Woven in Moonlight sounds amazing!! Also really want to read The Signature of All Things and Magpie Murders. One of my favorite fiction books from this year was The Once and Future Witches
The Signature of All Things is one of my favourite books of all time. My reading list is mostly theme driven and I spent a year learning about Darwin and co. bringing evolution into the public’s awareness. This autumn has been dominated by the Black Loves Matter and trying to learn more about the triangular trade on which much of England’s wealth was founded. And then of course the British Empire and on and on, fact, fiction, I am going where the books lead me. I find that a really fulfilling way of reading. I try to read contemporary fiction as it comes to my attention. Nice list Olive. As always!
So glad to see The Signature of All of Things. I loved it and think it is a hidden gem. Many people have been turned off Gilbert but this book is her best and deserves recognition. Love the group of books. Happy New year Olive.
Oh I get a good number of comments from people wanting to speak badly of Elizabeth Gilbert's fiction and I suspect it's because they have opinions of her nonfiction, but she can really craft a good story. I loved City of Girls as well.
It's really good to have your end of the year lists. Looks like I've read 3 (Magpie murders, To have and to hoax and Such a fun age) of the top 10 after hearing you talking about them. I'm currently reading Elizabeth Gilbert's Signature of all things and I'm drawn right in. I've bought woven in moonlight and moon flower murders and will pick them up soon. Some fiction which I'd like to recommend are The Midnight library (which you will definitely enjoy knowing your nerdiness and booklove) and Mexican Gothic (amazing plotline but a bit more gore than what I'd like).
The Signature of All Things is one of my all-time favorites as well! I'm re-reading Magpie Murders right now because I just got Moonflower Murders from the library and it's just such a clever book. I can't wait to start 2021 with the second one. The Ensemble sounds amazing - added to my TBR! All the best for 2021 - can't wait to see all the reviews you'll be putting out :)
Loved Woven in Moonlight as well, the finale was truly epic. I put The Lonely Hearts Hotel on my TBR because of your recommendation. Also: your sweater is everything! :D
Definitely added a couple to my list from your review- so glad Writers and Lovers was in the top, I am not always one for subtle nuanced writing like that but that book definitely hit me in the feels. Great reviews as always!
Thank you! Yeah, I know Lily King's latest two books aren't universally beloved because of how quiet and slow they are, but I just love her style. I need to read through her back catalog this year.
literally been waiting for this all year! :-) I have just read writers & lovers (finished yesterday) and thought it was spectacular - had I made a list of my favourite novels this year it would definitely have been in the top three too!
@@abookolive Yes I did some years ago! I also read an older title by her, The English Teacher, which I really enjoyed too. I plan to put another backlog title on my 2021 tbr :-)
I will be reading "Writers & Lovers" for my book club next month. After listening to your review, I can’t wait to dive in! I hope that you delve a bit more into the romance genre (**me, gleefully rubbing my hands together hoping to ensnare you into the romance book world**). Did you read "Chloe Brown..." this year? Try it, you'll like it! And lastly, have a wonderful NYE!! Happy reading in 2021!! Cheers!
Hey Susana! I hope your book club enjoys Writers & Lovers! Chloe Brown is definitely on my list, as is the Flat Share, & a bunch of new releases set to come out this year (including the sequel to To Have and To Hoax) 💛
I listened to The Signature of All Things after your review. It was wonderful. The narrator was perfect. The Susan Ryland series is so fun. I agree the first was so much better. I will definitely read the next one (hopefully it will be out in 2021). Happy new year. Thanks for all the recommendations. It was a fantastic reading year.
Happy New Year Olive! Your sweater and makeup match perfectly today. Lovely 😊Great picks for the year. Writers & Lovers is my #2 of the year as well. My best was the Vanishing Half. 🥂
I'm assuming you finished it by this point (I will forever be behind on answering comments, I'm convinced), so I hope it continued being a good read for you! I started missing it as soon as I finished reading it.
