I love my library here in Dublin but not the app they are using (BorrowBox) so for ebooks and audiobooks, I use my non-resident membership from the Queens public library in NYC, they use libby and that interface is so much nicer (as in the search results bring up what you actually want instead of a million other results that also have a word in their title but are otherwise unrelated 🙄) I listened to Ring shout earlier this year and highly recommend. Demon Copperhead is also on my TBR, so are remarkably bright creatures and starter villain.
My library is good compared to other non English speaking countries. But not as good as English speaking countries They are very much not good with audiobooks and ebooks in English. They do have quite a lot of English books, so that is good. But they don't do requests, so that can be annoying. They also have most of the time only parts of series which is really frustrating
For The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, it’s important to remember that it is NOT the hunger games. Do no go into it wanting the same feel. The prequel is more of a character study inside the mind of an evil man. I absolutely loved it 💕 but I notice a lot of people go into it with the wrong expectation and that makes them hate it. So again, it’s not the hunger games, more of a character study about an evil man and being in his head
I made this mistake when I read it the first time and didn’t like it. But I read it a second time before going to see the movie and knowing more about it I ended up LOVING it. Almost read it a third time 😂
Emily, thank you so much for talking about Libby again. As a swiss, I never even checked it, because I'm so used to stuff only working in America. But I decided to check it for fun during this video. Turns out, my university library is registered with Libby, and as a uni employee I get access for free. This is such a game changer. Thank you so much!
@zachreads Probably the most famous Swiss book of the last 20 years is "The truth about the Harry Quebert Affair"; the book is definitely more interesting than the title would indicate. It's a murder mystery. If you read plays, one of our most well known Authors of all times is Dürenmatt, his most famous play is called "the visit".
Check the Queens public library in New York City, they offer a non-resident membership for $50 a year. I much prefer that to my local library here in Ireland, at least when it comes to ebooks and audiobooks (not to mention I much prefer libby to borrowBox - the app my local library uses)
I love Libby! I have access to three Norwegian libraries and they are all free, but I also have Queens Public Library (New York) because they accept non-US residents for a yearly fee. I wish there were more libraries in English-speaking countries that allowed non-residents to join!
I'm in a similar spot, where I have access to the library of my current town/city for free, and the Orange County Library in Florida for a yearly fee. I'm a bit sad because there is only one, very small and pretty expensive, library in my home country that supports Libby. I'm hoping it will grow a bit more, but I'm not sure... But the OCLS one is more than I could have ever hoped for, and not too expensive either.
Oh, I’ll look into it. Barcelona’s public libraries don’t offer a lot of ebooks in english or at least not the ones I’m interested in. I’d rather pay a library fee than KU.
Thanks so much! I didn't know the Queens Library accepted foreigners, but I will check that out immediately. Most German libraries don't carry a lot of books in English, so this is a great way to get to those 😊
@minano-nim6795 I just renewed my membership for the Queens public library, so it should be working. You have to click no at the resident question (also, of course, apply for an ecard, not the "normal" one)
For anyone looking for an Israel/Palestine book I really recommended ‘Israel and Palestine’ by Avi Shlaim. He’s an Israeli Arab historian who is fairly pro-Palestinian but grew up Jewish and therefore has a great understanding of both sides of the conflict! I HIGHLY recommend if you want something that will educate you on the basics of the last 100 years
House to Keep House while Drowning IS AMAZING! KC Davis is brilliant! She gives great tips for the depression or chronic health issue arsenal & really helps you forgive yourself when you don't meet everyone else's "standards". 10/10 recommend!
I love my library (Ottawa) because the card lets me access Libby for four other libraries in ON. It's especially great for seeing which one has the shortest waitlist for newer books!
I don't know if you've ever wandered through the "microhistory" tag on goodreads, but I feel like you'd find lots of non-fiction to add to your TBR there. It's my favorite thing to read, by far.
Love the Library! 90% of my reading is from the library and most of the books I buy have already been read, or will end up being read through audio from the library.
"What your looking for us in the library" was great, it is short stories that are all connected with thos library. It is also a little speculative if the librarian is magical. Highly recommend and very heartwarming. I to have read some fry jappanesetranslations and think this has more feels. . Unfortunately, I don't recall any cats in there. If it was it was a small part. I think it would be a great book for anyone graduating or thinking about starting a new career based on the overall message.
Great tbr! I really enjoyed Freedom Is A Constant Struggle. What I will say is that it's a collection of different speeches so I recommend reading them a little bit spaced apart as some of the points come back in the different essays. I loved it but as I listened to the audio in one go it got a little repetitive.
My library is amazing. The staff are awesome and so kind, it’s spacious, they’re really open to acquiring new books and it’s beautiful. They don’t bat an eye when I check out 20+ books at a time (I can only go once every few weeks because schedules). I have two libraries on Libby, my local and one in California that’s free. My own library locally has a smaller selection on Libby so the bigger one is great. But I could blabber on about how I love my library for hours! 😅
If you are interested in reading more Jane Austen-adjacent novels that offer an alternative perspective on her stories, I'd recommend Longbourn by Jo Baker. It's a Pride and Prejudice retelling written from the POV of the Bennet family's servants.
