Loved your thoughts on Black Buck. I was so hypd to read it but somehow it didn't fully sit right with me. Something wasn't connecting. I thought it was the weird time jumps but I think you brought up some things I did not notice as much but actually could be the reason.
Really appreciated hearing your thoughts, particularly about the Lockwood and Ishiguro novels. They are both ones I have toyed with the idea of reading, but the more I hear about the Lockwood, the less I feel like I want to read it. I will probably read the Ishiguro because Never Let Me Go is a masterpiece and I'm still chasing that particular expereince. I'm hoping I find another Ishiguro I love, and there are luckily a lot to choose from.
I've only read NLMG and Remains of the Day from Ishiguro previously, but I love Remains of the Day, although it does feel a bit most labored of the three, but I found it so fulfilling to read about the main character, the butler named Stevens. You may like that one too! No sci-fi-y stuff but it was really captivating to me. Klara in a way feels like a mish-mash of both books! I hope you like it when/if you get to it : )
HAHA black buck put me into a reading slump in the middle of it. it was overwhelming and the time jump was a bit too wild! even though i did enjoy it, i kind of thought it was too long yet short at the same time for what it was trying to do. i also don't like self help books, so the sales tips made me roll my eyes, actually i think i rolled my eyes throughout the entire thing 😂 i think i am really going to have to read Lot, since i read memorial and just didn't like it as much as i thought i would. also, teach me how to be so articulate!!!
this was such an interesting wrap up, there were a lot of books in this video that are also on my radar. i keep going back and forth on whether me not to pick up black buck. everyone seems to have differing opinion on it so i can’t truly tell whether or not i’m going to like it! same with kazuo ishiguro. i’ve only read remains of the day and it’s probably one of my favourite books of all time. but i never hear glowing reviews about his other works. i think i will pick up klara, just because i want to see how sci-fi/dystopian it is. i’m putting Lot on my tbr straight away! i was thinking about picking up memorial, but i also want to get through some short stories this year if i can, so i might pick up Lot instead.
If you loved Remains of the Day then you may end up liking Klara too! RotD is my favorite Ishiguro and one of my favorite books I've read, so when those glimmers stood out in Klara it was a nice respite to something more familiar to the vibe of that book. I hope you enjoy Lot! It makes me a bit more hopeful of Washington's next venture into a novel, maybe it'll be a bit better, since I heard he based Memorial on initially being a short story, so maybe it was growing pains with trying his hand at a novel for the first time.
I am interested in the Lockwood so you haven't put me off. This month I read Gina Apostol's The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata. Enjoyed it but it was a difficult read for me technically. I also read Orlando by Virginia Woolf and thought it had some fun moments. My favorite read was Older Sister. Not Necessarily Related by Jenny Heijun Wills. She is a Canadian-Korean transracial adoptee, so pretty niche, but it was very powerful. I read two books by Black authors, Aftershocks by Nadia Owusu, a new memoir, and Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi. Both were fine but didn't blow me away. Not sure what I'll read next month except for Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich.
Sounds like a balanced month! Sometimes I can appreciate having a lackluster read mixed into my reading month if it can make me think about why I liked my other reads more. Orlando is fun! I was surprised having read it after Lighthouse and Dalloway that Woolf...has a sense of humor? haha. I'm not sure if you're familiar with Claire from Claire Reads Books, she's a great booktuber and I just saw she loved Love Medicine! So I really want to pick it up soon too
Alex, loved this video so much. I really enjoy all of your thoughts and reflections. You are so intelligent and detailed! Loved your thoughts on the Didion collection, you really articulated the thoughts that I didn’t have good words for hahaha. Big hugs!
The Lost Daughter is my favourite of Ferrante’s stand-alones, i think it reads as a real practice ground for some of the ideas in the quartet - particularly around book 3 (IIRC). Have you read Lying Lives of Adults yet? I preordered it but haven’t got to it yet, I’m waiting til I have a bit more mental space for it. Interesting to hear your thoughts on the Lockwood. I don’t really get along with her and a lot of commentary tends to sell her ability to mimic as some kind of super perception. Between it and Fake Accounts I’d definitely favour Oyler’s take... but at the same time they both sound like the last things I’d want to read right now, hah. I’ll have to look for your review of Fake Accounts.
