"Things that require a higher level of mental engagement are easier for me because it quiets all my other thoughts."-Yeah, I feel that. Love this end-of-year discussion. Just a smooth vibe the whole way through.
I also tend to multitask with screens and really like how reading tends to put my mind on rails where the focus requires less effort. Thanks for posting this. I genuinely enjoyed the random background sounds and storm too - quite a vibe going on. Looking forward to your LotR thoughts.
Finally someone articulated why I can’t really watch tv shows or movies without getting bored but can read hard books without wandering off. Dunno if you’ve ever read robin hobb but her realm of the elderlings series might be a good fit for great characters fantasy with a somewhat grounded feel and great prose. Excited to see what you read in 2025
Loved your anecdote about the annotations in de Sade😂. I love several of the books on your list of faves. It always amazes me that Love in the Time of Cholera is marketed as a romance when really it seems to be about the colonialism and rape of America (even having a girl with the name Amerika raped) and the attitude that things from the old world are better or of greater value than indigenous things. I am glad you gave The Satanic Verses a shout and you are right about Rushdie’s sentences - sometimes they can get a bit ott but usually they are so exciting to read! You will find similar in Midnights Children, if you haven’t already read it, but I would also recommend some of his nonfiction essays - the memoir Knife I think is superb. Coetzee is a wonderful writer and I think you would love Waiting for the Barbarians or Michael K as your next one. Have a good holiday!
I struggled with feeling productive when reading certain books too. Can't watch most TV because I end up distracted, multi-tasking, and missing the plot. I stare at screens all day so books are my go-to to just let myself detach and read whatever catches my eye at a given time. I'm ashamed at how quickly I read Fourth Wing only to decide halfway through Iron Flame that I didn't enjoy any of it. It's easy to consume but not all that great. There's no buildup beyond the main character's POV and I think a lot of Fantasy/Sci-Fi suffers from this. There's too little tension building, world building beyond a singular perspective. (Harry Potter, I'm lookin at you. Don't hate me.)
Great video! Love to see interest in analytic philosophy outside academia. If I can recommend something, Carrie Jenkins' "What love is: and what it should be" is a a fantastic example of relevant, accessible and serious analytic philosophy. Also love "Darkness at Noon". You might enjoy "The Case of Comrade Tulayev" by Victor Serge; has similarities and it's great.
Not in the mood for philosophy in the boudoir huh. I doomscroll and procrastinate too but I’m way behind your 60 books. Interested to hear why you don’t like fantasy. Maybe cause it feels frivolous? I read maybe 10 or so books a year, so I shy away from the 800-page fantasy series; I’d rather mix it up than commit to an experience I could be getting elsewhere for less time investment. The non-fiction I read is mostly history. Probably not as mentally taxing as the philosophy books you read. I guess I make up for it by reading French books occasionally - a lot of searching words in the dictionary. Darkness at Noon and the creative writing short story collection sound interesting. Do you still write? Does it get tiring sitting on the floor?
@@KcIsReading adding to tbr as i type these very words... i have a copy of Sculpting in Time: Reflections on the Cinema and there r some rly cool stills from the film version, super excited to check out the book now
You're gonna need some bookshelves to properly sort out your book stuff 📚. I'm seeing a whole city block, towers of stacked books with their yellowing pages in the background😊 And by the way, kudos for choosing to read books of poetry! "The Penguin Book of Sick Verse" sounds very interesting 👍 Can't go wrong with the oldies
"Things that require a higher level of mental engagement are easier for me because it quiets all my other thoughts."-Yeah, I feel that.
Love this end-of-year discussion. Just a smooth vibe the whole way through.
I also tend to multitask with screens and really like how reading tends to put my mind on rails where the focus requires less effort. Thanks for posting this. I genuinely enjoyed the random background sounds and storm too - quite a vibe going on. Looking forward to your LotR thoughts.
lol very glad you enjoyed the ambiance… almost thought i would have to rerecord when i listened back
Finally someone articulated why I can’t really watch tv shows or movies without getting bored but can read hard books without wandering off. Dunno if you’ve ever read robin hobb but her realm of the elderlings series might be a good fit for great characters fantasy with a somewhat grounded feel and great prose. Excited to see what you read in 2025
Robb Hobb is fantastic.
Loved your anecdote about the annotations in de Sade😂. I love several of the books on your list of faves. It always amazes me that Love in the Time of Cholera is marketed as a romance when really it seems to be about the colonialism and rape of America (even having a girl with the name Amerika raped) and the attitude that things from the old world are better or of greater value than indigenous things. I am glad you gave The Satanic Verses a shout and you are right about Rushdie’s sentences - sometimes they can get a bit ott but usually they are so exciting to read! You will find similar in Midnights Children, if you haven’t already read it, but I would also recommend some of his nonfiction essays - the memoir Knife I think is superb. Coetzee is a wonderful writer and I think you would love Waiting for the Barbarians or Michael K as your next one. Have a good holiday!
9:38 I'd recommend Tristes Tropiques by Claude Levi-Strauss! It's a blending of anthropology and travelogue
I struggled with feeling productive when reading certain books too. Can't watch most TV because I end up distracted, multi-tasking, and missing the plot. I stare at screens all day so books are my go-to to just let myself detach and read whatever catches my eye at a given time.
I'm ashamed at how quickly I read Fourth Wing only to decide halfway through Iron Flame that I didn't enjoy any of it. It's easy to consume but not all that great. There's no buildup beyond the main character's POV and I think a lot of Fantasy/Sci-Fi suffers from this. There's too little tension building, world building beyond a singular perspective. (Harry Potter, I'm lookin at you. Don't hate me.)
Great video! Love to see interest in analytic philosophy outside academia. If I can recommend something, Carrie Jenkins' "What love is: and what it should be" is a a fantastic example of relevant, accessible and serious analytic philosophy.
Also love "Darkness at Noon". You might enjoy "The Case of Comrade Tulayev" by Victor Serge; has similarities and it's great.
Not in the mood for philosophy in the boudoir huh. I doomscroll and procrastinate too but I’m way behind your 60 books. Interested to hear why you don’t like fantasy. Maybe cause it feels frivolous? I read maybe 10 or so books a year, so I shy away from the 800-page fantasy series; I’d rather mix it up than commit to an experience I could be getting elsewhere for less time investment.
The non-fiction I read is mostly history. Probably not as mentally taxing as the philosophy books you read. I guess I make up for it by reading French books occasionally - a lot of searching words in the dictionary. Darkness at Noon and the creative writing short story collection sound interesting. Do you still write? Does it get tiring sitting on the floor?
LOL so tiring but i dont have a tripod so my eyes have to remain at bed height
the solaris mention omg TARKOVSKY!!!!
And if you havent read the book yet 👀👀👀 one of my all time faves
@@KcIsReading adding to tbr as i type these very words... i have a copy of Sculpting in Time: Reflections on the Cinema and there r some rly cool stills from the film version, super excited to check out the book now
You're gonna need some bookshelves to properly sort out your book stuff 📚. I'm seeing a whole city block, towers of stacked books with their yellowing pages in the background😊
And by the way, kudos for choosing to read books of poetry! "The Penguin Book of Sick Verse" sounds very interesting 👍 Can't go wrong with the oldies
What is your username in storygraph? Would love to follow you on there