I was sure I'd seen you review Assistant to the Villain already, but since you didn't, every review I've seen on it (both positive and negative reviews) agreed it was very badly written. I haven't read it myself but I thought a heads-up might help.
Here is some off my Library TBR -The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton -Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco (angry witch) -Salvation Day by Kali Wallace (sci-fi horror) -My Friend Natalia by Laura Lindstedt -Crier's War by Nina Varela
Never Whistle at Night is fantastic - I really appreciate that it's not traditional western horror and takes a different approach to the themes speculative fiction often focuses on. Elena Knows is fantastic - I read it last Christmas in 2 sittings. I have A Little Luck (her latest in translation) on my tbr and plan to read it in December hopefully. Starter Villain is very fun - and yes, the cats are in the book too! If you read KPS, then you can expect the same type of vibe from SV. Moon of the Turning Leaves was an excellent sequel - I finished it in early November and loved it. I saw Rice speak about it at a writer's fest event and it made me appreciate the story even more.
Because my tastes are so much more niche than bookstores often supply for, I go to bookstores with the sole purpose of finding books on Libby or Hoopla. If I find a book that looks interesting, I check those two apps first and 9/10 its there. If not then I'll buy the book
Moon of the Turning Leaves - LOVED IT. You get more of the wider world and what happened, but it's still focused on the community of the first book and finding a safe place to be long term. I really liked it. Highly recommend both books of this duology to everyone.
Love my libraries too. One has lots of graphic novels which is great since they're too expensive to buy. I absolutely loved The Changeling and I'm on a mission to read all of the author's works. So far, this is my favourite.
I love libby. I use both libby and another library app we have here in norway. I also go to the library and borrow books. I have a lot of books at home too. But I like borrow from the library if there is a book I'm not sure I will like or not. Then later if I like it, I sometimes buy it 🥰
Elena knows is an amazing book. Painful at some points though. Just been released as a movie af Netflix in Argentina, from where Claudia Piñeiro is from.
Assistant to the Villain is awful, don't waste your time. Remarkably Bright Creatures was fun, but it took me a while to get into it. Love the octopus 🤩 I've read several Barbara Kingsolver books and really like her. I haven't heard enough people talk about VenCo! Modern witches written by an Indigenous woman from Canada!
The Kaiju Preservation Society was a fun read for me. I think the ending could have been a bit better. But overall, the story was fun and quite interesting.
I recommend Assistant to the Villain! It's not asking to be taken seriously so it's just a fun time. I didn't know the author had a TikTok thing that inspired her to write it, but I went in blind and was pleasantly surprised.
It's funny to hear you talk about what the cutoff for historical fiction is bc I remember when people were calling Daisy Jones and the Six historical fiction, I thought it was too recent! Haha
John Scalzi's "Starter Villain" was very good. There was one part I really could have done without, but overall, I enjoyed it. But yes, cats are important in the book, and especially these aspects, I think would be really special to you. If memory serves, the book is dedicated or at least partially to his cats. I am also in the middle of "How to Survive History" and it is fun and fascinating.
There is definite cat love in the book. The cats in the book are more like normal cats, not wearing suits and standing upright. But I understand too why they made that choice for the cover. I hope you enjoy it when you get to it!@@joediedavenport6079
I have earned a Bachelors in History and am currently working on a Masters, and you are completely right. One thing emphasized in upper-level histories is to question and critically analyze every source, regardless of who wrote it, because they all have biases that affect how they write about or interpret historical events. In addition, a major problem is the perpetuation of collective memory or myths, in which the general public remembers an event a certain way and continues to teach the event that way regardless of if that interpretation is correct. One huge example of that in the States is the myths of the Battle of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution, in which Anglo Texans paint themselves as heroes against the evil, tyrannical Mexicans. Historians are working very hard even today to put these problematic views to bed, but they have become so tied with Texan identity that scholars who try to disprove the myths are ignored, denounced, and even receive threats of violence. I commend you for taking the extra step to educate yourself. I'll keep an eye out for any recs I can send your way.
My friend lets me use her library card because her library is a consortium, so it gives her access to 7 or 8 different libraries. Right now I'm reading the first book in the The Tarot Sequence by K. D. Edwards and hoping that one of the libraries will add the second and third books. I'm enjoying it so much and from what I understand, it is going to be set up kind of the way that Mistborn is, where it's planned to be 9 books total but three sets of trilogies. The books are based on the arcana of tarot decks and it's really interesting! I especially love that it's a queer normative world.
Hi! For your cat vlog, I'd suggest you "The cat who saved books" by Sosuke Notsukawa, it's japanese translation and magical realism, so not yout thing ^^', but I really loved it!
I am fortunate enough to be bilingual and to be able to read Elena Knows in Spanish, from what I have seen the translation is very well done. The book stayed with me long after I read it, it's short but the writing just pulls you in and tugs at your heart.
