Hi! I sent you Butterfly Valley by Inger Christensen. I was not able to leave a note, but I wanted to write that it is a 'sonnet ring', or 'sonetkrans' in Danish, which means that it consists of 14 sonnets where the last line in sonnet 1 is the first line in sonnet 2 and so on. The first lines (or last lines) together form the last and 15th sonnet. It is one of the most beautiful things I've ever read - Inger Christensen is in my opinion the greatest Danish poet of all time (praised by Anne Carson as well). I hope you like it in the translated form!
oh that sounds so cool! My mum grew up near the border to Denmark so all her siblings speak Danish with each other when they don’t want the children to understand 🥲 Improving my Danish is definitely on my bucket list so I might try to read this in Danish one day 😁
“Like Water for Chocolate” is one of my favorite books, Laura Esquivel wrote MAGIC. It’s actually a very popular and important book in Mexican literature ☺️ There’s also two follow up books to it, one being “Tita’s Diary”. I hope you like it very much, cause we Mexicans LOVE IT. There’s also a movie adaptation of the book, which happens to be pretty close to the book, both are BEAUTIFUL. ☺️
Hi Emma!! I wanted to include a note with the Steinbeck books but I wasn't able to 😭 these are two of my favorite Steinbecks and I think they're good places to start before you commit to Grapes or Wrath or East of Eden. Also one is west coast and one is east coast so you can see how he handles each place. I hope you enjoy them! Especially Cannery Row since it takes place in my hometown 🙈
go calcifer learning german! he is such a ball of sunshine, i am over the moon for him ;__________; (of course eevee is still my queen, but calcifer is very similar to my cat (only younger) so my heart rejoices whenever is see him). the letters of van gogh are so heartbreaking. you can see he was really struggling with his art and his mental health, but he was also so hopeful for the future and for being recognised as an artist. my favourite is his brother, he seriously cared so much about him and loved him so much, and he always encouraged him to keep going ;_____;
Hey! Just to let you know, most historians don’t use the phrase “the dark ages” to describe the Medieval period, as it isn’t accurate to the time period and refers more to how people viewed the era centuries later :) I’m trying to get used to this as well and my professor always reminds me lol.
Dark Ages still is used, but with maybe more nuance because we have much more evidence of where it wasn’t so dark, but it’s the time BEFORE the Middle Ages / Medieval period. The Dark Ages in Europe run from the Fall of Rome - a moving target c. the 5th century till around the 10th century. Then the Middle Ages run from about 1000 to 1400 / 1500, depending where you are on the continent. You’re absolutely spot-on with Pasternak, though, because Zhivago essentially was his only big novel. He was beloved as a poet - beloved and poet might as well be the same word in Russian - and a legendary translator of Shakespeare & Goethe. But he wanted to leave a testament to what his generation went through, and not bow to the official glorifying of the Revolution. He succeeded, but it cost him no end of persecution & he died only years after finishing the book. It was smuggled out and published in the west, and after his death continued to cause his wife and family no end of persecution in the USSR.
