I think letters in earlier times were so precious. Each word, each punctuation was laced with the hope of wanting to express the thoughts for long. The process of writing a letter requires so much affection and care for the person concerned. Rilke's letters reflect the maturity of a writer at his prime and the journey of rediscovering one's own self is so evident in all phrases. Loved the book. Thanks to your recommendation💖
Your channel brings me a sense of peace and light like no other. You are truly a beautiful person, and I’m eternally grateful to have discovered your videos when I did. With all of my heart: thank you ❤
i just read “even if this love disappears tonight” on your recommendation, and now my eyes are swollen, definitely a 5 star read, THANK YOU for the amazing recommendation.
personally i loved never let me go for the reason you thought it was boring!!! i loved how they dwelled so much on the arguments and mundane dialogue because it’s such an integral part of the humanity that they got taken away from them. i also just loved the quiet, somewhat helpless atmosphere the writing created because i just felt like it fit really well for the characters and the way they grow up and find out what’s going on! but i definitely get how that can also just be boring aha
omg the way you got my hopes up and then dashed them completely a second later with never let me go! i thought it was absolutely brilliant. i loved the quiet, calm-but-something-is-going-on-under-the-surface atmosphere, rather than reading it as dry
you posted just as i finished brewing my morning coffee! good morning/afternoon/evening to all of us here. thank you for posting this video right before i delve into my uni homework, i needed this moment of calm right now
I happened to pick up Orlando at my local bookstore and read the front flap. As a trans woman I almost couldn't believe what I was reading, it was an instant buy. I think this book speaks to my soul and identity in a way that no other book I've read ever has before.
Ishiguro is always exploring a concept or idea in each of his books. To me, Never Let Me Go was one of his most existential books, about accepting what is and finding peace in the here and now, given that the future is unknowable for us all. To me, he just uses a plot as a device to discuss his ideas, and the plot could be this one, or a different one, and it doesn’t matter that much. He has said some version of this in an interview. I think it helps if you think of his books in this light, rather than getting too hung up on the story line. 🎃
Never let me go is my favorite book. I've came across it in my darkest time, when i felt completely lost, with no friends, couldn't tell anyone about my worries. This book became a space, where i have these friends, i've craved for. So i've really connected to the characters, as if my thoughts and feelings about frendship and loneliness were voiced by
Glad I’m not the only one who didn’t enjoy Never let me go! I figured out the twist very early into the book and quickly realised this book had nothing else going for it other than the mystery element. One dimensional characters and bloated writing and plot that does nothing but stall the inevitable twist. Astonished at how much love this novel gets.
Totally agree with you on Never Let Me Go. I was so bored it took me months to finish the book. I love The Remains of the Day though and I think you will love it too.
I love that edition of Letters to a Young Poet, especially that the young poet's letters are in the back of the book. You can read the letters back and forth or read all of Rilke first and then the poet's. That blue on the cover is also so pretty.
I bought a copy of Letters to a Young Poet because of you, but so far I've been waiting until I feel that I'm in the right headspace to read it! It's one of those books that feels very important and I need to be able to properly absorb it 🎃
read the japanese version of “even if this love disappears tonight” and watched the movie, and they were both so amazing! exceeded my expectations fsss i’m so glad you recommended the book in this video! 💟
I love this channel so much. I’m older and this particular video really made me remember the intense passions and emotions I had when I was young. My life is good and I have a lot of peace and contentment, but less of those intense feelings as I’ve gotten older, and it’s cool to remember them. 🎃
Same! I’m in my 40s and trying to get in touch with that inner girl who has been asleep for many years because life just happens. I’ve recently gotten back to reading, drawing, painting, creating, and she’s slowly waking up 😊 I resonate with your comment very much. 🤍 Emmie reminds me of myself in my teen years 🤍
*NLMG SPOILER* I loved reading Never Let me Go. I'm an artist, so I resonated with the notion of art as 'proof' of a soul. The guardians at Hailsham stressed the importance of artmaking to assess whether the clones had something deeper within them: if they had desires to express, or if they were empty and disposable. Every artist, whether they be a painter, writer, or musician, reveals themselves in their work, afterall. While the students at Hailsham were later revealed as clones, I grew attached to them as 'real' people. I felt for them, and I felt with them, so it was heartbreaking to meet their fate in the end.
This month I enjoyed a Japanese novel, "What You Are Looking For is in the Library" by Michiko Aoyama, translated by Alison Watts. In this book, a librarian senses exactly what readers are looking for in their lives, and suggests the perfect book for them.
I also didn’t click with Never Let Me Go when I read it four-ish years ago, but I have to say that it is one of those books that I still regularly think about.
My experience with Ishiguro has been exactly the opposite: "When We Were Orphans" was a bit boring, but okay; "Never Let Me Grow" broke my heart into a million pieces. I think the book is primarily about how we often accept our roles in society so easily, that we forget to fight for the big things.
