I have to say that kids in the Western world are so fortunate to have so many books on various subjects to read. When I was growing up I could not even go to the closest Library because I was not the right colour. When we moved to another country and I was allowed to join the Library system there it opened my eyes to so many worlds. I was living in a British education system so my first childhood books that I read were mainly British authors and my favourite author was Enid Blyton's series of mysteries. I discovered at age 9 that I was a vociferous reader and discovered many older classic authors and books that were difficult to comprehend at first but I was determined to read them and to get a better view of the world. To this day I have gone back and read a lot of young people's books such as Rick Riordan's series and enjoyed them so much. I do not understand people who want to ban books because of their beliefs, it is such a horrible thing to do. I found my childhood reading opened a world of discovery and learning that I think these bigots have no understanding of life. Sorry for being long-winded but books are so important to me because learning is so important to me.
Love this video!!! The Magic Tree House and Divergent books were also favorites of mine growing up. My all time favorite series from childhood is definitely the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage. The character of Marcia Overstrand helped me understand that it was okay to be both fiery and sensitive. 😊
i actually adored this video and all ur lore, plus the kid pics LOL. i soooo relate to the rick riorden chokehold, I remember bringing those books to sleepovers bc I was so hooked. Magic Tree house was such a big part to. I also loved Geronimo Stiltson (then thea stiltson ofc), the bailey school kids, and the land of stories. Then I became obsessed with the red queen series, the giver series, spy camp (all of stuart Gibson's books tbh) in middle school.
Semi on topic: When Benji mentioned "Our Side of the Mountain" in the bookshelf vlog, that was a total memory unlock 😅I forgot how much that book completely activated my imagination as an early reader. Reading experiences like that are the closest things we have to magic imo.
The Spiderwick Chronicles and A Series of Unfortunate Events made me feel exactly as you described feeling about Rick Riordan’s books!! I always thought I was the only child to discover Spiderwick, as if I'd uncovered all this secret knowledge and mystery about fairies!!
People don't talk about The Spiderwick Chronicles enough!!! It was a my favourite growing up! My siblings and I would look for fairies in the backyard lol. So glad I'm not the only one who's read it!
New subscriber here, and this was a great first video of your's to watch! 1. Yes, Perks of Being A Wallflower is indeed an all-timer! I've only read it once, in middle school, but I still remember so many details about it, plus the feelings it gave me, and would easily revisit as an adult. 2. I only read the first Percy Jackson book growing up, but your thoughts + the recent show confirmed what I'd been thinking about them (due to Rick Riordan's continuing popularity.) They, along with a lot of middle grade/YA, do such a good job of building an immersive experience. At the end of season one where Percy says via voice-over, "if you're one of us, come find us," I was struck by how participatory it felt. Inviting the younger audiences watching to feel like part of the world, which I'm sure the books did too. And I'm sure Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, and others did as well. Which shows that there's such an art to making literature for kids that's not easy to accomplish. Making the work accessible while not talking down to them; making them feel seen, and think about the world they live in. 3. Respect for putting so many childhood photos of yourself in the video.
Beautiful reflections, Chris! I think that when you’re a reader as a child, you will be a reader for life. I grew up on the 1950’s and began my reading journey with biographies of famous Americans. Children’s books were not as numerous as in your time and so don’t remember much of that. When I was 9 or 10, I began to read the Landmark series of biographies. I ate them up: Lincoln and Washington; George Washington Carver, Babe Ruth and on and on. As I grew older I read a log of history and then finally poetry and fiction(high school and college). You’re doing a great service with this channel and U’m happy to be a patron.
i’m actually only recently starting my reading journey. i did read as a kid, but not consistently and not for fun. in starting to read, i’ve been enjoying reading celebrity biography’s and romances. i’m excited to continue exploring my interests and experimenting with what i like. reading is so fun to me now. hearing you talk about books so positively and with such passion is inspiring and admirable, chris!
This unlocked my childhood memories of reading all the same stuff up to and including hunger games and divergent lmao I never really got into reading books as an adult but your channel is temping me to get back into it...
Bridge to Terabithia, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Tuck Everlasting, The Phantom Tollbooth… books that I remember reading in class in the 3rd-4th-5th grades. This was back in the mid-80s and my teachers leaned heavily on Newberry Award winners. All of those books left such a lasting impression (I’m 48 now).
You're becoming quite prolific in your YT videos! I'm glad because I like listening to your opinions about books and look forward to your recommendations. I've read and really enjoyed some of the books you recommended (Cerulean Sea, Bookshops & Bonedust, Tender is the Flesh [creepy], etc.) Indeed, looking back on my Goodreads books-read log, it seems most of the books I've read recently have come from you! LOL. Without a doubt you are my *absolute* favorite Book guy on YT. Please keep it up as much as you can ... because your efforts are greatly appreciated. P.S. You might want to check out "The Good Fairies of New York" and other books by Martin Millar
I was on the Percy train. I rememeber I was called “like a dog in front of a bone” because I kept on bugging one of my classmates, giving false praises and sucking up, just to borrow his Percy jackson books 😂
I am so happy to share that we have the same childhood reading journey! Such pivotal moments for me. I love this video, I kind of want to make a video on this as well!