@@nony_mation Dark Ages for historians, when they first looked closely at things & across long periods, was more of a visibility-into-the-times issue than anything else. So there’s a Dark Age of ancient Greek & Mediterranean history after the end of the Bronze Age - a pretty sudden unraveling of what had been centuries of semi-stable extended and trading cultures. And that period is still mysterious, with many debated theories - by definition, we’re still very much in the dark. When it came to European historians looking back at the Western Roman Empire, there really wasn’t a mystery about what happened - Rome’s administration unraveled, safe passage became harder, communication and record keeping fell off a relative cliff. And as accurate records became less available things were obviously harder to pin down, harder to see. One analogy to today might be if the Internet, and all phone communication, and all satellites, and much of record keeping suddenly all went away for, say, three hundred years - we could still keep civilization going, because everything before those inventions would still be here, but people looking back would go “WOW, something really changed there and suddenly it’s a lot harder to know what’s going on with these people.” Historical periods are always debated. Historians first thought of all the new things that arose in northern Italy in the fourteen hundreds as “THE Rebirth” of European civilization, Then came all the reasonable responses: Well…Byzantium thrived for a long time, and Charlemagne had a nice revival, and Islamic Spain was a wonder, and the 12th century in France certainly looks like a rebirth. The Renaissance wasn’t the only renaissance, but a major one. The ‘dark ages’ weren’t unrelievedly dark, just harder to see into (and, if you lived in a town Vikings frequented - though they often settled as much as raided - still not exactly pleasant. One reason the Middle Ages proper were very different from the Early Middle ages: the Vikings started heading east instead of south, and people could go “holy crap are we glad that’s finally over.”) Speaking of names, there’s a remarkable extended series on UA-cam called “The Dark Ages - An Age of Light” that goes right to the heart of all these notions - definitely worth checking out. 👍👍
It's thought by some scholars that Vincent's ear was a casualty of him fighting with Gaugin and that his death resulted from a teenager trying to mug him, and Vincent took the responsibility on himself to spare ruling the boy's life. Those letters to Theo, his brother, are heartbreaking at times. As to Steinbeck, while The Grapes of Wrath is generally considered de rigeur, his other major novel, East of Eden, is my favorite. His shorter works are all readable and excellent, but East of Eden soars.
People give German a bad name 😂 But in my opinion it's great, the pronunciation has clear rules, EVERYTHING has rules and they stick to them lol. English is the first foreign language I've learned and German is the second, though I'm in no way as fluent; I love listening to German audiobooks though 🥰
Hi Emmie I stumbled upon your booktube channel & enjoy your reviews so much!! ( did you say there is another booktube review channel that you recommend called jadey reads? or Jadeyrae reads?) thanks so much!!
i also used to not be a big van gogh fan, but learning the story of his life has added a whole new appreciation of his work to me. he is known for being mentally ill and often used as an example of the "mad artist" kind of trope, where you have to be crazy to be a genius, but the reality is that van gogh made most of his best work and was happiest when he was in recovery or a respite period from the struggles he faced in his mental health. he had a lot of hope and zeal for life, and for painting! painting painting painting!! the way that he talks about art is like nobody else - not pretentious in any way, but a simple and repeated vow that it is what he is meant to do with his life, and that it makes him feel like his existence is worthwhile. obviously he was not a perfect person, even beyond his mental health issues, but I have come to appreciate him so much more beyond just his infamy for "stary night". if you're curious some of my favorite pieces of his include green wheat & irises :) and the movie loving vincent is phenomenal!
Literally dropped what i was doing (reading Agatha Christie) to watch this. I can’t believe you found hard boiled wonderland in the old cover! Ive been looking for it for ages!
Everyone was expecting Garcia Marquez to fallout after winning the Nobel prize for 100 years of solitude (which is usually what happens to authors who win) but then he wrote Love in the times of Cholera right after and proved everyone wrong haha I've read two other novels besides those (Chronicle of a death foretold and Of Love and Other Demons) and they are all 5 stars for me
Little bit about “Doctor Zhivago”. I’m Russian, and I just recently read Doctor Zhivago. And I had a hard time understanding what was going on in some parts, because I’m not 100% familiar with the history of Russian Revolution. So I had to google everything, and read it before I could continue to read Doctor Zhivago. So, I would really suggest for you to read a history first, then you will understand better what is happening in the book. The love story in the book is soo touching, soo amazing! And also the author Boris Pasternak is a poet. That’s why he didn’t really write fiction. At the end of the book you’ll see his/doctor Zhivago’s poetry.
My grandmother loved that movie, so what more do you need to know? She would sometimes sing "Somewhere My Love," and the dog would then join in. I think maybe I learned a little of it on the piano. . . .
