It was me who told you that I read a Novella on New Years Day each year. It's so cool that you've enjoyed doing this too and that it inspired this vlog. This year I read Foster by Claire Keegan which I absolutely loved. Can I encourage you to vlog more as you do it really well. I've been watching your channel since nearly the beginning and you are so much more relaxed now and confident, it's lovely to see more of your personality shine through. Thanks for the hard work you put into your videos.
Thank you for the encouragement! I do want to do a bit more vlogging, but I manage to turn them into so much work for myself... and I find I'm thinking about what I want to film and say too much over the period I'm doing them 😅 So hopefully a few more but probably not super regular. I do have the bones of my Japan vlog from last May(!!!) still to edit and upload. And thank you for the support. It's really nice to hear that I'm getting better ❤️
Thank you so much!!! Not feeling quite tip top yet (which is not great because work is BUSY immediately) but getting there. Hoping in a few more days I will be back to normal.
A vlog! My, my, what a treat 😜 Glad you’re feeling better again! And I like your reasoning to yourself bc it really is sth that has to happen to convince ourselves of whatever it is we’re ambivalent about. Lol. Glad you enjoyed Shy! Lanny is incredible imo. Can’t wait for you to read it. Will be interesting to hear how it fares being read in reverse “order”.
I think it was naive of me to think I'd just become a big book boy overnight. But this has given me the space to tackle a 600-page, and I've got another one lined up, so... maybe it's working?! 😅 Looking forward to Lanny eventually!
Never mind the books, this was so well shot and edited and a joy to watch! (Also, I’m in love with your end table.) I read Shy a couple of years ago, and thought it was so well done, Porter is such a fascinating author. I think you’ll love Lanny. Happy New Year!
Thank you! I find vlogs can often be SUCH a pain to edit but this one was nice and straightforward and fun! That table is cool isn't it - it used to be a bedside table, but recently got a promotion 😅 Happy new year to you too!
Really enjoy your vlogs - so relaxing. I'm still on my first book - Black River. I like your thought process on banking some novellas. Hope you're feeling better.
Oooh I've been hearing interesting things about Black River - think I saw it on Simon Savidge's channel and it immediately went on my wishlist. I'm hoping the novella buffer zone is working - but we'll see which book I pick after Cloud Cuckoo Land 😅
Loved this vlog, thank you! I also didn't enjoy Grief Is the Thing with Feathers as much as others have, but you've inspired me to give Max Porter another go. I haven't read any 5 star books yet, but had a very close one (4 and a half!) in Absolution by Jeff Vandermeer, so off to a promisng start to the year.
Thank you for watching! Definitely worth giving Porter another try. The playfulness is definitely similar between the two I've read, but I had such a different emotional reaction. I'd love to read Absolution, but I still haven't read books 2 and 3 🫣
Oh no sounds like you were so unwell! So glad you're much better now. Loved seeing a vlog and the irony of 5 books after your resolutions 😂 I've had 2x 5* already 🎉 Father of the rain by Lily King, and the last book in the Wolf Den trilogy by Elodie Harper 👏🏻
Haha well I tried to justify it to myself 😂 But I am reading a 600-pager right now, and I have another one I'm going to try and do before the end of the month. So in some ways I'm a changed man!!! Glad the new year of reading is off to a bang for you 🎉
Yay for vlogs - love a good vlog and this was so relaxing. So sorry you were ill and that sounded really unpleasant. Christmas and new year were full of lurgy for us as well. I got behind on watching or making videos and replying to comments - it stacks up quickly. I can’t believe I’ve still not been to Oxford! Some great sounding books. I’ve been loving days to just sit and finish a whole book in the holidays. Looking forward to your final thoughts on CCL!
Urghhh sorry to hear you got struck down too. It's so rubbish! And as you may be able to tell I am still behind on video stuff, only just replying to comments from last week 😅 Cloud Cuckoo Land continues to be lush - about 60% into it now!
Hope you manage to recover fully soon (and if its not too unrealistic i hope you get time to relax)Starting with novellas is pretty smart, might nab that next year. Had already been planning to read Shy for ages, now you've got me even more excited! Definitely going to get a room above a shop once it comes out with how interesting you made it sound. Maud martha sounds really good too, need to read that at some point as well. Vlog format was fun and oxford was prettyyyyyy (wishing i pretended to consider applying so i could have visited).
Slowly getting there, although still not 100% to be honest. Thankfully I can do normal person things again (read, work, watch TV). A Room Above a Shop and Shy are both absolutely wonderful, so I'm sure you'll love them.
Fun going along with you on your journeys. I'm a little snow bound today, though someone did plow my driveway and walk while I slept in. I hope your continued recovery is smooth.
I love your channel and this was such a great video. I really enjoyed seeing you go about your days and enjoying coffee! I’m glad you’re feeling better. Looking forward to hearing about Cloud Cuckoo Land. I’m currently reading Intermezzo by Sally Rooney and loving it.
This was so cosy to watch. Sorry that you couldn't continue as planned once you came down with the flu. But it was lovely to watch you out and about. A Room Above the Shop made it onto my wishlist.
I have to admit that I enjoyed the coziness so much that I've watch the non-talking bits through a few times myself 😅 A Room Above a Shop is wonderful!
Thank you so much! It's fun to walk around usual (and less usual) places with an eye on what might be worth filming. Gives you a different perspective 😊
So glad I found your channel- perfect vibes ❤ I finished my re-read of the bee sting and am slowly getting into the heaven and earth grocery store (with two more Paul Murray novels en route to my house as I type 😊) HNY!!🎉
Thank you for being here! The Bee Sting is brilliant - can see why you've chosen to re-read it! I have Skippy Dies on my shelves and I'd love to get to it this year. Happy new year to you too!
Starting the year on shorter books to give myself a headstart is definitely something I do every year as well. It just makes investing time in a slower book so much easier later in the year or month even.
Yeah it's silly to worry about numbers, but some of us are just wired that way, so anything to help easy the voices in the back of our minds is helpful!
That was a treat. We all love a reading Vlog. I have Lanny by Max Porter which I have not read so will find it and read it! Last year my choice for my physical book club was Cloud Cuckoo Land and it was magnificent. Such a good book and the discussion was excellent.
