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I am glad you enjoyed it! We didn't feel _quite_ the same as you, and we talk a little about that in this video. We have a final video coming out soon, having finished the book, and that one discusses our overall thoughts.

I hope you enjoy it! You can definitely feel Stephen King's influence in this one.

Good luck, and have fun! As I mention in this video, I really _enjoy_ reading the book, I think it is beautifully written and compelling, I just don't know that I feel the same way about the main character and the overall "message" of the story as many others do... But more on that in the final video in our series, a wrap-up having finished the book, which will probably be released next week some time...

Me too! It has definitely made the book more interesting!

Glad you're enjoying it! I felt the same way. In fact I made a whole video about Queer Erasure that talks about it, a little (th-cam.com/video/Th0tgIR1hM4/w-d-xo.html) . There seem to be more and more books by straight/straight-presenting women that feature young queer men, usually teenagers, as their (troubled) protagonists, and in the ones I have read they do, by and large, feel like a little bit of projection going on, there is something about them that isn't entirely authentic. However, that said, it isn't _bad_ representation, and if that is what it takes to make space for more queer authors to have a market to write from their experiences then I am all for it.

⁠​⁠@@arockinsamsara glad I wasn’t alone in feeling that! Very interesting topic queer erasure, i feel like it’s so pushed in media now people forget that not too long ago we were fighting for marriage and equality. Definitely gonna check out and watch your video about that.

@@kevinharvey8588 It's definitely still an important discussion, but it has taken on new parameters. Let me know what you think about the video!

Thank you so much for your kind words, I am glad you find the videos useful in some way!

Thanks! The last decade has certainly allowed the cruelty to come to the surface and be more brazen, that's true. It's one of the reasons that books like this are popular now. Similarly there are new film adaptations of both _The Long Walk_ and _The Running Man_ in the works, I think for this very same reason. (Well, that and capitalism...)

Sorry you didn't enjoy it! I'm glad it worked for me, I really had a great time with it, but I'm also not surprised that some folks didn't have the same experience. I wasn't far into the book when I realized it was not going to be for everyone, including fans of the original trilogy.

Thanks! Ah, that's right.... Carlyle actually finds Nick holding his mother's hand after she died, right? Nick reminds his father so much of his mother, he is mentioned to have inherited so many of her characteristics, that Carlyle is resentful of him. When filming this I was thinking about that relationship and I got mixed up as to the sequence of events that precipitated that. Thanks for fixing that mistake!

@@arockinsamsarayes! And his father saw that as an act of softness which he was trying to avoid when raising his sons. A great read! I loved it

@@danielrosswhite and how dare a young boy be soft, of course! It really was a great read. In addition to a heartfelt and compelling story, the writing style was really evocative and helped create atmosphere. I do go back and forth a little regarding the fantastical elements of the story. My first instinct was that I wish there were a little more of them, seeded deeper into the past and present and just giving a little more distance from normality. But then I flip flop and think it was just enough, ending the story with a little nightcap of surreality but not pushing everything about their lives into unbelievability... Other than that perpetual flip-flop in my mind, though, the novel was really strong and affecting.

Thanks so much!

I mean, a lot of good horror is quite visceral, and so that kind of dark and embodied experience can translate into interesting poetry... But most of the horror poetry I have read up to now is just a stray poem or two in an anthology. It was definitely eye-opening to engage with these two collections, even if they didn't grab me as intensely as other poetry I have read. I am about 70 pages from the end of _City of Last Chances,_ and really enjoying it! I think I will have a full review later in the month. I already have an ARC of book three, which comes out in March, so I will probably begin book 2 fairly quickly... I have a lot of thoughts but I am going to wait until I finish and can organize them a little before saying more... As for the review, it just seemed like the path of least resistance, given all of the circumstances. It definitely threw me for a bit of a loop, though, to be sure...

I'm glad you enjoyed the video, thanks! I mean, obviously there was more going on for them. In their messages they did message things about their personal life, but it felt more like they were using it to bully me, though they might have convinced themselves of it too. Regardless... I agree with your rationale for leaving the review up, those were the part of the very things I was weighing. But when he started actively threatening me, in addition to saying I was ruining his life, it was clear that it was better for my own mental well-being just to bow out. Yes, he "won," and maybe took the wrong lesson away from the encounter, too. At the end of the day, though, I didn't feel it was worth the fight, especially since he did not seem to be coming from a rational place, or from somewhere he could be reasoned with.