Add me to the list of people who loved Remarkably Bright Creatures - one of my top books of the year. I paired it with The Soul of an Octopus, which worked really well. Assistant to the Villain is another top book of the year. There is romance involved but I would not call it a romantasy. I also loved Starter Villain. There is a cat who is a main character so it would work for your vlog. I am adding How To Survive History to my TBR.
Demon copperhead was very good! And surprisingly easy to go through despite it's size. I listened to it and it took me only 9 days! Remarkably smart creatures was enjoyable. And I'm definitely adding the one about cleaning to my tbr!
I use the same library as you (BanQ) and my wait is 23 weeks for The Hundred Years' War on Palestine... Honestly though they should make it available for everyone like they did for The New Jim Crow during the BLM movement. I'm the one who requested Ring Shout to the library! I loved it!
I really liked Cackle by Rachel Harrison and I loved her new book about a cult called Black Sheep. I think I am in the minority about The Quiet Tenant. I just thought it was ok. I mostly use my library to get audiobooks from Libby. I hardly ever go in there just to look around. I need to change that.
Uff Claudia Piñeiro is one of my top top argentinian authors!! I've read 3 books by her in spanish ("A little luck", "Cathedrals" and "Yours" Idn if the last 2 had a translation in english already but If you see any read them!), and I keep recommend every time I can the one that calls "A little luck" its really really good short book, honestly if you read it please I need your comments on it!!!
I really enjoyed The Other Bennet Sister. I will say the first bit i almost DNF'd because it felt like a P&P cut and paste. But I decided to push through a little more and I am so glad I did! Also, Mr. Bennett is the worst!
I recommend Moon of the Turning Leaves! I thought the pacing and overall storytelling worked better than the first book (which I also enjoyed, but this one felt more complete). Waub Rice seems like a really great guy, too.
Ohhhh I tried the audio for Assistant to the Villain and hated it. I might like the physical book but for now I’m like NOPE. Thank goodness for Libby cos I have 30+ books on my wait list. 😂
Maali Almeida is fantasy - the whole thing takes place in the afterlife; the titular character is trying to solve his own murder. It's also funny and irreverent. I think you'll like it! There seems to be a lot of scifi/fantasy coming out of Sri Lanka lately - I've read a few. Japanese cat books - my next up book on Libby is The Travelling Cat Chronicles - I think I put that on my TBR because you liked it! I loved Elena Knows, but do know going in that the characters are quite unsympathetic (title character is a bit of an overbearing know-it-all, hence the title) - in my case this did not ruin it at all, the book really packs a punch, and I gave it 5 stars - but when my book club read it, a couple of the people were annoyed that she was annoying, lol. One of my adult kids recommended How to Keep House while Drowning. Actually, gave me a copy of it last Christmas.... have yet to read it, though...😳
I fell down the rabbit hole of Pride and Prejudice variations a few years ago. I highly recommend Unequal Affections by Lara S. Ormiston and anything by Caitlin Williams. Jessie Lewis (Speechless especially), Melanie Rachel, and Heather Moll are other faves of mine. Amy D'Orazio has some fun ones as well.
I'm not sure if you've tried anything from Olivia Atwater, but I recommend her books! I've been living my cozy fantasy life recently as I've had a pretty bad depression episode and the grimdark and high fantasy just didn't work because I couldn't keep being focused. They always make me feel like I'm home, in some deep way.
Oh, but they do all have a romance plot which is pretty important in the story. That being said, I usually dislike romance in my books, but these are really healthy in my opinion too, as I know you also judge bookish relationships in these terms 😅
Looking for a light fun read with dark humor. I recommend Tick Tock by Dean Koontz. It would fit in nicely with your TBR (after reading Cackle). Putting it out there.
Assistant to the villain was bad... it was like reading a fanfiction of a show you've never watched but your friends begged you to read it because it has a pair they ship very much. BUT I think it will make for a good vlog😆
I just finished 'Starter Villain' and it was everything I wanted 'Assistant to the Villain' to be plus cozy found family and sweet human/cat relationships. Highly recommend! On the other hand, having read the Hunger Games prequel and just seeing the film yesterday I preferred the film. It did a good job of keeping the essential plot points, edited out the bloat/parts that annoyed me, and fleshing out the interesting parts. Edit: I really liked 'Witch King' too. Since a lot of fantasy is "medieval Europe plus magic" I loved how truly diverse the world building, gender roles, and cultures were.
I need to know why mama cat hates the kittens, and how to solve that! Also, I'm from Argentina y this last month hace read Elena Knows, which was written by a very popular argentinian author, and is not my favourite book from her but it was a very interesting experience, and one thing that changed my experienced was to know that the author based this history on her own mother who had Parkinson's. I hope this helps with your reading!
