Some great choices there, thanks. I went to a screening of Call Me By Your Name in Jerusalem last year with a Q&A from Professor Aciman beforehand. My wife, my daughter and I had all read and loved the book and he kindly signed it for my daughter. I liked Never Let Me Go, but it's no Remains of the Day although that was published before 2000. If you liked the first Ferrante, you really must make the time for the others. The whole series is something very special indeed. Thanks as always for your insight and recommendations. I picked up a copy of Asterios Polyp thanks to an earlier video you made. I will get to it some time in the next month. Cheers.
Remains of the Day is a tremendous book--had it been published after 2000, I probably would have included it. That's so nice about the Aciman signing! And I really hope you enjoy Asterios Polyp!
I also absolutely loved A Place For Us. I don't generally cry at books, but oh boy did I get weepy near the end of that one! She got me, for sure. It was just so masterfully written and perfectly done. Can't wait to read whatever else she writes. But jeez, trying to choose my favorite since 2000?? That's.........hard. That one would certainly be a contender, as well as My Brilliant Friend, The Air You Breathe, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Homegoing, so many more. But I think it would come down to either Cantoras or Circe, and I'm glad I don't have a Booktube channel because I simply can't choose between those two, LOL
Enjoyed this!!! That sounds like a fantastic list of reading. Sadly, I have not read a single one... although, I do own a copy of "The Book Thief" and "A Place for Us." I just haven't gotten to them yet. So many books, so little time!
OMG Please read Find Me! I would say just approach it as a novel in the same world as CMBYN. If you love Aciman's writing you'll probably enjoy it. I think the negative reviews were from those who were anticipating a CMBYN 2 and it's not that. It's a companion story with some of those same characters. I enjoyed it. Hope you get to make up your own mind about it. Thanks for all the recommendations! I enjoyed hearing your take on these!
I love your point about being more forgiving about week points in novels than in short story collections! I also agree that The Road is a modern classic. I do still remember specific scenes, but I would love to reread it.
I agree Hamnet was a beautiful but devastating read, easily one of my favourite reads this year. My favourites. 10. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. 9. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 8. Queenie by Candice Carty Williams 7. My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece by Annabel Pitcher 6. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. 5. Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi. 4. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. 3. The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne. 2. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell. 1. Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese.
I had the same experience with Markus Zusak, adored The Book Thief, but ended up DNFing Bridge of Clay at under 100 pages! I don't think I've ever had such an extreme reaction landing on both sides of the spectrum with an author.
I loved Hamnet, by Maggie O’Farrell, could well be my top this year, but decided to excluded it with this, because it's just too soon :D I really have to read The book thief and Never Let Me Go both have been on my TBR for ages and really need to investigate your others. My favourites of the 2000s not including the past couple of years would include Half a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell The Secret River by Kate Grenville Small Island by Andrea Levy The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones Sorry by Gail Jones Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan 2013 (he's a favourite author and hard to pick one but this won the booker)
Great list. I love Hamnet, Call Me By Your Name, The Road...and Ishiguro, but Never Let Me Go did not fully resonate with me. That said, you might have convinced me that I need to reread it.
Ugh, I guess I have to read Call Me By Your Name now. ☺️ I think my number one favorite fiction is a five-way tie-because I’m so indecisive-between Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones (2016), The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (2015), Vicious by V. E. Schwab (2013), The Hole by Hye-young Pyun (2016), and The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi (2005).
If you do pick up Call Me By Your Name, I hope you enjoy it! Great list of titles unfamiliar to me (other than The Fifth Season)--I will check them out!
Terrific list. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane absolutely deserves a spot. I think Hamnet was overhyped. It was beautifully written but I was tapped into the grief because I was tapped into Agnes as a character. She was amazing. I felt, however, that I should have been tapped into the grief because of Hamet as well or at least the absence he created in the story. Instead his descent to death was so rushed that the sense of dread was missed and the loss seemed telegraphed through Agnes and at times the author which pulled me out of their world. Perhaps I need distance and a chance to reread it but I was much more emotional over the loss of a similar Agnes in Shuggie Bain. Finally, I agree with you about Never Let Me Go it was an indescribable emotional experience.
That's interesting because someone else said they struggled with Hamnet because they felt it took forever for him to actually die when you knew it was coming. I'm very excited for Shuggie Bain and am always happy to find another Edward Tulane enthusiast!
Hello! Thanks for your video. I saw the "Never Let Me Go" movie and was really moved by it, so I know what it is about. Do you think it's still worth reading? I read "The Remains of The Day" years ago, and did not like it. :(
If you didn't like Remains of the Day, chances are probably good that you wouldn't be into Never Let Me Go either, although I have heard of people who loved Remains and hated Never Let Me Go--so there's a chance you would be the opposite.
