You know, every time I see a skillshare link, I'm always saddened that I'm not among the first X to use the link because the YTbers I subscribe to have like thousands to millions of followers, and the videos often get hundreds of thousands of views by the time I get to them. So, this is going to be the first time that I actually can use Skillshare's one-month trial. Thank you! PS: This is totally not a hit at your view count for the book videos btw.
@@anima099 Wow you’re so lucky to get a code! There’s only 1000 of them so you were one of the first of Man Carrying Thing’s 10 billion dedicated viewers! I’m Jealous
I was surprised to see “Owner’s Manual - Rotary Mower HR215SXA” in the Honda Power Equipment series, but I gotta say, your case for it was convincing. I’m sold!!
Considering that he included Sanderson 🤮 in the same list as Steinbeck, that may as well have been one of the recommendations. How do include someone (Sanderson) who has prose like a high school student writing his first draft, to the other literary American works? (Would do well to read some French and Russian classics btw).
@@alb0zfinestliterature puritans when they realize that someone is allowed to like a book that isn't about some dude catching a fish, or a family going somewhere
@@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770 yea cuz it's for kids and it's written in such bland and simple writing it can't possibly transport me into the story.
@@amritasengupta5251 It was a recurring theme in the comics where C & H would pretend to be presidents locked into war, typically featuring water balloons as nuclear warheads.
I was unable to tell for most of the video if this was very subtle satire, but when you didn't mention 'Blues Clues: World of Colors' I decided conclusively that this is indeed satire. Jokes aside, I just finished Words of Radiance myself not too long ago and it was probably the most successfully cinematic Fantasy I have read in a very long time (maybe ever)
Yknow the stuff you said about 50 shades of grey really changed my mind, I was really surprised it was your number 1 but now I see that it truly is a misunderstood masterpiece
Ah, yes. "Something Wicked This Way Comes", the famous novel by Ray Bradbury adapted from the song with the toads at the start of the third Harry Potter movie.
Interesting to see Brandon Sanderson alongside Faulkner and Melville. Always though people made too much of a distinction between literary and genre fiction. Would have both James Joyce and William Gibson in my own top ten.
Agreed! My favorites include Words of Radiance, Crime and Punishment, and Kafka's Metamorphosis. There's so many things literature can do, so it's a shame to be close-minded about it.
@@DanLyndon I'll agree on the unfortunate misperception of literature, but you're not helping that by turning around and looking down your nose at an author whose work you don't fancy. Even feeling the need to point out the obvious and expound about how different Melville and Sanderson are reeks of pretension motivated by insecurity-as if you need to make doubly sure everyone knows you know the two are so different that risking any comparison by placing them on the same list of favorites is itself an affront. Literature in the traditional sense isn't dull pretension wrapped in overwrought language (for that see your comment), neither is genre fiction devoid of notability or merit.
I have watched this video a ridiculous amount of times, to the point where I know what you are going to say before you even say it. There's a great conversational quality to this, like I'm talking to a very smart and humble friend; your humor is very natural and your insight into the books is obviously very deep. I even read Blood Meridian because of this video, and it is now one of my favorites. Great vid, and keep carrying thing!
I started reading book one of Complete Calvin and Hobbes today, and when I take a quick break to watch a youtube video, there it is. Now more than ever I have reasons to believe that Big Press is spying on me. (In all seriousness though, loving this book, and also love your channel Jake! Keep up the excelent work :)
Really love your mix of old classics and modern stuff like Words of Radiance. Alot of people I think would put them on different lists. This really feels like an honest top 10. I read Fahrenheit 451 recently and while I didn't love the book I really enjoyed Ray Bradbury's writing. I think I will give Something Wicked This Way Comes a shot.
I didn't know what to expect, but I didn't know it would be all Wheel of time books... such an odd choice, wait is that Daniel Greene holding a gun in the corner of the room?
kinda shocked to see “If i did it” by OJ Simpson with the review being “This book makes me want to make a difference in the world” but you do you man(carrying thing).
Shoutout to the English course dedicated completely to Moby-Dick that I took in college. Taught me that you do not actually have to read/watch an entire piece of media to have immense respect for it. Good stuff, Melville.
Hey so I know you’re a funny guy and all, and trust me, your funny stuff is really funny I love it, but I also love the fact that you’re also posting content like this once in a while. I happen to be a literature nerd, so this is great for me. Just wanted to say you’re pretty cool :)
Excellent list. So many that I want to read. East of Eden is my all time favorite book, and Calvin and Hobbes was an essential component of my childhood. Based on those selections alone, I am very eager to read more of your recommendations!
I'm such a huge Ray Bradbury fan and it makes me smile to see him on the list. His short stories were always my favorite, but I really enjoyed the Martian Chronicles. I get chills thinking about that book.
This month I literally read Moby Dick followed immediately by Blood Meridian and I am so stoked to hear someone talk about them together like that. I think you've convinced me to check out Butcher's Crossing next!
Just found your channel and it's filled to the brim with funny bits, but what I like most of all are these book videos! You're clearly very passionate. I'll be sure to pick up a few of these on my next trip to the library.