It is kind of a no-win scenario. Truthfully, though, I lose nothing by getting eliminating the review, and it is the course of least resistance. If this was some really important critique or something published in a well-known review or magazine or website, or the author was incredibly popular or was doing something to draw major attention to themselves, or any sort of extenuating circumstances like that, then, sure, there might be a bit higher stakes. Instead, it is a review of a more or less unknown book on a website that is not much more than a glorified marketing platform. Took me a while to be comfortable with it, but it feels like the right choice, for me.

I do my best to be honest and kind in my reviews, and even when I don't enjoy a book I try to point out things in the book I admire. I obviously never want to offend anyone, so I make sure to make it about the book and not the author, and I lead with honesty and kindness, that seems to be a generally useful approach. Clearly it doesn't work 100% of the time, but this is an outlier case, in my experience.

Thanks! I am excited to dive into the whole Rising series, it is high in my queue for 2025. It's interesting, in his introduction to The Bachman Books King mentions how he first started _Rage_ as a high school senior, but didn't finish it, then wrote _The Long Walk_ as a college freshman, and then finished _Rage_ afterward. He says that he finished 5 novels before _Carrie,_ but only two of them were good, and those two were _Rage_ and _The Long Walk._ In my opinion _The Long Walk_ is the far better of the two, though both have the kind of (young, brash) cynical energy that is present in all of his Bachman work. Just the level of emotional maturity of the character is so much better in _The Long Walk,_ if nothing else. In some ways there is no distinction at all between high school and college, and in other ways it is a huge gulf, and you can feel that in these books. (Though, while I am incredibly impressed he wrote either at such a young age, I do wonder how much editing they got before being published...) I have never received that kind of feedback before on a review, which is why it was surprising. I make a concerted effort to also find something to praise or celebrate, even in a review of a book I ultimately didn't like. Living in India I also can not ever get physical ARCs, so I read them all digitally. I prefer the experience of reading physical books but love the convenience of digital books, and I don't like owning more things than I need, so most of my library is digital, it is only in the last year I started buying more physical books again (mainly so I can have books to use to influence my niblings). I do like to have more freedom with my reading, but I just over-committed to a few months of ARCs... I will never complain about them, because folks are giving me free books in exchange for an honest review and that's a pretty good deal, and I am just some random guy with barely an audience. But. The difficulty of being a nobody is that you are offered very few ARCs, you have to request them (through NetGalley, primarily, though also BookSirens and Edelweiss, on occasion), and it often takes days to receive a reply. So if you're not careful you can request a bunch of books, anticipating a number of rejections, and then if you're fortunate to get fewer rejections than anticipated all of a sudden your entire reading slate is full. Again, not complaining, just the kind of thing I need to get better at managing!

@@arockinsamsara I think you will love The Rising, such a unique approach to the Zombie genre. Thank you for the additional information on Rage and The Long Walk, I did not know that or simply cannot remember- it has been 30-40 years since reading The Bachman Books. I am not crazy about Rage, not so much because of the controversy but I just think it is one of his weaker stories. The Long Walk, on the other hand, is an absolutely chilling novel. I am very fortunate to have never received many nasty, unpleasant comments on my videos. There were two or three but they were minor things and easily resolved. I try to be positive in general, and like you, look to give a balanced response to books that do not work for me. I'm afraid I do have a bit of a selfish reason for not accepting ARCs, your audience wants you to talk about authors such as King, McCammon, Barker, Herbert etc... Perhaps in 2025 I need to make an effort to read one (maybe 2) ARCs per month. As mentioned in my previous comment, I would much prefer reading books from authors I choose and trust, rather then receive free books that would, more often than not, fail to hit the mark. A bad book can also send you spiraling down into a reading slump, this has happened to me a number of times. Finally, I am rambling a bit, you are not a nobody! With time and patience your channel will grow. We all have different ways in which we talk books, your audience will find you. Take care and happy reading.

