Omg the hotel one tho. I work at a hotel and that seems so invasive but also so cool. Also I had such a hard time with a farewell to arms because as a former army wife, the "romance" is in my opinion toxic codependency of two people who have gone through trauma together and it's masking as love and that hit like. . . Idk it struck a nerve.
That is exactly how I felt about the romance! They were like two rocks that ground each other down over time- at the end, they were both the husks of the people they were at the beginning!
Glad you're enjoying Borges 😊 he gets so much better - I think I'm going to start rereading him from his second collection this month 'cause he's my favourite and I'd quite like a refresher. Also I hope you really liked Man on Pink Corner, nobody writes a twist quite like Borges does. He's so incredible at basically telling you what's happened without you noticing, and then just giving you the slightest nudge and suddenly everything makes perfect sense
i am so late on the reading challenge (my copy of a farewell to arms just arrived today) but omg, hemingway's telltale writing style is so beautiful, and i am so excited to have my heart shattered by it ❤thanks for another lovely video!
I'm disgusted by the idea of Sophie Calle: The Hotel book and the one page I read from it terrifies me and amplifies the aversion I had towards it. She l literally spied on them from behind closed doors. I can't morally stand that.
I had a not so good month of reading. Somehow nothing I picked up really interested me. So, last night I decided to finally pick up phantom of the opera! Excuse me for not watching your video straight away, but I have only 50 pages left and I need to read them now :)
I agree with all of your sentiments on a "Farewell To Arms". For me the romance between Henry and Catherine was the reason why I "only" gave it 4 stars. Everything else was pretty perfect. His descriptions of the war are just like none I've read so far. Such an unflinchingly nonchalant way of showing you terrible things that have become mundane. His conversations with the priest and the old billiard player guy were my fav.
I love it how much you are inspired by hotels and books about hotels. I love that some people have those kind of random things they love. I also have. it’s really cute and pure. I love that you’re doing research for your novel I’m so proud and cannot wait to hear more about that.
FTA is definitely a concrete wall of an ending. I love Hemingway’s style in that because it is just a GUT punch. On happier terms.. I reallly wanna pick up that Calle book about hotels. I’m so curious
“It looks like a Hitman level” 😂 also, if you’re looking for more time travel books, I feel like you might like Connie Willis! “Domesday Book” and “To Say Nothing of the Dog” follow a group of Oxford students and academics who time travel to the medieval period and the Victorian era-brilliant and breathless and (especially in the case of the second one) delightfully funny!
A Farewell To Arms was my favorite book, but also just wrecked me and sent me on a weird existential bender, and somehow forced me to grab life by the horns and live it. After that book I was doing 70km/ph down the ski slopes because *this is life*. I actually had to take a fiction break and am now reading natural history books before taking on that Steinbeck book because holy hell.
Emma, I just wanted to say that my dear, sweet aunt passed away suddenly last Wednesday and I have been in the throes of grief. Prior to this, I had purchased a book that you always raved about on your channel - The Dark Interval by Rainer Maria Rilke. I had read a few of the letters within at the time I bought it, but had not yet read through the whole thing at the time of my aunt's passing. I've since revisited it, and it has taken on a whole new level of meaning and significance for me that it hadn't before. The way Rilke writes about grief and loss is beautiful, and I feel it has helped me view my own grief in a different light & has allowed for my healing process to begin. Thank you, because I would never have found that book if it weren't for your channel. Thank you, thank you.
Always super impressed by the sheer number of books you manage to read in a given month! You're an inspiration, Emma! 🙂I've got a bunch going as per usual (lots of non fiction as well) but not as many completed yet! I heard someone say once that they wish time travel stories would focus on the people making the costumes. "You mean you need middle class wear and not UPPER middle class wear? F--- yeah, there's a difference, Debra!" Have a great week! P.S. My favorite book I read this month was called "The Bright Ages"--a reimagined history of medieval history.
A Farewell to Arms was my favorite of the month too, Emma! I also read The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett; Carrie, by Stephen King and Age of Fables, by Thomas Bulfinch.
My top read for the month was 10 minutes 38 seconds in this strange world, which IIRCccame into my radar because of you. so excited for the liveshow next month!
I read All Quiet On the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque which is also based on the authors experiences during WW1 and....I'm not sure I'll ever emotionally recover. I had a full meltdown in my living room when I finished it. If you haven't read you definitely should!
That book was so much better than _Red Badge of Courage_. What is interesting is that the author was on the German side. Humans are humans no matter where you live and war sucks!
I’m actually doing pretty good at reading atm for some reason! Also I’m planning to read the yellow wallpaper & interview with a vampire cos of you! (Still haven’t bought them yet)
I think about the Ruby Red movie a lot! like I don't remember much but I get this cozy nostalgic feeling when I think about it. Also In the Dream House as an audiobook is really good! a very important read.
