I love your recommendations so much! The Warlord Chronicles is on my short list of series I want to start this year. I remember seeing my dad read and love The Pillars of the Earth many years ago, and I also remember thinking the book seemed intimidating to me. I love historical fiction, and I especially love time travel books that have a mix of historical fiction. 11/22/63 is a great example, and I see that on your shelf. I loved that book, especially for the ways in which King showed some of the darker aspects of 50’s and 60’s America and brought to life characters and settings that felt authentic to those eras. I’ve course I really don’t know not having lived that long, but it felt real to me as a reader! That might be a good entry point for plot-driven readers or King fans.
Thanks so much! You're so correct about 11/22/63 - that would be a great entry point. That's actually my favorite novel by King. Such a beautiful ending (something you don't say that often about King!). I hope if you get to Warlord Chronicles soon, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did - it's a top 5 series of all time for me. Thanks for commenting! :)
@@RedFuryBooks I am so happy I've found this! Thank you Johanna also! I wanted to know a good entry point to King avoiding Horror, and this seems like very good comments recommending 11/22/63! Maybe I'll check a bit more to see if there's another novel by King that I feel more interested into. We'll see. But so you know, I'm looking for an entry point to King that is not Horror, might be worth making a video... others may be interested... The Green Mile I'm excluding it because I've watched the film several times and I'd like something new.
@@kyrosv1289 A good entry point for non-horror Stephen King would be Different Seasons. Four truly outstanding novellas. You also may like the Bill Hodges Trilogy which begins with Mr. Mercedes. There's some magical realism in there, but they are primarily crime fiction.
Nice recommendations. Arthur Conan Doyle is amazing. And Agatha Christie is one of my all-time favourite authors! I can read her books any time, even when I don't feel like reading! That's a very important distinction you made between mystery and thrillers, I've realised I definitely gravitate towards the former. Magical realism and I have been doomed so far (Marquez, Rushdie, Murakami) but these sound unique and less intimidating. Noted.
Yes, magical realism can be very broad, and I’ve found several authors in that subgenre- which I like - that I haven’t quite connected with. Hopefully these help!
This month, I’m going to read Lonesome Dove for a western. For historical fiction I’m finally going to read Bernard Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicles. I’m usually a sci-fi/fantasy/horror (Stephen King) reader, so these books I’m hoping will be great reads for avoiding any reading slump. I’m excited to read these for the first time! I hear nothing but great things. Btw, great video! You have great recommendations!
Thanks for the kind words! Lonesome Dove has been on my TBR for a long time. I read Dead Man's Walk many years ago and loved it. I hope you enjoy the Warlord Chronicles as much as I have!
I love magical realism and Forever sounds like just the type of book I want to read. A historical fiction I read last year that made my top favs list was The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischwili. It’s translated from German and is a multigenerational family saga focusing on Georgian history. It is a big one at 944 Pgs though! Thanks for the recommendations!
Adding the Eighth Life to my TBR! I've grown to love epic length historical fiction - Pillars of the Earth, Shogun, etc. It sounds right up my alley. I hope you read Forever because as I mentioned, I don't know anyone who's read it!
Historical fiction is my favorite genre and I was so happy to see you recommending GWTW and Pillars of the Earth. There are so many wonderful things about GWTW; it’s my second favorite book after To Kill A Mockingbird. Reading historical fiction in the correct context is so important and not many people do that. My favorite eras are Tudor England and the Civil War. Also, I love Pete Hamill and I have Forever on my Kindle; I just haven’t gotten to it yet. I loved North River and Snow in August by him. Great author. Thanks for these recommendations!
I'm actually planning on rereading To Kill a Mockingbird later this year. I haven't read it since high school, so I want to experience it again. I love historical fiction set in the Civil War as well - I'll be reading The Killer Angels sometime this summer. I hope you love Forever - let me know as I don't know anyone else who's read it!
The Killer Angels is such a great book; I read it several years ago, but it’s on my To Be Reread stack. Michael Shaara’s son, Jeff, has written several books set in the Civil War (I’m sure you already knew that lol) and I’ve read all of them except the last one in his 4-book series. He’s also written some HF in other eras I’d love to get to soon. I try to reread Mockingbird every couple of years; that is my favorite book of all time and I also love the movie. I’ll definitely let you know about Forever. Love your channel!
