You read the weirdest books and the best books lol. I love listening to you describing weird books that you've read that I may never read. And it's obvious that you just love reading, whether it be classcis and literature or weird monster romance books, and for that I trust your recommendations completely!
I am DYING for you to read East of Eden 😭😭😭 also, my AP lit teacher in high school was the most wonderful woman and had us read lots of unique books (not the typical high school required reading books) and Grendel was one of them and I was SO grateful. I loved it, and that’s coming from someone who did not do well with Beowulf lol
We read Grendel too!! I actually really liked Beowulf (part of that was probably the translation we read-the Seamus Heaney version, which I personally really liked), but it was super fun reading them as companion books!
@@katiegriffin7597 part of me wonders if I would appreciate beowulf more if I read it today…required high school reading always made things less enjoyable 😅
So random digression; was reading Genesis and found the quote about them being cast out ‘East of Eden’ - I suddenly understood this book completely differently seeing the frame Joseph Steinbeck used! Mind blown- it’s so interesting
grendel was one of the only books required for school reading that I genuinely enjoyed (another obviously being the great gatsby) and when I was in high school I wasn't a really big reader, so I can only imagine how much I'd enjoy grendel now. absolutely loved it
Ember and the Ice Dragons already sounded right up my alley, but five stars from Emma?? Straight to the top of the TBR list. Thanks for pushing me over the top!
Yeah, Grendel is genius. Read it a few months ago and was simply blown away. The thoughts you shared about it really mirrored my own! I can’t believe how incredible John Gardener’s prose is, how is he not more celebrated?? I know Grendel is a well-loved book, but like you said, it/John deserves more praise and I’d love for the book to have a comeback with our generation of readers.
The cover for that desert spy book... What in the orientalism. I still haven't read Beowulf! I'm thinking of going with the Heaney translation but who knows. It'll have to be something soon because Grendel sounds absolutely perfect for me. (The book, not the benighted creature...)
Loved all the books i read this month. I ended up reading both vicious and vengful which ended up being two of my favourites in the si-fi genre (I'm only just starting to read si-fi and fantasy books) I read this is how we lose the time war which i absolutly loved and think it will probably stay with me for a long time, and the first book i read this month was we have always lived in this castle. i cant decided my favourite from this month but I feel like we have always lived in this castle will be the one I think about the most often.
Hitchcock is so fun to watch. He wasn’t without his issues but every time you watch one you spot something new. I hope you love every minute of Vertigo.
Hi Emma! My favorite books this month are The Three-Body Problem (Liu Cixin), Stories of Your Life and Others (Ted Chiang), and A Doll's House (Henrik Ibsen).
List of books 0:56 From Lukov With Love 5:26 Dream Lie Beneath 9:49 A Mercy 11:51 Once there was a war 14:04 Ember and the Ice Dragon 17:14 The desert King’s Spy 22:22 Grendel 27:27 Idol Burning 30:45 The Hotel occupied space
I highly highly recommend Rebecca Ross' duology A River Enchanted if you haven't read it already. I haven't read Dreams Lie Beneath but a River Enchanted is such a cozy, wonderfully written fantasy with a bit more romance (not too crazy at all though, no smut)! and both books are out!
I'm so so happy every time you upload 💕 your videos have such comforting vibes for me. My only book of the moth was David Copperfield, so I guess it would also count as my favourite as well eheh. PS an Hotel-related recommendation for you: A gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles! I loved it so much! The main character is an aristocrat who is condemened to house arrest by the Bolsheviks, and ends up confined in the Metropol Hotel in Mosccow. It takes place almost entirely inside this incredible luxury hotel.
Snagged a few titles via your recommendations, Emma. Thank you for your cogent analyses and the range of your reading. Inspiring and encouraging, always interesting. Brava. And, okay, your synopsis of The Desert King's Spy is not only hilarious but I'm sure it's far better than actually reading the book. Hooray. Sounded to me like someone post-literate watched DUNE and STAR WARS, doesn't it? Discovered the American John Gardner back when he was still alive. Great stuff, I'd recommend all his books, they're smart, beautifully written, and always engaging. So glad you discovered Grendel.