My favourites Ohio by Stephen Markley Rules of Civility by Amor Towles The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne Milkman by Anna Burns Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart The Midnight Library by Matt Haig A Woman is No Man by House On Endless Waters by Emuna Elon The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue All the Lives We Never Lived by Arundati Roy The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer All Among the Barley by Melissa Harrison Actress by Ann Enright [ A Bridge of Clay ( on audio) by Marcus Zuzak] A Place For Us by Fatima Farhern Mirza The Wife by Meg Wolitzer The Hoarder by Jess Kidd The Other Half of Augusta Hope The Death of Noah Glass Flames by Robbie Arnott I can’t stick to ten & my list might be different next week 🤩👋☘️📚🦋📖🌈👍
I'm getting worried that I've helped create a hype machine around Hamnet that it can never live up to. I totally get why a lot of people don't like Never Let Me Go, I just happen to love it.
Mine (I think, because this is HARD): life after life milkman fingersmith lincoln in the bardo the city & the city the brief wondrous life of oscar wao never mind a little life a tale for the time being the signature of all things
It really IS difficult. That's why I needed a bonus round. I really need to read Fingersmith. Loved A Tale for the Time Being and Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. The audio of Lincoln in the Bardo is really good.
I found two Sarah Waters' books recently at my local thrift store, The Paying Guests and the Night Watch. I floated out of there on Cloud 9. I love Sarah Waters' books and these were the two I haven't read.
I am definitely interested in reading the miraculous journey of Edward Tulane and the cover of it is beautiful and there is an author that I hope you would check out Greg and his name is George haggerty and one of his books is called men in love masculinity and sexuality and he has also other books but I can’t say there name because the all have the q word in them but I highly recommend all of his books because I think there going to give you a very formative understanding of gay representation in gothic literature
Supposedly Fun I am definitely going to pick up the miraculous journey of Edward Tulane and I like the name of it and I hope I didn’t create a hype machine for shuggie Bain because I genuinely hope that you would love it just like I did
Some great choices there, thanks. I went to a screening of Call Me By Your Name in Jerusalem last year with a Q&A from Professor Aciman beforehand. My wife, my daughter and I had all read and loved the book and he kindly signed it for my daughter.
I liked Never Let Me Go, but it's no Remains of the Day although that was published before 2000. If you liked the first Ferrante, you really must make the time for the others. The whole series is something very special indeed.
Thanks as always for your insight and recommendations. I picked up a copy of Asterios Polyp thanks to an earlier video you made. I will get to it some time in the next month. Cheers.
Remains of the Day is a tremendous book--had it been published after 2000, I probably would have included it. That's so nice about the Aciman signing! And I really hope you enjoy Asterios Polyp!
I also absolutely loved A Place For Us. I don't generally cry at books, but oh boy did I get weepy near the end of that one! She got me, for sure. It was just so masterfully written and perfectly done. Can't wait to read whatever else she writes. But jeez, trying to choose my favorite since 2000?? That's.........hard. That one would certainly be a contender, as well as My Brilliant Friend, The Air You Breathe, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Homegoing, so many more. But I think it would come down to either Cantoras or Circe, and I'm glad I don't have a Booktube channel because I simply can't choose between those two, LOL
Enjoyed this!!! That sounds like a fantastic list of reading. Sadly, I have not read a single one... although, I do own a copy of "The Book Thief" and "A Place for Us." I just haven't gotten to them yet. So many books, so little time!
I totally get it--there really are so many books! If you get to them at some point, I hope you love The Book Thief and A Place for Us!
OMG Please read Find Me! I would say just approach it as a novel in the same world as CMBYN. If you love Aciman's writing you'll probably enjoy it. I think the negative reviews were from those who were anticipating a CMBYN 2 and it's not that. It's a companion story with some of those same characters. I enjoyed it. Hope you get to make up your own mind about it. Thanks for all the recommendations! I enjoyed hearing your take on these!
When people who love books/reading talk about it, I become mesmerized. I put your video on and forgot about everything else.
Thank you--that's a great compliment!
I love your point about being more forgiving about week points in novels than in short story collections! I also agree that The Road is a modern classic. I do still remember specific scenes, but I would love to reread it.
I agree Hamnet was a beautiful but devastating read, easily one of my favourite reads this year.
My favourites.
10. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.
9. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
8. Queenie by Candice Carty Williams
7. My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece by Annabel Pitcher
6. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
5. Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi.
4. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.
3. The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne.
2. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell.
1. Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese.
I really enjoyed A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Heart's Invisible Furies. I did not get along with The Song of Achilles, but it's a solid list!
I had the same experience with Markus Zusak, adored The Book Thief, but ended up DNFing Bridge of Clay at under 100 pages! I don't think I've ever had such an extreme reaction landing on both sides of the spectrum with an author.
I had it with John Boyne but I actually finished the one of his that I hated.
A Place for Us is a fabulous choice! I love that book so much.
It's such a good book!
I loved Hamnet, by Maggie O’Farrell, could well be my top this year, but decided to excluded it with this, because it's just too soon :D
I really have to read The book thief and Never Let Me Go both have been on my TBR for ages and really need to investigate your others.