I have read Lying Life! I found it to be nothing reinventing the wheel from what Ferrante is comfortable with, but I also heard that Lying Life was a shelved work that was given some TLC to push to publish now? So that may make sense. Yeah, with Lockwood it sort of sounded like a version of a critical review of the internet, but sold as a novel, it was strange. I kind of would hvae maybe just preferred something akin to Jia Tolentino's Trick Mirror in the form of essays. I kind of wonder if No One is Talking About This was so persuasive to market since now the Internet Novel is becoming a thing?? (I say as someone who's literally only heard of this and Fake Accounts to match that camp lol)
I have had such a stressful week that hearing you talk about books is especially relaxing today 😌 Slouching Towards Bethlehem is also my fave by Didion! I understand your points about her new one but I still want to read everything she’s ever written, haha
I think so? I love a generational story and nonlinear narratives and this one is very well done. The book obviously explores the theme of black identity and I appreciate all the different aspects of this identity that are included, especially that the core cast includes a black trans character. I've seen this representation described as "casual", i.e. that it is not presented as a big deal, but it's used to open up a whole new level in the exploration of the themes of (black) identity. It's a very well crafted book.
I enjoyed the first half of Black Buck because it actually did feel satirical. The second half had a huge shift in tone, themes etc etc. I will be looking out for his future writing though, I enjoyed that at least!
I'm looking forward to his future work too! I'd love to see Askaripour jump into the essay collection route, I'd be so curious what that would be like.
I am now reading boys like us: gay writers tell their coming out stories by Patrick Merla and after that I will be reading the penguin book of gay short stories edited by David levitt
Loved your thoughts on Black Buck. I was so hypd to read it but somehow it didn't fully sit right with me. Something wasn't connecting. I thought it was the weird time jumps but I think you brought up some things I did not notice as much but actually could be the reason.
Really appreciated hearing your thoughts, particularly about the Lockwood and Ishiguro novels. They are both ones I have toyed with the idea of reading, but the more I hear about the Lockwood, the less I feel like I want to read it. I will probably read the Ishiguro because Never Let Me Go is a masterpiece and I'm still chasing that particular expereince. I'm hoping I find another Ishiguro I love, and there are luckily a lot to choose from.
I've only read NLMG and Remains of the Day from Ishiguro previously, but I love Remains of the Day, although it does feel a bit most labored of the three, but I found it so fulfilling to read about the main character, the butler named Stevens. You may like that one too! No sci-fi-y stuff but it was really captivating to me. Klara in a way feels like a mish-mash of both books! I hope you like it when/if you get to it : )
HAHA black buck put me into a reading slump in the middle of it. it was overwhelming and the time jump was a bit too wild! even though i did enjoy it, i kind of thought it was too long yet short at the same time for what it was trying to do. i also don't like self help books, so the sales tips made me roll my eyes, actually i think i rolled my eyes throughout the entire thing 😂 i think i am really going to have to read Lot, since i read memorial and just didn't like it as much as i thought i would. also, teach me how to be so articulate!!!
omg Lot was definitely a nice treat after Black Buck lol. Thanks Stef! : )
this was such an interesting wrap up, there were a lot of books in this video that are also on my radar. i keep going back and forth on whether me not to pick up black buck. everyone seems to have differing opinion on it so i can’t truly tell whether or not i’m going to like it!
same with kazuo ishiguro. i’ve only read remains of the day and it’s probably one of my favourite books of all time. but i never hear glowing reviews about his other works. i think i will pick up klara, just because i want to see how sci-fi/dystopian it is.
i’m putting Lot on my tbr straight away! i was thinking about picking up memorial, but i also want to get through some short stories this year if i can, so i might pick up Lot instead.
If you loved Remains of the Day then you may end up liking Klara too! RotD is my favorite Ishiguro and one of my favorite books I've read, so when those glimmers stood out in Klara it was a nice respite to something more familiar to the vibe of that book.
