My Favorite Books Ever (#1-3)
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- Опубликовано: 28 июл 2024
- Kangaroo pouch status
Part I (favorites #7-10): • My Favorite Books Ever...
Part II (favorites #4-6): • My Favorite Books Ever...
Books Mentioned:
3. "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
2. "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
1. "The Mill on the Floss" by George Eliot
This is not a sponsored video, and unless otherwise stated, I bought all these books myself. 
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I'm coming back to this video after months of having first watched it because I've just finished reading "The Mill on the Floss". It was my first Eliot and I think I'm in love. Thank you for making this video and sharing the love :)
OMG! Yes! I haven't laughed and chuckled during any other book during #victober. So insightful about society as a whole: family, debt, law, bankruptcy, EDUCATION! Sooo great.
This is good encouragement for me to finish The Mill on the Floss. Middlemarch is my favorite book (or maybe ties with Jane Eyre and Villette), so I started The Mill on the Floss months ago but got distracted by other books while still in the childhood section. I should definitely go back to it.
I'm so pleased to see a middle grade novel on this list. As we get older, it's easy to forget the books that launched our love of reading when we were children. I still tribute Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary, along with Roald Dahl's Matilda as well as James and the Giant Peach with instilling a love of reading that has lasted to this day.
I've never read Ella Enchanted, but it's on my TBR now. :)
Dahl and Cleary were huge for me, too. And of course I always sided with Ramona, because I'm a younger sister :) If you like those books then I can almost guarantee you'll love Ella Enchanted - such fresh, fun writing (and I can also recommend The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede, which are similar in tone)
Two things... That cover is unbelievably beautiful!! AND, Jane having an inner belief in her own dignity! She really is such a strong and independent young woman! I am really liking your passion for a book... I am this way. I feel them very deeply! Loved this video!
Thank you very much! And that's the Penguin Deluxe edition - I totally fell in love with it (especially the way the lantern always glows)
This series of yours has been SO great - it makes me want to do it myself!
That would be absolutely fascinating, please do it! And thank you :)
OMG you are my favorite person ever for choosing Ella Enchanted. I have read that book over 16 times and never get sick of it, it is so good. And kudos for including it on this list when it (unfortunately) doesn't have the same renown or gravitas. So, so glad to find someone who shares my love for this magical story, thank you!
I can't overstate how much this book has influenced and guided and entertained me, again and again. So nice to find people who share the love!
This series has been fantastic. I love your your reviews and the way your delight and passion comes through. Thank you for doing this! ........oh and if you have nudged Steve into doing this, bonus!!!
Amen, I hope he does! Thanks for the support :)
This was just EPIC!! After watching the first, I smiled when I saw the others come up on my feed. I wanna read everything that you've read lol!! I cannot wait to see what you have up your sleeve next. HAPPY READING!!
You're so nice! Let me know what some of your favorite books are so I can check them out :)
I just subscribed and I'm just 1:25 minutes in! I LOVE your review of Jane Eyre. It's one of my favourite books and she's one of my favourite characters ever. "Her soul is made of iron" YES!
I loved this series and was thrilled to learn that George Eliot's Mill on the Floss was your number one all-time pick. I adore Eliot. You speak with such intelligence, passion and eloquence that's it's a joy to watch your videos. Keep up the great work!
I really appreciate this, thank you. And it's so nice to find another Eliot lover!
I loved the ending of mill on the floss!
I think it completes Maggie and Tom's character arc, alluding to the moment they held each other after their father's death, and also symbolizes that Tom's prejudice and sense of duty and Maggie's belief in love can't be reconciled in this life because of the "artifice" of society that is destroyed by the flood
The premise of Ella Enchanted is one of the best thing I have ever read! I am forty pages from the end and had to take a break; not only because I was crying but also to keep in the beauty of it!
I know, it's so beautiful! :)))
I could listen to you talk about books all day! Your descriptions and reviews are articulate, well thought out and accessible. Thank you for that! Ella Enchanted was the first book that made me fall in love with reading when I was about 10. I'm not much of a rereader but I need to pick that book up now. I suppose 18 years is a big enough gap to pick it back up! Looking forward to what you have to come. :)
Thank you so much! And yeah, talking about Ella Enchanted made me want to reread it asap :) Such a fantastic book
Ohhhh I love mill on the floss, I just finished it yesterday.