Currently reading East of Eden by Steinbeck and I'm loving it. War stories are always engaging to me so I think I'll for sure check out Once There Was A War despite the flaws you mentioned
I don't know if you are still doing the around the world reading thingy but I wanted to suggest a Bulgarian book, since I don't know if many Bulgarians watch your videos, but yeah. I think one of the only authors translated in English (that I like 😭) is Georgi Gospodinov. He has written "Time Shelter" and "The Physics of Sorrow". A book of short stories of his that I would recommend is "All Our Bodies". So yeah that's that. Love your videos
Dreams lie beneath sounds great!! I'll try to give it a chance. My february was a mess. I didn't read anything at all. The lost of a really important person in my life affected me a lot. The hot weather didn't help. But the good news: February is over, hopely temperature will be dropping soon and I went back into reading yesterday. I'm almost finishing The Kite Runner. Loving it. ❤
Hello Emmie! So many people have commented on "Grendel". I am intrigued. Question: is it necessary to know the story of "Beowulf" before going in? Favorite book last month? Well, I only read one, but it was surprisingly hopeful and joyful, and packed more of a punch than anything I expected! (love it when books do that) The book is "Homer's Odyssey" by Gwen Cooper. This book is for cat lovers and noncat lovers alike, and is a love story of sorts between Gwen and her cats, especially Homer. It's written in such a way that it feels like you and Gwen are sitting down and having this extended conversation about her life with her three cats. It's funny, touching, hopeful, and fills you with joy every moment you spend in her story! Cannot recommend this book enough. Best of all, NO ANIMALS DIE IN THIS BOOK! I always look for that kind of thing. Everybody lives. Happy, happy, happy. 😍 Love your videos, love the new "do," love you dear, sweet Emmie! ❤
- Emmie video shows up in my notifications - Me, dashing to make a sandwich to pack so I can get to campus early enough to finish up a reading before my first class: "I guess I have a few minutes..."
i haven't finished a single book in february, but i had many in my hands. I've read some nonfic on Kpg extinction, philosophical texts by Tanizaki, continued slowly with Dune and started two new books, which were Gods of jade and shadow and There there by Tommy Orange, which i am really glad i started listening to, and immediately ordered a physical copy to highlight some parts.
After listening to your review of Grendel I see some of the themes in “Frankenstein “. Abandoned by his god and creator. Left to survive alone in a world that judges you by the way you look. The isolation and despair and the beautiful prose. I’ve got to read it.
I read From Lukov with Love in January, and I was also disappointed with the lack of skating scenes 😭 it would have been interesting if she described them choosing the theme for their routines à la Yuri on ice 🤔 still liked their couple and gave it 3 stars !
When you talked about the feeling that gave you "The Dreams Lie Beneath" I wonder if you read "Keturah and Lord Death?" It's a bit older fantasy but I read it last month and I swear it really felt like Ghibli film with the right amount of wholesomeness and darker themes. And it's also a stand-alone :D
The Anne and Gilbert Blythe slowburn culminated in book three of Anne of Green Gables and I was all for it! Also lurking about the comments because I'm a slowburn girlie as well. So if anyone has recommendations, I'd like to know!
Regarding Toni Morrison’s technique…read Faulkner. That’s her biggest influence (she wrote her doctoral thesis on him). PS North By Northwest is one of the most entertaining films ever made. The model for countless films after it (most obviously the James Bond series). But it’s much better than any of them.
Loved this video as always! Now I definitely want to read most of the books you mentioned ❤ So, Emmie! I’ve been wanting to tell you that I just discovered that one of my favorite authors, Elena Garro (Mexican), who is probably the biggest starter of magical realism in Latin America, did influenced García Márquez’s 100 years of solitude and they’re actually saying that he probably plagiarized Elena’s novel Recollections of things to come 😳 i haven’t read it but I’ve been wanting to do it for so long, so yeah, I love her work, specially her plays and I think you should definitely read her! Love u ❤
"He's probably bigger than the gigamanders" I LAUGHED OUT LOUD i swear the whole description of the book made me giggle but when you said that in all seriousness about the next one... I almost died laughing!
Hi Emmie! I know that you want to read books set in hotels, but I read this great novella by Arthur Schnitzler called "Fraulein Else" earlier this year. The hotel forms a key aspect of the novella (because she is in a foreign environment, with people that are superficially known to her, but also, unknown in their motivations & actions). I don't want to give too much away of the story, but it was one of the best things I read in a long time! edit: I reread Agatha Christie's Sparkling Cyanide and I loved it! People killing others for money 🤌🏻 my food in old-timey mysteries. I also finished Joan Didion's The White Album & the writing was superb. Her essay on her migraine pain floored me; I sat there crying afterwards, because it's the first time I saw the pain I experience put down so eloquently on page.
John Gardner (Grendel) might be best known for his books on the craft of fiction writing, The Art of Fiction and On Becoming a Novelist. They are considered classics in their own right.