This is incredibly kind, thank you so much!

I'm glad you found it helpful!

Interesting, maybe I will have to read _The Last Word_ and see how my response matches up. It escalated since making this video, unfortunately. I had removed the review but left the star rating up at the time of making this video. Since he then he messaged me again, with another harassing and slightly unhinged message demanding I remove the entire review. I ignored him and a day later he messaged me again, threatening me. I did respond to that one, but calmly and in a way I hoped would deescalate things, but it didn't, he responded with another harassing and threatening message. So I reported the messages to GoodReads as harassment, blocked him, and just totally removed the book from my shelf. Hopefully whatever fires were lit in his brain that precipitated this outburst can calm down a little bit. Whatever is going on, even though it isn't my fault, I don't need to be part of it. Especially if he interprets my existence as some sort of antagonism. I am about 4 chapters into _Stoner_ so far, and really enjoying it... Though I am not sure that I am having the same experience of it as many of the reviews I have watched online. I have been saving your review to watch until after I finish it, so I don't know who we might align on it, but I will find out in a week or so!

@@arockinsamsara That's awful! That is most certainly harassment, and it sounds like he has major problems. Stoner is a slice-of-life book about an ordinary man. It doesn't have any plot twists or anything like that. I'll keep my thoughts quiet until you finish, but I hope you find the book rewarding!

@@Johanna_reads So far it is rewarding. I think I question, a little, the idea of "ordinary," given what he has experienced so far and the choices he makes/stumbles into.That is what I mean when I say that I don't know if I agree with everyone. But that hasn't detracted from my enjoyment, and I still have 2/3 of the book to go, so it is mighty premature to make any bold proclamations 😂

When making anything for public consumption you have to be able to distance your own personal emotional well-being with how that thing is regarded or critiqued. That doesn't mean being a robot and feeling nothing, and it doesn't mean it is okay for people to leave unfair or intentionally harmful critiques, or to use the review of a book to make personal attacks, but it does mean that the reception of a thing is out of your hands once you put it out there, and you need to calm to terms with that if you're going to make art for public consumption... I am glad you have been able to get over negative reviews, I imagine it makes the experience of being an author much less tense that way. Also, noted, no 3 stars...

I agree 100%. Most of us do spend most of our time obsessing over things that are outside of our control, and it never brings any genuine satisfaction. That's easier to say then to learn from, of course... And I don't ever leave purely negative reviews, even in a review for a book that I really didn't care for I go out of my way to identify some things I appreciated in the book. I never have any interest in putting up walls, to discourage reading or writing. I don't know what encouraged this author to come back more than a year after the fact and send me these messages, which eventually devolved into active threats (I had to report the messages to GoodReads and block him, in the end). Whatever is going on, though, isn't about me, I am just a convenient target for it. There is no joy in being "right" for me in this scenario, so I did remove the review entirely... on one hand that feels like giving in to a bully, on the other hand it is the path of least resistance, and hopefully it can bring him at least a temporary semblance of calm.

It doesn't feel good to concede to bullying tactics, especially as he escalated with additional messages after I made this video, eventually threatening me, but it feels like ultimately the best option, in this case. I gain nothing from this fight, and while it doesn't _solve_ any of whatever is really going on for him hopefully it does help give some semblance of relief.

There's nothing gratuitous, it is definitely PG in that regard. Though of course the way people get more upset about sexuality than about violence (at least in the US) certainly says a lot about what folks' insecurities and priorities are...

Thanks! Obviously people are free to read or engage with art in whatever way works for them, but as you say I feel like being aware of what we are bringing to the experience is part of how we can make it most fulfilling.

I try not to talk about spoilers in my reviews or here in the comments, so... SPOILERS below for anyone concerned. . . . . . . . . . I think the ambiguity is part of the point. If I remember correctly, the first line of the Author's Afterword is something along the lines of, "If you are staring at a wall with a frustrated look on your face right now then I have done my job," or something like that. That final scene was written in such a way as either one or both of their hearts could have been cut out, and it could have been literal or metaphorical, and they could both be dead or alive... because those details aren't really what is important. What is important is that they are together, they found one another and saved one another in all the ways that matters. They faced the darkness, the magic born from pain and loss and grief, and found that together they were strong enough to conquer it. The details are incidental, it is the coming together, finding salvation not just in another but in the giving of yourself for another, that is what matters... Whether they lived or died, whether it was metaphor or literal, none of that really affects the underlying emotional truth of the ending.

