I really appreciate the concept of ranking works instead of individual books as you mentioned at the beginning, I do the same. I can rank individual books within a series if asked to but comparing individual books from different series is hard for me. I like the idea of reimagining myths more than retelling, though it is much, much tougher to pull off imo. Will look up Medusa. Happy reading! 👋
I like to see series as a whole because maybe i enjoyed book 3 the most, but i wouldn't like it if it weren't for book 1 and 2. And a book later on in the series might retroactively change my opinion on an earlier book, so i think it's very hard to separate them when choosing favorites. I don't like that "myth retelling" has become synonimous with "I just tell the exact same story, but just from a different pov without changing anything", while it's normal for fairy tale retellings or retellings of classics to change stuff about the story. I'm not saying that no one can write a retelling by that definition, but it's just the oversaturation (especially with retellings of the Trojan Cycle) that gets to me
I've read Medusa in 2022, I think, and it is a great book! Unfortunately the Drowning Empire series did not score so high for me, but I am happy you liked it so much. Similar with Cress and Winter, but it has been so many years since I have read that series. :D Happy reading in 2024, hope you find many new favorites.
Medusa is great! That's a shame that Drowning Empire and Cress and Winter didn't fully work for you. Thanks and i also hope you'll find many new favorites
I loved our buddy read Kaat! I agree always needed a shower after reading from his pov 🤢 he was despicable I need to read Unseelie! I keep meaning to, this is the reminder I needed
My Top Favorite Read of 2023, is a tie between «Under Heaven» by Guy Gavriel Kay & «The Veiled Throne» («Dandelion Dynasty #3) by Ken Liu: «Under Heaven» should be teached next to «War & Peace» and «Le Miserables» for GGK’s prose and Ken Liu’s Character Work has few if any rivals! A character that has only one scene in «TVT» (though a series veteran in «The Dandelion Dynasty»), earned with that scene alone my favorite character of 2023: Cogo Yelu! Next is another tie between «The Retreat to Avalon» by Sean Poage & «The Winter King» by Bernard Cornwell: Poage has written my favorite take on «A Historical King Arthur» and the Seige of Yves Trebon/St. Michel in «TWK» shows why Cornwell might be the best at writing battles! The next are unsorted: «The Winter Road» by Adrian Selby «The Way of Edan» by Philip Chase (You might have heard about him! 😄) «Bold Ascension» by Vaughn Roycroft «Salammbo» by Gustave Flaubert «The Farthest Shore» by Ursula K. Le Guin «The Name of the Wind» by Patrick Rothfuss «Brigantia» by Adrian Goldsworthy «Tortilla Flat» by John Steinbeck «The Little Emperors» by Alfred Duggan My Honorable Mentions «Tehanu» by Ursula K. Le Guin «Speaking Bones» by Ken Liu «River of Stars» by Guy Gavriel Kay «The Conscience of the King» by Alfred Duggan «The Black Gods Kiss» (Jirel of Joiry) by CL Moore «In the Grip of the Minotaur» by Farnham Bishop & Arthur G. Brodeur Cheers!
I haven't read any GGK yet, but i do have a few books by him on my tbr. Ooh, Dandelion Dynasty. I read the first book earlier this month and really liked it. It'll be reading book two in February. I've heard good things about Cornwell, but haven't read from him. Philip who? Never heard of him! Why doesn't anyone talk about his trilogy, especially not on BookTube 👀 The Name of the Wind is great! Brigantia, is that the sequel to Vindolanda? I'm planning to start that series somewhere this year (i hope)
@@thefairylibrarian3282 Yes, «Brigantia» is book #3 in the «Vindolandia»-Trilogy. I really came to enjoyed the duo of Ferox and Vindex during the Trilogy, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that there was a sequel trilogy, the «City of Victory»-Trilogy continuing their story! 😃
My favourite book of 2023 has now been tainted by a biography I read of the poet and author 😭 (it was The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa) so instead I'll share #2 which was Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman and #3 which was The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
I, yeah, you talked about it in the Discord. I'm sorry you're love for The Book of Disquiet has been tainted like that. I've heard very positive things about The Road, but i'm not sure if it would be for me
I really appreciate the concept of ranking works instead of individual books as you mentioned at the beginning, I do the same. I can rank individual books within a series if asked to but comparing individual books from different series is hard for me.