I'm so pleased you liked it! Cloud Cuckoo Land is so brilliant so far, and I'm excited to have another half of it to read. Can't wait to see how the stories come together.
Love the style of this vlog. I read Lady Susan by Janne Austen on Jan 1. Wonderful read - 5 stars. It is written in epistolatory form being told thru letters written back and forth amongst a group of people. I found it to be a wonderful start to my reading year.
Lovely video! Perfect way to end a very long work day ❤ My 2025 reading year started with me finishing two books on 1st of Jan - one a complete miss, the other I quite liked: that's A Simple Intervention by Yael Inokai, which you mentioned a while ago I believe! Thanks for introducing me to it! That was a four star read for me. I have slowly been reading Fingersmith by Sarah Waters ever since, and so when I recently watched your video on reading goals, something you said really resonated with me: short books are lovely and definitely have their place, but there is a different kind of magic when you read a "chunkster" and get to spend so much time with a set of characters. I really enjoy my time reading this one!
Oooh I'm glad to hear A Simple Intervention was a hit. I still need to read it! Fingersmith is 100% a book I'd love to read sometime soon. It seems to have been getting some revived buzz lately and I can't resist the FOMO 😅
Ben, hello from Saint Louis! I am a newcomer and I love your vlog! I picked James and Glorious Exploits following your recommendations! I am hooked! Julie
I also couldn't get into Grief is the Thing with Feathers but then I read Lanny which I really liked so I'm on the fence with Max Porter. I trust your opinion and I'm now more interested to read Shy to make up my mind about Porter. Also your clips of Oxford are beautiful, I definitely need a day trip there someday. Looks like you had a lovely start to the new year. Wishing g you and your husband all the best for 2025
Fingers crossed Shy tips the balance for you liking Porter's work! Lanny will have to play the same role for me. And definitely worth a day trip to Oxford. All the best to you too!
Love your videos. I’m a new subscriber who loves everything English, an Anglophile so I appreciate the scenes of Oxford and the Magpie, etc. And Blackwells, oh my.
Hi! Seems I started the new year similar to you. Ended up with a terrible flu and didn't manage to read a single page. I'm slowly making my way out of it (by watching book content). Hope you're feeling better and thanks for the interesting recommendations! I never really read novellas (for no specific reason) but it's something I might look into! Looking forward to your upcoming content, I'm new here so I'm excited for new recommendations and insights :) happy 2025!
Hope you are feeling better now, because being struck down by the flu is absolutely rubbish! I still have it lingering a bit tbh, but slowly getting back to normal. Thank you so much for watching, and definitely worth checking out some novellas! 🙏
Another fab video Ben. I am sorry you’ve been so sick - sounds awful, especially not being able to read! I hope you’re on the mend. I’ve just started reading ‘Days at The Morisaki Bookshop’. The writing is annoying me, but I’ll see if I warm to it.
Not being able to read or watch TV was the worst bit, and I am so glad that's over 😅 Days at the Morisaki Bookshop wasn't for me either to be honest. I should have known because I don't really feel drawn to the 'healing fiction' stuff, but it just felt a bit shapeless to me.
“left Earth for obvious reasons” omg how saaaaaaad 😭 And your poor knuckles from fighting the bed. Beautiful vlog though! I have just only started Lanny, not sure what I’ll think of it, but Shy sounds interesting. Can definitely relate to spiraling thoughts. And I spy a title with 15 letters. Oh and Crooked Plow by Itamar Vieira Junior was the first book I finished this year and turned out to be a five star. Not the kind I’m jumping up and down from reading, but just really solid and great. I felt enriched having read it.
Depressing to see the apocalyptic future unfolding already, but it's not as if it's been without warning 🫠 And I did not even notice A Room Above a Shop having 15 letters!!! And it's released in March! The perfect pick 😅 Glad to hear you have started the year with a hit 🎉
Loved the vlog! The light in Oxford was stunning. Glad you are starting to feel better. I am on a roll so far for 2025. I finished Shadow of the Wind and Tom Lake (for the annuary prompt). They were both 5* reads for me. Tin Man by Sarah Winman was also enjoyable and heartbreaking. I am looking forward to starting Taiwan Travelogue next.
It was such a beautiful day, so I was very glad to be able to include it in the vlog! Tom Lake is a fantastic pick for Ann-uary, and I loved Tin Man too. Shadow of the Wind is on my chunky book hitlist for this year 👀
@benreadsgood I loved Tom Lake. It was such a great read. I tried last year and couldn't get into it so this month was the perfect time to try again and it was lovely. I enjoyed reading about the height of summer during the cold and frosty days of winter. My chunkster of a read is Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell this year. I'm trying to get some of my short reads cleared so I can get to it in March to get it done for my Shame month. Haha!!
A board game night sounds perfect! I'm doing Shorty Saturdays and reading short books every Saturday :) Mood reading is the best idea! I'm 100% an underliner! I order from Blackwell's online, but have never been there IRL. I hope you're feeling better now!
I read Maud Martha last year and thought it was written so beautifully. Looking forward to Shy, I haven't got round to reading any Max Porter yet, what a treat it sounds like I have to look forward to. I'm also on the Libby waiting list for the audio book of Cloud Cuckoo Land, I have a few weeks to wait 😊 Rom above a shop sounds fantastic also!
Yeah the writing is definitely beautiful. A shame really that Brooks doesn't have any more novels. Shy is definitely a good place to start with Porter!
Bless you for feeling unwell. That sounds like Covid. I get a hot read face when I get it. I also try and sleep through feeling unwell. It's exactly what the body needs. Hope you are feeling better. My Annuary is Anne Enright The Wren, The Wren. Xx
Yeah we suspected it might be covid... I did do a test towards the end, and it came back negative, so perhaps flu or user error (I find the nose swabs not as accurate or easy as the throat ones). Hope you enjoy your Ann-uary pick!
I might have a look at Shy if I come across a copy, having heard your thoughts. I wasn't too fond of the most recent Max Porter I read, but I'm willing to give him another chance. Either way, very much appreciated this vlog - a great amount of work has clearly gone into it. Also, hope you're doing better now.