You definitely interested me in some of these, and you have my hearty assent for Calvin & Hobbes, which has remained an incredible source of wisdom, humor, and comfort to me from childhood through adulthood. I strongly recommend the historical fiction of Rosemary Sutcliff, who writes beautifully personal stories. “The Lantern Bearers” is the first book to make me cry and feel actual pain that it had ended, and is one of my most reread books. Its sequel “Sword at Sunset” is a thoughtful and moving tale of the historical King Arthur. Both books skillfully use the passage of time to let their protagonists age realistically over a good two or three decades, which makes their characters arcs all the more realistic and nuanced because they aren’t rushed or simplified.
I actually just started Absalom, Absalom! today, think the first chapter has gone over my head but I'll keep trying because the style appeals to me, just got to really focus.
i was so excited when something wicked popped up, it’s one of my favorites too! bradbury is one of my favorite authors and something wicked basically captures all the reasons i love his writing.
I rarely leave sincere comments but you’re the only person I follow on here that is so open about book loving without it being their only thing. My favorite book of all time, and one that whisked me away to somewhere else at a time I needed it, is Shogun by James Clavell. Richly detailed and accurate historical fiction rooted in real history, a book of schemes, empires, death and love. Total classic epic.
Something Wicked this Way Comes IS super lyrical and the audiobook was an amazing experience for me. Highly recommended in the audio format. It's like listening to exquisite poetry!
1. 7 months younger than me and you’ve read more books than I ever will. 2. My junior English teacher refused to have us do Moby Dick, as she claimed it was too boring. 3. I began reading Calvin & Hobbes at age 12, so I’m elated to find out you’re a kindred soul for my love of it🖤
An excellent list, my dude. I'm surprised Absalom, Absalom takes the cake for longest sentences because one of my own personal favorites "Ulysses" has the 18th chapter feature 8 grammarless sentences - 2 if you're using periods - over the course of 40 pages and is one of the most well wrought depictions of a mind I've ever read. Given you're content, I find your preference for Faulkner to be fitting in a way I can't articulate. I'm glad you included genre and literary fiction because most of my favorite works fall somewhere in the realm of modern to postmodern which eschew such distinctions. For me, Finnegans Wake and Gravity's Rainbow are of equal artistic validity as something like Vagabond or Mob Psycho 100 or The Wheel of Time. While I love the narrative and linguistic labyrinths and the sense of play that's married to the pretentiousness of Proust, Wallace, Faulkner et. al., I think having ham-fisted messages of hope and the power of love and all that cheesy shit has done infinitely more for me as a person. As for my own personal favorites (in no particular order): 1. Ulysses 2. The Collected Fictions of Jorge Luis Borges 3. 1Q84 4. Malazan Book of the Fallen 5. Mob Psycho 100 6. Gravity's Rainbow 7. The Wheel of Time 8. The Book of the New Sun 9. In Search of Lost Time 10. Finnegans Wake (probably the perfect work of art, IMO, if not a good novel) And a whole fuckload of manga bubbling under the surface.
@@gracehopkins3113 Oh yeah. I have a very elaborate theory regarding reading all of Pynchon's novels in a very specific order to make a meta-story about paranoia across time. Mason/Dixon is excellent
@@Nemo37K Thus far I've only read V, Lot 49, GR and M&D but I'd be very interested in that if you've written it anywhere. For me, his work is about how humans have created very inhuman ways of making the world work and how we live with that.
@@gracehopkins3113 I wrote it in a long comment on another youtube video doing a deep dive on Gravity's Rainbow. Maybe I'll make a blogpost one day. For me, Pynchon's work is all about the nature of meaning, time, and what is truth. So I made a meta-reading of his stories I call the V-Rabola. It's inspired by the narrative structures of V and Gravity's Rainbow. V is the first book in the cycle and establishes all of Pynchon's major themes. It's geographically placed in new york, and takes place in the 1950s. It deals directly with thee search for meaning after the war especially with Stencil. From there, read Lot 49, Inherent Vice, and Vineland. These form a loose trilogy of detective novels that take place in California and are more straightforward reads than some of his denser work. They also occur forward in time: 60s, 70s, and 80s. These are all about specific conspiracies that may or may not exist that unravel as the narrative moves forward. They also get thematically darker until vineland is outright condemnatory of reaganomics and government control, with IV being a transition point with the manson murders. This phase of the read concludes with Bleeding Edge, which takes place at the furthest edge of the timeline and takes us back to NY. Now the conspiracies are both political and fictional and we have a final detective story that's more or less approachable. This is the first Tine in the narrative V shape we're navigating. Then, in keeping with the V and parabolic narrative structures, we go all the way back in time to Mason & Dixon in which the division of North and South and Light and Dark first take shape. These novels don't follow a straightforward linear trajectory, and are more all encompassing. Moving along the timeline, we go to Against the Day, in which meaning starts to disintegrate around the events leading into and around WWI. Finally, meaning and any pseudo-conspiracies the reader has picked up while reading - every book is highly referential of the others if you look closely - is finally annihilated in Gravity's Rainbow, in which the end of WWII and Tyrone Slothop's descent into madness are the fundamental destruction of meaning, truth, and reality. In this way, one becomes a pynchonian character, looking for some vast overarching conspiracy throughout the novels; one seems to become apparent as you go down the tines of this narrative V, but the further you go, the less meaningful the conspiracy becomes, until there is nothing at all. It's just a bit of fun I like to have with Pynchon.
@@Nemo37K That's a lot to think about and I think I will as I continue to read his work. For now, I'd like to say that I think your description of his work as addressing the nature of meaning is very accurate.