I'm going to read Jane Eyre very soon
The mill on the floss is in the mail, on its way to my home right now. I find your channel to be essential, informative and engaging. As a new subscriber, I thank you :)
Beautiful series and really cool choices, many of which I've never heard of. You made me nostalgic to reread Jane Eyre
I made myself nostalgic for it haha
thanks for the recommends!
I have loved watching these three videos this morning. Thank you so much. I also dislike the ending of Jane Eyre but love it unreservedly in spite of that. And George Eliot does win. The ending of Middlemarch slays me. I must read The Mill on the Floss.
Thank you for watching! I'm always hesitant to recommend The Mill on the Floss because I know the majority of people find it boring and poorly paced (and it definitely is the latter), but I figure I don't actually have to worry because I love it enough for all of us ;-)
What a great selection of books !!
OK it is official, I need to read Jane Eyre this year.
Absolutely do it. And like I tried to highlight in these videos, I think even people who love specific classics to death find certain sections puzzling or boring, so be true to your own feelings and revel in the moments that touch you!
Loved these videos. Jane Eyre is my all time favorite. I also am not a romantic , so normally any book with a hint of a romantic story makes me run away, but the writing was so lovely.I have re read it many times over the years . The Enchanted, by Rene Denfeld is a close second - the writing in that book is some of the loveliest i have ever read. I have had Mill on the Floss on my Shelves for over a year and every time I pick it up I can't get past the first page, yet I still keep it on my shelf to read some day instead of donating it :)
I hope you do read it some day! I'll have to look up The Enchanted
Omg you're my soul sister. I cried for two whole days after finishing the mill on the floss. I read it when I was 13. My favourite. And I agree with your review of the Gail Honeyman book. Finally found someone whose reviews I can trust! :)
Oh I remember reading Ella Enchanted when I was supposed to be asleep, and it's one of the few books that I voluntarily won twice. XD When I was a kid, I saw an adaptation of Mill on the Floss and cried my eyes out. I think sneakily read the book's last few pages hehe. I'll have to read the whole thing sometime. Have you read any biographies of George Eliot? I've only read a few articles about her life, but I found myself eerily identifying with her too. Maybe it's my close but complicated relationship with my family.
Jane Eyre is so great! I need to re-read it at some point to see if I feel the same way about it as I did the first time reading it for uni.
I was NOT expecting The Mill on the Floss to be your number 1 though! I hate to say it but I loathed that book haha, I was so bored throughout reading it (again for uni haha), and I have blocked most of it from my mind haha. That's awesome that you see a real familial connection in it though, it's great to hear why people love books so much!
It's definitely polarizing, and lots of people find it boring, but I've never felt the way that book made me feel before or since. Even taking out the personal connection, so many of the turns of phrases were actually like linguistic ecstasy for me. I look forward to many more bookish disagreements in the future :)
You continue to surprise me with your reviews. Jane Eyre was my mom's favorite book. The Mill on the Floss was my grandmother's favorite book. What are the odds of that happening? I've read Jane Eyre and loved it. The Mill on the Floss I tried to read and really disliked how formal and dry the writing was. But, because of your review, I will give it another try!
You mentioned that the writing of The Mill on the Floss was so great you had to put the book down in places. My favorite author of all time is the Southern author, Lee Smith. My favorite book is Fair and Tender Ladies by her. I remember being in the break room at work and reading the book. I got to one place where the main character's sister - who had run off into the woods - returned in the middle of the night while a fierce storm was going on. She threw open the cabin door and her hair was wild and she was silohouetted in the door frame by the lightening going on outside. The beauty of the language brought a lump to my throat and I was literally breathless. This is truly great writing. You are the only other person I've heard of that has been this moved by writing. The writing in Fair and Tender Ladies is the writing by which I judge other books. Sadly, especially with contemporary writing and its penchant for topicality, the art of writing has diminished to where I never get anywhere close to feeling what I feel when I read Lee Smith.
