole traditionally fantasy aspect but approaching them in a scientific manner through the eyes of a naturalist. Something about combing a fantasy with a sci-fi element or academic lens always gets my attention. I am so happy that I found three new favourites this year, especially considering how last year I only found one. There is Toil and Trouble which is a YA anthology about women and witchcraft. A lot of the stories were surprisingly mature and dealt with dark themes and persecution and I adored it. Then there is The Embalmer by Anne-Renee Caille. This was a novella following a woman who was taking notes during an interview with her father about his career as an embalmer. And I, being my quite morbid self, loved it. The final one which I continuously recommend based on the detail of the surgeries and the writing alone is Night Theatre by Vikram Paralkar. This follows a surgeon working at an underfunded clinic, and one night a family of dead people walks into a clinic with fatal wounds. If he doesn't stitch them up by sunrise they will all drop dead again. I adored it, and it was amazing.
Hey Merphy! I series that is aimed at a younger audience but has a unique narrative is "A Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snickett. Really funny, think you would enjoy!
Nevermoor was the best of the three books published so far. They are excellent on audio! The narrator is so fun.
First time commenting! Just want to point out that at 4:23 it should be Thailand not Taiwan
The entire Douglas Adams series is amazing start to finish
I am reading a Bleach novel and there is a specific quote that instantly made me want to write it to you:
"The ocean that had started as a lump, covered the sky, eventually undulating in one direction to turn into gigantic river that ran freely through the air." - Bleach: Can't Fear Your Own World (Volume 2, page161).
I would send it to Discord, but haven't found a link to it.
One manga series I really hope to see your reaction to is Kingdom, it's a war series that happens in ancient China...
It's easily one of the best uses of wars and pre-guns warfare in fiction that I have ever seen, without compromising characters or scale like it usually happens with this huge battles
Happy to hear you enjoy Hitchhiker’s, despite not being into what you named absurd literature. Loved the first part of the series too. The last book however - I really didn’t like and I still find that instead of closing up the books, it opened up a lot of strange questions and made basically everyone annoying characters and the ending… Well.
The Hitchhiker series does NOT go downhill. The series has a slight dip and then arrives at "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish", one of the greatest books of the 1980s.
I read an edition with the five books (Idk if its a different edition from yours), and I liked the first four, even the slower one where Arthur meets her lover, but I have to say that the fifth book (Mostly Harmless) has the worst ending I've read ever. Its literally SPOILER: "and they all died, the end". But the other ones were good lol
My edition is also an omnibus of the five. And yes, "Mostly Harmless" is the least satisfying of the five ... even to Douglas Adams himself after he wrote it.
@@AdamFishkin yeah, too bad he couldn't finish the sixth book he was making :(
Togashi just came back. Lucky you!!
I read A Natural History of Dragons on your previous description of Jane Austen and Dragons. I really loved it! I plan on reading the others- so Thank-you for the suggestion.
I've read:
The Big Brain by Gary Brandner
Some Calvin & Hobbes Books
The Old Man & the Sea by Ernest Hemingway - listened to the audiobook read by Charlton Heston
The Executioners by John D. McDonald- inspiration for Cape Fear
Murph, if you're liking The Hitchhiker's Guide as much as it sounds like you are I can't recommend the Discworld highly enough. I think you would get a massive kick out of it
For books I would say The Goblin King is a very intriguing political drama in a fantasy world with a Goblin main character who is such a likable protagonist. For manga since you have read shonen try an interesting seinen. Golden Kamuy is one I would recommend. A war veteran and an native girl are trying to find a treasure hidden away and the only map is tattooed on the body of escape convicts. It is hilarious, thrilling, heartfelt, and insightful into this native culture. Highly highly recommend.
Is the anime as good as the manga? I'm planning to watch it but I can't decide. Currently watching Great Teacher Onizuka
@@zedsan-g3l I honestly haven't watched the anime. I heard first season can be a bit rough with the CG but the other seasons got better so I assume it was liked enough. I usually read the manga since it is faster than watching. Also you get a more direct vision of the story the author is trying to tell
When I see Hunter x Hunter and Hitchhiker's Guide I know that you have good tastes and am now curious about the rest of the books you've listed.
I will definitely check some of these books. I'm currently reading Flowers over inferno by Ilaria Tuti and The New York trilogy by Paul Auster, very interesting books. Also I know it is getting old but I highly recommend Monster and especially anime Mushishi, manga is great but anime is just magical. This is just small recommendation I love all your content.
I'm ready to get some good recommendations. Gotta love an excuse to get new books :))
Read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy per your recommendation - was great. thanks, Merphy.
I wonder if she'll like Chimera Ant. It's only 2 choice. Either she'll absolutely LOVE it or absolutely HATE it. No in-between's here.
I'll be honest, first time I watch CA I HATED IT. The only thing on my mind was I wanna see the Phantom Troupe. Instead we get some random ants. The weird thing is, now I LOVE IT (more than York New). But that doesn't happen after I rewatch the show. Perhaps it was Togashi's Magic (?) or Nen :D
@Krys i agree with you, but i can also see the opposite side since i used to hate it. There are people who even think CA is the worst & boring, and I can definitely see where they’re coming from.
don't know overall but she's a mom, a specific part is going to break her.
