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The Eclectic Library
United Kingdom
Приєднався 18 лип 2023
Welcome to my library! My name is Celine, and I make videos about anything bookish, particularly classics, non-fiction, and a smattering of fantasy.
Book haul // Ancient classics, Victober picks, and biographies
Unsurprising to no one, I bought some more books over the summer! I have accumulated a satisfying pile of classics and non-fiction, and can't wait to tell you all about them. And I may have done some impulse buys that I might regret later...
To get early access to my videos and vote for books for me to read, check out my Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheEclecticLibrary521
Books mentioned:
- The Iliad & The Odyssee by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
- Daphnis and Chloe by Longus
- Epigrams by Martial
- Reading Medieval Latin by Keith Sidwell
- The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Tenth edition, The Middle Ages (contains Beowulf)
- The Short Oxford History of the British Isles, The Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries, edited by Barbara Harvey
- Marie Anthoinette, The Journey, by Antonia Fraser
- The Life of Johnson by James Boswell
- A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft
- The Heart of Midlothian and Kenilworth by Sir Walter Scott
- The Trumpet Major, The Return of the Native, The Mayor of Casterbridge, The Woodlanders, and The Hand of Ethelberta by Thomas Hardy
- Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
- Confessions of an English Opium Eater by Thomas de Quincey
- The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg
- A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
#booktube #booktuber #books #bookstagram #booktok #classics #victober
To get early access to my videos and vote for books for me to read, check out my Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheEclecticLibrary521
Books mentioned:
- The Iliad & The Odyssee by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
- Daphnis and Chloe by Longus
- Epigrams by Martial
- Reading Medieval Latin by Keith Sidwell
- The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Tenth edition, The Middle Ages (contains Beowulf)
- The Short Oxford History of the British Isles, The Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries, edited by Barbara Harvey
- Marie Anthoinette, The Journey, by Antonia Fraser
- The Life of Johnson by James Boswell
- A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft
- The Heart of Midlothian and Kenilworth by Sir Walter Scott
- The Trumpet Major, The Return of the Native, The Mayor of Casterbridge, The Woodlanders, and The Hand of Ethelberta by Thomas Hardy
- Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
- Confessions of an English Opium Eater by Thomas de Quincey
- The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg
- A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
#booktube #booktuber #books #bookstagram #booktok #classics #victober
Переглядів: 1 976
Відео
North and South Review (A Socialist Pride & Prejudice?)
Переглядів 1,3 тис.Місяць тому
It's Victober, so let's talk about an excellent book of Victorian literature, North & South! To vote on my next book and get early access to all videos, have a look at my Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheEclecticLibrary521 Books mentioned: - Elizabeth Gaskell: North & South, Cranford, Mary Barton, and The Life of Charlotte Bronte - Shirley by Charlotte Bronte #classics #bookreview #bookrecommendatio...
Top 10 Deserted Island Picks
Переглядів 5982 місяці тому
As requested by Libary viewer Joseph, here are the ten books I would bring with me if I somehow ended up shipwrecked on a deserted island somewhere. And I would somehow survive. Without any food or medical services. Do let me know what books would make it on your top ten list! If you like early access to my videos, check out my Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheEclecticLibrary521 #booktube #booktuber...
Victober 2024 - Pile of Possibilities
Переглядів 2,5 тис.2 місяці тому
I can't believe it's already September! That means that the wonderful Victober UA-cam event is just around the corner, so I have scoured my book shelves for some Victorian fiction I would like to read this autumn. Do let me know what you think about my choices - and whether you're participating too! Victober's hosts: @katiejlumsden @katehowereads @BlatantlyBookish @scallydandlingaboutthebook271...
Am I as well-read as a fictional teenager?
Переглядів 7532 місяці тому
I can't think of anything better than a good old book list. Let's go through all of the books the character of Rory Gilmore has read on the iconic show Gilmore Girls, and see how far I get! If you would like to try it out for yourself, you can find the quiz here: www.listchallenges.com/rory-gilmore-reading-challenge If you like early access to my videos, check out my Patreon: www.patreon.com/Th...