Good to know! I had been aware of Jeff Shaara's work but wasn't sure the quality. I'm glad you enjoy the channel - thanks for watching and the conversation! :)
Real glad to see gone with the wind here. I just found it for a couple dollars at a thirft store and picked it up due to how highly regarded it is, even if it wouldn't normally be something I read.
Here are my recommendations for Part 2 of this video. Historical Fiction: 1) The Middle Passage by Charles Johnson 2) The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah Historical Fiction is another least read genre for me but I plan to read more going forward. The Johnson novel looks at the Atlantic Slave Trade from the perspective of a freed slave who sneaks abroad a slave ship heading back to Africa. The freed slave is escaping a forced marriage. Tough subject but Johnson provides humor and a philosophical depth in a novel that just over 200 pages. Very well done! The Hannah novel is one of the best WW2 stories I have ever read. Hannah would have never been on my radar to read. However, The Nightingale changed that for me. Mystery: 1)A Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley 2) The Long Way Home by Louise Penny Mystery is becoming one of favorite genres to read. These two novels come to mind immediately. The Mosley novel is the first in the acclaimed Easy Rawlins series. Mosley brings to life a post WW2 Los Angeles that is vivid and authentic. The Penny novel was my entry point into the world of Three Pines and Inspector Gamache. I have never been to Eastern Canada before and after reading this one made me want to visit. Thriller: 1) A Last One by Alexandra Oliva 2) Recursion by Blake Crouch Like you Josh…I don’t usually read the hot book of the season or highly publicized book when it first comes out. However, I read both of these when they were first published and enjoyed them. Magical Realism: 1) A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami 2) A Wooden Sea by Jonathan Carroll 3) Oracle Night by Paul Auster All of three these authors are on my favorites list and have completely different styles of magical realism. Each book is my favorite of their work and highly recommended. Short Stories: I totally agree with you about including short stories into my reading life. They add another dimension to your reading life and makes you appreciate fiction in a different form than novels. 1) Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine 2) Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint Both of these short story collections are excellent. Sabrina & Corina explores Latina & Indigenous women from Colorado in thoughtful and provocative ways. Dreams Underfoot is the first of several short story collections set in De Lint’s fictional city of Newford. This is the best of those collections and introduces all the main characters from that city. Those are my recommendations. I’m glad you posted these 2 videos and I more readers get to see them.
I have read A Wild Sheep Chase, Dance Dance Dance, Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Kafka on the Shore, South of the Border, West of the Sun & his running memoir. I enjoyed reading all of them except Kafka on the Shore. I do want to read more of his work.
A pretty solid list of Murakami! I've read 12-14 at this point and am making my way through them all. He's one of those polarizing authors that you either love or you don't. Obviously I do!
Thanks Josh. I do want to read Norwegian Wood, Killing Commendatore, & Colorless Tskuru Takari to round my reading of his work. He is polarizing for sure but I have enjoyed his work.
Josh, am I able to start with The Poet, if I've never read a Connelly book? I know it's the first McEvoy book, but will it ruin Bosch, or should I perhaps work my way through Bosch first?? Thanks in advance my friend 🙏🏻
I think you can absolutely start with The Poet- it was actually my first Connelly book. I read several of his books out of order until I realized they were so great. Then went in publication order.
OMG, I felt the same way about Gone with thw Wind , i didn´t want to like it either (there´re a lot of issues in it, toxic relationship, unlikeable characters, racism and so on ). But the writing style is wonderful and engaging, that why is one of my favorite books of all time (my 5 top are all historical). Definitely historical fiction is my Gem...I like better Sherlock homes than Poirot (just a personal preference) but both are good options... About magical realism, i just can not get into it. I´ve been trying to like it but just can´t . I read a few of them , like one humdred years of solitude (i have to as a Latin American reader 😅) and i can understand the importance of it, is a unique book but i just couldn´t connect with the world . Not for me. And for russian there are no enough room to express my enjoyment for Russian writers...As always your videos generate a great discussion!!! Thanks
One Hundred Years of Solitude is on my TBR for sure - I just haven't picked that one up yet. Glad you enjoyed the video! Hopefully more historical fiction from me this year -it's probably my #2 favorite genre but I've neglected it the first half of this year.
