Your TH-cam channel is fantastic! The content you share is both educational and insightful. The production quality, creativity, and dedication you bring to each video really shine through. I find myself engaged with every upload. Keep up the amazing work-you're doing an incredible job! 😊🙌
I think the ultra saturation of messaging and marketing sways people into thinking hey I should love this cause everyone else does. Is the book being read after the hype machine moves to next shiny object?? Then the merit becomes real. I try not to give value to heavily hyped authors and books, but certainly not immune.
Alright there, great channel. I am really enjoying your videos, so you have just got a new subscriber. I am amazed that all of your picks for 'under-hyped' books are my favourites! I feel like a good offshoot from this video would be 'Did we read the same book?', especially for the 'over-hyped' books. I think someone else commented on Blake Crouch - I don't get the hype for his work (I've read three of his books). Spot on with Stephen King too. Good books should be celebrated for their merits, and not get a free pass, or overstay their welcome, because of the author's status or reputation. There are plenty of great reads out there to discuss and recommend! Looking forward to the next video. Cheers.
Awesome, thanks for the feedback. Did we read the same book?…I like that! May steal it down the road. Glad you are here and enjoying the content. I appreciate your comment and feedback. Which 3 Crouch books did you read?
@@kevintowle9665 Dark Matter, Recursion and Upgrade - Dark Matter was probably the best of the lot. I felt that Recursion and Upgrade just unravelled badly and the endings were poor. The pacing is phenomenal though! I think I read each of these books in a day or two. Steal away!
I’ve got an under-hyped writer for you that I think you’d really like: William Kent Krueger. My book group is meeting today to discuss The River We Remember. I’ll post my review after my group meets. I actually thought of you as I was finishing reading it. It’s beautifully written with outstanding character development and powerful settings, and it’s really exciting. The pacing toward the end is phenomenal. Just read about it and see if it appeals. I’ve read a bunch of stand-alone novels of his, but he also has the Cork O’Connor series-mysteries where O’Connor is the sheriff in a Minnesota town. He writes strong, exciting suspense thrillers with important messages. He’s been around for well over 20 years, and he’s won a bunch of awards in the thriller and mystery genres. Yet I don’t hear a lot of people talking about him-although my friend Melinda at A Web of Stories did do a “Let Me Introduce You” video on Krueger which was awesome. Anyway, I think he’s a great example of a phenomenal writer who deserves more “hype.” 😊 And I do think you’d like him, Kevin.
I read Iron Lake and reviewed it a few months ago and have been meaning to get to the second book in the Cork O’Connor series. James from Little Big Library put Krueger on my radar. I will add The River We Remember to my list, it sounds great based on your description. I will also look up your friends intro video to Krueger. Thanks Pat! Awesome feedback and a new book to be on the lookout for!
@@kevintowle9665 oh I need to find your Iron Lake review. That might have been before I knew you. I am about to dig into that series. There’s a guy in my book group who so loved The River…this month that he’s read something like five more Krueger novels. I just think his writing and his pacing are so good. I’ll try to think of other over and under-hyped books. Fun fact: George R R Martin grew up down the street from where my family lived when I was a really little kid! No one in my family seems to have known him, though. I think he’s a bit older than my brother and cousins, though.
@BookChatWithPat8668 WOW! On both accounts. I can see the appeal of Krueger. His writing is very appealing and straight forward. And what’s small world, living by GRR Martin!
@@kevintowle9665 As I said, none of us knew him, but he talks about where he grew up, and it's always written about, too, in all of his bios. Not just the same city--but the same neighborhood! Wild! I thought my cousins might have known him as they are more in his age range, but no one does.
so far i haven't been let down by the over hyped books yet. although i will admit there is a few books i see get tons of praise that idk fi i would like but thats not to say i would never read them. what i will say that as a stephen king fan and as popular as he is. its not hard to see how anyone thats popular is going to feel overrated to some degree and i know there are some books hes written that i dont know if i would be into.
Yeah, we agree on King. It’s almost a byproduct of being so famous. And as consumers we do own some of the over marketing. Like I said, I like him, not all his works but most. Hope you are doing well!