This was such a fun little series to watch! I feel like I know you more as a reader now ;)
Yay, that was the goal! I don't think my 2016 reading totally reflected my general tastes, so I thought it would be fun to go back and try to find my absolute favorites
Have you read The Madwoman Upstairs? I saw it on A Case For Books and it seems like a fun and quick read you might enjoy. I mention it because the main character is descended from the Brontes and she has all sorts of feelings about the Bronte sisters. For example she isn't a fan of Jane but loves Anne. She also points out that Jane Eyre has become way more attractive and romantic than she was written.
And yes, loved Ella Enchanted when I was growing up!
I have The Madwoman Upstairs on my kindle - I'm waiting to be in the perfect mood to read it. Great to hear that you liked it!
Ella Enchanted is so good!!!! I have a copy of it on my bookshelf at 30 years old and I can’t wait to share it with my daughter.
I don't even have a daughter and I can't wait to share it with one if she ever exists! If not I'll just give copies to all my friends' daughters :)
So... I've read exactly zero books form your list but you made me want to try some (like 60%) of them ;) And so the TBR goes to infinity ;)
Haha sorry but wildly happy to add to your TBR stress ;)
i think I read Jane Eyre as a child. Hearing you talk about me reminded me I need to (re)read it
Glad to hear that! I definitely need to reread it, too
I wasn't a huge fan of Jane Eyre when I read it (The literal mad woman in the attic was a bit much for me), but after hearing you talk about your love for this book I almost want to reread it
That part didn't bother me at all - I loved the (melo)drama and symbolism of her! But it also isn't one of my favorite things about Jane Eyre, either. Thanks for watching :)
My favourite novel is actually an unpublished one, A Norwegian in The Family by Dan Schneider. Everything else simply pales in comparison to it. It's also the longest novel ever written, but you never feel the length at all which is miraculous.
okay confession time: i bought the mill on the floss last year with pride and prejudice cause i'd read an abridged version of it when i was a child and wanted to read the full thing. but i never got around to reading it even after i bought it cause i discovered that george eliot had another widely acclaimed book middlemarch and immediately regretted buying mill on the floss instead. i knew that i was underestimating that book so i went through articles on why i should read motf and this video has finally convinced me to give it a try
Omg! Ella is enchanted is one of my favorites books too. My favorite is little prince.
Love JE. It's one of favorites and just reread it last year, but i loaned my copy to my cousin. I don't know if and when i'll get it back, but i don't want to rush her, so might rebuy that one someday. I'm thinking about borrowing Ella Enchanted from the library. For some reason I thought Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix was the sequel until I realized they had different authors, but they're both Cinderella retellings.
I have never read Jane Eyre or watched a movie adaptation of it. My mom liked the movies but always shooed me out of the room because I get scared extremely easily. I vaguely remember a madwoman and a tower on fire from when I would disobey and peek a little, haha! But I have been thinking of reading it. I am 45 and I am getting braver now, lol! Plus, I really liked what you said about two unattractive people finding a communion of souls. Sounds wonderful!
I am absolutely going to get to Ella Enchanted this year. Between you and Giselle Bradley singing its praises I just have to. I have read a few others by Gail Carson Levine and she definitely speaks to my heart.
It would be so wonderful if you read them! If you do, tell me what you think :)
Okay, I'll let you know! :)
I read Ella Enchanted and I loved it! It's so funny, captivating, and thought provoking! :)
YAY you just made me so so happy!
I may have to try that George Eliot, I read Middlemarch last summer and was a bit dissapointed by it, but I'm not ready to give up on Eliot yet.
I'm halfway through Daniel Deronda and don't love it like TMOTF, so I can attest to the fact that Eliot can vary widely from book to book (although there are some amazing constants, of course)
I loved these videos, too bad this was the last one in the series :) Last year I read Villette and it became my favourite Bronte novel. I think I have to read Jane Eyre again this year just because I can't believe I enjoyed Villette more 🙉🙈
I've never heard of anyone enjoying Villette more (other than Virginia Woolf...you know, that nobody) - that's so interesting!