Thanks! I think a lot of us lean in that direction instinctively, anyway. It is just something I like to try and be intentional about.

Thanks! While I am (clearly) discussing Buddhist ideologies, I hope I can also demonstrate how a deep or intimate reading style can bring all sorts of meaningful interaction. with fiction. The next video should be out 9 December...

Her previous book came out in December of 2023, so one year before this book. I imagine this one will be available digitally on release day, as well as hardcover, but I am not sure. (The ARC I received was a digital copy.) Conspiracy theory _stories_ are fun... when people actually let their lives be infected by conspiracy theories, though, not so much...

@@arockinsamsara Amazon has it wrong on the book page. IT says 2024, on the top by the title in the book, and below in the book details. There is nothing wrong with being infected by the truth, as tons and tons of conspiracy theory stories have been proven over time. The belief that only kooks would consider the clear and blatant patterns, inconsistencies with match up to agendas ufolding perfectly, is what the state wants everyone to belive. As long as we have freedom of speech and can pose these patterns and inconsistencies without being attacked is the basis of all the freedoms we have today, the freedom of speech.

Thanks! It was a lot of fun, and yet struggled with multi-layered questions about identity in really interesting ways. I hope you get a chance to read it!

Thanks!

@ you’re very welcome!

Thanks! It just feels like it makes more sense to look for what I enjoy or some part of the art/craft being done well than to do the opposite...

Thanks for the compliment! In my experience, trying to hold books this way has helped me dislike books less, if that makes sense.

@@arockinsamsara It makes a lot of sense to me, definitely.

They really are something special, huh? In his newest book, _The Message,_ Ta-Nehisi Coates talks a lot about the power of writing, and I had wanted to bring some of that into this video, since I really do see art, but especially writing and literature, as an incredible locus of transformation, starting with the personal but extending into the social. It kept pulling away from the main point so it didn't make it into the video, but hopefully the sentiment came across. That metaphor is explicitly taught in the context of instructing how to be an appropriate student, an appropriate vessel for knowledge, and I really feel like ti applies in most anything new we approach in life.

Thanks so much! Your ongoing "Support Small BookTube" series shows how much you work to create something more than just yourself! Never mind your banned books club, and so on. Thanks for all you do for the community!

@ 🙏🏻

I am glad it worked for you! That is taught explicitly when given instruction about how to be a proper student, or how to properly receive a teaching, but it really does apply to all aspects of life.

Thank you for the kind words, Pat. Yes, I agree, most of the BookTubers I have filled my algorithm with _do_ seem to work for others happiness and joy, or try to, and that is genuinely why I appreciate BookTube. I have no doubt your students bloomed under your tutelage, your desire to support others and lift them up through your love and knowledge of reading is obvious!

@ well, thank you for that very kind response. I just got all choked up. It’s that time of year….Not very hard to make me cry! Thank you, Lekden. So glad to have found you here. 🥰

Thanks!

Well, after last week's video I figured I had to right the ship a little bit...

Bring others joy is important, especially when we are doing it for their benefit (as opposed to because we want them to think we are funny, etc.). I think that aligns with my point about celebrating others well.

I am happy it was helpful! Any time I can find a framing device to help organize my thoughts and motivations I tend to find it helpful.

I had fun with it!

We have to build the world we want to love in, and that includes curating our online consumption...

@ definitely.

🤷‍♂ What to do...

I had a lot of fun with it. I haven't read many stories that play with this folklore, and to do so while exploring issues of gender, race, and sexuality across a number of different characters was very interesting. Importantly it not only never felt preachy, but is also never felt like it was simplifying things for a lowest-common-denominator audience. I didn't have any real preconceptions or expectations going in, but whatever I did have it certainly exceeded...

Thanks! My email is listed at the bottom of my About section, you can reach me there. (I see yours is also listed, so I will drop you a line).

@ brill thanks