major props to you for racing against the library clock and taking pics of the last 2 pages to read off your phone! that's a dedicated reader! i enjoyed my time with Open Water! it was my first Azumah Nelson and i think i felt what a lot of readers felt with Open Water, but it was fairly enjoyable. his prose is top notch! i want to get to August Blue and make it my first Levy!
I was honestly worried the library police were going to get me for copyright infringement. If you enjoyed Open Water (which was more Tepid Water for me) I think you'll have a good time with Small Worlds - I definitely got more out of it.
Interested to see how tanned you will be when you return from your Sicilian holiday! Er..um...on topic: favourite July read for me was Ian McEwan's Lessons.
The tan will be revealed soon 👀 (though to avoid disappointment, my tolerance for being hot, i.e. sitting in the sun, is very low...!) Lessons has definitely been on my radar - glad you enjoyed it!
I'm so glad you liked Small Worlds! I totally agree about the 2nd person narrative section. That was probably the highlight of the book for me. It really touched me! A tear ALMOST fell.
Yeah it worked so much better for me than it being the entire book like in Open Water. Really hit home and made the father/son relationship the heart of the book.
Best (of two) books I finished last month was Blazing Combat by Archie Goodwin, a four issue run of anti-war comics from the 1960s.. Came across The Good Life Elsewhere by Lorchenkov lying abandoned on my Kindle the other day; it's a Moldovan novel about refugees seeking a new start in Italy. But I came across a LOT of unfinished books on my Kindle, so we'll see. Hope you have FUN in Sicily. Or just relax. Whatever you need.
That's an interesting mixture of stuff. Hope you've been enjoying it all. Holiday is now sadly over but was a mixture of fun and relaxation (and travel inconvenience... but more about that in an upcoming vlog).
I'm pretty sure I'll pick up The Maniac at some point, too! I liked When We Cease to Understand the World, and I'm intrigued by this next one. also mean to get to Penance. I really like yr description of it :)
I'm so excited for it! Labatut is coming to a city nearby next week, and so my husband and I are going to hear him speak about it. Can't wait! Penance is good fun - hope you like it.
You were describing exactly my experience with Open Water. Good to hear you enjoyed Small Worlds more. My favourite read in Juky was Will and Testament by Vigdis Hjorth. I loved it as much, if not even more, than Is Mother Dead?.
Glad that feeling resonated. I wanted to enjoy Open Water more than I did, and was glad to get more out of Small Worlds. I still haven't read any Hjorth, but she's on my radar!
I totally missed the Frozen reference in the Deborah Levy novel. I liked it though it flowed away from me sometimes. A reread might be on the cards. Small Worlds is my top pick of the year so far.
Thanks for the thoughtful (non-spoiler-filled) review of Chain Gang All Stars. I’m enjoying it immensely. America’s encarceration issues are so demoralizing. The increase in private prisons is alarming. Anyway. I already hit the big bookstore here in Reykjavik hoping to find some Booker long listers that aren’t published in the States yet, but no luck. I did buy a few books by Annie Ernaux, which made me happy. Hope you’re enjoying Sicily!
No problems at all, glad you found the review interesting. It was definitely an eye-opening read that can make you feel quite depressed about the real world. Sad times on the lack of Booker books - if you're still after some I hear Blackwell's can be quite reasonable for shipping UK books to the US!
@@benreadsgood I have a ticket to hear Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah speak in Seattle, but it’s not until June. I’m also seeing Barbara Kingsolver in October. She’s been here before. She’s great.
Oh yes, in that case I think you'll be in for a treat. It's actually hard to see the divide between the fiction and non-fiction, but it's very well done.
Oooh, we lucky sods in the UK get it a bit sooner I think! I've just booked tickets to go and see Labatut talk about the book at a bookshop not far from me. Very excited to hear him speak!
Great wrap up! I read SO slowly in July. I only finished two books Stephen Kings Fairy Tale and Benjamin Myers The Offing. Both had elements that I loved but neither were favourite books. I'm hoping to get my reading mojo back in August! Have a wonderful holiday!
Thanks very much! It's definitely one that I think can be read at different levels of depth, which must be so hard to do. Easy-to-read entertainment AND layered political commentary? That takes talent!
