With 47 novels, where would I start! Well, maybe once I've finished all of his books, I should consider a readalong of the Barsetshire Chronicles . . .
I am in total agreement on top four: Dickens, Gaskell, Trollope ( I’ve read every one of his novels), Austen. Really in no particular order. Hardy is close to top for me as well. Just spent the last few months rereading all the novels, most recently Jude the Obscure. I was quite upset that it fell flat for me after many years of thinking it was his best. A modern writer who I never hear mentioned by any of you booktubers is Jane Gardam who is well into her nineties now. I have read everything she has printed including her childrens books. Absolutely brilliant! Also, Pat Barker, Edna O’Brian and Elena Ferrante to name just a few who I think are modern classic authors. Thanks for your insights.
I'm very happy to hear you'll be doing a "Mini Dickens Read Along" in December. I'll look forward to the announcement video. When I asked how you were going to top the Mega Dickens Read Along, I was kind of joking since, really, how can Dickens be topped? I enjoyed the Read Along a lot. It was fun to revisit the novels I'd read and it gave me the push to read the two I hadn’t. Thanks so much for doing it and for the enthusiastic videos that accompanied each novel. Maybe in a couple of years you could think about a Gaskell read along.
I think the best 20th centruy author before Tolkien was Forster: Howards End * Passage to India * Maurice A Room with a View * The 2 on top were done as really good TV series, several hours long.
What an absolutely remarkable 24 minutes!!! I have a last minute substitution for your dinner party though. Forget Oscar Wilde and invite Byron, seat him next to Jane Austen and see if they leave together. 🙂
A double celebration, then: congratulations on nine years and 30k subs, Katie. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on "literary fiction", whatever that is. 🙂
There's always some classic to read. My favorites are 1. War and Peace; 2. Lost Illusions; 3. Don Quixote; 4. Crime and Punishment. More recently, I like very much the 4 Rabbit books (John Updike) and Play It as It Lays (Joan Didion). But of course as you say there are just so so many. . . .
Hi James. John Updike is probably my favorite too. I just finished Adam Begley's biography which is very good and I just finished Self-Consciousness last week.
Congratulations Katie on the 9 years and the 30k…like several other commenters here I’m definitely looking forward to your video on “literary fiction.” Can’t wait!
Congratulations on the 30K; many happy returns. There are so many hooks in this short video that I've had trouble selecting the best access point, but let's start with the 4 (or 6?) author tag. I SAY my favorite book is Great Expectations (and I suppose it is) since it was the first classic I read, I think about it often, and it has personal meaning, but Dickens is NOT my favorite (I've only read a handful of his books). We are what we've completed, and my esteemed authors whose works I've read most extensively are Hemingway, Steinbeck, Willa Cather, Ray Chandler. and Dashiell Hammett. Only Steinbeck might be considered a nice person, and that's under review. It's the artistry that captivates in all of these. Honorable mentions include Tolstoy, Tolkien, and Hardy, although I've only read about half of the latter's production. Who would I most want to have dinner with now? The easy answers would be Jesus or Shakespeare (whoever he was), but I'd be such dull company we'd get nowhere. I'd settle for my late parents (all meeting as adults in our prime) plus the two grandfathers that were dead long before I made an appearance. Unfortunately, science confirms we cannot reverse time, and home is an evolving feast.
Nice! Thank you for answering my questions. I always get a giggle when you mention The Well-Beloved. 😅 I look forward to your video on literary fiction!
The dinner party scenario is so much fun! I once asked that question to my co-workers when I was working at the public library (for 5 years) and no one would play along. Which is at least one of the reasons I left that branch, soon afterward. 🤓 I just couldn't take that unimaginative atmosphere, luckily that willingness to imaginatively engage is one of the happy things I love about BookTube in general, and your channel in particular! Congratulations on 30K, Katie! I'm so happy for you and it's well-deserved.
Hi Katie, I have been following you for years now and I love your book recommendations!!!! I have read the binding, North and South, once upon a river, Wuthering heights, the thirteen tale, and many more because of you and they were all great ❤ Thank you so much for all your videos !!
