Could you possibly do a “dear authors: dialogue”? I don’t know if it’s my autism or my social awkwardness but I’m struggling with dialogue. I’d love the community’s opinion on good and bad dialogue!
Dialogue can be difficult especially if you don't process it the same way as NTs do. My only suggestion is that you don't go to far away from awkwardness because it comes across as fake when everyone always has the perfect line just at the perfect time. Its ok if your character is caught off guard and stammers or or says something they realize is "cringy" but can't take it back.
Honestly, I'd look for a couple of things when writing my dialogue. 1. Take into account the setting they inhabit. This can also fall into the type of people they interact with. 2. Their personality should shine when they speak and interact with others. Which leads into character voice (which is actually something I'm still working on). So yeah, summed up: Setting, who they get their influences from when they speak and interact with others, and making sure that you've put enough personality and presence in the character so that when they speak, the reader will know who's speaking, even when there are no names mentioned by the narrator.
Honestly, I would love that video jejeje or...tips to improve the experience, like when she says that we should try to read Rebecca as a Domestic Thriller; that really helped me to love it jajaja 😅
Merphy recommending Best Served Cold before the first law trilogy *sits back and watches the first law fans screech in horror* They're going to demand your boots because they are offend
I'm curious if the people who didn't like it actually finished it. Because it is definitely slow developing, but the endings are just amazing. You get huge payoffs from all that slow development. I'm super glad merphey recommended it, since it's one I probably wouldn't have found otherwise.
God, I’m so jealous. Sadly something like this will most likely never happen to me, because I live in a country where English isn’t the native language so I don’t think Sanderson will ever come in a bookshop and sign books
@@tejasdeepsingh456 it's from the first avengers. Captain America says he understands a reference Iron Man made because he usually doesn't, seeing as he was frozen for eighty years lol
@OnThisSideoftheSky yo I DIED laughing at that lol like they was in mid conversation about something else and Pattern was like "Ooohh I understand now." NOOO MATING. Little 🐔 block lol. THAT and when Syl gets jealous at other spren for coming anywhere near Cal lol
@@tejasdeepsingh456 If you were talking about "I am offend" part, it's from a scene of the second book of the Stormlight Archive were Shallan is faking being an offended foreigner and end up saying "I am offend ! apology with boots."
This is odd to me. Speaking as a mom, books are super easy to buy, wrap, and stick under the tree. Why be mad? What are these moms hoping you'll ask for??? I don't get it.
@@kathleenbrashier2579 Probably just because they want them to have a little fun or whatever. I'm sure these moms don't really mind but just kinda wish they would be more 'childish'. They just don't understand this is their version of *fun*
“...I mean he’s layered. There’s layers to him.” 😂 Yes, this video helped! I appreciate that you decided to tackle some perspectives that are not your own and even some that you don’t agree with. That makes for a more well rounded reader, writer, and booktuber. And yes, as always, this was enjoyable. I pulled up my GoodReads while your video was playing and added some more books to my TBR and “My Merph List” haha That commercial was probably one of the best ones you’ve done! Cory behind the fan 😂 #CottonCandyClouds Loved this video! Keep ‘em comin’!
For the wuthering heights recommendation “It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover deals with the cycle abuse but definitely has discussion within the book and outside the book! 10/10 recommend if you like hard hitting adult contemporary and romance
For anyone interested in The Only Good Indians definitely recommend checking out the trigger warnings in Goodreads especially if you’re sensitive to animal/pet-related horror. It’s pivotal to the story and not something you can skim so it can be good to know what you’re going into!
Alice is a brat too though! I love Alice in Wonderland because of the world, but I never liked Alice, and I usually like bratty kids (Peter Pan, Constance Contraire). I guess the difference is that Alice tries her best to be polite and considerate towards other people, but she also sulks all the time. Peter is more selfish and sneaky, but also more optimistic. Constance is selfish AND sulky, but I found her complaints funnier than Alice's. I'm with Merphy on liking the discussion to be more subtle. I like it when books give me flawed characters and let me decide for myself what I think about them. Rebecca, The Lies of Locke Lamora and Wuthering Heights are all among my favorite books, and I think The Blade Itself has the best character POVs I have ever read (even though I found this book harder to get through). For people who don't like Wuthering Heights and would like the book to be more critical of bad things in society: Have you tried Anne Brontë's books? I've heard they are more political than Emily or Charlotte Brontë's books, and show problems in the society of that time.
I am almost done with my first read through off Lies of Locke Lamora and I’m absolutely loving it. It did take me a little effort to push past the beginning, but not as long as some other books I’ve read. The flashbacks however, I don’t mind at all. I can see how some people might not like them because they tend to occur during the parts of the present that really start to suck you into the story, but that doesnt feel too much different than when a book switches pov’s at a very annoying time so I can deal with it.
@@elizabethbuerke7854 I loved Peter and the starcatchers because of that very reason, and no one knew of its existence when I was reading it so thank you for confirming it was not a fever dream of mine
Hi Merphy. I love your channel. Thanks to you I found Bachman, Scott Lynch and Daphne Du Maurier. So far I have loved every single recommendation of yours that I have picked up. Loved the yellow wallpaper. I am so glad you read A deal of a lifetime. It is one of my favourite Bachman stories. I would love to hear what you thought about it. If you can maybe do an in-depth review I would love it! Thanks for everything. You are amazing. Keep doing what you are doing!
I'm interested what you'll think of The Magicians, I had to read it for a class recently and I have... Thoughts about it that I won't speak about until you've read it.