I'm a new subscriber. I'm very impressed with your channel. Thanks for doing an exceptional job sharing your book reads, recommendations, and reviews. Happy New Year! - Dave
My only exposure to Anthony Horowitz is a collection of short horror stories written for a young adult audience, which I did enjoy! I was vaguely aware of the Scorpia series he had written and perhaps some adult mysteries, but I had no idea about The Magpie Murders series! You have peaked my interest and I will add them to my TBR posthaste ~Laura
Thanks for your thoughtful video. I am intrigued by Elizabeth Gilbert. Is city of girls any good? Very happy to have found your channel highlight of my day 🌻🦄📚
I just found Magpie Murders at a thrift store last week, the premise sounded super intriguing and I've always loved metafiction. Having it appear on your list is just confirmation that I made the right choice :D
@@abookolive I just finished it a couple days ago and I actually liked it even more than Magpie Murders! I hope Horowitz will write more. Or even that he will publish the whole Atticus Pund series. They are the closest thing to Agatha Christie that I have ever read. Love them!
That was a fun review :) I scurried over to Amazon and purchased the Magpie Murders and found an Edith Wharton collection for 1.99 so how could I not? I was iffy about the Edith Wharton (though not at that price) lol because I haven't read her since high school and I didn't love her then. But I've change a lot since those dark, distant days, so it's possible I will love her now and I just can't pass up relaxing and tragic at the same time.
I have no idea why high schoolers are forced to read books that they couldn't possibly be ready to take on at that age. I would have HATED Edith Wharton at 16 or 17, but now in my 30s, I can't get enough!
I’m glad to see Wharton’s “Summer” get some well deserved praise on Book Tube. It’s wonderfully atmospheric. Her writing conveys to the reader such a sense of heat induced slowness and boredom of a small rural community. “Magpie Murders” sounds very intriguing. Per your description I’ve added it to my already ridiculously long reading wish list. 🤓📚📚📚
The Magpie Murder idea is probably influenced by E.T.A. Hoffmann's 1819 novel, 'The Life and Adventures of the Tomcat Murr'. Here's the relevant bit of the blurb: "In this astonishing book, a vain and very bourgeois tomcat sets out to write his memoirs, using a biography of Kreisler as a blotting pad. By a printer's error, the two lives get spliced together into a bizarre double narrative." It's very German Early Romantic and weird, but Horowitz probably should have acknowledged that Hoffmann did it first! Also, The Signature of All Things is my favourite book of the year too - and I read it because of your recommendation! So thank you!
@@abookolive I've got a book of literary critique essays by Cynthia Ozick and she talks about Edith Wharton and that might be a good toolbox to start...#readyoshelf
Hi! I loved the video and the books, but many of them are not translated. Could you write the name of the romance that is your favorite of all times? I didn’t understand. Thank you!
Sorry to hear that many of them are not translated! I hope they will be eventually - a number of them are new releases so they may just need some time to be translated. The name of the romance book I discuss in this video is To Have and To Hoax by Martha Waters.
If you like "relaxing and tragic" combined in one book, you should check out "A whole life" by Robert Seethaler. It is short and sweet and just a beautiful read.
You're of course welcome to interact with my content in whatever way you choose, but I must admit to being confused why I needed to be given a heads up about it? In any event, thanks for watching & wishing you a happy new year! 🎉
@@abookolive I was replying to Z S and trying to indicate that while I agreed about their opinion on Signature of All Things, I can't help giving you the thumbs up because I like your opinions on virtually everything else. You present thoughtful content on books I never hear about anywhere else. I just can't get behind that book. :) I did try.
@@abookolive There are videos about this, it was disturbing to realise Rowling may have not created Harry Potter as a child. The evidence is compelling.
I guess I didn’t “get” Writers and Lovers. So many people liked it, and it bored me to tears. I finished it, hoping to connect with it somehow, but it was a slog.
I am so pleased that your favorite books are not all brand new books published in 2020. I read a lot of backlist books too!
There are such wonders to be found in the backlist! 🌟
great list. Always love your reviews. Also, a beautiful sweater.
