I totally agree with you about the discomfort of evening, I slogged through half of it only because it won the international Booker but it left me feeling sad and a bit on edge. The atmosphere was so dark and weird. Bass rock was also dark and weird but I loved it and I still think about the power of it months later.
I love Snuggie Bain and I had it pre-ordered. It is one of my favourites of all time. I love the honesty of the book and how it shows the impact of the time not just on individuals, but on whole communities and different generations.
“Sisters “ by Daisy Johnson was intriguing and “Tokyo Ueno Station” by Yu Miri stood out in terms of story and construction. I’m currently reading “Memorial Drive “ by Natasha Trethewey , which I’m enjoying. My best book this year was “Warmth of Other Suns” by Isabelle Wilkerson and will read “Caste” soon
Eric I just found your channel today and am so delighted to have so much awesome material to watch from you over the holiday break! I'm an avid list-reader and TBR-adder, so this is really helpful to me. I can't wait to read Shuggie Bain! Also, your energy is just lovely to see :)
I loved hearing your thoughts on Martin Amis--and definitely feel similarly. Exciting Times sounds fascinating. And Ferrante's work has to be on my list too sometime soon.
Totally agree about Shuggie Bain! I find the booktube backlash quite surprising. It certainly didn’t strike me as commercial or unliterary; it was simply a slightly more conventional novel (compared to Milkman or Lincoln in the Bardo, for example). But that’s okay. As you said, it served the story well and it was still a great and moving read.
My best books of the year list will definitely include Hamnet, The Liar’s Dictionary and Summer. Also likely will include Piranesi (which you need to read and discuss) and Jack (I think reading Home first would be a good idea but you don’t necessarily need to read Gilead or Lila). The Pull of the Stars is great, and I think Summerwater is worthwhile, even if it’s not summer time. I am really hoping to get to The Bass Rock and Mayflies before year end. I recommend John Lanchester’s The Debt to Pleasure. It’s short and very unnerving.
I've read only 9 of these, which means there's lots of great books to get around to. Of my 9, I loved Bass Rock and The Liar's Dictionary the most. I would have liked to have seen Sisters by Daisy Johnson on the Guardian list. What is interesting is that, looking at the 40 plus works of fiction I have read since lockdown, only 2 books have been by men, and both published over 30 years ago (Ridley Walker by Russell Hoban and Coming Through Slaughter by Michael Ondaatje). Definitly time for Shuggie Bain and Tyll to redress the balance.
10 and quite a few of those just didn't do it for me. Glad to see "Summer" on the list, I felt it was the best of the excellent quartet. Disappointed to see that "Love & Other Thought experiments" didn't make this list. One of my top ten reads of the year. The DeLillo was little more than an extended sketch. I'm with you, a tad disappointing.
I'm definitely looking at "best of the year" book lists this year to see wha timmiht oick up next year. I'm currently trying to give myself some more reading goals gor 2021, as it doesn't seem the pandemic is going away any time soon in the US. And I might be stuck working from home for a while, so I expect I'll be burnin through a lot of audiobooks.
I may have missed if you have discussed it- but my favorite book so far this year is The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw. It was nominated for the National Book Award, but didn't win, though it should have. It's about gender, religion, race, and beautifully written. I laughed several times- a rarely evoked response from me. I persuaded my men's group to read it and their responses were very strong, loving it or hating it. I strongly recommend it - not just because I'm a minister. Knowledge of the bible brought an extra dimension but it isn't necessary to appreciate it. It's a deceptively quick read- I read it twice- and has stayed with me. I hope you'll give it a try
Wow! So many of my top reads of the year there Hamlet, Shuggie Bain, Rodham, Mirror&Light, Pull of the stars, The Shadow King, Weather, Real Life....just missing the Australians that I've read this year that probably aren't published yet in the UK. Richard Flanagan's Living Sea of The Waking Dream blew me away. The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott, Ghost Species by James Bradley and The Animals In That Country by Laura Jean McKay is a mind bending novel, so many other good ones. , I watched a 4 part documentary on Hillary before reading Rodham, I've also read "What happened". Rodham is excellent and I'm sure it's more so when you are aware of where fiction strays from fact, it really displayed how well done Rodham is. The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld and Utopia Avenue are both on my physical TBR from the library. Also looking forward to Piranesi by Susanna Clarke and might pick up a couple I hadn't heard of before like When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut and The Liar’s Dictionary by Eley Williams
Flanagan's The Living Sea of Waking Dreams was one of my favourite reads. The Rain Herron was quite a pleasant surprise. The Animals in That Country had an interesting premise but I wasn't as impressed by how it came together (3*). I am obsessed with its cover! :-) Another book that was a favourite - The Last Migration by Charlotte McConaghy. I can't recommend it enough.