Definitely read a picture of dorian gray! Oscar Wilde is amazing and he was a wonderful gay man who was persecuted for his eccentricities. With that extra insight I'm sure you can get a lot more out of his stories
I hope you'll like The Magicians. I don't normally do hate-read, but that book was impossible for me as I don't dnf books. Anyway, the video was so full of positivity considering the subject.
The magicians if one of the few books I’ve ever DNF.. The chapter on them flying as ducks ( was it geese ?) had my scratching my head and ready to quit but the fox sex and the house orgies were a Nope for me.. nope nope nope
I just finished this book, and I have to say that I enjoyed the show more. The pacing is really strange in the book. Ultimately, I think it's less about magic and more about growing up and depression.
Hey Merph, I have the same preference over books facilitating, rather than making you read social commentary. I don't think books do well when they overtly criticize something that's obviously bad, I feel hit over the head and it makes me think the author expects me to be a complete idiot who cannot draw her own conclusions! I really loved for e.g. "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro, but that book never sits you down to explain what it's about. Still, it was very satisfying to figure the metaphors out (especially since they weren't overtly hidden). Also, out of the modern writers, Rebecca Makkai also does a good job clarifying at the end what the book was about without actually telling you what you should think (all her characters are flawed, ergo human)
I heard the Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu is a really good. I haven't read it myself yet but I'm planning on really soon. I believe it's about Mozart's sister.
I'm not entirely sure where the line between magical realism and urban fantasy is, but some of my faves in that area are: Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P. Jones (absurdist horror, that's also a philosophical/theological discussion) Wonders of the Invisible World by Christopher Barzak. and Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz (incredibly dark and disturbing, I encourage you to look up content warnings).
that ad 😆 great video idea! I remember DNFing Lies of Locke Lamora when I was a baby fantasy reader because the writing style was too overhelming. But then I gave it another shot and couldn't believe I had DNFed it and I just fell in love with the whole series and I can't wait for the 4th book!!
I would actually recommend game of thrones to people who don't like lord of the rings. A lot more happens early on (though not violent) and the writing style is very digestible.
My heart literally jumped when you said "Theft of Swords"!! Just remember the story gets more in depth and entangled as you go through the series, and has amazing characters and growth!
I really wanna read the gentlemen bastards series but everytime I try I find the writing so hard. I dont mind the flashbacks but the pace is kinda slow (at least until I got up to) and I'm really bad at complicated or flowery prose. Like I dont know how to describe the issue but I think you know what I mean. I just find it hard to read. Does anyone have any tips?
It's really hard, but if you really want to enjoy it, I'd just keep going and push through! It picks up somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 through. And then all that slow difficult setup that I struggled with suddenly became brilliant atmosphere building for the world.
I tried it twice, DNF'ED at the same spot. I'll pick it up again some years later and try, but as of right now, there are more series I'm a lot more interested in.
Loved the video Merphy! You added too many books to my tbr 😂 Also I'm watching Avatar the last airbender season 3 and it's amazing and I can't wait to finish it and watch all your videos related to it 😂♥
I LOVE that you read books with darker themes. It’s actually the main reason you’re my favorite Booktuber to watch! I’ll read anything if someone suggests me a book, but if I’m picking on my own, I lean hard toward horror. It’s difficult to find really watchable Booktubers that like darker books (or at least, I haven’t come across a bunch), so I appreciate it!
Priory is a really good rec for a classic fantasy with women in it (or just a fantasy in general). I personsally loved it so much, mainly because of the way myths, religon, and history were intertwined and remembered differently by different cultures. I thought it was so fascinating! Plus the main romance is one of my favourits
Ugh. Sorry Merphy, but you actually nominated a book I hate *more* than Lies of Locke Lamora. Let me suggest the classic Buddy Fantasy: Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. The humor is better, the characters are classic, and the adventures are sword and sorcery. So you know the pace will be "galloping." AntiHero adventure stories done right. I do agree on Michael Sullivan as an alternative.
You touched on an important topic of reading books about nuanced characters. I have noticed that there is a disdain towards books where the characters are not "unproblematic" in every way. While I understand the desire to promote positive role models, it is not the reason why so many of us choose to read books. Give me all of the morally gray characters and unhappy endings! For me, it is a way to cope with reality and understand the complexity of human themes.
While _Carmilla_ (1872) is one of the vampire classics, I believe the first vampire novel was, at least in English, John Polidori's _The Vampyre_ (1819). He and Mary Shelley wrote their books while having a vacation in Lord Byron's cottage. That is one of my favourite moments in history.
Haven't read 'The Lies of Locke Lamora' yet (though you got it on my TBR Merphy!), but 'Gentlemen of the Road' is about a great odd-couple friendship between a two Jewish mercenaries/thieves swindling their way across Central Asia (no flashbacks): ajungleoftales.blogspot.com/2020/07/it-oughta-be-movie-gentlemen-of-road-by.html For high fantasy with more women and more concise story-telling, check out the Earthsea series by Ursula LeGuin: ajungleoftales.blogspot.com/2020/09/re-read-review-earthsea-books-1-and-2.html ajungleoftales.blogspot.com/2020/09/re-read-review-earthsea-books-3-5-by.html
Locke is a fun character to follow, right from the beginning. But I feel the ending wasn't very powerful. I was expecting a better villian, though I am heading to Red seas under the red sky tomorrow. Time for bed✨. Well, Murphy, if possible, make a video about books you have mixed feelings.
For the reader who didn’t like the Troop, here are a few survival horror novels without Animal Abuse: The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling The Ruins by Scott Smith The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher - Not survival horror, but a large portion takes place in the woods and there’s a dog that does not die. Also, I would like to recommend www.doesthedogdie.com/, a great website that lets you look up CW in books, movies, tv, etc.