Thank you! It's one of my very favorite sweaters 😊
Woven in Moonlight sounds amazing!! Also really want to read The Signature of All Things and Magpie Murders. One of my favorite fiction books from this year was The Once and Future Witches
So many great recs! Our TBR is out of control now LOL
Ohhh, just starting the video but I had to comment to say I LOVE your makeup + sweater combo! 😍
Oh thank you! ❤
The Signature of All Things is one of my favourite books of all time. My reading list is mostly theme driven and I spent a year learning about Darwin and co. bringing evolution into the public’s awareness. This autumn has been dominated by the Black Loves Matter and trying to learn more about the triangular trade on which much of England’s wealth was founded. And then of course the British Empire and on and on, fact, fiction, I am going where the books lead me. I find that a really fulfilling way of reading. I try to read contemporary fiction as it comes to my attention. Nice list Olive. As always!
so refreshing to see a unique top 10 list! definitely adding the Horowitz mysteries to my list.
Hey Max! It's so wonderful to hear from you - we miss you around here!
I just added a bunch of these books to my tbr 😀
I love to hear that 😊
So glad to see The Signature of All of Things. I loved it and think it is a hidden gem. Many people have been turned off Gilbert but this book is her best and deserves recognition. Love the group of books. Happy New year Olive.
Oh I get a good number of comments from people wanting to speak badly of Elizabeth Gilbert's fiction and I suspect it's because they have opinions of her nonfiction, but she can really craft a good story. I loved City of Girls as well.
Gosh the way you talk about books makes me wanna read all of them. I'm adding most of them to my 2021 tbr😊
That might be the ultimate compliment for a booktuber! Thank you! 😁
@@abookolive you deserve it!! I recently found your channel and am binge watching all the videos. Keep making such amazing content💖💖
It's really good to have your end of the year lists. Looks like I've read 3 (Magpie murders, To have and to hoax and Such a fun age) of the top 10 after hearing you talking about them. I'm currently reading Elizabeth Gilbert's Signature of all things and I'm drawn right in. I've bought woven in moonlight and moon flower murders and will pick them up soon. Some fiction which I'd like to recommend are The Midnight library (which you will definitely enjoy knowing your nerdiness and booklove) and Mexican Gothic (amazing plotline but a bit more gore than what I'd like).
I've definitely been curious about The Midnight Library!
I love the variety in your favorites! I must try To Have and To Hoax now.
I'll be so interested to hear how you like To Have and To Hoax!
The Signature of All Things is one of my all-time favorites as well! I'm re-reading Magpie Murders right now because I just got Moonflower Murders from the library and it's just such a clever book. I can't wait to start 2021 with the second one. The Ensemble sounds amazing - added to my TBR! All the best for 2021 - can't wait to see all the reviews you'll be putting out :)
The Signature of All Things was gifted to me at Christmas so I was thrilled to see it pop up in the top spot!
Loved Woven in Moonlight as well, the finale was truly epic. I put The Lonely Hearts Hotel on my TBR because of your recommendation. Also: your sweater is everything! :D
Definitely added a couple to my list from your review- so glad Writers and Lovers was in the top, I am not always one for subtle nuanced writing like that but that book definitely hit me in the feels. Great reviews as always!
Thank you! Yeah, I know Lily King's latest two books aren't universally beloved because of how quiet and slow they are, but I just love her style. I need to read through her back catalog this year.
Happy New Year Olive!
Happy New Year, Diane! 🎉
literally been waiting for this all year! :-) I have just read writers & lovers (finished yesterday) and thought it was spectacular - had I made a list of my favourite novels this year it would definitely have been in the top three too!
Wonderful! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Did you read her last book, Euphoria?
@@abookolive Yes I did some years ago! I also read an older title by her, The English Teacher, which I really enjoyed too. I plan to put another backlog title on my 2021 tbr :-)
I will be reading "Writers & Lovers" for my book club next month. After listening to your review, I can’t wait to dive in! I hope that you delve a bit more into the romance genre (**me, gleefully rubbing my hands together hoping to ensnare you into the romance book world**). Did you read "Chloe Brown..." this year? Try it, you'll like it! And lastly, have a wonderful NYE!! Happy reading in 2021!! Cheers!
Hey Susana! I hope your book club enjoys Writers & Lovers! Chloe Brown is definitely on my list, as is the Flat Share, & a bunch of new releases set to come out this year (including the sequel to To Have and To Hoax) 💛
I listened to The Signature of All Things after your review. It was wonderful. The narrator was perfect. The Susan Ryland series is so fun. I agree the first was so much better. I will definitely read the next one (hopefully it will be out in 2021). Happy new year. Thanks for all the recommendations. It was a fantastic reading year.
