Plain bad heroines (I actually liked the story from 1902 at the boarding school but the modern storyline went on my nerves) A million to one (YA), it has a great premise with it being a heist story on the Titanic but it was all just so convenient. I get it's for teenagers, but still, nope.
1. Darling Girl by Liz michalski. 2. Black Widows by Cate Quinn 3. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness The most disappointing though is probably The very secret society of irregular Witches
The Grey Bastards by Jonathan French was definitely the worst book I read this year. After that I am going to read 1 star reviews of epic fantasy books by unknown authors before giving them a try.
Thank you for the Murakami critiques... I disliked all the books I read by him and I have questioned my taste over it, cause everyone seems to love him.
I like his books (mostly) but if it makes you feel any better he has a lot of critics especially because of how he writes his characters and specifically the women and for anyone who wants a book that has a beginning, middle and end that's not him either. He also repeats a lot of the same elements that there's a bingo for it. I like his book for the atmospheric-ness and the writing/translation of that writing for me and when I'm reading it that stands out most, but it's different for different people. (Although I'm currently reading one of his books where the bad stuff is particularly bad and I'm thinking about dnf-ing) I'm also learning to be okay with disliking things I dislike without questioning it based on the majority opinion.
I got a little over halfway through Kafka on the Shore, often cited as one of his great books. I found it drawn out and mildly weird in a pointless way. Aside from the cat POV stuff, it was forgettable. I'm not sure if he was trying to be "literary". Maybe it's more a case of he just writes the way he writes and for whatever reason lots of critics love it. Maybe it has something to do with how publishers hype him.
Yes Emily!! Keep on burning Murakami, next time someone recommends him to me, im just going to direct them to this video, you are doing society a service. Im sorry for the triple comment, i usually wait till the video is over, but i just couldn't help myself.
Some quotes from his books are burnt into my memory... like the 40yo woman in Norwegian Wood getting paragraphs about her wrinkles but also saying "she had the breast of a little girl"... like dude.
@@BookswithEmilyFox Yup - how comparing an adult to a child like that and in an explicit way even occurs to people is just shocking honestly - and there´s obviously a pattern with how much it happens to women combined with how underage girls are often harrassed when they start puberty -.-
What grinds my gears is when people try and defend him and say he’s making a social commentary… no. He’s not writing about misogyny, he’s being misogynistic.
The worst part of Days at the Morisaki Bookshop was when (spoilers) the aunt said she had miscarried her second baby as punishment for having and abortion for her first pregnancy….. yeah absolutely no and go to h*ll.
Hands down the worst book I tried to read this year was The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell. It was recommended to me as a king Arthur retelling but there is so much rape. I mean I got 9% into the audiobook before I gave up because not only did it causally mention that women were raped it also established that the only way to get magic powers involved getting raped by multiple people. I don't care what justification there was for having that be a thing because it's disgusting and the author is now on my avoid-at-all-costs list.
Girl, I was at a bookstore and heard a customer telling the bookstore owner that she loved “the maid” and that it changed her life lmao like bro what? Why? Aside from the inaccuracy re the main character being on the spectrum, I find the fact that the only Mexican mentioned in the book being involved with the Sinaloa Cartel extremely offensive. I’m Mexican and it fkn pissed me off, I hated it.
I am right there with you in your reaction to Haruki Murakami and IQ84. I’ve not read one more word spewed by him and though I don’t consider my choice-making ability to be sterling, the decision to forswear this guy’s output has been very wise. (Ugh!)
Loved your diatribe on Murakami. I read 1Q84 for a book club years ago and was like WTF. I didn't WISH you to read it, but I was glad you picked it up because I wanted to hear your thoughts. Your response gave me a laugh. :)
oh, Dan Simmons lmaooo. I was OBSESSED with the tv show version of The Terror and decided to read the book… and hated it. The (teenage!) female lead (and pretty much only woman in the book) was taking her clothes off constantly in the arctic?? and it was just constantly describing women’s bodies in great detail. At least in the early chapters bc I DNF’d it. Sometimes the book truly is not better.
I love the bottled energy that was released in this video. I almost want to request you read Iron Flame because it’s so much worse than Fourth Wing hahaha.
I haven't read The Maid so can't speak about the autism rep there but in general autistic people can be incredibly observant in one moment and incredibly unobservant the next.
I think my worst books of the year are "Dream Department Store" by Lee Mi-ye (interesting premise, but so, so meh) and "The Christmas Murder Game" by Alexandra Benedict (found it quite a mess?) Honorable mention and very unpopular opinion: "The invisible life of Addie LaRue" by V.E. Shwab. I know everyone loves it, but I was SO bored! And whenever I found myself enjoying it, it switched to a different timeline I didn't care about😢
Addie LaRue was so dumb, like if you really sit down and think about it, it was so dumb. She was so bland and yet captivated a being that had been around for all of humanity?