I just read Never Let Me Go, and oddly enough as someone who struggles to get invested in meandering books like this one, I actually really enjoyed it, which was probably helped by the fact that I went in completely blind. I especially loved the way it approached themes of isolation and human connection and discussed how we as young people are shaped by the media we consume, although in the case of these characters it's cranked up a lot more since they are so cut off from the outside world. All the while, there's this sense of unease that's barely ever addressed, and I agree with you in that I wish there was more of that, but I also liked the subtlety and how normalized it was in the lives of the main characters.
i went in completely blind as well and i think that's what made it such an intense experience. Even though i was bored and frustrated at times, at the end it felt like all the mundane and the petty drama was leading up to the question of what makes us human and generated a lot of deep thinking for me.
Never Let Me Go - I agree with you. While I liked the characters to a degree, I feel that Ishiguro goes a little too subtle on the emotion. It works in Remains of the Day because the character is a butler that has chosen to not let his emotions interfere with his work so you can take the subtlety as suppression almost. But school kids should have big feelings on page and I just didn’t find it as devastating as I wanted to or expected to. It felt like it took me too long to realize I was supposed to be having an emotional response after each event and the big driving plot point is never even really discussed point blank to fully drive home what’s happening. The movie did give a little more emotion, and tried to explain a little more clearly what was intended from the start. Now, I will say, my husband and I had like 3 days’ worth of conversations over how likely our society could ever actually end up in that situation, and if it was actually an effective solution, and what it would look like in real life to implement it. And while we ultimately settled on it not being realistic or time/cost efficient, I really enjoyed that this book does still give you something to talk about and a lot to explore about ethics, medicine, art, and education.
you are the reason i got into rilke too!! thank you so much for sharing your favourites with everyone. i’ve found so many incredible books through your channel over the years that i wouldn’t have known of otherwise (letters to a young poet being one). much love
I love rereading books. Especially if many years have passed. I love to notice things that I missed the first time I read that book, or to understand things that I didn't understand. Rereading books really enrich me
I also had some fantastic reads in August ☺️ most notably in addition to Orlando I was promptly and spontaneously bowled over by Marquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold 🎃
The fact i was just watching your best books of 2022 video and you were talking about icefields too. This might be a sign for me to read it. I have a very long list thanks to you haha so many books, so little time
@@AnUncreativePerson Hey, thanks for asking! I am always impacted by innocence juxtaposed against evil/harsh realities, and I think Sandra Cisneros did a great job painting a girl's desire for attention, which becomes twisted by inappropriate attention. And then it turns into self-empowerment at the end!
@@AnUncreativePerson I think that's pretty normal, especially if it was one of your first classics! Literature can impact us so differently depending when in our lives we read it.
I’ve got to agree with all you said about Never Let me go ! Hearing your review of “If if this love…” it almost sounds like I’ll get from that book what I had expected from Never Let me go 😮 definitely adding it to me tbr xxx
The Emma vibe is just what I needed. I've been in quite the reading slump. I'm doing game of tomes, but this summer has had me so busy I've fallen behind which sucks and feels defeating, but I can pick up where I'm at and this is inspiring me. Also, I see the chair! I freakin' love that chair and someday I will find something like it and I'll love it forever 😂
(Never Let Me Go Spoilers) I loved the book. It’s been a few years since I read it, but I remember loving the writing and how effortlessly Ishiguro created the atmosphere. I absolutely think that it’s a book that will fall flat for a lot of people while being other peoples favourite of all time, it’s just something so personal (more so than with other books I feel like). What I remember is that I was sort of waiting for something shocking to happen. I get the allusions and everything, but I don’t know, I was waiting for that feeling where you read a line and it’s like a punch in the guts. And it made me feel really helpless toward the end, when the protagonist has to take care of Tommy, fully knowing what’s happening to him and what will happen to her, after previously being so hopeful about maybe getting to live a normal life.
The detached narrative did it for me. It’s almost like Cathy came to terms with her fate and and at the end she just stood there, fully knowing what’s to come. She didn’t even make a run for it which makes it all the more haunting and tragic.
The truth about the gallery was the punch in the guts for me. I recently re-read it and watched the movie. This story makes you feel depressed on a whole other level. I think it's because it's not that sci-fi stuff but... if we could... we would do this...the human morale can change and this could someday be reality.
I felt the same way!! I loved it but as you said I truly think that it is a book which you either find fascinating and love or is boring and not enjoyable.
Captain of the Sleepers was not what I expected, but a pleasant surprise because of some of the quotes I came away with. I also read Pedro Páramo which just made me want to read it again...immediately.
What a lovely month of reading you had! I really want to read that first book you mentioned, hearing you talk about it was so heartwarming. I also adore Rilke's Letters, I was recommended it by one of my closest art professors and it left an indelible mark on me, one of those books I keep returning to time and again. I would love to hear if you have other recommendations like him!