Probably my favourite book is The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, it's a really beautiful telling of a relatively small personal story from the perspective of a dog. It probably helps that I love racing, and the book is incredibly accurate in its depiction of that too (though racing is not the primary focus of the book, and I think it's enjoyable by everyone). I also love both of Celeste Ng's books and would highly recommend those to everyone. Celeste does a fantastic job creating these complex personal stories that present very real societal dilemmas in incredibly engaging ways. Between the two, I think I prefer her second book, Little Fires Everywhere, but Everything I Never Told You is also amazing and definitely worth reading at least once
The longest sentence in any book ever is in a book called Solar Bones by an Irish writer named Mike McCormack. The entire book is one sentence. It's fucking excellent and I would highly recommend it. It's one of my favourite books ever and it's unapologetically Irish which is rare in this day and age. A lot of artists in Ireland since the 90s have been trying to appeal to the outside world by latching onto trends from the US and UK and toning down the Irish mannerisms and Hiberno English in it but this is the polar opposite (although there is a steadily growing group of young artists since 2015 who are embracing their Irish heritage but modernising it thankfully). Go for it if you want something different from the normal diluted Irish stuff like Sally Rooney.
BUTCHER'S CROSSING!! Sorry, I only recently subscribed to the channel after the memes, but I absolutely love Butcher's Crossing - been proselytizing about it for almost 2 years now to everyone I can: one of the rare joys of being a bookseller (for the time being, desperately trying to get a graduate level job atm). Definitely a strong critique on capitalism and worthless commoditization, but I sell it as "bridging the gap between the romanticism of Emerson and Thoreau, and the indifferent brutality of nature." It's one of very few capital-E Existential books that embraces nature itself, and how humankind fits in this very awkward place of one step in and one step out. It's harsh and dark and all about innocence and the concept of virginity and romanticism, deconstructing them altogether, and yet it's _still_ romantic. Adore it. On the other end, I've also been rereading Blood Meridian this week and I just can't finish it. Really love the beginning but my eyes always end up glazing over the ceaseless description. And then there was this sentence which was just too much for me: _"For this will to deceive that is in thing luminous may manifest itself likewise in retrospect and so by sleight of some fixed part of a journey already accomplished may also post men to fraudulent destinies."_ YMMV
East of Eden is one of my favorite “things” ever. What a beautiful read. Everything develops and feels so beautifully normal. It’s just life. Also…I just realized it is JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure - A family epic about conquering fate by defeating the stand-in abomination blonde person that’s plagued generations
Cool to see Blood Meridian on the list. It's such an uplifting book, ha! It's probably my favorite book. I'm so damn excited about the two McCarthy novels coming out later this year! He hasn't released a book since The Road and that came out in 2006. Also, give All The Pretty Horses a read if you like Blood Meridian. It's not as dark, but It's beautifully written.
Most people who read Blood Meridian tend to love it. Me included. 👍 And the writing in ATPH was gorgeous, but my god, it took me years to get through that book, it was such a BORE.
@@nl3064 Ah, sorry to hear you didn't like ATPH. Since I wrote this comment, I've read The Crossing by McCarthy. It's easily my favorite book ever. I adore it.
Really enjoy your genuine book videos, great insight and never fails to suggest books I should read. Just finished reading black wings has my angel after you recommended it and I loved it, thank you!
I’ve yet to read the Odyssey series, but I have seen the two movies, and they are some of my favorite films of all time, and it’s such a surprise to see someone else enjoy this story.
When I first picked up Moby Dick, I was shocked and charmed by how genuinely funny it is. But the "quote" parts... I'll admit that I got burnt out on that.
I read Something Wicked for the first time a few months ago and really enjoyed it. If you liked the themes of that book (friendship, coming of age, somewhat creepy), I think you'd like Summer of Night by Dan Simmons. I re-read it just the other day and it's still one of my favorites. The characters are so well written, and the town so well described it feels like you've been there. It revolves around five 12 year old boys and their last year in Old Central school before it gets closed for good, but weird things start happening. Def recommend!
Not gonna lie, when you said your favorite book is Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, I was caught a bit off-guard. Great video nonetheless, Man "Jake" Thing!
With 2001, it's first based on Clarke's short story The Sentinel. When Kubrick decided to do a sci-fi, he approached Clarke, they went through Clarke's short stories and settled on that one. If I'm not mistaken, Kubrick also co-wrote the novelization with Clarke (obviously, everybody knows they wrote the script together), but only Clarke got credit for the book. I think, if I'm not mistaken.
I'm glad to see Bradbury come up again, he's truly one of my favorites and his prose is just incomparable. I tried reading Blood Meridian about a year ago and couldn't get very far, but want to try again!
it's genuinely gratifying to see a comic on this list. it's easy to write off comics as not really counting as literature (especially in america, where the predominant genre of comics has been superheroes, with all the connotations those types of stories may carry) but it's incredibly unfair to do so. there's a tradeoff between prose and graphic novels but both are capable of telling entirely resonant and important stories
Just politely curious when you’ll be making some more wheel of time reviews? I enjoyed your first two and can’t wait to hear what you think! Just got to book 9 and loving it
It's funny I can like your videos so much and feel like we are on the same wavelength and then see your favorite books of all time and realize our preferences are complete opposites.