Yours & Daniel Greene's tastes resonate with me so much. Which is why I've been looking forward to your thoughts on 2 of my favorite fantasy series for so long: 'His Dark Materials' & the 'Bartimaeus' sequence (especially the proper trilogy). Hope you see this Ma'am!
I didn’t enjoy Lies of Locke Lamora much, but the parts I did enjoy were all the interludes. I just finished Red Seas Under Red Skies though, and I enjoyed the whole thing. Looking forward to continuing the series.
Spoilery Trigger Warning for The Only Good Indians: - - - - - It's pretty much 100% graphic animal death, that's the main piece used in the metaphors the book uses to discuss generational trauma. If that bothers you enough that you had to skim the Troop, I'd skip this one and pick up a different Stephen Graham Jones instead because his writing is great
I wanted to give more explanation for my reasons but Instagram restricts response length. So to clarify my dislike of Peter pan...I went into it thinking I'd get more than I got in the movie, and I just found that I didn't. It sounded like someone was telling a child a story and nothing went past surface level. Maybe my expectations ruined it, I was so excited going into it from your recommendation, so I'm very sad I ended up being disappointed.😞 Maybe if I'd never seen the movie I would have been fascinated?🤷♀️ I'm sorry Merphy, I really love your channel!
I'd suggest Glen Cook's Black Company series as another alternative to Scott Lynch. The Black Company are mercenaries rather than thieves, the books are _significantly_ shorter, and the writing style much is more direct; but if you're looking for "a group of disparate, not-very-nice characters banded together to accomplish a goal which is _also_ not very nice," with a healthy ration of dark humor and gritty realism, Cook just might scratch that itch for you.
Merphy, you should totally read Crazy Rich Asians!!! It’s similar to Jane Austen books in the sense that it’s a romance that has a lot of commentary on wealthy Asian (rather than English) society. It’s contemporary, which might work for people who don’t like Jane Austen and are looking for a modern story with contemporary prose.
If you like the Yellow Wallpaper mainly because of the feminist lens... I recommend Herland. It's a really fascinating exploration of what could (not really but theoretically) happen in a land where men were... unnecessary. It's not creepy or dark, but it's still really compelling as you learn more about this strange land.
'Carmilla' is definitely not the first vampire novel, but she is the first lesbian vampire! There's a great read-through/analysis on Maven of the Eventide's channel: th-cam.com/video/92lscLqhXKs/w-d-xo.html (There's also a really fun modernized web series version for those who wish Carmilla and Laura had ended up together: th-cam.com/video/h4QzRfvkJZ4/w-d-xo.html )
I find it really bizarre how if you say you like Harry Potter, you just hear people yelling over Cursed Child. Why do they assume we like Cursed Child? Lol. We mean the 7 books for goodness sake xD
What a fun video! I’m so sad I missed it on your Instagram. I really want to love Brandon Sanderson, and I usually love the first book in his series. But then it just becomes... to cringy for me. I’ve tries to figure out what it is I don’t like and I think it’s because his books feel like those very mainstream action movies, when the hero and the villain say cool lines to each other during the fight and all the main characters manage to survive because they conveniently remember or figure out some plan just seconds before it’s too late. So after a while I just skim through the battle scenes because I find them lame rather than epic. And it’s such a shame because I love his world building. I think that’s why I usually love the first book (I loved way of kings and the final empire) because that’s when it’s mostly world building and then it goes on to this “epicness” that just makes me roll my eyes every 10th page... Any reading suggestions?
I disliked the LOTR (same for Witcher) because of the amount of characters ;d there were too many for me and instead of really understanding one, I didn't understand any of them... (personality and so on)
Girl you should read six of crows! I know you'll probably never see this comment but wow I'm surprised she didn't recommend this book next to the gentleman bastards.
Back in March I picked up The Goldfinch (I like reading books with movies that i want to see) and it was honestly great. I’ve been searching and waiting for my favorite booktubers to read and review it I’d love to hear your thoughts
This might contain a spoiler if you wish to read the troop! Thank you Merphy, I just added Tunnel of Bones to my TBR. Yeah I have enjoyed a lot of horror but I went in hoping for kids that get infected and start eating each other and everything else. I was cool with that premise but the psychopath animal torturer was way too much for me. I read as much as I could then I gave up and cuddled my dog. Not your fault. You have recommended many books that I have loved. That was the only DNF. So not bad :)
Aww man, I never saw that poll! But I have one! I really didn’t like the ocean at the end of the lane by Neil Gaiman. I also didn’t like Coraline (not sure if you’ve read that one) for the same reasons. Gaiman’s writing is absolutely beautiful. There were a few chapters in ocean that was the most amazing writing I’ve ever read...but I felt that the idea of his story was good...but the execution fell a little flat. I’ve heard these stories are whimsical and fantastical, but it didn’t grab me in that way. I love whimsy, but it didn’t deliver that to me. Honestly in both stories, I had a hard time picturing the scene that Gaiman was creating. Maybe his creativity style isn’t for me? Is there any kind of whimsical books similar to his that you could recommend?
Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day, while good, is a slower paced book. I'd suggest starting with his novel An Artist of the Floating World first to get an idea of his writing style. It has a similar story line (a man coming to terms with where his life and choices have led him) but there is a bit more going so it's a bit better if you found Austen too slow. His novel Never Let Me Go is also amazing but very different from Austen.
I am currently reading North and South, and it's way more philosophical, slower and harder to read than Jane Austen? All other recs were super accurate, but I would not agree with this one. I would rather go with a modern romance, but they all are not as good as satisfying as Jane Austen books (But you can just watch the movies)
So I know Lord of the Rings is lacking in female characters but honestly Eowyn is one of the best (and in my opinion she is) characters in the book. She has amazing lines, with her only fear being "a cage" being my particular favorite. She has one of the clearest desires and motivations and (SPOILERS) she gets the greatest fight in the entire book. The fact that she's the only woman at the forefront arguably makes her stand out more against everyone else and to me steals almost every chapter she's in.