I've had the Ruby red trilogy sitting on my shelf for quite a while (found them for 50 cents each in a thrift shop, lol) but have never read them... maybe I need to!
I’m glad you enjoyed Sophie caller’s work! I studied her in photography in college and if you find her interested there’s a cool genre called found photography all about things that have been lost/discarded ☺️
loving the amount of content you are blessing us with!!! Hmmm I have read 34 books this month so it is incredibly hard to pick a favorite. Fantasy I would say The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. The two romances I really enjoyed this month were Reel by Kennedy Ryan (Kennedy is such a queen love her), and All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata. Poetry would be Every Word You Cannot Say by Iain S. Thomas because it was very personal for me. The book that has made me think the most this month and I just keep coming back to it is The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa. Lots of intriguing reads for me this month. I also picked up more nonfiction than I usually do this month as well.
Flann O Brien is my favourite Irish author. But there’s no denying that the humour is aimed specifically at a 20th century Irish audience, and much of the slang and humour is out dated. Fortunately, my parents are in their 60s, so I grew up with a lot of the sayings and terminology, and can get 90 percent of the humour and irony with the first read through. But, if I weren’t Irish I would certainly struggle to understand a lot of the cultural context and manners of the characters. So, I say don’t give up on him and try to be patient because his work will change your life. Another difficulty with Flann O Brien is that he is hyper intellectual, and some of his meaning is easy to lose without concentration. But by God, did that man know how to tell a story. Please give it another go in future!! Love the videos as always Emmie and I applaud your open mindedness and broad reading ❤
It's an incredible book and Jim Norton's performance in the audiobook is stellar, its understandable that younger and non Irish audience would find it a difficult read though
There was a movie, Good Will Hunting, about a troubled young man seeing a psychologist. As part of his defense mechanism, he deflects questions to change the subject. On the office wall is a painting, He goes over to it and attempts to analyze it. He suggests to the doctor that the artist, i.e., the doctor, was experiencing difficulties in life. "Yeah," he say "look at that little guy straining against the storm, oars about to snap, waves crashing over the sides" etc, then blurts out "so, did you marry the wrong woman?" Maybe that scene - a little bit - is an homage to AFTA?
A Farewell to Arms, The Reading List and The Wall of Winnipeg and Me were all my favorites this month (all so different lol). I agree with all your points about Hemingway’ s writing and I think that’s why I really liked it as well. To me, there was some kind of weird coziness throughout the whole story, but I also didn’t really care about the relationship that much either. It was very superficial, but I kept trying to remember that they were falling in love in a time of extreme stress and weird circumstances that I can guess you can only feel when you’re in the middle of a brutal war. I think the ending was so hard for so many people because usually books sort of give you that rush of clarity at the end that ties everything together, and in this instance it did not. I think it was brilliant how he forced us to feel Henry’s utter loss, numbness and devastation so perfectly, by ending it that way. There was no more of the story he wanted to tell. It was nice to be able to read some of the extended endings in the library collection addition, though!
Well, I'm not 100% EH forced us to feel the loss totally because during the penultimate chapter you could imagine Frederick turning off the light beside the bed while whispering to himself: God is good. Then, well, as, I said, I don't know that the totality of the catastrophe can be translated from Henry to us.
Emma (and anyone who likes books set in hotels), you should read ✨The Splendor by Breeana Shields✨, it's a YA fantasy, but I think it reads a little younger. It's about a girl who goes to a magical hotel, because her sister Changed after going there herself, to find out Why and How she changed. It's filled with magic and softness and family love, the visuals are gorgeous and the magic system interesting 🤗✨
I only just started the video but I wanted to quickly say that I love your glasses! Edit: the hotel one but sounds kind of strange/invasive but also very intriguing! And I would recommend the rest of the Ruby Red trilogy, it’s a fun one. I love that as a translated book it has gotten so popular (they even made movies for it!)
The Binti series is really good! I enjoyed reading them A Farewell to Arms is still in my tbr. Planning to read it this summer break. I didn't know this has a special edition. Mine is the same cover but not this edition.
If you love hotels, you'd love the series Escape to the Chateau. It's following a British family who moved to France to live in a chateau and run an events and "bed and breakfast"-y business and it's the sweetest thing! The family is adorable.
I have loved all of your uploads recently! Sadly, I didn't finish any books in January because it was quite a busy month for me (but i am in the middle or towards the end of a few books) and your wrap ups always make me want to pick up reading more again so i loved all these recommendations AND i definitely have to read a farewell to arms before february is up so i can follow along on your livestream!
Love your videos! My favorite January read was The Dark Interval by Rilke - picked it up thanks to your recommendation and it could not have come at a better time, really enjoyed it - thank you! Did not expect it to affect me quite as much as it did, even recommended it to a few friends I feel would benefit from the letters. Have a sneaking suspicion I'll reread it quite a few times throughout the year.
Love your videos as always. On goodreads, could you add a "winter" (or whatever you want to call it) bookshelf to your bookshelves list? That is, books of winter, snow, ice, cold.