I haven't read "Never Let Me Go" but I've seen the movie and was so unbelievably affected by the performances, score, and cinematography. It really hit hard. I thought it was beautiful. I thought the movie was so good that I'm afraid to read the book.
I like the film better than the book myself! And I'll agree that the cinematography and performances were what made it good. The scenes and the looks of the whole thing were gorgeous! The story, not so great. And the book is way too slow with very little plot and even though usually I am not really a plot reader, since the characters did not make sense to me personally, I just was bored here. But if you liked them or felt emotionally connected to the story, I would guess you might enjoy the book!
I have such similar thoughts about Never Let Me Go! I did not like that book at all, I thought it was immensely boring. I went into it knowing what the speculative idea was and I was totally let down and I'm realizing now hearing you talk about it that it wasn't in the synopsis? I think had I now known that aspect I maybe A.) wouldn't have picked it up and B.) wouldn't have had the same expectations going in. As well, I cared so little for the characters. *SPOILER* I remember reading the scene where they finally get together and it was described so blandly, so matter-of-fact, I was so frustrated. I do think I want to give him another shot though as his work seems to be so varied from text to text. Always nice to hear someone agreed with your thoughts on well-loved literature though! 😅
I feel like because they’re young and supposed to be so passionately in love, the emotions are WAY too subtly expressed. The subtlety in relationships and emotions works much better in Remains of the Day because your character is a stuffy older man who is looking back on his life and contemplating the ideas of regret and whether or not he made the right choices (which seems to be Ishiguro’s thing in almost all of his novels). It’s also a *little* dull at points but overall it was much more interesting to me and if nothing else the movie is quite excellent. I’d recommend giving that one a shot! But don’t expect a great romance for the ages from his writing style regardless, he does not make me care about love interests at all they’re just too simple and understated. I don’t think his goal is to make them the focus though to be fair.
I was just thinking about buying a copy of "letters to a young poet"! I'm not sure about what translation to read though since I've seen a lot of dispute about it 😭
Emmie, Rilke’s letters are just the perfect night stand book ❤ But will all due respect First of all I’m so grateful for Kappa who kept all these letters and allowed us to read them too! Secondly for everyone involved in putting together the other side of the letters (Kappa) just recently (2017!!!) And thirdly I am fully aware that it’s not fair to put anything side by side with Rilke for comparison, but between us: I found Kappas letters so boring 😅 Half of the letters were complains (I understand he was struggling and needed help) and the other half was him being thankful for every word Rilke took time to write for him (also 100% comprehensible! I’d pass out 😂) All to say that the previous version of the book with only Rilkes letters are everything people need.
can't agree more on “never let me go”! such an unremarkable book. “klara and the sun” by the same author is kind of in the same alley genre-wise but i enjoyed it a lot more
Emma I literally love you. Your videos bring me so much joy. Your review of Never Let Me Go broke me haha. Its been one of my favourite books since I was 16!! However, I love hearing opposing opinions
I felt the same for Never Let Me Go. I only got halfway through. I felt like I was given less than a crumb of plot or purpose and was being force fed these random string of memories that Kathy kept recalling. It took me a month to decide to dnf because thinking about it was giving me headaches
🎃 I have a 3 chapter rule, (read 3 chapters before possible DNF), I’ve stared to translate that to a 3 manga rule when I can. Definitely has helped me decide if a series is worth the time. Also, I ordered a second hand copy of ice fields & it came signed, so pretty cool!
I want to recommend Wotakoi: love is hard for Otaku. It's a manga series of 6 volumes (there are two mangas in each volume except for the last one). It's about a friendgroup of weebs and geeks, one loves gaming, one cosplay, one manga and one has a BL manga. There's friendship, love, fangirling and it's so adorable and perfect. It has been adapted into an anime but it only has one season. I hope you'll pick it up one day ❤
Heyy Emma! I didn't have any 5-star reads this month but two books came really close to being 5 stars. They're Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris and Linghun by Ai Jiang. Both are indie horror books that deal with grief. I read Never Let Me Go a few years ago and thought it was okay. It's kind of overhyped in my opinion. 🎃🎃🎃
My favourite reads from August are: A Certain Hunger, Legends & Lattes, Exile, Bad Cree, You've Lost a Lot of Blood, Once There Were Wolves, and my reread of Frankenstein
you're definitely right about buying random manga volumes unfortunately isn't really the way :,) I came to your channel as a manga and light novel reader wanting to get into classic lit, and I honestly gotta say manga is a lot better consumed online first and then collected physically second. manga is just so Vast and multi-volumed by nature you'll have a lot better time sitting down with mangadex one after afternoon sampling the beginnings of a bunch of series and then settling on a new one to collect after you're already invested instead of buying something from the vibes of the first volume and then ending up stuck. you've helped me a lot in my novel/lit journey, so I hope that helps in your manga journey! (I know you like some romance with cute art and some supernatural elements so if I may, I wanna recommend toilet bound hanako-kun as well haha the name is quite silly since it's based on the hanako-kun urban legened, but it's a lovely lovely series and one of my favorites) 🎃
I love never let me go!! But I have to say the first time I read it I just felt 0.0, it was really heavy and sad. But when I started discussing with a friend we found so many layers I had to read it again. I love that you mention the education analysis of the book, because I ended up doing a presentation about never let me go and Vygotsky's socio-historic theory that has all to do with education. One thing that really got me thinking was the constitution of a human being, I have a friend who after reading it was convinced they were different than humans and that was so intriguing to me, it heavily inspired me to do the essay with a contrary justification based on what Vygotsky says about human development haha.