The Eli Monpress series was/is grossly mis-marketed with their initial book covers and it's a tragedy. It's a fantastic series about a magical thief and a great recommendation for fans of those tropes.
I started the first book of Gentlemens bastard and stopped after 90 pages because the main charakters couldnt convince me. They are up to the page 90 completely uninteresting and I couldnt relate myself with any part of the world or story
Have anyone other then me read "A man of his word" by Dave Duncan? It seems like no fantasy booktuber have mantioned it on their channel ever and I'm really curious why, as it's one of my favorite fantasy sieries. I know it's not really relevant to this video, it's just another list of books list of books without it.
I loved the Lies of Locke Lamora but it totally made me think of a grown up version of the Thief Lord. So it could be a different option, though it is worth remembering it's a kids book.
Gentlemen bastards has the best flash backs in fantasy. What Sanderson does in SLA is not even close. Also best served cold is fast, but not as well written. I think it's joe's worst.
Wait, my copy of The portrait of Dorian Gray is way longer. It's almost 350 pages long and quite heavy to carry around. I am genuinely surprised, I wonder what misses from the shorter editions.
I know this video is about a month old but I know that a lot of people love the "Shades of Magic" trilogy by V.E. Schwab and I really did not like it. I thought the characters were annoying, the pacing too slow, and the plot reveals/twists were either really predictable or completely out of nowhere. Any recommendations for me?
I kinda wanna point that person that said Peter Pan is an evil brat towards Lost Boy by Christina Henry which is about when Captain Hook was a lost boy and how he grew to hate Peter Pan. And I really like this retelling partly because he is portrayed as an evil brat. And it is fantastic.
I dnf lies of locke about 5 years ago - listening to you and Daniels reviews love for this book makes me want to give it another try. I think I will try audible this time.
The idea for this video is great.. it should be a constant for every year, just like the favorites videos, and I can even see them getting a lot better when people learn to give more information on their reasons.
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I went from hating books to buying 10 books on Amazon in 4 days because of merphy and daniel greene
We are in the exact same situation. I'm not even exaggerating. I bought 6 books in one day because of Merphy and Daniel 😂
@@diaryofagirlnamedhanna It's crazy, isn't it?
Rest of booktube : like everything we like.
Merphy and Daniel: Well yes but no...
Same! (More Merph than Daniel for me though haha) I went from reading 0 books to about 6 books a month! 📚❤️👍🏼
@@daniel_arevalo_6490 I'm reading theft of swords because of Daniel.
Could you possibly do a “dear authors: dialogue”? I don’t know if it’s my autism or my social awkwardness but I’m struggling with dialogue. I’d love the community’s opinion on good and bad dialogue!
As someone who wants to write dialogue centered books, I second this!
Agreed - I find dialogue to be the most intimidating thing to write. Merphy gives such great advice in those “Dear authors...” videos ♥️
Dialogue can be difficult especially if you don't process it the same way as NTs do. My only suggestion is that you don't go to far away from awkwardness because it comes across as fake when everyone always has the perfect line just at the perfect time. Its ok if your character is caught off guard and stammers or or says something they realize is "cringy" but can't take it back.
Honestly, I'd look for a couple of things when writing my dialogue. 1. Take into account the setting they inhabit. This can also fall into the type of people they interact with. 2. Their personality should shine when they speak and interact with others. Which leads into character voice (which is actually something I'm still working on). So yeah, summed up: Setting, who they get their influences from when they speak and interact with others, and making sure that you've put enough personality and presence in the character so that when they speak, the reader will know who's speaking, even when there are no names mentioned by the narrator.
@@thebraydenchannel78 no I understand character voice. That’s not what I struggle with. I struggle with being relatable to allistics
"Do you think I like books like these? A Court of Thorns and Roses? I'm offended. I'm insulted".
I've never loved you more. 😂😂
That is honestly one of the trashiest book ever. ( my opinion)
@@shreyam9958 and her other book (which is ever trashier) just won goodreads choice award. Go figure.
"Sir! Do you think I like this book!?!?!"
Haha I'm dead
"Explain to you why your wrong" lol 😆😆
"you are"
Honestly, I would love that video jejeje or...tips to improve the experience, like when she says that we should try to read Rebecca as a Domestic Thriller; that really helped me to love it jajaja 😅
I was so ready for I though I was like “oh so you lied to us! I LIKE THIS TOO!”
The Lord of the Rings may not have many female characters, but they are all amazing, smart, strong, kick-ass types. I love them.
I know that’s what I was thinking. Especially for the time it came out. Also, Eowyn kills the Witch King. How bad ass is that!?
@@Superchild88 Exactly!
Merphy recommending Best Served Cold before the first law trilogy
*sits back and watches the first law fans screech in horror*
They're going to demand your boots because they are offend
I love that the most offending message to you was not one not liking a book you liked but rather one that assumes you like the cursed child :D
Now I'm even more interested in reading Gentlemen Bastards.
its so good :D
I'm curious if the people who didn't like it actually finished it. Because it is definitely slow developing, but the endings are just amazing. You get huge payoffs from all that slow development. I'm super glad merphey recommended it, since it's one I probably wouldn't have found otherwise.
I got lucky and looked at Skyward at my local book store and found out Sanderson had stopped by and signed a few copies.