My favorite van Gogh is his Irises (not in the vase, the ones out in the field) and I also recommend Starry Night Over the Rhone, which he painted a year before The Starry Night. I think I prefer The Starry Night because it has a sense of movement, but the light on the water in Starry Night Over the Rhone is pretty special too :)
Me receiving a notification on my phone about Emma's new video while resting on bed after a tiring day at work ----> sprints to the kitchen to grab cookies and tea. 🏃♀🥵😁 I'm reading so much more books bc of you and I'm so glad haha right now reading Anne of Green Gables and Heartstopper vol 3. After One Hundred Years of Solitude wanted something light and fun. :) I remember when I started watching you I was overwhelmed bc I was thinking that all of the books that you talk about sound so good but there is no way I'm gonna read all of them so now I'm just enjoying that I can listen to someone talking about smth that I also love and not comparing myself to you. and from time to time I read smth that you have talked about which makes me feel sooo cooool lol :D Great chilling video as always. Have a nice day, Emma!❤
and your German is coming along nicely! Once you've managed a somewhat solid level, you might start reading some kid's literature - Cornelia Funke wrote tons of wonderful magical books in not too complicated German, so that might be worth attempting soon!
@@nikolaiquack8548 oh yeah, inkheart is a definite rec, but that one isn't the easiest - maybe start with a little cozy thing like Hinter verzauberten Fenstern or Wild Chicks, but definitely give her more middle grade/ YA-stuff a try after that
I have a medieval recommendation!! I’m an English lit student and I took a Middle Ages lit class in my first year, I would really recommend the Canterbury tales because it’s all split up into smaller sections and would be easier to dive into as someone who isn’t familiar with the style and language of the period. It’s about a group of people from different classes/professions coming together on a pilgrimage and it focuses on the stories they tell each other on their journey. If you’re in the mood for something funny and don’t mind medieval fart jokes, my favourite story from the Canterbury tales was the Miller’s tale 😇 honestly medieval lit has so much to offer, and reading perspectives from the time really paints such a vibrant picture of these people, way more detailed and heartfelt and COLOURFUL than what pop culture leads you to believe!!
There are some good stories in Canterbury Tales. They do tend to the ribald, but that's okay IMO. Definitely it isn't the worst thing I've ever read, tho tbh I don't think I'd like to teach it. Often when I'm reading Shakespeare I imagine myself lecturing on the play, which I don't do with Chaucer. It may be me only and perhaps there are others would jump at the chance to present their ideas, idk.
Van Gogh was the black sheep of his family. He was a bit of a neet early on in life and his parents disapproved of him. Think Holden Caufield. He couldn't get along very well. Reading his biography by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith now. He eventually got into painting but well before that he worked in publishing, printing and art sales. He struggled in life, not just financially.
This was so wonderful to come home from work to! Love hearing what you're reading! Still working on Solitude--loving it! What's really amazing is the fact that English of course is not the original language so we're all reading a translation and yet it's still so lyrical and beautifully expressed. That's the mark of great literature! Have a great day, Emma!
Yeah, I'm nearly done rereading Solitude. The first time I didn't notice the structure - largely because I was less familiar with the Bible then - but now I hear reverberations of the Adam and Eve story. I think that adds something to a story that otherwise is sometimes bizarre to the point of comedy (as perhaps is the Book of Genesis?). Additionally, the reread has reinforced my notions of Magical Realism, which is essentially Realism plus the occasional miracle to avoid pointless tragedy.
Personally I think Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World is Murakami’s best book. I think he’s at his best when he leans into writing more fantastical stories and settings.
Like Water for Chocolate is such a great book and the movie is beautiful, too! I read it a few years ago and the story has stuck with me ever since. Excited to hear your thoughts!
The only other significant thing I've read from Marquez is No One Writes to the Colonel, which is a fair bit more mundane in tone than One Hundred Years of Solitude, but it is quite beautiful in its own right. Also I caught a reference to it in One Hundred Years of Solitude just yesterday (the bit when Colonel Aureliano Buendia gets really pissed off and almost starts another war because of the way that the veterans' pensions will all need to be individually approved by a single commission, meaning most of them will be waiting for their pensions for years). Judging by your descriptions I'd probably really like Thomas Wharton, I oughta check him out.
Yeah, the Colonel's presentation is meant to be more realistic than the way we sometime mythologize heroes, like we in North America do to George Washington, who besides having bad teeth loved going to the horse races. I remember reading about Dr. Freud who was constantly fighting with his people about the distribution of credit and royalties.