Emma!! I've never met other person who knows Sophie Calle!!! She's iconic!!! I recommend you True Stories. It's just a bunch of really short stories about her life, and they're all insane, which kinda makes people ask themselves if what they're reading is real or not. There's also her photography work, which comes with the short stories, and they're all beautiful. Anyway! You'll like it! And it's really short, lol
Ruby red was one of my favorite books in junior high and I've never heard anyone talk about it until now! My dad came home one day with the first two books and he gave them to me, also I was just getting into books so I thought it was pretty sweet of him
Oohh the books about hotels sound so interesting and fascinating! I'm currently reading a book called Remember Me by Chelsea Bobulski, and it is a fiction book about a haunted hotel, but it has lots of descriptions so far about the hotel's architecture and atmosphere, and I was just thinking you'll really enjoy reading it 😄 love your videos! ❤️
I was wondering what could have happened to make you cry over AFTA. But then I thought about Hemingway and how he was mentioned in my fav movie Silver Linings Playbook. “Yeah, You have Earnest Hemingway call us and apologize to us too.” Looked up what Hemingway book they were talking about and sure enough it was AFTA. You’ve mentioned this book so many times and I cant believe I technically have already heard of it. So cool to me, full circle moment.
Hey Emma! Not sure if you’ve watched it but if you love hotels and an introspection on their guests you’d live White Lotus. It’s hyped but for a reason. I love your videos, thanks for posting so much lately! ❤
I really enjoyed the books about hotels - I didn't know they could be so cool. Can I recommend you 2 pieces of brazillian lit for February or March? I'm from Brazil btw: - Barren Lives by Graciliano Ramos (one of my all time favourites); - Dom Casmurro by Machado de Assis. I think you're gonna love it, especially the last one = )
My book of January - early February was "Annihilation" by Jef VanderMeer. Not just good fiction, but psichoanalitic things and really something to think about
Binti sounds really interesting, I might have to find a copy some time. The Hotel, it's a wonder she wasn't taken to court or something for laws of privacy or whatever and did you say she gave phone numbers, dangerous, I'm sure tourists whose details are there would be scandalized and angry. I'm currently reading 'A Farewell to Arms' and I'm finding the Henry/Barklay relationship a bit on the nose, they seem to be undertaking some kind of 'game', because Henry certainly shows know real love for her. She's just a stopover for him! But I am finding the descriptive text pertinent and it does show the surrounding characters and their present situation/s really well. I'm having to read this slowly, I'm finding Hemmingway's writing style different to many authors and it's taking me a while to 'take it out' and examine it.
I read 5 books in January and it is hard to pick a favorite. My 2 favorites were All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque and Mientras Llueve by Fernando Soto Aparicio (Colombian author). I also enjoyed Wild by Cheryl Strayed and Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. Thank you for the recommendations. I added some titles to my ever expanding TBR.
Looking forward to the vlog and discussion about A farewell to arms. I did find it a very addictive and personal writing style and quick to get through, but it did not affect me emotionally that much and it was very very VERY weird, especially the dialogues. Maybe it's because I read it in Italian and Italian has changed more than English, to the point that now we can hardly understand what they wrote in that time? Don't know but looking forward to the discussion. 🤗
that hotel book deeply disturbs me. i'm guessing what she did is not illegal in venice??? or in italy??? i may never go back to either. i'm horrified (i also bought a copy as a gift for my photographer friend--so i can see it!!)
I am not a huge nonfiction reader but like you, I read a ton of nonfiction in January (??) my top two books this month (& also now all time favorites) were the invisible kingdom by Megan O’Rourke & between the world and me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I listened to both on audiobook and have been recommending them to literally everyone I know ♥️
My favourite book of the month is definitely Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. I think you would really like it too, especially since you love Hundred Years of Solitude.
I know that modern popular literature isn't what you typically like but when you said how you loved Hemingway's style of writing I immediately thought about Sally Roony's books. They're all basically slices of life, life as it is. If you're interested, you can definitely try reading Conversations with friends and Normal people :) Fredrik Beckman's books are also very down to earth and real. Thanks for this video! Your uploads often brighten my day :))
I read 7 books in January: A Prayer for the Crown-shy (Becky Chambers) A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway) Evidence: poems (Mary Oliver) Beartown (Frederik Backman) Emily Dickinson’s Gardening Life (Marta McDowell) A Bookshop in Algiers (Kaouther Adimi) Memory Wall (Anthony Doerr)
I really recommend Educated by Tara Westover, a very powerful beautifully-written memoir of a young girl who escapes her hyper-religious, ultra conversative family through academia. I think you'd love it.