God, I’m so jealous. Sadly something like this will most likely never happen to me, because I live in a country where English isn’t the native language so I don’t think Sanderson will ever come in a bookshop and sign books
@@booklover462 Sanderson done this in Czech republic, when he was on set of WOT. So there is still hope 🖤
This really is quite hilarious with you trying not to argue why your fave are not what your subscribers are saying :)
True go into Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde blind if possible when I read it last year I kept wishing I had not been spoiled by cultural osmosis.
Surprised you didn't plug Mistborn as a fantasy heist novel alternative to LoLL.
oh wow. What was I thinking?
@@merphynapier42 Somewhat related, I think you'll love Sullivan's Riyria Chronicles when you get around to them.
“HEY , SAY YOUR LINES” 😂😂😂 ... I was in a bad mood, and this cheered me up.
Does anyone else want to know where Merphy's shirt is from? Just me? 😅
Same! It's gorgeous.
If I had to guess, it's from tentree. They sell very similar sweaters.
Merphy: "I am offend"
Me (a new reader): I understood that reference!
(Sad part is that she probably won't understand mines lol)
Captain America has some pretty nice boots.
I don't
@@tejasdeepsingh456 it's from the first avengers. Captain America says he understands a reference Iron Man made because he usually doesn't, seeing as he was frozen for eighty years lol
@OnThisSideoftheSky yo I DIED laughing at that lol like they was in mid conversation about something else and Pattern was like "Ooohh I understand now." NOOO MATING. Little 🐔 block lol. THAT and when Syl gets jealous at other spren for coming anywhere near Cal lol
@@tejasdeepsingh456 If you were talking about "I am offend" part, it's from a scene of the second book of the Stormlight Archive were Shallan is faking being an offended foreigner and end up saying "I am offend ! apology with boots."
My mom is mad that i only want books and tbr cart for Christmas
So is mine. Except she's angry that I only want books for my birthday
same tho
@@merphynapier42 💀💀
This is odd to me. Speaking as a mom, books are super easy to buy, wrap, and stick under the tree. Why be mad? What are these moms hoping you'll ask for??? I don't get it.
@@kathleenbrashier2579 Probably just because they want them to have a little fun or whatever. I'm sure these moms don't really mind but just kinda wish they would be more 'childish'. They just don't understand this is their version of *fun*
Part of me likes to think the Cursed Child comment was made by someone who just wanted to see Merphy rant about it again :-P
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is awesome! I just recently read it.
What if we love you and your favorites 😜
I AM OFFEND
Oh my god I say this all the time and my friends have started too as well which I think is hilarious because they have no clue where I got it form lol
“...I mean he’s layered. There’s layers to him.” 😂 Yes, this video helped! I appreciate that you decided to tackle some perspectives that are not your own and even some that you don’t agree with. That makes for a more well rounded reader, writer, and booktuber. And yes, as always, this was enjoyable. I pulled up my GoodReads while your video was playing and added some more books to my TBR and “My Merph List” haha
That commercial was probably one of the best ones you’ve done! Cory behind the fan 😂 #CottonCandyClouds
Loved this video! Keep ‘em comin’!
For the wuthering heights recommendation “It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover deals with the cycle abuse but definitely has discussion within the book and outside the book! 10/10 recommend if you like hard hitting adult contemporary and romance
I was gonna recommend this too! Such a good book to talk about that kind of abuse. It has the author's explanation at the end too.
Aww I miss Patricia McWriter though. I want to see a real author lol.
The characters of Wayward children made fun of Narnia and I gotta say it hurt my heart. So...now I'm revisiting Narnia and I am so happy to be there
I tried to love lies of locke lamora but it just wasn't for me. I wanted to love it because you love it so much Merph but I couldn't 😂😂
For anyone interested in The Only Good Indians definitely recommend checking out the trigger warnings in Goodreads especially if you’re sensitive to animal/pet-related horror. It’s pivotal to the story and not something you can skim so it can be good to know what you’re going into!
Yeah that's why I don't think it's appropriate to recommend books a person hasn't read
I wanted to read Bachman. Because you’re so in love. But I don’t like to leave fantasy anymore when I read.
Try reading The Way Home gets Longer and Longer by Backman.
It feels very fantasy since most of it was held in an old man's mind.
Alice is a brat too though! I love Alice in Wonderland because of the world, but I never liked Alice, and I usually like bratty kids (Peter Pan, Constance Contraire). I guess the difference is that Alice tries her best to be polite and considerate towards other people, but she also sulks all the time. Peter is more selfish and sneaky, but also more optimistic. Constance is selfish AND sulky, but I found her complaints funnier than Alice's.
I'm with Merphy on liking the discussion to be more subtle. I like it when books give me flawed characters and let me decide for myself what I think about them. Rebecca, The Lies of Locke Lamora and Wuthering Heights are all among my favorite books, and I think The Blade Itself has the best character POVs I have ever read (even though I found this book harder to get through).
For people who don't like Wuthering Heights and would like the book to be more critical of bad things in society: Have you tried Anne Brontë's books? I've heard they are more political than Emily or Charlotte Brontë's books, and show problems in the society of that time.
I am almost done with my first read through off Lies of Locke Lamora and I’m absolutely loving it. It did take me a little effort to push past the beginning, but not as long as some other books I’ve read. The flashbacks however, I don’t mind at all. I can see how some people might not like them because they tend to occur during the parts of the present that really start to suck you into the story, but that doesnt feel too much different than when a book switches pov’s at a very annoying time so I can deal with it.
5:40 got me laughing hard; spicy Merphy is always great.
Amazing as always! Can you make a part two? I have one: Peter Pan but Peter wasn't dark ENOUGH
I like dark characters haha :D can anyone recommend me a book (no fantasy) that has very dark characters?