I hope you enjoy Lot! It makes me a bit more hopeful of Washington's next venture into a novel, maybe it'll be a bit better, since I heard he based Memorial on initially being a short story, so maybe it was growing pains with trying his hand at a novel for the first time.
I am interested in the Lockwood so you haven't put me off. This month I read Gina Apostol's The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata. Enjoyed it but it was a difficult read for me technically. I also read Orlando by Virginia Woolf and thought it had some fun moments. My favorite read was Older Sister. Not Necessarily Related by Jenny Heijun Wills. She is a Canadian-Korean transracial adoptee, so pretty niche, but it was very powerful. I read two books by Black authors, Aftershocks by Nadia Owusu, a new memoir, and Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi. Both were fine but didn't blow me away. Not sure what I'll read next month except for Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich.
Sounds like a balanced month! Sometimes I can appreciate having a lackluster read mixed into my reading month if it can make me think about why I liked my other reads more. Orlando is fun! I was surprised having read it after Lighthouse and Dalloway that Woolf...has a sense of humor? haha. I'm not sure if you're familiar with Claire from Claire Reads Books, she's a great booktuber and I just saw she loved Love Medicine! So I really want to pick it up soon too
Alex, loved this video so much. I really enjoy all of your thoughts and reflections. You are so intelligent and detailed! Loved your thoughts on the Didion collection, you really articulated the thoughts that I didn’t have good words for hahaha. Big hugs!
💫 Ah thank you Ben!! 💫 I look forward to more of your reading recaps and reviews! 🙂
The Lost Daughter is my favourite of Ferrante’s stand-alones, i think it reads as a real practice ground for some of the ideas in the quartet - particularly around book 3 (IIRC). Have you read Lying Lives of Adults yet? I preordered it but haven’t got to it yet, I’m waiting til I have a bit more mental space for it.
Interesting to hear your thoughts on the Lockwood. I don’t really get along with her and a lot of commentary tends to sell her ability to mimic as some kind of super perception. Between it and Fake Accounts I’d definitely favour Oyler’s take... but at the same time they both sound like the last things I’d want to read right now, hah. I’ll have to look for your review of Fake Accounts.
I have read Lying Life! I found it to be nothing reinventing the wheel from what Ferrante is comfortable with, but I also heard that Lying Life was a shelved work that was given some TLC to push to publish now? So that may make sense.
Yeah, with Lockwood it sort of sounded like a version of a critical review of the internet, but sold as a novel, it was strange. I kind of would hvae maybe just preferred something akin to Jia Tolentino's Trick Mirror in the form of essays. I kind of wonder if No One is Talking About This was so persuasive to market since now the Internet Novel is becoming a thing?? (I say as someone who's literally only heard of this and Fake Accounts to match that camp lol)
I have had such a stressful week that hearing you talk about books is especially relaxing today 😌 Slouching Towards Bethlehem is also my fave by Didion! I understand your points about her new one but I still want to read everything she’s ever written, haha
Ah I'm glad to help! : ) I'm ultimately glad to still have this Didion in my collection, she's always comforting to dive back into
I read Memorial this month, which was an interesting experience, and I'm currently (finally lol) reading The Vanishing Half.
haha I feel that! Maybe instead of Vanishing Half for me it'd be (finally) Girl Woman Other. How is Vanishing Half so far, is the hype real?
I think so? I love a generational story and nonlinear narratives and this one is very well done. The book obviously explores the theme of black identity and I appreciate all the different aspects of this identity that are included, especially that the core cast includes a black trans character. I've seen this representation described as "casual", i.e. that it is not presented as a big deal, but it's used to open up a whole new level in the exploration of the themes of (black) identity. It's a very well crafted book.
I enjoyed the first half of Black Buck because it actually did feel satirical. The second half had a huge shift in tone, themes etc etc. I will be looking out for his future writing though, I enjoyed that at least!
I'm looking forward to his future work too! I'd love to see Askaripour jump into the essay collection route, I'd be so curious what that would be like.
Starting Remains of the Day soon. Always seemed to me like people praised him in really muted tones.
One of my favorite books! I hope you like it : )
I am now reading boys like us: gay writers tell their coming out stories by Patrick Merla and after that I will be reading the penguin book of gay short stories edited by David levitt