**eagerly awaits Crazy Cat Lady vlog** I live in a fairly small town, so our Libby app, while awesome, doesn't have a huge selection, especially in SFF (where I usually read/live). However!! I recently reached out to the library system in the neighboring county and asked if I could access their Hoopla if I paid a fee, and they said I could get it for free! It has so many more audiobook options! This gives me hope of finally putting some kind of tiny dent in my (functionally infinite) TBR. 😅
Cat book recommendation!!!: If you want another suggestion for a cat book vlog, Love Save the Day (yes, it's a lousy title) by Gwen Cooper. My favorite book that centers on a cat. And if you want to throw in a token dog book, Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis, which won the Giller Prize. Both are books I gave 5 stars to, and tissues may be required for both.
I want wait for the Crazy Cat Lady Vlog😂 I recently added Never Whistle At Night to my tbr, too. If you want to try more post-apocalyptic books from an indigenous perspective, I really liked the the first two books in The Sixth World Series by Rebecca Roanhorse, it's an unfinished series, tho'.
I enjoyed Ballad a lot more on my second read - but I honestly HATED the audiobook so if you don’t like it I’d at least give the physical a try before giving up on it. The HG trilogy is superior but Ballad was a solid 3 for me
As far as cat books, the author of The Travelling Cat Chronicles has another cat book whose English translation was just released, called The Goodbye Cat. I’m still on the waiting list but I’m hoping it’s just as good!
I end up buying most of my books since my library doesn't have much but the library sales are great since the books are donated by the patrons. I gave away the book Feminina because I felt that the historian wasn't that top-notch. I liked Dopesick and Empire of Pain much better than Demon Cooperhead. Please don't believe that all of Appalachia is like how Barbara Kingsolver portrays it. I loved the Girl Who Chased the Moon!
Usually never comment & unrelated to this video. But started reading Dark Matter today, based on your recommendation. I think it’s one of the best books I’ve read to get me out of a reading slump. Thank you!!!!😃😊
From what I know, none of the libraries in my city has an audiobook app and English books. So yeah, unfortunately I don't have many options in that regard.
A creative nonfiction book I'm looking forward to is The Mission by David Brown, in part because I love its bonkers, longer title: The Mission, or: how a disciple of Carl Sagan, an ex-motocross racer, a Texas Tea Party Congressman, the world's worst typewriter saleswoman, California mountain people, and an anonymous NASA functionary went to war with Mars, survived an insurgency at Saturn, traded blows with Washington, and stole a ride on an Alabama moon rocket to send a space robot to Jupiter in search of the second garden of Eden at the bottom of an alien ocean inside of an ice world called Europa (a true story). For a nonfiction book about a library, you might want to check out The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu
How are the libraries where you’re from? Anything on your TBR we should check out?
I love my library it is amazing ❤
I love my library here in Dublin but not the app they are using (BorrowBox) so for ebooks and audiobooks, I use my non-resident membership from the Queens public library in NYC, they use libby and that interface is so much nicer (as in the search results bring up what you actually want instead of a million other results that also have a word in their title but are otherwise unrelated 🙄)
I listened to Ring shout earlier this year and highly recommend. Demon Copperhead is also on my TBR, so are remarkably bright creatures and starter villain.
My library is good compared to other non English speaking countries. But not as good as English speaking countries
They are very much not good with audiobooks and ebooks in English. They do have quite a lot of English books, so that is good. But they don't do requests, so that can be annoying. They also have most of the time only parts of series which is really frustrating
Fantastic actually, I am very lucky
Demon Copperhead is a retelling of the classic David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. 😊
For The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, it’s important to remember that it is NOT the hunger games. Do no go into it wanting the same feel.
The prequel is more of a character study inside the mind of an evil man. I absolutely loved it 💕 but I notice a lot of people go into it with the wrong expectation and that makes them hate it.
So again, it’s not the hunger games, more of a character study about an evil man and being in his head
I made this mistake when I read it the first time and didn’t like it. But I read it a second time before going to see the movie and knowing more about it I ended up LOVING it. Almost read it a third time 😂
thank you so much for promoting public libraries!
Emily, thank you so much for talking about Libby again. As a swiss, I never even checked it, because I'm so used to stuff only working in America. But I decided to check it for fun during this video. Turns out, my university library is registered with Libby, and as a uni employee I get access for free. This is such a game changer. Thank you so much!
Do you have any Swiss book recommendations?
(I read from all genres and time periods).
@zachreads Probably the most famous Swiss book of the last 20 years is "The truth about the Harry Quebert Affair"; the book is definitely more interesting than the title would indicate. It's a murder mystery.
If you read plays, one of our most well known Authors of all times is Dürenmatt, his most famous play is called "the visit".
@@MichiruEll
Thank you!
Check the Queens public library in New York City, they offer a non-resident membership for $50 a year. I much prefer that to my local library here in Ireland, at least when it comes to ebooks and audiobooks (not to mention I much prefer libby to borrowBox - the app my local library uses)
I love Libby! I have access to three Norwegian libraries and they are all free, but I also have Queens Public Library (New York) because they accept non-US residents for a yearly fee. I wish there were more libraries in English-speaking countries that allowed non-residents to join!