Just out of curiosity: What makes "Project Hail Mary" overhyped? Sure, you see it everywhere, it gets mentioned all over the place . . . but you said "with good reason". Do you just want people to stop talking about it or what? I'm asking because I feel similarly . . . I loved the book, I don't think it's perfect but it's definitely a phenomenal story with a lot of heart . . . I even tend to feel differently about people who say they didn't like it if their reasons aren't good enough. 😂 But yeah, for some reason I can't shake the idea that it's a little overrated. Maybe it's because I recognize it does have flaws and I see some people talking about how perfect it is and who don't want to admit it's flawed? I'm not sure. Help me out here! Good video, by the way. 😅
Thanks Bob, I too loved the book. Rocky for the win! Love your description of the book having heart- it certainly does. Got me emotional at parts. It is indeed not a perfect book. There are some back flashes that are jaunting and the pace during those can feel a tad slow. But overall the back story and jumps serve their purpose. Overall, I feel it’s overhyped just because I see it in a lot of people’s lists, top books, both on TH-cam and TikTok. I am certainly guilty in this regard I am sure. I guess at the end of the day I am a fan of the unknown underdog book that over delivers. So anything, even those that are great books, that seem to get to much “air time” feel overhyped for me. My two cents. Thanks for the feedback sir!
@@kevintowle9665 "Too much air time" is a great way to think about it. Thanks for helping to articulate it. Yeah, "Project Hail Mary" is great. Everyone knows it at this point. Let's move on. 😂
Honestly, if one more person tells me that Sanderson's Stormlight Archive is "the greatest fantasy series ever" without actually explaining why they like it, I'm gonna puke.
@@kevintowle9665 I actually love the first Mistborn trilogy. It's a lot of fun. Stormlight just isn't my thing. It's a little too bloated for my liking.
@secretfirebooks7894 understandable. I am looking forward to the first Mistborn, Warbreaker and Tress…the ones I own. What else do you read outside Sanderson?
@kevintowle9665 Mostly older fantasy and SF. I'm a big fan of Robert E Howard and Michael Moorcock. I'm kinda obsessed with Moorcock's Multiverse novels right now. His Elric Saga is some great dark, pulpy fantasy.
I think if booktube had been around in the 60s and 70s, Louis L'Amour would have been talked about a lot. Sadly, it has the reputation for being your father's or grandfather's reading. Personally, I think military historical fiction doesn't get featured enough. The authors such as Patrick O'Brian, Alexander Kent, Simon Scarrow, Conn Iggulden. Bernard Cornwell, Dewey Lambdin, and Adrian Goldsworthy all write Napoleonic era military adventures and that is my literary love. One book that was vastly overrated in my opinion was Daisy Jones and the Six. Everyone in the world seemed to love it and I thought it was banal, boring dreck and I have never even considered picking up another Taylor Jenkins Reid book. Another interesting "Let me know" video!
Wow Bing, awesome feedback. I certainly don’t hear much at all regarding military historical fiction. And I will be honest, not my cup of tea, so I know little to nothing about those authors. I do recognize Bernard Cornwell though. Awesome feedback.
Can’t argue those picks. I like those books but yeah, overrated. Glad you also enjoy Michael Crichton…his books are wonderful, Eaters of the Dead was a recent book review for me and it was just okay, not my favorite from him. Thanks for your feedback!
@kevintowle9665 Yeah, that was also my least favorite Crichton book. People say the Martian is good, and I thought it was dull and the humor was unfunny to me ( this opinion is coming from someone who's also an aerospace engineer, so I thought with it having all the science it would be up my ally but I struggled finishing it. Dark Matter was entertaining, but was very cliche and has plot holes, and with all the Jason's coming together, it just felt like a Rick and Morty episode or just so much like a cartooon in general ( and I'm not a Rick and Morty fan) and I thought the ending was dumb and the science was bad. I feel iffy about reading Project Hail mary or another Blake Crouch.
@themtndewguy4350 project Hail Mary is better than the Martian in my opinion. I think by quite a bit. Don’t know if you are a fan of Audible, but the Audible version by voice narrator Ray Porter is phenomenal! May be worth a shot.
Your TH-cam channel is fantastic! The content you share is both educational and insightful. The production quality, creativity, and dedication you bring to each video really shine through. I find myself engaged with every upload. Keep up the amazing work-you're doing an incredible job! 😊🙌
Thank you very much. I appreciate your kind words!