I'm in the throes of "Farewell to Arms" and so far, everything you've said resonates with my reading of this book as well! Good synopsis! I can't find your Steinbeck book for Feb anywhere. Sold out on Amazon, Barnes/Noble, Thriftreads, etc. 😕😕 Thanks for your great reading updates!!! Karen in snowy Chicago!
maybe try ebay? are you in chicago or a suburb? if a suburbs the salvation army in chicago heights usually has A LOT of classics another things to try is a free copy through the gutenberg foundation--they have a lot of free classics finally, you might be able to get a free audio version on youtube good luck from flossmoor!
Hi Emma, I've just finished reading Murder in Mesopotamia if you're going to do another Agatha Christie video I think you should do it with this one, it was great !
Binti is a trilogy, the first book sets up a lot of the story that continues in the next two, its defiantly worth reading the other two which are both short as well. I see it more as one book in three parts.
I have the Borges collection too and have been veeeeery slowly working through it, need to pick it up again soon! (Maybe when I finish 100 years of solitude)
Did you know Borges taught English Literature in the University of Buenos Aires??? He was very knowledgeable and passionate about it, he even wrote some poems in English:)
I love A Farewell to Arms, now I'm almost finished with The Complete Short Stories, but I'd say most of them aren't that good. I'd buy a selected short stories edition, so you don't get burnt out on Hemingway.
It's going to be interesting to see how Toronto handles the cold this weekend. A good weekend to read or watch "Ice Station Zebra." A story set in shitlessly cold weather.
9:30 Sounds similar in the family aspect to The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken. Its a really good book and I think you'd like it, if you haven't already!
"An interviewer once asked Ernest Hemingway, “Isn’t there any one essential ingredient you can identify which makes a great writer?” Hemingway replied, “Yes, there is. In order to be a great writer a person must have a built-in shockproof, crap detector.” And that’s what my idea of true education is. The children should be trained, disciplined, so that they can detect crap. A really intelligent person is a crap detector. He immediately knows, the moment he sees something, whether it is significant or just holy cow dung."
I put A Farewell to Arms down after about 60 pages. I haven't necessarily enjoyed it. The dialog is ok, but the descriptions seem choppy and awkward to me. On the other hand there are so many great and truthful quotes in it. I think I'll probably pick it up again at another time.
Hello comma space Emma;) Enyojing ur videos! Have you ever read Proust? I'm very curious what would you think of it cuz it might be my fav author ( and I love our boy Rilke ) Cheers
Very concerned about what the hotel author did. It’s extremely scary how things like that happen and then a company would publish this. I feel extremely uncomfartable
![BRASIL vs. PERÚ [4-0] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 10](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tbyOJKXfQnI/mqdefault.jpg)
Can we take a moment to appreciate the amount of content we’re getting😍 I’m always looking forward to your videos❤️
Yea I love that too
I totally agree! Lots of love and appreciation to Emma.❤🙏
Yesss its been making my mornings so sweet, Em and Carolyn combined!
@@kelsijenkins3396 yess love Carolyn’s videos so much as well🥰 these two are my fav booktubers🫶🏻
so happy to see so many videos lately! this is truly my comfort channel
💙
love seeing you reading a lot of nonfiction. i dont read that much nonfiction but i want to get more into it because i usually end up enjoying it
Off topic but I’m obsessed with your green top, it looks so cozy and stylish 💚
I found it in case anyone is wanting to get one 😂 it’s the Free People Movement Hit The Slopes Pullover from Free People 💚
Omg the hotel one tho. I work at a hotel and that seems so invasive but also so cool. Also I had such a hard time with a farewell to arms because as a former army wife, the "romance" is in my opinion toxic codependency of two people who have gone through trauma together and it's masking as love and that hit like. . . Idk it struck a nerve.
That is exactly how I felt about the romance! They were like two rocks that ground each other down over time- at the end, they were both the husks of the people they were at the beginning!
yup. i think it rings differently when you read it as a married person too
been watching old videos of yours pretty much all day lol glad to have some new stuff to watch now! youre great emma thanks for the wonderful content
Welcome back!💙💙
Glad you're enjoying Borges 😊 he gets so much better - I think I'm going to start rereading him from his second collection this month 'cause he's my favourite and I'd quite like a refresher. Also I hope you really liked Man on Pink Corner, nobody writes a twist quite like Borges does. He's so incredible at basically telling you what's happened without you noticing, and then just giving you the slightest nudge and suddenly everything makes perfect sense
Yes I loved the last story!! So good:’)
i am so late on the reading challenge (my copy of a farewell to arms just arrived today) but omg, hemingway's telltale writing style is so beautiful, and i am so excited to have my heart shattered by it ❤thanks for another lovely video!
I'm disgusted by the idea of Sophie Calle: The Hotel book and the one page I read from it terrifies me and amplifies the aversion I had towards it. She l literally spied on them from behind closed doors. I can't morally stand that.
Hemingway's writing is just enchanting. I got so lost just reading him describing a normal day in Milian for example.
every time I hear you talk about the books you love or like I want to read and buy them, but first I need to read all the unread books on my shelfs.