@@annukkamakelainen1158 read books by Stephen King.
If you want to read a darker version of Peter Pan, read the Peter and the Starcatchers series. It is great and makes Peter Pan a bit scarier.
@@elizabethbuerke7854 I loved Peter and the starcatchers because of that very reason, and no one knew of its existence when I was reading it so thank you for confirming it was not a fever dream of mine
how did she not recommend six of crows its so good and also a hiest
Hi Merphy. I love your channel. Thanks to you I found Bachman, Scott Lynch and Daphne Du Maurier. So far I have loved every single recommendation of yours that I have picked up. Loved the yellow wallpaper. I am so glad you read A deal of a lifetime. It is one of my favourite Bachman stories. I would love to hear what you thought about it. If you can maybe do an in-depth review I would love it! Thanks for everything. You are amazing. Keep doing what you are doing!
I have a review for it going up next week!
@@merphynapier42 Cant wait!
Carmilla!!! It’s not the oldest but it’s older than Dracula, The Vampyre by..... someone is older, and the myth is older I’m p sure
John Polidori wrote The Vampyre.
I remember reading Carmilla for a college course on vampire literature. It was definitely interesting
I'm interested what you'll think of The Magicians, I had to read it for a class recently and I have... Thoughts about it that I won't speak about until you've read it.
Definitely read a picture of dorian gray! Oscar Wilde is amazing and he was a wonderful gay man who was persecuted for his eccentricities. With that extra insight I'm sure you can get a lot more out of his stories
For Wuthering Heights, Anne of Green Gables makes the characters change their minds about using adoption for labour.
Another good gothic book - The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins.
I feel bad for The Cursed Child. It's one of those things that has become popular to rag on. Give it a break guys.
I hope you'll like The Magicians. I don't normally do hate-read, but that book was impossible for me as I don't dnf books. Anyway, the video was so full of positivity considering the subject.
The magicians if one of the few books I’ve ever DNF.. The chapter on them flying as ducks ( was it geese ?) had my scratching my head and ready to quit but the fox sex and the house orgies were a Nope for me.. nope nope nope
I just finished this book, and I have to say that I enjoyed the show more. The pacing is really strange in the book. Ultimately, I think it's less about magic and more about growing up and depression.
Hey Merph, I have the same preference over books facilitating, rather than making you read social commentary. I don't think books do well when they overtly criticize something that's obviously bad, I feel hit over the head and it makes me think the author expects me to be a complete idiot who cannot draw her own conclusions! I really loved for e.g. "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro, but that book never sits you down to explain what it's about. Still, it was very satisfying to figure the metaphors out (especially since they weren't overtly hidden). Also, out of the modern writers, Rebecca Makkai also does a good job clarifying at the end what the book was about without actually telling you what you should think (all her characters are flawed, ergo human)
This was really interesting to watch and gave me a chance to extend my TBR. Hey ,can you recommend some books dealing with magic-realism?
I heard the Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu is a really good. I haven't read it myself yet but I'm planning on really soon. I believe it's about Mozart's sister.
I'm not entirely sure where the line between magical realism and urban fantasy is, but some of my faves in that area are:
Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P. Jones (absurdist horror, that's also a philosophical/theological discussion)
Wonders of the Invisible World by Christopher Barzak.
and Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz (incredibly dark and disturbing, I encourage you to look up content warnings).
@@bookswithike3256 thank you, I'll surely check out those.... Was looking books from this genre lately , but people tend to speak about it so less!
that ad 😆
great video idea! I remember DNFing Lies of Locke Lamora when I was a baby fantasy reader because the writing style was too overhelming. But then I gave it another shot and couldn't believe I had DNFed it and I just fell in love with the whole series and I can't wait for the 4th book!!
I would actually recommend game of thrones to people who don't like lord of the rings. A lot more happens early on (though not violent) and the writing style is very digestible.
My heart literally jumped when you said "Theft of Swords"!! Just remember the story gets more in depth and entangled as you go through the series, and has amazing characters and growth!
I really wanna read the gentlemen bastards series but everytime I try I find the writing so hard. I dont mind the flashbacks but the pace is kinda slow (at least until I got up to) and I'm really bad at complicated or flowery prose. Like I dont know how to describe the issue but I think you know what I mean. I just find it hard to read. Does anyone have any tips?
It's really hard, but if you really want to enjoy it, I'd just keep going and push through! It picks up somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 through. And then all that slow difficult setup that I struggled with suddenly became brilliant atmosphere building for the world.
Have you tried the audiobook? I sometimes find it easier to listen to some books and vice versa. I actually really like the person reading Lies.
I tried it twice, DNF'ED at the same spot. I'll pick it up again some years later and try, but as of right now, there are more series I'm a lot more interested in.
Loved the "I am offend" reference XD
Another great school setting is A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik, it’s phenomenal.
Loved the video Merphy! You added too many books to my tbr 😂 Also I'm watching Avatar the last airbender season 3 and it's amazing and I can't wait to finish it and watch all your videos related to it 😂♥
I LOVE that you read books with darker themes. It’s actually the main reason you’re my favorite Booktuber to watch! I’ll read anything if someone suggests me a book, but if I’m picking on my own, I lean hard toward horror. It’s difficult to find really watchable Booktubers that like darker books (or at least, I haven’t come across a bunch), so I appreciate it!
Also, you love and hate the same tropes as me haha
Priory is a really good rec for a classic fantasy with women in it (or just a fantasy in general). I personsally loved it so much, mainly because of the way myths, religon, and history were intertwined and remembered differently by different cultures. I thought it was so fascinating! Plus the main romance is one of my favourits
OMG I laughed so hard when I saw the add! 😆
By the way, how is it possible to not say you don't like the cursed child? It's a complete mystery to me.