Emma!!! I'm chocked you never seen a Hitchcock film!!! Vertigo is insane good!! I think you'll also really like The trouble with Harry. It's funnier than his usual stuff and feels like the mystery books you enjoy!
My favourite books of the month were Dune (Herbert) and Circe (Miller). Unfortunately, they blew up my TBR because now I want to read everything related to their respective universes. I feel like it is one book checked off, five new ones added. I’ll never be done😅
Have you read Miller's "The Song of Achilles" and if yes, what do you think? And also, in your mind, is "Dune" too religious and hard to connect with, or wonderful? ;D
@@viktorija.jankauskaite I have not yet read The Song of Achilles but it is definitely now on my TBR. For Dune there is a strong religious component, but I mostly related to it nonetheless. I felt like it was a good study of fate, determinism, and the power one has within it.
Emma, I think we have really similar tastes or at least similar things we get impacted by, (also LOVED Grendel, wow). I would love to see what you think of Human Acts by Han Kang. She's the author of The Vegetarian, which got a lot of hype a couple years ago. I liked The Vegetarian, but Human Acts is one of those books that absolutely bulldozed me due to its harrowing writing structure and style, as well as its content. And it's a fairly short read, which helps!
Rope, NNW, and Vertigo are 1 a, b, c. Depending on your want. Rope is provocative, NNW is fun, and Vertigo is unsettling (in a few ways). I like others of his, but love these three.
Its interesting that you liked a dream book! Also the fact that that book has a main character named clementine just reminds me so much of eternal sunshine. Lol
Thanks for these reviews ! I really want to pick up Grendel now My favorite book of January was The Man Who Spoke Snakish by Andrus Kivirähk, I loved loved it and I cant stop think about it
I read From Lukov with Love a few months ago after deciding I wanted give the romance genre a chance, and I was both entertained and so annoyed by the writing style. It was like the mediocre fanfiction you'd read in your early teenage years, which was kind of funny and almost nostalgic, but it became a bit much after a while. Also the romance made me feel nothing. Still a quick and entertaining read, though. And I've read better romance since. :) If you're looking for more hotel reads, I'd recommend Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell. Part of it deals with his time as a dishwasher in a big hotel and gives some insight into the workings of the place.
You know what, if you could do a video with the author of the hotel book (if that is something you feel able to do), I think I'd love that. Just the passion in your voice when you explain the book makes me want to watch you nerd out about it with another person, and who better than the author?
A mercy sounds good, but Toni Morrison deals with so many dark things I can't handle it. I just checked out the Dream book by Ross. The goat story in Steinbeck made me giggle.
My favorite read for February 2023 was Human Acts by Han Kang. It's about a part of South Korean history that I find utterly fascinating, but it's also so devastating.
🤣 I used to read Eve Langlais. I haven't read anything recently though. I read the ones about hell's princess and the one before it about "demons" or entities sentenced to hell. I remember seeing Grendel a few years ago in my library and added to my list but that's it 🤦🏻♀️😂
in february i found three five star books :-) 1. i’ll give you the sun ( ya contemporary ) 2. the silent patient ( psychological thriller ) 3. the charm offensive ( queer romance ) i recommend all
I remember everyone who had to read Beowulf if school talked shot about it and I never read it but I watched the animated movie this year and thought it was cool and I did sympathize with the Grendel. Definitely want to pick up that book. Idk if I’m gonna read the original poem
Hi Emma! I really want to read "Ember and the Ice Dragons", love middle grade books! My best books of February were: The Three Sisters, by Checkov, and Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro.
great video as always emma :D my favourite book this month has to be Wild Woman by Marina Šur Puhlovski! its translated from Croatian and i was so shocked after i read it and found out it only had 200 ratings on goodreads! its about a young woman in 1970's Croatia from a poor family who rushes into a marriage with a fellow literature student, but after a few rotten years of abuse she realises that he is an absolute d-bag and that she deserves better :) it was such an enjoyable read and only about 250 pages, id 100% recommend it :DD
For some reason, my brain parsed the intro wrong, and thought it was going to be like "Hi, welcome back to my channel, my name is Emma, or if you're new here, it's Rachel." I've always heard fantastic things about Grendel. What do you think reading it would be like without having read Beowulf? I also eventually want to read that, but it tugs at me less than Grendel. My favourite book of this month was The Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe. It was a delight to read for the language, and sort of a puzzle in its stories and unreliable narrators. It was a thematically and idea dense book, with lots of reflection on identity, personal and cultural, and colonization. Think there's a lot more complexity to get too should I reread it- things happening in the third story that would inform perspective of the first and second.