As a kid, Rudyard Kipling's "Just So Stories", Veronique Day's "Landslide". Albert Payson Terhune - all of his books about Collies. As a teen: two collections of stories by Collette: "My Mother's House" & "Sido" As a late teen: Dostoevsky. Especially "The Idiot" and "The Bros. Karamazov".
i started reading children books in the last weeks and have been getting back into what i loved as an avid book reader kid, it makes reconnecting to my childhood love of reading now that i am an adult so much fun and simpler too!
I really enjoyed The Giver but Looking for Alaska probably did the most to kickstart my reading journey. It was the first 'long' book I finished and I was completely captivated by the story. It also tackled some heavy subjects which made it that much more intense.
That Magic Tree House series sounds so cool - I bet it'll be rebranded eventually and come back. It also reminds me of The Magic Faraway Tree series by Enid Blyton - I loved that as a child (even though the series was super old)!
Seeing baby Chris takes me back to grade school!!! Hunger games really did have such a huge grip on our age group. One of my favorite series in HS was "The Demonata" Series. Wish I could let you borrow them to read!
It is crazy to think that we read and our teenagehood shaped by the same books (at least since your 2010s Rick Riordan books era) forward, even when you grew up in the US and I, literally at the opposite side of the globe (Indonesia). And maybe that's why at the present time, I've loved every single books you've recommended or have read them myself prior to your recommendation. Love the book talk and look forward to more book vids!
the Pendragon series had an absolute GRIP on my younger self! Any time a new book came out I would have to read every book in the series over again just so I wouldn't miss any references...okok you've convinced me, I'll read them again haha
My first book was Stars (a true book) by Ker Than. When I was 8 my parents got it at the school book fair because I was really interested in all things space (I still am and I am studying to be an astrophysicist). And after the first book i just could never stop reading. Some of the memorable books i read after that when I was little were the hunger games and a journey to the centre of the earth and around the world in 80 days both by Jules Verne then I got very obsessed with sherlock Holmes and read all the novels and the short storiy books in like 6 months(i'm still obsessed with sherlock Holmes mostly because I love murder mystery and physiological thriller books and also I really like dark academia aesthetics)
I've been reminiscing a lot more recently (at the end of the year I'm turning 30). Seeing pics of my childhood really made me shift perspective on how I've been living thus far, and it was a huge wake up call. Like The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Shivers, and Goosebumps were peak for me back then! Fond memories
I wasn't really into reading books as a child but i definitely have some favorites that left a huuuuge impact on me. I was totally obsessed with HP and Percy Jackson. I remember liking The Land of Stories, Keeper of the Lost cities, The Maze Runner. And also I'd like to mention Ivanhoe by Walter Scott. My literature teacher advised me to read it and I was really suprised by how good this book was. Love it to this day. after this video I realised that i NEED to reread Percy Jackson...
Great video, Chris! I loved reading as a kid and I've been wanting to get back into it in recent years. I remember getting into more mature books pretty early. My 5th grade teacher would actually read us a chapter of a Stephen King book every day. I didn't realize until recently (many years later!) that he had been changing the characters names to match names of kids in the class. I've always had an attraction to Stephen King books because of that early introduction. The Dark Tower series and the Stand are probably my favorites of his, but I've really enjoyed some of his short stories as well. I think the first books that really got me excited about fantasy were the Ranger's Apprentice books by John Flanagan. They still hold a special place in my heart as they were one of the only books my brother and I bonded over. I couldn't bring myself to read them anymore once he passed away. For some reason The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho always pops in my head as one of my favorite books from my childhood.
I loved this video so much thank you Chris :) It really made me reflect on my formative reads. For me my first (and still number one) obsession were the Magic Faraway Tree series of books by Enid Blyton. From your description it sounds like they may well have been the inspration for the Treehouse books you loved. I was completely transported by the Faraway Tree and the adventures they would have in the lands at the top, to the point where I so wanted and longed for friends like Moon-Face and Silky :)
Two books that stand out vividly for me are “Johnny got his gun” and Lord of the flies”. I am really dating myself here, but I have never forgotten the themes of those stories or how much food for thought I got out of them. Heavy reading for a 12 yr old.
The goosebumps series was my magic tree house lol, i absolutely loved them! Then it was a series called "the fire within" that no one else seemed to have read but i got me obsessed with both sculpting and dragons, two things i love to this day!! Some other notible reads: watership down, Artemis fowl series, alex rider series, percy jackson series, eragon series, hitchhikers guide to the galaxy series, life of pi, and so many stephen king books
Gosh, this brought so many memories back! My son loved all these books when he was young. I couldn't get my other two kids to love books the way I did, but he loved them enough for all three of them, lol. Goosebumps was one of his favourite series, Skulduggery Pleasant being the other.
I started reading book from age 13 . Started off from fantasy . Only they taught me thst books can be so fun to read. They shifted my perspective i had on those continuously long bland texts and my hate towards books that i developed from reading my school books. I pursued fantasy well into my 18 . It really worked up my brain and made me creative . And gave me a dose of escapism from all the trauma of college entrance exams . My favourite were of brandon sanderson's . He is super creative ,imaginative and very clever . I still remember some of the scenes in his books. I slowly included some autobiographies too ,of doctors particularly ,because i was pursuing for the same profession . Those books showed me a more real world , the pain and problems and solutions they came up with ,their grief their sunshines , they showed me all... It was moving . I also chanced upon romance novels from recommendations , they were more sillier than fantasy ,but it was okay as well . And i slowly shed off my live for fantasy as matured. I started off reading famous non fantasy but fiction books . They were amazing . Im still on them . Those fiction books that i ll remember for long are the song of achilles , perks of being a wallflower , call me by your name . I dont remember others , i guess they werent that important to me .