Thanks Charlie - still not quite 100% but definitely feeling better! Porter does seem to do some weird little projects (that new one of his is like a pamphlet) but I thought Shy was really worth my time.
I like the way you think re getting ahead with short books. I've got some chunky ones scheduled for the three, yes three challenges I've signed up for.
Hope you're feeling better! I'm very interested in Shy by Max Porter, but I may need to get it shipped from Blackwells. The US cover is not good. Lol. Great vlog! Happy New Year!
Thanks - feeling a little better but not quite 100% set. I'll get there though! Is the US cover the one with the cassette tape? I actually quite like it! 😅 But the UK cover is great (paperback, not the hardback which is a bit boring).
@ Yes, the cassette tape! I’m not a fan of white backgrounds. I guess the cassette tape makes sense if he listens music or replays things in his head, but … I don’t know … I like the colors on the UK cover! 😆
Thanks, Ben! 🌷I started 2025 with the last couple of chapters of The Count of Montecristo and then went on with novels written in Italian and Dutch, which were both fantstic reads😍📚! I’ve just finished the Dutch novel by Anjet Daanje for your January Ann-uary prompt and was looking for a short book before starting a rather chunky novel by the same author inspired by Emily Brontë’s life and work. Then, you reminded me again of Maud Martha, which has been patiently waiting on my shelves for a while. It sounds like the perfect fit!😊A dandelion?! What I thought the cover art showed was … fireworks😂
I'm so jealous of being able to seamlessly move between reading stuff in different languages. What a skill! Love that you managed a Dutch novel for Ann-uary 🎉 Maud Martha (and her dandelion) is definitely worth picking up!
I so enjoyed your taking us with you on your journeys and am sorry they were cut short by the flu. I also absolutely loved Shy and am so glad it worked for you. There is something very satisfying about reading a book in a single day, isn’t there? My first five star read of 2025 is Sarah Moss’ memoir My Good Bright Wolf, which I thought was simply stunning. And I’m eager to learn how you get on with Cloud Cuckoo Land!
Definitely satisfying, so long as I haven't had to rush it. Even better is when you get a book and manage to read it that same day. What a joy! Heard great things from early readers about the Sarah Moss, so will be interested to see if it ends up on the WP non-fiction list, although it didn't seem like they were big into memoir based on last year's picks. And I'm assuming it's eligible but I haven't checked!
Fun video. I just finished Human Acts by Han Kang. 5 star read for me. Beautiful descriptions of a hard subject. I could only read one section a day - needed processing time. I even read the last section with a box of tissues. I learned things, and I felt things. It's not a book I'll forget anytime soon.
Human Acts is high up on my must-read list! It (and some of Kang's other novels) were reissued in new editions recently and I couldn't resist, so I have a copy but just need to make the time!
Hey, Ben! I also loved Max Porter's Shy and thought I maybe wouldn't. When I read Grief is a Thing with Feathers, I just found it fine. And when I read Lanny, it really wasn't for me. So I borrowed Shy from the library in case I didn't like it, and that's the one I ended up loving! :) Hope you feel better.
That's so interesting! I often fall into the trap of thinking if I don't get on with an author, I'm unlikely to like any of their work, but clearly that's not always the case. Will have to see what side of the fence I land on with Lanny.
Enjoyed your vlog and hope you are feeling better! I also did a week of short books, finishing The Most by Jessica Anthony, Astraea by Kate Kruimink, Shy by Max Porter, Rosarita by Anita Desai. Today I am finishing Notre Dame by Ken Follett. Then back to Time of the Flies by Claudia Piñeiro.
Did you enjoy The Most? It's on my Kindle and I've been tempted to pick it up since the NBA nomination, but I never got around to it! And snap on the Piñeiro - I just finished Elena Knows and loved it.
I had my flu jab yesterday. Because I have asthma I’ll have to get the Covid jab next Friday. Most of my extended family came down with the flu over Christmas & New Year. I’m trying hard not to get it. Cloud Cuckoo Land was my best book of 2022? Loved it. Hope you feel fully recovered soon Ben. ☘️👋🍀📖☕️📕📚
It's been awful - hope your family have recovered okay! Cloud Cuckoo Land is really, really brilliant so far. Can't believe I've put off reading it for so long.
Another shorty that I’d recommend is “nothing but the rain”. It’s a punchy sci fi book about memory and the terror of forgetting. And the cover is fascinating, my description couldn’t do it justice
For a number of years I’ve been reading a New Year’s Day Novella to get the year off to a good start, day one, good book done and locked down. Your program is like that on steroids! Kudos to you! By the way, instead of moving forward, last year I moved backwards and did New Year’s Eve Day Novella, to end the year on a high note. For Eve I read Susanna Clarke’s Wood in Midwinter - it was a bust, it just seemed like a money grab and a half assed attempt at that. A real disappointment. The Day book was Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett, and it was DELIGHTFUL! Everything I wanted for a first read of the year!
I think it was you that inspired me to do it last year! Fun that you did one on NYE - feels like you need something that ends with a bang to go with the fireworks 🎆 I suspected as much about the Clarke... the illustrations are nice but it seemed like such a cash-grab release to me.
It's so much fun! And just the right amount of competitiveness without feeling like the whole game. I'm just trying to make my nice lil tile patterns 😅
This video is quite a balm for me. I’m in LA, surrounded by wildfires. We’re safe in Silverlake, but many friends have lost their homes entirely. The air quality is too bad to go outside,so I’m reading Playground by Richard Powers. It’s perfect timing for that novel. I also listen to audiobooks from the library and started “Say Nothing” by Patrick Radden Keefe. I’m not sure if I can finish that one now. My stress level is a bit too high for that book. I’ll get back to it though. It’s very good.
