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It certainly is intense! Which is unfortunate because it means I have to preface my recommendation of this book with a big disclaimer warning people that it isn't an easy read, haha. Thanks so much, glad you liked my take on it :)

Thanks so much! Hope you enjoy it. It's a fairly short book too, and the entire audiobook is up on UA-cam if you're open to that :D

Thanks so much! The Employees is definitely in my top 5 as well now :)

You're welcome; glad I could get this book to your attention! Thanks for the recommendations as well! 'Solaris' by Stanislaw Lem is currently my favourite conventional sci fi novel, and I hope to review it next year. I read Inverted World by Priest, but found the ending super disappointing. Maybe I'll give The Affirmation a shot! Never heard of Stapleton; I'll be on the look out for him :)

@@Deep_in_the_Reads I agree about Inverted World. It was a short story padded out to a novel and it shows. Priest has a thing about ending novels...he doesn't, most times, which can work or utterly fail, depending on the novel. His best-known novel is probably The Prestige, which I like a lot, but The Affirmation is my favorite.

@@guyriddihough Ah, I see! I'll have to give him another chance then!

Thank you so much! :D If you read it, hope you like it! And thanks for the recommendations.

Thanks! I'm not really familiar with Soylent Green other than the famous twist; maybe I should check it out!

If you already know the twist, you’re gonna be super disappointed in the movie as it’s hinged on the twist. Try the book; maybe that might be more interesting

Yes, definitely feel the same! I found the first 50 or so pages pretty difficult but it became really great as soon as it 'zoomed in' on the characters :) I actually knew about Esmeralda's death before reading the book, but was still shocked when it happened. Really bleak!

I've never played Skyrim, haha. But I think a book has the ability to make mountain climbing interesting. He tried making it interesting by having them fight a chimera but after that it just got a bit bloated. Still enjoyed the rest of it though! :D

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! No such thing as a late comment :) Definitely, Hugo wasn't trying to endorse the character's behaviors--the tragedy is baked right into their human flaws, while still making characters mostly empathetic, and I think that's what makes the book work so well! I was okay with Esmeralda being naive especially because of her age, and I've known people from rough backgrounds who are equally eager to believe in perfect love and blind to how toxic the relationship is. Glad you liked it despite the drawbacks! Thanks again for sharing!

Glad I could make that come across! :D If you decide to try it, I hope you enjoy!

Thank you! You say that, but then you went and read the Wikipedia synopsis of the plot for this! ;)

I had to illustrate how polarizing this book is, haha :P Glad you at least got something from the experience!

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Yeah, but it was cool to feel like prior reading had opened the door to letting me understand most of what was going on in this book! I like how reading some stuff for general audiences can prime you to reading more and more complex stuff dealing with the same subject :)

And thank you for making the tag! Glad you enjoyed my response to it! I'd be so glad if I could introduce someone to Swans as a result of this video :D

It's worth the homework! The Russian Revolution and Civil War is some of my favourite history to read about :D Thanks! ^^

Oh, cool! This would be a great book for kids to learn literature writing :) It's been nice seeing the comments talking about how this book impacted them when they were young--I had no idea about its impact when I read/reviewed it! I'll have to check out one of your Sleator recommendations some time. Thanks for commenting! ^^

Some of his criticisms have validity to them, but a lot are extremely shallow. There are even points where he says that he wouldn't wanna be around people like himself, either. I think people don't like the book because they're used to seeing likable characters with more defined goals, and don't know what to do about a book with a character who's disillusioned about everything, including himself. If I'd read it when I was younger, I would've assumed Salinger was depicting Caulfield because he was endorsing his behavior. I didn't really understand ironic books like this until I got older and could look back at being an angsty teenager with hindsight. Anyway, thanks for the comment! ^^

Great to hear! Always exciting to find books that speaks to you that much. I hope you think I was able to do it justice in this review :)

Thanks a lot for letting me know! When I started this channel I intended to just use the stuff I already had on hand to record, but I'm thinking I should grab a cheap lav mike if it's bothering you. Thanks for the tip, hope you liked the video in spite of the low quality :)

Salinger seems interesting for sure! The stuff I read about his WW2 trauma and reclusiveness after Catcher in the Rye came out made me curious to know him better. I should say, the main reason I don't think I would've liked Catcher while in high school wasn't because it would've been assigned, but because people like Holden were all over high school and I wouldn't have known the book was being satirical. I used to not be able to watch Seinfeld because I couldn't see past the characters being self-absorbed assholes and didn't accept that this was the whole point, lol. I did love classics at that age, but less ironic ones, like To Kill a Mockingbird, and that sorta thing. :D So glad you liked the video! Thanks for commenting, as always! ^^

Thanks so much! I'm happy you're still watching despite how infrequently I post, haha

I also prefer this Dunsany novel to anything I've read by Tolkien! But I don't think Tolkien is worthless by any means. He has some strengths, I just think he needed a good editor who understood his vision to bring it out better (he was constantly sucking the air out of his own story by over-explaining it, like that part in Shelob's Lair where he interrupts his own suspense with a huge dissertation on the spider's backstory). I guess the closest we'll get to a good LOTR edit are the Peter Jackson movies, which I love :D From this one novel, it seems Dunsany preferred to let the reader stay in a place of not fully grasping his world to play on that enigmatic, otherworldly vibe. Very different approaches, and Dunsany's happens to suit me much better!