Cannery Row is such a fun read! I think you'll love it - it's a nice short story that is a great introductory to the writing style and vibe of Steinbeck. It's fun as a California native to know all the places that are mentioned in the book as well!
I have another middle grade book by heather fawcett on my tbr called the school between winter and fairyland only i have it in dutch because i'm trying to learn the language and i asked a friend of mine who lives there to bring me just anything she thought i might like when she visited me and it was this book! i knew nothing about this author before so i'm even more excited now that i know she's winter approved!
Hi Emma! In The General in his Labyrinth, Gabo definitely still has his lyrical, magical voice. It was written some 20 years after 100 Years but I lost myself in it, just the same. By the way, if you ever find yourself drawn more toward short stories, he was an absolute master. In fact, I think his magical realism may be most potent in his shorter works.
Oh, and also Emma, if u like One Hundred Years of Solitude, I think you would also like to read Beauty is a Wound by Eka Kurniawan. It's the same magical realism generational historical fiction stuff except that this book twists the narrative into Indonesian culture and history.
OH! The Snow Child!! I read that this last winter and I adored this book. It was so magical and lovely. The character nuances are just *chefs kiss*. It's a beautiful exploration of parenthood and the Alaskan wilderness. It snows practically the entire book so you don't even necessarily have to wait for winter because the scenery emotes soooooo well lmao I really really really hope you like it.
I loved your description of hoarding winter books. I detest winter, but LOVE winter books. Yes, King County is in Washington. It is where Seattle resides. 😊
📖 Getting ready to open up all the apps ThriftBooks, Goodreads, Amazon, eBay Lmaooo so I can put the ones I like in my cart for the future! 🥰 🗺 📜 Emmie: “I’m Dora” Ich wünsche ihnen einen wunderbaren Tag! 🌙
I read Like Water for Chocolate in high school as an assigned reading, and I LOVED IT, in fact my whole class enjoyed the reading (even the ones who claim to hate reading).
I read Laura's book "Como agua para chocolate" and I really enjoyed it .. I was really proud because it was one of the very first books I read entirely in Spanish without struggling too much.. Too bad I don't have the physical book anymore.. it's apparently kind of a modern classic in Mexican literatu
eeeek okay ever since I filmed a book haul I've been getting into them and tbh you're my inspiration because you always do these massive hauls and they're so FUN. also your glasses are adsorbs
Love your new background and Calcifer's excellent guest appearance in the ad! 🧡 I hope you enjoy Like Water for Chocolate. It's been a while since I've read it but I remember loving the elements of magical realism and the way emotions, cooking, and food are connected. Still longing to try the Chiles en Nogada that appear in the book. Regarding GGM, I definitely think his writing style carries into his other works. I've also read Chronicle of a Death Foretold (one of my favorites), Love in the Time of Cholera, Of Love and Other Demons, and The Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Eréndira and Her Heartless Grandmother (short story collection) and his flawed characters, magical realism, and beautiful writing are there. I haven't read his nonfiction yet, but I'm curious to see if his background as a journalist informed those works. Thank you for all the content, Emma!
I taught Like Water for Chocolate to my seniors this past school year! There were mixed feelings about the magical realism, but everyone was down for the recipes
Theres a hispanic band named La oreja de Van Gogh translates to The ear of Van Gogh. It has nothing to do with the video, but you talking about it reminded me of the band and song Rosas (Roses)
I recently read Chronicle of a Death Foretold and Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor by García Márquez, and they were both great, but I preferred Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor. They’re both super short if you’re looking for some lighter reading from him. I haven’t tackled his longer novels yet, but I definitely intend to!
You enlightened, beautiful soul, creative words, and the owner of beautiful taste. I want to thank you for everything you offer. Really, thank you from my heart. Your high-end ideas and expressive words helped me change my life. I would like to say that you are more wonderful than I say about you.
As a Canadian I have been meaning to read A Fine Balance for years. It won the Booker and Giller prize in the mid-90’s. I have been intimidated by the size. May need to give it a go.