Well, I was not at all interested in when we cease to understand the world but after hearing you talk about it I am! And I was unsure about chain gang all stars but how you described it made me definitely want to give that a go too. You're making my tbr grow too much 😂
What a great pile of books, Ben!! 🙌🏼 - I really like Deborah Levy’s writing; specifically after a little while. It’s so interesting. I’ve only read The Man Who Saw Everything, but there are sooo many of her other books on my tbr. Small Worlds is another book I’m really looking forward to after loving Open Water. Appreciate your explanation of Chain-Gang All-Stars. Although it initially sounds similar to the tv-series Squid Game, it made so much more sense when you said how true to reality it actually is. Which I think is brill bc we need to be confronted with this. I hope you’re enjoying your holiday! ☀️☀️
Thanks so much Cecilia, glad you enjoyed! I'm definitely open to more Levy - the writing was hypnotic at times, but I wonder if I just wasn't in the mood for something so plotless and surreal. I'm sure another one could click into place for me. Chain-Gang is definitely confronting. I do get that the heavy-handedness of it is off-putting for some people, but I loved how angry it was, and how much Adjei Brenyah just laid his cards on the table with it.
Excellent job, three of these I’ve heard of before, but weren’t particularly drawn to, but now I am - you sold me on them. August Blue reminds me of the 90s film The Double Life of Veronique, which I’ve always wanted to see again. Enjoy your White Lotus holiday, be weary of strangers offering to take you off to another part of the island on their luxury yacht! “These Gays…!” My best read of the month was When the Angels Left the Old Country, I highly awarded YA book about a queer angel and demon, who along with a young woman immigrate to America to solve the mysterious disappearance of members of their Jewish community. Just incredibly fantastic!
Haha thankfully I avoided any superyacht-based dramatics, although there was a certain Madame Etna who tried to stop me from coming home!!! I hadn't heard of that YA book, but your description has me intrigued 👀
Ahhh I missed the boat on this one (I scheduled the video before leaving, so had already nailed down my holiday reading list) but thank you for the recommendation!
I read Small Worlds and finished it only 2 days ago so will be on my August TBR. I gave it 4 stars but I gave the first booker book I have read 2.5 which has similar threads in the story and is so much better (in my opinion). I genuinely do not understand why it wasn't on the longlist. I have my second longlist book coming up soon (I am trying to read all the shortest ones first!) and if it isn't more than a 3 I will be bitterly disappointed. I would love to see how you are getting on.
So jealous you’re going to Sicily. I long to go there. I’ve been learning Italian towards my dream of getting there some day. Wonder what might be on your holiday reading list? Some great books there. 🍀👋☘️📚📕📖☕️🇮🇪
I hope you get to use your Italian one day! Learning another language is lots of fun, but definitely requires time and effort. I have learned a little Spanish (not enough!) which helped a bit in Italy, but I was mostly lost 😅 I did a bit of vlogging on the holiday, so I'll share my holiday reads soon 👀
In July I read Amsterdam by Ian McEwan and some others, which I have mentioned before. I am currently completely spellbound by The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese.
Hope you’ve an awesome time in Sicily! Currently reading Chain Gang Allstars ( about 3/4 through) & am already convinced it’ll be one of my favorites of the year. 📖🪱💚
major props to you for racing against the library clock and taking pics of the last 2 pages to read off your phone! that's a dedicated reader!
i enjoyed my time with Open Water! it was my first Azumah Nelson and i think i felt what a lot of readers felt with Open Water, but it was fairly enjoyable. his prose is top notch!
i want to get to August Blue and make it my first Levy!
I was honestly worried the library police were going to get me for copyright infringement.
If you enjoyed Open Water (which was more Tepid Water for me) I think you'll have a good time with Small Worlds - I definitely got more out of it.
I’m loving the echo-y sound in this video.
Hahaha I did NOT enjoy finding out my microphone was not properly working... if I wasn't going away the next day I think I might have re-recorded! 😂
Interested to see how tanned you will be when you return from your Sicilian holiday! Er..um...on topic: favourite July read for me was Ian McEwan's Lessons.
The tan will be revealed soon 👀 (though to avoid disappointment, my tolerance for being hot, i.e. sitting in the sun, is very low...!)
Lessons has definitely been on my radar - glad you enjoyed it!
I'm so glad you liked Small Worlds! I totally agree about the 2nd person narrative section. That was probably the highlight of the book for me. It really touched me! A tear ALMOST fell.