I had a not so good month of reading. Somehow nothing I picked up really interested me. So, last night I decided to finally pick up phantom of the opera! Excuse me for not watching your video straight away, but I have only 50 pages left and I need to read them now :)
I agree with all of your sentiments on a "Farewell To Arms". For me the romance between Henry and Catherine was the reason why I "only" gave it 4 stars. Everything else was pretty perfect. His descriptions of the war are just like none I've read so far. Such an unflinchingly nonchalant way of showing you terrible things that have become mundane. His conversations with the priest and the old billiard player guy were my fav.
watching your videos are such a reward for myself after i finished studying. thank you for all that you do emmie! ♡♡ you are so appreciated 💗
I absolutely admire people who post monthly wraps before the month end. I cling till the last minute 🤣
I love it how much you are inspired by hotels and books about hotels. I love that some people have those kind of random things they love. I also have. it’s really cute and pure. I love that you’re doing research for your novel I’m so proud and cannot wait to hear more about that.
FTA is definitely a concrete wall of an ending. I love Hemingway’s style in that because it is just a GUT punch.
On happier terms.. I reallly wanna pick up that Calle book about hotels. I’m so curious
“It looks like a Hitman level” 😂 also, if you’re looking for more time travel books, I feel like you might like Connie Willis! “Domesday Book” and “To Say Nothing of the Dog” follow a group of Oxford students and academics who time travel to the medieval period and the Victorian era-brilliant and breathless and (especially in the case of the second one) delightfully funny!
A Farewell To Arms was my favorite book, but also just wrecked me and sent me on a weird existential bender, and somehow forced me to grab life by the horns and live it. After that book I was doing 70km/ph down the ski slopes because *this is life*. I actually had to take a fiction break and am now reading natural history books before taking on that Steinbeck book because holy hell.
you’re feeding us so well Emma ☺️
The best book of January for me was by far Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, I think it might've become my new favorite novel of all time!❤
Oh I really love that book! A true classic and such an amazing story!
IMHO...one of the greatest books ever written :)
Love that book
Emma, I just wanted to say that my dear, sweet aunt passed away suddenly last Wednesday and I have been in the throes of grief. Prior to this, I had purchased a book that you always raved about on your channel - The Dark Interval by Rainer Maria Rilke. I had read a few of the letters within at the time I bought it, but had not yet read through the whole thing at the time of my aunt's passing. I've since revisited it, and it has taken on a whole new level of meaning and significance for me that it hadn't before. The way Rilke writes about grief and loss is beautiful, and I feel it has helped me view my own grief in a different light & has allowed for my healing process to begin. Thank you, because I would never have found that book if it weren't for your channel. Thank you, thank you.
Sorry to hear about your loss, may she rest in peace.
Always super impressed by the sheer number of books you manage to read in a given month! You're an inspiration, Emma! 🙂I've got a bunch going as per usual (lots of non fiction as well) but not as many completed yet! I heard someone say once that they wish time travel stories would focus on the people making the costumes. "You mean you need middle class wear and not UPPER middle class wear? F--- yeah, there's a difference, Debra!" Have a great week! P.S. My favorite book I read this month was called "The Bright Ages"--a reimagined history of medieval history.
A Farewell to Arms was my favorite of the month too, Emma! I also read The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett; Carrie, by Stephen King and Age of Fables, by Thomas Bulfinch.
wow!!! impressive!
Before the video: I don't need to get any more new books for a while.
After the video: let me see which of Emma's books I can find asap!
My top read for the month was 10 minutes 38 seconds in this strange world, which IIRCccame into my radar because of you. so excited for the liveshow next month!
I read All Quiet On the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque which is also based on the authors experiences during WW1 and....I'm not sure I'll ever emotionally recover. I had a full meltdown in my living room when I finished it. If you haven't read you definitely should!
That book was so much better than _Red Badge of Courage_. What is interesting is that the author was on the German side. Humans are humans no matter where you live and war sucks!
Molly of the Mall was my favourite book of January, and my new favourite book of all time, so thank you SO MUCH for bringing it to my attention!
I’m actually doing pretty good at reading atm for some reason! Also I’m planning to read the yellow wallpaper & interview with a vampire cos of you! (Still haven’t bought them yet)
Every single thing u mentioned about farewell to arms…totally agree, it’s genuinely all about his writing.
I think about the Ruby Red movie a lot! like I don't remember much but I get this cozy nostalgic feeling when I think about it. Also In the Dream House as an audiobook is really good! a very important read.
I've had the Ruby red trilogy sitting on my shelf for quite a while (found them for 50 cents each in a thrift shop, lol) but have never read them... maybe I need to!
I’m glad you enjoyed Sophie caller’s work! I studied her in photography in college and if you find her interested there’s a cool genre called found photography all about things that have been lost/discarded ☺️
"i'm not here to kink shame... but-" 😭😂
A Farewell to Arms was so depressing I wasn't even surprised when my dog somehow died in the last chapter.