Thank you! I lived through the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s and I swear to gawd there is no excuse for the ‘isms in the 80’s and 90’s. The revolution happened in the 60’s & 70’s. So it took some people to catch up, but there’s no excuse.
If you were inclined to read Defiant, don't worry about skipping Evershore (the 3rd novella) if you didn't like the first two. The important bits from the novellas are recapped in the beginning of Defiant and I've heard from people who skipped the novellas altogether that they weren't confused about things.
I don't get the hype around Murakami Haruki either!!!!!!! In fact I hate him! At first, I thought he was only popular in East Asia, but... I was really surprised that he is popular in the west as well?....... I feel East Asia is less sensitive to misogyny so I thought that might be why he is popular here, but I didn't think he would be popular in other places as well... Is it because of the translation, or is it because it is not written by a Western author, so people feel it's ok to distance themselves? Anyway I loved this video! ❤
I really hate it when people mask Murakami's tedious endings, absurd relations and narrations in the books, and lost plots, and say oh, it's his beauty of writing. Like shit! Everytime someones says they love Murakami, I take a U turn and escape. 😂 I don't get the hype.
It's probably not fair bc I would have never picked them on my own; but my two 0☆s were The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi and Notes on Execution by Danya Kukafka. You still liked Hyperion way more than I expected lol. My two dnfs are Ninth House by Leigh Bardough and A Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier.
Oh man, I'm in tears just thinking back to that Iceplanet reading vlog, I gotta go and rewatch it. Imo one of your best ever vlogs for your "worst" read books.
ice planet barbarians is exactly for getting out of a reading slump, or when you are reading a dense book and need something else for balance. and later on the series dixon starts to care about representation, there's a FMC character that is hard of hearing and the characters don't see it as a disease.
Agree with Murikami!!!! A friend was like he's my fave and I read Dance, Dance, Dance and am now worried about said friend. Like you said, HOW DO YOU IGNORE THIS?!?!?! He is so alarming.
Emily, I love your energy! You inspire me to be equally cut-throat with books I find just plain bad 🤣 The worst books for me this year have been The Snow Child and Sea of Tranquility. In both cases the ideas were great, but it was just so booooriiing!! Also I'm here for the Murakami hate
I have exactly 17 books that are on my Worst Books of 2023 list 😂 But the ones that pissed me off were Sorrow and Bliss (because of that ending and its whole freaking discourse about pregnancy and that betrayal of a revelation towards the end) and the Twisted series by Ana Huang. I can't even explain why I sat through 4 books of Twisted.
I completely agree on all your comments about Cytonic, it felt just wrong. However, the novellas were amazing and are the only reason that I'll actually end up finishing the series, just to get to the end of the characters that the novellas helped me fall in love with.
Okay don't come for me, but I love Murakami XD I also totally understand the discomfort with how he writes about women. I personally find it easy to leave most moral qualms at the door when I read a book since I see literature/art as the one place where we can safely explore all shades of humanity. Also, there is something to be said for Murakami's treatment of women being shaped by Japanese culture, so from that standpoint it's interesting to explore his female characters and imagine what sort of archetypes they represent in the Japanese subconscious. Also I came across your channel while looking up reviews for The Girl in the Eagle's Talon (latest installment in the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series, written by a new author). Definitely adding that one to my worst books of 2023! For such an incredible and beloved series, it was a huge disappointment.
You deserve to relax and have a good holiday Emily 🎄❤️💚💚💚🎄☃️🎄🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🎁❄️❄️❄️❄️📚🎁❤️❤️💚💚💚❤️☃️☃️☃️🎄❤️💚🎅🏻🎅🏻📙📚📚❄️❄️❄️☃️☃️📖☃️🎄❤️💚💚💚❤️❤️🎄🎄☃️📖📖🎄❤️💚🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻📙🎁📚❄️❄️📖📖📖📖☃️
My worst book was Hidden Pictures, dont know how that won the horror category last year- yikes. Also Cytonic was my most disappointing book of last year. I just started the 4th book and so far its better!
I listened to the Serpent and Dove trilogy this year and, while none of them were good, the second book was terrible. I'd be very interested in a video about your favourite books in translation!
Things we hide from the light tops my list. I absolutely DO NOT understand how people find it romantic. I remember thinking that nash was the book equivalent of pressuring a girl into something she doesn't want until she can't say no any more. ... how is a guy that doesn't take no for an answer or respect boundaries romantic ? How??? Book 3 didn't even focus on the same couple but it 10/10 solidified my opinion for book 2. 🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️
I tried to read a Mirukami book but I just couldn’t get past that cringe weird thing with the mysterious woman. Worst books I read: the Holidaze , court of thorns and rose by Sarah Maas, people we meet on vacation The midnight library (had so much potential) Phew that felt good to get off my chest!
I liked the writing but wanted more from Leah in the submarine. I also read her short story collection, and unfortunately, it's the same here. It's great writing, but mostly boring.