For modern fairytales, Margaret Rogerson.
Ugh. Sorry Merphy, but you actually nominated a book I hate *more* than Lies of Locke Lamora.
Let me suggest the classic Buddy Fantasy: Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. The humor is better, the characters are classic, and the adventures are sword and sorcery. So you know the pace will be "galloping." AntiHero adventure stories done right. I do agree on Michael Sullivan as an alternative.
I tend to like all of your favorites, so thank you for all your recs. 💖
I HATED Kiss of Deception, but LOVED The Outsiders, Merphy explain I’m confusion
You touched on an important topic of reading books about nuanced characters. I have noticed that there is a disdain towards books where the characters are not "unproblematic" in every way. While I understand the desire to promote positive role models, it is not the reason why so many of us choose to read books. Give me all of the morally gray characters and unhappy endings! For me, it is a way to cope with reality and understand the complexity of human themes.
While _Carmilla_ (1872) is one of the vampire classics, I believe the first vampire novel was, at least in English, John Polidori's _The Vampyre_ (1819). He and Mary Shelley wrote their books while having a vacation in Lord Byron's cottage. That is one of my favourite moments in history.
Haven't read 'The Lies of Locke Lamora' yet (though you got it on my TBR Merphy!), but 'Gentlemen of the Road' is about a great odd-couple friendship between a two Jewish mercenaries/thieves swindling their way across Central Asia (no flashbacks): ajungleoftales.blogspot.com/2020/07/it-oughta-be-movie-gentlemen-of-road-by.html
For high fantasy with more women and more concise story-telling, check out the Earthsea series by Ursula LeGuin: ajungleoftales.blogspot.com/2020/09/re-read-review-earthsea-books-1-and-2.html ajungleoftales.blogspot.com/2020/09/re-read-review-earthsea-books-3-5-by.html
Merphy! Where did you get your shirt?!? I’m a native Montanan that’s lived in Hawaii for 18 years and that shirt makes me homesick! I NEED IT! 💛
Locke is a fun character to follow, right from the beginning. But I feel the ending wasn't very powerful. I was expecting a better villian, though I am heading to Red seas under the red sky tomorrow. Time for bed✨. Well, Murphy, if possible, make a video about books you have mixed feelings.
Totally agree about Anxious People. I’m quite similar to you but I did really enjoy how Backman involved the reader.
For the reader who didn’t like the Troop, here are a few survival horror novels without Animal Abuse:
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
The Ruins by Scott Smith
The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher - Not survival horror, but a large portion takes place in the woods and there’s a dog that does not die.
Also, I would like to recommend www.doesthedogdie.com/, a great website that lets you look up CW in books, movies, tv, etc.
Yours & Daniel Greene's tastes resonate with me so much. Which is why I've been looking forward to your thoughts on 2 of my favorite fantasy series for so long: 'His Dark Materials' & the 'Bartimaeus' sequence (especially the proper trilogy). Hope you see this Ma'am!
I didn’t enjoy Lies of Locke Lamora much, but the parts I did enjoy were all the interludes. I just finished Red Seas Under Red Skies though, and I enjoyed the whole thing. Looking forward to continuing the series.
Spoilery Trigger Warning for The Only Good Indians:
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It's pretty much 100% graphic animal death, that's the main piece used in the metaphors the book uses to discuss generational trauma. If that bothers you enough that you had to skim the Troop, I'd skip this one and pick up a different Stephen Graham Jones instead because his writing is great
I wanted to give more explanation for my reasons but Instagram restricts response length. So to clarify my dislike of Peter pan...I went into it thinking I'd get more than I got in the movie, and I just found that I didn't. It sounded like someone was telling a child a story and nothing went past surface level. Maybe my expectations ruined it, I was so excited going into it from your recommendation, so I'm very sad I ended up being disappointed.😞 Maybe if I'd never seen the movie I would have been fascinated?🤷♀️ I'm sorry Merphy, I really love your channel!
I'd suggest Glen Cook's Black Company series as another alternative to Scott Lynch. The Black Company are mercenaries rather than thieves, the books are _significantly_ shorter, and the writing style much is more direct; but if you're looking for "a group of disparate, not-very-nice characters banded together to accomplish a goal which is _also_ not very nice," with a healthy ration of dark humor and gritty realism, Cook just might scratch that itch for you.
Merphy, you should totally read Crazy Rich Asians!!! It’s similar to Jane Austen books in the sense that it’s a romance that has a lot of commentary on wealthy Asian (rather than English) society. It’s contemporary, which might work for people who don’t like Jane Austen and are looking for a modern story with contemporary prose.
If you like the Yellow Wallpaper mainly because of the feminist lens... I recommend Herland. It's a really fascinating exploration of what could (not really but theoretically) happen in a land where men were... unnecessary. It's not creepy or dark, but it's still really compelling as you learn more about this strange land.
'Carmilla' is definitely not the first vampire novel, but she is the first lesbian vampire! There's a great read-through/analysis on Maven of the Eventide's channel: th-cam.com/video/92lscLqhXKs/w-d-xo.html (There's also a really fun modernized web series version for those who wish Carmilla and Laura had ended up together: th-cam.com/video/h4QzRfvkJZ4/w-d-xo.html )
Hi! I'm Brazilian and I love your videos! Thanks for CC, they help me so much with English.
I find it really bizarre how if you say you like Harry Potter, you just hear people yelling over Cursed Child. Why do they assume we like Cursed Child? Lol. We mean the 7 books for goodness sake xD
What a fun video! I’m so sad I missed it on your Instagram.