My favourites of the 2000s not including the past couple of years would include
Half a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
The Secret River by Kate Grenville
Small Island by Andrea Levy
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
Sorry by Gail Jones
Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan 2013 (he's a favourite author and hard to pick one but this won the booker)
Great list. I love Hamnet, Call Me By Your Name, The Road...and Ishiguro, but Never Let Me Go did not fully resonate with me. That said, you might have convinced me that I need to reread it.
If you do, I hope you like it better!
Feels like The Road is so much older than 2006. I definitely want to get to All My Puny Sorrows.
It does feel like it's been a lifetime since The Road came out. All My Puny Sorrows is tremendous.
Love your choices. One of my favorites is A Manual for Cleaning Women.
Ugh, I guess I have to read Call Me By Your Name now. ☺️
I think my number one favorite fiction is a five-way tie-because I’m so indecisive-between Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones (2016), The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (2015), Vicious by V. E. Schwab (2013), The Hole by Hye-young Pyun (2016), and The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi (2005).
If you do pick up Call Me By Your Name, I hope you enjoy it! Great list of titles unfamiliar to me (other than The Fifth Season)--I will check them out!
Terrific list. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane absolutely deserves a spot. I think Hamnet was overhyped. It was beautifully written but I was tapped into the grief because I was tapped into Agnes as a character. She was amazing. I felt, however, that I should have been tapped into the grief because of Hamet as well or at least the absence he created in the story. Instead his descent to death was so rushed that the sense of dread was missed and the loss seemed telegraphed through Agnes and at times the author which pulled me out of their world. Perhaps I need distance and a chance to reread it but I was much more emotional over the loss of a similar Agnes in Shuggie Bain.
Finally, I agree with you about Never Let Me Go it was an indescribable emotional experience.
That's interesting because someone else said they struggled with Hamnet because they felt it took forever for him to actually die when you knew it was coming. I'm very excited for Shuggie Bain and am always happy to find another Edward Tulane enthusiast!
Hello! Thanks for your video. I saw the "Never Let Me Go" movie and was really moved by it, so I know what it is about. Do you think it's still worth reading? I read "The Remains of The Day" years ago, and did not like it. :(
If you didn't like Remains of the Day, chances are probably good that you wouldn't be into Never Let Me Go either, although I have heard of people who loved Remains and hated Never Let Me Go--so there's a chance you would be the opposite.
@@SupposedlyFun Thanks for your input.
My favourites
Ohio by Stephen Markley
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne
Milkman by Anna Burns
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
A Woman is No Man by
House On Endless Waters by Emuna Elon
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
All the Lives We Never Lived by Arundati Roy
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
All Among the Barley by Melissa Harrison
Actress by Ann Enright [
A Bridge of Clay ( on audio) by Marcus Zuzak]
A Place For Us by Fatima Farhern Mirza
The Wife by Meg Wolitzer
The Hoarder by Jess Kidd
The Other Half of Augusta Hope
The Death of Noah Glass
Flames by Robbie Arnott
I can’t stick to ten & my list might be different next week
🤩👋☘️📚🦋📖🌈👍
That's a solid list with a lot of books I need to get to. It really is hard to stick to 10.
I MUST get to Ohio as well as Milkman. I’ve heard nothing but great things about both, but Ohio lately seems everywhere and people are loving it.
I found it hard to leave out Milkman and Shuggie and A Gentleman in Moscow in my list. You've put the Pull of the Stars higher on my list.
I'm afraid I'm on the other side of the _Never Let Me Go_ issue. I really want to read _Hamnet_
I'm getting worried that I've helped create a hype machine around Hamnet that it can never live up to. I totally get why a lot of people don't like Never Let Me Go, I just happen to love it.
Mine (I think, because this is HARD):
life after life
milkman
fingersmith
lincoln in the bardo
the city & the city
the brief wondrous life of oscar wao
never mind
a little life
a tale for the time being
the signature of all things
It really IS difficult. That's why I needed a bonus round. I really need to read Fingersmith. Loved A Tale for the Time Being and Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. The audio of Lincoln in the Bardo is really good.
I found two Sarah Waters' books recently at my local thrift store, The Paying Guests and the Night Watch. I floated out of there on Cloud 9. I love Sarah Waters' books and these were the two I haven't read.
@@Europa1749 The Paying Guests is the only one of hers I have read, so I have a lot more to get to!
I am definitely interested in reading the miraculous journey of Edward Tulane and the cover of it is beautiful and there is an author that I hope you would check out Greg and his name is George haggerty and one of his books is called men in love masculinity and sexuality and he has also other books but I can’t say there name because the all have the q word in them but I highly recommend all of his books because I think there going to give you a very formative understanding of gay representation in gothic literature
Thanks for the recommendation! If you do pick up Edward Tulane, I hope you love it!
Supposedly Fun I am definitely going to pick up the miraculous journey of Edward Tulane and I like the name of it and I hope I didn’t create a hype machine for shuggie Bain because I genuinely hope that you would love it just like I did
@@rainbowskygayandproud5507 I'm going to do my best to go into Shuggie Bain with low expectations. We'll see!