I was reading the wind up bird by Murakami, didn’t finish it. I enjoyed read in his description of everyday life, in a way a beautiful way that I could imagine it and see it while reading, however I remember the scene about the main character running into a teenage girl and his description of her and dialogue just made me uncomfortable, I couldn’t really place it because I thought there was a point to the story, but hearing you describe how creepy he is with his description of women in his books made me realize, there wasn’t a point to that interaction. I blunt it because of everyone’s praise about his work but… nah won’t finish him if he has this young girl fetishes.
I only had a few really hated books this year. I really hated The Inmate by Freida McFadden because it was not only poorly written but also ethically concerning. I was also very disappointed in The Cherry Robbers by Sarai Walker because it was a 5-star prediction. I also hated The Family Game by Katherine Steadman because it was just too extra and unserious.
Anyone else disappointed by Eleanor Catton's "Birnam Woods"? Hated being hit by a hammer over the head in Geraldine Brooks' "Horse" which could've been a really good book.
Best thing i inherited from you this year... You should stop reading a book if you're not enjoying it. I learned to make those decisions much sooner and then bada Boom bada Bing ....Next!!!
Totally agree with your opinion on The Maid. I passed it up numerous times but then decided to buy it because my best friend read and enjoyed it. Will never trust her book opinions again. Horrid, horrid book.
Loll j ai tellement ris quand tu as présenté Les fourmis... y'a quelques années, j'avais eu si hâte de le lire... euhhh 😂 Disons que j'ai eu la même réaction que toi!😅
I read 169 books between January 1th and today. The worst were: The Years by Annie Ernaux (this is a draft, not a novel/memoir/book, don't get the hype) Waterson by Clarissa Goenawan (talk about needing an editor) Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (also needed an editor) This Is How Yo Lose the Time War by Amal el-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (confusing, and overwritten) The Creative Act by Rick Rubin (fortune cookie shallowness) Dead Lands by Núria Bendicho Giró (condemning child SA) Leonard and Hungry Paul by Rónán Hession Moonstone by Sjón (unnecessarily disgusting, and a terribly executed twist/change of style in the last third) The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber (sexist AF)
The final book, Defiant is a return to form for the series and good conclusion but I dont think you'll have a good time if you don't care anymore. I think the first two books are the best but Defiant is much much better than Cytonic.
@@stardroplet9499 I would read a synopsis at least. Some of the plot won't make sense unless you know what happened in Cytonic. Cytonic isn't so bad more disappointing compared to the first two books. It really is a sidequest book and Sanderson said it was one of the most difficult books he's written and it shows in the quality of the plot. It's still fine.
Hearing you rant off about Murakami was ~chef's kiss~ because I just DNF'd Kafka on the Shore which is possibly the worst book I ever read and ever will read, and the final straw in me reading his books. I don't care if it's 'social commentary' or if it ascends you to heaven or whatever, I'm never reading his books xD
Hi lovely 😊 I enjoy watching you so much. So I am curios about this one book, I can't remember did you already talk about it. It's called "The Lost Bookshop" by Evie Woods. I personaly liked it, it was fun to read. Sending you lots of love 😘
I completely agree with you about Fourth Wing. So very badly written but readable, I don’t get it. At least that book got me into wanting to read dragons again, so there’s that.
Some of the worst books I‘ve read this year were Yes Please by Amy Poehler (her book made me dislike her!) and First Frost because I hated all the storylines which was so disappointing as I really enjoy the first book. 😭 I definitely would have ranked Fourth Wing among the worst books if I‘d have continued on but thankfully the narrator was so bad that I DNF‘d in chapter two. 😂
I know this is your book channel but I just can't take my eyes off your lipstick/lipgloss lol. So may I ask what brand and shade is it? Thank you. Oh and my worst book of 2023 is American War.
I had one of Murakami's books on my shelf, called After Dark, and decided to read it or unhaul it. Spoiler: with 8 pages remaining, the FL decides to kiss her sleeping sister. TWICE. What. Was. The. Reason. I will never get the hype arounf Murakami.
My worst book this year is by far "The Offing" by Benjamin Myers. I have never read a book that made me angry for so many reasons... And even if I don't want ro judge authors by just one book I've read from them, I probably never touch another book written by Myers.
the worst book i read this year was BUNNY by mona awad, i will never get that time back, it was yes, short but so stupid it almost put me on a reading slump, i hated it so much
To me Fourth Wing was such a Flop. Don’t know why everyone Hypes it so much, Violet is like Bella 2.0 But much more annoying and Xaden makes me want to gag.