I am so sorry to hear that you're affected by the fires. From afar the situation looks absolutely awful, and my heart goes out to you. I hope things are starting to become safer and less catastrophic 🙏
Hi Ben. Well done for getting your reading year off to such a good start! Sorry to hear you had the lurg though. I had it before Christmas and it was indeed a knock out. Intreagued as to how you got on with Cloud Cuckoo Land. I have that on my tbr. I started the year off with The Wolf Den trilogy by Elodie Harper. Historical fiction set in Pompeii. Fantastic. Have you read any of them? 📚
Have now finished and loved Cloud Cuckoo Land - looking forward to sharing full thoughts soon! I haven’t read any of the Elodie Harper ones, though to be honest I haven’t really read many of those types of books other than Circe. A blind spot in my reading!
@benreadsgood looking forward to your thoughts on Cloud Cuckoo Land! The Wolf Den trilogy is definitely historical fiction as apposed to Circe and similar books, which are more Mythology. While I loved Circefor what it was, I much prefer historical fiction.
There is an Oxford here in Mississippi and the first thing that came to mind was “he’s in Mississippi and he didn’t come for a visit?” Yes I’m fully aware that we don’t know each other, but all Mississippians are hospitable and welcoming. I’m not sure what you mean by 5 star books. Is that anything like the New York Times Best Seller?
I'd love to do a bit more! They're just a fair bit more work so need to figure out when I have the capacity around my job. When I have time off though, it's great! Thanks very much for the feedback 🙏
That's sad that Karakaš didn't work for you. He is one of my favorite authors from the region. Considering how much I read of his work I believe that the translation probably didn't do it justice. You should keep in mind that Karakaš's grandfather was in the Ustaša army. He explores a lot in his work the question of choice or more precisely not really having a choice. Celebration is actually about the celebratory events that the NDH (Independent Croatian State) organized during the Second World War to spread Nazi propaganda. They also make a film based on this novel and I highly recommend it. Might give you a bit of a context. If you are interested in literature from the region and understanding more of the history I can share some sources and recommendations.
Yeah I was hoping I would like it, as the premise is really interesting and the themes really appeal to me. But the writing just wasn't there for me, which as you say is probably down to the translation. Thank you for the context on his grandfather - that's so interesting! The NDH thing is interesting and I do wish the story had explored more of it - felt like the meaning was very hidden as we only got to experience the characters walking through the forest on the way to the event, rather than the event itself. And they didn't really discuss it that much either!
@benreadsgood Unfortunately his novel was written in such a subtle way because it was meant for the audience who is already very familiar with the history of this region. I believe that is why he was so vague. One important question this novel asks is, Should everyone be held responsible for those crimes even though they didn't actively take part in them? - the question of a bystander. In the aftermath of the war there were trials and executions based on testimonies of collaboration but sometimes people were executed solely on the basis of their ethnicity. My colleague's grandfather was executed because he was a Yugoslav German even though he didn't collaborate with the occupying German force. And of course there was also the banishment of the Danubian Germans from Vojvodina.
the knuckle wounds story is so perfect in the context of you having just said that you're not a violent person 💀i actually snorted i feel you on youtube business -- i feel like i'm constantly behind on most everything. this was a delightful vlog. i may give shy a second chance. i read just a few pages a while ago and decided i didn't want to hang out with troubled boys, but perhaps i should try again :)
I don't know if saying "I'm not a violent person!!!" again comes across as protesting too much, but I'm not I swearrrrrrr 😂 The boys in Shy are definitely troubled, but I enjoyed learning about what got them there. Definitely worth trying again if the mood ever strikes!
hahahah, your later videos don't make any sense and i love it. I wanna read more, i wanna read less, etc. that's exactly how my brain works: a perpetual failed attempt to racionalize nonsense. Good stuff!
SHY: you liked the book to such a degree that you had to match the cover with your shirt and the picture behind you. My 2025 so far: 2 DNF's. Love the channel. You'll be happy to know I'm now only at 40 in the queue for The God of The Woods sooooo 2026, maybe?
It was me who told you that I read a Novella on New Years Day each year. It's so cool that you've enjoyed doing this too and that it inspired this vlog. This year I read Foster by Claire Keegan which I absolutely loved. Can I encourage you to vlog more as you do it really well. I've been watching your channel since nearly the beginning and you are so much more relaxed now and confident, it's lovely to see more of your personality shine through. Thanks for the hard work you put into your videos.
Thank you for the encouragement! I do want to do a bit more vlogging, but I manage to turn them into so much work for myself... and I find I'm thinking about what I want to film and say too much over the period I'm doing them 😅 So hopefully a few more but probably not super regular. I do have the bones of my Japan vlog from last May(!!!) still to edit and upload.
And thank you for the support. It's really nice to hear that I'm getting better ❤️
OMG, a vlog from you is SUCH a treat! Loved this Ben. Hope you’re feeling better.
Thank you so much!!! Not feeling quite tip top yet (which is not great because work is BUSY immediately) but getting there. Hoping in a few more days I will be back to normal.
Some interesting books mentioned. Food for thought. The ever expanding tbr! Happy reading to you.
Was certainly an interesting way to start the reading year. Happy reading to you too!
A vlog! My, my, what a treat 😜 Glad you’re feeling better again! And I like your reasoning to yourself bc it really is sth that has to happen to convince ourselves of whatever it is we’re ambivalent about. Lol. Glad you enjoyed Shy! Lanny is incredible imo. Can’t wait for you to read it. Will be interesting to hear how it fares being read in reverse “order”.
I think it was naive of me to think I'd just become a big book boy overnight. But this has given me the space to tackle a 600-page, and I've got another one lined up, so... maybe it's working?! 😅 Looking forward to Lanny eventually!
Never mind the books, this was so well shot and edited and a joy to watch! (Also, I’m in love with your end table.)
I read Shy a couple of years ago, and thought it was so well done, Porter is such a fascinating author. I think you’ll love Lanny. Happy New Year!
Thank you! I find vlogs can often be SUCH a pain to edit but this one was nice and straightforward and fun! That table is cool isn't it - it used to be a bedside table, but recently got a promotion 😅
Happy new year to you too!
Really enjoy your vlogs - so relaxing. I'm still on my first book - Black River. I like your thought process on banking some novellas. Hope you're feeling better.