Thanks so much! Glad you prompted me to do this :) Also, if I can get you to try out Swans, that would be awesome! Much of their work is improvisational, but seems amazingly thought out at the same time. About MLK/civil rights stuff, if you're fresh with it, I'd recommend watching the old documentary series Eyes on the Prize. It's great for beginners yet so detailed/covers lots of stuff and figures that normally get glossed over, like Bob Moses and Kwame Ture. I also reviewed Black Against Empire, a book which is a pretty good intro to the Black Panthers.

@@Deep_in_the_ReadsI will try Swans and Eyes on the Prize (always good to start with a basic understanding). I’ll check out your review too.

@@literallybooks Cool! Would love to hear your thoughts about them :)

No pressure! Just do it if you want to :) Lemme know what you think of any of the music recommendations you might try! ^^

You're very welcome! :D Hopefully I did it justice! Have you read anything else by Zola?

You're welcome! Glad you found it useful :)

Maybe I'd need a full analytical breakdown to appreciate that. Could give an example? For me, whatever the intent, the result was a slog, unfortunately.

@@Deep_in_the_Reads Taking the crossing of the Helcaraxe; Then Fingolfin seeing that Fëanor had left him to perish in Araman or return in shame to Valinor was filled with bitterness; but he desired now as never before to come by some way to Middle-earth, and meet Fëanor again. And he and his host wandered long in misery, but their valour and endurance grew with hardship; for they were a mighty people, the elder children undying of Eru Ilúvatar, but new-come from the Blessed Realm, and not yet weary with the weariness of Earth. The fire of their hearts was young, and led by Fingolfin and his sons, and by Finrod and Galadriel, they dared to pass into the bitterest North; and finding no other way they endured at last the terror of the Helcaraxë and the cruel hills of ice. Few of the deeds of the Noldor thereafter surpassed that desperate crossing in hardihood or woe. There Elenwë the wife of Turgon was lost, and many others perished also; and it was with a lessened host that Fingolfin set foot at last upon the Outer Lands. Small love for Fëanor or his sons had those that marched at last behind him, and blew their trumpets in Middle-earth at the first rising of the Moon. Tolkien doesn't go into blow-by-blow details, a la The Children of Hurin, but the paragraph is a poetic summation of hopeless glory: of valour in the face of suffering and woe. It's the Northern Courage that so fascinated Tolkien as artist and academic. It's also very unlike The Lord of the Rings, where Providence comes to the rescue, and moral actions are rewarded. The wider book portrays Morgoth's crushing victory over Elves and Men, who destroy themselves in the process... until at last a desperate pilgrimage brings about a final eucatastrophe. That section you read - the War of Wrath - must be seen as the culmination of all that went before, of light from darkness. The Rings equivalent would be the passage describing the fall of Barad-dur.

Interesting--thanks for the explanation! I like your insight. I guess the most diplomatic thing I can say is that Tolkien just has very different priorities as a writer than I do as a reader, haha. But do you find the Silmarilion to still be relatively sparse in how it's written compared to LOTR? That stood out to me a lot when reading this.

COPE

You have good taste! Hope I did it justice, haha :D

Thanks so much! I included that bit about my art because you and someone else said I should bring it up more, haha. :D Glad you liked the review, and I do hope you get to the book soon. The love triangle thing does seem to be a common thing in French novels from the 1800s! But I should add that I still enjoyed the conclusion of the love triangle plot :) Also, my vids don't always add to your TBR! Sometimes I have bad things to say and you end up making your TBR smaller, hehe

It seems two of us have the right idea about your art.😁 Definitely do not stop sharing and talking about it. I’ll thumb wrestle anybody who says anything negative about it! (Unfortunately I’m not good at thumb wrestling but I’ll lay my thumb wrestling reputation on the line for you!) Haha, I forgot completely about that book .

@@literallybooks Thank you! If I can think of a good video to make focusing totally on my work, I'll do it for you haha :D I should at least be able to review an art-related book late this year or early next!

@@Deep_in_the_ReadsThat sounds great! I don’t know if you have your portfolio linked or if you sell prints, or if that’s even something you’re interested in doing, but I think you should if you are. Your recent trip would also be interesting to hear about…

I haven't linked my site and don't normally sell prints, but yeah, maybe I could :) A video on Peru an Bolivia would be great, and I've thought about it, I just don't really know what to do for it/how to structure it? When I think of something I'll probably do it, it just might be a while haha. Thanks for the feedback!

So glad I convinced you to read it and that you felt the same! :D

This book definitely impacted me, alright. Like a ton of boring bricks :P Thanks!