i quite enjoyed never let me go the movie, i did not finish the book though but as i remember i quite liked the reading style, it was clear and pure and gentle, maybe it lacked actions, i am not sure
So, I read Never Let Me Go when it was assigned to be in middle school. I remember hating it so so much. Now that I’ve gotten back into reading, I haven’t reread it but I always think about my younger self’s opinion of the book and just assume I was being immature or not getting it (b/c of how respected Ishiguro is). Then I read Klara and the Sun and really really didn’t like it. Now i’m curious to reread never let me go. I also just got a free copy of Remains of the Day so probably gonna try that first
100% with you on everything you said about 'Never Let Me Go'... I was thinking of re-reading it someday soon in the hopes of appreciating it better the second time around, but I don't know...
I saw a book today that made me think of you, with you loving snow, winter, nature and animals so much :) It was The Snow Leopard by Peter Mathiessen, maybe it can be on your winter TBR!
I was just meh about Never Let Me Go when I read it. I read and finished three books in August. Bag of Bones by Stephen King, The Burning God by RF Kuang, and The Sapphire Altar by David Dalglish.
EMMIE! - I have a book recommendation! "Her Lost Words" by Stephanie Marie Thornton. It's historical fiction of Mary Wollstonecraft AND Mary Shelley. I'm only half way through the book rn, but I'm loving it! I think that the reason why I'm loving it so much is because I so very rarely hear of or have the chance to really research Mary Wollstonecraft very much. Even though she was such an interesting and amazing "thinker"....... I also loved Orlando, I find it creeping into my thoughts from time to time even STILL! lol
8 hours of outlining, plotting and prose writing while binging on Emma's videos as background noise. A good day. Oh a new video from Emma.
Good luck with your writing! ✒️
I think letters in earlier times were so precious. Each word, each punctuation was laced with the hope of wanting to express the thoughts for long. The process of writing a letter requires so much affection and care for the person concerned. Rilke's letters reflect the maturity of a writer at his prime and the journey of rediscovering one's own self is so evident in all phrases. Loved the book. Thanks to your recommendation💖
i wholeheartedly agree ♡
Your channel brings me a sense of peace and light like no other. You are truly a beautiful person, and I’m eternally grateful to have discovered your videos when I did. With all of my heart: thank you ❤
i just read “even if this love disappears tonight” on your recommendation, and now my eyes are swollen, definitely a 5 star read, THANK YOU for the amazing recommendation.
personally i loved never let me go for the reason you thought it was boring!!! i loved how they dwelled so much on the arguments and mundane dialogue because it’s such an integral part of the humanity that they got taken away from them. i also just loved the quiet, somewhat helpless atmosphere the writing created because i just felt like it fit really well for the characters and the way they grow up and find out what’s going on! but i definitely get how that can also just be boring aha
omg the way you got my hopes up and then dashed them completely a second later with never let me go! i thought it was absolutely brilliant. i loved the quiet, calm-but-something-is-going-on-under-the-surface atmosphere, rather than reading it as dry
you posted just as i finished brewing my morning coffee! good morning/afternoon/evening to all of us here. thank you for posting this video right before i delve into my uni homework, i needed this moment of calm right now
I enjoy listening to you talk about books so much. I can really feel the love, the care you have towards literature
I happened to pick up Orlando at my local bookstore and read the front flap. As a trans woman I almost couldn't believe what I was reading, it was an instant buy. I think this book speaks to my soul and identity in a way that no other book I've read ever has before.