I'm so happy I've read a lot of these, and that we agree on how amazing they are. I wrapped up The Winter King, and it will likely be an all time favourite (the trilogy will probably). Pines was exceptional and I've recommended that a lot myself to people. Pillars of the Earth shot up my tbr, so thanks for that one!
New viewer here. It's great to see someone speaking positively of Gone With the Wind! It's is one of my favorite books and films of all time. And I am one that has zero interest in romance stories. That was never the draw for me. The world and the characters are so vivid. It's a big book but it never feels that way. As you said, you feel like you are right there! I've been re-reading it since at least 8th grade. I only know that because my ancient, battered copy has my 8th grade classroom number scrawled in it. That poor thing is literally falling apart. But I couldn't bear to get rid of it because it has been with me for so long. I put it in a plastic bag and it's put away. A few years ago I bought a new (to me) hardcover as well DVD set. I know at some point it will either be outright banned for "offending" someone, or it will become too difficult/expensive to find. They'll be prying my copies from my cold, dead hands. Anyway, thanks for all the recommendations. Believe it or not, it's getting difficult to find Booktubers that actually focus on BOOKS. So many channels have become full of commercials for stuff and/or they talk about the same few books that are popular at the moment.
Thanks for checking out the video and your story with Gone with the Wind! I may have mentioned in the video that it's a book I went in not wanting to like because of the genre and subject, but when a work of art is so well done, you can't help but fall in love with it! And thanks for the last comment. Although I do watch a lot of book tube channels, I agree that we don't need a dozen people talking about Legends and Lattes! That said, I'll definitely drop a review on Stephen King's Fairy Tale as soon as I read it in September! 😆
Thanks for explaining magical realism. I've heard the term but I've never understood how it differs from just regular fantasy. I've never heard of "Forever" but it does sound intriguing! If I ever get out from under the 334784613643 books I am currently reading I may check it out.
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I love your recommendations so much! The Warlord Chronicles is on my short list of series I want to start this year. I remember seeing my dad read and love The Pillars of the Earth many years ago, and I also remember thinking the book seemed intimidating to me. I love historical fiction, and I especially love time travel books that have a mix of historical fiction. 11/22/63 is a great example, and I see that on your shelf. I loved that book, especially for the ways in which King showed some of the darker aspects of 50’s and 60’s America and brought to life characters and settings that felt authentic to those eras. I’ve course I really don’t know not having lived that long, but it felt real to me as a reader! That might be a good entry point for plot-driven readers or King fans.
Thanks so much! You're so correct about 11/22/63 - that would be a great entry point. That's actually my favorite novel by King. Such a beautiful ending (something you don't say that often about King!). I hope if you get to Warlord Chronicles soon, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did - it's a top 5 series of all time for me. Thanks for commenting! :)
@@RedFuryBooks I am so happy I've found this! Thank you Johanna also!
I wanted to know a good entry point to King avoiding Horror, and this seems like very good comments recommending 11/22/63!
Maybe I'll check a bit more to see if there's another novel by King that I feel more interested into. We'll see.
But so you know, I'm looking for an entry point to King that is not Horror, might be worth making a video... others may be interested...
The Green Mile I'm excluding it because I've watched the film several times and I'd like something new.
@@kyrosv1289 A good entry point for non-horror Stephen King would be Different Seasons. Four truly outstanding novellas. You also may like the Bill Hodges Trilogy which begins with Mr. Mercedes. There's some magical realism in there, but they are primarily crime fiction.
@@RedFuryBooks Thanks for the recommendations!! :)
Nice recommendations.
Arthur Conan Doyle is amazing. And Agatha Christie is one of my all-time favourite authors! I can read her books any time, even when I don't feel like reading! That's a very important distinction you made between mystery and thrillers, I've realised I definitely gravitate towards the former.
Magical realism and I have been doomed so far (Marquez, Rushdie, Murakami) but these sound unique and less intimidating. Noted.
Yes, magical realism can be very broad, and I’ve found several authors in that subgenre- which I like - that I haven’t quite connected with. Hopefully these help!
Some historical fiction I can recommend are the Shardlake books by CJ Sansom and the Aubrey/Maturin books by Patrick O'Brian. Two great series
I'll definitely be looking into these - I always am looking for quality historical fiction. Thanks!
This month, I’m going to read Lonesome Dove for a western. For historical fiction I’m finally going to read Bernard Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicles. I’m usually a sci-fi/fantasy/horror (Stephen King) reader, so these books I’m hoping will be great reads for avoiding any reading slump. I’m excited to read these for the first time! I hear nothing but great things. Btw, great video! You have great recommendations!