I had a pretty solid year but there were some awful books, too. I mostly dnfd everything I didn't enjoy but there are books that you just can't put down. The 3 worst books of the year were: 1. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams. It was advertised as the black Bridget Jones. NO! Bridget is funny, Queenie is just sad. Just a bad character who is having sex with everybody altough doesn't enjoy it, doesn't realize that her ex-boyfriend is an ex, she thinks they are on a break (and the ex's family is racist and probably the ex, too), her friendships are awful and she is constantly talking about her hair. Awful, just totally awful book. It gets a redeeming half star for the ending. 2. One year after by William R Forstchen: It's a second book in a post-apocalyptic series. It had the problems of the first book ("we are still americans", "this is still America" in every second page)and some new ones that I don't even remember anymore, something with the government. At least the first one had some good ideas. 3. The twisted ones by T. Kingfisher. It was recommended by another youtuber. The protagonist is almost as stupid as in Queenie and in some cases are more annoying. You just don't act like this in situation like this (ok, the situation will probably not happen in real life, but if... ) I just wanted her to die.
My worst book was Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep. It had some cool concepts that it could have done a lot with but instead it focused on its offensively bad female characters and "romance", and being as boring as possible.
I did a similar read it or unhaul it personal challenge and read Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris and it was easily my worst book of the year. Racist, sexist and so not funny. The worst part is I got engaged the week I read it and so that will always be a tainted memory.
Worst book of the year: none of this is true by lisa jewel. CANT believe it is so popular? what did you guys read? it’s boring, predictable and has such an unsatisfying ending lol
If you are looking for a feisty older woman who is not as nice as she appears, An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good, by Helene Tursten, is quite entertaining. This book and the sequel are both novellas and quite good in audio. The bookshop one is one of the picks of a local book club. Luckily it’s a short read so won’t waste too much time if it’s not good.
Yes to all the rants! My worst reads were probably Our Wives under the Sea (repetitive and boring), We have always lived in the castle (well loved classic but wtf? it's just talk about what was eaten and what was being cleaned in the house), The Picture of Dorian Gray (sorry to all who love this, I just couldn't, I was so bored), Murderbot books 2 and 3 (it's just rinse and repeat of the first one), The Serpent and the Wings of Night (really don't get the hype, Fourth Wing was at least highly entertaining)
Yes! I read 'We have always lived in a castle' last month and I didn't get it at all. The ending was obvious from the very beginning, so I was hoping there would be some big twist at the end, but sadly no. All the characters were unlikeable (except the dog of course) as well. I feel cheated.
What are the worst books you've read in 2023?
Plain bad heroines (I actually liked the story from 1902 at the boarding school but the modern storyline went on my nerves)
A million to one (YA), it has a great premise with it being a heist story on the Titanic but it was all just so convenient. I get it's for teenagers, but still, nope.
The Housemaid was def the worst for me! 😅
1. Darling Girl by Liz michalski.
2. Black Widows by Cate Quinn
3. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
The most disappointing though is probably The very secret society of irregular Witches
The Grey Bastards by Jonathan French was definitely the worst book I read this year. After that I am going to read 1 star reviews of epic fantasy books by unknown authors before giving them a try.
@@maika0395l
Salty Emily is my favorite Emily
Yess! Let your sassy side shine Emily.
Thank you for the Murakami critiques... I disliked all the books I read by him and I have questioned my taste over it, cause everyone seems to love him.
I like his books (mostly) but if it makes you feel any better he has a lot of critics especially because of how he writes his characters and specifically the women and for anyone who wants a book that has a beginning, middle and end that's not him either. He also repeats a lot of the same elements that there's a bingo for it. I like his book for the atmospheric-ness and the writing/translation of that writing for me and when I'm reading it that stands out most, but it's different for different people. (Although I'm currently reading one of his books where the bad stuff is particularly bad and I'm thinking about dnf-ing) I'm also learning to be okay with disliking things I dislike without questioning it based on the majority opinion.
I got a little over halfway through Kafka on the Shore, often cited as one of his great books. I found it drawn out and mildly weird in a pointless way. Aside from the cat POV stuff, it was forgettable. I'm not sure if he was trying to be "literary". Maybe it's more a case of he just writes the way he writes and for whatever reason lots of critics love it. Maybe it has something to do with how publishers hype him.
Yes Emily!! Keep on burning Murakami, next time someone recommends him to me, im just going to direct them to this video, you are doing society a service.
Im sorry for the triple comment, i usually wait till the video is over, but i just couldn't help myself.
Your Murakami rants are my favorite 😂
"We all have different takes but some of you have BAD takes" i'm stealing it
How Murakami seems to view women is honestly scary….. like wth?
Surprisingly, a lot of women love Murakami's novels
@maika0395 you can enjoy Murakami's novels and criticize some of its themes and concepts. Mieko Kawakami is a perfect example of that
Some quotes from his books are burnt into my memory... like the 40yo woman in Norwegian Wood getting paragraphs about her wrinkles but also saying "she had the breast of a little girl"... like dude.