Learning a dead language
Переглядів 5163 місяці тому
This week I'm pondering the wisdom of learning a "useless" language - Latin! Discussing two books about classical literature, one by Nicola Gardini and one by Mary Beard, I'll be sharing some of my thoughts on ancient civilizations, Latin, and having fun learning something because you want to, not because you have to. If you like early access to my videos, check out my Patreon: www.patreon.com/...
Reading Wrap Up (Summer 2024)
Переглядів 6173 місяці тому
Summer has arrived in England... which means I will be staying in the shade and reading a book! Staying true to my channel name, I've got a little bit of everything this month, from contemporary fantasy to historical non-fiction. As always, hope you enjoy the video! If you like early access to my videos, check out my Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheEclecticLibrary521 Books mentioned in this video: ...
Answering Your Questions!
Переглядів 7513 місяці тому
Not only am I celebrating my first full year on UA-cam, I also reached a thousand subscribers! Some wonderful viewers have provided me with some probing questions that I will answer in this video. Most intimidating books? Physical, ebook, or audio? Who would I invite to my ideal bookish dinner? All will be revealed in this video. For early access to my videos, check out my Patreon: www.patreon....
Classics Book Haul Because I'm Old
Переглядів 1,6 тис.4 місяці тому
Not sure where the time has gone, but my twenties are certainly over! I turned 30 last month, and my sweet friends and family have given me many books to ring in the next decade of my life. To get early access to all of my videos and some fun extras, check out my Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheEclecticLibrary521 Books mentioned: - Christine de Pizan, Life, Work, Legacy by Charlotte Cooper-Davies -...
My favourite books about medieval women
Переглядів 9674 місяці тому
You know, I really like history. I love reading about history, and about any time period really. But for this video, I'm limiting myself to the roughly thousand years between 500 and 1500 in Europe, also called the medieval period! (Or the 'Dark Ages', depending on who you ask.) I'm particularly interested in the history of women, who are often not included in your average history book. If you ...
Counting My Books (+ a little tour of some of my shelves)
Переглядів 1,6 тис.4 місяці тому
Once in a while I like to check in with my shelves - how many books do I have? And how many of them have I actually read? Join me in this week's video on a little journey through some of my bookshelves, and let's find out whether I should buy less books... If you like my videos and would like to support my channel, check out my Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheEclecticLibrary521 #booktube #booktuber...
Trying Some Old Fantasy Books
Переглядів 5115 місяців тому
Let's clear out this bunch of fantasy books that have been languishing on my shelves for a while! I'll be reading the first chapter of nine books, and decide on which ones to keep and which can go. If you like my videos and would like to support my channel, check out my Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheEclecticLibrary521 Books mentioned: - Mage Born by Stephen Aryan - Temeraire by Naomi Novik - The ...
History Books & Classics Book Haul
Переглядів 3,1 тис.5 місяців тому
I got a bunch of new old books! Let me tell you all about them. If you like my videos and would like to support my channel, check out my Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheEclecticLibrary521 Books mentioned: - The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson - Joan of Arc by Helen Castor (also mentioned is She-Wolves) - The Culture of Medieval Europe by Jacques Le Goff - The Decameron by Giovanni Bocc...
I finally finished Middlemarch! // Reading Wrap Up
Переглядів 6706 місяців тому
It's me, your eclectic librarian! Long time no see. I'm back, to tell you all about some of the books I have been reading the last couple of months. If you like my videos and would like to support my channel, check out my Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheEclecticLibrary521 Books mentioned: - Middlemarch by George Eliot - Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskel - The Secret History by Donna Tartt #booktube #boo...
Ranking ALL the books I read in 2023!
Переглядів 6849 місяців тому
Are you curious what I read in 2023, and how it all stacked up? Fear not! Behold the longest video I have ever made containing many books, including classics, modern classics, and the other random reads I have picked up across the year. I hope you enjoy it :) If you like my videos, consider supporting my Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheEclecticLibrary521 Videos mentioned: - Passing & Quicksand by N...