Thank you Katie for a fascinating video,so interesting to hear all your thoughts. Love the sound of the Dickens Christmas read along! Our Mutual Friend is my favourite Dickens too and I agree about Barnaby Rudge,there are some fantastic scenes in there. Dare I admit I struggle with Trollope?! Congratulations on your 9 years and 30,000 subscribers.
I just realised I haven't read any Trollope so far this year...😱 I have 23 novels left by him. Have already decided I want to read the Vicar of Bullhampton for Victober. Very excited for it!
I think my 4 favorite authors are very close the same as Books and Things. I first heard of Trollope several years ago when I saw on TV an interview with Alec Guinness who was saying that he usually carried books by Anthony Trollope to the movie set. To read while waiting around.
I haven't heard of Kipps, definitely going to have to get a copy! Oh I love the idea of a mini Christmas Dickens along, I've been reading one Christmas story by him every Christmas Eve, it's been a joy
You're spot on regarding mini-Christmas-Dickens read. After I left home and before I married, A Christmas Carrol, while living in a snowy clime, helped me stay in touch with all the good things the season brings. Not the shopping and presents, but family, friends, kind thoughts, and our mortal plight. I don't think those who have not read Dickens' best Christmas story would believe how much color, emotion, recreation of the times, and human failings and redemption are explored so thoroughly in such a short work. Kipps (of HG Wells) is a trip, especially for anyone who has read his sci-fi stories like the Time Machine, War of the Worlds, and The Invisible Man. Kipps is a social novel and it is so perceptive. artistic, and true to life it is almost frightening. I don't think Wells ever stopped growing and changing, but some of his views (VERY socialistic), especially on race, eugenics, and nationality might be a bit much even today. However, Wells, like Barry and Joe, believed that a New World Order (one world government) ruled by the global elite was not only inevitable, but a very good thing. What I see of that fandango (if Davos is a good rehearsal) is not especially attractive, but I was always on Hannibal's side instead of the Fabians.
@@katiejlumsden As a young man, I was first attracted to his famous sci-fi, but when I discovered the other side of the Wells coin I was even more impressed. Kipps, Men Like Gods, When the Sleeper Wakes, Mr. Polly, his marriage novels...they all prove just how big was his palette. I agree with you.
Congrats on 9 yrs + 30k subs! Great fun & thoughts. I just started reading Sylvia's Lovers and you are so right about Gaskell. Her books aren't perfect but they are so diverse and interesting and she goes outside her comfort zone (to put it in 20th c terms😊). I hope in a few years you'll consider a Gaskell readalong of her novels and novellas. (Maybe we can petition Juliet Stevenson to record Sylvia's Lovers.) I'm almost done with my audio re-read of Our Mutual Friend--I don't want it to end! And I'll second you on Trollope as "most wanted classics not read yet"! 13 left to read....all stacked up & ready to read on my special Trollope TBR shelf.
A Gaskell readalong would be pretty fun! I'm sad there aren't audiobooks of all her books - especially as I think one of the reasons I've found the Mega Dickens Readalong very easy to fit in around other reading is because I've listen to all of the books. But Gaskell has fewer books and quite a lot of shorter books, so I'll have a ponder.
As someone who doesn’t like epic fantasy I cannot recommend Tolkien. I see his importance to the genre, but it’s not my thing. So many words. If I need to take a nap, LoTR books or movies are perfect. My nephew is named Samwise because my brother is a huge fan, so I felt like I had to read LoTR to understand why, but it was such a slog. The Hobbit was marginally better probably because it’s shorter and written at a younger age level.
Hi Katie I too love Charles Dickens - he is my Favorite Author next to J.R.R. Tolkien - I am Reading The Hobitt by him. I have the Original Set of this and that is what I am Reading. I have Read The Hobitt long time ago but I am reading it again. I love this Video. What are you Currently Reading? Take Care & Happy Reading ❤️🤗☕️🔰📚📒📖❤️
Loved Hemingway. Recently read the Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde by RL Stevenson so which were fantastic so looking for to more by the authors. For a lighter read the Wild West books of Louis L'Amour and the Musashi series by Eiji Yoshikawa are really fun. Best wishes on the next 30k subscribers.