I'm so happy you liked The Signature of All Things! Happy New Year! 🎉
Happy New Year Olive! Your sweater and makeup match perfectly today. Lovely 😊Great picks for the year. Writers & Lovers is my #2 of the year as well. My best was the Vanishing Half. 🥂
Happy New Year Linda! Thanks for all your wonderful comments in 2020 - looking forward to talking more in 2021 😊🎉
i'm halfway through Writers and Lovers right now and i'm trying to finish it before the end of the year! definitely a favorite as well.
I'm assuming you finished it by this point (I will forever be behind on answering comments, I'm convinced), so I hope it continued being a good read for you! I started missing it as soon as I finished reading it.
I'm a new subscriber. I'm very impressed with your channel. Thanks for doing an exceptional job sharing your book reads, recommendations, and reviews. Happy New Year! - Dave
Hi Dave! Thank you very much for your kind words! I can't even tell you how much that means to me.
My only exposure to Anthony Horowitz is a collection of short horror stories written for a young adult audience, which I did enjoy! I was vaguely aware of the Scorpia series he had written and perhaps some adult mysteries, but I had no idea about The Magpie Murders series! You have peaked my interest and I will add them to my TBR posthaste ~Laura
After hearing you talk about the Signature of all Things, I really want to read it. It sounds right up my alley!
I hope you enjoy it!!
I just love your reviews even if I don’t always like the same books!!
Thanks, Glenda! I really appreciate that.
Love Magpie and Moonflower Murders! I absolutely loved The Signature of All Things also! Great video. Happy New Year 🎊🎈🎆
Happy New Year!!
Thanks to your recommendation, I just used a Librofm credit on Magpie Murders. I'm already hooked on the sample!
That book sucks you right in & does not let you go!!
Thanks for your thoughtful video. I am intrigued by Elizabeth Gilbert. Is city of girls any good?
Very happy to have found your channel highlight of my day 🌻🦄📚
Thank you so much Victoria! Happy to have you here 😊 City of Girls is really great! It was one of my favorites of last year.
Looking forward to read these recommendations. I trust your judgement!📚📚📚👌👏👏👏
I just found Magpie Murders at a thrift store last week, the premise sounded super intriguing and I've always loved metafiction. Having it appear on your list is just confirmation that I made the right choice :D
What a lucky find!!
I loved woven in moonlight to moon and back
Good choice! I thoroughly enjoyed The Signature of all Things too! Great to have a main character who isn’t a mother but is still successful.
Absolutely - and a main character who is older for the majority of the book!
Loved Magpie Murders! One of my favorite 2018 reads. I got Moonflower Murders for Christmas and it's a priority for 2021 to read.
I hope you enjoy Moonflower Murders!
@@abookolive I just finished it a couple days ago and I actually liked it even more than Magpie Murders! I hope Horowitz will write more. Or even that he will publish the whole Atticus Pund series. They are the closest thing to Agatha Christie that I have ever read. Love them!
hi. drop you hi because i just discovered your channel. and i am so thankful to come across you! again, thank you!
That was a fun review :) I scurried over to Amazon and purchased the Magpie Murders and found an Edith Wharton collection for 1.99 so how could I not? I was iffy about the Edith Wharton (though not at that price) lol because I haven't read her since high school and I didn't love her then. But I've change a lot since those dark, distant days, so it's possible I will love her now and I just can't pass up relaxing and tragic at the same time.
I have no idea why high schoolers are forced to read books that they couldn't possibly be ready to take on at that age. I would have HATED Edith Wharton at 16 or 17, but now in my 30s, I can't get enough!
I read Writers and Lovers in June and oh boy I needed it that month.
Quiet books in stressful times are so wonderful.
I bought A Signature of All Things for my sister for Christmas based on your recommendation. To have and do hoax does sound like fun
Yay! Has your sister picked it up yet? (I'm so nosey lol)
@@abookolive I don't think so, she's a teacher and Covid is spiking in our area
I’m glad to see Wharton’s “Summer” get some well deserved praise on Book Tube. It’s wonderfully atmospheric. Her writing conveys to the reader such a sense of heat induced slowness and boredom of a small rural community.