Ishiguro is always exploring a concept or idea in each of his books. To me, Never Let Me Go was one of his most existential books, about accepting what is and finding peace in the here and now, given that the future is unknowable for us all. To me, he just uses a plot as a device to discuss his ideas, and the plot could be this one, or a different one, and it doesn’t matter that much. He has said some version of this in an interview. I think it helps if you think of his books in this light, rather than getting too hung up on the story line. 🎃
🎃 rereads are like comfort food or best friends: they never let you down and are easily within reach 🧡
Never let me go is my favorite book. I've came across it in my darkest time, when i felt completely lost, with no friends, couldn't tell anyone about my worries. This book became a space, where i have these friends, i've craved for. So i've really connected to the characters, as if my thoughts and feelings about frendship and loneliness were voiced by
Glad I’m not the only one who didn’t enjoy Never let me go! I figured out the twist very early into the book and quickly realised this book had nothing else going for it other than the mystery element. One dimensional characters and bloated writing and plot that does nothing but stall the inevitable twist. Astonished at how much love this novel gets.
man do you know how i excited i get every time you upload a new video😭 your videos always make my day
Totally agree with you on Never Let Me Go. I was so bored it took me months to finish the book. I love The Remains of the Day though and I think you will love it too.
I love that edition of Letters to a Young Poet, especially that the young poet's letters are in the back of the book. You can read the letters back and forth or read all of Rilke first and then the poet's. That blue on the cover is also so pretty.
I bought a copy of Letters to a Young Poet because of you, but so far I've been waiting until I feel that I'm in the right headspace to read it! It's one of those books that feels very important and I need to be able to properly absorb it 🎃
I can kind of agree with you on never let me go. Was my first ishiguro and just read few months ago. Was not engaging but found the ending emotional
read the japanese version of “even if this love disappears tonight” and watched the movie, and they were both so amazing! exceeded my expectations fsss i’m so glad you recommended the book in this video! 💟
I love this channel so much. I’m older and this particular video really made me remember the intense passions and emotions I had when I was young. My life is good and I have a lot of peace and contentment, but less of those intense feelings as I’ve gotten older, and it’s cool to remember them. 🎃
Same! I’m in my 40s and trying to get in touch with that inner girl who has been asleep for many years because life just happens. I’ve recently gotten back to reading, drawing, painting, creating, and she’s slowly waking up 😊 I resonate with your comment very much. 🤍 Emmie reminds me of myself in my teen years 🤍
*NLMG SPOILER*
I loved reading Never Let me Go. I'm an artist, so I resonated with the notion of art as 'proof' of a soul. The guardians at Hailsham stressed the importance of artmaking to assess whether the clones had something deeper within them: if they had desires to express, or if they were empty and disposable. Every artist, whether they be a painter, writer, or musician, reveals themselves in their work, afterall.
While the students at Hailsham were later revealed as clones, I grew attached to them as 'real' people. I felt for them, and I felt with them, so it was heartbreaking to meet their fate in the end.
This month I enjoyed a Japanese novel, "What You Are Looking For is in the Library" by Michiko Aoyama, translated by Alison Watts. In this book, a librarian senses exactly what readers are looking for in their lives, and suggests the perfect book for them.
this sounds so interesting! added it to my tbr
It's a gentle read with positive vibes. @@user-th5hp6ej8v
I also didn’t click with Never Let Me Go when I read it four-ish years ago, but I have to say that it is one of those books that I still regularly think about.
My experience with Ishiguro has been exactly the opposite: "When We Were Orphans" was a bit boring, but okay; "Never Let Me Grow" broke my heart into a million pieces. I think the book is primarily about how we often accept our roles in society so easily, that we forget to fight for the big things.
I just read Never Let Me Go, and oddly enough as someone who struggles to get invested in meandering books like this one, I actually really enjoyed it, which was probably helped by the fact that I went in completely blind. I especially loved the way it approached themes of isolation and human connection and discussed how we as young people are shaped by the media we consume, although in the case of these characters it's cranked up a lot more since they are so cut off from the outside world. All the while, there's this sense of unease that's barely ever addressed, and I agree with you in that I wish there was more of that, but I also liked the subtlety and how normalized it was in the lives of the main characters.
i went in completely blind as well and i think that's what made it such an intense experience. Even though i was bored and frustrated at times, at the end it felt like all the mundane and the petty drama was leading up to the question of what makes us human and generated a lot of deep thinking for me.
🎃 a bookshelf tour would be brilliant... I was zooming in to see what was on the shelf 😂
This is my comfort channel
Never Let Me Go - I agree with you. While I liked the characters to a degree, I feel that Ishiguro goes a little too subtle on the emotion. It works in Remains of the Day because the character is a butler that has chosen to not let his emotions interfere with his work so you can take the subtlety as suppression almost. But school kids should have big feelings on page and I just didn’t find it as devastating as I wanted to or expected to. It felt like it took me too long to realize I was supposed to be having an emotional response after each event and the big driving plot point is never even really discussed point blank to fully drive home what’s happening. The movie did give a little more emotion, and tried to explain a little more clearly what was intended from the start. Now, I will say, my husband and I had like 3 days’ worth of conversations over how likely our society could ever actually end up in that situation, and if it was actually an effective solution, and what it would look like in real life to implement it. And while we ultimately settled on it not being realistic or time/cost efficient, I really enjoyed that this book does still give you something to talk about and a lot to explore about ethics, medicine, art, and education.
