I did not expect No One Is Talking About This to be so heartbreaking. I read it because I was intrigued by the bad reviews and I was very much entertained by the first half, and then we got to the second part and it was devastating. I bawled my eyes out. Highly recommend.
Well, I think you did it. I think this is a snot inducing list. I had already been thinking of reading Germinal in May. My goodness, the Christina Lamb books sounds brutal.
Woman at Point Zero definitely had me brimming up. You have reminded me this readathon could be a chance to read 10 Minutes 38 Seconds. Not going to argue with A Fine Balance being the best.
I read Point Zero for a book club years ago, followed almost immediately by Push by Sapphire and seeing a play about Matthew Shepard. Wow. I think I’d look after myself a bit more than that these days 😊
I do love to cry at a book. Hope these do make Gem cry (in the best possible way). I’ve watched Gem’s video and if you don’t cry at her first recommendation I will be seriously concerned. 😂 🐕 Intrigued by the sad and funny book. I probably do need to get round to no one is talking about this. I really want to read A Brief History of Seven Killings. I don’t think I realised it would be a sad sad book though. Looking forward to Misery May. 💔😭
I'm also doing a horror readathon in May, so I'm searching for emotionally devastating horror books that will work for both. I'm sure there will be plenty.
I need to read Marlon James’ book. I remember reading an article about it in The Guardian when it won the Booker and thinking it would be great, but I just never got to it. Intimidated by the 700 pages, I guess.
Great recommendations Scott. Want more books on the misery scale? Deluge by Stephen Markley Ohio by Stephen Markley Angela’s Ashes by Frank O’Hara The Woman Who Walked Into Doors by Roddy Doyle
No thank you to reading these books. I'm too blown out by life and need to steer clear. Even so I have Against the Loveless World on my tbr so I'm grateful for the warning so that I'm not blindsided by the subject matter.
Great recommendations! Against The Loveless World is next on my list. Allow me to respectfully correct you though; it’s about a Palestinian woman and not Pakistani.
Uh oh, does "misery" mean a tear-jerker? I was thinking of it more like torturous suffering. I just read another book with a lot of misery, Absolution*, but it wasn't "snot-inducing." Now I feel I didn't understand the brief for this readathon 😅 *Absolution reminded me of this other topic: Some day I want to create a spread in my reading journal like a book bracket battle without the flaws inherent in the monthly setup. The books that battle will each share a common descriptor, like "characters visit a leprosarium," Absolution v. The Covenant of Water (Absolution being the clear winner). Or Covenant v. North Woods, "books written by doctors who work at Stanford" (North Woods wins by a mile). Just putting that idea out there for folks who like to gamify their reading and are finding multiple books that could fit in the same bingo square. It could be fun to put them in a book bracket battle! 😃
I did not expect No One Is Talking About This to be so heartbreaking. I read it because I was intrigued by the bad reviews and I was very much entertained by the first half, and then we got to the second part and it was devastating. I bawled my eyes out. Highly recommend.
Such a miserable surprise, brilliant. :)
Currently in training for Misery May reading 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World.
I will have to go back and count how many of these I have read (and I know for a fact loved) quite a few. Great recs Scott ❤
Big fan of you and your recommendations. I simply love the books you read. Love from Pakistan
Well, I think you did it. I think this is a snot inducing list. I had already been thinking of reading Germinal in May. My goodness, the Christina Lamb books sounds brutal.
Arianne, I am thinking of reading Germinal too!
Woman at Point Zero definitely had me brimming up. You have reminded me this readathon could be a chance to read 10 Minutes 38 Seconds. Not going to argue with A Fine Balance being the best.
I read Point Zero for a book club years ago, followed almost immediately by Push by Sapphire and seeing a play about Matthew Shepard. Wow. I think I’d look after myself a bit more than that these days 😊
@@StephanieP1901 you must have felt flattened.
I have 10 Minutes 38 Seconds and When Things are alive They Hum on my misery May TBR! Looking forward to both.
and now i want to read them all..well all but the shafek...i've read and loved that one already..she's one of my favorite writers.
I do love to cry at a book. Hope these do make Gem cry (in the best possible way). I’ve watched Gem’s video and if you don’t cry at her first recommendation I will be seriously concerned. 😂 🐕
Intrigued by the sad and funny book. I probably do need to get round to no one is talking about this. I really want to read A Brief History of Seven Killings. I don’t think I realised it would be a sad sad book though.
Looking forward to Misery May. 💔😭
So many great recommendations here and on Gemma's video. I have 18 books on my list. 😄 'I remember Abbu' on kindle is 99p in UK atm
I am such an enormous fan. Thank you very much.
Amazing recs! Video title is also a banger. Love your work 👏
I'm also doing a horror readathon in May, so I'm searching for emotionally devastating horror books that will work for both. I'm sure there will be plenty.
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones - horror + misery
Germinal! Wow. I didn’t expect that one, but we’ll chosen. I read quite a bit about the horrors of the Congo and don’t think I can face that again.
Adding Before My Actual Heart Breaks to my TBR. Great list, I bet she'll have a sob or two 😆
Great choice
excellent list thank you
I need to read Marlon James’ book. I remember reading an article about it in The Guardian when it won the Booker and thinking it would be great, but I just never got to it. Intimidated by the 700 pages, I guess.
Great recommendations Scott. Want more books on the misery scale?
Deluge by Stephen Markley
Ohio by Stephen Markley
Angela’s Ashes by Frank O’Hara
The Woman Who Walked Into Doors by Roddy Doyle
No thank you to reading these books. I'm too blown out by life and need to steer clear. Even so I have Against the Loveless World on my tbr so I'm grateful for the warning so that I'm not blindsided by the subject matter.
Great recommendations! Against The Loveless World is next on my list. Allow me to respectfully correct you though; it’s about a Palestinian woman and not Pakistani.
Uh oh, does "misery" mean a tear-jerker? I was thinking of it more like torturous suffering. I just read another book with a lot of misery, Absolution*, but it wasn't "snot-inducing." Now I feel I didn't understand the brief for this readathon 😅
*Absolution reminded me of this other topic: Some day I want to create a spread in my reading journal like a book bracket battle without the flaws inherent in the monthly setup. The books that battle will each share a common descriptor, like "characters visit a leprosarium," Absolution v. The Covenant of Water (Absolution being the clear winner). Or Covenant v. North Woods, "books written by doctors who work at Stanford" (North Woods wins by a mile). Just putting that idea out there for folks who like to gamify their reading and are finding multiple books that could fit in the same bingo square. It could be fun to put them in a book bracket battle! 😃
That is a cool idea.
Misery doesn't need to be snot or tear inducing. There are levels.
Zola! 👏👏👏
Hi Scott. I need a recommendation for the Immigrants prompt. Gemma recommended Pachinko… but it is so fat! Anything you can recommend?
All that's left unsaid by Tracey Lien is brilliant. Freshwater and Brief History of 7 Killings both deal with immigration among a list of issues.
Our Bodies Their Battlefields was an incredibly difficult but important read. I actually only got 80% through and stopped.
Great video as always