Thank you for your reply on the comparison of Gaskell and Hardy. Fair enough. But when one does look at actual criteria... Who was better at description? Hardy. Who was better at characterization. Hardy. Whose plots were better? Hardy. Who was more concise? Hardy. Who was better at bringing settings to life? Hardy. Who was more realistic? Hardy. Who was more honest and less romantic? Hardy Whose works mean more in terms of their enduring truth? Hardy's (These conclusions were drawn after exposure to only two of Gaskell's books, however North and South was one of them, and they were made with ease in each instance.)
Having never read any Gaskell, I fear to weigh in, but you make some good points. I DO need to give Liz a chance. I suspect this may be partly a gender thing but there is a strangeness about him that's difficult to pin down. When Hardy is good, he is VERY good. The atmosphere he creates in his best work really is incomparable. He is far more realistic, honest, and less romantic than Dickens, Austen, Ms. Evans, or the Brontes. I doubt he was a likable guy. From what I've read about Liz, I think she'd be perfectly acceptable and pleasant to have over for tea.
@@kevinrussell-jp6om Some good points. But I don't begrudge Books and Things her opinion here. Everyone is entitled to their own taste, if nothing else. And she did make a point about variety, though I don't see that as a knock against Hardy. As far as Gaskell, I found Ruth much more engaging than North and South. Give them a try (but not until you've read all of Hardy, lol).
@@prestogerman6862 LOL. I listen to myself all the time. I come to Katie's site (and others) for variety and especially to hear different opinions. I have the taste of a classless blue-collar town outside Bakersfield. She has read ALL of Dickens, ALL of Hardy, and ALL of Gaskell. What have I done (in comparison) with my twice as many (+) years other than work as a geologist and make trouble? Neither Katie nor I had a daddy named Fitzwilliam Darcy. She and I are both descendants of the genteel traders in society, thus we are equals. I would never begrudge anyone's opinion or taste. We once had a cat named "Ruth", but I was unaware Ms. Gaskell had penned a book by that name. But what do I know? Thanks.
All of these criteria are subjective, though. I prefer Gaskell's description (Hardy's is sometimes too dense and lyrical for me, and Gaskell feels more focused), and I definitely find her characterisation stronger - Squire Hamley in Wives and Daughters is in my opinion one of the single best and most realistic character ever drawn. Gaskell is as if not more realistic to me than Hardy, a lot of the time - some of Hardy's novels have some very wild plot points (love them though I do!) Hardy may be less romantic with a lower case than some other Victorian authors, but I think he's more Romantic with a capital R, and sometimes his grand sweeping tragedy feels less realistic than Gaskell's quieter domestic work. Anyway, as you love Thomas Hardy, I think you should try Sylvia's Lovers for your next Gaskell - as I said, she's a very varied writer, and Sylvia's Lovers is the most Hardy-esque of her books, so it might be one you'd enjoy.
@@katiejlumsden Thanks for the solid reply. Yes, subjective, no question. I could go on in support of Hardy's description by citing the endless praise he's had on that point through generations of critics. And I don't think I've read Gaskell's characters being called "Shakespearean" in scope, as multiple characters in Hardy have been, but let all of that pass. Critical consensus is not the best of arguments, I admit. One likes what one likes, end of story. And I have to say, that's strong praise of Gaskell on Squire Hamley. You'll be happy to know, it makes me almost certain to check out Wives and Daughters (not to mention Sylvia's Lovers) as I do value your endorsements. Thanks again for the well stated opinion.
Would love a Trollope read-along!!!
With 47 novels, where would I start! Well, maybe once I've finished all of his books, I should consider a readalong of the Barsetshire Chronicles . . .
I am in total agreement on top four: Dickens, Gaskell, Trollope ( I’ve read every one of his novels), Austen. Really in no particular order. Hardy is close to top for me as well. Just spent the last few months rereading all the novels, most recently Jude the Obscure. I was quite upset that it fell flat for me after many years of thinking it was his best. A modern writer who I never hear mentioned by any of you booktubers is Jane Gardam who is well into her nineties now. I have read everything she has printed including her childrens books. Absolutely brilliant! Also, Pat Barker, Edna O’Brian and Elena Ferrante to name just a few who I think are modern classic authors. Thanks for your insights.
I've read a little Pat Barker but need to give the others a try!
I'm very happy to hear you'll be doing a "Mini Dickens Read Along" in December. I'll look forward to the announcement video.