you are the reason i got into rilke too!! thank you so much for sharing your favourites with everyone. i’ve found so many incredible books through your channel over the years that i wouldn’t have known of otherwise (letters to a young poet being one). much love
i love the cozy videos at your parents house ❤️🎃
I felt the same as you about Never let me go, but loved Klara and the sun also by Ishiguro. Give that one a try
I love rereading books. Especially if many years have passed. I love to notice things that I missed the first time I read that book, or to understand things that I didn't understand. Rereading books really enrich me
I also had some fantastic reads in August ☺️ most notably in addition to Orlando I was promptly and spontaneously bowled over by Marquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold 🎃
The fact i was just watching your best books of 2022 video and you were talking about icefields too. This might be a sign for me to read it. I have a very long list thanks to you haha so many books, so little time
My favorite book of August was rereading “The House on Mango Street.” EVEN BETTER than I remembered. 💛🥭
I read it in middle school and I didn't enjoy it. What's your favorite part of the book?
@@AnUncreativePerson Hey, thanks for asking! I am always impacted by innocence juxtaposed against evil/harsh realities, and I think Sandra Cisneros did a great job painting a girl's desire for attention, which becomes twisted by inappropriate attention. And then it turns into self-empowerment at the end!
@@entrenchpodhost That's a good observation, that probably went well over my head when I read it
@@AnUncreativePerson I think that's pretty normal, especially if it was one of your first classics! Literature can impact us so differently depending when in our lives we read it.
Thanks for this excellent wrap-up of August reads. I loved your vlogs with Carolyn. 🎃.🍂.🍁
omg i love ur videos, the vibe is always immaculate!!! 🎃
Watching any video of you makes me relax
The best library on the internet 🔥
I’ve got to agree with all you said about Never Let me go ! Hearing your review of “If if this love…” it almost sounds like I’ll get from that book what I had expected from Never Let me go 😮 definitely adding it to me tbr xxx
sorry no pumpkins available but always watch your vids to the end. So glad you loved Orlando! Virginia Woolf is totally worth reading! 🍂
The Emma vibe is just what I needed.
I've been in quite the reading slump. I'm doing game of tomes, but this summer has had me so busy I've fallen behind which sucks and feels defeating, but I can pick up where I'm at and this is inspiring me.
Also, I see the chair! I freakin' love that chair and someday I will find something like it and I'll love it forever 😂
I read the awakening this month too and I absolutely agree! Thanks for the recommendation 🎃
(Never Let Me Go Spoilers)
I loved the book. It’s been a few years since I read it, but I remember loving the writing and how effortlessly Ishiguro created the atmosphere. I absolutely think that it’s a book that will fall flat for a lot of people while being other peoples favourite of all time, it’s just something so personal (more so than with other books I feel like).
What I remember is that I was sort of waiting for something shocking to happen. I get the allusions and everything, but I don’t know, I was waiting for that feeling where you read a line and it’s like a punch in the guts. And it made me feel really helpless toward the end, when the protagonist has to take care of Tommy, fully knowing what’s happening to him and what will happen to her, after previously being so hopeful about maybe getting to live a normal life.
The detached narrative did it for me. It’s almost like Cathy came to terms with her fate and and at the end she just stood there, fully knowing what’s to come. She didn’t even make a run for it which makes it all the more haunting and tragic.
The truth about the gallery was the punch in the guts for me. I recently re-read it and watched the movie. This story makes you feel depressed on a whole other level. I think it's because it's not that sci-fi stuff but... if we could... we would do this...the human morale can change and this could someday be reality.
I felt the same way!! I loved it but as you said I truly think that it is a book which you either find fascinating and love or is boring and not enjoyable.
The best book i read in August was Elena Sabe (Elena Knows) by Claudia Piñeiro. Oh man, 5 stars, devastating but amazing read 😊
I personally usually give manga 1-3 volumes to see if I want to continue or not when it comes to longer series.
You read 4 x 5 STAR reads in a month!!?? I'm lucky to get 4 in a year. 😅
Me too it almost end of the year and i only get 1 4*
Classics is where the good stuff lives!
Great list! I haven't read many of Kazuo Ishiguro's books, but one I recently read and loved was 'Klara and the Sun' I would highly recommend.
Okay, gotta go and add new books to my TBR!
my favorite of august was the first two books in the neopolitan series by elena ferrante and sense and sensibility by jane austen. sooo good.
Captain of the Sleepers was not what I expected, but a pleasant surprise because of some of the quotes I came away with. I also read Pedro Páramo which just made me want to read it again...immediately.