If you want some good figure skating you should check out Spinning by Tillie Walden. It’s an autobio graphic novel about her growing up as a figure skater and coming to terms with her sexuality. Very great read!
For Grendel, "Cain's race" can be a little misleading. The main idea is that Beowulf is killing the monsters that survived Noah's flood, whether or not those cracken, dragons, and whatever Grendel and his mother were are direct descendant's of Cain is less clear. As many many people have suggested, there was something wrong with antediluvian Earth beside Cain's race. However, Grendel identifies himself as that so I guess we have to take what is given in the text, even if it is unsatisfying.
Here are a few Nonfiction books I think you'll enjoy: The Fossil Hunter by Shelley Emling. Ever heard the tongue twister "she sells seashells by the seashore"? Well, "she" was a real woman who changed science and the modern world forever. Debt:the first 5000 years. I swear to you, the history of debt isn't as boring as it sounds. The concept of debt is linked to our concept of sin, and the way we treat people today is rooted in our deep past. However, we lost a major piece of the history and this forgetting has lead to some shady shenanigans from the debtors. This is a must read for everyone who uses money. After the Ice by Mithen. One of the best books written. This is a tour through early human settlements and how they influence us still. If you ever want to truly understand who we are, read this book.
it is such a treat to listen to you talk about books, almost like a self-care thing to do.!❤ have you watched the Shining? something tells me you would enjoy it :DD also there is a new game called The devil in me, it also takes place in a hotel in Chicago (based on a real story). btw idol burning caught my attention this time! downloading it right now.your book recommendations are always on point.have a great reading march 💛🌼
I enjoyed your latest video as usual! My best read in February was The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali. It was a gorgeous book. I loved it. P.S. I’m a huge Steinbeck fan so I can’t wait to see what you think of his fiction books.
The reason Grendel isn't hyped more is that it is quite old, but not old enough. Nor is it nearly as good as Beowulf, especially in the Heaney translation. And changing the perspective and pov -- when Gardner was alive -- was not a "thing" -- authors were expected to recreate, not retell. I liked it, but I read it decades ago..
You read the weirdest books and the best books lol. I love listening to you describing weird books that you've read that I may never read. And it's obvious that you just love reading, whether it be classcis and literature or weird monster romance books, and for that I trust your recommendations completely!
Do you know Gormenghast?
@@a.n.3231 i didn't but i looked it up, sounds fascinating!
@@ghost_of_taliesin believe me, it's a masterpiece
@@a.n.3231 added to my wishlist. Thanks for the recommendation!
@@ghost_of_taliesin You're welcome. Sometimes I recommend it when I see a comment and think "Maybe this person would like it as well?"
this channel is a comfort place
I am DYING for you to read East of Eden 😭😭😭 also, my AP lit teacher in high school was the most wonderful woman and had us read lots of unique books (not the typical high school required reading books) and Grendel was one of them and I was SO grateful. I loved it, and that’s coming from someone who did not do well with Beowulf lol
East of Eden is one of my all time favourite books, would love to know what she thinks!
East of Eden is my favourite novel ever and I want Emmie to read it so badly! such a masterpiece.
We read Grendel too!! I actually really liked Beowulf (part of that was probably the translation we read-the Seamus Heaney version, which I personally really liked), but it was super fun reading them as companion books!
@@katiegriffin7597 part of me wonders if I would appreciate beowulf more if I read it today…required high school reading always made things less enjoyable 😅
So random digression; was reading Genesis and found the quote about them being cast out ‘East of Eden’ - I suddenly understood this book completely differently seeing the frame Joseph Steinbeck used! Mind blown- it’s so interesting
grendel was one of the only books required for school reading that I genuinely enjoyed (another obviously being the great gatsby) and when I was in high school I wasn't a really big reader, so I can only imagine how much I'd enjoy grendel now. absolutely loved it
February passed by quickly. It's nice to see Emmie living her best life. We wish her all the blessings in the world.
The thumbnail just brightened my morning yo, thank you!
Ember and the Ice Dragons already sounded right up my alley, but five stars from Emma?? Straight to the top of the TBR list. Thanks for pushing me over the top!
Toni Morrisons books are like punches to the stomach. so raw and hard hitting, absolutely powerful! really enjoyed your wrap up, as always
Yeah, Grendel is genius. Read it a few months ago and was simply blown away. The thoughts you shared about it really mirrored my own! I can’t believe how incredible John Gardener’s prose is, how is he not more celebrated?? I know Grendel is a well-loved book, but like you said, it/John deserves more praise and I’d love for the book to have a comeback with our generation of readers.