2024 Reading Goals (& how I did in 2023)
Переглядів 97010 місяців тому
2024 Reading Goals (& how I did in 2023)
Last Books Bought in 2023 | Secondhand Classics
Переглядів 94310 місяців тому
Last Books Bought in 2023 | Secondhand Classics
Hauling Some Victorian Books (+Others!)
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Hauling Some Victorian Books ( Others!)
Recent Reads - Charlotte Brontë, a Gothic Novel, & Short Classics!
Переглядів 887Рік тому
Recent Reads - Charlotte Brontë, a Gothic Novel, & Short Classics!
Passing & Quicksand by Nella Larsen: Brilliant Novels of the Harlem Renaissance
Переглядів 497Рік тому
Passing & Quicksand by Nella Larsen: Brilliant Novels of the Harlem Renaissance
Victober 2023 - Pile of Possibilities
Переглядів 3,9 тис.Рік тому
Victober 2023 - Pile of Possibilities
Secondhand Book Haul - Including my favourite find in ages!
Переглядів 1,5 тис.Рік тому
Secondhand Book Haul - Including my favourite find in ages!
Virginia Woolf's Non-Fiction - Where to Start?
Переглядів 393Рік тому
Virginia Woolf's Non-Fiction - Where to Start?
Getting rid of some books! - Summer 2023 Unhaul
Переглядів 534Рік тому
Getting rid of some books! - Summer 2023 Unhaul
Recent Reads // Great classics & a DNF
Переглядів 2,3 тис.Рік тому
Recent Reads // Great classics & a DNF
Reading Goals for 2023 (TBR, Shakespeare & Women in History)
Переглядів 289Рік тому
Reading Goals for 2023 (TBR, Shakespeare & Women in History)
Superficial drivel. Sad
Well, Victober is over now, but UA-cam just suggested this video. I'm familiar with some of the authors here. But not these particular books. I read Wilkie Collins Woman in White. I try to read Dickens Christmas Trilogy each year. And I did read Carmilla again last month. Not so much for it being Victorian, but I'd watched a film adaptation and decided since it had been a few years, and it's spooky season, I'd give it another read.
As a teacher of Latin, always great to see someone learning the language. Good luck! And nice book haul.
I read Moby Dick for the first time this year and did not like it. It's interesting, and I liked the writing, but the big story point everyone has heard of and seen it made use of in various media is just a tiny portion of the book. But hell, this book has endured for a long time now, so perhaps it'll be for you.
I do really like Melville's style... hopefully I'll be one of the people who enjoys it! Sorry to hear it wasn't for you
Gems in here! Love those Scott and Hardy editions 😍
Omg so jealous of the Thomas hardy set ! If you want something more cosy/less tragic, then I’d start with the woodlanders ! If not then the mayor of casterbridge. Far from the madding crowd is my favorite !!!
Thank you, that's really good to know!
I remember watching the Black Beauty tv show when I was a kid and enjoyed it. So last year I thought I’d read it for the first time and I hated it. It’s more of a commentary on how absolutely awful people are. I think if you have kids that like riding horses and maybe own one, then definitely make them read this and hopefully they’ll treat their animals with kindness and compassion. 😊
I had no idea, that's so interesting! I was never much of a horse girl so I don't really have any expectations
Thomas hardy book… which one did do you read?
9:20, omg they're available in my country as well but i went with the other maroon editions.
I really like Tom. Hardy.