I have an almost identical list of books that influenced me as a kid/adolescent! Literally every one of these with just a couple additions like Harry Potter
The earliest that I can remember were books by Cornelia Funke. The Inkheart series, The Thief Lord, and Dragon Rider (with its foldable map that's attached to the book). I think she opened up the world of fantasy for me. And then I moved to the Harry Potter books, and those changed me profoundly. I also went through the dystopian books phase, and The Fault In Our Stars, and POBAWF. Listening to you talk about them just made me feel so much nostalgia. I also remember these waves of emotion and of "coolness" while reading Wallflower. Reading those quotes, I felt like my mind was blown. Loved this video! Thank you for sharing and for making me remember. ✨️
Beloved series were the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth Gouge Speare, all of Tolkien's works, the Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula Le Guin, and the often overlooked, but brilliantly written, Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexeander. 📚❤
Out of all the books mentioned I only read the hunger games, and it was ok. I read them as an adult as I was an adult at the time. Maybe if I read them as a younger person it might have been more profound. My reading journey really started with Roald Dahl, and to this day I think his stories are fantastic. Narnia was also a big one, as was Harry Potter. School killed reading for me as the books we had to read were not great, and so I rebelled against it, and didn’t start reading again until I was an adult really.
Hello! I was also a fan of the Insurgent series. I loved the series so much. Another series that i loved but didnt read all of the books because i didnt have them was harry Potter series. Geronimo Stiltons book series also impacted my childhood as well a series in portuguese called "Rapariga Rebelde" and "Anita"
Oh I remember the dragon riders of Perth. That was the book that got me hooked on dragons and it’s filed my love ever since, also it was a nice book that lead me to love adventure
I started really reading when i lived in the states as a child, i had my school library and the public library. The wizard of oz series, the hardy boys, the black stallion, and a series that came out of clasics. Then I passed to Ray Bradbury, JRR Tolkien, and CS Lewis….. i still love to read, except real horror (except Stephen King, i love his books). Your chilhood books were out in my adult life…lol….so I saw the movies….lol.
i remember bawling to the fault in our stars while reading it in the living room hahaha, what a time! aside from percy jackson, i read all the same books as u in my childhood :D
I also really love the Percy Jackson series even if I just have a bunch of ranomd books that I found within years but I remember being so excited everytime that a book would pop up in the thrift store and the excitement that I got about reading it (I read that in the most wrong order but still) and other books that I really enjoy are a lot from Dostoevskij and in general russian literature and then I think Siddharta by Herman Hesse and the alchemist by Paulo Coelho changed my brain chemistry, also the little prince. I love that book and I think it is the one that shaped my childhood the most
I think finding an adventure series as a kid can really shape the kind of reader you become. I'm a lot older than you and for me, it was The Famous Five series. A little tame compared to YA books these days, but thrilling to me at the time! Then my mum presented me a boxed set of Lord of The Rings, and nothing was ever the same again! 😂 That feeling of being involved in the adventures, of learning that books are gateways into a million different places and feeling part of a group that just accepts you as you are ... If you learn those things young, you will devour books for your entire life.
I would say that Illustrated Mom by Jaqueline Wilson, A Series of unfortunate events by Lemony Snicket and Goosebumps children horror series were the books that got me into reading and they left an permanent imprint on me. Also some christmas short stories like the Girl with the Matches by Hans Christian Andersten and the legend of Befana. It was a nice detail to add photos of you at each reading age, it lets us travel back in time.
The first book i ever read was matilda when i was 6 and I'd make my mum sit next to me and I'd read it out loud to her everyday after school and she would correvt me if i made any mistakes
YES I will always be a PJO fan first but Kane Chronicles is CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED. If you haven’t read them this is your sign to drop whatever you’re doing and go read them now
Chris your series is so good. Lots of good picks. Not sure if you've heard of it, but one of my favorite fantasy books when I was younger is Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Suzanna Clarke (by the same author who wrote Piranesi, which I liked less). JSaMN is like Jane Austen level dry satire meets historical magical realism? It's a long tome but I think it's so fun to dive into the rich lore.
As a child I read a lot of choose your own adventure books moving into short stories of science fiction and fantasy like Ray Bradbury and the Hobbit. Later was entrance by Stephen King's writings like IT and Frank Herbert's Dune.
Hi Chris. I’m 71 and on your recommendation just read “The Perks of being a wall flower”. Absolutely amazing and I couldn’t put it down. Lovely ending too. I’m in the world but don’t feel par of it and I just watch it and don’t participate - a bit like Charlie. I guess it’s never too late too late to try. Go well.
TFIOS really hit me in highschool ! ! I look back and I cringe at myself but really, at that time, it was the coolest thing ever. I remember doing handmade bookmarks with the ´´okay? okay.´´ quote (which really means nothing)! I also had the horny phase, reading the beautiful disaster saga, 50shades of grey, and a looooot of fanfic. You should do a video talking about your wattpad / ao3 era (if you had one), let's cringe together !
Embarrassing to admit, but the series that finally got me into read was The Clique by Lisi Harrison. It's about rich mean girls in 7th-8th grade. I remember reading Book 5 in one single day because I was home sick and I could not put it down. I never reached the end of the series because by the time I had reached 8th grade myself, the characters had not matured with me in the newer books. 13-year-old me was annoyed by the severe lack of character growth of these girls who were now entering high school. It was at this time I discovered Sarah Dessen's Lock and Key and that was, as Chris put it, a cultural shift lol She is still to this day my favourite author.