When I asked how you were going to top the Mega Dickens Read Along, I was kind of joking since, really, how can Dickens be topped? I enjoyed the Read Along a lot. It was fun to revisit the novels I'd read and it gave me the push to read the two I hadn’t. Thanks so much for doing it and for the enthusiastic videos that accompanied each novel.
Maybe in a couple of years you could think about a Gaskell read along.
Indeed, how can Dickens ever be topped? It's been so fun reading so much Dickens these last two years. I shall ponder a Gaskell readalong :)
I think the best 20th centruy author before Tolkien was Forster:
Howards End *
Passage to India *
Maurice
A Room with a View
* The 2 on top were done as really good TV series, several hours long.
Forster was truly amazing.
What an absolutely remarkable 24 minutes!!! I have a last minute substitution for your dinner party though. Forget Oscar Wilde and invite Byron, seat him next to Jane Austen and see if they leave together. 🙂
A double celebration, then: congratulations on nine years and 30k subs, Katie. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on "literary fiction", whatever that is. 🙂
A Dickens Christmas readalong!🥰 Congratulations Katie on 30k subscribers and 9 years on booktube. ❤️🎉❤️🎉
There's always some classic to read. My favorites are 1. War and Peace; 2. Lost Illusions; 3. Don Quixote; 4. Crime and Punishment. More recently, I like very much the 4 Rabbit books (John Updike) and Play It as It Lays (Joan Didion). But of course as you say there are just so so many. . . .
Hi James. John Updike is probably my favorite too. I just finished Adam Begley's biography which is very good and I just finished Self-Consciousness last week.
Congratulations on reaching 30k subscribers ! 🎉
Another great video next month I will be Reading Oliver Twist
Congratulations Katie on the 9 years and the 30k…like several other commenters here I’m definitely looking forward to your video on “literary fiction.” Can’t wait!
Thank you Katie!
Congratulations on the 30K; many happy returns.
There are so many hooks in this short video that I've had trouble selecting the best access point, but let's start with the 4 (or 6?) author tag. I SAY my favorite book is Great Expectations (and I suppose it is) since it was the first classic I read, I think about it often, and it has personal meaning, but Dickens is NOT my favorite (I've only read a handful of his books).
We are what we've completed, and my esteemed authors whose works I've read most extensively are Hemingway, Steinbeck, Willa Cather, Ray Chandler. and Dashiell Hammett. Only Steinbeck might be considered a nice person, and that's under review. It's the artistry that captivates in all of these.
Honorable mentions include Tolstoy, Tolkien, and Hardy, although I've only read about half of the latter's production.
Who would I most want to have dinner with now? The easy answers would be Jesus or Shakespeare (whoever he was), but I'd be such dull company we'd get nowhere.
I'd settle for my late parents (all meeting as adults in our prime) plus the two grandfathers that were dead long before I made an appearance.
Unfortunately, science confirms we cannot reverse time, and home is an evolving feast.
Nice! Thank you for answering my questions. I always get a giggle when you mention The Well-Beloved. 😅 I look forward to your video on literary fiction!
Loved watching this video during my lunch today. Looking forward to your litfic video as well!
The dinner party scenario is so much fun! I once asked that question to my co-workers when I was working at the public library (for 5 years) and no one would play along. Which is at least one of the reasons I left that branch, soon afterward. 🤓 I just couldn't take that unimaginative atmosphere, luckily that willingness to imaginatively engage is one of the happy things I love about BookTube in general, and your channel in particular! Congratulations on 30K, Katie! I'm so happy for you and it's well-deserved.
Thanks so much :)
congratulations on 30k!!🎉 i just subscribed myself recently and your channel is lovely.
Thanks so much :)
That was fun Katie. ♥️
Hi Katie, I have been following you for years now and I love your book recommendations!!!! I have read the binding, North and South, once upon a river, Wuthering heights, the thirteen tale, and many more because of you and they were all great ❤ Thank you so much for all your videos !!
Thanks so much :) Such great books!
Thank you Katie for a fascinating video,so interesting to hear all your thoughts. Love the sound of the Dickens Christmas read along! Our Mutual Friend is my favourite Dickens too and I agree about Barnaby Rudge,there are some fantastic scenes in there. Dare I admit I struggle with Trollope?! Congratulations on your 9 years and 30,000 subscribers.
