Embarrassingly, I say Termush is translated by Sylvia Day, who is a completely different author 🤦♂️ It was translated by Sylvia Clayton, and ironically I made this mistake while whinging that translator names should be on book covers.
Really interesting hearing your reaction to In Memoriam and understand what you mean about the action having more of an impact than the power of the prose themselves. I wonder if it’ll hold up as well to a reread for me knowing the way the plot plays out. Not watched your Booker predictions yet because I’ll be making mine soon and don’t want to be swayed but I’ll be binge watching yours and others afterwards. 📚
Haha don't worry Eric, I instigated the same Booker predictions video embargo on myself, as I didn't want to be overly influenced by everyone else. Glad to see yours has now gone up - already watched it and love how little overlap we have 😱 And glad my reflections on In Memoriam made sense. I'm hoping it doesn't come across as too negative, as I really did enjoy the book. Just didn't quite fall in love with it!
Appreciate your thoughtful, honest reviews (as usual). Subscribed to your Insta as well but I think your long form TH-cam vids will remain my preferred option. I just received my copy of In Memoriam from my Library and looking forward to reading it after hearing what you had to say. Cheers, Barbara
Thanks Barbara, glad you enjoyed these reviews! The bulk of my content will definitely still remain on here - I really don't think I could handle a second full-time social account 😂 But hopefully will be a chance for me to share some nice photos of bookish stuff. Hope you enjoy In Memoriam!
hope you get back into the reading groove for july! i thought the lorrie moore had such an interesting blend of the thinky and the funnies! i felt if it leaned more one way or the other, i wouldn't have enjoyed the reading experience of it as much haha
Thanks dude, I hope so too!!! Chain-Gang All-Stars was pretty gripping so that’s helped a bit I think. Can see what you mean about the Lorrie Moore, but I felt like such a dumbass most of the time as I couldn’t tell if I was supposed to find it funny or not. But maybe I just *am* a dumbass 🫠
@@benreadsgood ur not a dumbass at all!!! you're incredibly smart and concise about how you talk about books. where's the teleprompter?! i demand to know!!!
Really interesting to hear your thoughts about In Memoriam. You are very good at picking up on things I dont notice, such as when the writing isn't pretty. I thought it was more a Booker book, but I loved it and my tastes align closer to the WP. You've got me questioning my own bias. Hope the concentration comes back for August's big announcement.
Thanks Scott 🙏 Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it a lot! I think it was just considering this book side-by-side with Soldier Sailor and I Am Homeless, I realised that the prose wasn't quite up to the same standard for me. But at risk of sounding like a motivational poster: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And even then it's not the be-all and end-all... I liked it a lot, lot more than I Am Homeless.
Another really interesting video Ben. I think I enjoyed In Memoriam more than you did but understand your comments. A favourite read in June for me would be Black Butterflies, I am now reading Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow which has a lot about gaming in, which isn't my thing at all but the relationship between the two main characters is fascinating. Toodles!
Thanks very much for watching 🙏 I hope my In Memoriam thoughts didn't come off too negative - I did enjoy it, I swear 😅 Was just doing some soul-searching about why I didn't *love* it the way lots of other people seem to. Black Butterflies is fantastic, so I'm glad you enjoyed that one. T3 has been on my bedside table for like... 6 months, but I don't know when I will get around to it. I need to stop letting new books leapfrog it.
You echoed what I had been feeling during the Lorrie Moore book. I really enjoy your videos and will be recommending your channel in an upcoming video of mine 😊😊
Glad not to be alone in how I felt about that one! It's always such a strange feeling to appreciate lovely writing but the book still not quite work for you. And that is so kind of you - thanks so much 🙌
I read Termush a few weeks ago and felt slightly underwhelmed by the ending. I've got the Lorrie Moore book to read as well as In Memoriam. June for me was a bit disappointing, but I did read a wonderful book - We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman. Looking forward to your next TBR.
That's fair on Termush - it definitely ends in more of a whimper than a bang. Haven't heard of the Newman book, but will have to check it out. Thank you for watching! 🙏
Best books I read in June Crow Lake by Mary Lawson A Room With A View English Animals Best books read so far in July The New Life by Tom Crewe Weyward Currently reading Kala by Colin Walsh Close To Home by Michael Magee Blackwater Lightship by Colm Toibin 🍀👋☘️📚📖📕☕️🇮🇪
@@benreadsgood it’s very moorish. Especially on audio. Multi voice cast. All I need is a glass of Jamesons and it would be like friends telling you an awful story.
Great video Ben, thank you! I’m reading In Memoriam currently and I love it, but I get what you mean about it not feeling like a Booker book. Also, sadly, I don’t think it’ll be eligible for next year’s women’s prize - which is such a shame
Oh wow, you’re right! For some reason I thought it came out in April, but the March release puts it out of contention. That’s such a shame for Alice Winn!