Thank you very much! Yes, he strikes me as the kind of author who may do his best work when writing short stories, especially since he apparently writes his work in a single go, haha.

Thanks for the recommend! Is it written in a less fable-like way compared to Devil on the Cross?

Thanks so much! Glad you're giving the book a chance, more people should read pre-Tolkien fantasy :D

Ah yes, exactly! In a Grove was famously adapted into the movie Rashmon (which blended it with anothe classic Japanese short story). It's definitely comparable with Fingerpost, except in Grove the character's perspetives are so contradictory you feel you can't actually piece anything together, whereas here you can read between the lines to arrive close at the truth ;) Hope you enjoy it if you do read it! Greetings from Bolivia!

Ah, I thought there was a bit of a southern accent to your response 😆

Wow, really, one of your favourites? Awesome! Glad to know I picked a buddy read that we all enjoyed this time, haha.

Hey, thank you so much! <3 Means a lot to me!

Thanks for the comment! I think it'll be a while still before I try to tackle Les Miserables, but it sounds promising that it's even better than Hunchback :)

Thank you very much! I try :P I may not have reviewed this book at all, I was just feeling it was weak but not worth talking about--it was its stance on the relationship that made me know I had a rant in me that needed to get out! Maybe the next time I pick up horror it should be at least 10 years old. Every time I try one that came out in the last few years I'm disappointed... except for The Troop! But maybe you'd like Whalefall better than me? I have 3 friends that have read it and they all liked it a lot. Thank you, I'll be sure to do a video on it once I get back!

10 years is a good rule. Fad books don't usually last that long. Though reading fad books from 20 or 30 years ago could be interesting. Uh... maybe. Yeah, you're the fourth person to talk up the Troop so I feel good about reading that later this year.

@@literallybooks I definitely enjoy the idea of reading books that were super popular years back--that's part of why I gave James Michener a try recently. It's interesting, for sure :D Eager to hear your thoughts on the Troop! Hope it hasn't been built up too much for you, haha

Its definitely fun to read yesterday’s popular books with some perspective. My wife picked up an old copy of 1969s(?) “Chariots of the Gods” some time ago as she’d read it as a kid (with a high degree of skepticism I’m sure). I’m considering giving it a look, through I’m a bit concerned about inviting some of that traffic. 😅

@@literallybooks Ohmigosh, I know the book. You gotta tell me what you think if you read it! Sorry for the upcoming ramble... I have such an intense hate-grudge for ancient aliens theorists because of how much they denigrate ancient history and the people/cultures that achieved such incredible things. I do intent to read the book eventually, just so I can shred it on my channel, haha. If you're interested, there's an incredible debunking video from 10 years ago on here that actually teaches you about the cultures mentioned and shows you how they were absolutely capable of building these things with stone age technology, and it also tears apart Chariots of the Gods specifically: ua-cam.com/video/j9w-i5oZqaQ/v-deo.htmlsi=uif1THB4qv2LJ5PQ It's one of my favourite videos on the platform!

Thank you! But don't let me pressure you into changing your mind :P Maybe I missed something or I took it too seriously, I dunno. And yes, I'll try not to do anything too unsafe in Peru, thanks ;)

@@Deep_in_the_Reads Lol I probably won’t change my rating. I guess I’m just a tad jealous because you’re obviously a much deeper thinker than I am, hence your very impressive review. So no, you did not take it too seriously. You did just perfect. I’m one of these “surface-y” type readers who thinks only on the most basic levels. I wish I could train myself to delve more into the deeper, more intimate analyses of books. But for now, I just love talking about my own personal experiences from reading, shallow as they are lol. But I’m cool with that. Look forward to seeing more of you on here.

@@Travsbookshelf Everyone has their own ways of reading, that's what makes each booktuber unique! There's no better or worse way to go about it as long as you're enjoying doing it :D Thanks! I don't post often but it's always nice to know there are people that enjoy how I talk about books when I've got the time ^^

Glad you loved it too! It's one of the novels that got me really excited about classics, and it seems French novels from this time were especially good. I read Germinal by Emile Zola later this year and loved it just as much. I plan on reading Madame Bovary later this year :) Thanks for commenting!

I'll have to check out that adaptation! I've still only seen the old silent film and the Disney one. Thanks! :)

Thank you! Glad you liked it. I had a lot of goodwill from the first chunk of the book that lasted me through the later parts. When the book is good, it's really engaging, and I just assumed another good section was on the horizon during slower parts. Also--all of my Michener novels (Mexico and Carribean are the others) are inherited from my grandfather. I got a ton of books from him after he passed, and I intend to read all of them eventually :)

Happy to hear my reviews on out-of-the-way books can be helpful! :) Hope you enjoy it!

Hahaha, Michener seems like SUCH a 'dad' author. I actually inherited all my Michener novels from my grandfather, so same story here, pretty much! I'm definitely going to read more from him, just not as long as Alaska, next time. I think Hawaii is more manageable than Alaska :P Curious to hear your thoughts if you ever do try him!

Ha, I knew you liked the salmon perspective! :D