I'm in a similar spot, where I have access to the library of my current town/city for free, and the Orange County Library in Florida for a yearly fee. I'm a bit sad because there is only one, very small and pretty expensive, library in my home country that supports Libby. I'm hoping it will grow a bit more, but I'm not sure... But the OCLS one is more than I could have ever hoped for, and not too expensive either.
Oh, I’ll look into it. Barcelona’s public libraries don’t offer a lot of ebooks in english or at least not the ones I’m interested in. I’d rather pay a library fee than KU.
@claimthestars
Do you have any Norwegian book recs?
(I read from all genres and time periods).
Thanks so much! I didn't know the Queens Library accepted foreigners, but I will check that out immediately. Most German libraries don't carry a lot of books in English, so this is a great way to get to those 😊
@minano-nim6795 I just renewed my membership for the Queens public library, so it should be working. You have to click no at the resident question (also, of course, apply for an ecard, not the "normal" one)
You should definitely read Ring Shout. It was really good.
For anyone looking for an Israel/Palestine book I really recommended ‘Israel and Palestine’ by Avi Shlaim. He’s an Israeli Arab historian who is fairly pro-Palestinian but grew up Jewish and therefore has a great understanding of both sides of the conflict! I HIGHLY recommend if you want something that will educate you on the basics of the last 100 years
House to Keep House while Drowning IS AMAZING! KC Davis is brilliant! She gives great tips for the depression or chronic health issue arsenal & really helps you forgive yourself when you don't meet everyone else's "standards". 10/10 recommend!
I love my library (Ottawa) because the card lets me access Libby for four other libraries in ON. It's especially great for seeing which one has the shortest waitlist for newer books!
I don't know if you've ever wandered through the "microhistory" tag on goodreads, but I feel like you'd find lots of non-fiction to add to your TBR there. It's my favorite thing to read, by far.
Love the Library! 90% of my reading is from the library and most of the books I buy have already been read, or will end up being read through audio from the library.
I love how you just choose books with cats on the cover. that's also one of my weakness after adopting my first cat, I want cats in my books too.
"What your looking for us in the library" was great, it is short stories that are all connected with thos library. It is also a little speculative if the librarian is magical. Highly recommend and very heartwarming. I to have read some fry jappanesetranslations and think this has more feels. .
Unfortunately, I don't recall any cats in there. If it was it was a small part.
I think it would be a great book for anyone graduating or thinking about starting a new career based on the overall message.
Great tbr! I really enjoyed Freedom Is A Constant Struggle. What I will say is that it's a collection of different speeches so I recommend reading them a little bit spaced apart as some of the points come back in the different essays. I loved it but as I listened to the audio in one go it got a little repetitive.
My library is amazing. The staff are awesome and so kind, it’s spacious, they’re really open to acquiring new books and it’s beautiful. They don’t bat an eye when I check out 20+ books at a time (I can only go once every few weeks because schedules). I have two libraries on Libby, my local and one in California that’s free. My own library locally has a smaller selection on Libby so the bigger one is great. But I could blabber on about how I love my library for hours! 😅
Info on the Cali free library? I’ve got one in TX and one in FL that I’ve seen people talk about everywhere and I can give you the info if you need
I’m looking forward to the cat vlog. The Song of the Cell is on my TBR list and I have loved the other two books by the same author.
Cackle was an absolute delight, I loved it so much! ✨
I really enjoyed The Other Bennet Sister. I just looked up my reviews from the year I read it and I gave it 4.5 stars.
If you are interested in reading more Jane Austen-adjacent novels that offer an alternative perspective on her stories, I'd recommend Longbourn by Jo Baker. It's a Pride and Prejudice retelling written from the POV of the Bennet family's servants.
I would loooooove a cat 🐈⬛ book tag
Seven moons won the booker prize last year
I was sure I'd seen you review Assistant to the Villain already, but since you didn't, every review I've seen on it (both positive and negative reviews) agreed it was very badly written. I haven't read it myself but I thought a heads-up might help.
Here is some off my Library TBR
-The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
-Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco (angry witch)
-Salvation Day by Kali Wallace (sci-fi horror)
-My Friend Natalia by Laura Lindstedt
-Crier's War by Nina Varela
The Miniaturist was good but a little dissapointing
You will LOVE Elena Knows!! For sure. Mind blown by the craft of this book and the content and everything
Never Whistle at Night is fantastic - I really appreciate that it's not traditional western horror and takes a different approach to the themes speculative fiction often focuses on.
Elena Knows is fantastic - I read it last Christmas in 2 sittings. I have A Little Luck (her latest in translation) on my tbr and plan to read it in December hopefully.
Starter Villain is very fun - and yes, the cats are in the book too! If you read KPS, then you can expect the same type of vibe from SV.
Moon of the Turning Leaves was an excellent sequel - I finished it in early November and loved it. I saw Rice speak about it at a writer's fest event and it made me appreciate the story even more.