Good call on Thriftbooks! I’ve never used them before, but presently placed an order for 4 books that were on my Amazon wish list forever (I don’t like full retail prices). I also read a library copy of Hard boiled wonderland last month. It was an entertaining book but felt a bit unfinished.. It seems like all of Murakami’s stuff is highly speculative, but this one was just too far out. It also had numerous references to western culture and literature, as if he was trying to throw in as many as possible. He mentioned The Red and the Black, Rudin, Spring Torrents and Lord Jim.. to name a few, lol.
I would recommend you read these two from Gabriel García Márquez: “The incredible and sad tale of innocent Eréndira and her heartless grandmother” (a short story collection) and “Of love and other demons”. Those two are my other faves from him! ☺️
I think you're going to love The Snow Child. Its incredible. I would also recommend her other book 'To The Bright Edge of the World'. Her writing is stunning!
Don't worry about The Snow Child--it's definitely magical realism and it's never 100% clear whether or not she's 100% magical or not, but she does have magical qualities.
Wanted to comment on GGM! I read Love in the Time of Cholera several years ago and didn’t love it due to the plot (just not a storyline I was into) but the writing style is lovely. I recently read Chronicle of a Death Foretold and LOVED it. You know what happens from the beginning and I still had an emotional response to the end.
Yes, I agree. I've read both of those - many years ago - but still remember the spirit of them. Chronicle was published in the first issue of Vanity Fair, and they made a pretty big deal of it. The illustrations were stunning. As for Cholera, I think the final image is one of the most vivid and lasting ones in literature. It's unfortunate that GGMs friendship with Castro, of Cuba, made reading him a political statement. It's a shame bc he's a terrific writer.
The Plant Hunter sounds so interesting. And, oh my ... A Fine Balance broke me . I read it many years ago and have never forgotten it. I hope you enjoy it. It is wonderful.
absolutely been loving watching your videos !!! i recently got 'letters to a young poet' by rilke since you talked about it heheheh !! you just create such a calming atmosphere !!
I’ve spent my whole like thinking Rudyard Kipling was a woman and you referring to ‘him’ in passing absolutely shook me to my core. It’s not even a feminine name, I have no idea where I got the notion from.
I've read seven or eight books by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and I would have to say my favorites are Chronicle of a Death Foretold, One hundred years, and Memories of my Melancholy Whores. The writing is top notch on all of those. My least favorites are The autumn of the patriarch and news of a kidnapping which I found both to be boring.
Hi Emma! Hope you are well. I love that you are doing the books around the world series, which You inspired me to start aswell 🥰 Would be amazing if you upload your list of books in the series please 🤍🤍
I'm currently reading Love in the Time of Cholera and Marquez's style is very present. It's the third work of his and from what I've read I can take an educated guess that his writing style carries throughout his works. Also if you're planning to get into Steinbeck, it may seem like East of Eden is a commitment, but it genuinely has some of the best, most well-written characters I've come across. It also has kind of a similar vibe to a hundred years of solitude.
OMG A fine balance is one of my favorite novels ever . I found accidentally just by goggling indian novels and choose this one . The book is so good . Snow Child ! I read that years ago that was magical . I couldn't recall the authors name I need to re read that . Talking about Winter novels Winters tale by Mark Helperin a magnificent story . East of Eden by Steinbeck is another favorite of mine .
I am German and just wanted to say that your German sounds really really good! And if you ever need or want someone to talk or write German to - hit me up! Lots of love from Lüneburg in Germany!! ☀️☀️
No way, I've been thinking of sending you The Snow Child, but thought it's currently too warm for that. Can't wait to hear your thoughts. It's a good book!
I really want to read kitchen princess (and maybe get into reading manga) but I can’t find it anywhere, unfortunately I also just finished reading Letters to a Young Poet because you made me want to read Rilke and I loved it so much! It’s such an incredible collection of letters (and if his letters are so beautifully written and carry so much meaning, his poems must be divine)
If you liked One hundred years of solitude and you liked it and you want to read Steinbeck, I really do recommend East of Eden. It's amazingly written and it's a family drama. His best book by far. And currently my favorite book, at least for the last 10 years.