@@bianquita1 The Last Migration is on my ereader. Very much looking forward to it, thanks for the recommendation. I keep opening it up but just finishing off my NF reading - Fire Country by Victor Steffensen is such an important book, every Australian should read it.
On Rodham, I haven't personally read it but was put off of it by a podcast (mean book club) that reviewed it as a New York Times bestseller. They felt it was really odd to have some of the scenes and how they're written about real people who are still alive (kind of like bad fan fiction). Also a lot of questions on how her life is portrayed as if Bill Clinton would have been her make or break, but I am only remembering generally here. I'm also abstaining from reading it because I actually met Bill Clinton once in NYC and I don't think I need to imagine what they do in the bedroom. 🤣 I'm surprised it would get so much praise. I don't know if you "need" to know her biography, but if you find yourself lost it might be worth a Google search. I don't think she stays very close to her actual life.
In Hamnet, portraying Agnes as having witch like qualities was a gimmicky ploy to glamorize the story. I'm sure the real Agnes would have been just fine, portrayed as she really was.
I'm exactly the same with book series 🤣 and then they relaunch them all with new covers! Every time!! With Marilyn Robinson, I keep getting Home and Housekeeping mixed up
I Read the first two books of the Hilary Mantel Wolf Hall Trilogy in the first Lockdown then just recently read the last one in the second one. I have also read The Starless Sea by Erin Morgensten which was think you will enjoy. It's a big book and a bit like the Philip Pullman Book Of Dust Series.
Does the guardian release what they anticipate to be “best books of the year”??? Or is this list something that’s released at the end? I’m just wondering how people know which books would end up on the list for the upcoming year. Or is it one of those things where by luck you just happen to read one of the “best books of the year”?
This is a list they’ve released at the end of the year although they usually make lists at the beginning of books people should watch out for which I guess they compile from advanced copies.
I would love to see you comment hmm negatively on some of the books, i think you are trying to be nice but it´s ok, we are here to listen to what you thought, hope this helps you, i always appreciate people who tell exactly what they thought about the books they ve read, thanks so much! Desde México :)
Hamnet The Pull of the Stars ☘️ Exciting Times ☘️ The Bass Rock Burnt Sugar Shuggie Bain🏴 Such a Fun Age Summer I’ve read the books above ☕️☘️👋📖😷📚🦋🤩
Surprized “Real life” did not gel with you. Ive not read it myself but its on my TBR. I did listen to some interviews with the author who seemed pretty cheery. The discomfort of evening was definitely not an easy read.
I see that Apeirogon is nowhere on those "best of" lists and I understand the allegations but as a book I just thought it was so good :/ ... Anyway, yes Ferrante is wonderful (especially Days of Abandonment), but I haven't read the My Brilliant Friend series yet, I also plan to read it next year, hopefully. I'm quite intrigued by The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again, it also won the Goldsmiths prize :) I recommend Pull of the Stars as an audiobook, it's quite intense I would say, you really get the feeling as if you were stuck on that hospital ward with the nurses. I liked the book but I didn't like the ending... :P Piranesi is definitely in my personal top 10 :)))
How come no romance novels were on the list why is that ? There are a lot of good romance books that have been published and are worth being on the list. Why weren’t romance books considered for the list ?
I've read a number of these titles but was most disappointed with Utopia Avenue. It was enjoyable but not what I had hoped for from David Mitchell who is usually much more innovative. One of my favourite novels from this year doesn't seem to make many 'top' lists and that is How Much of These Hills is Gold by Z Pam Zhang.