Ah, not all books are for everyone! :)
I just realised I haven't read any Trollope so far this year...😱 I have 23 novels left by him. Have already decided I want to read the Vicar of Bullhampton for Victober. Very excited for it!
That's a great one!
Thanks
Thank you so much :)
I must read some Trollope!
You must! :)
I think my 4 favorite authors are very close the same as Books and Things. I first heard of Trollope several years ago when I saw on TV an interview with Alec Guinness who was saying that he usually carried books by Anthony Trollope to the movie set. To read while waiting around.
Trollope is so great :)
I haven't heard of Kipps, definitely going to have to get a copy!
Oh I love the idea of a mini Christmas Dickens along, I've been reading one Christmas story by him every Christmas Eve, it's been a joy
You're spot on regarding mini-Christmas-Dickens read. After I left home and before I married, A Christmas Carrol, while living in a snowy clime, helped me stay in touch with all the good things the season brings. Not the shopping and presents, but family, friends, kind thoughts, and our mortal plight. I don't think those who have not read Dickens' best Christmas story would believe how much color, emotion, recreation of the times, and human failings and redemption are explored so thoroughly in such a short work.
Kipps (of HG Wells) is a trip, especially for anyone who has read his sci-fi stories like the Time Machine, War of the Worlds, and The Invisible Man. Kipps is a social novel and it is so perceptive. artistic, and true to life it is almost frightening. I don't think Wells ever stopped growing and changing, but some of his views (VERY socialistic), especially on race, eugenics, and nationality might be a bit much even today.
However, Wells, like Barry and Joe, believed that a New World Order (one world government) ruled by the global elite was not only inevitable, but a very good thing. What I see of that fandango (if Davos is a good rehearsal) is not especially attractive, but I was always on Hannibal's side instead of the Fabians.
I actually often like H.G. Wells' realist novels more than his science fiction!
@@katiejlumsden As a young man, I was first attracted to his famous sci-fi, but when I discovered the other side of the Wells coin I was even more impressed.
Kipps, Men Like Gods, When the Sleeper Wakes, Mr. Polly, his marriage novels...they all prove just how big was his palette. I agree with you.
Imagine that, nine looong years👏Cheers to nine more.🤓📚🕯
Thank you :)
@@katiejlumsden Well, you're very welcome Katie🙏. I enjoyed your feature presentation
Congrats on 9 yrs + 30k subs! Great fun & thoughts. I just started reading Sylvia's Lovers and you are so right about Gaskell. Her books aren't perfect but they are so diverse and interesting and she goes outside her comfort zone (to put it in 20th c terms😊). I hope in a few years you'll consider a Gaskell readalong of her novels and novellas. (Maybe we can petition Juliet Stevenson to record Sylvia's Lovers.) I'm almost done with my audio re-read of Our Mutual Friend--I don't want it to end! And I'll second you on Trollope as "most wanted classics not read yet"! 13 left to read....all stacked up & ready to read on my special Trollope TBR shelf.
A Gaskell readalong would be pretty fun! I'm sad there aren't audiobooks of all her books - especially as I think one of the reasons I've found the Mega Dickens Readalong very easy to fit in around other reading is because I've listen to all of the books. But Gaskell has fewer books and quite a lot of shorter books, so I'll have a ponder.
As someone who doesn’t like epic fantasy I cannot recommend Tolkien. I see his importance to the genre, but it’s not my thing. So many words. If I need to take a nap, LoTR books or movies are perfect. My nephew is named Samwise because my brother is a huge fan, so I felt like I had to read LoTR to understand why, but it was such a slog. The Hobbit was marginally better probably because it’s shorter and written at a younger age level.
I kind of want to give him a go because I really like the films. I think I'll start with The Hobit!
Hi Katie
I too love Charles Dickens - he is my Favorite Author next to J.R.R. Tolkien - I am Reading The Hobitt by him. I have the Original Set of this and that is what I am Reading. I have Read The Hobitt long time ago but I am reading it again.
I love this Video.
What are you Currently Reading?