So glad to find someone who loves Ella Enchanted as much as I do! 💗
Back atcha, I love it so much!
Insert Literary Pun Here Have you read the Two Princesses of Bamarre? It's been a long time for me but I also really enjoyed it
I did! But I remember wanting Meryl to be the star of the book, and not Addie (which is dumb, because their role reversal is literally the whole point, but my younger self didn't appreciate that)
I've read Persuasion and Jane Eyre - and they are definitely on my top 10! Love them both! (Northanger Abbey is a great favorite of mine - love all the irony in it 😉).
There's this line from Northanger Abbey that I completely love - something about "in finding Henry irresistible, Catherine became so herself" in his eyes. Basically, we love people partially because they love us. Woman knew what she was talking about
😀 That is my absolute favorite line from the book!! 😄
This series has got me thinking about my own favourite books of all time. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan-Doyle, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, I Am China by Xiaolu Guo,
... whelp. Looks like I'll have to do my own video once I start my own channel too. Childhood favourites would be a great idea as well! C:
That's so funny, I thought The Great Gatsby was SO underwhelming. And I liked I Am China, but not a ton. Haven't read the other two, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on all of these. But with childhood favorites...I would have to make a never-ending video series haha
I can see how The Great Gatsby would be underwhelming! I loved, loved the writing though and that's why I read F. Scott.
Oh gosh. The Hound of the Baskervilles is just so engrossing and twee and warm and so readable. I read it in one sitting and when I looked up, it was dark. Some people don't like Holmes and Watson (my name is Holmes, my wife's name is Watson so I guess you could say we're fans...) but! If you do, there's a lot of stories and material.
Les Miserables flipped between being a chore and being the best thing I'd ever read. Hugo does these long chapters of exposition before getting into the next part of the story, but when he does, omg, I was so engrossed. There are abridged versions of the story which I would be interested to see but I feel like these lengthy chapters (as dry as they can be) also add to the atmosphere. Except for the chapter about Waterloo, fuck that chapter.
BUT Jean Valjean is honestly great and I just cried like a baby and it was so beautiful and everything hurt and I just have a lot of feelings.
Omg I definitely wanted to read Les Mis before but now I REALLY want to read it
DO IT I honestly don't feel like it gets enough love on RUclips and it's great.
I prefer Wuthering Heights over Jane Eyre, but it's the joys of opinions. I need to read more Eliot, I've only read Middlemarch, which I adore
I'm actually not a big fan of Wuthering Heights. I think that's one of the things that annoys me about the assumptions people make when they hear that I like Jane Eyre - some people just assume that you'll swoon over a certain "kind" of book, never mind what the plot or characters or writing are like. So I absolutely love talking to people about having diverse reactions to various Bronte novels!
One of my favourite things to do is tell people Wuthering Heights is so Romantic. There are the people that agree that it is a romance (it's not) and there are the people that look at me funny. Then I get to tell them about Romanticism, which is always a bonus.
When you remember that Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre were written by two different people, it isn't so surprising. Granted, they were sisters, but their writing styles were unique and different and I don't see why anyone should be surprised.
you might enjoy the old movie with Robert Young and Dorothy McGuire. THE ENCHANTED COTTAGE. Herbert Marshall is also in it. lovely story.
Great, thank you!
You've said in each of your top 10 videos you are not romantic. Hmm. Not convinced. Perhaps not gushy crushy teenage or Harlequin notions of romance, but you clearly love books with language and relationships involving deep personal connections/emotions, a more mature form of romance. To borrow a word from your response to Knowledge Lost, I definitely see/hear a swooniness when you talk about Jane Eyre, Ella, Persuasion, Anna Karenina, etc. Romance is a good thing. Own it! :)
I admit it - I'm in love with language. But I think what makes me swoon in a book is when a writer has piercing moments of empathy for his/her characters, or for the human condition in general. Those moments may come during a book's romantic relationship, or they may not
Excellent. Looking forward to your next video...
Stephen Fisher totally agree
Own that romance
Regardless of what everyone says and opinions
Just the way you express yourself
You are a romantic at heart ❣