Lol
i was so underwhelmed by that book. the first time i read it and again this month. not a hemingway fan i guess
loving the amount of content you are blessing us with!!! Hmmm I have read 34 books this month so it is incredibly hard to pick a favorite. Fantasy I would say The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. The two romances I really enjoyed this month were Reel by Kennedy Ryan (Kennedy is such a queen love her), and All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata. Poetry would be Every Word You Cannot Say by Iain S. Thomas because it was very personal for me. The book that has made me think the most this month and I just keep coming back to it is The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa. Lots of intriguing reads for me this month. I also picked up more nonfiction than I usually do this month as well.
Wait, what?! You read 34 books in a single month?!
Flann O Brien is my favourite Irish author. But there’s no denying that the humour is aimed specifically at a 20th century Irish audience, and much of the slang and humour is out dated. Fortunately, my parents are in their 60s, so I grew up with a lot of the sayings and terminology, and can get 90 percent of the humour and irony with the first read through. But, if I weren’t Irish I would certainly struggle to understand a lot of the cultural context and manners of the characters. So, I say don’t give up on him and try to be patient because his work will change your life. Another difficulty with Flann O Brien is that he is hyper intellectual, and some of his meaning is easy to lose without concentration. But by God, did that man know how to tell a story. Please give it another go in future!! Love the videos as always Emmie and I applaud your open mindedness and broad reading ❤
It's an incredible book and Jim Norton's performance in the audiobook is stellar, its understandable that younger and non Irish audience would find it a difficult read though
There was a movie, Good Will Hunting, about a troubled young man seeing a psychologist. As part of his defense mechanism, he deflects questions to change the subject. On the office wall is a painting, He goes over to it and attempts to analyze it. He suggests to the doctor that the artist, i.e., the doctor, was experiencing difficulties in life. "Yeah," he say "look at that little guy straining against the storm, oars about to snap, waves crashing over the sides" etc, then blurts out "so, did you marry the wrong woman?" Maybe that scene - a little bit - is an homage to AFTA?
A Farewell to Arms, The Reading List and The Wall of Winnipeg and Me were all my favorites this month (all so different lol). I agree with all your points about Hemingway’ s writing and I think that’s why I really liked it as well. To me, there was some kind of weird coziness throughout the whole story, but I also didn’t really care about the relationship that much either. It was very superficial, but I kept trying to remember that they were falling in love in a time of extreme stress and weird circumstances that I can guess you can only feel when you’re in the middle of a brutal war. I think the ending was so hard for so many people because usually books sort of give you that rush of clarity at the end that ties everything together, and in this instance it did not. I think it was brilliant how he forced us to feel Henry’s utter loss, numbness and devastation so perfectly, by ending it that way. There was no more of the story he wanted to tell. It was nice to be able to read some of the extended endings in the library collection addition, though!
Well, I'm not 100% EH forced us to feel the loss totally because during the penultimate chapter you could imagine Frederick turning off the light beside the bed while whispering to himself: God is good. Then, well, as, I said, I don't know that the totality of the catastrophe can be translated from Henry to us.
Never been this early!😀 Always excited for the monthly wrap-ups❤️
I just read Machado’s “The Husband Stitch” for college this week. Her writing is intense but very unique!
Hey Emma, if you are still on the theme of hotels, you can check out Arthur Hailey's "Hotel" and "Airport" - very enjoyable reads :)
Its been a while since i last saw your video, visiting here again really gives me another cozy atmosphere. Thank you Emma
Emma (and anyone who likes books set in hotels), you should read ✨The Splendor by Breeana Shields✨, it's a YA fantasy, but I think it reads a little younger. It's about a girl who goes to a magical hotel, because her sister Changed after going there herself, to find out Why and How she changed. It's filled with magic and softness and family love, the visuals are gorgeous and the magic system interesting 🤗✨
I only just started the video but I wanted to quickly say that I love your glasses!
Edit: the hotel one but sounds kind of strange/invasive but also very intriguing!
And I would recommend the rest of the Ruby Red trilogy, it’s a fun one. I love that as a translated book it has gotten so popular (they even made movies for it!)
right??? i'm never going back to venice!!
omg love that you enjoyed ruby red! that is a German ya fiction I read in middle grade - loved it so much back then hahah
The Binti series is really good! I enjoyed reading them
A Farewell to Arms is still in my tbr. Planning to read it this summer break. I didn't know this has a special edition. Mine is the same cover but not this edition.
i love your glasses! also you're my favorite booktuber (and pretty much the only one that I continuously watch)
Your pause and heavy sigh when bringing out A Farewell to Arms had me so nervous you were about to hate one of my favorite books haha.
If you love hotels, you'd love the series Escape to the Chateau. It's following a British family who moved to France to live in a chateau and run an events and "bed and breakfast"-y business and it's the sweetest thing! The family is adorable.