Thanks for the kind words! Lonesome Dove has been on my TBR for a long time. I read Dead Man's Walk many years ago and loved it. I hope you enjoy the Warlord Chronicles as much as I have!
I love magical realism and Forever sounds like just the type of book I want to read. A historical fiction I read last year that made my top favs list was The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischwili. It’s translated from German and is a multigenerational family saga focusing on Georgian history. It is a big one at 944 Pgs though!
Thanks for the recommendations!
Adding the Eighth Life to my TBR! I've grown to love epic length historical fiction - Pillars of the Earth, Shogun, etc. It sounds right up my alley. I hope you read Forever because as I mentioned, I don't know anyone who's read it!
Historical fiction is my favorite genre and I was so happy to see you recommending GWTW and Pillars of the Earth. There are so many wonderful things about GWTW; it’s my second favorite book after To Kill A Mockingbird. Reading historical fiction in the correct context is so important and not many people do that. My favorite eras are Tudor England and the Civil War. Also, I love Pete Hamill and I have Forever on my Kindle; I just haven’t gotten to it yet. I loved North River and Snow in August by him. Great author. Thanks for these recommendations!
I'm actually planning on rereading To Kill a Mockingbird later this year. I haven't read it since high school, so I want to experience it again. I love historical fiction set in the Civil War as well - I'll be reading The Killer Angels sometime this summer. I hope you love Forever - let me know as I don't know anyone else who's read it!
The Killer Angels is such a great book; I read it several years ago, but it’s on my To Be Reread stack. Michael Shaara’s son, Jeff, has written several books set in the Civil War (I’m sure you already knew that lol) and I’ve read all of them except the last one in his 4-book series. He’s also written some HF in other eras I’d love to get to soon. I try to reread Mockingbird every couple of years; that is my favorite book of all time and I also love the movie. I’ll definitely let you know about Forever. Love your channel!
Good to know! I had been aware of Jeff Shaara's work but wasn't sure the quality. I'm glad you enjoy the channel - thanks for watching and the conversation! :)
Real glad to see gone with the wind here. I just found it for a couple dollars at a thirft store and picked it up due to how highly regarded it is, even if it wouldn't normally be something I read.
It's definitely not my usual kind of book, but really loved it. I hope you do as well!
Here are my recommendations for Part 2 of this video.
Historical Fiction:
1) The Middle Passage by Charles Johnson
2) The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Historical Fiction is another least read genre for me but I plan to read more going forward. The Johnson novel looks at the Atlantic Slave Trade from the perspective of a freed slave who sneaks abroad a slave ship heading back to Africa. The freed slave is escaping a forced marriage. Tough subject but Johnson provides humor and a philosophical depth in a novel that just over 200 pages. Very well done!
The Hannah novel is one of the best WW2 stories I have ever read. Hannah would have never been on my radar to read. However, The Nightingale changed that for me.
Mystery:
1)A Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
2) The Long Way Home by Louise Penny
Mystery is becoming one of favorite genres to read. These two novels come to mind immediately. The Mosley novel is the first in the acclaimed Easy Rawlins series. Mosley brings to life a post WW2 Los Angeles that is vivid and authentic.
The Penny novel was my entry point into the world of Three Pines and Inspector Gamache. I have never been to Eastern Canada before and after reading this one made me want to visit.
Thriller:
1) A Last One by Alexandra Oliva
2) Recursion by Blake Crouch
Like you Josh…I don’t usually read the hot book of the season or highly publicized book when it first comes out. However, I read both of these when they were first published and enjoyed them.
Magical Realism:
1) A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
2) A Wooden Sea by Jonathan Carroll
3) Oracle Night by Paul Auster
All of three these authors are on my favorites list and have completely different styles of magical realism. Each book is my favorite of their work and highly recommended.
Short Stories:
I totally agree with you about including short stories into my reading life. They add another dimension to your reading life and makes you appreciate fiction in a different form than novels.
1) Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
2) Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint
Both of these short story collections are excellent. Sabrina & Corina explores Latina & Indigenous women from Colorado in thoughtful and provocative ways.
Dreams Underfoot is the first of several short story collections set in De Lint’s fictional city of Newford. This is the best of those collections and introduces all the main characters from that city.