I will forever grieve not reading the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series as a kid. I remember seeing them at the Scholastic book fairs and if I could back I would tell my younger self to pick up that darn book lol. For me, the Alex Rider series had me in a chokehold 😅
In middle school it was the Lord of the Rings. I loved those books so much that I would even finish the last book of the trilogy & then start over from the beginning.
I read THE LORD OF THE RINGS at 13. It has been the single most influential book in my life, the other one was THE DRAGONBONE CHAIR by Tad Williams. Both books made me into a lifelong fantasy fan.
This made me think of my reading journey and I want to share it with you. I hope you don't mind if this going to be long, you inspired me! Let me preface by saying that I am 50 yo, making me a GenX and will help my reading journey make sense hahahaha. So, the first book I read was Stephen King's CARRIE on paperback with that horrifying cover of Carrie covered in blood. I had nightmares for a week! at 9 years old, a classmate lent me her hardbound copy of THE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK and that started my obsession over the Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys/Choose Your Own Adventure book series. Since we were a middle-class family, my mom could not afford to buy me books. However, back in the day, there were book lovers who post ads on newspapers where they rent out books (sort of a Blockbuster Video scheme but for books). That gave me access to all the books I want. At 11, my mom decided I was ready for something more substantial and she gave me her copy of Mario Puzo's THE GODFATHER and oh boy, I enjoyed the graphic prose...at 11yo. Hahahaha. In high school, I discovered John Saul, a horror/thriller author who places children at the center of all his stories, both as victims and evil sociopaths. The first book I read from him was SUFFER THE CHILDREN and I knew that this cemented my love for the horror/thriller genre. At the end of high school, I bought a book called THE STRANGER BESIDE ME by Anne Rule that chronicled her being acquainted with Ted Bundy, the most prolific serial killer in the States. My best friend, knowing that I have been reading this, bought me an ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SERIAL KILLERS for my birthday (lovely). In college, my social consciousness has been awaken and have had interest in racism and intentional exclusion and marginalization. Reading Martin Luther King's WHY WE CAN'T WAIT and an English version of Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass, stories from the holocaust) was the first time I felt true heartbreak over the realities of a different kind of horror. I will stop at college because the next 3 decades is different and this going to be a loooong post. Hahahaha. But let me just give you the gist by saying, I have diversified and believe me when I say that my favorite books that I have recently read is the HEARTSTOPPER series and I am eagerly waiting for the release of the last of the series. I guess I just loved reading about how inclusive the series is and being in a monogamous relationship for 20 years now, it was lovely to read a story about love’s early blossoming. Thanks for this video and I hope you don’t mind me engaging with a long post. I just feel in another timeline, I am the cool g-uncle to you and Benjie. (Btw, I still haven’t finished HOUSE OF LEAVES, god that’s a really a heavy read)
I'm still not a massive reader...but I do read some books...the first book I ever read cover to cover, in a short period of time was 'The Outsiders' by S.E. Hinton
Can you talk about books that are very important to shape youngsters lives according to you in relation to the current scenario of the world which they should read ???
I am enjoying all your recommendations.. As a gay senior citizen, it is interesting to see what the younger folks are reading. I wanted to share my favorite books from my era that you may enjoy. 1) Tales of the City (originally a series of 6 books, but Armistead has added a few more in current day to the series) by Armistead Maupin 2) The Front Runner and sequels Harlands Race and Billy's Boy by Patricia Nell Warren. Thanks again for all your work sharing your reading interests!
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I could listen to you talk about books for hours..
I learn SO much from you. I didn’t read much as a child but making up for it now as a grandmother. Never too late. Thanks Chris 👍
I have to say that kids in the Western world are so fortunate to have so many books on various subjects to read. When I was growing up I could not even go to the closest Library because I was not the right colour. When we moved to another country and I was allowed to join the Library system there it opened my eyes to so many worlds. I was living in a British education system so my first childhood books that I read were mainly British authors and my favourite author was Enid Blyton's series of mysteries. I discovered at age 9 that I was a vociferous reader and discovered many older classic authors and books that were difficult to comprehend at first but I was determined to read them and to get a better view of the world. To this day I have gone back and read a lot of young people's books such as Rick Riordan's series and enjoyed them so much. I do not understand people who want to ban books because of their beliefs, it is such a horrible thing to do. I found my childhood reading opened a world of discovery and learning that I think these bigots have no understanding of life. Sorry for being long-winded but books are so important to me because learning is so important to me.
very nice. Where are you from?
@@RodrigoSilva-fs7lo Originally from South Africa, now proudly Canadian
Love this video!!! The Magic Tree House and Divergent books were also favorites of mine growing up. My all time favorite series from childhood is definitely the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage. The character of Marcia Overstrand helped me understand that it was okay to be both fiery and sensitive. 😊
i actually adored this video and all ur lore, plus the kid pics LOL. i soooo relate to the rick riorden chokehold, I remember bringing those books to sleepovers bc I was so hooked. Magic Tree house was such a big part to. I also loved Geronimo Stiltson (then thea stiltson ofc), the bailey school kids, and the land of stories. Then I became obsessed with the red queen series, the giver series, spy camp (all of stuart Gibson's books tbh) in middle school.