What a lovely month of reading you had! I really want to read that first book you mentioned, hearing you talk about it was so heartwarming. I also adore Rilke's Letters, I was recommended it by one of my closest art professors and it left an indelible mark on me, one of those books I keep returning to time and again. I would love to hear if you have other recommendations like him!
🥧🧡🎃 I also am so ready for fall! I noticed re-reads are a summer tradition for me, it's so comforting and fun.
Read The Skull💀(short folk tale with beautiful, haunting, wintery artwork) reimagined and illustrated by Jon Klassen. Highly recommend 🎃
I haven't read "Never Let Me Go" but I've seen the movie and was so unbelievably affected by the performances, score, and cinematography. It really hit hard. I thought it was beautiful. I thought the movie was so good that I'm afraid to read the book.
I like the film better than the book myself! And I'll agree that the cinematography and performances were what made it good. The scenes and the looks of the whole thing were gorgeous! The story, not so great. And the book is way too slow with very little plot and even though usually I am not really a plot reader, since the characters did not make sense to me personally, I just was bored here. But if you liked them or felt emotionally connected to the story, I would guess you might enjoy the book!
So glad these are back 🎃🎃🎃
I have such similar thoughts about Never Let Me Go! I did not like that book at all, I thought it was immensely boring. I went into it knowing what the speculative idea was and I was totally let down and I'm realizing now hearing you talk about it that it wasn't in the synopsis? I think had I now known that aspect I maybe A.) wouldn't have picked it up and B.) wouldn't have had the same expectations going in. As well, I cared so little for the characters. *SPOILER* I remember reading the scene where they finally get together and it was described so blandly, so matter-of-fact, I was so frustrated. I do think I want to give him another shot though as his work seems to be so varied from text to text. Always nice to hear someone agreed with your thoughts on well-loved literature though! 😅
I feel like because they’re young and supposed to be so passionately in love, the emotions are WAY too subtly expressed. The subtlety in relationships and emotions works much better in Remains of the Day because your character is a stuffy older man who is looking back on his life and contemplating the ideas of regret and whether or not he made the right choices (which seems to be Ishiguro’s thing in almost all of his novels). It’s also a *little* dull at points but overall it was much more interesting to me and if nothing else the movie is quite excellent. I’d recommend giving that one a shot! But don’t expect a great romance for the ages from his writing style regardless, he does not make me care about love interests at all they’re just too simple and understated. I don’t think his goal is to make them the focus though to be fair.
My favorite book this past month was The Four Agreements surprisingly. I had low expectations but I thought it had some good ideas
🍁🍂🍁🍂 I’m also ready to let summer go. It’s about to be the best time of year 🧡
I was just thinking about buying a copy of "letters to a young poet"! I'm not sure about what translation to read though since I've seen a lot of dispute about it 😭
Emmie, Rilke’s letters are just the perfect night stand book ❤
But will all due respect
First of all
I’m so grateful for Kappa who kept all these letters and allowed us to read them too!
Secondly for everyone involved in putting together the other side of the letters (Kappa) just recently (2017!!!)
And thirdly I am fully aware that it’s not fair to put anything side by side with Rilke for comparison, but between us: I found Kappas letters so boring 😅
Half of the letters were complains (I understand he was struggling and needed help) and the other half was him being thankful for every word Rilke took time to write for him (also 100% comprehensible! I’d pass out 😂)
All to say that the previous version of the book with only Rilkes letters are everything people need.
"Eke" out an existence! You are adorable.
can't agree more on “never let me go”! such an unremarkable book. “klara and the sun” by the same author is kind of in the same alley genre-wise but i enjoyed it a lot more
Emma I literally love you. Your videos bring me so much joy. Your review of Never Let Me Go broke me haha. Its been one of my favourite books since I was 16!! However, I love hearing opposing opinions
I’m inspired to re-read The Awakening now. It will be interesting to see what a difference a few decades makes. 🎃
I felt the same for Never Let Me Go. I only got halfway through. I felt like I was given less than a crumb of plot or purpose and was being force fed these random string of memories that Kathy kept recalling. It took me a month to decide to dnf because thinking about it was giving me headaches
🎃 I have a 3 chapter rule, (read 3 chapters before possible DNF), I’ve stared to translate that to a 3 manga rule when I can. Definitely has helped me decide if a series is worth the time. Also, I ordered a second hand copy of ice fields & it came signed, so pretty cool!
I want to recommend Wotakoi: love is hard for Otaku. It's a manga series of 6 volumes (there are two mangas in each volume except for the last one).
It's about a friendgroup of weebs and geeks, one loves gaming, one cosplay, one manga and one has a BL manga. There's friendship, love, fangirling and it's so adorable and perfect.