I have loved all of your uploads recently! Sadly, I didn't finish any books in January because it was quite a busy month for me (but i am in the middle or towards the end of a few books) and your wrap ups always make me want to pick up reading more again so i loved all these recommendations AND i definitely have to read a farewell to arms before february is up so i can follow along on your livestream!
Love your videos! My favorite January read was The Dark Interval by Rilke - picked it up thanks to your recommendation and it could not have come at a better time, really enjoyed it - thank you! Did not expect it to affect me quite as much as it did, even recommended it to a few friends I feel would benefit from the letters. Have a sneaking suspicion I'll reread it quite a few times throughout the year.
didn't read much this month, but "Group Portrait with Lady"
", Heinrih Boll's 1971 novel was exquisite - and in a very original writing style
Love your videos as always. On goodreads, could you add a "winter" (or whatever you want to call it) bookshelf to your bookshelves list? That is, books of winter, snow, ice, cold.
Emma!! I've never met other person who knows Sophie Calle!!! She's iconic!!! I recommend you True Stories. It's just a bunch of really short stories about her life, and they're all insane, which kinda makes people ask themselves if what they're reading is real or not. There's also her photography work, which comes with the short stories, and they're all beautiful. Anyway! You'll like it! And it's really short, lol
Ruby red was one of my favorite books in junior high and I've never heard anyone talk about it until now! My dad came home one day with the first two books and he gave them to me, also I was just getting into books so I thought it was pretty sweet of him
Oohh the books about hotels sound so interesting and fascinating! I'm currently reading a book called Remember Me by Chelsea Bobulski, and it is a fiction book about a haunted hotel, but it has lots of descriptions so far about the hotel's architecture and atmosphere, and I was just thinking you'll really enjoy reading it 😄 love your videos! ❤️
I was wondering what could have happened to make you cry over AFTA. But then I thought about Hemingway and how he was mentioned in my fav movie Silver Linings Playbook. “Yeah, You have Earnest Hemingway call us and apologize to us too.” Looked up what Hemingway book they were talking about and sure enough it was AFTA. You’ve mentioned this book so many times and I cant believe I technically have already heard of it. So cool to me, full circle moment.
Hey Emma! Not sure if you’ve watched it but if you love hotels and an introspection on their guests you’d live White Lotus. It’s hyped but for a reason. I love your videos, thanks for posting so much lately! ❤
I really enjoyed the books about hotels - I didn't know they could be so cool. Can I recommend you 2 pieces of brazillian lit for February or March? I'm from Brazil btw:
- Barren Lives by Graciliano Ramos (one of my all time favourites);
- Dom Casmurro by Machado de Assis.
I think you're gonna love it, especially the last one = )
I'm sure you know, but Binti is part of a trilogy, clocks in at 368pp or something, and an omnibus edition is available.
My book of January - early February was "Annihilation" by Jef VanderMeer. Not just good fiction, but psichoanalitic things and really something to think about
I'm german and read the kerstin gier books when I was in school. I was surprised to see that they came out in english too very cool
it is a great gift when a book leaves you reeling, thinking: "What am i supposed to do with that?". thanks, emma! -eve
Binti sounds really interesting, I might have to find a copy some time. The Hotel, it's a wonder she wasn't taken to court or something for laws of privacy or whatever and did you say she gave phone numbers, dangerous, I'm sure tourists whose details are there would be scandalized and angry.
I'm currently reading 'A Farewell to Arms' and I'm finding the Henry/Barklay relationship a bit on the nose, they seem to be undertaking some kind of 'game', because Henry certainly shows know real love for her. She's just a stopover for him! But I am finding the descriptive text pertinent and it does show the surrounding characters and their present situation/s really well. I'm having to read this slowly, I'm finding Hemmingway's writing style different to many authors and it's taking me a while to 'take it out' and examine it.
well, yes, Henry prolly was broken before he met Catherine, and he drinks too much. However, Rome wasn't built in a day.
I read 5 books in January and it is hard to pick a favorite. My 2 favorites were All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque and Mientras Llueve by Fernando Soto Aparicio (Colombian author). I also enjoyed Wild by Cheryl Strayed and Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. Thank you for the recommendations. I added some titles to my ever expanding TBR.
Looking forward to the vlog and discussion about A farewell to arms. I did find it a very addictive and personal writing style and quick to get through, but it did not affect me emotionally that much and it was very very VERY weird, especially the dialogues. Maybe it's because I read it in Italian and Italian has changed more than English, to the point that now we can hardly understand what they wrote in that time? Don't know but looking forward to the discussion. 🤗
that hotel book deeply disturbs me. i'm guessing what she did is not illegal in venice??? or in italy??? i may never go back to either. i'm horrified
(i also bought a copy as a gift for my photographer friend--so i can see it!!)