I’ve been wanting to get into reading books that aren’t just the stereotypical classic american literature (Steinbeck, Fitzgerald, Hemmingway, etc) but there is just such a vast array of books to read and it’s tough to find something I think I’ll like and commit the time to read it. But I will try! Thanks for giving your suggestions!
The single book I have reread more times than any other is "only you can save mankind" by Terry Pratchett. It is his greatest work in my opinion. He always has his major theme be empathy and only you does capture that feeling perfectly. Juxtapositioning the Iraq war with the "fantasies" of a child going through its parents divorce adds so much to the novel.
I'd recommend All Quiet on the Western Front if you've not read that. It's sort of a mirror to how you described Something Wicked This Way Comes. It's written in a very dark, blunt style (the original text was written in German), and explores themes of friendship and youth. Specifically, how the state (particularly those in the early 20th century) exploit and obliterate their youth. As always, great video. I love the sporadic sit and talk videos, but I enjoy both of your types of content.
I love that you included Calvin and Hobbs.Graphic Novels and Comic books are Underrated in comparison to other "prestigious" artforms. Have you ever read Watchmen?
you know what i love about this channel? the next video could be filmed in the bathroom. this man has filmed in a new corner for nearly every video now
Gotta recommend The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson, its got fantasy, its got exploring the horrors of british colonialism, its got every trigger warning imaginable but it's one of those books where you have to stop and put the book down and consider what the best choice is when there is no good choice. One of my favorite books of all time.
The first 1,000 people to use this link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/mancarryingthing03221
You know, every time I see a skillshare link, I'm always saddened that I'm not among the first X to use the link because the YTbers I subscribe to have like thousands to millions of followers, and the videos often get hundreds of thousands of views by the time I get to them.
So, this is going to be the first time that I actually can use Skillshare's one-month trial. Thank you!
PS: This is totally not a hit at your view count for the book videos btw.
@@anima099 Wow you’re so lucky to get a code! There’s only 1000 of them so you were one of the first of Man Carrying Thing’s 10 billion dedicated viewers! I’m Jealous
i'm still waiting for thing carrying man
Congrats on getting the sponsorship! It has been awesome seeing your channel grow.
i like your mustache
it suits you very well
Didn’t expect every single answer to be “Twilight: New Moon” but I respect the bravery
I can't believe the only comment he left on goodreads about the book was _"I want Edward to ravage me"._
Stephanie Meyers including four empty pages to show the progression of time is a literary achievement
I genuinely read this with my book club without reading the original. It made it worse (I assume)
Why would he say something so controversial yet so brave.
@@YourEverydayNerd Totally agreed though. There were some really great literary techniques hidden behind the sparkles and moping.
I was surprised to see “Owner’s Manual - Rotary Mower HR215SXA” in the Honda Power Equipment series, but I gotta say, your case for it was convincing. I’m sold!!
Ya gotta have that if you're serious about book collecting
Considering that he included Sanderson 🤮 in the same list as Steinbeck, that may as well have been one of the recommendations. How do include someone (Sanderson) who has prose like a high school student writing his first draft, to the other literary American works? (Would do well to read some French and Russian classics btw).
@@alb0zfinest Sir this is a Wendy's
@@alb0zfinestliterature puritans when they realize that someone is allowed to like a book that isn't about some dude catching a fish, or a family going somewhere
@@ryanstewart531 Sanderson is a laughing stock, lmao. Write all the comments you want in light of this fact.
Surprised to see Fifty Shades of Grey on the list, but everyone has their own preferences!
Least well-read baj
forsen
I C BAJS
Suprised to see paulp Coelho "the alchemist" but everyone has tastes for everything
@@acasablanca6885 😊
I may not always agree with you, but the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is indeed a cultural classic deserving to be everyone's top 16 books.
I hope this is a joke
@@vol94 No. Dead Serious.
@@vol94 why? Do you deny the brilliance of Diary of A Wimpy Kid’s compelling themes about human nature and life in America?
@@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770 Finally, someone who speaks English
@@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770 yea cuz it's for kids and it's written in such bland and simple writing it can't possibly transport me into the story.
What a bold move for him to include Calvin and Hobbes given their history as war criminals.
What😢????
@@amritasengupta5251 It was a recurring theme in the comics where C & H would pretend to be presidents locked into war, typically featuring water balloons as nuclear warheads.
I was unable to tell for most of the video if this was very subtle satire, but when you didn't mention 'Blues Clues: World of Colors' I decided conclusively that this is indeed satire.
Jokes aside, I just finished Words of Radiance myself not too long ago and it was probably the most successfully cinematic Fantasy I have read in a very long time (maybe ever)
very glad you picked up on that subtle satire! i mean no blues clues is a major red flag on ANY list
I'm not even certain how to express the admiration that arose at the inclusion of Calvin and Hobbes. What a perfect way to cap off any list.
agreed, what a masterpiece that strip is
super surprised that every single entry was "Everyone at this school is a phony", but that book IS a classic coming of age story.
Yknow the stuff you said about 50 shades of grey really changed my mind, I was really surprised it was your number 1 but now I see that it truly is a misunderstood masterpiece
One of the reasons I greatly appreciate your work is you hold both humor/levity and serious/meaningfulness well; like the best literature/art.