Look at that book stack - be careful, if it topples it will hurt you. I've read quite a few on the list. Many were just 3-stars, some 4. The Lying Life of Adults is the only book that was a 5-star read and one of my 2020 favourites.. The worst book of the year for me was The Pull Of The Stars - I thought it was dreadful.
I agree with you with real life. I finished it, but not impressed. Marieke Lukas Rijnveld is pronunced Rain-veld. And I also agree with you on that one :)
You did that so well and I agree with you about Amis and I also have trouble knowing where the truth and the fiction merge in books like Rodaham and even Hamnet. I don’t like books based on real people I must be one of the few in the world who couldn’t read Hamnet I feel that despite enjoying Shuggie The Vanishing Half Such a fun Time I gave up on so many of the others. There as no book this year that really blew my mind I had to reread old favourites including classics to get engaged and have that wow feeling. I feel that this has not been a good year for my passion for books
Love all of the book lists too. So many good books on this one. Thanks for another great video
I totally agree with you about the discomfort of evening, I slogged through half of it only because it won the international Booker but it left me feeling sad and a bit on edge. The atmosphere was so dark and weird. Bass rock was also dark and weird but I loved it and I still think about the power of it months later.
I love Snuggie Bain and I had it pre-ordered. It is one of my favourites of all time. I love the honesty of the book and how it shows the impact of the time not just on individuals, but on whole communities and different generations.
“Sisters “ by Daisy Johnson was intriguing and “Tokyo Ueno Station” by Yu Miri stood out in terms of story and construction. I’m currently reading “Memorial Drive “ by Natasha Trethewey , which I’m enjoying. My best book this year was “Warmth of Other Suns” by Isabelle Wilkerson and will read “Caste” soon
Eric I just found your channel today and am so delighted to have so much awesome material to watch from you over the holiday break!
I'm an avid list-reader and TBR-adder, so this is really helpful to me. I can't wait to read Shuggie Bain!
Also, your energy is just lovely to see :)
I loved hearing your thoughts on Martin Amis--and definitely feel similarly. Exciting Times sounds fascinating. And Ferrante's work has to be on my list too sometime soon.
Totally agree about Shuggie Bain! I find the booktube backlash quite surprising. It certainly didn’t strike me as commercial or unliterary; it was simply a slightly more conventional novel (compared to Milkman or Lincoln in the Bardo, for example). But that’s okay. As you said, it served the story well and it was still a great and moving read.
He’s so enthusiastic I love this guy!
oh Me too )))
Your videos are so informative. Thanks!!!
🤗📚
I’ve only read Such a Fun Age, I’ve recently acquired the Elena Ferrante Quartet and planning to read them at the beginning of 2021!
Fab! 📚
My best books of the year list will definitely include Hamnet, The Liar’s Dictionary and Summer. Also likely will include Piranesi (which you need to read and discuss) and Jack (I think reading Home first would be a good idea but you don’t necessarily need to read Gilead or Lila). The Pull of the Stars is great, and I think Summerwater is worthwhile, even if it’s not summer time. I am really hoping to get to The Bass Rock and Mayflies before year end. I recommend John Lanchester’s The Debt to Pleasure. It’s short and very unnerving.
I've read only 9 of these, which means there's lots of great books to get around to. Of my 9, I loved Bass Rock and The Liar's Dictionary the most. I would have liked to have seen Sisters by Daisy Johnson on the Guardian list. What is interesting is that, looking at the 40 plus works of fiction I have read since lockdown, only 2 books have been by men, and both published over 30 years ago (Ridley Walker by Russell Hoban and Coming Through Slaughter by Michael Ondaatje). Definitly time for Shuggie Bain and Tyll to redress the balance.
Thanks for such a great post! Have some new books on my TBR now!
📚📚📚
10 and quite a few of those just didn't do it for me. Glad to see "Summer" on the list, I felt it was the best of the excellent quartet. Disappointed to see that "Love & Other Thought experiments" didn't make this list. One of my top ten reads of the year. The DeLillo was little more than an extended sketch. I'm with you, a tad disappointing.
I think the only one I've read that you have not is Pull of the Stars. I think you'll like it.