The audiobook for Demon Copperhead is very good. It is narrated by Charlie Thurston. Highly recommend the audiobook.
Because my tastes are so much more niche than bookstores often supply for, I go to bookstores with the sole purpose of finding books on Libby or Hoopla. If I find a book that looks interesting, I check those two apps first and 9/10 its there. If not then I'll buy the book
I have I want to die but I want to eat tteokbokki, the villain's assistant and the hunger games prequel on my December tbr as well. Happy reading!
Moon of the Turning Leaves - LOVED IT. You get more of the wider world and what happened, but it's still focused on the community of the first book and finding a safe place to be long term. I really liked it. Highly recommend both books of this duology to everyone.
Love my libraries too. One has lots of graphic novels which is great since they're too expensive to buy. I absolutely loved The Changeling and I'm on a mission to read all of the author's works. So far, this is my favourite.
I thought you had a tiger in your house with that growling lol.
She’s a little spicy 🌶️
I love libby. I use both libby and another library app we have here in norway. I also go to the library and borrow books. I have a lot of books at home too. But I like borrow from the library if there is a book I'm not sure I will like or not. Then later if I like it, I sometimes buy it 🥰
Recommend Starter Villain. It’s a fast, fun read and the cats are pivotal.
the other bennet sister is my favorite read of 2023 so far. you will love it.
I really liked Cackle. It's not groundbreaking, but it was a good witchy book ♥
Elena knows is an amazing book. Painful at some points though. Just been released as a movie af Netflix in Argentina, from where Claudia Piñeiro is from.
On Libby you go to the “clock emoji thing” that will show you all the holds you had and the books you borrowed basically your reading/hold history
Assistant to the Villain is awful, don't waste your time.
Remarkably Bright Creatures was fun, but it took me a while to get into it. Love the octopus 🤩
I've read several Barbara Kingsolver books and really like her.
I haven't heard enough people talk about VenCo! Modern witches written by an Indigenous woman from Canada!
I second that Assistant to the Villain is awful. The cover was so promising, but the main characters were painful.
@@Stargazerlost I describe it as if Hallmark tried to do a fantasy romance: flat characters and "witty banter" that is just not funny.
I can't believe you haven't read Cackle yet?? One of my favorites!
I enjoyed the audiobook of Ring Shout quite a bit.
The Kaiju Preservation Society was a fun read for me. I think the ending could have been a bit better. But overall, the story was fun and quite interesting.
Elena Knows and The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida were some of my best reads of this year, I'm so happy to see them on your list!
starter villains 100% can go on the cat. TBR has two cats. that are important to the plot
I recommend Assistant to the Villain! It's not asking to be taken seriously so it's just a fun time. I didn't know the author had a TikTok thing that inspired her to write it, but I went in blind and was pleasantly surprised.
It's funny to hear you talk about what the cutoff for historical fiction is bc I remember when people were calling Daisy Jones and the Six historical fiction, I thought it was too recent! Haha
John Scalzi's "Starter Villain" was very good. There was one part I really could have done without, but overall, I enjoyed it. But yes, cats are important in the book, and especially these aspects, I think would be really special to you. If memory serves, the book is dedicated or at least partially to his cats. I am also in the middle of "How to Survive History" and it is fun and fascinating.
Good to know. I bought this book because I'm a crazy cat lady and it had a cat on the cover. I haven't read it yet though.
There is definite cat love in the book. The cats in the book are more like normal cats, not wearing suits and standing upright. But I understand too why they made that choice for the cover. I hope you enjoy it when you get to it!@@joediedavenport6079
Yes BANQ was a godsend for me! My city library has about 5 English books and somehow they're all Stephen King lol
I have earned a Bachelors in History and am currently working on a Masters, and you are completely right. One thing emphasized in upper-level histories is to question and critically analyze every source, regardless of who wrote it, because they all have biases that affect how they write about or interpret historical events. In addition, a major problem is the perpetuation of collective memory or myths, in which the general public remembers an event a certain way and continues to teach the event that way regardless of if that interpretation is correct. One huge example of that in the States is the myths of the Battle of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution, in which Anglo Texans paint themselves as heroes against the evil, tyrannical Mexicans. Historians are working very hard even today to put these problematic views to bed, but they have become so tied with Texan identity that scholars who try to disprove the myths are ignored, denounced, and even receive threats of violence. I commend you for taking the extra step to educate yourself. I'll keep an eye out for any recs I can send your way.
My friend lets me use her library card because her library is a consortium, so it gives her access to 7 or 8 different libraries. Right now I'm reading the first book in the The Tarot Sequence by K. D. Edwards and hoping that one of the libraries will add the second and third books. I'm enjoying it so much and from what I understand, it is going to be set up kind of the way that Mistborn is, where it's planned to be 9 books total but three sets of trilogies. The books are based on the arcana of tarot decks and it's really interesting! I especially love that it's a queer normative world.
How to Keep House While Drowning is GREAT! And it’s a short audiobook, so very re-readable!