You have such a relaxing voice!
So sorry to hear that you are not going back - hopefully you'll find the best path for you.
Semi on topic: When Benji mentioned "Our Side of the Mountain" in the bookshelf vlog, that was a total memory unlock 😅I forgot how much that book completely activated my imagination as an early reader. Reading experiences like that are the closest things we have to magic imo.
The Spiderwick Chronicles and A Series of Unfortunate Events made me feel exactly as you described feeling about Rick Riordan’s books!! I always thought I was the only child to discover Spiderwick, as if I'd uncovered all this secret knowledge and mystery about fairies!!
People don't talk about The Spiderwick Chronicles enough!!! It was a my favourite growing up! My siblings and I would look for fairies in the backyard lol. So glad I'm not the only one who's read it!
He said it! The Kane Chronicles series deserves its moment
🔥
New subscriber here, and this was a great first video of your's to watch!
1. Yes, Perks of Being A Wallflower is indeed an all-timer! I've only read it once, in middle school, but I still remember so many details about it, plus the feelings it gave me, and would easily revisit as an adult.
2. I only read the first Percy Jackson book growing up, but your thoughts + the recent show confirmed what I'd been thinking about them (due to Rick Riordan's continuing popularity.) They, along with a lot of middle grade/YA, do such a good job of building an immersive experience. At the end of season one where Percy says via voice-over, "if you're one of us, come find us," I was struck by how participatory it felt. Inviting the younger audiences watching to feel like part of the world, which I'm sure the books did too. And I'm sure Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, and others did as well. Which shows that there's such an art to making literature for kids that's not easy to accomplish. Making the work accessible while not talking down to them; making them feel seen, and think about the world they live in.
3. Respect for putting so many childhood photos of yourself in the video.
Beautiful reflections, Chris! I think that when you’re a reader as a child, you will be a reader for life. I grew up on the 1950’s and began my reading journey with biographies of famous Americans. Children’s books were not as numerous as in your time and so don’t remember much of that. When I was 9 or 10, I began to read the Landmark series of biographies. I ate them up: Lincoln and Washington; George Washington Carver, Babe Ruth and on and on. As I grew older I read a log of history and then finally poetry and fiction(high school and college). You’re doing a great service with this channel and U’m happy to be a patron.
Love learning what books impact people's lives ❤️ I also loved the Percy Jackson books 💕✨
It’s such a blessing to be able to enjoy so many great books when you’re still developing your mind
i’m actually only recently starting my reading journey. i did read as a kid, but not consistently and not for fun. in starting to read, i’ve been enjoying reading celebrity biography’s and romances. i’m excited to continue exploring my interests and experimenting with what i like. reading is so fun to me now. hearing you talk about books so positively and with such passion is inspiring and admirable, chris!
I loved hearing the books you liked as a child. My kids liked the Magic Treehouse too! I liked Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys.
KING HAS DROPPED VIDEO AGAIN!!
I'm going through Percy Jackson series as an 30+ adult right now and enjoying it
This unlocked my childhood memories of reading all the same stuff up to and including hunger games and divergent lmao
I never really got into reading books as an adult but your channel is temping me to get back into it...
Bridge to Terabithia, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Tuck Everlasting, The Phantom Tollbooth… books that I remember reading in class in the 3rd-4th-5th grades. This was back in the mid-80s and my teachers leaned heavily on Newberry Award winners. All of those books left such a lasting impression (I’m 48 now).
You're becoming quite prolific in your YT videos! I'm glad because I like listening to your opinions about books and look forward to your recommendations. I've read and really enjoyed some of the books you recommended (Cerulean Sea, Bookshops & Bonedust, Tender is the Flesh [creepy], etc.) Indeed, looking back on my Goodreads books-read log, it seems most of the books I've read recently have come from you! LOL. Without a doubt you are my *absolute* favorite Book guy on YT. Please keep it up as much as you can ... because your efforts are greatly appreciated.
P.S. You might want to check out "The Good Fairies of New York" and other books by Martin Millar
I’m nosy about other people’s reading habits so this is awesome 😎
I was on the Percy train. I rememeber I was called “like a dog in front of a bone” because I kept on bugging one of my classmates, giving false praises and sucking up, just to borrow his Percy jackson books 😂
Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles were super influential for me. I still love this series.
I am so happy to share that we have the same childhood reading journey! Such pivotal moments for me. I love this video, I kind of want to make a video on this as well!
SAME !!!! we lived in the same time line for sure hahaha the way perks of being a wallflower FORMED ME hahaha
I love how you used that particular cover for the book too, that’s the one I have! 😂
As a kid, Rudyard Kipling's "Just So Stories", Veronique Day's "Landslide". Albert Payson Terhune - all of his books about Collies.
As a teen: two collections of stories by Collette: "My Mother's House" & "Sido"
As a late teen: Dostoevsky. Especially "The Idiot" and "The Bros. Karamazov".
I feel the same about the perks of being a wallflower. It definitely shaped how I see the world and my relationship with my friends
i started reading children books in the last weeks and have been getting back into what i loved as an avid book reader kid, it makes reconnecting to my childhood love of reading now that i am an adult so much fun and simpler too!
I really enjoyed The Giver but Looking for Alaska probably did the most to kickstart my reading journey. It was the first 'long' book I finished and I was completely captivated by the story. It also tackled some heavy subjects which made it that much more intense.