Oooh I've been hearing interesting things about Black River - think I saw it on Simon Savidge's channel and it immediately went on my wishlist. I'm hoping the novella buffer zone is working - but we'll see which book I pick after Cloud Cuckoo Land 😅
Loved this vlog, thank you! I also didn't enjoy Grief Is the Thing with Feathers as much as others have, but you've inspired me to give Max Porter another go.
I haven't read any 5 star books yet, but had a very close one (4 and a half!) in Absolution by Jeff Vandermeer, so off to a promisng start to the year.
Thank you for watching! Definitely worth giving Porter another try. The playfulness is definitely similar between the two I've read, but I had such a different emotional reaction.
I'd love to read Absolution, but I still haven't read books 2 and 3 🫣
Really enjoyed this video Ben. Sorry you’ve been unwell, take care of yourself and go easy.
Glad to hear you liked it - it was fun to film! Still not feeling 100% but getting there, so thank you for the well wishes.
Oh no sounds like you were so unwell! So glad you're much better now.
Loved seeing a vlog and the irony of 5 books after your resolutions 😂
I've had 2x 5* already 🎉 Father of the rain by Lily King, and the last book in the Wolf Den trilogy by Elodie Harper 👏🏻
Haha well I tried to justify it to myself 😂 But I am reading a 600-pager right now, and I have another one I'm going to try and do before the end of the month. So in some ways I'm a changed man!!!
Glad the new year of reading is off to a bang for you 🎉
ahhh loved this so much! and yes more updates from the bed! would love to see it! hehe
Hahaha there is NO chance of a video from bed 😂😂😂
But a vlog compliment from the king of vlogs? You've made my day!!!
thanks for the update 👍, good luck with your new year of reading.
Greetings from Canada ❄
Hope yours is going well too! Thanks very much for watching 🙏
Yay for vlogs - love a good vlog and this was so relaxing. So sorry you were ill and that sounded really unpleasant. Christmas and new year were full of lurgy for us as well. I got behind on watching or making videos and replying to comments - it stacks up quickly. I can’t believe I’ve still not been to Oxford! Some great sounding books. I’ve been loving days to just sit and finish a whole book in the holidays. Looking forward to your final thoughts on CCL!
Urghhh sorry to hear you got struck down too. It's so rubbish! And as you may be able to tell I am still behind on video stuff, only just replying to comments from last week 😅
Cloud Cuckoo Land continues to be lush - about 60% into it now!
Hope you manage to recover fully soon (and if its not too unrealistic i hope you get time to relax)Starting with novellas is pretty smart, might nab that next year. Had already been planning to read Shy for ages, now you've got me even more excited! Definitely going to get a room above a shop once it comes out with how interesting you made it sound. Maud martha sounds really good too, need to read that at some point as well. Vlog format was fun and oxford was prettyyyyyy (wishing i pretended to consider applying so i could have visited).
Slowly getting there, although still not 100% to be honest. Thankfully I can do normal person things again (read, work, watch TV). A Room Above a Shop and Shy are both absolutely wonderful, so I'm sure you'll love them.
Ahhh Cloud Cuckoo Land!! Love that one so much!
I'm over halfway now and really loving it!
Loved the reading vlog!! Adding a lot of these to my TBR. Thank you
Thank you so much for watching! Lovely to hear that you enjoyed it ❤️
Fun going along with you on your journeys. I'm a little snow bound today, though someone did plow my driveway and walk while I slept in. I hope your continued recovery is smooth.
How thoughtful of someone to clear your driveway! Hope the snow isn't too much of a pain in the butt ⛄️
I love your channel and this was such a great video. I really enjoyed seeing you go about your days and enjoying coffee! I’m glad you’re feeling better. Looking forward to hearing about Cloud Cuckoo Land. I’m currently reading Intermezzo by Sally Rooney and loving it.
Can't enjoy a day without coffee!!! I am a strictly one-cup-per-day guy though. Glad you're loving Intermezzo - I still need to give it a whirl.
This was so cosy to watch. Sorry that you couldn't continue as planned once you came down with the flu. But it was lovely to watch you out and about. A Room Above the Shop made it onto my wishlist.
I have to admit that I enjoyed the coziness so much that I've watch the non-talking bits through a few times myself 😅 A Room Above a Shop is wonderful!
Loved this vlog!!!
Thank you so much!
I am looking forward to your next reading vlogs 🙌😊 I could listen to you speaking about books for hours on daily basis ☝️😅
Haha I wish I had the extrovert energy to talk about anything for hours per day!!! Thanks for watching 😊
This was such a soothing vlog!❤❤❤
That's lovely to hear! It was a nice start to the year (until the illness bit 😅)
Interesting to get more of a peak into your life with the vlog. All well shot
Thank you so much! It's fun to walk around usual (and less usual) places with an eye on what might be worth filming. Gives you a different perspective 😊
So glad I found your channel- perfect vibes ❤ I finished my re-read of the bee sting and am slowly getting into the heaven and earth grocery store (with two more Paul Murray novels en route to my house as I type 😊) HNY!!🎉
Thank you for being here! The Bee Sting is brilliant - can see why you've chosen to re-read it! I have Skippy Dies on my shelves and I'd love to get to it this year. Happy new year to you too!
Love how you rationalised this 😂 but I want to implement this next New Year’s Day, it sounds like such a fun way to start the year.
I'm not entirely sure I convinced myself, but it was fun! I will definitely just be going back to 1 in 1 day next year though 😅
Starting the year on shorter books to give myself a headstart is definitely something I do every year as well. It just makes investing time in a slower book so much easier later in the year or month even.
Yeah it's silly to worry about numbers, but some of us are just wired that way, so anything to help easy the voices in the back of our minds is helpful!
That was a treat. We all love a reading Vlog. I have Lanny by Max Porter which I have not read so will find it and read it! Last year my choice for my physical book club was Cloud Cuckoo Land and it was magnificent. Such a good book and the discussion was excellent.
I'm so pleased you liked it! Cloud Cuckoo Land is so brilliant so far, and I'm excited to have another half of it to read. Can't wait to see how the stories come together.
Love the style of this vlog. I read Lady Susan by Janne Austen on Jan 1. Wonderful read - 5 stars. It is written in epistolatory form being told thru letters written back and forth amongst a group of people. I found it to be a wonderful start to my reading year.