Do you know Gormenghast?
I read Dreams Lie Beneath because I saw you were reading it. It was very enjoyable! Thanks for the rec!
awe so glad you liked it!
You look so adorable with your new bangs!!! The fit and everything looks so good!
The cover for that desert spy book... What in the orientalism.
I still haven't read Beowulf! I'm thinking of going with the Heaney translation but who knows. It'll have to be something soon because Grendel sounds absolutely perfect for me. (The book, not the benighted creature...)
that hair length looks so good on you!! youre absolutely gorgeous
eee thank you lovely
Loved all the books i read this month. I ended up reading both vicious and vengful which ended up being two of my favourites in the si-fi genre (I'm only just starting to read si-fi and fantasy books) I read this is how we lose the time war which i absolutly loved and think it will probably stay with me for a long time, and the first book i read this month was we have always lived in this castle. i cant decided my favourite from this month but I feel like we have always lived in this castle will be the one I think about the most often.
Honestlu you are thye only booktuber i have been watching religiously. Love love love your videos..
Hitchcock is so fun to watch. He wasn’t without his issues but every time you watch one you spot something new. I hope you love every minute of Vertigo.
Absolutely love every time you post a new video about your bookish life really ❤️
Hi Emma! My favorite books this month are The Three-Body Problem (Liu Cixin), Stories of Your Life and Others (Ted Chiang), and A Doll's House (Henrik Ibsen).
I didn't realise Heather Fawcett wrote a middle grade book as well! It sounds so cute.
My favourite was A Dowry of Blood
List of books
0:56 From Lukov With Love
5:26 Dream Lie Beneath
9:49 A Mercy
11:51 Once there was a war
14:04 Ember and the Ice Dragon
17:14 The desert King’s Spy
22:22 Grendel
27:27 Idol Burning
30:45 The Hotel occupied space
I highly highly recommend Rebecca Ross' duology A River Enchanted if you haven't read it already. I haven't read Dreams Lie Beneath but a River Enchanted is such a cozy, wonderfully written fantasy with a bit more romance (not too crazy at all though, no smut)! and both books are out!
I'm so so happy every time you upload 💕 your videos have such comforting vibes for me. My only book of the moth was David Copperfield, so I guess it would also count as my favourite as well eheh.
PS an Hotel-related recommendation for you: A gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles! I loved it so much! The main character is an aristocrat who is condemened to house arrest by the Bolsheviks, and ends up confined in the Metropol Hotel in Mosccow. It takes place almost entirely inside this incredible luxury hotel.
Ember and the ice dragons goes on my winter wishlist right away!!! For me! 😌✨
Snagged a few titles via your recommendations, Emma. Thank you for your cogent analyses and the range of your reading. Inspiring and encouraging, always interesting. Brava.
And, okay, your synopsis of The Desert King's Spy is not only hilarious but I'm sure it's far better than actually reading the book. Hooray. Sounded to me like someone post-literate watched DUNE and STAR WARS, doesn't it?
Discovered the American John Gardner back when he was still alive. Great stuff, I'd recommend all his books, they're smart, beautifully written, and always engaging. So glad you discovered Grendel.
I live for these monthly wrap ups
The way you described the desert king’s spy😭😭😭 I’m dying
“He’s probably bigger than the gigamanders” omg I have no idea why that had me cracking up 😂
Currently reading East of Eden by Steinbeck and I'm loving it. War stories are always engaging to me so I think I'll for sure check out Once There Was A War despite the flaws you mentioned
I read Liu Cixin's "Three body problem" and loved it 💙 Looking forward to all of the saga
Wow, it is a good book. Very famous and popular in China. XD
I don't know if you are still doing the around the world reading thingy but I wanted to suggest a Bulgarian book, since I don't know if many Bulgarians watch your videos, but yeah. I think one of the only authors translated in English (that I like 😭) is Georgi Gospodinov. He has written "Time Shelter" and "The Physics of Sorrow". A book of short stories of his that I would recommend is "All Our Bodies". So yeah that's that. Love your videos
Dreams lie beneath sounds great!! I'll try to give it a chance. My february was a mess. I didn't read anything at all. The lost of a really important person in my life affected me a lot. The hot weather didn't help. But the good news: February is over, hopely temperature will be dropping soon and I went back into reading yesterday. I'm almost finishing The Kite Runner. Loving it. ❤
your choice of books always good......specially classics...your videos really motivates me to read more....lots of love emmie
This hair cut is so so so so so so good on you
Hello Emmie! So many people have commented on "Grendel". I am intrigued. Question: is it necessary to know the story of "Beowulf" before going in? Favorite book last month? Well, I only read one, but it was surprisingly hopeful and joyful, and packed more of a punch than anything I expected! (love it when books do that) The book is "Homer's Odyssey" by Gwen Cooper. This book is for cat lovers and noncat lovers alike, and is a love story of sorts between Gwen and her cats, especially Homer. It's written in such a way that it feels like you and Gwen are sitting down and having this extended conversation about her life with her three cats. It's funny, touching, hopeful, and fills you with joy every moment you spend in her story! Cannot recommend this book enough. Best of all, NO ANIMALS DIE IN THIS BOOK! I always look for that kind of thing. Everybody lives. Happy, happy, happy. 😍 Love your videos, love the new "do," love you dear, sweet Emmie! ❤
" *Come here* ,I'm now going to introduce you my first 5 star read of the year" 😂
waking up to your monthly favourites video is better than waking up and realising santa gave you presents
- Emmie video shows up in my notifications
- Me, dashing to make a sandwich to pack so I can get to campus early enough to finish up a reading before my first class: "I guess I have a few minutes..."