Such a wonderful novel 😊
With reference to Michael Paterson's (A Brief History of) _Life in Victorian Britain._ Interestingly enough there is no reference to empire in the index but there is to Engels. There is no chapter devoted to empire either. There is a chapter called Arms & the World - especially pages 296-300 which perhaps reveals your attitude? Perhaps you are saying Paterson has the urge to present the period in the best possible light because he does not conform to a "fashionable hatred of colonialism", and instead simply tells us about it including some of the problems. I can see how you think it might be understood as wrong to present a mainly positive impression of the British Commonwealth during this era but it is plainly and obviously implied that there was indeed much that was positive but that there is plenty of discourse that focuses on a negative interpretation, that no doubt leaves out far too much of the positive. One point may suffice for now: what is the point of taking over a territory (British West Africa, Tanzania etc for example), but not allow your own countrymen to buy and own any of the land? This hardly equates to invading Poland... mm?
I love reading Classics...I watched the 2018 film Lizzie about Lizzie Borden and Chloe Sevigne played Lizzie Borden and Kristen Stewart played Bridget Sullivan great film.
Hi Celine! The Norton Anthology of Medieval Literature is excellent. The Beowulf included there should be the Seamus Heaney translation, which is wonderful. Also, I highly recommend the Anglo-Saxon poem, “Judith,” which should be in the collection. It’s a bit violent, but it’s great to see a female hero from that period. Also, there’s a wonderful translation of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” which is great! Really, the entire collection is full of good stuff! Hope you enjoy it!
"Judith" sounds fascinating! I'll mark it to read. It's directly after Beowulf so maybe I'll just keep reading when I finish it, ha. I really look forward to dipping into the collection!
Awesome book haul!
Thank you!
You're going to love Fraser's Marie Antoinette book. I read it earlier this year and was in the same spot of knowing a little bit about Marie's death, and absolutely nothing else about her life; needless to say, I was not prepared for how exciting that book becomes, especially in the last third.
I can't wait!
I've found that when a used book I've ordered on line is of substandard quality, especially if it does not fit the description that was advertised, I can get a replacement if I write an email to the seller. They don't even ask for the original copy to be sent back.
Considering I bought it for £3 I struggle to motivate myself to contact customer service (I ordered them from World of Books). If they'd been more expensive, I would have
Oh I’m jealous, I’ve been looking for a copy of A Month in the Country for a while. If you’re interested there’s a great (UK based) lit podcast called Backlisted that has an episode about it. Worth a listen!
Thank for the rec Neil! I hope you'll stumble on a copy soon as well 🙂
Hello Celine! I hope you are doing well. Wow! Those Sir Walter Scott and Thomas Hardy books looked fantastic! And what a steal! That was a great purchase! I look forward to your next video. Have a great day!
Thanks David! I'm very pleased with my finds, ha. Hope you have a great day too!
Such a lovely books!!! Love it!📚💕😍😍😍
Ken (Cuckoo's Nest) Kesey once said that..."in a thousand years time when the rest of us have been long forgotten people will still be reading Richard Brautigan." A name that I find sadly neglected on booktube nowadays.
Brautigan is very good but I haven't read any of his work in generations. He did one on the Butterfly Effect with a title something like the Sombrero Hat Dance, I don't remember exactly, but the drop of a hat in Mexico led to chaos around the world.
Sombrero Fallout! One of Brautigan's quirkiest with a special guest appearance from Norman Mailer!
In 1966 Ken (Cuckoo's Nest) Kesey along with a group of cohorts called The Merry Pranksters took a trip across America in a converted school bus handing out samples of LSD along the way! One of the drivers of the bus was none other than Neal Cassady, close friend of Jack Kerouac and inspiration for the character of Dean Moriarty in Kerouac's classic novel On The Road.
That's fascinating! Oh, the sixties.
Kesey pronounced Kee-zee. In my humble opinion the book is soooo much better than the film!
Thank you! I really need to reread the book and possibly even rewatch the movie, I haven't read/watched either in over eight years
James Hogg's " Confessions Of A Justfied Sinner " was indeed hugely controversial at the time of publication and was later a big influence on Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde. A future comparison video perhaps?
The cover of your copy of De Quincy's Opium Eater is in fact an image of the tragic romantic poet Thomas Chatterton who committed suicide by arsenic poisoning at the age of 17. The painting is by the Victorian artist Henry Wallis and - somewhat spookily - was modelled by the young George Meredith who went on to become an eminent poet and novelist in his own right.
