I have read a few picks from here...some were unintentional because I ONLY truly picked one off of here for a challenge I did. Some I have liked and some I did not like so much.
Dictionary of Lost Words. I read it because I was intrigued. It's an all time fav now. In addition to characters you can care for, it shines a light on feminist & class issues & glaring problems with academia that are still being combatted today. I think you'd love this book, even though it's out of your wheelhouse. It's the best Bookish Book I've read so far. I think I might even place it above Book Lovers which is what ignited this trajectory for me.
I've loved a few so much. Daisy Jones is my favorite book ever, but I know that hasn't worked for you. I also really loved Next Year in Havana! It was a favorite the year I read it. I think for the most part I've had good luck with her picks, though I've DNF'd a few too. I definitely haven't read a ton of them, but I do have many more on my tbr. .
The book club is under a large media company owned by Reese Witherspoon that also produces movies and tv shows. My conspiracy theory is that the books are picked based on if they would make a good movie/tv show rather than if they are actually written well. Then Reese can promote the book first to get it popular (she’s a celebrity, so it’s easier) and her production company can buy the movie rights to something that is already popular because of the book club and will have a guaranteed audience. All of this just means more money to the media company. P.S. As I’m explaining this, I feel like that meme from It’s Sunny in Philadelphia where Charlie is connecting all the dots 😂
This is correct! Pretty sure the authors picked for the book club also need to sign off that her company gets first refusal for the movie rights. Pretty genius, actually. And the authors picked also tend to sell a whole ton, sounds like a win win to me!
@@msellenandrea I heard about the first refusal thing too, but I couldn’t find any support to back that up in a quick search. If it’s true, that would make sense. It’s honestly all a really smart business model.
@@plantandcatmom Yeah I can't say for sure either, but no matter what they details are, she is such a smart business woman! Some have called her greedy or sneaky, but if it was a man he would only get praise
I'm glad to see you're moving the way from the Goodreads challenge. I feel like Goodreads is kind of like the New York times bestseller list, where the existence of the list doesn't actually mean anything. I feel like exploring book club list and other similar things might make for a more enjoyable experience
My friend and I absolutely love Reese’s book club picks! But also, we have an affinity toward Literary/Contemporary Fiction. We’ve read many of her book selections, and a lot have been adapted into a movie or tv series through Reese’s production company, which highlights and celebrates strong female leads and female authors.
Would love to see your top 10 Murder mysteries or thrillers! I’m not really the type of reader that Reese’s or Oprah’s book clubs are geared toward. I’m more fantasy and/or quirky.
I’d be interested in your thoughts on The Nightingale. Like 90% of WWII fiction, it’s lightly antisemitic and flat-out wrong about things pertaining to the Jewish experience. And the main character is named Vianne, which to my understanding wasn’t an acceptable thing for a French person to name their child at that time. And she’s starving during the French occupation and still keeping chickens as pets? So that’s the level of accuracy the book is working with. I feel like Reese buys the film options for all of her picks, and that means she picks books that have film/tv potential.
Could you please make this type of video, but for the Oprah’s Book Club picks? I’m currently reading “We Were The Mulvaneys”, which was a pick in 2001 and so far I’m reallyyyy into it. The writing is wonderful and the story is heartbreaking. I also loved “The Poisonwood Bible”. Both older books, but so far both a win😅
I follow this book club in Instagram. I picked "Such a fun age", "Daisy Jones & the Six", "Where the crawdads sing" and "Little fires everywhere" which I all liked
I'd like you to try the CWA Daggers and the Ursula K Le Guin prize. The Crime Writers Association has been going for years. It's best known awards are the Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement and the Gold Dagger for book of the year. They also have daggers for debut and translated books. The UKGs are a newer award established by her son that aim to highlight the work of less well known authors.
I very loosely follow Reese's book club just so I read something other than romance and her books are very hit or miss for me. I would recommend 7 days in June, Honor, The marriage portrait (an historical fiction I think you would really like, also the UK cover is nice!), The Island of missing trees, The night tiger, Furia (YA) and You should see me in a crown (YA). Personally I would stay far, far away from The sanatorium, Northern spy, Lucky or The Cactus. I gave The Cactus 3 stars but I can't see you liking that book. Also I've read every Ruth Ware but the last published one and... The lying game was by far the worst in my opinion. So I would be curious to hear what you think about it. Also I can't remember if you've read The maid by Freida McFadden but if you have then I would recommend reading The last mrs Parrish because apparently Freida took some "inspiration" from that book. I own both but haven't read either yet. Last month I was in the bookstore holding that Tom lake book in my hand, really considering buying it just because it didn't have that Reese sticker on the cover and because it's so beautiful! I didn't though, but I still want it (without the sticker) Also if you want to read a non fiction, I think "I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness" by Austin Channing Brown has really good ratings.
Have you tried In The Shadow Garden by Liz Parker? It has Practical Magic/cozy magic vibes, but with whiskey at the center. I enjoyed it. The Lying Game is my least favorite Ruth Ware... don't recommend. But FYI one defining thing is the very oldest RBC picks were made by a different person than the one doing picks/scouting the books in the last 3-4 years. So if you liked the more recent picks, skip the very oldest ones. (I know the person who picks the books now lol). The club definitely tends toward upmarket literary/women's fiction and thrillers, so you have to vibe w/ those books (I only read the thrillers, personally!).
I agree about the "Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" it was amazing! A lot of Reese's book club I haven't read. But thank you for the recommendations! Ruth Ware has become one of my favorite authors
I didn't knew this club existed until you talked about it. Since i don't read contemporary or mystery/thrillers i don't think this club would be for me. I'm a fantasy, science fiction, non fiction type of gal.
The Booker has a sci-fi book longlisted this year which you might like! It’s called In Ascension by Martin MacInnes and I personally loved it. Deep sea AND space travel? Yes, please! I also like the idea of trying out the Nebula and Hugo 😮
I'm currently reading This is how it always is with the bookclub I have with friends, and so far I'm very positively surprised. I had low expectations because I wasn't sure if the execution of the premise would be my cup of tea, but I'm enjoying it a lot. It's also been a pick in Reese's Bookclub
Great idea, Emily. Reese is one of my fav actors. I'll never forget her performance in Wild and how much justice she did to Cheryl Strayed -- even if the screenwriter did get a lil carried away with the intensity of Strayed's drug use.
I am glad I'm not the only one who couldn't finish Where the Crawdads sing. I personally like to follow the international booker prize. I recommend checking out When we cease to understand the world.
I agree with you, most of these I haven’t read or DNFd. The ones I have read off her list that I thought were great included Daisy Jones, The Nightingale and Tiny Beautiful Things. I’d love to explore more lists or book clubs but hers is the only one I’ve looked into so far.
Just finished reading The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer. I can't remember where I heard about it. I was sobbing when it was over because I so identified with Clover. Tom Lake is my next book
I saw that The Last Thing He Told Me's author 's husband was a screenwriter and there was already plans for a TV show which is how I explained how it got the push (I did not love) but I actually didn't know this book club did that many mystery/thrillers! So maybe it wasn't such of an anomaly
This summer has a good selection of good books and interesting reads. I just read the latest Daniel Silva, a funny and well written new coming of age book Prudence Codfishe and Edward Rutherford’s Russka
Would love to hear you talk about the Booker Prize! I've read most of Reese's book club picks, but they tend to be a hit or miss for me. I did really like 'Outlawed', 'House of Eve', 'The Nightingale', Elinor Oliphant', and 'Infinite country.'
I’m currently listening to Fire Keeper’s Daughter on Audiobook. So far it is good. I really liked Seven Days in June, and Daisy Jones & The Six on audiobook. I Loved Where The Crawdads Sing (I am not aware of any controversy lol) I have Wrong Place, Wrong Time on my tbr shelf - I’ve been meaning to pick it up since you recommended it in an earlier video.
I’ve only read two picks. I’ve read Wrong Place, Wrong Time, which was decent. And the first one I read was This Is How It Always Is, which is an all-time favorite
Reese Witherspoon's pics are almost universally Not For Me. Her tastes and mine definitely usually a mismatch, although I'm sure there are exceptions. I've read through much of the Hugo and Nebula shortlists, but not on purpose. I just notice when I go and look at past winners that I seem to have read much of it! I won't read anything that doesn't look like it's my cuppa, though - not a completionist! I look at other prize lists (or follow booktubers that do) and just pick the books that look like they are up my alley. I've never read anything by Ann Patchett, but Tom Lake is getting so much love I may get FOMO and give it a try...
Hit or miss on her book club. I agreed on all the books you have read and liked and disliked. Only one i disagreed with was (where the crowdads sing) I did enjoy that one. I still value your opinions on book recommendations. Love your videos 😊
Reese book club picks aren’t generally for me. It’s very hit or miss. I read the Paris Apartment and really didn’t like it. Not sure why there was hype with that one at all…
Every pick you've felt 'Meh' or worse about are also titles I've noticed get similar reactions in book discussion groups I'm in online (outside of Goodreads where so many either sugar coat or are viscously brutal in their opinions). People either LOVE them or it's 'meh' or worse. No one ever says, "it was decent" or "it was pretty good but not a favorite". I do not actively seek out book club books but I won't avoid a book I think sounds good because it's been in her book club. I've seen some do that & it seems foolish to me. I absolutely ADORED "Dictionary of Lost Words" by Piper Williams. I'm on a "bookish books" kick right now & I was expecting to enjoy the read... but I think it's up there as an all time favorite book. It's historical fiction, using as many details of what really happened as possible, about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary. And I know that might sound boring, but I promise, it's not. I don't know how much else to say without spoiling the book... but I can say that the author made strong decisions for the telling of the story rather than the happiness of the audience & it gave me a literary hangover. I laughed, I cried, I smiled... and I finished the book, really caring about the characters... not something that usually happens. The perma-stickers are annoying but it also seems to be up to publisher or author discretion because some books end up with them, others don't. I have noticed the UK editions rarely have the stickers. Do you think you might do a video in the future talking about narrative devices, recommendations for them, & which devices are your favorite? Maybe even take audience recommendations to try some? I'm always looking for more dual-timelines & multiple-narrators... and I'd really like to explore time-loops & locked-rooms and I'm sure there are literary devices I've not thought of or even heard of that would be fascinating. I just really trust you.
My youngest kid randomly picked a book for me and it was Cassandra in Reverse which was the June pick I think. It’s a time travel book and it wasn’t that bad. I also read The Firekeeper’s Daughter which I heard was good.
omfg The Guest List!! I’ve been trying to read that like 4 times lol I thought it was just me. Tbh I don’t DNF very easily. Even if I don’t love the writing, I try to finish every book because it’s a waste of money otherwise lol but I CANNOT bring myself to finish this damn book. There’s just something so boring and convoluted about every single character. Literally not a single character POV I enjoyed. I just want to see what the ending is at this point.
I feel SO vindicated hearing you hated Lucy Foley's "The Guest List" because I HATED that book so much that I decided to never pick up another book the author wrote (especially because I read their debut and it was just way too similar and also the ending was so, so fucking dumb). Even thinking about it gets me so incensed lmao
I love Reese’s picks (for the most part) I do think she picks books that could become movies. Movies that she helps produces I usually really in enjoy. books I really liked The Nightingale Where the crawdads sing Little fires everywhere Wrong place wrong time Daisy Jones Next Year in Havana (LOVE this author)
The Shameless Book Club is a great Australian book club that’s very popular down here! They do an amazing and hilarious podcast on the books they read each month ❤
What was it about where the crawdads sing that made you unable to continue it? I have been putting off reading it for so long because I’m just worried I’m not gonna like it lol
I loved Where the Crawdads Sing. Started to read it, but then grabbed the audible for a 6 hour flight, and just loved it. Watched the movie months later, and the book was much better. The movie would’ve been ok, had I not already loved the book with all the little details that the movie left out.
I've read a few from Reeses and I like them all except the sanitorium. 7 days in june was great but my biggest suprise and love was one of her first picks... "This is How it Always is" I really like it. Also I loved Where the Crawdads Sing and I used it as a reread for another challange and tried the audiobook for that amd the narrators just did not work I thought it was really bad.
I haven't trusted the Reese Witherspoon book club since I read The Light We Lost in 2018. I have a short list of books that I actively hate and that is one of them. I can look back over her list and see books that I have liked, but I've never chosen them because they were on her list.
The Book that Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence - crossover sci fi / fantasy ! Hear great things about it and getting to it soon - maybe you would like it Emily?
I pay attention to the Reese list (enjoy the newsletter & that it promotes women authors) but use my judgment on which sound good or not. I agree they all seem marketable for movies/series which makes sense, but not always good literature (imo). I’ve read: Little Fires, Daisy Jones, Crawdads, wrong Place/Time, Paper Palace, Last Thing He Told Me, Rules of Magic, Guest List, Nightingale, Tiny Beautiful Things, True Biz, Dict. of Lost Words, & Eleanor Oliphant & have about 6 more on TBR …most were ok (3-4stars for me)
Skip Fair Play. You will hate it. It’s one of those books that has such a simple message that it should have been a Buzzfeed article, but the author stretched into a book to make more money. Also, the audience is specifically couples with children and how to ensure each person in the couple is contributing. You won’t get anything from reading it if you are single or don’t have kids.
I only read one of the BotM winners/finalists because we get one of them as a free pick haha 😅 Even if you don’t do the Goodreads challenge will you still do a reaction video of your favorite/most-read genres?
The only one I have read on Reese's list is The Sanatorium, and I gave it a solid 3. It's fine, but the main character is really annoying. The only other one I have on my TBR is The Firekeeper's Daughter, and I'm encouraged to pick it up if you say you liked it!
I haven’t added them up but I would say 60%-40% with the ones I like being at 40. Maybe even 65-35. I didn’t like Lucy Foley at all. But I loved Eleanor Oliphant. Based on your recommendation I might read Wrong Place Wrong Time. I definitely like Reese’s picks better than Oprah’s.
A caveat about the Hugos though (not sure how the nebula voting works so i can't comment on that) but the Hugo nominated books are not selected by a panel of judges or literary critics like the Booker and Pulitzer prizes are. In fact, in order to nominate and vote a book for the Hugo... You just have to pay 50 bucks... Thats literally it. That's all the membership you need to vote for as a hugo member. Obviously this doesn't make the nominees/winners meritless or anything but I've always had to remind myself that the books nominated are less 'the best sff books of the year' and more... Of a popularity contest tbh as it just represents the books that people with a sizeable income are reading
I've started reading books from Arthur C Clarke Award, World Fantasy Award and Hugo (didn't realise about how the books were picked but I will still pick up ones that intrigue me rather than all of them)
I really enjoyed Tom Lake performed by Meryl Streep. There are a lot of slow parts but it’s an interesting enough plot that I sailed through it. I had this on my TBR before it was picked by Reese. Her choices are usually a miss for me.
I'm not big on celebrity book clubs, especially since, publishers just pay a large amount of money to the celebrity to put their book on their lists. Celebrities don't have time to watch reviews and read 100s of books to pick the ones they like. I know that Reese has purchased rights for initial book to movie access. So... Idk...
Hi I really don’t think you should read Paper Palace because from the books you say you enjoy, I just think it would not be your cup of tea. Rather ‘spicy’ for you and subject matter upsetting. I loved Where The Crawdads sing. As you enjoy thrillers you could try C L Taylor The Guilty Couple.
I listened to the guest list, and I really liked it. However, I listened to the hunting party right after from the same author, and I did not like it. The ending was good, but the rest dragged.
I thought Fair Play was horrible. The idea of gamifying the chore list is fine. But with buy in and discussion with all parties. The author is a lawyer and more concerned with 'winning' than fairness.
I haven’t read the newest picks, but they’ve been hit or miss. I liked Lucy Foley’s two picks, loved Crawdads, hated/DNF’d Eleanor Oliphant, Daisy Jones and The Last Thing He Told Me were both meh
I'm currently reading Where the Crawdads Sing. I'm wondering if you put it down for the same issues that I had with it. The mother that abandons her daughter to a super abusive father, yet there's still these memories of her spouting super empowering bullshit like "that's what girlfriends and sisters are for" or something. It was so disingenuous. It enraged me. But I stuck with it because all of the writing that didn't actually involve people was really something. I can tell you that the failures in the integrity of the people Kya is supposed to rely on work themselves out, in a way. I mean, it's addressed more fully in a way that rings true. That one quote though. It still bothers me.
Have you tried this book club? Did the recommendations work for you? What were the best books you’ve read?
I have read a few picks from here...some were unintentional because I ONLY truly picked one off of here for a challenge I did. Some I have liked and some I did not like so much.
I have she has pretty good recommendations and love book club so much ❤
I read Our missing hearts by Celeste Ng which Is from this book club if I'm not wrong. The book Is wonderful, i didn't expect it to love It this much.
Dictionary of Lost Words. I read it because I was intrigued. It's an all time fav now. In addition to characters you can care for, it shines a light on feminist & class issues & glaring problems with academia that are still being combatted today. I think you'd love this book, even though it's out of your wheelhouse. It's the best Bookish Book I've read so far. I think I might even place it above Book Lovers which is what ignited this trajectory for me.
I've loved a few so much. Daisy Jones is my favorite book ever, but I know that hasn't worked for you. I also really loved Next Year in Havana! It was a favorite the year I read it. I think for the most part I've had good luck with her picks, though I've DNF'd a few too. I definitely haven't read a ton of them, but I do have many more on my tbr. .
Book club books would be a lot more worth it if they didn't have permanent stickers on the covers
LOL I feel you
They're not even stickers anymore... They are printed on the cover!!! 😢
My pet peeve!
YES I will avoid buying books if it’s printed on the cover
The book club is under a large media company owned by Reese Witherspoon that also produces movies and tv shows. My conspiracy theory is that the books are picked based on if they would make a good movie/tv show rather than if they are actually written well. Then Reese can promote the book first to get it popular (she’s a celebrity, so it’s easier) and her production company can buy the movie rights to something that is already popular because of the book club and will have a guaranteed audience. All of this just means more money to the media company.
P.S. As I’m explaining this, I feel like that meme from It’s Sunny in Philadelphia where Charlie is connecting all the dots 😂
This is correct! Pretty sure the authors picked for the book club also need to sign off that her company gets first refusal for the movie rights. Pretty genius, actually. And the authors picked also tend to sell a whole ton, sounds like a win win to me!
I think most of us are aware of that and she also wants to focus on female authors/creators.
@@msellenandrea I heard about the first refusal thing too, but I couldn’t find any support to back that up in a quick search. If it’s true, that would make sense. It’s honestly all a really smart business model.
Your comment is so accurate!
@@plantandcatmom Yeah I can't say for sure either, but no matter what they details are, she is such a smart business woman! Some have called her greedy or sneaky, but if it was a man he would only get praise
I'm glad to see you're moving the way from the Goodreads challenge. I feel like Goodreads is kind of like the New York times bestseller list, where the existence of the list doesn't actually mean anything. I feel like exploring book club list and other similar things might make for a more enjoyable experience
Agree 💯
It’s good to keep up with new releases but I don’t seem to agree with the “best of” most years
Would love to hear you talk about the Womens Prize for fiction! Such bangers every year 🙌🏻
I have never thought of looking at their choices and making a tbr list out of them. thank you!!
@@Elsa_ingenue I have seen several people on youtube do this, if you need inspiration I can recommend Leena Norms and Ben Reads Good :)
I want to pick up Tom Lake simply because the audiobook is narrated by Meryl Streep and everyone says her performance is outstanding😂
Ohhhh then I really have to try it
😮😮😮 I guess I really need to give audiobooks (in general) a chance and this particular one a go!!! ❤
Meryl is what made me buy the audible!
I'm glad to hear your thoughts on Lucy Foley. I thought it was just me since everyone seems to really vibe with her work.
I remember quite a few people were hating on it in my “worst of” that year so we’re not alone!
The best book I read from her list is The Island of Missing Trees. Highly recommend
Adding to my tbr!
Agreed. It was an interesting and informative read. I also enjoyed Prudence Codfishe, which showed true friendship across the miles
My friend and I absolutely love Reese’s book club picks! But also, we have an affinity toward Literary/Contemporary Fiction. We’ve read many of her book selections, and a lot have been adapted into a movie or tv series through Reese’s production company, which highlights and celebrates strong female leads and female authors.
Would love to see your top 10 Murder mysteries or thrillers! I’m not really the type of reader that Reese’s or Oprah’s book clubs are geared toward. I’m more fantasy and/or quirky.
I’d be interested in your thoughts on The Nightingale. Like 90% of WWII fiction, it’s lightly antisemitic and flat-out wrong about things pertaining to the Jewish experience. And the main character is named Vianne, which to my understanding wasn’t an acceptable thing for a French person to name their child at that time. And she’s starving during the French occupation and still keeping chickens as pets? So that’s the level of accuracy the book is working with.
I feel like Reese buys the film options for all of her picks, and that means she picks books that have film/tv potential.
Could you please make this type of video, but for the Oprah’s Book Club picks?
I’m currently reading “We Were The Mulvaneys”, which was a pick in 2001 and so far I’m reallyyyy into it. The writing is wonderful and the story is heartbreaking. I also loved “The Poisonwood Bible”. Both older books, but so far both a win😅
Thank you so much for this. Very helpful!! 😇
I follow this book club in Instagram. I picked "Such a fun age", "Daisy Jones & the Six", "Where the crawdads sing" and "Little fires everywhere" which I all liked
I'd like you to try the CWA Daggers and the Ursula K Le Guin prize.
The Crime Writers Association has been going for years. It's best known awards are the Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement and the Gold Dagger for book of the year. They also have daggers for debut and translated books.
The UKGs are a newer award established by her son that aim to highlight the work of less well known authors.
Maybe check out the women's prize for fiction. I think you might enjoy reading the shortlist
I very loosely follow Reese's book club just so I read something other than romance and her books are very hit or miss for me. I would recommend 7 days in June, Honor, The marriage portrait (an historical fiction I think you would really like, also the UK cover is nice!), The Island of missing trees, The night tiger, Furia (YA) and You should see me in a crown (YA).
Personally I would stay far, far away from The sanatorium, Northern spy, Lucky or The Cactus. I gave The Cactus 3 stars but I can't see you liking that book.
Also I've read every Ruth Ware but the last published one and... The lying game was by far the worst in my opinion. So I would be curious to hear what you think about it. Also I can't remember if you've read The maid by Freida McFadden but if you have then I would recommend reading The last mrs Parrish because apparently Freida took some "inspiration" from that book. I own both but haven't read either yet.
Last month I was in the bookstore holding that Tom lake book in my hand, really considering buying it just because it didn't have that Reese sticker on the cover and because it's so beautiful! I didn't though, but I still want it (without the sticker)
Also if you want to read a non fiction, I think "I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness" by Austin Channing Brown has really good ratings.
Have you tried In The Shadow Garden by Liz Parker? It has Practical Magic/cozy magic vibes, but with whiskey at the center. I enjoyed it.
The Lying Game is my least favorite Ruth Ware... don't recommend. But FYI one defining thing is the very oldest RBC picks were made by a different person than the one doing picks/scouting the books in the last 3-4 years. So if you liked the more recent picks, skip the very oldest ones. (I know the person who picks the books now lol). The club definitely tends toward upmarket literary/women's fiction and thrillers, so you have to vibe w/ those books (I only read the thrillers, personally!).
I haven’t! I’ll have to check it out!
That’s good to know haha
I agree about the "Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" it was amazing! A lot of Reese's book club I haven't read. But thank you for the recommendations!
Ruth Ware has become one of my favorite authors
I didn't knew this club existed until you talked about it. Since i don't read contemporary or mystery/thrillers i don't think this club would be for me. I'm a fantasy, science fiction, non fiction type of gal.
Hey Emily? May I ask how Chunky is doing? He wasn’t well in your last video 🥺
Still no news but he’s doing well otherwise! Eating, sleeping, whining for cuddles 😆
The Booker has a sci-fi book longlisted this year which you might like! It’s called In Ascension by Martin MacInnes and I personally loved it. Deep sea AND space travel? Yes, please! I also like the idea of trying out the Nebula and Hugo 😮
Thriller recommendation!!!! None of this is true by Lisa Jewel have you read it? Soooo good couldn’t put it down very suspenseful
I'm currently reading This is how it always is with the bookclub I have with friends, and so far I'm very positively surprised. I had low expectations because I wasn't sure if the execution of the premise would be my cup of tea, but I'm enjoying it a lot. It's also been a pick in Reese's Bookclub
I've heard really good things about the Ursula K LeGuin Awards.
Great idea, Emily. Reese is one of my fav actors. I'll never forget her performance in Wild and how much justice she did to Cheryl Strayed -- even if the screenwriter did get a lil carried away with the intensity of Strayed's drug use.
I am glad I'm not the only one who couldn't finish Where the Crawdads sing.
I personally like to follow the international booker prize. I recommend checking out When we cease to understand the world.
Oh my god I was dumbfounded by how much hype that book got! I didn’t DNF it but wow… didn’t remotely live up to the hype.
I agree with you, most of these I haven’t read or DNFd. The ones I have read off her list that I thought were great included Daisy Jones, The Nightingale and Tiny Beautiful Things. I’d love to explore more lists or book clubs but hers is the only one I’ve looked into so far.
Personally I really like the Ignyte awards! They focus on diverse science fiction and fantasy, and I’ve liked pretty much all of their picks!
emma roberts also has a book club, its called belletrist
I find Oprah or Jenna’s book club matches my interests better. Reese seems to choose with an eye toward filming.
Just finished reading The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer. I can't remember where I heard about it. I was sobbing when it was over because I so identified with Clover. Tom Lake is my next book
Maybe you can try the Arthur C. Clarke winners too, I mean Adrian Tchaikovsky did make a good impression right?
I saw that The Last Thing He Told Me's author 's husband was a screenwriter and there was already plans for a TV show which is how I explained how it got the push (I did not love) but I actually didn't know this book club did that many mystery/thrillers! So maybe it wasn't such of an anomaly
Emily, bonjour. I recognize you! From the beauty channel! Happy to find you in this Universe!
This summer has a good selection of good books and interesting reads. I just read the latest Daniel Silva, a funny and well written new coming of age book Prudence Codfishe and Edward Rutherford’s Russka
Would love to hear you talk about the Booker Prize! I've read most of Reese's book club picks, but they tend to be a hit or miss for me. I did really like 'Outlawed', 'House of Eve', 'The Nightingale', Elinor Oliphant', and 'Infinite country.'
I’m currently listening to Fire Keeper’s Daughter on Audiobook. So far it is good.
I really liked Seven Days in June, and Daisy Jones & The Six on audiobook.
I Loved Where The Crawdads Sing (I am not aware of any controversy lol)
I have Wrong Place, Wrong Time on my tbr shelf - I’ve been meaning to pick it up since you recommended it in an earlier video.
I’ve only read two picks. I’ve read Wrong Place, Wrong Time, which was decent. And the first one I read was This Is How It Always Is, which is an all-time favorite
Reese Witherspoon's pics are almost universally Not For Me. Her tastes and mine definitely usually a mismatch, although I'm sure there are exceptions.
I've read through much of the Hugo and Nebula shortlists, but not on purpose. I just notice when I go and look at past winners that I seem to have read much of it! I won't read anything that doesn't look like it's my cuppa, though - not a completionist! I look at other prize lists (or follow booktubers that do) and just pick the books that look like they are up my alley.
I've never read anything by Ann Patchett, but Tom Lake is getting so much love I may get FOMO and give it a try...
Hit or miss on her book club. I agreed on all the books you have read and liked and disliked. Only one i disagreed with was (where the crowdads sing) I did enjoy that one. I still value your opinions on book recommendations. Love your videos 😊
Reese book club picks aren’t generally for me. It’s very hit or miss. I read the Paris Apartment and really didn’t like it. Not sure why there was hype with that one at all…
The Guest List bored me out of my mind. To day this im still shocked that i managed to finish it 😂😂
I’d recommend looking at the Read with Jenna picks! She has some good picks
put The Nightingale at the top of your tbr pile, I read it in 3 days it was amazing
Maybe look at the Aurora Awards? (For Canadian sci-fi and fantasy.)
Every pick you've felt 'Meh' or worse about are also titles I've noticed get similar reactions in book discussion groups I'm in online (outside of Goodreads where so many either sugar coat or are viscously brutal in their opinions). People either LOVE them or it's 'meh' or worse. No one ever says, "it was decent" or "it was pretty good but not a favorite". I do not actively seek out book club books but I won't avoid a book I think sounds good because it's been in her book club. I've seen some do that & it seems foolish to me.
I absolutely ADORED "Dictionary of Lost Words" by Piper Williams. I'm on a "bookish books" kick right now & I was expecting to enjoy the read... but I think it's up there as an all time favorite book. It's historical fiction, using as many details of what really happened as possible, about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary. And I know that might sound boring, but I promise, it's not. I don't know how much else to say without spoiling the book... but I can say that the author made strong decisions for the telling of the story rather than the happiness of the audience & it gave me a literary hangover. I laughed, I cried, I smiled... and I finished the book, really caring about the characters... not something that usually happens.
The perma-stickers are annoying but it also seems to be up to publisher or author discretion because some books end up with them, others don't. I have noticed the UK editions rarely have the stickers.
Do you think you might do a video in the future talking about narrative devices, recommendations for them, & which devices are your favorite? Maybe even take audience recommendations to try some? I'm always looking for more dual-timelines & multiple-narrators... and I'd really like to explore time-loops & locked-rooms and I'm sure there are literary devices I've not thought of or even heard of that would be fascinating. I just really trust you.
My youngest kid randomly picked a book for me and it was Cassandra in Reverse which was the June pick I think. It’s a time travel book and it wasn’t that bad. I also read The Firekeeper’s Daughter which I heard was good.
omfg The Guest List!! I’ve been trying to read that like 4 times lol I thought it was just me. Tbh I don’t DNF very easily. Even if I don’t love the writing, I try to finish every book because it’s a waste of money otherwise lol but I CANNOT bring myself to finish this damn book. There’s just something so boring and convoluted about every single character. Literally not a single character POV I enjoyed. I just want to see what the ending is at this point.
Emily, what lipstick are you using?
Maybelline lip pencil in make it happen!
I feel SO vindicated hearing you hated Lucy Foley's "The Guest List" because I HATED that book so much that I decided to never pick up another book the author wrote (especially because I read their debut and it was just way too similar and also the ending was so, so fucking dumb). Even thinking about it gets me so incensed lmao
The Paper Palace!!!! Big Little Lies. Where the Crawdads sing. Outstanding. Certainly you have missed some of the better ones.
I love Reese’s picks (for the most part)
I do think she picks books that could become movies. Movies that she helps produces I usually really in enjoy.
books I really liked
The Nightingale
Where the crawdads sing
Little fires everywhere
Wrong place wrong time
Daisy Jones
Next Year in Havana (LOVE this author)
The Shameless Book Club is a great Australian book club that’s very popular down here! They do an amazing and hilarious podcast on the books they read each month ❤
I’ve seen them on TikTok. I’ll follow them for recommendations.
You could read pulizer prise winners
What was it about where the crawdads sing that made you unable to continue it? I have been putting off reading it for so long because I’m just worried I’m not gonna like it lol
I loved Where the Crawdads Sing. Started to read it, but then grabbed the audible for a 6 hour flight, and just loved it. Watched the movie months later, and the book was much better. The movie would’ve been ok, had I not already loved the book with all the little details that the movie left out.
Have you heard of the Reading Women podcast? They have reading challenges so it’s a prompt rather than a specific book pick.
Books by Jenna on Good Morning America! She has some actually really good and diverse picks!
I've read a few from Reeses and I like them all except the sanitorium. 7 days in june was great but my biggest suprise and love was one of her first picks... "This is How it Always is" I really like it. Also I loved Where the Crawdads Sing and I used it as a reread for another challange and tried the audiobook for that amd the narrators just did not work I thought it was really bad.
Haven’t read any of those books 🙃🙃 I’ll stick to your Hugo/nebula/locus award challenge cause I’m a more fantasy/sci-fi lover 👽🧬
May i ask how the kittens are? Last you mentioned they were not having a good time and i am really wondering.
They’re okay! Still waiting for the results for Chunky tho
I Loved “The Nightingale”, “Wrong Place, Wrong Time”, “Such a Fun Age”, “The Rules of Magic”… The others I hated, disliked, or didn’t want to read.
I haven't trusted the Reese Witherspoon book club since I read The Light We Lost in 2018. I have a short list of books that I actively hate and that is one of them. I can look back over her list and see books that I have liked, but I've never chosen them because they were on her list.
I loved Daisy Jones and the Six, Yellowface and Wrong Place Wrong Time
The Book that Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence - crossover sci fi / fantasy ! Hear great things about it and getting to it soon - maybe you would like it Emily?
I pay attention to the Reese list (enjoy the newsletter & that it promotes women authors) but use my judgment on which sound good or not. I agree they all seem marketable for movies/series which makes sense, but not always good literature (imo). I’ve read: Little Fires, Daisy Jones, Crawdads, wrong Place/Time, Paper Palace, Last Thing He Told Me, Rules of Magic, Guest List, Nightingale, Tiny Beautiful Things, True Biz, Dict. of Lost Words, & Eleanor
Oliphant & have about 6 more on TBR …most were ok (3-4stars for me)
Skip Fair Play. You will hate it. It’s one of those books that has such a simple message that it should have been a Buzzfeed article, but the author stretched into a book to make more money. Also, the audience is specifically couples with children and how to ensure each person in the couple is contributing. You won’t get anything from reading it if you are single or don’t have kids.
I only read one of the BotM winners/finalists because we get one of them as a free pick haha 😅 Even if you don’t do the Goodreads challenge will you still do a reaction video of your favorite/most-read genres?
The only one I have read on Reese's list is The Sanatorium, and I gave it a solid 3. It's fine, but the main character is really annoying. The only other one I have on my TBR is The Firekeeper's Daughter, and I'm encouraged to pick it up if you say you liked it!
I'd love a video Edgar Award winners!
Reese's bookclub is one of the book clubs I follow as well as Lily (Singh)'s bookclub (Lily's Library)
7 days in June was so lovely 🌹
The Best of Bookwinked is a wonderful reading guide for discerning readers which contains 178 book reviews of five star rated books.
I haven’t added them up but I would say 60%-40% with the ones I like being at 40. Maybe even 65-35. I didn’t like Lucy Foley at all. But I loved Eleanor Oliphant. Based on your recommendation I might read Wrong Place Wrong Time. I definitely like Reese’s picks better than Oprah’s.
Yup i bought Tom Lake for the cover. Haven't read it yet 😂
I started with “the guest list” and was done 100 pages in and never looked at another recommendation from her since 😂
I have read Yellowface, Daisy Jones and the Six, and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. But I didn't know that they were part of the book club.
This is a great idea. Good content.
A caveat about the Hugos though (not sure how the nebula voting works so i can't comment on that) but the Hugo nominated books are not selected by a panel of judges or literary critics like the Booker and Pulitzer prizes are. In fact, in order to nominate and vote a book for the Hugo... You just have to pay 50 bucks... Thats literally it. That's all the membership you need to vote for as a hugo member. Obviously this doesn't make the nominees/winners meritless or anything but I've always had to remind myself that the books nominated are less 'the best sff books of the year' and more... Of a popularity contest tbh as it just represents the books that people with a sizeable income are reading
And Nebula is woted by the authors.
I've started reading books from Arthur C Clarke Award, World Fantasy Award and Hugo (didn't realise about how the books were picked but I will still pick up ones that intrigue me rather than all of them)
I really enjoyed Tom Lake performed by Meryl Streep. There are a lot of slow parts but it’s an interesting enough plot that I sailed through it. I had this on my TBR before it was picked by Reese. Her choices are usually a miss for me.
I never read a book because it is a Reese Book Club book. I may read one but it’s a recommendation from someone else I trust.
You should do the women’s prize for fiction!!!!
I gave up on Witherspoon book club, more misses to take. She buys movie rights to books and sometimes they change it from original book.
I think you’ll like Seven Days in June 😊
I'm not big on celebrity book clubs, especially since, publishers just pay a large amount of money to the celebrity to put their book on their lists. Celebrities don't have time to watch reviews and read 100s of books to pick the ones they like. I know that Reese has purchased rights for initial book to movie access. So... Idk...
I’d recommend Oprah’s book club, that was the original celebrity one!
Hi I really don’t think you should read Paper Palace because from the books you say you enjoy, I just think it would not be your cup of tea. Rather ‘spicy’ for you and subject matter upsetting. I loved Where The Crawdads sing. As you enjoy thrillers you could try C L Taylor The Guilty Couple.
I'm wondering if I should join a book club as I am a fan of poetry I enjoy tk listen to Jeremy Irons or Ralph Fiennes read aloud TS Eliot's Poetry
I listened to the guest list, and I really liked it. However, I listened to the hunting party right after from the same author, and I did not like it. The ending was good, but the rest dragged.
I agree ‘The last thing he told me’ was horrid, it started with so much promise but ended up being a bad read
I thought Fair Play was horrible. The idea of gamifying the chore list is fine. But with buy in and discussion with all parties. The author is a lawyer and more concerned with 'winning' than fairness.
I enjoyed the guest list 🙊, eventhough our tastes are normally very similar…. Ahaha
I haven’t read the newest picks, but they’ve been hit or miss. I liked Lucy Foley’s two picks, loved Crawdads, hated/DNF’d Eleanor Oliphant, Daisy Jones and The Last Thing He Told Me were both meh
The Lying Game was alright, but I wasn't fussed on the ending
She seems to be a 3-3.5 star author for me so I’m not in a rush to read it but I eventually will!
EMILY you have to read Blood Over Bright Haven by ML Wang. I’m only 50% in but I am so emotionally invested that I can hardly stand it!
It’s on my tbr for October!!
Booker and Pulitzer Prizes
I'm currently reading Where the Crawdads Sing. I'm wondering if you put it down for the same issues that I had with it. The mother that abandons her daughter to a super abusive father, yet there's still these memories of her spouting super empowering bullshit like "that's what girlfriends and sisters are for" or something. It was so disingenuous. It enraged me. But I stuck with it because all of the writing that didn't actually involve people was really something. I can tell you that the failures in the integrity of the people Kya is supposed to rely on work themselves out, in a way. I mean, it's addressed more fully in a way that rings true. That one quote though. It still bothers me.
EMILY what red do you have on your lips it's so pretty!!!
Maybelline lip pencil in make it happen!
I'd love a non fiction/memoir book club. Does anyone know about a good one? Thanks!