i haven't finished a single book in february, but i had many in my hands. I've read some nonfic on Kpg extinction, philosophical texts by Tanizaki, continued slowly with Dune and started two new books, which were Gods of jade and shadow and There there by Tommy Orange, which i am really glad i started listening to, and immediately ordered a physical copy to highlight some parts.
After listening to your review of Grendel I see some of the themes in “Frankenstein “. Abandoned by his god and creator. Left to survive alone in a world that judges you by the way you look. The isolation and despair and the beautiful prose. I’ve got to read it.
I read From Lukov with Love in January, and I was also disappointed with the lack of skating scenes 😭 it would have been interesting if she described them choosing the theme for their routines à la Yuri on ice 🤔 still liked their couple and gave it 3 stars !
When you talked about the feeling that gave you "The Dreams Lie Beneath" I wonder if you read "Keturah and Lord Death?" It's a bit older fantasy but I read it last month and I swear it really felt like Ghibli film with the right amount of wholesomeness and darker themes. And it's also a stand-alone :D
The Anne and Gilbert Blythe slowburn culminated in book three of Anne of Green Gables and I was all for it! Also lurking about the comments because I'm a slowburn girlie as well. So if anyone has recommendations, I'd like to know!
The Shining is a great hotel story! (I suggest reading the book before watching the movie)
Regarding Toni Morrison’s technique…read Faulkner. That’s her biggest influence (she wrote her doctoral thesis on him).
PS North By Northwest is one of the most entertaining films ever made. The model for countless films after it (most obviously the James Bond series). But it’s much better than any of them.
Loved this video as always! Now I definitely want to read most of the books you mentioned ❤ So, Emmie! I’ve been wanting to tell you that I just discovered that one of my favorite authors, Elena Garro (Mexican), who is probably the biggest starter of magical realism in Latin America, did influenced García Márquez’s 100 years of solitude and they’re actually saying that he probably plagiarized Elena’s novel Recollections of things to come 😳 i haven’t read it but I’ve been wanting to do it for so long, so yeah, I love her work, specially her plays and I think you should definitely read her! Love u ❤
It’s times like these I wish I were an artist, so that I could bring gigachad salamanders to life.
"He's probably bigger than the gigamanders" I LAUGHED OUT LOUD i swear the whole description of the book made me giggle but when you said that in all seriousness about the next one... I almost died laughing!
Hi Emmie! I know that you want to read books set in hotels, but I read this great novella by Arthur Schnitzler called "Fraulein Else" earlier this year. The hotel forms a key aspect of the novella (because she is in a foreign environment, with people that are superficially known to her, but also, unknown in their motivations & actions). I don't want to give too much away of the story, but it was one of the best things I read in a long time!
edit: I reread Agatha Christie's Sparkling Cyanide and I loved it! People killing others for money 🤌🏻 my food in old-timey mysteries. I also finished Joan Didion's The White Album & the writing was superb. Her essay on her migraine pain floored me; I sat there crying afterwards, because it's the first time I saw the pain I experience put down so eloquently on page.
How can I love a review that starts with “Don’t read it” so much?? Emma you are a delight every time.
7:00 Sounds similar to "The Luminaries" by Susan Dennard. I think you'd like it!
I've been meaning to read Idol Burning for a while! Thank you for the vid, as always
John Gardner (Grendel) might be best known for his books on the craft of fiction writing, The Art of Fiction and On Becoming a Novelist. They are considered classics in their own right.