I’ve heard great things about those translations of Homer! Yay! For Moby!! I think many people don’t enjoy the whaling facts in the story but I loved finding out the history and the danger. And Melville’s writing was fantastic! (I liked Bartleby also!) Beowulf was part of a class syllabus for me and I enjoyed the discussion, but I don’t think I would have read/ liked it otherwise! If you aren’t a “battles” in history lover you aren’t probably going to enjoy The Iliad. Though Homer, at least, isn’t as gory details oriented as Virgil in the Aeneid! Still, it’s almost all fighting.
I'm always really glad to hear from people who did enjoy Moby Dick, it seems to be one of the most disliked American classics! In terms of battles, I don't mind it too much in the books themselves as long as the writing is good, I think I'm just very bored by historical analyses of old timey battle tactics 😅
Yes, I do recall a strange excitement amongst my betters about that long biography of the man who wrote the dictionary and thought Shakespeare too racy. Much more exciting to me is Ken Kesey's classic novel, which as a film featured Jack Nicholson as Randall P. McMurphy. The co-star, Louise Fletcher, won an Oscar for her interpretation of head Nurse Ratched. Now you've read it do yourself a big favor and enjoy Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, which is a biography more or less of the author, including the time he spent mopping the floors of a mental institution where the doctors happened to be testing Lysergic Acid Dimethalate (sp?). btw, I confess to falling in love with those gorgeous leather bound Hardy novels - Enjoy!
Thanks James! I hadn't heard of Tom Wolfe's book, it sounds really interesting. I need to rewatch the movie of Cuckoo's Nest, it's been such a long time that I don't remember much of it, except some vivid images of Nicholson. I'll put it on the list for our next movie night
I am also very interested in daily life when it comes to history. I have loved watching the farm documentary series: Victorian Farm, Tudor Monastery Farm, Edwardian Farm, etc...They are so cozy! All on youtube.
I've been meaning to watch those, they sound excellent! Maybe something to watch over Christmas break
Just saw an Oxford don on UA-cam pronounce Martial as Marshall. And a tv interviewer addressed Kesey as Keezee. I've been pronouncing the latter incorrectly I guess. Fun haul!
It's usually only when I'm filming these videos that I realise I have only ever read these names, never heard them spoken!
I've read a bit of the ancient Greeks - Plato, Aristophanes, Aeschylus. Euripides and Herodotus are on my to-read list. My favorite has been Sophocles. I'm about 50% through the Iliad and like it even though most of it is just, "And Damentris was killed by Klaxius. And Findel was slain by Murion. Gadalacus killed Pintos and Raymeon, before being himself slain by Hetos of Crete. It's just like.... Okay... No clue who any of those guys are, but okay, sure. I tried Sons and Lovers by Hardy and couldn't get into it. I could see that maybe it had some value, but would've required far more patience and thought than it was worth. I'm unlikely to re-try it or anything else by him. Not my cuppa tea. And I greatly enjoyed One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Pretty much everything by Kesey is on my to-read list because of it. I've got Sometimes a Great Notion, as well as a signed copy of Sailor Song. Haunting of Hill House I rage-quit after about 20 pages because of repetition of something. I forget what. Maybe it was "she thought". The second or third chapter had like four per page. Drove me crazy.
It's an interesting narrative structure: It begins with a conclave of literate people enjoying Christmas together that then shifts into the letter of a nanny who some years earlier had an experience at Hill House that made her uncomfortable to relate in full. I don't know why James felt so comfortable jumping into her head but most people seem to be satisfied with his interpretation of her as a young woman.... [edit] Oh I am so sorry, please forgive me for conflating Turn of the Screw with Haunting of HIll House. oops!
Glad to hear you've enjoyed Sophocles! He's high on my list. I have quite vivid memories of Euripides' Medea, which we read in our high school class. I read Cuckoo's Nest years ago but never ventured any deeper into Kesey's work, that'll have to be added to my to read list!