Thanks so much - it was fun to put together! Glad you had a great first read. I do love an epistolary novel 📝
Lovely video! Perfect way to end a very long work day ❤
My 2025 reading year started with me finishing two books on 1st of Jan - one a complete miss, the other I quite liked: that's A Simple Intervention by Yael Inokai, which you mentioned a while ago I believe! Thanks for introducing me to it! That was a four star read for me.
I have slowly been reading Fingersmith by Sarah Waters ever since, and so when I recently watched your video on reading goals, something you said really resonated with me: short books are lovely and definitely have their place, but there is a different kind of magic when you read a "chunkster" and get to spend so much time with a set of characters. I really enjoy my time reading this one!
Oooh I'm glad to hear A Simple Intervention was a hit. I still need to read it! Fingersmith is 100% a book I'd love to read sometime soon. It seems to have been getting some revived buzz lately and I can't resist the FOMO 😅
I started my year with joining your 'Read Good Challenge' and managed all the prompts with books from my TBR 😊
That's awesome! So cool to be able to do it exclusively with books from your own shelf 😊
Ben, hello from Saint Louis! I am a newcomer and I love your vlog! I picked James and Glorious Exploits following your recommendations! I am hooked! Julie
Hello! So glad you enjoyed the vlog, and LOVE that you've got James and Glorious Exploits in your reading life. Excellent choices!
I also couldn't get into Grief is the Thing with Feathers but then I read Lanny which I really liked so I'm on the fence with Max Porter. I trust your opinion and I'm now more interested to read Shy to make up my mind about Porter. Also your clips of Oxford are beautiful, I definitely need a day trip there someday. Looks like you had a lovely start to the new year. Wishing g you and your husband all the best for 2025
Fingers crossed Shy tips the balance for you liking Porter's work! Lanny will have to play the same role for me. And definitely worth a day trip to Oxford. All the best to you too!
This was incredibly relaxing! Happy New Year!
Thank you sir, that's so nice to hear!!! Happy new year to you too 🎉
Love your videos. I’m a new subscriber who loves everything English, an Anglophile so I appreciate the scenes of Oxford and the Magpie, etc. And Blackwells, oh my.
Thank you so much! Really appreciate the sub, and glad you loved a glimpse of some English loveliness.
Hi! Seems I started the new year similar to you. Ended up with a terrible flu and didn't manage to read a single page. I'm slowly making my way out of it (by watching book content). Hope you're feeling better and thanks for the interesting recommendations! I never really read novellas (for no specific reason) but it's something I might look into! Looking forward to your upcoming content, I'm new here so I'm excited for new recommendations and insights :) happy 2025!
Hope you are feeling better now, because being struck down by the flu is absolutely rubbish! I still have it lingering a bit tbh, but slowly getting back to normal. Thank you so much for watching, and definitely worth checking out some novellas! 🙏
Another fab video Ben. I am sorry you’ve been so sick - sounds awful, especially not being able to read! I hope you’re on the mend.
I’ve just started reading ‘Days at The Morisaki Bookshop’. The writing is annoying me, but I’ll see if I warm to it.
Not being able to read or watch TV was the worst bit, and I am so glad that's over 😅
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop wasn't for me either to be honest. I should have known because I don't really feel drawn to the 'healing fiction' stuff, but it just felt a bit shapeless to me.
“left Earth for obvious reasons” omg how saaaaaaad 😭 And your poor knuckles from fighting the bed. Beautiful vlog though! I have just only started Lanny, not sure what I’ll think of it, but Shy sounds interesting. Can definitely relate to spiraling thoughts. And I spy a title with 15 letters.
Oh and Crooked Plow by Itamar Vieira Junior was the first book I finished this year and turned out to be a five star. Not the kind I’m jumping up and down from reading, but just really solid and great. I felt enriched having read it.
Depressing to see the apocalyptic future unfolding already, but it's not as if it's been without warning 🫠 And I did not even notice A Room Above a Shop having 15 letters!!! And it's released in March! The perfect pick 😅
Glad to hear you have started the year with a hit 🎉
Loved the vlog 😊
Thank you for watching 🙌
Loved the vlog! The light in Oxford was stunning. Glad you are starting to feel better.
I am on a roll so far for 2025. I finished Shadow of the Wind and Tom Lake (for the annuary prompt). They were both 5* reads for me. Tin Man by Sarah Winman was also enjoyable and heartbreaking. I am looking forward to starting Taiwan Travelogue next.
It was such a beautiful day, so I was very glad to be able to include it in the vlog! Tom Lake is a fantastic pick for Ann-uary, and I loved Tin Man too. Shadow of the Wind is on my chunky book hitlist for this year 👀
@benreadsgood I loved Tom Lake. It was such a great read. I tried last year and couldn't get into it so this month was the perfect time to try again and it was lovely. I enjoyed reading about the height of summer during the cold and frosty days of winter. My chunkster of a read is Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell this year. I'm trying to get some of my short reads cleared so I can get to it in March to get it done for my Shame month. Haha!!
A board game night sounds perfect! I'm doing Shorty Saturdays and reading short books every Saturday :) Mood reading is the best idea! I'm 100% an underliner! I order from Blackwell's online, but have never been there IRL. I hope you're feeling better now!
Shorty Saturdays - what a fun idea!! Blackwells is absolutely lush in person. Definitely worth a visit if you ever get the chance.
@@benreadsgood I'll be back this summer but likely just London and Norwich :)
I read Maud Martha last year and thought it was written so beautifully. Looking forward to Shy, I haven't got round to reading any Max Porter yet, what a treat it sounds like I have to look forward to. I'm also on the Libby waiting list for the audio book of Cloud Cuckoo Land, I have a few weeks to wait 😊 Rom above a shop sounds fantastic also!
Yeah the writing is definitely beautiful. A shame really that Brooks doesn't have any more novels. Shy is definitely a good place to start with Porter!
Bless you for feeling unwell. That sounds like Covid. I get a hot read face when I get it. I also try and sleep through feeling unwell. It's exactly what the body needs. Hope you are feeling better. My Annuary is Anne Enright The Wren, The Wren. Xx
Yeah we suspected it might be covid... I did do a test towards the end, and it came back negative, so perhaps flu or user error (I find the nose swabs not as accurate or easy as the throat ones).