I like the idea of reimagining myths more than retelling, though it is much, much tougher to pull off imo. Will look up Medusa.
Happy reading! 👋
I like to see series as a whole because maybe i enjoyed book 3 the most, but i wouldn't like it if it weren't for book 1 and 2. And a book later on in the series might retroactively change my opinion on an earlier book, so i think it's very hard to separate them when choosing favorites.
I don't like that "myth retelling" has become synonimous with "I just tell the exact same story, but just from a different pov without changing anything", while it's normal for fairy tale retellings or retellings of classics to change stuff about the story. I'm not saying that no one can write a retelling by that definition, but it's just the oversaturation (especially with retellings of the Trojan Cycle) that gets to me
@@thefairylibrarian3282 I totally agree with both points. 🙏🏽
I've read Medusa in 2022, I think, and it is a great book! Unfortunately the Drowning Empire series did not score so high for me, but I am happy you liked it so much. Similar with Cress and Winter, but it has been so many years since I have read that series. :D Happy reading in 2024, hope you find many new favorites.
Medusa is great! That's a shame that Drowning Empire and Cress and Winter didn't fully work for you. Thanks and i also hope you'll find many new favorites
I loved our buddy read Kaat! I agree always needed a shower after reading from his pov 🤢 he was despicable
I need to read Unseelie! I keep meaning to, this is the reminder I needed
I think you might really like Unseelie. I hope you enjoy it!
My Top Favorite Read of 2023, is a tie between «Under Heaven» by Guy Gavriel Kay & «The Veiled Throne» («Dandelion Dynasty #3) by Ken Liu: «Under Heaven» should be teached next to «War & Peace» and «Le Miserables» for GGK’s prose and Ken Liu’s Character Work has few if any rivals! A character that has only one scene in «TVT» (though a series veteran in «The Dandelion Dynasty»), earned with that scene alone my favorite character of 2023: Cogo Yelu!
Next is another tie between «The Retreat to Avalon» by Sean Poage & «The Winter King» by Bernard Cornwell: Poage has written my favorite take on «A Historical King Arthur» and the Seige of Yves Trebon/St. Michel in «TWK» shows why Cornwell might be the best at writing battles!
The next are unsorted:
«The Winter Road» by Adrian Selby
«The Way of Edan» by Philip Chase (You might have heard about him! 😄)
«Bold Ascension» by Vaughn Roycroft
«Salammbo» by Gustave Flaubert
«The Farthest Shore» by Ursula K. Le Guin
«The Name of the Wind» by Patrick Rothfuss
«Brigantia» by Adrian Goldsworthy
«Tortilla Flat» by John Steinbeck
«The Little Emperors» by Alfred Duggan
My Honorable Mentions
«Tehanu» by Ursula K. Le Guin
«Speaking Bones» by Ken Liu
«River of Stars» by Guy Gavriel Kay
«The Conscience of the King» by Alfred Duggan
«The Black Gods Kiss» (Jirel of Joiry) by CL Moore
«In the Grip of the Minotaur» by Farnham Bishop & Arthur G. Brodeur
Cheers!
I haven't read any GGK yet, but i do have a few books by him on my tbr. Ooh, Dandelion Dynasty. I read the first book earlier this month and really liked it. It'll be reading book two in February. I've heard good things about Cornwell, but haven't read from him.
Philip who? Never heard of him! Why doesn't anyone talk about his trilogy, especially not on BookTube 👀
The Name of the Wind is great! Brigantia, is that the sequel to Vindolanda? I'm planning to start that series somewhere this year (i hope)
@@thefairylibrarian3282 Yes, «Brigantia» is book #3 in the «Vindolandia»-Trilogy. I really came to enjoyed the duo of Ferox and Vindex during the Trilogy, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that there was a sequel trilogy, the «City of Victory»-Trilogy continuing their story! 😃
My favourite book of 2023 has now been tainted by a biography I read of the poet and author 😭 (it was The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa) so instead I'll share #2 which was Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman and #3 which was The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
I, yeah, you talked about it in the Discord. I'm sorry you're love for The Book of Disquiet has been tainted like that.
I've heard very positive things about The Road, but i'm not sure if it would be for me