@@BookswithEmilyFox Yup - how comparing an adult to a child like that and in an explicit way even occurs to people is just shocking honestly - and there´s obviously a pattern with how much it happens to women combined with how underage girls are often harrassed when they start puberty
-.-
What grinds my gears is when people try and defend him and say he’s making a social commentary… no. He’s not writing about misogyny, he’s being misogynistic.
The worst part of Days at the Morisaki Bookshop was when (spoilers) the aunt said she had miscarried her second baby as punishment for having and abortion for her first pregnancy….. yeah absolutely no and go to h*ll.
Hands down the worst book I tried to read this year was The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell. It was recommended to me as a king Arthur retelling but there is so much rape. I mean I got 9% into the audiobook before I gave up because not only did it causally mention that women were raped it also established that the only way to get magic powers involved getting raped by multiple people. I don't care what justification there was for having that be a thing because it's disgusting and the author is now on my avoid-at-all-costs list.
What. the. fuck.
???????????? jesus??????
I'm sorry... WHAT
I love Japanese literature and for the life of me I can't understand the hype behind Murakami either!
Cytonic was one of my favourite books of the year, but I get your point.
Btw I started reading Brandon Sanderson because of you, so thank you❤
Girl, I was at a bookstore and heard a customer telling the bookstore owner that she loved “the maid” and that it changed her life lmao like bro what? Why? Aside from the inaccuracy re the main character being on the spectrum, I find the fact that the only Mexican mentioned in the book being involved with the Sinaloa Cartel extremely offensive. I’m Mexican and it fkn pissed me off, I hated it.
oh well no way im reading that crap then, im from Sinaloa and that's just straight up offensive
I am right there with you in your reaction to Haruki Murakami and IQ84. I’ve not read one more word spewed by him and though I don’t consider my choice-making ability to be sterling, the decision to forswear this guy’s output has been very wise. (Ugh!)
Loved your diatribe on Murakami. I read 1Q84 for a book club years ago and was like WTF. I didn't WISH you to read it, but I was glad you picked it up because I wanted to hear your thoughts. Your response gave me a laugh. :)
oh, Dan Simmons lmaooo. I was OBSESSED with the tv show version of The Terror and decided to read the book… and hated it. The (teenage!) female lead (and pretty much only woman in the book) was taking her clothes off constantly in the arctic?? and it was just constantly describing women’s bodies in great detail. At least in the early chapters bc I DNF’d it.
Sometimes the book truly is not better.
I love the bottled energy that was released in this video. I almost want to request you read Iron Flame because it’s so much worse than Fourth Wing hahaha.
That’s the one negative about learning to put down books I’m not enjoying.. less funny content for this video 😅
I haven't read The Maid so can't speak about the autism rep there but in general autistic people can be incredibly observant in one moment and incredibly unobservant the next.
I think my worst books of the year are "Dream Department Store" by Lee Mi-ye (interesting premise, but so, so meh) and "The Christmas Murder Game" by Alexandra Benedict (found it quite a mess?)
Honorable mention and very unpopular opinion: "The invisible life of Addie LaRue" by V.E. Shwab. I know everyone loves it, but I was SO bored! And whenever I found myself enjoying it, it switched to a different timeline I didn't care about😢
I actually agree here, boring and predictable
Yes!!! Addie La Rue was so incredibly boring I was just questioning myself because of all the hype.
Addie LaRue was so dumb, like if you really sit down and think about it, it was so dumb. She was so bland and yet captivated a being that had been around for all of humanity?
Thank you! I lived through the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s and I swear to gawd there is no excuse for the ‘isms in the 80’s and 90’s. The revolution happened in the 60’s & 70’s. So it took some people to catch up, but there’s no excuse.
If you were inclined to read Defiant, don't worry about skipping Evershore (the 3rd novella) if you didn't like the first two. The important bits from the novellas are recapped in the beginning of Defiant and I've heard from people who skipped the novellas altogether that they weren't confused about things.
I don't get the hype around Murakami Haruki either!!!!!!! In fact I hate him! At first, I thought he was only popular in East Asia, but... I was really surprised that he is popular in the west as well?....... I feel East Asia is less sensitive to misogyny so I thought that might be why he is popular here, but I didn't think he would be popular in other places as well... Is it because of the translation, or is it because it is not written by a Western author, so people feel it's ok to distance themselves? Anyway I loved this video! ❤
I really hate it when people mask Murakami's tedious endings, absurd relations and narrations in the books, and lost plots, and say oh, it's his beauty of writing. Like shit! Everytime someones says they love Murakami, I take a U turn and escape. 😂 I don't get the hype.
It's probably not fair bc I would have never picked them on my own; but my two 0☆s were The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi and Notes on Execution by Danya Kukafka.
You still liked Hyperion way more than I expected lol.
My two dnfs are Ninth House by Leigh Bardough and A Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier.
Oh man, I'm in tears just thinking back to that Iceplanet reading vlog, I gotta go and rewatch it. Imo one of your best ever vlogs for your "worst" read books.