SUCH A GOOD VIDEO CHRIS
That Magic Tree House series sounds so cool - I bet it'll be rebranded eventually and come back. It also reminds me of The Magic Faraway Tree series by Enid Blyton - I loved that as a child (even though the series was super old)!
Seeing baby Chris takes me back to grade school!!! Hunger games really did have such a huge grip on our age group.
One of my favorite series in HS was "The Demonata" Series. Wish I could let you borrow them to read!
It is crazy to think that we read and our teenagehood shaped by the same books (at least since your 2010s Rick Riordan books era) forward, even when you grew up in the US and I, literally at the opposite side of the globe (Indonesia). And maybe that's why at the present time, I've loved every single books you've recommended or have read them myself prior to your recommendation.
Love the book talk and look forward to more book vids!
the perks is a perfect book, i love it
the Pendragon series had an absolute GRIP on my younger self! Any time a new book came out I would have to read every book in the series over again just so I wouldn't miss any references...okok you've convinced me, I'll read them again haha
My first book was Stars (a true book) by Ker Than. When I was 8 my parents got it at the school book fair because I was really interested in all things space (I still am and I am studying to be an astrophysicist). And after the first book i just could never stop reading. Some of the memorable books i read after that when I was little were the hunger games and a journey to the centre of the earth and around the world in 80 days both by Jules Verne then I got very obsessed with sherlock Holmes and read all the novels and the short storiy books in like 6 months(i'm still obsessed with sherlock Holmes mostly because I love murder mystery and physiological thriller books and also I really like dark academia aesthetics)
I've been reminiscing a lot more recently (at the end of the year I'm turning 30). Seeing pics of my childhood really made me shift perspective on how I've been living thus far, and it was a huge wake up call. Like The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Shivers, and Goosebumps were peak for me back then! Fond memories
I wasn't really into reading books as a child but i definitely have some favorites that left a huuuuge impact on me. I was totally obsessed with HP and Percy Jackson. I remember liking The Land of Stories, Keeper of the Lost cities, The Maze Runner. And also I'd like to mention Ivanhoe by Walter Scott. My literature teacher advised me to read it and I was really suprised by how good this book was. Love it to this day.
after this video I realised that i NEED to reread Percy Jackson...
Great video, Chris!
I loved reading as a kid and I've been wanting to get back into it in recent years. I remember getting into more mature books pretty early. My 5th grade teacher would actually read us a chapter of a Stephen King book every day. I didn't realize until recently (many years later!) that he had been changing the characters names to match names of kids in the class. I've always had an attraction to Stephen King books because of that early introduction. The Dark Tower series and the Stand are probably my favorites of his, but I've really enjoyed some of his short stories as well. I think the first books that really got me excited about fantasy were the Ranger's Apprentice books by John Flanagan. They still hold a special place in my heart as they were one of the only books my brother and I bonded over. I couldn't bring myself to read them anymore once he passed away. For some reason The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho always pops in my head as one of my favorite books from my childhood.
I loved this video so much thank you Chris :) It really made me reflect on my formative reads. For me my first (and still number one) obsession were the Magic Faraway Tree series of books by Enid Blyton. From your description it sounds like they may well have been the inspration for the Treehouse books you loved. I was completely transported by the Faraway Tree and the adventures they would have in the lands at the top, to the point where I so wanted and longed for friends like Moon-Face and Silky :)
Omg the magic treehouse series were also my first book series I’ve read 🩵🩵
Two books that stand out vividly for me are “Johnny got his gun” and Lord of the flies”.
I am really dating myself here, but I have never forgotten the themes of those stories or how much food for thought I got out of them. Heavy reading for a 12 yr old.
The goosebumps series was my magic tree house lol, i absolutely loved them! Then it was a series called "the fire within" that no one else seemed to have read but i got me obsessed with both sculpting and dragons, two things i love to this day!! Some other notible reads: watership down, Artemis fowl series, alex rider series, percy jackson series, eragon series, hitchhikers guide to the galaxy series, life of pi, and so many stephen king books
Gosh, this brought so many memories back! My son loved all these books when he was young. I couldn't get my other two kids to love books the way I did, but he loved them enough for all three of them, lol. Goosebumps was one of his favourite series, Skulduggery Pleasant being the other.
I started reading book from age 13 . Started off from fantasy . Only they taught me thst books can be so fun to read. They shifted my perspective i had on those continuously long bland texts and my hate towards books that i developed from reading my school books.
I pursued fantasy well into my 18 . It really worked up my brain and made me creative . And gave me a dose of escapism from all the trauma of college entrance exams . My favourite were of brandon sanderson's . He is super creative ,imaginative and very clever . I still remember some of the scenes in his books.
I slowly included some autobiographies too ,of doctors particularly ,because i was pursuing for the same profession . Those books showed me a more real world , the pain and problems and solutions they came up with ,their grief their sunshines , they showed me all... It was moving . I also chanced upon romance novels from recommendations , they were more sillier than fantasy ,but it was okay as well . And i slowly shed off my live for fantasy as matured.
I started off reading famous non fantasy but fiction books . They were amazing . Im still on them . Those fiction books that i ll remember for long are the song of achilles , perks of being a wallflower , call me by your name .
I dont remember others , i guess they werent that important to me .