Hi! For your cat vlog, I'd suggest you "The cat who saved books" by Sosuke Notsukawa, it's japanese translation and magical realism, so not yout thing ^^', but I really loved it!
That Libby rant, I felt that. Had the same thing happen to me and had to start my waiting on some books with long waiting lists again.😭
I’d love a cat book video 🐈⬛ Also maybe one about witchy books and any books that include book shops/ libraries.
I am fortunate enough to be bilingual and to be able to read Elena Knows in Spanish, from what I have seen the translation is very well done. The book stayed with me long after I read it, it's short but the writing just pulls you in and tugs at your heart.
Add me to the list of people who loved Remarkably Bright Creatures - one of my top books of the year. I paired it with The Soul of an Octopus, which worked really well. Assistant to the Villain is another top book of the year. There is romance involved but I would not call it a romantasy. I also loved Starter Villain. There is a cat who is a main character so it would work for your vlog. I am adding How To Survive History to my TBR.
Demon copperhead was very good! And surprisingly easy to go through despite it's size. I listened to it and it took me only 9 days! Remarkably smart creatures was enjoyable. And I'm definitely adding the one about cleaning to my tbr!
Thank you for being the only one booktuber I follow to talk about the genocide in Palsestine and to recommend books about it!
I use the same library as you (BanQ) and my wait is 23 weeks for The Hundred Years' War on Palestine... Honestly though they should make it available for everyone like they did for The New Jim Crow during the BLM movement. I'm the one who requested Ring Shout to the library! I loved it!
I really liked Cackle by Rachel Harrison and I loved her new book about a cult called Black Sheep. I think I am in the minority about The Quiet Tenant. I just thought it was ok. I mostly use my library to get audiobooks from Libby. I hardly ever go in there just to look around. I need to change that.
I literally resent Ring Shout, so much hope for that but I couldn't get attached to any of the characters 😢
Uff Claudia Piñeiro is one of my top top argentinian authors!! I've read 3 books by her in spanish ("A little luck", "Cathedrals" and "Yours" Idn if the last 2 had a translation in english already but If you see any read them!), and I keep recommend every time I can the one that calls "A little luck" its really really good short book, honestly if you read it please I need your comments on it!!!
I really enjoyed The Other Bennet Sister. I will say the first bit i almost DNF'd because it felt like a P&P cut and paste. But I decided to push through a little more and I am so glad I did!
Also, Mr. Bennett is the worst!
I recommend Moon of the Turning Leaves! I thought the pacing and overall storytelling worked better than the first book (which I also enjoyed, but this one felt more complete). Waub Rice seems like a really great guy, too.
Ohhhh I tried the audio for Assistant to the Villain and hated it. I might like the physical book but for now I’m like NOPE. Thank goodness for Libby cos I have 30+ books on my wait list. 😂
Maali Almeida is fantasy - the whole thing takes place in the afterlife; the titular character is trying to solve his own murder. It's also funny and irreverent. I think you'll like it!
There seems to be a lot of scifi/fantasy coming out of Sri Lanka lately - I've read a few.
Japanese cat books - my next up book on Libby is The Travelling Cat Chronicles - I think I put that on my TBR because you liked it!
I loved Elena Knows, but do know going in that the characters are quite unsympathetic (title character is a bit of an overbearing know-it-all, hence the title) - in my case this did not ruin it at all, the book really packs a punch, and I gave it 5 stars - but when my book club read it, a couple of the people were annoyed that she was annoying, lol.
One of my adult kids recommended How to Keep House while Drowning. Actually, gave me a copy of it last Christmas.... have yet to read it, though...😳
I fell down the rabbit hole of Pride and Prejudice variations a few years ago. I highly recommend Unequal Affections by Lara S. Ormiston and anything by Caitlin Williams. Jessie Lewis (Speechless especially), Melanie Rachel, and Heather Moll are other faves of mine. Amy D'Orazio has some fun ones as well.
I loved such sharp teeth by Rachel Harrison. Writing was prefect for me
Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen is my favorite by her!
“Seven Moons” is amazing, couldn’t put it down - hope you enjoy it.
I'm not sure if you've tried anything from Olivia Atwater, but I recommend her books! I've been living my cozy fantasy life recently as I've had a pretty bad depression episode and the grimdark and high fantasy just didn't work because I couldn't keep being focused. They always make me feel like I'm home, in some deep way.
Oh, but they do all have a romance plot which is pretty important in the story. That being said, I usually dislike romance in my books, but these are really healthy in my opinion too, as I know you also judge bookish relationships in these terms 😅
I am just reading half a soul and it is soooo good ❤
I’d loveee a video about 📚 about 🐈!
I was looking at the Quiet Tenant too….I will wait for you to read it. 😆
Can't wait for you to read & review the seven moons of Maali Almeida
Looking for a light fun read with dark humor. I recommend Tick Tock by Dean Koontz. It would fit in nicely with your TBR (after reading Cackle). Putting it out there.