CA is make or break. But she isnt a casual reader that just watches it for the action, shes read some of the best fantasy works ever, its easy to distinguish that this will definetely be up there among the best, after she finishes it. 9 times out of 10 shell love it
@@JaswiL-_51 I think it's very well written just too long. It if was like 30% shorter it would be great. I feel like I could have gone longer with tournament and way longer on greed island but chimera ant overstays it's welcome.
And I liked this arc when I first watched it, only after a re-watch I realised how garbage it is, maybe that's Togashi's magic too?
Finally read hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, an absolute fucking classic
If you like Douglas Adams, then you might also enjoy Jasper Fforde who is like the British version of Adams. The Thursday Next series is one of my favorites and peaks towards the middle books. If you enjoy absurdism, you might like that as well.
Isn't Adam's british?
@@CristianAP95 Yes, my mistake. Fforde is more "British" in writing style at least.
My favourite book so far this year has been The Emperor's Soul
I'm surprised you haven't read Hitchhiker's Guide until now!! I mostly read highly recommended series and this was amongst them and I just fell in love with it, it's up there among my favorite things I've read. I'm not exactly knowledgeable about authors/series and such but do you have any recommendation that would fit the same sort of humor Douglas Adams' work have? So far the only one I've found that I really dig is Norm MacDonald's Based on True Story: Not A Memoir
Ive been re-reading the mixed media mess that is homestuck and boy howdy is that comic so much funnier than i remember it, its so much more listless too. It's such an interesting piece of internet history and if you havent read it, its as good as a weird property as any to read
It’s really hard to find but “Last Chance to See” is my favorite Douglas Adams. He goes out with a zoologist to look at very endangered animals.
The rest of the Hitchhikers guide is still funny but not as well like by many
20th century boy or monster next ✌
Have you read Terry Pratchett? You might love the Disc World series if you like Hitchhiker's
And Lemony Snicket
My favourite so far have been Way of Kings, Beartown and Fullmetal Alchemist… I think you will really love it
The 4 books that originally make up the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy series are all brilliant and to me are all equally good. The 5th book however... Honestly, you won't miss anything if you skip that one. It seems that Douglas Adams was bullied into writing the 5th book and it really shows that he was not into it, plus I totally agree with him that the series had to end at the 4 books and be done there.
HHG is a work of genius and Douglas Adams is a philosopher and comedian par excellence.
I’ve had nevermoor on my TBR for so long now 👀
Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson would be to your NF tastes, I bet. It's about technical divers who explore very deep shipwrecks. Also, Devil's Teeth by Susan Casey, which focuses on the research done on great white sharks at the Farallon Islands, off CA's coast. Technically, these islands, which are rocky and forbidding, lie within San Francisco's city limits. Other Non Fiction my wife and I have enjoyed are, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, (all his books are excellent), and The Hot Zone by Richard Preston, about the discovery and spread of Ebola-Z. (Scariest book I've ever read.)
You should really try one of the Tatsuki Fujimoto mangas
I just finished The Darkness Outside Us, it was fantastic! Very heartbreaking and devastating at points. It is about two young space travelers who are on a ship where the AI who runs the ship isn't telling them everything.
The memoirs of lady trent sounds super interesting ill add it to my list!
My favorite books this year were the screwtape letters by Cs Lewis and Power and Thrones by Dan Jones
So far, this year, my favorite books have been the Three Body Problem Trilogy. Thought provoking sci-fi!
Hitchhikers doesn't go downhill as such, it's more that the series becomes more and more bitter towards the end. I get the feeling from them that Addams didn't really want to write them but felt like he had to because people always wanted more hitchhikers. He said he regretted ending the series the way he did. Dirk Gently is a fun read all the way (though there's only two and a half books).
I get the same feeling from the Lost World - Crichton didn't want to write it and it came across that way when reading, but it's still good. Just nowhere close to Jurassic Park.
I kinda of see you as a blessing and here is why.
Just when you when I was thinking merphy will catch up with hxh and there will be no more hxh videos
How sad.
togashi said "I am back"
Merphy finally understands the meaning of life!
You have to listen to the BBC radio series of Hitch Hikers guide to the galaxy, it is so good.
Merphy watch FLCL! I’m taking the method that worked for making you watch One Piece lol
If you want Manga recommendations, Witch Hat Atelier is really good. I would add to the list Sousou no Frieren.
I’m curious how you feel about the Dune book series. If you haven’t read it yet, you should!
I think people get upset with chimera ant because it’s long and explores a lot of different characters and perspectives which to some people drags. I loved it. It’s probably also the most dark
I need to read that Lady Trent series. I'm hoping it's on audio and just sounds like I'm listening to a fantastical nature documentary.
I listened to the first one and yeah, it's getting very close at times
Looking forward to reading some of these books 📚 please stay safe and enjoy your reading prayers and thoughts to you and your family love your family friend John xxx
I would be delighted if you read the manga homunculus
Big Panda and Tiny Dragon sounds like The Tao of Pooh, which is a beautiful little book.
Great video!
4:23 *Thailand, not Taiwan
Hey Merphy, would you try a manga called "To Your Eternity"? The author is the same one who create A silent voice
My favorite book this year is Words of Radiance. I was yelling at the audiobook during the arena scene 😂😂
I miss Gon fighting with that fishing pole
Chimera Ant arc has potential to dethrone Yorknew for you, eh?
🙂
I can't wait until you complete it, it only gets better imo
Hey Merphy, just a heads up, the R is missing in Patreons on your outro screen
The series is 10/10 Start to end