I think the ultra saturation of messaging and marketing sways people into thinking hey I should love this cause everyone else does. Is the book being read after the hype machine moves to next shiny object?? Then the merit becomes real. I try not to give value to heavily hyped authors and books, but certainly not immune.
Very well said Patty. And very true!
Alright there, great channel. I am really enjoying your videos, so you have just got a new subscriber. I am amazed that all of your picks for 'under-hyped' books are my favourites! I feel like a good offshoot from this video would be 'Did we read the same book?', especially for the 'over-hyped' books. I think someone else commented on Blake Crouch - I don't get the hype for his work (I've read three of his books). Spot on with Stephen King too. Good books should be celebrated for their merits, and not get a free pass, or overstay their welcome, because of the author's status or reputation. There are plenty of great reads out there to discuss and recommend! Looking forward to the next video. Cheers.
Awesome, thanks for the feedback. Did we read the same book?…I like that! May steal it down the road. Glad you are here and enjoying the content. I appreciate your comment and feedback. Which 3 Crouch books did you read?
@@kevintowle9665 Dark Matter, Recursion and Upgrade - Dark Matter was probably the best of the lot. I felt that Recursion and Upgrade just unravelled badly and the endings were poor. The pacing is phenomenal though! I think I read each of these books in a day or two. Steal away!
@kevinjudge8406 I can see your perspective on the endings. Dark Matter is also my favorite!
I’ve got an under-hyped writer for you that I think you’d really like: William Kent Krueger. My book group is meeting today to discuss The River We Remember. I’ll post my review after my group meets. I actually thought of you as I was finishing reading it. It’s beautifully written with outstanding character development and powerful settings, and it’s really exciting. The pacing toward the end is phenomenal. Just read about it and see if it appeals. I’ve read a bunch of stand-alone novels of his, but he also has the Cork O’Connor series-mysteries where O’Connor is the sheriff in a Minnesota town. He writes strong, exciting suspense thrillers with important messages. He’s been around for well over 20 years, and he’s won a bunch of awards in the thriller and mystery genres. Yet I don’t hear a lot of people talking about him-although my friend Melinda at A Web of Stories did do a “Let Me Introduce You” video on Krueger which was awesome. Anyway, I think he’s a great example of a phenomenal writer who deserves more “hype.” 😊 And I do think you’d like him, Kevin.
I read Iron Lake and reviewed it a few months ago and have been meaning to get to the second book in the Cork O’Connor series. James from Little Big Library put Krueger on my radar. I will add The River We Remember to my list, it sounds great based on your description. I will also look up your friends intro video to Krueger. Thanks Pat! Awesome feedback and a new book to be on the lookout for!
@@kevintowle9665 oh I need to find your Iron Lake review. That might have been before I knew you. I am about to dig into that series. There’s a guy in my book group who so loved The River…this month that he’s read something like five more Krueger novels. I just think his writing and his pacing are so good. I’ll try to think of other over and under-hyped books. Fun fact: George R R Martin grew up down the street from where my family lived when I was a really little kid! No one in my family seems to have known him, though. I think he’s a bit older than my brother and cousins, though.
@BookChatWithPat8668 WOW! On both accounts. I can see the appeal of Krueger. His writing is very appealing and straight forward. And what’s small world, living by GRR Martin!
@@kevintowle9665 As I said, none of us knew him, but he talks about where he grew up, and it's always written about, too, in all of his bios. Not just the same city--but the same neighborhood! Wild! I thought my cousins might have known him as they are more in his age range, but no one does.
so far i haven't been let down by the over hyped books yet. although i will admit there is a few books i see get tons of praise that idk fi i would like but thats not to say i would never read them.
what i will say that as a stephen king fan and as popular as he is. its not hard to see how anyone thats popular is going to feel overrated to some degree and i know there are some books hes written that i dont know if i would be into.
Yeah, we agree on King. It’s almost a byproduct of being so famous. And as consumers we do own some of the over marketing. Like I said, I like him, not all his works but most. Hope you are doing well!