My least favourite book read this year was Spare by Prince Harry. First book I read this year. It was a slog and started off a major reading slump.
Ugggh. So rough when that happens!
Love Emily's annual Murukami rant.
The worst book I read this year was The Spare Man. Just the absolute worst main character and a dumb mystery.
ice planet barbarians is exactly for getting out of a reading slump, or when you are reading a dense book and need something else for balance. and later on the series dixon starts to care about representation, there's a FMC character that is hard of hearing and the characters don't see it as a disease.
I feel validated that you didn't like Hyperion either. I DNF'd it pretty fast and sometimes wonder if I made a mistake but now I know I didn't !
Agree with Murikami!!!! A friend was like he's my fave and I read Dance, Dance, Dance and am now worried about said friend. Like you said, HOW DO YOU IGNORE THIS?!?!?! He is so alarming.
Emily, I love your energy! You inspire me to be equally cut-throat with books I find just plain bad 🤣 The worst books for me this year have been The Snow Child and Sea of Tranquility. In both cases the ideas were great, but it was just so booooriiing!! Also I'm here for the Murakami hate
I have exactly 17 books that are on my Worst Books of 2023 list 😂
But the ones that pissed me off were Sorrow and Bliss (because of that ending and its whole freaking discourse about pregnancy and that betrayal of a revelation towards the end) and the Twisted series by Ana Huang. I can't even explain why I sat through 4 books of Twisted.
Feminist books always put me in a weird funk after reading .
Occasionally I read one to prove to myself I'm not biased .
Worst book for me was “Norwegian Woods” by Murakami 😂. I couldn’t finish it after reading half of it! I am glad I didn’t waste my time.😊
I completely agree on all your comments about Cytonic, it felt just wrong. However, the novellas were amazing and are the only reason that I'll actually end up finishing the series, just to get to the end of the characters that the novellas helped me fall in love with.
Okay don't come for me, but I love Murakami XD I also totally understand the discomfort with how he writes about women. I personally find it easy to leave most moral qualms at the door when I read a book since I see literature/art as the one place where we can safely explore all shades of humanity. Also, there is something to be said for Murakami's treatment of women being shaped by Japanese culture, so from that standpoint it's interesting to explore his female characters and imagine what sort of archetypes they represent in the Japanese subconscious.
Also I came across your channel while looking up reviews for The Girl in the Eagle's Talon (latest installment in the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series, written by a new author). Definitely adding that one to my worst books of 2023! For such an incredible and beloved series, it was a huge disappointment.
That Murakami rant seemed so cathartic 😂I'll be avoiding his books for sure lol
Fourth Wing was really stupid, but I had a blast reading it. I like to read "garbage" books sometimes. I compare them to B-movies.
I expected it to be so much worse after seeing people bash it
your Murukami rage is so fun to watch. lol
You deserve to relax and have a good holiday Emily 🎄❤️💚💚💚🎄☃️🎄🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🎁❄️❄️❄️❄️📚🎁❤️❤️💚💚💚❤️☃️☃️☃️🎄❤️💚🎅🏻🎅🏻📙📚📚❄️❄️❄️☃️☃️📖☃️🎄❤️💚💚💚❤️❤️🎄🎄☃️📖📖🎄❤️💚🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻📙🎁📚❄️❄️📖📖📖📖☃️
My worst book was Hidden Pictures, dont know how that won the horror category last year- yikes. Also Cytonic was my most disappointing book of last year. I just started the 4th book and so far its better!
I read earthlings and had high hopes but it was so painful. there's cannibalism incest cheating and three-way cannibal cheating
I listened to the Serpent and Dove trilogy this year and, while none of them were good, the second book was terrible.
I'd be very interested in a video about your favourite books in translation!
This video is so awesome. Thank you so much. I know which books to avoid.
Things we hide from the light tops my list.
I absolutely DO NOT understand how people find it romantic. I remember thinking that nash was the book equivalent of pressuring a girl into something she doesn't want until she can't say no any more.
... how is a guy that doesn't take no for an answer or respect boundaries romantic ? How??? Book 3 didn't even focus on the same couple but it 10/10 solidified my opinion for book 2. 🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️
I tried to read a Mirukami book but I just couldn’t get past that cringe weird thing with the mysterious woman.
Worst books I read: the Holidaze
, court of thorns and rose by Sarah Maas,
people we meet on vacation
The midnight library (had so much potential)
Phew that felt good to get off my chest!
Yes! I DNF Fourth Wing , this book is so overhyped for nothing.
Our Wives Under the Sea was so disappointing! I finished it because I kept waiting for something to happen.
It almost made it to my most disappointing books of the year... so not what I expected.
I liked the writing but wanted more from Leah in the submarine. I also read her short story collection, and unfortunately, it's the same here. It's great writing, but mostly boring.