It has been adapted into an anime but it only has one season. I hope you'll pick it up one day ❤
love your content and bookish insights! 🎃 cheers from spain
my favorite book this month and probably this year is wolf hall，highly recommend❤
Heyy Emma! I didn't have any 5-star reads this month but two books came really close to being 5 stars. They're Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris and Linghun by Ai Jiang. Both are indie horror books that deal with grief. I read Never Let Me Go a few years ago and thought it was okay. It's kind of overhyped in my opinion. 🎃🎃🎃
never let me go changed my life. i still think its the most unique book i've never read.
Fav in August: finally read Legends and lattes 🎃
Fall starts on the 21st. Don’t rush it😆
My favourite reads from August are: A Certain Hunger, Legends & Lattes, Exile, Bad Cree, You've Lost a Lot of Blood, Once There Were Wolves, and my reread of Frankenstein
you're definitely right about buying random manga volumes unfortunately isn't really the way :,) I came to your channel as a manga and light novel reader wanting to get into classic lit, and I honestly gotta say manga is a lot better consumed online first and then collected physically second. manga is just so Vast and multi-volumed by nature you'll have a lot better time sitting down with mangadex one after afternoon sampling the beginnings of a bunch of series and then settling on a new one to collect after you're already invested instead of buying something from the vibes of the first volume and then ending up stuck. you've helped me a lot in my novel/lit journey, so I hope that helps in your manga journey! (I know you like some romance with cute art and some supernatural elements so if I may, I wanna recommend toilet bound hanako-kun as well haha the name is quite silly since it's based on the hanako-kun urban legened, but it's a lovely lovely series and one of my favorites) 🎃
thank you so much for the recommendations ♡
One of my favorite books this month was The Language of Languges by Ngugi wa Thiong’o, a book about the power and theory of translation! 🎃
Yes, let summer go! Fall > Summer 🎃 🍁🍄🍂🍎
The first book sounds like a heartbreak, gotta check it out! 🎃🍂🍁
❤📚❤️...I read "Never Let Me Go" years ago, and loved it. Now I want to read Icefields! 🎃
First commentator😬 very excited to hear these 5* reads ❤
🎃 Have you read Klara & the Sun? I’d be so curious to hear what you thought of that one.
I love never let me go!! But I have to say the first time I read it I just felt 0.0, it was really heavy and sad. But when I started discussing with a friend we found so many layers I had to read it again. I love that you mention the education analysis of the book, because I ended up doing a presentation about never let me go and Vygotsky's socio-historic theory that has all to do with education. One thing that really got me thinking was the constitution of a human being, I have a friend who after reading it was convinced they were different than humans and that was so intriguing to me, it heavily inspired me to do the essay with a contrary justification based on what Vygotsky says about human development haha.
Please do a bookshelf tour 🤩
i quite enjoyed never let me go the movie, i did not finish the book though but as i remember i quite liked the reading style, it was clear and pure and gentle, maybe it lacked actions, i am not sure
It's so surprising, with Ishiguro it was the opposite for me. I was bored reading 'When we were Orphans' but loveeeed Never Let Me Go.
So, I read Never Let Me Go when it was assigned to be in middle school. I remember hating it so so much. Now that I’ve gotten back into reading, I haven’t reread it but I always think about my younger self’s opinion of the book and just assume I was being immature or not getting it (b/c of how respected Ishiguro is). Then I read Klara and the Sun and really really didn’t like it. Now i’m curious to reread never let me go. I also just got a free copy of Remains of the Day so probably gonna try that first
🎃 Happy Fall !!!
rereading is a form of self-care fr🍁🍂🎃
100% with you on everything you said about 'Never Let Me Go'... I was thinking of re-reading it someday soon in the hopes of appreciating it better the second time around, but I don't know...
here’s to slowly letting go of summer 🎃🎃
I saw a book today that made me think of you, with you loving snow, winter, nature and animals so much :) It was The Snow Leopard by Peter Mathiessen, maybe it can be on your winter TBR!
🎃 Favorite of August: True Crime Story by Joseph Knox. Least favorite: Untold Night and Day by Bae Suah
I was just meh about Never Let Me Go when I read it. I read and finished three books in August. Bag of Bones by Stephen King, The Burning God by RF Kuang, and The Sapphire Altar by David Dalglish.
🎃 after a long college day yesterday this video is just what I needed
I just put a hold on Even if This Love Disappears Tonight. It sounds perfect.
might take this as my sign to pick up letters to a young poet 🎃🍂🍁
EMMIE! - I have a book recommendation! "Her Lost Words" by Stephanie Marie Thornton. It's historical fiction of Mary Wollstonecraft AND Mary Shelley. I'm only half way through the book rn, but I'm loving it! I think that the reason why I'm loving it so much is because I so very rarely hear of or have the chance to really research Mary Wollstonecraft very much. Even though she was such an interesting and amazing "thinker"....... I also loved Orlando, I find it creeping into my thoughts from time to time even STILL! lol
Sylvia Plath's journals in the backgroung, aaaaaa! Would you recommend that book?