Those are my recommendations. I’m glad you posted these 2 videos and I more readers get to see them.
How much Murakami have you read?
I have read A Wild Sheep Chase, Dance Dance Dance, Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Kafka on the Shore, South of the Border, West of the Sun & his running memoir. I enjoyed reading all of them except Kafka on the Shore. I do want to read more of his work.
A pretty solid list of Murakami! I've read 12-14 at this point and am making my way through them all. He's one of those polarizing authors that you either love or you don't. Obviously I do!
Thanks Josh. I do want to read Norwegian Wood, Killing Commendatore, & Colorless Tskuru Takari to round my reading of his work. He is polarizing for sure but I have enjoyed his work.
Man i was ready to give up on you if you don't recommend Chehov for short stories....but at the end you delivered.Just kidding i love your videos.
Haha glad you enjoyed it!
Josh, am I able to start with The Poet, if I've never read a Connelly book? I know it's the first McEvoy book, but will it ruin Bosch, or should I perhaps work my way through Bosch first?? Thanks in advance my friend 🙏🏻
I think you can absolutely start with The Poet- it was actually my first Connelly book. I read several of his books out of order until I realized they were so great. Then went in publication order.
@@RedFuryBooks thanks! Still debating between this and Black Echo. We will see!
@@RekindledReader you can't go wrong either way!
OMG, I felt the same way about Gone with thw Wind , i didn´t want to like it either (there´re a lot of issues in it, toxic relationship, unlikeable characters, racism and so on ). But the writing style is wonderful and engaging, that why is one of my favorite books of all time (my 5 top are all historical). Definitely historical fiction is my Gem...I like better Sherlock homes than Poirot (just a personal preference) but both are good options... About magical realism, i just can not get into it. I´ve been trying to like it but just can´t . I read a few of them , like one humdred years of solitude (i have to as a Latin American reader 😅) and i can understand the importance of it, is a unique book but i just couldn´t connect with the world . Not for me. And for russian there are no enough room to express my enjoyment for Russian writers...As always your videos generate a great discussion!!! Thanks
One Hundred Years of Solitude is on my TBR for sure - I just haven't picked that one up yet. Glad you enjoyed the video! Hopefully more historical fiction from me this year -it's probably my #2 favorite genre but I've neglected it the first half of this year.
I'm so happy I've read a lot of these, and that we agree on how amazing they are. I wrapped up The Winter King, and it will likely be an all time favourite (the trilogy will probably). Pines was exceptional and I've recommended that a lot myself to people. Pillars of the Earth shot up my tbr, so thanks for that one!
Great minds think alike! :) Pillars is truly masterful - I hope you enjoy it!
New viewer here. It's great to see someone speaking positively of Gone With the Wind! It's is one of my favorite books and films of all time. And I am one that has zero interest in romance stories. That was never the draw for me. The world and the characters are so vivid. It's a big book but it never feels that way. As you said, you feel like you are right there!
I've been re-reading it since at least 8th grade. I only know that because my ancient, battered copy has my 8th grade classroom number scrawled in it. That poor thing is literally falling apart. But I couldn't bear to get rid of it because it has been with me for so long. I put it in a plastic bag and it's put away. A few years ago I bought a new (to me) hardcover as well DVD set. I know at some point it will either be outright banned for "offending" someone, or it will become too difficult/expensive to find. They'll be prying my copies from my cold, dead hands.
Anyway, thanks for all the recommendations. Believe it or not, it's getting difficult to find Booktubers that actually focus on BOOKS. So many channels have become full of commercials for stuff and/or they talk about the same few books that are popular at the moment.
Thanks for checking out the video and your story with Gone with the Wind! I may have mentioned in the video that it's a book I went in not wanting to like because of the genre and subject, but when a work of art is so well done, you can't help but fall in love with it!
And thanks for the last comment. Although I do watch a lot of book tube channels, I agree that we don't need a dozen people talking about Legends and Lattes! That said, I'll definitely drop a review on Stephen King's Fairy Tale as soon as I read it in September! 😆
Thanks for explaining magical realism. I've heard the term but I've never understood how it differs from just regular fantasy. I've never heard of "Forever" but it does sound intriguing! If I ever get out from under the 334784613643 books I am currently reading I may check it out.
My TBR is like that too! But definitely let me know if you read Forever!