Hope you enjoy your Ann-uary pick!
I might have a look at Shy if I come across a copy, having heard your thoughts. I wasn't too fond of the most recent Max Porter I read, but I'm willing to give him another chance. Either way, very much appreciated this vlog - a great amount of work has clearly gone into it. Also, hope you're doing better now.
Thanks Charlie - still not quite 100% but definitely feeling better! Porter does seem to do some weird little projects (that new one of his is like a pamphlet) but I thought Shy was really worth my time.
I am determined to reread Cloud Cuckoo Land this year. Sorry you got sick but the vlog was great fun.
I'm over halfway now and just loving it so much - would highly recommend!
I like the way you think re getting ahead with short books. I've got some chunky ones scheduled for the three, yes three challenges I've signed up for.
Three challenges! That's impressive! I'm doing two and already figuring out my excuses 😂
@@benreadsgood 🤣
I love a vlog. Nice story about the bed sheet...the first rule of fight club...
Oops, I shouldn't have said anything. The bed will be out to get me!!!
Hope you're feeling better! I'm very interested in Shy by Max Porter, but I may need to get it shipped from Blackwells. The US cover is not good. Lol. Great vlog! Happy New Year!
Thanks - feeling a little better but not quite 100% set. I'll get there though!
Is the US cover the one with the cassette tape? I actually quite like it! 😅 But the UK cover is great (paperback, not the hardback which is a bit boring).
@ Yes, the cassette tape! I’m not a fan of white backgrounds. I guess the cassette tape makes sense if he listens music or replays things in his head, but … I don’t know … I like the colors on the UK cover! 😆
Great vlog Ben!
Thanks so much! 🙌
Thanks, Ben! 🌷I started 2025 with the last couple of chapters of The Count of Montecristo and then went on with novels written in Italian and Dutch, which were both fantstic reads😍📚! I’ve just finished the Dutch novel by Anjet Daanje for your January Ann-uary prompt and was looking for a short book before starting a rather chunky novel by the same author inspired by Emily Brontë’s life and work. Then, you reminded me again of Maud Martha, which has been patiently waiting on my shelves for a while. It sounds like the perfect fit!😊A dandelion?! What I thought the cover art showed was … fireworks😂
I'm so jealous of being able to seamlessly move between reading stuff in different languages. What a skill! Love that you managed a Dutch novel for Ann-uary 🎉 Maud Martha (and her dandelion) is definitely worth picking up!
Loved this! Your home looks so neat and tidy, I could never film like that bc I am so messy 🙈 Hope you're feeling better
I am such a neat freak that I think I'm probably an absolute pain to live with 😂
@benreadsgood I think my girlfriend would (ie does) say the same about me but for the opposite reason 🙈
I so enjoyed your taking us with you on your journeys and am sorry they were cut short by the flu. I also absolutely loved Shy and am so glad it worked for you. There is something very satisfying about reading a book in a single day, isn’t there? My first five star read of 2025 is Sarah Moss’ memoir My Good Bright Wolf, which I thought was simply stunning. And I’m eager to learn how you get on with Cloud Cuckoo Land!
Definitely satisfying, so long as I haven't had to rush it. Even better is when you get a book and manage to read it that same day. What a joy!
Heard great things from early readers about the Sarah Moss, so will be interested to see if it ends up on the WP non-fiction list, although it didn't seem like they were big into memoir based on last year's picks. And I'm assuming it's eligible but I haven't checked!
Fun video. I just finished Human Acts by Han Kang. 5 star read for me. Beautiful descriptions of a hard subject. I could only read one section a day - needed processing time. I even read the last section with a box of tissues. I learned things, and I felt things. It's not a book I'll forget anytime soon.
Human Acts is high up on my must-read list! It (and some of Kang's other novels) were reissued in new editions recently and I couldn't resist, so I have a copy but just need to make the time!
Hey, Ben! I also loved Max Porter's Shy and thought I maybe wouldn't. When I read Grief is a Thing with Feathers, I just found it fine. And when I read Lanny, it really wasn't for me. So I borrowed Shy from the library in case I didn't like it, and that's the one I ended up loving! :) Hope you feel better.
That's so interesting! I often fall into the trap of thinking if I don't get on with an author, I'm unlikely to like any of their work, but clearly that's not always the case. Will have to see what side of the fence I land on with Lanny.
Enjoyed your vlog and hope you are feeling better! I also did a week of short books, finishing The Most by Jessica Anthony,
Astraea by Kate Kruimink, Shy by Max Porter, Rosarita by Anita Desai. Today I am finishing Notre Dame by Ken Follett. Then back to Time of the Flies by Claudia Piñeiro.
Did you enjoy The Most? It's on my Kindle and I've been tempted to pick it up since the NBA nomination, but I never got around to it! And snap on the Piñeiro - I just finished Elena Knows and loved it.
I had my flu jab yesterday. Because I have asthma I’ll have to get the Covid jab next Friday. Most of my extended family came down with the flu over Christmas & New Year. I’m trying hard not to get it.
Cloud Cuckoo Land was my best book of 2022? Loved it.
Hope you feel fully recovered soon Ben.
☘️👋🍀📖☕️📕📚
It's been awful - hope your family have recovered okay! Cloud Cuckoo Land is really, really brilliant so far. Can't believe I've put off reading it for so long.
Another shorty that I’d recommend is “nothing but the rain”. It’s a punchy sci fi book about memory and the terror of forgetting. And the cover is fascinating, my description couldn’t do it justice
Thanks for the recommendation! 🙏
For a number of years I’ve been reading a New Year’s Day Novella to get the year off to a good start, day one, good book done and locked down. Your program is like that on steroids! Kudos to you!
By the way, instead of moving forward, last year I moved backwards and did New Year’s Eve Day Novella, to end the year on a high note.
For Eve I read Susanna Clarke’s Wood in Midwinter - it was a bust, it just seemed like a money grab and a half assed attempt at that. A real disappointment.