I'm looking forward to it! 💫
I'm definitely looking at "best of the year" book lists this year to see wha timmiht oick up next year. I'm currently trying to give myself some more reading goals gor 2021, as it doesn't seem the pandemic is going away any time soon in the US. And I might be stuck working from home for a while, so I expect I'll be burnin through a lot of audiobooks.
I may have missed if you have discussed it- but my favorite book so far this year is The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw. It was nominated for the National Book Award, but didn't win, though it should have. It's about gender, religion, race, and beautifully written. I laughed several times- a rarely evoked response from me. I persuaded my men's group to read it and their responses were very strong, loving it or hating it. I strongly recommend it - not just because I'm a minister. Knowledge of the bible brought an extra dimension but it isn't necessary to appreciate it. It's a deceptively quick read- I read it twice- and has stayed with me. I hope you'll give it a try
I will now read The Liar's Dictionary as you very quickly made it sound so interesting... Thanks!
I'm glad you feel that way! Hope you enjoy it.
Wow! So many of my top reads of the year there Hamlet, Shuggie Bain, Rodham, Mirror&Light, Pull of the stars, The Shadow King, Weather, Real Life....just missing the Australians that I've read this year that probably aren't published yet in the UK. Richard Flanagan's Living Sea of The Waking Dream blew me away. The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott, Ghost Species by James Bradley and The Animals In That Country by Laura Jean McKay is a mind bending novel, so many other good ones. ,
I watched a 4 part documentary on Hillary before reading Rodham, I've also read "What happened". Rodham is excellent and I'm sure it's more so when you are aware of where fiction strays from fact, it really displayed how well done Rodham is.
The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld and Utopia Avenue are both on my physical TBR from the library.
Also looking forward to Piranesi by Susanna Clarke and might pick up a couple I hadn't heard of before like When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut and The Liar’s Dictionary by Eley Williams
Flanagan's The Living Sea of Waking Dreams was one of my favourite reads. The Rain Herron was quite a pleasant surprise. The Animals in That Country had an interesting premise but I wasn't as impressed by how it came together (3*). I am obsessed with its cover! :-) Another book that was a favourite - The Last Migration by Charlotte McConaghy. I can't recommend it enough.
@@bianquita1 The Last Migration is on my ereader. Very much looking forward to it, thanks for the recommendation. I keep opening it up but just finishing off my NF reading - Fire Country by Victor Steffensen is such an important book, every Australian should read it.
On Rodham, I haven't personally read it but was put off of it by a podcast (mean book club) that reviewed it as a New York Times bestseller. They felt it was really odd to have some of the scenes and how they're written about real people who are still alive (kind of like bad fan fiction). Also a lot of questions on how her life is portrayed as if Bill Clinton would have been her make or break, but I am only remembering generally here. I'm also abstaining from reading it because I actually met Bill Clinton once in NYC and I don't think I need to imagine what they do in the bedroom. 🤣 I'm surprised it would get so much praise. I don't know if you "need" to know her biography, but if you find yourself lost it might be worth a Google search. I don't think she stays very close to her actual life.
In Hamnet, portraying Agnes as having witch like qualities was a gimmicky ploy to glamorize the story. I'm sure the real Agnes would have been just fine, portrayed as she really was.
totally agree
I. Any wait to read Snuggie Bain. It is on my Scribd tbr. I loved Hamnet, and Emma Donoghue.
Dear Eric, I thought of a cool topic for a photo called, The Out Of Print Book Tag (to do a review on a book that is no longer in print)
I’ve read Home & Gilead but not Lila, Housekeeping or Jack...yet. If you want to do a group read? Buddy read?
I'm exactly the same with book series 🤣 and then they relaunch them all with new covers! Every time!!
With Marilyn Robinson, I keep getting Home and Housekeeping mixed up
I Read the first two books of the Hilary Mantel Wolf Hall Trilogy in the first Lockdown then just recently read the last one in the second one. I have also read The Starless Sea by Erin Morgensten which was think you will enjoy. It's a big book and a bit like the Philip Pullman Book Of Dust Series.
Great! I’ve been meaning to read Morgensten’s novel.
I think you would enjoy Ferrante, considering the other books you like.
I read The Lying Life of Adults last month and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I’m looking forward to it!