One of the reasons I greatly appreciate your writing is you hold the slash character pretty well
@@Juanouo slashing my way through life
I've watched several booktubers over the years.. but your genuineness and passion about books keeps me watching yours the most. Keep up the good work.
When i clicked on it I didn't even know if Jake would actually talk about his favourite books or it would be a shitpost.
I prepared myself for the latter
Ah, yes. "Something Wicked This Way Comes", the famous novel by Ray Bradbury adapted from the song with the toads at the start of the third Harry Potter movie.
Big Potterhead, that Bradbury.
I read that book as a kid. While I liked most of Bradbury's stuff, "Wicked' scared the shit out of me. I haven't read it since.
Interesting to see Brandon Sanderson alongside Faulkner and Melville. Always though people made too much of a distinction between literary and genre fiction. Would have both James Joyce and William Gibson in my own top ten.
Agreed! My favorites include Words of Radiance, Crime and Punishment, and Kafka's Metamorphosis. There's so many things literature can do, so it's a shame to be close-minded about it.
@@DanLyndon I'll agree on the unfortunate misperception of literature, but you're not helping that by turning around and looking down your nose at an author whose work you don't fancy. Even feeling the need to point out the obvious and expound about how different Melville and Sanderson are reeks of pretension motivated by insecurity-as if you need to make doubly sure everyone knows you know the two are so different that risking any comparison by placing them on the same list of favorites is itself an affront. Literature in the traditional sense isn't dull pretension wrapped in overwrought language (for that see your comment), neither is genre fiction devoid of notability or merit.
Ray Bradbury’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude” is my favorite children’s picture book.
It is my favorite as well. Another good one is Brian Herbert’s “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.” Best literary fiction ever written.
Lol stop!
That's a deep cut
@@billshears6062 My ma used to read manga Lupa to me when I was a wee lad
shtaap kek
No Minecraft Guidebook? Okay.
I have watched this video a ridiculous amount of times, to the point where I know what you are going to say before you even say it. There's a great conversational quality to this, like I'm talking to a very smart and humble friend; your humor is very natural and your insight into the books is obviously very deep. I even read Blood Meridian because of this video, and it is now one of my favorites. Great vid, and keep carrying thing!
Thanks so much! So glad you read Blood Meridian!
I started reading book one of Complete Calvin and Hobbes today, and when I take a quick break to watch a youtube video, there it is. Now more than ever I have reasons to believe that Big Press is spying on me. (In all seriousness though, loving this book, and also love your channel Jake! Keep up the excelent work :)
I got the version of Moby Dick based on your recommendation- and loved it! The illustrations added to the enjoyment. Thank you!
Really love your mix of old classics and modern stuff like Words of Radiance. Alot of people I think would put them on different lists. This really feels like an honest top 10. I read Fahrenheit 451 recently and while I didn't love the book I really enjoyed Ray Bradbury's writing. I think I will give Something Wicked This Way Comes a shot.
Something Wicked is great. Have you read it by now?
I didn't know what to expect, but I didn't know it would be all Wheel of time books... such an odd choice, wait is that Daniel Greene holding a gun in the corner of the room?
Lol.
Love to see Calvin & Hobbies make the list, show that he's not pretentious about reading, he loves what he love and I like what he love.
kinda shocked to see “If i did it” by OJ Simpson with the review being “This book makes me want to make a difference in the world” but you do you man(carrying thing).
And I was just thinking to myself today “I wish Jake uploads more book related videos”.
Ask and you shall receive
Shoutout to the English course dedicated completely to Moby-Dick that I took in college. Taught me that you do not actually have to read/watch an entire piece of media to have immense respect for it. Good stuff, Melville.
My list:
1. Jeffrey Archer - Kane and Abel
2. Frank Herbert - Dune
3. Carl Sagan - Contact
4. Arthur Conan Doyle - A Study in Scarlet
my uncle once wrote a book about safety and security for working in the airline industry. An indie title, but safe to say it changed my life forever.
Very bold choice to include the entire Dragon Ball manga on the list, didn't know you were into that stuff.
Hey so I know you’re a funny guy and all, and trust me, your funny stuff is really funny I love it, but I also love the fact that you’re also posting content like this once in a while. I happen to be a literature nerd, so this is great for me. Just wanted to say you’re pretty cool :)
Just finished reading East of Eden, man what a great story. I got to know about it because of you, so thanks for that!
Excellent list. So many that I want to read. East of Eden is my all time favorite book, and Calvin and Hobbes was an essential component of my childhood. Based on those selections alone, I am very eager to read more of your recommendations!
this video was alright but could you make a video on your top 10 favorite books of all time?
damn yeah my bad
😂😂😂
I'm such a huge Ray Bradbury fan and it makes me smile to see him on the list. His short stories were always my favorite, but I really enjoyed the Martian Chronicles. I get chills thinking about that book.
Thanks for including Calvin and Hobbes. It’s something I loved growing up and have been introducing to my kids. Bill Watterson was a genius.
I knew I made the right choice in subbing to you as soon as you pulled out East Of Eden. That book is incredible and John Steinbeck is a god.
This month I literally read Moby Dick followed immediately by Blood Meridian and I am so stoked to hear someone talk about them together like that. I think you've convinced me to check out Butcher's Crossing next!
I HAVE THAT CALVIN AND HOBBES SET!
I love those books, very formative in my childhood!
I love that you included them.