I have In Memoriam on reserve at the library, anticipating a booker placing, wondering how it will go now after what you've said. I've just started The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng and wondering if it has a chance too. I am enjoying it, just not sure if it goes into Booker territory. Also dipping in and out of Fire Rush and thinking it has more of a chance for a Booker placing at the moment only because it feels so original. I just read Yellowface and that is a blast, I'm sort of hoping it will have a spot on the list now. It felt original, which considering the content, is a satirical way to feel. Commenting about it on social media is also kind of satirical. I'm listening to The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane, because it's Australian I'm thinking it has no chance for a placing. It didn't make the Miles Franklin list this year either, which might have been an oversight. It did shortlist for The ABIA Literary shortlist tho'. I finished Delphine De Vigan's Gratitude translated from The French by George Miller and that is a delightful novella, highly recommended.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on recent reads, Kim. Super interesting! I am interested in Yellowface, but for some reason I get the feeling it's not a super literary / 'Booker' book? But let me know if that's wrong. It has certainly been interesting to see it on some predictions lists. Good to know about The Sun Walks Down - I had thumbed through that one in my local bookshop when thinking about my predictions and thought it might be one with an outside chance, but perhaps not after all!
@@benreadsgood I have to adjust some of what I've said. I've got further into The House of Doors and it's gorgeous prose, at times stunning. The Sun Walks Down is also brilliantly done, each character's narration felt pretty authentic. I don't normally like small children narrating but this was pretty good the few times it was done. Yellowface isn't super literary, but I think there's enough going on that is original enough for a place on the longlist.
Yeah I did really enjoy it (gave it 4 stars) I just didn't fall in love with it like everyone else seemed to. Think it's got a great chance at a Booker nom though, and we'll probably see it on the Women's Prize longlist next year.
Another great video! I agree re In Memoriam. I cried loads whilst reading it but was left feeling very conflicted. I haven't read much WW1 literature so I'm not sure how original it was. The acknowledgements at the end made me question that even more as so many scenes seemed to be pulled from other texts. I agree the writing itself was nothing special and it was definitely the content that carried it. I also thought how accepted their relationship was was unbelievable but I wondered whether that was a choice she made. We often ask for a gay novel where the characters being gay doesn't end in tragedy and I guess this is an example of that?
Thanks so much - glad the In Memoriam thoughts resonated! It's so interesting about all the sources Winn drew from. On the one hand it made it feel even more sad knowing how real so many of the scenarios were, but on the other I can see how being a bit of a magpie can undermine it for other readers. And yep, you're totally right about gay characters needing a bit of happiness. Definitely could have ended up too bleak if rampant homophobia was piled on top of all the WW1 content.
That’s really an interesting fact about public schools in the UK. I know that we call public schools public because it’s open to the public with cheap fees. What would public mean in the uk case since it’s elite?
I believe it's because it's 'public' in opposition to 'local'. You'd normally only be able to go to the school near your home, but these posh schools took people from all over the country!
Ben, I’m reading your channel desc because I’m including you in a Booktuber recommendation video… what does your desc mean….a channel for ants. I know I’m missing the joke!!
Haha I'm glad someone has asked at last. My channel name is a reference to a scene from the film Zoolander! Here's the clip: th-cam.com/video/NQ-8IuUkJJc/w-d-xo.htmlm
I hated the Lorrie Moore and bailed before the last forty ages. Didn’t make sense and felt the author had no interest in meeting me half-way.horrible reading experience.
Haha I can sympathise with that. It is pretty discombobulating, and I found the tone so unclear. I don't think the last 40 pages would have turned it around for you!
I went back to this video because I just finished Soldier Sailor but holy shit I hated that book. Cannot disagree more. 😂 It’s so cheap to me. “All men trash” type of book.
Did we read the same book?!? 😭 Her husband was a pain (but tried very hard not to seem so, which I found that funny) but I didn’t get an all men are trash vibe at all.
Embarrassingly, I say Termush is translated by Sylvia Day, who is a completely different author 🤦♂️
It was translated by Sylvia Clayton, and ironically I made this mistake while whinging that translator names should be on book covers.
Really loving your channel lately! Appreciate the thoughtful and thorough reviews.
Thank you so much! 🙌
Really interesting hearing your reaction to In Memoriam and understand what you mean about the action having more of an impact than the power of the prose themselves. I wonder if it’ll hold up as well to a reread for me knowing the way the plot plays out.