Great review. I love North and South.
I love this and your channel 😊❤
Thank you! 😊
I loved the review! I do love North and South and it is one of my favorite books but I did like Mary Barton more and I'm curious what you will think of that book.
Interesting! I'll probably read Mary Barton soon as I'm on a bit of a roll with the Gaskells 😁
"The interpretation may be ongoing...". How can I put this... The chapter about Anthony Everett's _Augustus_ is... what it is... is really quite shoddy scholarship in the final analysis. She might have said I don't like Mr Everett's apparent world view. And left it at that.
Would appreciate a video about _The Fall_ by Albert Camus.
Loved the review!
Great review! I'd be interested in reading that. Thanks!
It's interesting how your vlog mimics the published instalments of serials. Life imitates art🎨
It isn't something I've thought about recently but I seem to recall a general prejudice against the picaresque tendencies of single young men.
I now need to read Orlando!!
It's so weird but so good!!
Excellent... I'm reading "The Lord of the Rings" right now, bought "King Lear" and Shakespeare's "Hamlet" planned next, "Merchant of Venice" - already read. I would supplement your list with books by Romain Gary, for example, "Air Serpents" and some other historical books. Thanks for the interesting video and greetings from Ukraine!
Those are excellent reads! I'm reading/listening to Othello at the moment. Thank you for watching, hope you're doing well!
Good selection! Whenever someone asks me to make a desert island list like that I always include a dictionary so that when I’ve read and re read the other books I start writing my own.
That's such a good answer! Being on an island would be the perfect distraction-free time to write
Don't forget your sun block!
Good point, I definitely need it!
You didn't introduce yourself at the start! Thought I suppose if you're alone on a deserted island it doesn't matter 😁In the lead up revealing Orlando I thought you were going to say Proust! One of my picks would be Swann's Way since I want to read it but haven't yet.
Oh no! I guess we'll keep my identity a mystery 😂 Proust would be an excellent choice to be fair! If I can bring more I'd totally add him
Great list; for me surely there's Shakespeare and the Bible but after that who can guess?
I have those same editions of The Lord of the Rings and Shakespeare and I'd definitely take them with me as well. Robinson Crusoe - great thinking! I liked it when I first read it as a kid, but I realised later it was an abridged version. When I read the complete book, I didn't like it at all. I also didn't enjoy Moll Flanders by Defoe, which makes me wonder if he's just not the author for me and whether I should try A Journal of the Plague Year.
I struggled through half of Moll Flanders as well before I DNF'd it, so maybe you would like Journal! Although I know a lot of people found that it hit a little too close to home considering 2020
@@TheEclecticLibraryIt's good to know that you also struggled with Moll and didn't like Robinson, but liked A Journal. I've been interested in it for quite some time, but I was apprehensive about trying it. I might pick it up next year. Thanks! 🙂
what a nice list! totally agree with it 🤩
Thank you Martha!
A top 10 spooky/creepy/scary books to celebrate Halloween perhaps?
I'm currently re-reading Emma in preparation for next year's 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth and once again I've been delighted with the likes of the endlessly verbose Miss Bates and the hypochondriac Mr. Woodhouse ("sitting outside is always a mistake"...!) Perhaps a trifle premature but an entire vlog devoted to her novels would certainly be of interest.
I've been considering rereading Emma this week, so I'm thrilled to hear you're enjoying yours! Did you see the recent-ish movie adaptation? Bill Nighy is a brilliant Mr Woodhouse. I'm glad they included the hypochondria in his characterisation
Mr Woodhouse is described as a valetudinarian, which was a new one on me! Apparently it's an archaic word for hypochondriac!@TheEclecticLibrary
Splendid top 10 (we'll forgive the minor cheating in choosing the entire works of Shakespeare AND the whole of Oscar Wilde, so long as you read The Tempest first on your desert island!)
Ha, of course! No other Shakespeare would suffice in that situation