Just found your channel and it's filled to the brim with funny bits, but what I like most of all are these book videos! You're clearly very passionate. I'll be sure to pick up a few of these on my next trip to the library.
You definitely interested me in some of these, and you have my hearty assent for Calvin & Hobbes, which has remained an incredible source of wisdom, humor, and comfort to me from childhood through adulthood.
I strongly recommend the historical fiction of Rosemary Sutcliff, who writes beautifully personal stories. “The Lantern Bearers” is the first book to make me cry and feel actual pain that it had ended, and is one of my most reread books. Its sequel “Sword at Sunset” is a thoughtful and moving tale of the historical King Arthur. Both books skillfully use the passage of time to let their protagonists age realistically over a good two or three decades, which makes their characters arcs all the more realistic and nuanced because they aren’t rushed or simplified.
I just read Butcher's Crossing because you mentioned it in a previous video and I loved it. Thank you for such a great suggestion!
I am really happy to see Butcher’s Crossing making the list! It’s truly an amazing book!
I actually just started Absalom, Absalom! today, think the first chapter has gone over my head but I'll keep trying because the style appeals to me, just got to really focus.
Finished it today! (Very slow reader lol)
@@alextitcombe9494 What are your thoughts then?
i was so excited when something wicked popped up, it’s one of my favorites too! bradbury is one of my favorite authors and something wicked basically captures all the reasons i love his writing.
12 min, so really should be your top 12 favourite Animorphs books
Any time I feel like I’m a good reader I just watch your videos to humble myself, your choice in material is amazing
I'm so glad you mentioned Butcher's Crossing, I got in the store bought it on a whim, so far I've been enjoying it a lot
I rarely leave sincere comments but you’re the only person I follow on here that is so open about book loving without it being their only thing. My favorite book of all time, and one that whisked me away to somewhere else at a time I needed it, is Shogun by James Clavell. Richly detailed and accurate historical fiction rooted in real history, a book of schemes, empires, death and love. Total classic epic.
Something Wicked this Way Comes IS super lyrical and the audiobook was an amazing experience for me. Highly recommended in the audio format. It's like listening to exquisite poetry!
This chill as content of you just talking about books is honestly very poggers.
1. 7 months younger than me and you’ve read more books than I ever will.
2. My junior English teacher refused to have us do Moby Dick, as she claimed it was too boring.
3. I began reading Calvin & Hobbes at age 12, so I’m elated to find out you’re a kindred soul for my love of it🖤
I’m really happy to see these book videos again; love what you’re doing!
An excellent list, my dude. I'm surprised Absalom, Absalom takes the cake for longest sentences because one of my own personal favorites "Ulysses" has the 18th chapter feature 8 grammarless sentences - 2 if you're using periods - over the course of 40 pages and is one of the most well wrought depictions of a mind I've ever read. Given you're content, I find your preference for Faulkner to be fitting in a way I can't articulate.
I'm glad you included genre and literary fiction because most of my favorite works fall somewhere in the realm of modern to postmodern which eschew such distinctions. For me, Finnegans Wake and Gravity's Rainbow are of equal artistic validity as something like Vagabond or Mob Psycho 100 or The Wheel of Time. While I love the narrative and linguistic labyrinths and the sense of play that's married to the pretentiousness of Proust, Wallace, Faulkner et. al., I think having ham-fisted messages of hope and the power of love and all that cheesy shit has done infinitely more for me as a person.
As for my own personal favorites (in no particular order):
1. Ulysses
2. The Collected Fictions of Jorge Luis Borges
3. 1Q84
4. Malazan Book of the Fallen
5. Mob Psycho 100
6. Gravity's Rainbow
7. The Wheel of Time
8. The Book of the New Sun
9. In Search of Lost Time
10. Finnegans Wake (probably the perfect work of art, IMO, if not a good novel)
And a whole fuckload of manga bubbling under the surface.
Ever read Mason & Dixon? It's Pynchon but written like it's the 18th century. Almost as good as Gravity's Rainbow in my opinion.
@@gracehopkins3113 Oh yeah. I have a very elaborate theory regarding reading all of Pynchon's novels in a very specific order to make a meta-story about paranoia across time. Mason/Dixon is excellent
@@Nemo37K Thus far I've only read V, Lot 49, GR and M&D but I'd be very interested in that if you've written it anywhere. For me, his work is about how humans have created very inhuman ways of making the world work and how we live with that.
@@gracehopkins3113 I wrote it in a long comment on another youtube video doing a deep dive on Gravity's Rainbow. Maybe I'll make a blogpost one day.
For me, Pynchon's work is all about the nature of meaning, time, and what is truth. So I made a meta-reading of his stories I call the V-Rabola. It's inspired by the narrative structures of V and Gravity's Rainbow.
V is the first book in the cycle and establishes all of Pynchon's major themes. It's geographically placed in new york, and takes place in the 1950s. It deals directly with thee search for meaning after the war especially with Stencil.
From there, read Lot 49, Inherent Vice, and Vineland. These form a loose trilogy of detective novels that take place in California and are more straightforward reads than some of his denser work. They also occur forward in time: 60s, 70s, and 80s. These are all about specific conspiracies that may or may not exist that unravel as the narrative moves forward. They also get thematically darker until vineland is outright condemnatory of reaganomics and government control, with IV being a transition point with the manson murders.