Yeah it worked so much better for me than it being the entire book like in Open Water. Really hit home and made the father/son relationship the heart of the book.
July was a slow month for me, but I did absolutely fall in love with Under The Whispering Door by T.J. Klune
Sometimes a slow month is what we need - it can be good to take it easy. But I hope things have picked up for you in August 🙏 Thanks for watching!
Best (of two) books I finished last month was Blazing Combat by Archie Goodwin, a four issue run of anti-war comics from the 1960s.. Came across The Good Life Elsewhere by Lorchenkov lying abandoned on my Kindle the other day; it's a Moldovan novel about refugees seeking a new start in Italy. But I came across a LOT of unfinished books on my Kindle, so we'll see. Hope you have FUN in Sicily. Or just relax. Whatever you need.
That's an interesting mixture of stuff. Hope you've been enjoying it all.
Holiday is now sadly over but was a mixture of fun and relaxation (and travel inconvenience... but more about that in an upcoming vlog).
I'm pretty sure I'll pick up The Maniac at some point, too! I liked When We Cease to Understand the World, and I'm intrigued by this next one. also mean to get to Penance. I really like yr description of it :)
I'm so excited for it! Labatut is coming to a city nearby next week, and so my husband and I are going to hear him speak about it. Can't wait!
Penance is good fun - hope you like it.
You were describing exactly my experience with Open Water. Good to hear you enjoyed Small Worlds more.
My favourite read in Juky was Will and Testament by Vigdis Hjorth. I loved it as much, if not even more, than Is Mother Dead?.
Glad that feeling resonated. I wanted to enjoy Open Water more than I did, and was glad to get more out of Small Worlds.
I still haven't read any Hjorth, but she's on my radar!
I totally missed the Frozen reference in the Deborah Levy novel. I liked it though it flowed away from me sometimes. A reread might be on the cards. Small Worlds is my top pick of the year so far.
Love the idea of the novel 'flowing away' from you - I think that is a perfect description and I felt similarly! 🙌
Thanks for the thoughtful (non-spoiler-filled) review of Chain Gang All Stars. I’m enjoying it immensely. America’s encarceration issues are so demoralizing. The increase in private prisons is alarming. Anyway. I already hit the big bookstore here in Reykjavik hoping to find some Booker long listers that aren’t published in the States yet, but no luck. I did buy a few books by Annie Ernaux, which made me happy. Hope you’re enjoying Sicily!
No problems at all, glad you found the review interesting. It was definitely an eye-opening read that can make you feel quite depressed about the real world. Sad times on the lack of Booker books - if you're still after some I hear Blackwell's can be quite reasonable for shipping UK books to the US!
@@benreadsgood I have a ticket to hear Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah speak in Seattle, but it’s not until June. I’m also seeing Barbara Kingsolver in October. She’s been here before. She’s great.
Jealous!!! Those events sound great.
When we cease to understand the world sounds right up my street! I love the science nonfiction so it’ll be interesting to see it mixed with fiction!
Oh yes, in that case I think you'll be in for a treat. It's actually hard to see the divide between the fiction and non-fiction, but it's very well done.
Hilarious library story. I love it! I rally enjoyed the lyrical writing and energy of this book and the family dynamic. I have to read Open Water.
I was reading so hard I was sweating 😂
When We Cease to Understand the World was amazing! Can't wait to read The Maniac, Oct. 3 release here in the US
Oooh, we lucky sods in the UK get it a bit sooner I think! I've just booked tickets to go and see Labatut talk about the book at a bookshop not far from me. Very excited to hear him speak!
So jealous, Enjoy!@@benreadsgood
Great wrap up! I read SO slowly in July. I only finished two books Stephen Kings Fairy Tale and Benjamin Myers The Offing. Both had elements that I loved but neither were favourite books. I'm hoping to get my reading mojo back in August! Have a wonderful holiday!
Thanks so much. I've got my fingers crossed for the reading mojo to make a comeback! 🤞
You have me adding Chain Gang to my library list. I really enjoyed your breakdown of this one. Very thoughtful.
Thanks very much! It's definitely one that I think can be read at different levels of depth, which must be so hard to do. Easy-to-read entertainment AND layered political commentary? That takes talent!