The intro/BG music is so interesting 🎉
I have an almost identical list of books that influenced me as a kid/adolescent! Literally every one of these with just a couple additions like Harry Potter
The earliest that I can remember were books by Cornelia Funke. The Inkheart series, The Thief Lord, and Dragon Rider (with its foldable map that's attached to the book). I think she opened up the world of fantasy for me. And then I moved to the Harry Potter books, and those changed me profoundly. I also went through the dystopian books phase, and The Fault In Our Stars, and POBAWF. Listening to you talk about them just made me feel so much nostalgia. I also remember these waves of emotion and of "coolness" while reading Wallflower. Reading those quotes, I felt like my mind was blown. Loved this video! Thank you for sharing and for making me remember. ✨️
Beloved series were the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth Gouge Speare, all of Tolkien's works, the Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula Le Guin, and the often overlooked, but brilliantly written, Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexeander. 📚❤
Out of all the books mentioned I only read the hunger games, and it was ok. I read them as an adult as I was an adult at the time. Maybe if I read them as a younger person it might have been more profound.
My reading journey really started with Roald Dahl, and to this day I think his stories are fantastic. Narnia was also a big one, as was Harry Potter. School killed reading for me as the books we had to read were not great, and so I rebelled against it, and didn’t start reading again until I was an adult really.
You shaped my heart Chris ♥
Hello! I was also a fan of the Insurgent series. I loved the series so much. Another series that i loved but didnt read all of the books because i didnt have them was harry Potter series. Geronimo Stiltons book series also impacted my childhood as well a series in portuguese called "Rapariga Rebelde" and "Anita"
Oh I remember the dragon riders of Perth. That was the book that got me hooked on dragons and it’s filed my love ever since, also it was a nice book that lead me to love adventure
I started really reading when i lived in the states as a child, i had my school library and the public library. The wizard of oz series, the hardy boys, the black stallion, and a series that came out of clasics. Then I passed to Ray Bradbury, JRR Tolkien, and CS Lewis….. i still love to read, except real horror (except Stephen King, i love his books). Your chilhood books were out in my adult life…lol….so I saw the movies….lol.
i remember bawling to the fault in our stars while reading it in the living room hahaha, what a time! aside from percy jackson, i read all the same books as u in my childhood :D
I also really love the Percy Jackson series even if I just have a bunch of ranomd books that I found within years but I remember being so excited everytime that a book would pop up in the thrift store and the excitement that I got about reading it (I read that in the most wrong order but still) and other books that I really enjoy are a lot from Dostoevskij and in general russian literature and then I think Siddharta by Herman Hesse and the alchemist by Paulo Coelho changed my brain chemistry, also the little prince. I love that book and I think it is the one that shaped my childhood the most
First b'tuber whose review got me to buy a coupe of books....ie., legends and lattes and the companion novel. By the way you have a great voice.
I loved the Children of the Lamp series 🧞
okayyy omg we pretty much read all the same books at around the same time yup
I think finding an adventure series as a kid can really shape the kind of reader you become. I'm a lot older than you and for me, it was The Famous Five series. A little tame compared to YA books these days, but thrilling to me at the time! Then my mum presented me a boxed set of Lord of The Rings, and nothing was ever the same again! 😂 That feeling of being involved in the adventures, of learning that books are gateways into a million different places and feeling part of a group that just accepts you as you are ... If you learn those things young, you will devour books for your entire life.
I would say that Illustrated Mom by Jaqueline Wilson, A Series of unfortunate events by Lemony Snicket and Goosebumps children horror series were the books that got me into reading and they left an permanent imprint on me. Also some christmas short stories like the Girl with the Matches by Hans Christian Andersten and the legend of Befana.
It was a nice detail to add photos of you at each reading age, it lets us travel back in time.
Yes, Illustrated Mom was such a powerful one! I need to go back and read the Girls series - so excited for the when-they-were-40 follow up!
The first book i ever read was matilda when i was 6 and I'd make my mum sit next to me and I'd read it out loud to her everyday after school and she would correvt me if i made any mistakes
why is this video so cute
Also I'm going to watch the Guardians of Ga'hoole movie now
when the fault in our stars came out omg... you just had to be there
YES I will always be a PJO fan first but Kane Chronicles is CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED. If you haven’t read them this is your sign to drop whatever you’re doing and go read them now
Chris your series is so good. Lots of good picks. Not sure if you've heard of it, but one of my favorite fantasy books when I was younger is Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Suzanna Clarke (by the same author who wrote Piranesi, which I liked less). JSaMN is like Jane Austen level dry satire meets historical magical realism? It's a long tome but I think it's so fun to dive into the rich lore.
first :)
i love most of the books u mentioned now & as a child esp the magic treehouse series!
Haha Chris hasn't changed at all, he still looks like his younger self 😂 cute 🫶🏻
As a child I read a lot of choose your own adventure books moving into short stories of science fiction and fantasy like Ray Bradbury and the Hobbit. Later was entrance by Stephen King's writings like IT and Frank Herbert's Dune.
Hi Chris. I’m 71 and on your recommendation just read “The Perks of being a wall flower”. Absolutely amazing and I couldn’t put it down. Lovely ending too. I’m in the world but don’t feel par of it and I just watch it and don’t participate - a bit like Charlie. I guess it’s never too late too late to try. Go well.
TFIOS really hit me in highschool ! ! I look back and I cringe at myself but really, at that time, it was the coolest thing ever. I remember doing handmade bookmarks with the ´´okay? okay.´´ quote (which really means nothing)! I also had the horny phase, reading the beautiful disaster saga, 50shades of grey, and a looooot of fanfic. You should do a video talking about your wattpad / ao3 era (if you had one), let's cringe together !