I was reading the wind up bird by Murakami, didn’t finish it. I enjoyed read in his description of everyday life, in a way a beautiful way that I could imagine it and see it while reading, however I remember the scene about the main character running into a teenage girl and his description of her and dialogue just made me uncomfortable, I couldn’t really place it because I thought there was a point to the story, but hearing you describe how creepy he is with his description of women in his books made me realize, there wasn’t a point to that interaction.
I blunt it because of everyone’s praise about his work but… nah won’t finish him if he has this young girl fetishes.
I only had a few really hated books this year. I really hated The Inmate by Freida McFadden because it was not only poorly written but also ethically concerning. I was also very disappointed in The Cherry Robbers by Sarai Walker because it was a 5-star prediction. I also hated The Family Game by Katherine Steadman because it was just too extra and unserious.
Anyone else disappointed by Eleanor Catton's "Birnam Woods"? Hated being hit by a hammer over the head in Geraldine Brooks' "Horse" which could've been a really good book.
Have you ever read the passage by Justin Cronin?
Completely with you on Hyperion. Did not live up to expectations.
Best thing i inherited from you this year... You should stop reading a book if you're
not enjoying it. I learned to make those decisions much sooner and then bada Boom bada Bing ....Next!!!
Totally agree with your opinion on The Maid. I passed it up numerous times but then decided to buy it because my best friend read and enjoyed it. Will never trust her book opinions again. Horrid, horrid book.
Loll j ai tellement ris quand tu as présenté Les fourmis... y'a quelques années, j'avais eu si hâte de le lire... euhhh 😂 Disons que j'ai eu la même réaction que toi!😅
I read 169 books between January 1th and today. The worst were:
The Years by Annie Ernaux (this is a draft, not a novel/memoir/book, don't get the hype)
Waterson by Clarissa Goenawan (talk about needing an editor)
Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (also needed an editor)
This Is How Yo Lose the Time War by Amal el-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (confusing, and overwritten)
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin (fortune cookie shallowness)
Dead Lands by Núria Bendicho Giró (condemning child SA)
Leonard and Hungry Paul by Rónán Hession
Moonstone by Sjón (unnecessarily disgusting, and a terribly executed twist/change of style in the last third)
The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber (sexist AF)
The final book, Defiant is a return to form for the series and good conclusion but I dont think you'll have a good time if you don't care anymore. I think the first two books are the best but Defiant is much much better than Cytonic.
Is it possible to skip Cytonic?
@@stardroplet9499 I would read a synopsis at least. Some of the plot won't make sense unless you know what happened in Cytonic. Cytonic isn't so bad more disappointing compared to the first two books. It really is a sidequest book and Sanderson said it was one of the most difficult books he's written and it shows in the quality of the plot. It's still fine.
@@andrewf7732 thank you 👍
I love these kinds of videos because it makes me want to do the opposite and read them lol.
Some books are fun to hate-read but most of these weren’t lol
Hearing you rant off about Murakami was ~chef's kiss~ because I just DNF'd Kafka on the Shore which is possibly the worst book I ever read and ever will read, and the final straw in me reading his books. I don't care if it's 'social commentary' or if it ascends you to heaven or whatever, I'm never reading his books xD
Love the rants
Hi lovely 😊 I enjoy watching you so much.
So I am curios about this one book, I can't remember did you already talk about it. It's called "The Lost Bookshop" by Evie Woods. I personaly liked it, it was fun to read.
Sending you lots of love 😘
I love the sassy Emily lists!
I completely agree with you about Fourth Wing. So very badly written but readable, I don’t get it. At least that book got me into wanting to read dragons again, so there’s that.
I can only assume that teenage boys are the readership for Murakami. But for adults...surely not...
I got through fourth wing and iron flame by drinking. They are absolutely flaming, hot garbage… But also popcorn and I couldn’t stop.
Some of the worst books I‘ve read this year were Yes Please by Amy Poehler (her book made me dislike her!) and First Frost because I hated all the storylines which was so disappointing as I really enjoy the first book. 😭
I definitely would have ranked Fourth Wing among the worst books if I‘d have continued on but thankfully the narrator was so bad that I DNF‘d in chapter two. 😂
I 100 percent agree with you about The Maid. I didn’t like it at all…
I know this is your book channel but I just can't take my eyes off your lipstick/lipgloss lol. So may I ask what brand and shade is it? Thank you. Oh and my worst book of 2023 is American War.
can u do another vlog when your merry (pissed) x loved watching them x😂
I had one of Murakami's books on my shelf, called After Dark, and decided to read it or unhaul it. Spoiler: with 8 pages remaining, the FL decides to kiss her sleeping sister. TWICE. What. Was. The. Reason.
I will never get the hype arounf Murakami.
Defiant was better than Cytonic but the first two books in the series are still better.
I agree with The Maid being overhyped. It was very forgettable tbh.
I would love to exchange some books with you :-D And have a book-club!