The Day book was Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett, and it was DELIGHTFUL! Everything I wanted for a first read of the year!
I think it was you that inspired me to do it last year! Fun that you did one on NYE - feels like you need something that ends with a bang to go with the fireworks 🎆
I suspected as much about the Clarke... the illustrations are nice but it seemed like such a cash-grab release to me.
Love Azul!
It's so much fun! And just the right amount of competitiveness without feeling like the whole game. I'm just trying to make my nice lil tile patterns 😅
This video is quite a balm for me. I’m in LA, surrounded by wildfires. We’re safe in Silverlake, but many friends have lost their homes entirely. The air quality is too bad to go outside,so I’m reading Playground by Richard Powers. It’s perfect timing for that novel. I also listen to audiobooks from the library and started “Say Nothing” by Patrick Radden Keefe. I’m not sure if I can finish that one now. My stress level is a bit too high for that book. I’ll get back to it though. It’s very good.
I am so sorry to hear that you're affected by the fires. From afar the situation looks absolutely awful, and my heart goes out to you. I hope things are starting to become safer and less catastrophic 🙏
Hi Ben. Well done for getting your reading year off to such a good start! Sorry to hear you had the lurg though. I had it before Christmas and it was indeed a knock out. Intreagued as to how you got on with Cloud Cuckoo Land. I have that on my tbr. I started the year off with The Wolf Den trilogy by Elodie Harper. Historical fiction set in Pompeii. Fantastic. Have you read any of them? 📚
Have now finished and loved Cloud Cuckoo Land - looking forward to sharing full thoughts soon! I haven’t read any of the Elodie Harper ones, though to be honest I haven’t really read many of those types of books other than Circe. A blind spot in my reading!
@benreadsgood looking forward to your thoughts on Cloud Cuckoo Land! The Wolf Den trilogy is definitely historical fiction as apposed to Circe and similar books, which are more Mythology. While I loved Circefor what it was, I much prefer historical fiction.
I can't believe I'm watching someone read. And rationalize! Awesome.
😂😂😂
I bought Azul for Christmas, I'm honestly baffled. I cannot get my head around the rules. I might watch something on TH-cam!
We always watch a 'how to play' TH-cam video before we dive into any game - makes it so much easier!
There is an Oxford here in Mississippi and the first thing that came to mind was “he’s in Mississippi and he didn’t come for a visit?” Yes I’m fully aware that we don’t know each other, but all Mississippians are hospitable and welcoming. I’m not sure what you mean by 5 star books. Is that anything like the New York Times Best Seller?
Haha would have been very ambitious to drive from here to Mississippi for a day trip! A 5 star read is just a book that I rated 5 stars 🌟
Lanny by Max Porter is brilliant
I'm hoping it'll be the decider that solidifies me as a Porter fan!
You should vlog more 😊
I'd love to do a bit more! They're just a fair bit more work so need to figure out when I have the capacity around my job. When I have time off though, it's great! Thanks very much for the feedback 🙏
Have you been to Barter Books?
I haven't, but just looked it up and it looks great! I rarely manage to go that far north, but perhaps one day 😊
I loved Lanny but dnf'd Grief. I might give Shy a try.
Shy is great! I need to give Lanny a go.
That's sad that Karakaš didn't work for you. He is one of my favorite authors from the region.
Considering how much I read of his work I believe that the translation probably didn't do it justice.
You should keep in mind that Karakaš's grandfather was in the Ustaša army. He explores a lot in his work the question of choice or more precisely not really having a choice.
Celebration is actually about the celebratory events that the NDH (Independent Croatian State) organized during the Second World War to spread Nazi propaganda. They also make a film based on this novel and I highly recommend it. Might give you a bit of a context. If you are interested in literature from the region and understanding more of the history I can share some sources and recommendations.
Yeah I was hoping I would like it, as the premise is really interesting and the themes really appeal to me. But the writing just wasn't there for me, which as you say is probably down to the translation. Thank you for the context on his grandfather - that's so interesting! The NDH thing is interesting and I do wish the story had explored more of it - felt like the meaning was very hidden as we only got to experience the characters walking through the forest on the way to the event, rather than the event itself. And they didn't really discuss it that much either!
@benreadsgood Unfortunately his novel was written in such a subtle way because it was meant for the audience who is already very familiar with the history of this region. I believe that is why he was so vague.
One important question this novel asks is, Should everyone be held responsible for those crimes even though they didn't actively take part in them? - the question of a bystander.
In the aftermath of the war there were trials and executions based on testimonies of collaboration but sometimes people were executed solely on the basis of their ethnicity. My colleague's grandfather was executed because he was a Yugoslav German even though he didn't collaborate with the occupying German force. And of course there was also the banishment of the Danubian Germans from Vojvodina.
🩵🩵🩵
the knuckle wounds story is so perfect in the context of you having just said that you're not a violent person 💀i actually snorted
i feel you on youtube business -- i feel like i'm constantly behind on most everything. this was a delightful vlog. i may give shy a second chance. i read just a few pages a while ago and decided i didn't want to hang out with troubled boys, but perhaps i should try again :)
I don't know if saying "I'm not a violent person!!!" again comes across as protesting too much, but I'm not I swearrrrrrr 😂
The boys in Shy are definitely troubled, but I enjoyed learning about what got them there. Definitely worth trying again if the mood ever strikes!
@ oh that’s very clear from the nature of yr battle wounds - they really do not scream violent rage
hahahah, your later videos don't make any sense and i love it. I wanna read more, i wanna read less, etc. that's exactly how my brain works: a perpetual failed attempt to racionalize nonsense. Good stuff!
It makes sense to me!!!! I'm reading a 600-pager now so... maybe it works? 😂
SHY: you liked the book to such a degree that you had to match the cover with your shirt and the picture behind you.
My 2025 so far: 2 DNF's.
Love the channel. You'll be happy to know I'm now only at 40 in the queue for The God of The Woods sooooo 2026, maybe?
Yapper
Honestly not sure God of the Woods is worth the wait! It's fine but not wait-in-line-for-a-year fine 😅
@ I folded like a cheap suit and downloaded the book on to my Kindle.