My favourite book this month was Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight by Riku Onda. Such a gripping and mysterious read!!!
Only read 4 books this month and my fav one I read was The Day of the Triffids, it was fun!! I’ve been trying to get more into sci-fi✨
Hi everyone, if you're a book lover but struggling to find the time to read, my channel has got you covered with weekly book summaries.
Wow Grendel sounds fantastic. I got a copy of Beowulf for Christmas so I'll definitely be reading Grendel after I've tackled it.
omggg i lov the haircut u look so pretty as always 🤍🎀🐰💌
Thank you so much!!
Your new haircut suits you so well! It's so cute!
Emma!!! I'm chocked you never seen a Hitchcock film!!! Vertigo is insane good!! I think you'll also really like The trouble with Harry. It's funnier than his usual stuff and feels like the mystery books you enjoy!
“Beowulf isn’t really pro Grendel.” 🤣🤣💀
My favourite books of the month were Dune (Herbert) and Circe (Miller). Unfortunately, they blew up my TBR because now I want to read everything related to their respective universes. I feel like it is one book checked off, five new ones added. I’ll never be done😅
Have you read Miller's "The Song of Achilles" and if yes, what do you think? And also, in your mind, is "Dune" too religious and hard to connect with, or wonderful? ;D
@@viktorija.jankauskaite I have not yet read The Song of Achilles but it is definitely now on my TBR. For Dune there is a strong religious component, but I mostly related to it nonetheless. I felt like it was a good study of fate, determinism, and the power one has within it.
I loved dreams lies beneath as well!! ❤️ I'm so glad you enjoyed the book.
Emma, I think we have really similar tastes or at least similar things we get impacted by, (also LOVED Grendel, wow). I would love to see what you think of Human Acts by Han Kang. She's the author of The Vegetarian, which got a lot of hype a couple years ago. I liked The Vegetarian, but Human Acts is one of those books that absolutely bulldozed me due to its harrowing writing structure and style, as well as its content. And it's a fairly short read, which helps!
I love Hitchcock’s movies and highly recommend🎉 my faves are Dial M for murder, Psycho, Birds and Vertigo
emmie: this book will demolish you
me: add to tbr
even though you scald some books that i really like i still love these wrap ups and your opinions 💕💕
Rope, NNW, and Vertigo are 1 a, b, c. Depending on your want. Rope is provocative, NNW is fun, and Vertigo is unsettling (in a few ways). I like others of his, but love these three.
Its interesting that you liked a dream book! Also the fact that that book has a main character named clementine just reminds me so much of eternal sunshine. Lol
Thanks for these reviews ! I really want to pick up Grendel now
My favorite book of January was The Man Who Spoke Snakish by Andrus Kivirähk, I loved loved it and I cant stop think about it
I read From Lukov with Love a few months ago after deciding I wanted give the romance genre a chance, and I was both entertained and so annoyed by the writing style. It was like the mediocre fanfiction you'd read in your early teenage years, which was kind of funny and almost nostalgic, but it became a bit much after a while. Also the romance made me feel nothing. Still a quick and entertaining read, though. And I've read better romance since. :)
If you're looking for more hotel reads, I'd recommend Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell. Part of it deals with his time as a dishwasher in a big hotel and gives some insight into the workings of the place.
The most cottagecore fantasy I’ve ever read is A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher! Loved it!
I'll check it out!!
You know what, if you could do a video with the author of the hotel book (if that is something you feel able to do), I think I'd love that. Just the passion in your voice when you explain the book makes me want to watch you nerd out about it with another person, and who better than the author?
Finding a 5 star book def counts as a good reading month :)
I absolutely lost it at "he's probably bigger than the Gigamanders" 🤣
I gave dreams lie beneath > 5 starts. It is one of my fav books currently, so cute
A mercy sounds good, but Toni Morrison deals with so many dark things I can't handle it. I just checked out the Dream book by Ross. The goat story in Steinbeck made me giggle.
My favorite read for February 2023 was Human Acts by Han Kang. It's about a part of South Korean history that I find utterly fascinating, but it's also so devastating.
🤣 I used to read Eve Langlais. I haven't read anything recently though. I read the ones about hell's princess and the one before it about "demons" or entities sentenced to hell.
I remember seeing Grendel a few years ago in my library and added to my list but that's it 🤦🏻♀️😂
in february i found three five star books :-)
1. i’ll give you the sun ( ya contemporary )
2. the silent patient ( psychological thriller )
3. the charm offensive ( queer romance )
i recommend all
I finished war and peace in February! It was so worth it!