Does the guardian release what they anticipate to be “best books of the year”??? Or is this list something that’s released at the end? I’m just wondering how people know which books would end up on the list for the upcoming year. Or is it one of those things where by luck you just happen to read one of the “best books of the year”?
This is a list they’ve released at the end of the year although they usually make lists at the beginning of books people should watch out for which I guess they compile from advanced copies.
I would love to see you comment hmm negatively on some of the books, i think you are trying to be nice but it´s ok, we are here to listen to what you thought, hope this helps you, i always appreciate people who tell exactly what they thought about the books they ve read, thanks so much! Desde México :)
I’m not just trying to be nice. I only ever say what I genuinely feel about what I read. Hope you’re reading good things! 📚
Burnt Sugar is high on my TBR but it doesn't come out America until January.
Oh I didn’t know it’s not out yet. I’m sure you’ll find it’s excellent.
Burnt Sugar is published in America under the title Girl in White Cotton
Hamnet
The Pull of the Stars ☘️
Exciting Times ☘️
The Bass Rock
Burnt Sugar
Shuggie Bain🏴
Such a Fun Age
Summer
I’ve read the books above
☕️☘️👋📖😷📚🦋🤩
Surprized “Real life” did not gel with you. Ive not read it myself but its on my TBR. I did listen to some interviews with the author who seemed pretty cheery. The discomfort of evening was definitely not an easy read.
I read seasonally, so no, I don't think it's silly to hold on to Summerwater until summer. That's my plan, anyway
👍
I see that Apeirogon is nowhere on those "best of" lists and I understand the allegations but as a book I just thought it was so good :/ ... Anyway, yes Ferrante is wonderful (especially Days of Abandonment), but I haven't read the My Brilliant Friend series yet, I also plan to read it next year, hopefully. I'm quite intrigued by The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again, it also won the Goldsmiths prize :) I recommend Pull of the Stars as an audiobook, it's quite intense I would say, you really get the feeling as if you were stuck on that hospital ward with the nurses. I liked the book but I didn't like the ending... :P Piranesi is definitely in my personal top 10 :)))
How come no romance novels were on the list why is that ? There are a lot of good romance books that have been published and are worth being on the list. Why weren’t romance books considered for the list ?
Take a day and read Summerwater now. I really loved it!
I liked the book "Hidden Secrets of Billionaires by PR Menon"
I love Elena Ferrante
👍
I've read a number of these titles but was most disappointed with Utopia Avenue. It was enjoyable but not what I had hoped for from David Mitchell who is usually much more innovative. One of my favourite novels from this year doesn't seem to make many 'top' lists and that is How Much of These Hills is Gold by Z Pam Zhang.
Yep, same! And I still hope to read Zhang’s novel soon.
Look at that book stack - be careful, if it topples it will hurt you. I've read quite a few on the list. Many were just 3-stars, some 4. The Lying Life of Adults is the only book that was a 5-star read and one of my 2020 favourites.. The worst book of the year for me was The Pull Of The Stars - I thought it was dreadful.
Oh interesting!
Me : Snobs are the worst yeah
Eric : Mispronounces "Piranesi"
Me : I'm out of here
I’m the worst
I agree with you with real life. I finished it, but not impressed. Marieke Lukas Rijnveld is pronunced Rain-veld. And I also agree with you on that one :)
You did that so well and I agree with you about Amis and I also have trouble knowing where the truth and the fiction merge in books like Rodaham and even Hamnet. I don’t like books based on real people I must be one of the few in the world who couldn’t read Hamnet I feel that despite enjoying Shuggie The Vanishing Half Such a fun Time I gave up on so many of the others. There as no book this year that really blew my mind I had to reread old favourites including classics to get engaged and have that wow feeling. I feel that this has not been a good year for my passion for books
Yeah sometimes it feels like we need to go back to reliable classics
I’ve read 8 on the list attached to your video.I’ve no interest in reading authors like Martin Amis.
I admired "Real Life" but it is relentlessly bleak.
Yay for fiction!
Pull of the Stars is wonderful but boy does it go south in the end. Just a horrible last section.
Do you think she rushed the end just to get the pool published?
👏👏📚📕🎥😍😍🙏🙏
😄📚
Wow books about racism Jews and or gays. So original