Three of the worst books I read this year were Magnolia Parks, A Twisted Love story by Samantha Dawning and Guest by Emma Cline.
I love all the hate for fourth wing I have been seeing. what an awful book. lmao
My worst book this year is by far "The Offing" by Benjamin Myers. I have never read a book that made me angry for so many reasons... And even if I don't want ro judge authors by just one book I've read from them, I probably never touch another book written by Myers.
Good afternoon. Just got a copy of I Who Have Never Known Men. After your videos I am excited to read it
I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought Fourth Wing was very overrated
the worst book i read this year was BUNNY by mona awad, i will never get that time back, it was yes, short but so stupid it almost put me on a reading slump, i hated it so much
To me Fourth Wing was such a Flop. Don’t know why everyone Hypes it so much, Violet is like Bella 2.0 But much more annoying and Xaden makes me want to gag.
I’m Autistic and I dnfed the Maid twice. It was really boring. I didn’t care for it either.
I can’t take murikami either , just a wee bit descriptive for my taste.
Iron widow and the light by t.c.boyle were one of the worst books I read. The fourth wing was just too hilarious to be mad about it xD
My most disappointing books this year were Jade War and Daisy Jones & the Six 💀
The Maid was also on my worst books list. Just terrible
I had a pretty solid year but there were some awful books, too. I mostly dnfd everything I didn't enjoy but there are books that you just can't put down. The 3 worst books of the year were: 1. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams. It was advertised as the black Bridget Jones. NO! Bridget is funny, Queenie is just sad. Just a bad character who is having sex with everybody altough doesn't enjoy it, doesn't realize that her ex-boyfriend is an ex, she thinks they are on a break (and the ex's family is racist and probably the ex, too), her friendships are awful and she is constantly talking about her hair. Awful, just totally awful book. It gets a redeeming half star for the ending. 2. One year after by William R Forstchen: It's a second book in a post-apocalyptic series. It had the problems of the first book ("we are still americans", "this is still America" in every second page)and some new ones that I don't even remember anymore, something with the government. At least the first one had some good ideas. 3. The twisted ones by T. Kingfisher. It was recommended by another youtuber. The protagonist is almost as stupid as in Queenie and in some cases are more annoying. You just don't act like this in situation like this (ok, the situation will probably not happen in real life, but if... ) I just wanted her to die.
Also don't get the hype for T Kingfisher. She's okay, but nothing great.
I’ve only read Ice Planet Barbarians 👀
My worst book was Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep. It had some cool concepts that it could have done a lot with but instead it focused on its offensively bad female characters and "romance", and being as boring as possible.
Wanna read Hyperion! 😢
Worst book I finished this year was Bridges of Madison County. Yuck, yuck, yuck!
I did a similar read it or unhaul it personal challenge and read Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris and it was easily my worst book of the year. Racist, sexist and so not funny. The worst part is I got engaged the week I read it and so that will always be a tainted memory.
Hyperion is so boring, but a lot of people won't understand if you say you DNFed it. I really don't get the hype.
Worst book of the year: none of this is true by lisa jewel. CANT believe it is so popular? what did you guys read? it’s boring, predictable and has such an unsatisfying ending lol
I tried two of her other books and put them down so quickly
I had already forgotten that I had read it, haha.
It's the most wonderful time of the year 🎶 lol
The only one star for me this year: The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly just awful and boring.
Here for the sauce ❤
If you are looking for a feisty older woman who is not as nice as she appears, An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good, by Helene Tursten, is quite entertaining. This book and the sequel are both novellas and quite good in audio.
The bookshop one is one of the picks of a local book club. Luckily it’s a short read so won’t waste too much time if it’s not good.
Yes to all the rants!
My worst reads were probably Our Wives under the Sea (repetitive and boring), We have always lived in the castle (well loved classic but wtf? it's just talk about what was eaten and what was being cleaned in the house), The Picture of Dorian Gray (sorry to all who love this, I just couldn't, I was so bored), Murderbot books 2 and 3 (it's just rinse and repeat of the first one), The Serpent and the Wings of Night (really don't get the hype, Fourth Wing was at least highly entertaining)
Yes! I read 'We have always lived in a castle' last month and I didn't get it at all. The ending was obvious from the very beginning, so I was hoping there would be some big twist at the end, but sadly no. All the characters were unlikeable (except the dog of course) as well. I feel cheated.
The Maid was not written in a condescending tone, I have to disagree with you.
I loved The Fourth Wing series! OBSESSED 🎅🏻☃️📖📖📖❄️💚💚🎅🏻🎅🏻❤️❤️🎄🎁📙📙🎁📚🎄❤️📖📖📖☃️❄️❄️🎅🏻☃️☃️❤️❤️❤️🎄🎁📙📙💚❄️🎅🏻🎅🏻☃️📖❤️❤️❤️🎄🎁💚