Not watched your Booker predictions yet because I’ll be making mine soon and don’t want to be swayed but I’ll be binge watching yours and others afterwards. 📚
Haha don't worry Eric, I instigated the same Booker predictions video embargo on myself, as I didn't want to be overly influenced by everyone else. Glad to see yours has now gone up - already watched it and love how little overlap we have 😱
And glad my reflections on In Memoriam made sense. I'm hoping it doesn't come across as too negative, as I really did enjoy the book. Just didn't quite fall in love with it!
I really want to read Soldier Sailor!! Definitely sounds like a WP book for next year.
Always good to here your thoughts 😊
It's a real gem! A definite recommended read from me ☺️
Thanks for watching, Charlie! 🙏
Appreciate your thoughtful, honest reviews (as usual). Subscribed to your Insta as well but I think your long form TH-cam vids will remain my preferred option. I just received my copy of In Memoriam from my Library and looking forward to reading it after hearing what you had to say. Cheers, Barbara
Thanks Barbara, glad you enjoyed these reviews! The bulk of my content will definitely still remain on here - I really don't think I could handle a second full-time social account 😂 But hopefully will be a chance for me to share some nice photos of bookish stuff.
Hope you enjoy In Memoriam!
i didn't have the best focus in june either! Soldier Sailor sounds really interesting but also very intense!
Yeah it's like being inside the head of a very anxious person, but kind of in a good and thrilling way?
Let's hope July brings some more focus 💪
hope you get back into the reading groove for july!
i thought the lorrie moore had such an interesting blend of the thinky and the funnies! i felt if it leaned more one way or the other, i wouldn't have enjoyed the reading experience of it as much haha
Thanks dude, I hope so too!!! Chain-Gang All-Stars was pretty gripping so that’s helped a bit I think.
Can see what you mean about the Lorrie Moore, but I felt like such a dumbass most of the time as I couldn’t tell if I was supposed to find it funny or not. But maybe I just *am* a dumbass 🫠
@@benreadsgood ur not a dumbass at all!!! you're incredibly smart and concise about how you talk about books. where's the teleprompter?! i demand to know!!!
Oh good you can’t see my earpiece then
Really interesting to hear your thoughts about In Memoriam. You are very good at picking up on things I dont notice, such as when the writing isn't pretty. I thought it was more a Booker book, but I loved it and my tastes align closer to the WP. You've got me questioning my own bias.
Hope the concentration comes back for August's big announcement.
Thanks Scott 🙏 Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it a lot!
I think it was just considering this book side-by-side with Soldier Sailor and I Am Homeless, I realised that the prose wasn't quite up to the same standard for me.
But at risk of sounding like a motivational poster: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And even then it's not the be-all and end-all... I liked it a lot, lot more than I Am Homeless.
Another really interesting video Ben. I think I enjoyed In Memoriam more than you did but understand your comments. A favourite read in June for me would be Black Butterflies, I am now reading Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow which has a lot about gaming in, which isn't my thing at all but the relationship between the two main characters is fascinating. Toodles!
Thanks very much for watching 🙏
I hope my In Memoriam thoughts didn't come off too negative - I did enjoy it, I swear 😅 Was just doing some soul-searching about why I didn't *love* it the way lots of other people seem to.
Black Butterflies is fantastic, so I'm glad you enjoyed that one. T3 has been on my bedside table for like... 6 months, but I don't know when I will get around to it. I need to stop letting new books leapfrog it.
You echoed what I had been feeling during the Lorrie Moore book. I really enjoy your videos and will be recommending your channel in an upcoming video of mine 😊😊
Glad not to be alone in how I felt about that one! It's always such a strange feeling to appreciate lovely writing but the book still not quite work for you.
And that is so kind of you - thanks so much 🙌
@@benreadsgood 🥰
I read Termush a few weeks ago and felt slightly underwhelmed by the ending. I've got the Lorrie Moore book to read as well as In Memoriam. June for me was a bit disappointing, but I did read a wonderful book - We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman. Looking forward to your next TBR.
That's fair on Termush - it definitely ends in more of a whimper than a bang. Haven't heard of the Newman book, but will have to check it out.
Thank you for watching! 🙏
Best books I read in June
Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
A Room With A View
English Animals
Best books read so far in July
The New Life by Tom Crewe
Weyward
Currently reading
Kala by Colin Walsh
Close To Home by Michael Magee
Blackwater Lightship by Colm Toibin
🍀👋☘️📚📖📕☕️🇮🇪
Some great picks in there! I am super intrigued by Kala - hope you’re enjoying it 🙏
@@benreadsgood it’s very moorish. Especially on audio. Multi voice cast. All I need is a glass of Jamesons and it would be like friends telling you an awful story.
That sounds like a good time!