I am not a huge nonfiction reader but like you, I read a ton of nonfiction in January (??) my top two books this month (& also now all time favorites) were the invisible kingdom by Megan O’Rourke & between the world and me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I listened to both on audiobook and have been recommending them to literally everyone I know ♥️
i always think that your reads are so interesting and well chosen :-)
My favourite book of the month is definitely Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. I think you would really like it too, especially since you love Hundred Years of Solitude.
Starting to convincing myself that Emma is writing a novel about tourism on a hotel setting and I can't wait to read it
I know that modern popular literature isn't what you typically like but when you said how you loved Hemingway's style of writing I immediately thought about Sally Roony's books. They're all basically slices of life, life as it is. If you're interested, you can definitely try reading Conversations with friends and Normal people :) Fredrik Beckman's books are also very down to earth and real. Thanks for this video! Your uploads often brighten my day :))
I read 7 books in January:
A Prayer for the Crown-shy (Becky Chambers)
A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway)
Evidence: poems (Mary Oliver)
Beartown (Frederik Backman)
Emily Dickinson’s Gardening Life (Marta McDowell)
A Bookshop in Algiers (Kaouther Adimi)
Memory Wall (Anthony Doerr)
I really recommend Educated by Tara Westover, a very powerful beautifully-written memoir of a young girl who escapes her hyper-religious, ultra conversative family through academia. I think you'd love it.
I'm in the throes of "Farewell to Arms" and so far, everything you've said resonates with my reading of this book as well! Good synopsis!
I can't find your Steinbeck book for Feb anywhere. Sold out on Amazon, Barnes/Noble, Thriftreads, etc. 😕😕
Thanks for your great reading updates!!! Karen in snowy Chicago!
maybe try ebay? are you in chicago or a suburb? if a suburbs the salvation army in chicago heights usually has A LOT of classics
another things to try is a free copy through the gutenberg foundation--they have a lot of free classics
finally, you might be able to get a free audio version on youtube
good luck
from flossmoor!
I read it on Kindle
Hi Emma, I've just finished reading
Murder in Mesopotamia if you're going to do another Agatha Christie video I think you should do it with this one, it was great !
Binti is a trilogy, the first book sets up a lot of the story that continues in the next two, its defiantly worth reading the other two which are both short as well. I see it more as one book in three parts.
I have the Borges collection too and have been veeeeery slowly working through it, need to pick it up again soon! (Maybe when I finish 100 years of solitude)
I will say that watching this on a night shift at the hotel - this obsession with hotels is very amusing. 😅
That hotel book sounds really interesting.
Cool hotel books! I just found an old hotel's from fort worth book on my shelf and I thought of you. It has cool pictures. 😅
Did you know Borges taught English Literature in the University of Buenos Aires??? He was very knowledgeable and passionate about it, he even wrote some poems in English:)
Glad you loved A Farewell to Arms so much. I am wondering if I read a different book 😂
I love A Farewell to Arms, now I'm almost finished with The Complete Short Stories, but I'd say most of them aren't that good. I'd buy a selected short stories edition, so you don't get burnt out on Hemingway.
The lighting in the background though!
I'm shocked at how uncritically Calle is received. Her art is based on being highly invasive, she has literally stalked people.
Currently have 50 pages left in A Farewell To Arms. If I had a time machine, I would bring Hemingway a therapist
This doesn’t have anything to do with books but I love your green jacket! It looks cozy and cute 💚
That stacking mirror thing to see into the past hurts my 🧠🤣
It's going to be interesting to see how Toronto handles the cold this weekend. A good weekend to read or watch "Ice Station Zebra." A story set in shitlessly cold weather.
Binti is a series:
1. Binti
2. Home
3. The Night Masquerade
All are very good, second was my favorite.
Such great and unique recommendations. Thank you.
Love the bit about your grandma!
9:30 Sounds similar in the family aspect to The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken. Its a really good book and I think you'd like it, if you haven't already!
"An interviewer once asked Ernest Hemingway, “Isn’t there any one essential ingredient you can identify which makes a great writer?”
Hemingway replied, “Yes, there is. In order to be a great writer a person must have a built-in shockproof, crap detector.”
And that’s what my idea of true education is. The children should be trained, disciplined, so that they can detect crap. A really intelligent person is a crap detector. He immediately knows, the moment he sees something, whether it is significant or just holy cow dung."
I don't know. That sounds like something in the curriculum at a school focused on agriculture and technology, but maybe : )
I put A Farewell to Arms down after about 60 pages. I haven't necessarily enjoyed it. The dialog is ok, but the descriptions seem choppy and awkward to me. On the other hand there are so many great and truthful quotes in it. I think I'll probably pick it up again at another time.
Hello comma space Emma;)
Enyojing ur videos!
Have you ever read Proust? I'm very curious what would you think of it cuz it might be my fav author ( and I love our boy Rilke )
Cheers
I am listening All Quiet on The Western Front. Beautiful and terrifying.
Very concerned about what the hotel author did. It’s extremely scary how things like that happen and then a company would publish this. I feel extremely uncomfartable