Just out of curiosity: What makes "Project Hail Mary" overhyped? Sure, you see it everywhere, it gets mentioned all over the place . . . but you said "with good reason". Do you just want people to stop talking about it or what? I'm asking because I feel similarly . . . I loved the book, I don't think it's perfect but it's definitely a phenomenal story with a lot of heart . . . I even tend to feel differently about people who say they didn't like it if their reasons aren't good enough. 😂 But yeah, for some reason I can't shake the idea that it's a little overrated. Maybe it's because I recognize it does have flaws and I see some people talking about how perfect it is and who don't want to admit it's flawed? I'm not sure. Help me out here! Good video, by the way. 😅
Thanks Bob, I too loved the book. Rocky for the win! Love your description of the book having heart- it certainly does. Got me emotional at parts. It is indeed not a perfect book. There are some back flashes that are jaunting and the pace during those can feel a tad slow. But overall the back story and jumps serve their purpose. Overall, I feel it’s overhyped just because I see it in a lot of people’s lists, top books, both on TH-cam and TikTok. I am certainly guilty in this regard I am sure. I guess at the end of the day I am a fan of the unknown underdog book that over delivers. So anything, even those that are great books, that seem to get to much “air time” feel overhyped for me. My two cents. Thanks for the feedback sir!
@@kevintowle9665 "Too much air time" is a great way to think about it. Thanks for helping to articulate it. Yeah, "Project Hail Mary" is great. Everyone knows it at this point. Let's move on. 😂
@BobCanRead indeed, let’s move on. We get it it’s awesome, I read it, next up? I like your take…”let’s move on!”😁👍
Honestly, if one more person tells me that Sanderson's Stormlight Archive is "the greatest fantasy series ever" without actually explaining why they like it, I'm gonna puke.
Sorry you feel that way. I have only read Elantris by him. Plan to read Mistborn next year. Are you not a fan or…?
@@kevintowle9665 I actually love the first Mistborn trilogy. It's a lot of fun. Stormlight just isn't my thing. It's a little too bloated for my liking.
@secretfirebooks7894 understandable. I am looking forward to the first Mistborn, Warbreaker and Tress…the ones I own. What else do you read outside Sanderson?
@kevintowle9665 Mostly older fantasy and SF. I'm a big fan of Robert E Howard and Michael Moorcock. I'm kinda obsessed with Moorcock's Multiverse novels right now. His Elric Saga is some great dark, pulpy fantasy.
I think if booktube had been around in the 60s and 70s, Louis L'Amour would have been talked about a lot. Sadly, it has the reputation for being your father's or grandfather's reading. Personally, I think military historical fiction doesn't get featured enough. The authors such as Patrick O'Brian, Alexander Kent, Simon Scarrow, Conn Iggulden. Bernard Cornwell, Dewey Lambdin, and Adrian Goldsworthy all write Napoleonic era military adventures and that is my literary love. One book that was vastly overrated in my opinion was Daisy Jones and the Six. Everyone in the world seemed to love it and I thought it was banal, boring dreck and I have never even considered picking up another Taylor Jenkins Reid book. Another interesting "Let me know" video!
Wow Bing, awesome feedback. I certainly don’t hear much at all regarding military historical fiction. And I will be honest, not my cup of tea, so I know little to nothing about those authors. I do recognize Bernard Cornwell though. Awesome feedback.
Books I think are overrated are the Martian, Dark Matter (and I'm a huge Michael Crichton fan), and World War Z
Can’t argue those picks. I like those books but yeah, overrated. Glad you also enjoy Michael Crichton…his books are wonderful, Eaters of the Dead was a recent book review for me and it was just okay, not my favorite from him. Thanks for your feedback!
@kevintowle9665 Yeah, that was also my least favorite Crichton book. People say the Martian is good, and I thought it was dull and the humor was unfunny to me ( this opinion is coming from someone who's also an aerospace engineer, so I thought with it having all the science it would be up my ally but I struggled finishing it. Dark Matter was entertaining, but was very cliche and has plot holes, and with all the Jason's coming together, it just felt like a Rick and Morty episode or just so much like a cartooon in general ( and I'm not a Rick and Morty fan) and I thought the ending was dumb and the science was bad. I feel iffy about reading Project Hail mary or another Blake Crouch.
@themtndewguy4350 project Hail Mary is better than the Martian in my opinion. I think by quite a bit. Don’t know if you are a fan of Audible, but the Audible version by voice narrator Ray Porter is phenomenal! May be worth a shot.