Well, I was not at all interested in when we cease to understand the world but after hearing you talk about it I am! And I was unsure about chain gang all stars but how you described it made me definitely want to give that a go too. You're making my tbr grow too much 😂
Hahaha I apologise (and double apologise if I have sold you a book you don't end up enjoying... the weight of expectation is heavy on my shoulders!!!)
I am going to give When We Cease to Understand the World a try because of your review.
Hope you enjoy it - it worked really well for me!
What a great pile of books, Ben!! 🙌🏼
- I really like Deborah Levy’s writing; specifically after a little while. It’s so interesting. I’ve only read The Man Who Saw Everything, but there are sooo many of her other books on my tbr. Small Worlds is another book I’m really looking forward to after loving Open Water. Appreciate your explanation of Chain-Gang All-Stars. Although it initially sounds similar to the tv-series Squid Game, it made so much more sense when you said how true to reality it actually is. Which I think is brill bc we need to be confronted with this.
I hope you’re enjoying your holiday! ☀️☀️
Thanks so much Cecilia, glad you enjoyed! I'm definitely open to more Levy - the writing was hypnotic at times, but I wonder if I just wasn't in the mood for something so plotless and surreal. I'm sure another one could click into place for me.
Chain-Gang is definitely confronting. I do get that the heavy-handedness of it is off-putting for some people, but I loved how angry it was, and how much Adjei Brenyah just laid his cards on the table with it.
Small Worlds is one of my faves of the year. I just adored it ❤ I can’t wait to read Chain Gang too. Hope you are enjoying your hols 🦀📚
Glad you liked it too. I was worried my speed-reading was going to mess up the experience but he had me hooked!
I'm really excited to get to Penance!
I had a great time with it!
Excellent job, three of these I’ve heard of before, but weren’t particularly drawn to, but now I am - you sold me on them. August Blue reminds me of the 90s film The Double Life of Veronique, which I’ve always wanted to see again.
Enjoy your White Lotus holiday, be weary of strangers offering to take you off to another part of the island on their luxury yacht! “These Gays…!” My best read of the month was When the Angels Left the Old Country, I highly awarded YA book about a queer angel and demon, who along with a young woman immigrate to America to solve the mysterious disappearance of members of their Jewish community. Just incredibly fantastic!
Haha thankfully I avoided any superyacht-based dramatics, although there was a certain Madame Etna who tried to stop me from coming home!!!
I hadn't heard of that YA book, but your description has me intrigued 👀
If you haven't already read it, you should definitely bring along the Leopard (Il Gattopardo) with you to Sicily. Enjoy your holiday!
Ahhh I missed the boat on this one (I scheduled the video before leaving, so had already nailed down my holiday reading list) but thank you for the recommendation!
I read Small Worlds and finished it only 2 days ago so will be on my August TBR. I gave it 4 stars but I gave the first booker book I have read 2.5 which has similar threads in the story and is so much better (in my opinion). I genuinely do not understand why it wasn't on the longlist. I have my second longlist book coming up soon (I am trying to read all the shortest ones first!) and if it isn't more than a 3 I will be bitterly disappointed. I would love to see how you are getting on.
My Booker reading is sadly lagging, but I am getting back on it this week! Glad you also enjoyed Small Worlds - it's a corker!
So jealous you’re going to Sicily. I long to go there. I’ve been learning Italian towards my dream of getting there some day.
Wonder what might be on your holiday reading list?
Some great books there.
🍀👋☘️📚📕📖☕️🇮🇪
I hope you get to use your Italian one day! Learning another language is lots of fun, but definitely requires time and effort. I have learned a little Spanish (not enough!) which helped a bit in Italy, but I was mostly lost 😅
I did a bit of vlogging on the holiday, so I'll share my holiday reads soon 👀
In July I read Amsterdam by Ian McEwan and some others, which I have mentioned before. I am currently completely spellbound by The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese.
Spellbound is such a lovely feeling to have when reading a book, isn't it? And the Covenant of Water cover is SO beautiful. Glad you are enjoying it!
I'm a fan of Deborah Levy, particularly her living autobiographies, but didn't get much out of reading August Blue unfortunately.
Ahh that's interesting - perhaps I need to give the living autobiographies a go!
Hope you’ve an awesome time in Sicily! Currently reading Chain Gang Allstars ( about 3/4 through) & am already convinced it’ll be one of my favorites of the year. 📖🪱💚
Glad you're loving Chain-Gang All-Stars. It's a great, tough, entertaining read!