This phase of the read concludes with Bleeding Edge, which takes place at the furthest edge of the timeline and takes us back to NY. Now the conspiracies are both political and fictional and we have a final detective story that's more or less approachable. This is the first Tine in the narrative V shape we're navigating.
Then, in keeping with the V and parabolic narrative structures, we go all the way back in time to Mason & Dixon in which the division of North and South and Light and Dark first take shape. These novels don't follow a straightforward linear trajectory, and are more all encompassing.
Moving along the timeline, we go to Against the Day, in which meaning starts to disintegrate around the events leading into and around WWI.
Finally, meaning and any pseudo-conspiracies the reader has picked up while reading - every book is highly referential of the others if you look closely - is finally annihilated in Gravity's Rainbow, in which the end of WWII and Tyrone Slothop's descent into madness are the fundamental destruction of meaning, truth, and reality.
In this way, one becomes a pynchonian character, looking for some vast overarching conspiracy throughout the novels; one seems to become apparent as you go down the tines of this narrative V, but the further you go, the less meaningful the conspiracy becomes, until there is nothing at all.
It's just a bit of fun I like to have with Pynchon.
@@Nemo37K That's a lot to think about and I think I will as I continue to read his work. For now, I'd like to say that I think your description of his work as addressing the nature of meaning is very accurate.
Pretty cool see an English major with no Vonnegut on their top 10. I love Vonnegut, it's just refreshing to see a unique list.
I treally like these longer videos about books thanks for doing them
Probably my favourite book is The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, it's a really beautiful telling of a relatively small personal story from the perspective of a dog. It probably helps that I love racing, and the book is incredibly accurate in its depiction of that too (though racing is not the primary focus of the book, and I think it's enjoyable by everyone).
I also love both of Celeste Ng's books and would highly recommend those to everyone. Celeste does a fantastic job creating these complex personal stories that present very real societal dilemmas in incredibly engaging ways. Between the two, I think I prefer her second book, Little Fires Everywhere, but Everything I Never Told You is also amazing and definitely worth reading at least once
The longest sentence in any book ever is in a book called Solar Bones by an Irish writer named Mike McCormack. The entire book is one sentence. It's fucking excellent and I would highly recommend it. It's one of my favourite books ever and it's unapologetically Irish which is rare in this day and age. A lot of artists in Ireland since the 90s have been trying to appeal to the outside world by latching onto trends from the US and UK and toning down the Irish mannerisms and Hiberno English in it but this is the polar opposite (although there is a steadily growing group of young artists since 2015 who are embracing their Irish heritage but modernising it thankfully). Go for it if you want something different from the normal diluted Irish stuff like Sally Rooney.
I have that very same Calvin and Hobbes collection and can confirm that it weighs more than my entire Wheel of Time set.
BUTCHER'S CROSSING!!
Sorry, I only recently subscribed to the channel after the memes, but I absolutely love Butcher's Crossing - been proselytizing about it for almost 2 years now to everyone I can: one of the rare joys of being a bookseller (for the time being, desperately trying to get a graduate level job atm).
Definitely a strong critique on capitalism and worthless commoditization, but I sell it as "bridging the gap between the romanticism of Emerson and Thoreau, and the indifferent brutality of nature." It's one of very few capital-E Existential books that embraces nature itself, and how humankind fits in this very awkward place of one step in and one step out.
It's harsh and dark and all about innocence and the concept of virginity and romanticism, deconstructing them altogether, and yet it's _still_ romantic. Adore it.
On the other end, I've also been rereading Blood Meridian this week and I just can't finish it. Really love the beginning but my eyes always end up glazing over the ceaseless description. And then there was this sentence which was just too much for me:
_"For this will to deceive that is in thing luminous may manifest itself likewise in retrospect and so by sleight of some fixed part of a journey already accomplished may also post men to fraudulent destinies."_
YMMV
East of Eden is one of my favorite “things” ever. What a beautiful read. Everything develops and feels so beautifully normal. It’s just life.
Also…I just realized it is JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure -
A family epic about conquering fate by defeating the stand-in abomination blonde person that’s plagued generations
Paddington 2 is always a bold but absolutely correct last choice for any list of favorites.
Cool to see Blood Meridian on the list. It's such an uplifting book, ha!
It's probably my favorite book. I'm so damn excited about the two McCarthy novels coming out later this year! He hasn't released a book since The Road and that came out in 2006. Also, give All The Pretty Horses a read if you like Blood Meridian. It's not as dark, but It's beautifully written.
What do you think of the new books?
Most people who read Blood Meridian tend to love it. Me included. 👍
And the writing in ATPH was gorgeous, but my god, it took me years to get through that book, it was such a BORE.
@@arch_dornan6066 I didn't love The Passenger to be honest. I haven't finished Stella Maris yet.
@@nl3064 Ah, sorry to hear you didn't like ATPH. Since I wrote this comment, I've read The Crossing by McCarthy. It's easily my favorite book ever. I adore it.
I read “East of Eden” because of your review. It really is phenomenal.
Really enjoy your genuine book videos, great insight and never fails to suggest books I should read. Just finished reading black wings has my angel after you recommended it and I loved it, thank you!
I'd love to see you review the Space Odyessy series ! Im curious to get into them after seeing the movie 2010
Didn't think the Ikea shelf instruction manual would count. A personal favorite of mine too!