Great video Ben, thank you! I’m reading In Memoriam currently and I love it, but I get what you mean about it not feeling like a Booker book. Also, sadly, I don’t think it’ll be eligible for next year’s women’s prize - which is such a shame
Oh wow, you’re right! For some reason I thought it came out in April, but the March release puts it out of contention. That’s such a shame for Alice Winn!
I'm reading "Will in the World" (NF) by Stephen Greenblatt. It's ace.
Ooh a bit of Shakespearean history! I really need to pull my finger out and read a bit more non-fiction.
@@benreadsgood I'll keep sending you some suggestions. I spend a lot of time in those stacks. ;)
I have In Memoriam on reserve at the library, anticipating a booker placing, wondering how it will go now after what you've said. I've just started The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng and wondering if it has a chance too. I am enjoying it, just not sure if it goes into Booker territory. Also dipping in and out of Fire Rush and thinking it has more of a chance for a Booker placing at the moment only because it feels so original. I just read Yellowface and that is a blast, I'm sort of hoping it will have a spot on the list now. It felt original, which considering the content, is a satirical way to feel. Commenting about it on social media is also kind of satirical.
I'm listening to The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane, because it's Australian I'm thinking it has no chance for a placing. It didn't make the Miles Franklin list this year either, which might have been an oversight. It did shortlist for The ABIA Literary shortlist tho'.
I finished Delphine De Vigan's Gratitude translated from The French by George Miller and that is a delightful novella, highly recommended.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on recent reads, Kim. Super interesting! I am interested in Yellowface, but for some reason I get the feeling it's not a super literary / 'Booker' book? But let me know if that's wrong. It has certainly been interesting to see it on some predictions lists.
Good to know about The Sun Walks Down - I had thumbed through that one in my local bookshop when thinking about my predictions and thought it might be one with an outside chance, but perhaps not after all!
@@benreadsgood I have to adjust some of what I've said. I've got further into The House of Doors and it's gorgeous prose, at times stunning. The Sun Walks Down is also brilliantly done, each character's narration felt pretty authentic. I don't normally like small children narrating but this was pretty good the few times it was done. Yellowface isn't super literary, but I think there's enough going on that is original enough for a place on the longlist.
I agree with In Memoriam. It’s good but like you say, I don’t think it’s amazing!
Yeah I did really enjoy it (gave it 4 stars) I just didn't fall in love with it like everyone else seemed to. Think it's got a great chance at a Booker nom though, and we'll probably see it on the Women's Prize longlist next year.
Another great video! I agree re In Memoriam. I cried loads whilst reading it but was left feeling very conflicted. I haven't read much WW1 literature so I'm not sure how original it was. The acknowledgements at the end made me question that even more as so many scenes seemed to be pulled from other texts. I agree the writing itself was nothing special and it was definitely the content that carried it. I also thought how accepted their relationship was was unbelievable but I wondered whether that was a choice she made. We often ask for a gay novel where the characters being gay doesn't end in tragedy and I guess this is an example of that?
Thanks so much - glad the In Memoriam thoughts resonated! It's so interesting about all the sources Winn drew from. On the one hand it made it feel even more sad knowing how real so many of the scenarios were, but on the other I can see how being a bit of a magpie can undermine it for other readers.
And yep, you're totally right about gay characters needing a bit of happiness. Definitely could have ended up too bleak if rampant homophobia was piled on top of all the WW1 content.
That’s really an interesting fact about public schools in the UK. I know that we call public schools public because it’s open to the public with cheap fees. What would public mean in the uk case since it’s elite?
I believe it's because it's 'public' in opposition to 'local'. You'd normally only be able to go to the school near your home, but these posh schools took people from all over the country!
@@benreadsgood I seeee
Ben, I’m reading your channel desc because I’m including you in a Booktuber recommendation video… what does your desc mean….a channel for ants. I know I’m missing the joke!!
Haha I'm glad someone has asked at last. My channel name is a reference to a scene from the film Zoolander! Here's the clip: th-cam.com/video/NQ-8IuUkJJc/w-d-xo.htmlm
OMG, how funny!! I love it!
@@benreadsgood, OMG so funny!
📕 🪱 💚💚💚
I hated the Lorrie Moore and bailed before the last forty ages. Didn’t make sense and felt the author had no interest in meeting me half-way.horrible reading experience.
Haha I can sympathise with that. It is pretty discombobulating, and I found the tone so unclear. I don't think the last 40 pages would have turned it around for you!
I went back to this video because I just finished Soldier Sailor but holy shit I hated that book. Cannot disagree more. 😂 It’s so cheap to me. “All men trash” type of book.
Did we read the same book?!? 😭 Her husband was a pain (but tried very hard not to seem so, which I found that funny) but I didn’t get an all men are trash vibe at all.