Assistant to the villain was bad... it was like reading a fanfiction of a show you've never watched but your friends begged you to read it because it has a pair they ship very much. BUT I think it will make for a good vlog😆
There’s now a movie adaptation of Elena Knows on Netflix. Great book.
I loved The Traveling Cat Chronicles but for some reason I couldn’t care about If Cats Disappeared From the World and DNFed 😅
I just finished 'Starter Villain' and it was everything I wanted 'Assistant to the Villain' to be plus cozy found family and sweet human/cat relationships. Highly recommend! On the other hand, having read the Hunger Games prequel and just seeing the film yesterday I preferred the film. It did a good job of keeping the essential plot points, edited out the bloat/parts that annoyed me, and fleshing out the interesting parts.
Edit: I really liked 'Witch King' too. Since a lot of fantasy is "medieval Europe plus magic" I loved how truly diverse the world building, gender roles, and cultures were.
I need to know why mama cat hates the kittens, and how to solve that!
Also, I'm from Argentina y this last month hace read Elena Knows, which was written by a very popular argentinian author, and is not my favourite book from her but it was a very interesting experience, and one thing that changed my experienced was to know that the author based this history on her own mother who had Parkinson's. I hope this helps with your reading!
**eagerly awaits Crazy Cat Lady vlog**
I live in a fairly small town, so our Libby app, while awesome, doesn't have a huge selection, especially in SFF (where I usually read/live). However!! I recently reached out to the library system in the neighboring county and asked if I could access their Hoopla if I paid a fee, and they said I could get it for free! It has so many more audiobook options! This gives me hope of finally putting some kind of tiny dent in my (functionally infinite) TBR. 😅
Cat book recommendation!!!: If you want another suggestion for a cat book vlog, Love Save the Day (yes, it's a lousy title) by Gwen Cooper. My favorite book that centers on a cat. And if you want to throw in a token dog book, Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis, which won the Giller Prize. Both are books I gave 5 stars to, and tissues may be required for both.
The Changeling is so amazing! It is far the best from his works in my opinion, I hope you will agree :)
My parents always told me not to whistle at night, and kids my age would joke around saying it attracts jinns lol (grew up in a turkish household)
Japanese books always have a cat 🤣
I want wait for the Crazy Cat Lady Vlog😂
I recently added Never Whistle At Night to my tbr, too. If you want to try more post-apocalyptic books from an indigenous perspective, I really liked the the first two books in The Sixth World Series by Rebecca Roanhorse, it's an unfinished series, tho'.
Historical Fiction is typically at least 10 years in the past. 1990s is absolutely historical fiction.
I enjoyed Ballad a lot more on my second read - but I honestly HATED the audiobook so if you don’t like it I’d at least give the physical a try before giving up on it. The HG trilogy is superior but Ballad was a solid 3 for me
Femina is on my TBR too, Janina Ramirez is great and has done some really good documentaries too
Thank you for speaking about the Genocide in Palestine. I haven't many booktubers speakimg about it which is disappointing.
I FINALLY read I who have never known men, omg, incredible. Loved it. Can’t wait to reread it. It made me think so much.
Yayyy!!
I read Never Whisper at Night earlier this month. I hope you enjoy it. It's spooky.
Unlikely Animals
by Annie Hartnett
As far as cat books, the author of The Travelling Cat Chronicles has another cat book whose English translation was just released, called The Goodbye Cat. I’m still on the waiting list but I’m hoping it’s just as good!
Just an fyi Martha Wells has written a lot before Murderbot haha.
Wait, you have a sister? Oooh…have her as a guest!
I end up buying most of my books since my library doesn't have much but the library sales are great since the books are donated by the patrons. I gave away the book Feminina because I felt that the historian wasn't that top-notch. I liked Dopesick and Empire of Pain much better than Demon Cooperhead. Please don't believe that all of Appalachia is like how Barbara Kingsolver portrays it. I loved the Girl Who Chased the Moon!
Usually never comment & unrelated to this video. But started reading Dark Matter today, based on your recommendation. I think it’s one of the best books I’ve read to get me out of a reading slump. Thank you!!!!😃😊
So happy to hear it!
@@BookswithEmilyFox the ending!!! It shocked me, made me cry and gave me the biggest smile at the end. I NEED his other books 😁
It'd recommend Recursion but the rest is more hit and miss!
❤❤❤
From what I know, none of the libraries in my city has an audiobook app and English books. So yeah, unfortunately I don't have many options in that regard.
A creative nonfiction book I'm looking forward to is The Mission by David Brown, in part because I love its bonkers, longer title: The Mission, or: how a disciple of Carl Sagan, an ex-motocross racer, a Texas Tea Party Congressman, the world's worst typewriter saleswoman, California mountain people, and an anonymous NASA functionary went to war with Mars, survived an insurgency at Saturn, traded blows with Washington, and stole a ride on an Alabama moon rocket to send a space robot to Jupiter in search of the second garden of Eden at the bottom of an alien ocean inside of an ice world called Europa (a true story).
For a nonfiction book about a library, you might want to check out The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu