Tier Ranking Everything I Read In 2023
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- Опубліковано 8 січ 2024
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If you converted each tier to a rating, here is your data. (My data in parenthesis)
5: 32 (9)
4: 35 (10)
3: 35 (15)
2: 9 (8)
1: 1 (3)
Total Books: 112 (45)
Average Rating 3.79 (3.31)
I really appreciate this video because I don't always have time to keep up with your videos on books you've read and how you feel about them, so thank you ❤
On your recommendation, I went out and bought Tress of the Emerald Sea a few weeks ago. I've never read Sanderson and fantasy can be really hit or miss for me, but you loved it and it sounded really good. Just started reading it tonight (about 50 pages in) and I am in love with it. Maybe it's just me, but the story and the writing style seem a little like if Hitchhiker's met The Princess Bride. Such a great recommendation, thank you!
Sanderson describes it as The Princess Bride if Buttercup had more agency, and I think that's spot on.
@@Akatsuu I said the same thing when I described it to one of my students. I'm usually not on the same page as authors when it comes to a story being like something else. I'm definitely going to check out more of his stuff when I'm done with this one.
Don't apologize for The Magicians, it was great. (Sorry Lynn!)
I love them all too.
I feel like maybe the tv show made people hate on this series but I don’t get it. I adored the book series, especially for the female characters’ story arcs. And the Netflix show, while different, honestly was worthwhile on its own merits
I loved bits of it. I liked some of the female characters but I HATED the male character so much that it started to hurt. I had to stop reading. I tried the show and the same thing happened. There was particularly one female character in the show I liked, but I pretty much HATED everyone else. I tried.
Also, if they make a game based on the book and there was an option to punch the male character I would buy and play the game just for that.
@@kattissmall8373 yeah I totally feel you on that. I got such Nice Guy vibes from Quentin I’m honestly surprised I tolerated him as well as I did. I think it was just the stars aligning perfectly that it was the right time in my life to appreciate those books. I liked that his childhood crush became so much more badass that him and wasn’t crying for his attention- Julia totally eclipsed him. And his actual girlfriend too. Both of them had real goals and missions and had to sacrifice to achieve them while Quentin was stuck in this naive self-absorbed little boy mindset. He had a lot of growing to do in order to be worthy of his friends. It was tough and awkward and not pretty. But I somehow felt for him through his growing pains. The author didn’t show this guy as being idealized. His mental illness and immaturity absolutely held him back. It was often painful to read about but I rooted for him to get through to the other side and make something of himself
@@kattissmall8373 also there is some novelty to finding a male author whose female character are so strong, and deliberately in opposition to the male MC’s weakness. There’s a ton of dialogue about how men are shitty at writing women. Especially in the genres of sci-fi and fantasy. So I found these books to be an interesting case study.
So happy you loved the Magicians Trilogy! I think all three together are an emotional masterpiece, just so nuanced and unpredictable and emotionally impactful. No need to apologize for loving them!
I had no idea they were books, just thought it was a show and loved the show.
@@chiarra644 I’m so curious to check the show out!
@@chiarra644 that is why i wanted merphy to cover it cause i was in the same boat. but the books are very different
@@MBCWCWMTC Oh I'll have to check them out then. I loved the show.
Sending Lynn love for all her hard work.
Sorry, I'm a conformist without imagination and Merphy is scary.
❤
I was waiting for this! So excited to watch this tonight!
the excitement i got clicking on this is criminal lol great video as always Merphy. 😊
love the range of different types of books you got through, nice seeing them all together like this =)
Another Jim Butcher series you should try is the Codex Alera. Great world building and characters, some incredible battle sequences, and a fantastic high fantasy series. It’s six books, already completed, and it leaves you wanting more.
I’m on the last book right now, it’s so good!!!
The second book of his steampunk series is now out too, I really like those. There are elements of them that Merphy would really love, like the ships and the cats, but on the whole I don’t think she is too into steampunk.
Agreed with Codex!
Codex Alera is a very good series, but Butcher did dampen my enjoyment of it a small amount with his description of why he started it.
I am sickeningly excited for when you read the sequels to Annihilation, I can’t wait to hear your thoughts
I'm glad you liked warrior's apprentice and Vor games. That is such an excellent series. That i don't hear many talk about
Glad you came back around on Naomi Novik! I haven't read much of her stuff but I read Spinning Silver this year and loved it, and I'm very curious to hear your thoughts if and when you get to it.
Merphy im so happy you did enjoy the mgicians. even if you didnt get the show version of the story
ARRRRR! I also read Under the black flag and republic of pirates this year. Didnt expect to see those on someone elses list!
Thank you Lynn
Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin are my favourite literary friendship. Hope you continue these books, defo my comfort reads.
Love to Lynn ❤.
In your review of bonehunter... You stated midnight tides was still your fav 😁. Think you put them backwards... Ah well, so much happened.
The la conte rescue story is so tragic yet so amazing. One of the survivors is basically my family. I loved seeing your mention of it in this video.
Really hope you end up reading The Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls by Los McMaster Bujold! They’re incredible!
don't apologize for The Magicians. I quite enjoyed the trilogy as well. I'd rank them 321 though. Also, thank you for convincing me to give Equal Rites another try. I'm so glad I did. Sorry you didn't like Greatcoats. I thought the whole series was really great
Ma'am you pretty much read The Grace of Kings this year, your vlog made me go and buy the book :D But we all know where it would be in your ranking anyway :D I really enjoyed your video it was great to see everything you've read! There are not that many books here that I've read but with the ones I did I completely agree with your ranking. Blood over bright haven is in my top 3 books of 2023.
Aye Naomi Novik, I recently bought His Majesty's Dragon and am really looking forward to it. I already loved Spinning Silver (highly recommend it) and the Scholomance series (A Deadly Education was my intro) by her. Just bought Defiant, glad to hear good things. Skyward was my first step into Brandon Sanderson (on Hero of Ages). I got into both of them coming off reading The Magicians Trilogy. Quentin is super flawed and not the best character in the books (ELIOT!!!) But man, the journey that is followed in these books is so damn engaging. So much happens! A very worthwhile read.
Okay, but you need to read the rest of the Earthsea cycle, "The Tombs of Atuan" and "Tehanu" specifically. Also "The Left Hand of Darkness" from her Hainish cycle.
Serial Cortex soubds great just based on your short description of it. Gotta add that to my TBR.
Just found your channel and my wife and I watch it all the time now! Love this video and adding lots of these books to our tbr! Would really love if you read one of my favorite fantasy series , "The Riftwar Saga" by Raymond E. Feist!
this is a MASSIVE list!
Polka never dies! 🤘🏼🪗🤘🏼
Yes, a Dresden fan 🤜
awesome =D
I also read The Will of The Many at the wrong time. Definitely gonna reread before book 2 so see if I want to continue
If you haven’t read Firekeeper’s Daughter, you NEED to! Same world as Warrior Girl Unearthed, set a few years before. Easily one of my favorite books!
Looking at the covers here, it suddenly occurred to me how Yellowface is so like the clasic cover to The Great Gatsby. I wonder if that was done on purpose...?
I'm sorta struggling through The Will of The Many right now, so curious to see if a 2nd read changes your mind. I'm having trouble relating to the characters and any of the relationships (or really lack thereof).
Oh no! I've been really looking forward to Gods of Jade and Shadow and Will of the Many. Hopefully I have a better experience with them than you did.
Will of the many is def worth a read.
Ok, the spreadsheet being in the description is top tier organisation
Here hoping that for the wrap up of 2024 we get to see the light novels of Ascendance of a Bookworm in the “My Precious” section😍
I'm astounded at your reading prowess. I wish I could read more but at the moment some big life projects are consuming my time. I'm new to your channel so forgive me if you've answered this in the past. How many pages do you read a day usually? How long does it take you to finish a book? Great video by the way!! Added a lot of your suggestions to my reading list so thank you :)
Merphy, I'm so glad you liked "the Shattered Sea" trilogy. It doesn't get a lot of love. I loved " the Age of Madness" trilogy. I'm glad you liked "The Goblin Emperor" I just got "Tress and the Emerald Sea" and "Yumi and the Nightmare Painter" Love your channel
Commenting on your general sentiment for Way of Edan having a more charming start and liking it a bit better than the sequel, I felt the same way!
Return to Edan was EASILY my favorite of the trilogy, especially if you enjoy climaxes and resolutions therein, so even though I'm sure you have it planned for soon, I can't recommend highly enough that it be done sooner than later.
That's great to hear!
Lynn sounds amazing! Maybe I can channel her energy to help get my life together 😛
29:26 This cat is drama royalty.
Considering how many pirate books you've been reading, highly recommend you watch Black Sails which is a pirate show and is one of my favorite tv shows of all time.
I love a good tier list! Are you caught up on the Murderbot books? I’m about to start the one that came out a couple months ago.
I'm not! I think I've read three so I'm way behind 😅
@@merphynapierreviews Well you always say you can’t keep up with new releases/series so that tracks.😂 I just did a reread and loved every second of it!
@@merphynapierreviews They're all amazing
i have no words on my love for the magicians... watched the show cried my heart out read the books and did it again
I’ve read like 4 books on this list… not this year, but I at least read em 😅😅😅
Impressive. This is a really good list. Your taste just improves by time and you let in new type of books even if it won’t really matter on the wider scale. Still you reflect in a lot my opinion. The fact that you have non-fiction/classics and books like The Magicians? 👏👏 I hope you will have a bit more sci-fi classics in this year. I have a feeling you would enjoy them. Yes-yes, you are a character reader, but those are the idea and themes books we miss nowadays. Btw : did you read Ursula Le Guin’s books (Earthsea and sci-fi both)?
How, just how can you read so many books?? It's impressive! Btw, really good taste. My favorite this year, Tress of the emerald sea.
2023 was the year of me reading things I only saw the show for or a movie. I ended up reading like 60 titles over the course of the year. Alot of it was audio book reading while I'm at work which made it super easy to power threw books. But it's totally doable
i also read Stoner in 2023 and loved it!
It is interesting when you have one of those, "what am I missing" moments. I'm like that with Hyperion, it just doesn't work for me.
I guess you're saving to read Yumi between Defiant and Wind And Truth. 😉
Just popping on here to recommend my favorite book, Magyk, by Angie Sage!
I tried Pratchett this year by reading "The Color of Magic". I think Love it is too high a rating. It really was not very good, so perhaps by reading a book where he is a good writer first made this one seem better? I was fascinated by the concept of the world... Flying turtle and all that, but that first book really was a train wreck of a story and hard to get thru.
Are you waiting for Red God to come out to read books 4-7? I thought I’d see Lightbringer here but then realized you haven’t read after Morningstar. (I also love the magicians through all the flaws) (Mort is my favorite discworld book. Absolutely love how Death is written)
Red Rising is a DNF series for Merphy. She didn't dislike it, but didn't love it enough to want to carry on
Enjoyable but not necessary... one could argue that that is an acceptable definition of the comfort/cozy subgenre. (Re: Bookshops and Bonedust)
Where did you get to with Reapers Gale (Malazan 7?). Thought you had started it, but seen no mention of it since
Is Merphy going down the rabbit hole???
Hey, I read some of those books. I liked Under the Black Flag, too. I read it because I thought I wanted to write about pirates. I didn’t go in that direction, but the book was wicked good. I learned a lot about pirates, and it was a very entertaining narrator.
I read Flower for Algernon for college. It was very dry. My thoughts are about how people fall in love with the people they pretend to be for escapism. And when the game is over, and people stop having fun, the relationship dies. Very similar to Gone Girl.
I couldn’t even pick up the Jennette McCurdy one. It felt like another out-of-touch celebrity who was part of the party, dated basketball players, and now the party ended is not writing about how terrible it had been. Dan Schnieder needed to be exposed, but where was this energy when she was part of the party? Welcome to the real world.
I can’t wait to do Annihilation; it’s on my TBR. My TBR is growing too fast: Iron Flame, Fifth Season, The Co-worker, The Lies of Loch Lamora (because of how much to talk about it), Throne of Glass, Shadows of the Gods, and more mystery thrillers like Robert Patterson, Freida McFadden, Gillian Flynn.
I mean, Jennette McCurdy wrote about how she was abused by her mother. I feel like maybe you should have picked it up to see for yourself, at least
THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON. I will never forget this book because somebody decided it would be a good thing to read out loud to a bunch of ten year olds for story time in fifth grade. We did not get past the chapter with her dream sequence for obvious reasons, and then I stumbled across it years later in a bookstore and was shocked and appalled to find it was a Stephen King book and that somebody made the decision to read it to a bunch of kids.
I am afraid Daniel Greene might be hiding in your basement and reading your books without permission.
My Favorite books of Last year that were very good that I read were: (No Order) The Edan Trilogy by Phillip Chase, Brian Durfee's Five Warrior Angel Series, and John Gwinne's Faithful and the Fallen. I also began a Re-Read of Ian Esslemont's Path To Ascendancy. Thank you for posting your videos.
Huh, I had a hard time with 2023. But the two stand outs were The Jinn-Bot Of Shantiport which features a VERY powerful A.I. capable of just about anything that grants wishes and the short and long term consequences of those wishes. Then Autonomous where a a drug pirate finds out her work is being used for rather evil purposes and goes to find out how to counter it while being hunted but a military A.I. robot and a male human who is in lust with it. EDIT:
The Lost City of Z was an outstanding non-fiction exploration of the Amazon book. And the latest Grey Man novel was yet another great entry into this basically flawless series.
I simply couldnt take the gray man seriously, like....I totally get having a "theyre special" type of trope in maybe fantasy where there can be some reasonable explanation for it, but it is so absolutley silly in the like spy/military/assassin type guy- hes somehow sooo super special that he can somehow solo fight 12 guys shooting guns at him every other chapter & he can somehow "fight& shoot guns" better& be the most feared & greatest & best, its honestely impossible to take seriously & it feels like a 1000% self-insert fantasy with a marty sue MC. I really wanted to enjoy it as a good old easy escape fun adventurey read and it just felt so eye rolling cringy IDK. I totally enjoy having like a badass mc that has this military skill/precision thibg going on, but to have this mc whose literally fighting against dozens of other military guys with training at once and beating them solo everytime it feels laughable and I just cant get past it or take it serious whatsoever. It can make sense in fantasy where you have this MC woth like this "rare special" magic because well its magic & you can basically explain it however you want, if its explained than fine ill suspend disbeleif & enjoy it, I simply cant suspend disbelief when you have a realistic setting like this, theres just no explanation can justify his being the "most special" & the feats he pulls...guy literally is falling& jumping out of planes without a parachute & its like yaa cus hes the gray man of course. Idk it bothers me alot.
1. There are any number of war stories where one held off many. One guy even lost an arm and won a battle and took prisoners.
2. Greany does poke at it where the Grey Man at one point believes in his own hype and gets his ass handed to him by one dude.
@@ar4203
I could have sworn I replied to this. Sorry if this repeats. There are a number of stories in war where one stands up to many. One fellow lost and arm and not only defeated enemy forces but took some prisoner.
Also, in these books later the author chops down Courtland when he believes in his own hype and gets his butt handed to him in a fight. @@ar4203
Also thought the will of the many is a very good book, but not an amazing one. It is an extremely turn paging book with decent characters, plot and interesting world. But I don't see how it is in many peoples best of the year (even number 1!) right from the get go, its got great potential.
Only just started... But did you do this entire tier video also so you could put K&C at the bottom?
😂
I think it's been a while since we had a Pratchett update, how's the progress? :)
Is there a way to check your review/opinion of republic of thieves? Because i really really want to know your thoughts.
There's going to be a discussion video coming in the next month, like the recent videos done for the first two
yes as Lynn said, discussion video coming in Feb with the other people I've been discussing with!
Not the basement 😂
3 body problem from Netflix new trailer 😮😮
Have you read Vicious by V.E. Schwab? I LOVE THAT BOOK
I loved Vicious! I didn't love the sequel unfortunately. Did you like it?
Yes, Merphy read it in 2018
You did read Grace of Kings this year 😂, in May
Why don't I know anything 😫
I have that same agreement with the spiders in my basement. They can live there, but I don’t wanna see them and they can’t come upstairs
Shattered Sea is awesome. I almost wouldn't call it YA either, but that's just me. Certainly not GRIMDARK like TFL, but still.
I just finished it and yeah, I repeated stopped and said out loud "In what world is this YA?" So its not just you.
Where is the spreadsheet? 😩
8:29 I haven't read it yet but I feel safe to say your brother is the freak in the wrong to immediately reread a book😂
😂
Love how even the worst Discworld book is still in "good job". That speaks for the overall quality of the series. ❤
I did a tier list too, this was my first full year on ADHD meds, so I actually read with the ferocity I always wanted to! We read some of the same classics. Definitely don't feel the same way about them lol
I love Le Guin and Bradbury's short stories, they're some of my greatest inspirations. But Earthsea and Something Wicked were both absolutely miserable for me. So much so, they both caused reading slumps. I was really excited for them too, which sucks. I'm not sure if my brain was just not up to reading at those moments in time and the books were casualties of the faults in my brain, or if they genuinely just weren't for me. Part of what makes me think it could have just been that moment in time, was that I was really just struggling to follow. They made me feel like my brain wasn't working.
I thought IT was a masterpiece despite its flaws.
Also, I read the first One PIece arc because of you, my first manga, and I loved it!
It's too bad you didn't enjoy Hollow Kingdom. I like that kind of crude humor so I loved the book. But mostly, it was interesting how the author interpreted what would happen to stuff that humans built during an apocalypse.
I DNF Gods of Jade and Shadow in the last week of December, glad to be reminded I didn't miss anything by not reading that book
You are not forgiven. I will not forget.
" Last year I read Grace of Kings,"
Me seeing it on the list.....
Oh man... imo The Will of the Many is much better than 'Good Job!!'
the tv series the magicians i love love loved and the books are always better than the movies they say.
🧡📚🧡📚🧡📚🧡
how did she read all others but not grace of kings which is first wth
this is a 2023 list so I was talking about what I read last year - not in all time
Does Lynn have a job lol or do you pay her to do all that stuff. How does she have time if you don't.
:gives you the stink eye:
X2
WHAT DID I DO?!
@@merphynapierreviews You apologised to me about it in the video! 😂
Quincy love.
oh! lol. Right.
I super meant it too. It keeps me up at night, think about it all the time
Hi Lynn. From Lynn
I'm with your friends... I was so disappointed by The Magicians 😔. I pushed myself through the whole trilogy thinking it might all come together in the end, but it just all felt pointless and like way too much of a rip off of Narnia.
Agreed
No manga?
Her other channel is for all the Manga stuff
You think your house is haunted??
Forgot that bro actually still reads books
I missed the Sword of Kaigen Wraithmarked 😭
This video would have way more views if it was posted on the main channel where 300 thousand people chose to subscribe due to the bookish content.
Not sure I could love fantasy and like The Magicians. The characters were unlikeable; the plot mocked lovable tropes and replaced them with a crappy world no one would want to know about; and it was over the top with the drug use and swearing - meaning it felt like the author was just pandering to a young audience when he remember to do so. To be fair, I think the author's other writing is twisted and awful as well.
God lives in all our basements
The Will Of Many is so not just a "good job"... It's really, really good. I liked Skyward and Defiant too ... They're both well before the Will Of Many though... And I really did like Spensa as a character.
You are not forgiven. I will not forget.