“Magpie Murders” sounds very intriguing. Per your description I’ve added it to my already ridiculously long reading wish list. 🤓📚📚📚
Nodding my head vigorously in agreement with your description of Summer! 🙌
Due to your first and favorite book of the year, have you read Unsheltered by Barbra Kingsolver? I think you would really like it!
I have not! Definitely going to check it out - thanks!
The Magpie Murder idea is probably influenced by E.T.A. Hoffmann's 1819 novel, 'The Life and Adventures of the Tomcat Murr'. Here's the relevant bit of the blurb: "In this astonishing book, a vain and very bourgeois tomcat sets out to write his memoirs, using a biography of Kreisler as a blotting pad. By a printer's error, the two lives get spliced together into a bizarre double narrative." It's very German Early Romantic and weird, but Horowitz probably should have acknowledged that Hoffmann did it first!
Also, The Signature of All Things is my favourite book of the year too - and I read it because of your recommendation! So thank you!
I loved Lily King's Euphoria. Looking forward to get inti this one soon.
Oh, if you loved Euphoria, you're likely going to love her new one, too!
Is it important to read Magpie murder before moon flower murder???
One of my favorite books in 2020 was Lady in Waiting. I thought is was very underrated! Check it out!
Will do, thanks!
I must get to Edith Wharton this year!
yes, absolutely! Enjoy!
Do you think it matters if you read Moonflower Murders before Magpie Murders? I received Moonflower Murders for Christmas.
Oh yes, you'll definitely want to read Magpie Murders first!
Ooooh, a back catalog of Edith Wharton--yayyyyy! I need to get back on that train.
Hopefully I can review more of them this year and get you on the train with me 😂
@@abookolive I've got a book of literary critique essays by Cynthia Ozick and she talks about Edith Wharton and that might be a good toolbox to start...#readyoshelf
I feel you are beautiful reader and smart and wise. thank you for these books. I think you should write your book.
Hi! I loved the video and the books, but many of them are not translated. Could you write the name of the romance that is your favorite of all times? I didn’t understand. Thank you!
Sorry to hear that many of them are not translated! I hope they will be eventually - a number of them are new releases so they may just need some time to be translated. The name of the romance book I discuss in this video is To Have and To Hoax by Martha Waters.
If you like "relaxing and tragic" combined in one book, you should check out "A whole life" by Robert Seethaler. It is short and sweet and just a beautiful read.
I'll check that out - thank you!
I didn’t realise that Anthony Horowitz had another murder mystery series out so thank you for bringing it to my attention!
Happy to do so!
Yesssss it's time for fiction 😜🥂
Fiction has my entire heart!!!!!!
I can't give you a thumbs up this time because of Signature of All Things. :P Hate that book!
Happy New Year, Olive!
Still giving a thumbs up but hate that book.
You're of course welcome to interact with my content in whatever way you choose, but I must admit to being confused why I needed to be given a heads up about it? In any event, thanks for watching & wishing you a happy new year! 🎉
@@abookolive I was replying to Z S and trying to indicate that while I agreed about their opinion on Signature of All Things, I can't help giving you the thumbs up because I like your opinions on virtually everything else. You present thoughtful content on books I never hear about anywhere else. I just can't get behind that book. :) I did try.
Moonflower Murders was good, but I preferred Magpie Murders. I agree with you and I was a bit disappointed.
Yeah, it didn't have quite the same magic. It was still great fun to read, but a touch disappointing.
I think Anthony Horowitz is the author who was the main inspiration behind Harry Potter.
Interesting - I hadn't heard that before.
@@abookolive There are videos about this, it was disturbing to realise Rowling may have not created Harry Potter as a child. The evidence is compelling.
I guess I didn’t “get” Writers and Lovers. So many people liked it, and it bored me to tears. I finished it, hoping to connect with it somehow, but it was a slog.
It's a slow book, that's for sure. I don't think you didn't "get" it, it just may not be your style!
С Новым годом!
С Новым годом! 🎉
I just love your vibe. If we met in person I think you would be my bff 👯♀️
Hey
👋