I’ve yet to read the Odyssey series, but I have seen the two movies, and they are some of my favorite films of all time, and it’s such a surprise to see someone else enjoy this story.
Just started reading butchers crossing because of your vid, I'm really enjoying it
nice!
When I first picked up Moby Dick, I was shocked and charmed by how genuinely funny it is. But the "quote" parts... I'll admit that I got burnt out on that.
Happy to see the The Very Hungry Caterpillar in your list, that book slaps.
Calvin and Hobbes was something I never expected, and yet I totally agree with it's placement.
Thanks for sharing. Added to my to-read list. Came for the goody Sanderson videos, stayed for your opinions on books.
Gonna flip my shit if Frankenstein and Crime and Punishment aren't on here. Just kidding. I love you.
Some of my favorites - Annihilation, The Crying of Lot 49, Misery, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, and Snowcrash
Read butchers crossing because you recommended it in an earlier video and it was great, looking forward to reading some of these too
I read Something Wicked for the first time a few months ago and really enjoyed it. If you liked the themes of that book (friendship, coming of age, somewhat creepy), I think you'd like Summer of Night by Dan Simmons. I re-read it just the other day and it's still one of my favorites. The characters are so well written, and the town so well described it feels like you've been there. It revolves around five 12 year old boys and their last year in Old Central school before it gets closed for good, but weird things start happening. Def recommend!
Blood Meridian still my favorite book of all time. RIP Cormac McCarthy.
Ditto. In my top five, easily.
Not gonna lie, when you said your favorite book is Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, I was caught a bit off-guard. Great video nonetheless, Man "Jake" Thing!
Although I loved East of Eden, I still love of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath more. Great list my guy
With 2001, it's first based on Clarke's short story The Sentinel. When Kubrick decided to do a sci-fi, he approached Clarke, they went through Clarke's short stories and settled on that one. If I'm not mistaken, Kubrick also co-wrote the novelization with Clarke (obviously, everybody knows they wrote the script together), but only Clarke got credit for the book. I think, if I'm not mistaken.
I'm glad to see Bradbury come up again, he's truly one of my favorites and his prose is just incomparable. I tried reading Blood Meridian about a year ago and couldn't get very far, but want to try again!
Top 10
Immediately says it's an ever changing list.
Well I feel betrayed.
it's genuinely gratifying to see a comic on this list. it's easy to write off comics as not really counting as literature (especially in america, where the predominant genre of comics has been superheroes, with all the connotations those types of stories may carry) but it's incredibly unfair to do so. there's a tradeoff between prose and graphic novels but both are capable of telling entirely resonant and important stories
Just politely curious when you’ll be making some more wheel of time reviews? I enjoyed your first two and can’t wait to hear what you think! Just got to book 9 and loving it
Very soon hopefully!
@@ManCarryingThing Hell yeah, keep it up! Great videos overall
It's funny I can like your videos so much and feel like we are on the same wavelength and then see your favorite books of all time and realize our preferences are complete opposites.
Oh 12 minutes. We fine then. Thought it'd be a skit. Actually either would be fine.
Speaking of sharing birthdays, mine is the same as James Joyce. Yeah.
I’ve been wanting to get into reading books that aren’t just the stereotypical classic american literature (Steinbeck, Fitzgerald, Hemmingway, etc) but there is just such a vast array of books to read and it’s tough to find something I think I’ll like and commit the time to read it. But I will try! Thanks for giving your suggestions!
Calvin & Hobbes? An unexpected surprise, but a welcome one
Your funniest sketch yet! Would be great to see an actual top 10 list though.
Zero Choose Your Own Adventure books on this list. Unsubbed.
The single book I have reread more times than any other is "only you can save mankind" by Terry Pratchett. It is his greatest work in my opinion. He always has his major theme be empathy and only you does capture that feeling perfectly. Juxtapositioning the Iraq war with the "fantasies" of a child going through its parents divorce adds so much to the novel.
I'm not sure why you felt that The 1997 Pittsburgh Yellow Pages was worthy of being included, but hey, to each their own.
I'd recommend All Quiet on the Western Front if you've not read that. It's sort of a mirror to how you described Something Wicked This Way Comes. It's written in a very dark, blunt style (the original text was written in German), and explores themes of friendship and youth. Specifically, how the state (particularly those in the early 20th century) exploit and obliterate their youth.
As always, great video. I love the sporadic sit and talk videos, but I enjoy both of your types of content.
I agree great book. Now its time to graduate to Storm of Steel
I love that you included Calvin and Hobbs.Graphic Novels and Comic books are Underrated in comparison to other "prestigious" artforms. Have you ever read Watchmen?
I loved 'Absalom, Absalom!', at first I found it incredibly convoluted and complex, but once I got into the rhythm of it I thought it was fantastic.
ALSO HAVE A CALVIN AND HOBBES SET!!! LITERALLY JUMPED WHEN YOU SAID THAT!!! CALVIN AND HOBBES IS MY ALL TIME FAVORITE!!!
you know what i love about this channel? the next video could be filmed in the bathroom. this man has filmed in a new corner for nearly every video now
Gotta recommend The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson, its got fantasy, its got exploring the horrors of british colonialism, its got every trigger warning imaginable but it's one of those books where you have to stop and put the book down and consider what the best choice is when there is no good choice. One of my favorite books of all time.
I do think man carrying thing is a channel of all time