I really want to love Brandon Sanderson, and I usually love the first book in his series. But then it just becomes... to cringy for me. I’ve tries to figure out what it is I don’t like and I think it’s because his books feel like those very mainstream action movies, when the hero and the villain say cool lines to each other during the fight and all the main characters manage to survive because they conveniently remember or figure out some plan just seconds before it’s too late.
So after a while I just skim through the battle scenes because I find them lame rather than epic. And it’s such a shame because I love his world building. I think that’s why I usually love the first book (I loved way of kings and the final empire) because that’s when it’s mostly world building and then it goes on to this “epicness” that just makes me roll my eyes every 10th page...
Any reading suggestions?
I disliked the LOTR (same for Witcher) because of the amount of characters ;d there were too many for me and instead of really understanding one, I didn't understand any of them... (personality and so on)
Girl you should read six of crows! I know you'll probably never see this comment but wow I'm surprised she didn't recommend this book next to the gentleman bastards.
Back in March I picked up The Goldfinch (I like reading books with movies that i want to see) and it was honestly great. I’ve been searching and waiting for my favorite booktubers to read and review it I’d love to hear your thoughts
This might contain a spoiler if you wish to read the troop!
Thank you Merphy, I just added Tunnel of Bones to my TBR. Yeah I have enjoyed a lot of horror but I went in hoping for kids that get infected and start eating each other and everything else. I was cool with that premise but the psychopath animal torturer was way too much for me. I read as much as I could then I gave up and cuddled my dog. Not your fault. You have recommended many books that I have loved. That was the only DNF. So not bad :)
Aww man, I never saw that poll! But I have one! I really didn’t like the ocean at the end of the lane by Neil Gaiman. I also didn’t like Coraline (not sure if you’ve read that one) for the same reasons. Gaiman’s writing is absolutely beautiful. There were a few chapters in ocean that was the most amazing writing I’ve ever read...but I felt that the idea of his story was good...but the execution fell a little flat. I’ve heard these stories are whimsical and fantastical, but it didn’t grab me in that way. I love whimsy, but it didn’t deliver that to me. Honestly in both stories, I had a hard time picturing the scene that Gaiman was creating. Maybe his creativity style isn’t for me? Is there any kind of whimsical books similar to his that you could recommend?
Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day, while good, is a slower paced book. I'd suggest starting with his novel An Artist of the Floating World first to get an idea of his writing style. It has a similar story line (a man coming to terms with where his life and choices have led him) but there is a bit more going so it's a bit better if you found Austen too slow. His novel Never Let Me Go is also amazing but very different from Austen.
I am currently reading North and South, and it's way more philosophical, slower and harder to read than Jane Austen? All other recs were super accurate, but I would not agree with this one. I would rather go with a modern romance, but they all are not as good as satisfying as Jane Austen books (But you can just watch the movies)
17:50 Maybe it's just me but I imagined an angry cookie monster saying,"..."🍪🥶
Black water by Micheal McDowell is great Gothic Horror. Anyone that bashes Lies of Locke Lamora has no traction with me.
So I know Lord of the Rings is lacking in female characters but honestly Eowyn is one of the best (and in my opinion she is) characters in the book.
She has amazing lines, with her only fear being "a cage" being my particular favorite. She has one of the clearest desires and motivations and (SPOILERS) she gets the greatest fight in the entire book. The fact that she's the only woman at the forefront arguably makes her stand out more against everyone else and to me steals almost every chapter she's in.
The Eli Monpress series was/is grossly mis-marketed with their initial book covers and it's a tragedy. It's a fantastic series about a magical thief and a great recommendation for fans of those tropes.
I started the first book of Gentlemens bastard and stopped after 90 pages because the main charakters couldnt convince me. They are up to the page 90 completely uninteresting and I couldnt relate myself with any part of the world or story
Have anyone other then me read "A man of his word" by Dave Duncan?
It seems like no fantasy booktuber have mantioned it on their channel ever and I'm really curious why, as it's one of my favorite fantasy sieries.
I know it's not really relevant to this video, it's just another list of books list of books without it.
I loved the Lies of Locke Lamora but it totally made me think of a grown up version of the Thief Lord. So it could be a different option, though it is worth remembering it's a kids book.
The Eli Monpress books are fantastic; you won't be disappointed
Gentlemen bastards has the best flash backs in fantasy. What Sanderson does in SLA is not even close. Also best served cold is fast, but not as well written. I think it's joe's worst.
Wait, my copy of The portrait of Dorian Gray is way longer. It's almost 350 pages long and quite heavy to carry around. I am genuinely surprised, I wonder what misses from the shorter editions.
I know this video is about a month old but I know that a lot of people love the "Shades of Magic" trilogy by V.E. Schwab and I really did not like it. I thought the characters were annoying, the pacing too slow, and the plot reveals/twists were either really predictable or completely out of nowhere. Any recommendations for me?
I kinda wanna point that person that said Peter Pan is an evil brat towards Lost Boy by Christina Henry which is about when Captain Hook was a lost boy and how he grew to hate Peter Pan. And I really like this retelling partly because he is portrayed as an evil brat. And it is fantastic.
I dnf lies of locke about 5 years ago - listening to you and Daniels reviews love for this book makes me want to give it another try. I think I will try audible this time.
You gotta read Perdido street station from China Miéville.
The Bechdel test is such a stupid test if you ask me, like Gravity doesn't pass it but that's because there is only one character in it.
The idea for this video is great.. it should be a constant for every year, just like the favorites videos, and I can even see them getting a lot better when people learn to give more information on their reasons.
The flashbacks and beginning was what I liked about Locke Lamora - I didn't care about the adults at all though
You are so cool. I highly appreciate your content. Kind regards from Russia.