Take Care & Happy Reading
❤️🤗☕️🔰📚📒📖❤️
I've currently just finished a couple of books, so my only current read is Our Mutual Friend on audiobook :)
@@katiejlumsden - Oh Okay ❤️🔰❤️
Loved Hemingway. Recently read the Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde by RL Stevenson so which were fantastic so looking for to more by the authors. For a lighter read the Wild West books of Louis L'Amour and the Musashi series by Eiji Yoshikawa are really fun. Best wishes on the next 30k subscribers.
Oscar Wilde would be an excellent dinner party guest!
So Amelia Ashpoint isn't your favourite author?😂
Clever. I had to Google the name 🙂 I've ordered the book and it's on the way.
I enjoyed this very much 😅
I can't believe you haven't read Lord of the Rings!!!!!
I know; it's very shocking. One day!
Thank you for your reply on the comparison of Gaskell and Hardy. Fair enough. But when one does look at actual criteria... Who was better at description? Hardy. Who was better at characterization. Hardy. Whose plots were better? Hardy. Who was more concise? Hardy. Who was better at bringing settings to life? Hardy. Who was more realistic? Hardy. Who was more honest and less romantic? Hardy Whose works mean more in terms of their enduring truth? Hardy's (These conclusions were drawn after exposure to only two of Gaskell's books, however North and South was one of them, and they were made with ease in each instance.)
Having never read any Gaskell, I fear to weigh in, but you make some good points. I DO need to give Liz a chance.
I suspect this may be partly a gender thing but there is a strangeness about him that's difficult to pin down. When Hardy is good, he is VERY good. The atmosphere he creates in his best work really is incomparable. He is far more realistic, honest, and less romantic than Dickens, Austen, Ms. Evans, or the Brontes. I doubt he was a likable guy. From what I've read about Liz, I think she'd be perfectly acceptable and pleasant to have over for tea.
@@kevinrussell-jp6om Some good points. But I don't begrudge Books and Things her opinion here. Everyone is entitled to their own taste, if nothing else. And she did make a point about variety, though I don't see that as a knock against Hardy. As far as Gaskell, I found Ruth much more engaging than North and South. Give them a try (but not until you've read all of Hardy, lol).
@@prestogerman6862 LOL. I listen to myself all the time. I come to Katie's site (and others) for variety and especially to hear different opinions. I have the taste of a classless blue-collar town outside Bakersfield.
She has read ALL of Dickens, ALL of Hardy, and ALL of Gaskell. What have I done (in comparison) with my twice as many (+) years other than work as a geologist and make trouble? Neither Katie nor I had a daddy named Fitzwilliam Darcy. She and I are both descendants of the genteel traders in society, thus we are equals.
I would never begrudge anyone's opinion or taste.
We once had a cat named "Ruth", but I was unaware Ms. Gaskell had penned a book by that name. But what do I know?
Thanks.
All of these criteria are subjective, though. I prefer Gaskell's description (Hardy's is sometimes too dense and lyrical for me, and Gaskell feels more focused), and I definitely find her characterisation stronger - Squire Hamley in Wives and Daughters is in my opinion one of the single best and most realistic character ever drawn. Gaskell is as if not more realistic to me than Hardy, a lot of the time - some of Hardy's novels have some very wild plot points (love them though I do!) Hardy may be less romantic with a lower case than some other Victorian authors, but I think he's more Romantic with a capital R, and sometimes his grand sweeping tragedy feels less realistic than Gaskell's quieter domestic work.
Anyway, as you love Thomas Hardy, I think you should try Sylvia's Lovers for your next Gaskell - as I said, she's a very varied writer, and Sylvia's Lovers is the most Hardy-esque of her books, so it might be one you'd enjoy.
@@katiejlumsden Thanks for the solid reply. Yes, subjective, no question. I could go on in support of Hardy's description by citing the endless praise he's had on that point through generations of critics. And I don't think I've read Gaskell's characters being called "Shakespearean" in scope, as multiple characters in Hardy have been, but let all of that pass. Critical consensus is not the best of arguments, I admit. One likes what one likes, end of story. And I have to say, that's strong praise of Gaskell on Squire Hamley. You'll be happy to know, it makes me almost certain to check out Wives and Daughters (not to mention Sylvia's Lovers) as I do value your endorsements. Thanks again for the well stated opinion.