I got so many recommendations from this! Can't wait to check them out
You have to read east of Eden I could not put that down, so weird but soooo good
I remember everyone who had to read Beowulf if school talked shot about it and I never read it but I watched the animated movie this year and thought it was cool and I did sympathize with the Grendel. Definitely want to pick up that book. Idk if I’m gonna read the original poem
East of Eden is my favorite book!
Hi Emma! I really want to read "Ember and the Ice Dragons", love middle grade books! My best books of February were: The Three Sisters, by Checkov, and Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro.
great video as always emma :D my favourite book this month has to be Wild Woman by Marina Šur Puhlovski! its translated from Croatian and i was so shocked after i read it and found out it only had 200 ratings on goodreads! its about a young woman in 1970's Croatia from a poor family who rushes into a marriage with a fellow literature student, but after a few rotten years of abuse she realises that he is an absolute d-bag and that she deserves better :) it was such an enjoyable read and only about 250 pages, id 100% recommend it :DD
The Desert King's Spy sound like a hoot! 😂
dreams lie beneath soundsamazing, vry magical, i really need something like that right now, something with magic, love, fantasy
I dont know if you read spanish, but theres a book full on icey mode called La Emperatriz de los Etéreos that keeps me awake at night 13 years later
For some reason, my brain parsed the intro wrong, and thought it was going to be like "Hi, welcome back to my channel, my name is Emma, or if you're new here, it's Rachel."
I've always heard fantastic things about Grendel. What do you think reading it would be like without having read Beowulf? I also eventually want to read that, but it tugs at me less than Grendel.
My favourite book of this month was The Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe. It was a delight to read for the language, and sort of a puzzle in its stories and unreliable narrators. It was a thematically and idea dense book, with lots of reflection on identity, personal and cultural, and colonization. Think there's a lot more complexity to get too should I reread it- things happening in the third story that would inform perspective of the first and second.
Emma, i recently cut my hair very short too so we are kind of a twins now😄 and you're sooo beautiful i can'tt 🥺🥺🥺
If you want some good figure skating you should check out Spinning by Tillie Walden. It’s an autobio graphic novel about her growing up as a figure skater and coming to terms with her sexuality. Very great read!
Good Morning Emma, thank you so much for your videos. They are such a comfort. I really appreciate you!! 😊🩵✨️ Also, LOVE your new hair ✨️✨️✨️
thank you so much - that means the world to me
For Grendel, "Cain's race" can be a little misleading. The main idea is that Beowulf is killing the monsters that survived Noah's flood, whether or not those cracken, dragons, and whatever Grendel and his mother were are direct descendant's of Cain is less clear. As many many people have suggested, there was something wrong with antediluvian Earth beside Cain's race. However, Grendel identifies himself as that so I guess we have to take what is given in the text, even if it is unsatisfying.
Here are a few Nonfiction books I think you'll enjoy:
The Fossil Hunter by Shelley Emling. Ever heard the tongue twister "she sells seashells by the seashore"? Well, "she" was a real woman who changed science and the modern world forever.
Debt:the first 5000 years. I swear to you, the history of debt isn't as boring as it sounds. The concept of debt is linked to our concept of sin, and the way we treat people today is rooted in our deep past. However, we lost a major piece of the history and this forgetting has lead to some shady shenanigans from the debtors. This is a must read for everyone who uses money.
After the Ice by Mithen. One of the best books written. This is a tour through early human settlements and how they influence us still. If you ever want to truly understand who we are, read this book.
it is such a treat to listen to you talk about books, almost like a self-care thing to do.!❤ have you watched the Shining? something tells me you would enjoy it :DD also there is a new game called The devil in me, it also takes place in a hotel in Chicago (based on a real story). btw idol burning caught my attention this time! downloading it right now.your book recommendations are always on point.have a great reading march 💛🌼
I enjoyed your latest video as usual! My best read in February was The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali. It was a gorgeous book. I loved it. P.S. I’m a huge Steinbeck fan so I can’t wait to see what you think of his fiction books.
The reason Grendel isn't hyped more is that it is quite old, but not old enough. Nor is it nearly as good as Beowulf, especially in the Heaney translation. And changing the perspective and pov -- when Gardner was alive -- was not a "thing" -- authors were expected to recreate, not retell. I liked it, but I read it decades ago..
You would make a great ASMR channel. Your voice and demeanor are perfect for ASMR.
She actually does have one! It's in the description if you're interested. I agree, she has a such an asmr vibe, so calming.
My favorite book of the month was Ariadne by Jennifer Saint 💖