Embarrassing to admit, but the series that finally got me into read was The Clique by Lisi Harrison. It's about rich mean girls in 7th-8th grade. I remember reading Book 5 in one single day because I was home sick and I could not put it down. I never reached the end of the series because by the time I had reached 8th grade myself, the characters had not matured with me in the newer books. 13-year-old me was annoyed by the severe lack of character growth of these girls who were now entering high school. It was at this time I discovered Sarah Dessen's Lock and Key and that was, as Chris put it, a cultural shift lol She is still to this day my favourite author.
love watching your videos a lot, chris! was wondering if you’re planning to make a video on lgbtq+ books and stories that impacted you the most
I will forever grieve not reading the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series as a kid. I remember seeing them at the Scholastic book fairs and if I could back I would tell my younger self to pick up that darn book lol.
For me, the Alex Rider series had me in a chokehold 😅
def also had both a percy jackson phase and a dystopian novels phase. it's a cannon event fr
In middle school it was the Lord of the Rings. I loved those books so much that I would even finish the last book of the trilogy & then start over from the beginning.
I read THE LORD OF THE RINGS at 13. It has been the single most influential book in my life, the other one was THE DRAGONBONE CHAIR by Tad Williams. Both books made me into a lifelong fantasy fan.
This made me think of my reading journey and I want to share it with you. I hope you don't mind if this going to be long, you inspired me! Let me preface by saying that I am 50 yo, making me a GenX and will help my reading journey make sense hahahaha. So, the first book I read was Stephen King's CARRIE on paperback with that horrifying cover of Carrie covered in blood. I had nightmares for a week! at 9 years old, a classmate lent me her hardbound copy of THE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK and that started my obsession over the Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys/Choose Your Own Adventure book series. Since we were a middle-class family, my mom could not afford to buy me books. However, back in the day, there were book lovers who post ads on newspapers where they rent out books (sort of a Blockbuster Video scheme but for books). That gave me access to all the books I want. At 11, my mom decided I was ready for something more substantial and she gave me her copy of Mario Puzo's THE GODFATHER and oh boy, I enjoyed the graphic prose...at 11yo. Hahahaha. In high school, I discovered John Saul, a horror/thriller author who places children at the center of all his stories, both as victims and evil sociopaths. The first book I read from him was SUFFER THE CHILDREN and I knew that this cemented my love for the horror/thriller genre. At the end of high school, I bought a book called THE STRANGER BESIDE ME by Anne Rule that chronicled her being acquainted with Ted Bundy, the most prolific serial killer in the States. My best friend, knowing that I have been reading this, bought me an ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SERIAL KILLERS for my birthday (lovely). In college, my social consciousness has been awaken and have had interest in racism and intentional exclusion and marginalization. Reading Martin Luther King's WHY WE CAN'T WAIT and an English version of Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass, stories from the holocaust) was the first time I felt true heartbreak over the realities of a different kind of horror. I will stop at college because the next 3 decades is different and this going to be a loooong post. Hahahaha. But let me just give you the gist by saying, I have diversified and believe me when I say that my favorite books that I have recently read is the HEARTSTOPPER series and I am eagerly waiting for the release of the last of the series. I guess I just loved reading about how inclusive the series is and being in a monogamous relationship for 20 years now, it was lovely to read a story about love’s early blossoming. Thanks for this video and I hope you don’t mind me engaging with a long post. I just feel in another timeline, I am the cool g-uncle to you and Benjie. (Btw, I still haven’t finished HOUSE OF LEAVES, god that’s a really a heavy read)
Chris, you were so cute then and so cute now!!
Don’t even get me started on Warrior Cats
I'm still not a massive reader...but I do read some books...the first book I ever read cover to cover, in a short period of time was 'The Outsiders' by S.E. Hinton
Love your voice! Such a shame u wont be returning as librarian. U seemed to really like it 💚
You even made a movie about the Hunger Games. Your brother and sisters all read because of you.
1:13 The fabulous gene manifested early in life. Happy to hear that
Never read The Perks of Being a Wallflower but saw the movie later in life.
You wont believe how many times I've read Magic Treehouse 😭😭
Am I third ?? Ig🥉🎉. Love your videos btw. You really inspire me to follow my reading journey.
What a cute child you were!
Have you ever read the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull? Followed by DragonWatch, etc.
Can you talk about books that are very important to shape youngsters lives according to you in relation to the current scenario of the world which they should read ???
The Rick Riordan epidemic continues. His new Percy Jackson book is coming out on Sept. 24. I can't wait!
I am enjoying all your recommendations.. As a gay senior citizen, it is interesting to see what the younger folks are reading. I wanted to share my favorite books from my era that you may enjoy.
1) Tales of the City (originally a series of 6 books, but Armistead has added a few more in current day to the series) by Armistead Maupin
2) The Front Runner and sequels Harlands Race and Billy's Boy by Patricia Nell Warren.
Thanks again for all your work sharing your reading interests!
The velveteen rabbit was my favorite book as a kid :)
did you like the new disney series about percy?
Did u ever read Robert Heinlein books?
gobsmacked the twilight series isn’t on this list
so what you're saying is shailene woodley playing in both the fault in our stars and divergent is your roman empire
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Why did we have the same childhood??