Omg no way you posted on my birthday! Anyways i just want to thank u emma for appreciating different literature from all around the world as someone whose both from greece and russia it makes me happy when u read and review stories from there! Hope you enjoy all these amazing books, take care and stay safe!! 💕💕
5:31 Emma, love, that was a weird time to take a pause. Emma: "She wants to hunt him down and cook him" *pauses* Me: *gasps* what???! Emma: "The perfect dessert"
East of Eden by Steinbeck is one of my all time favorite books. Even if you decide you aren’t a huge Steinbeck fan I still recommend trading EoE. Such a good tale of the human condition. Ugh, 👨🏻🍳 💋
Hi! I sent you Butterfly Valley by Inger Christensen. I was not able to leave a note, but I wanted to write that it is a 'sonnet ring', or 'sonetkrans' in Danish, which means that it consists of 14 sonnets where the last line in sonnet 1 is the first line in sonnet 2 and so on. The first lines (or last lines) together form the last and 15th sonnet. It is one of the most beautiful things I've ever read - Inger Christensen is in my opinion the greatest Danish poet of all time (praised by Anne Carson as well). I hope you like it in the translated form!
oh I didn't know that sounds so cool!
is it also Butterfly Valley in danish?
@@theworldof11 Yes! It is directly translated from the Danish title 'Sommerfugledalen'
oh that sounds so cool! My mum grew up near the border to Denmark so all her siblings speak Danish with each other when they don’t want the children to understand 🥲 Improving my Danish is definitely on my bucket list so I might try to read this in Danish one day 😁
Such a great taste in literature!!
@@theworldof11 it’s called “Sommerfugledalen” in Danish which directly translated means the same
The ad was the best thing! Calcifer needs an Oscar for that performance!
Lmfaooo best supporting actor!
Van Gogh's letters are incredibly moving and fascinating (and at moments, heartbreaking) --definitely worth reading!
Yess I think sadly it's more heartbreak and immense empathy than notes on perseverance, but still I agree, definitely worth it
“Like Water for Chocolate” is one of my favorite books, Laura Esquivel wrote MAGIC. It’s actually a very popular and important book in Mexican literature ☺️ There’s also two follow up books to it, one being “Tita’s Diary”. I hope you like it very much, cause we Mexicans LOVE IT. There’s also a movie adaptation of the book, which happens to be pretty close to the book, both are BEAUTIFUL. ☺️
Cuando lo comparo con el manga casi me mato JAJAJ
The movie made me cry so much, I didn't know there was a book. Now I have to find it!!
Hi Emma!! I wanted to include a note with the Steinbeck books but I wasn't able to 😭 these are two of my favorite Steinbecks and I think they're good places to start before you commit to Grapes or Wrath or East of Eden. Also one is west coast and one is east coast so you can see how he handles each place. I hope you enjoy them! Especially Cannery Row since it takes place in my hometown 🙈
go calcifer learning german! he is such a ball of sunshine, i am over the moon for him ;__________; (of course eevee is still my queen, but calcifer is very similar to my cat (only younger) so my heart rejoices whenever is see him).
the letters of van gogh are so heartbreaking. you can see he was really struggling with his art and his mental health, but he was also so hopeful for the future and for being recognised as an artist. my favourite is his brother, he seriously cared so much about him and loved him so much, and he always encouraged him to keep going ;_____;
ahhh look at him in your picture:')
Hey! Just to let you know, most historians don’t use the phrase “the dark ages” to describe the Medieval period, as it isn’t accurate to the time period and refers more to how people viewed the era centuries later :) I’m trying to get used to this as well and my professor always reminds me lol.
Dark Ages still is used, but with maybe more nuance because we have much more evidence of where it wasn’t so dark, but it’s the time BEFORE the Middle Ages / Medieval period. The Dark Ages in Europe run from the Fall of Rome - a moving target c. the 5th century till around the 10th century. Then the Middle Ages run from about 1000 to 1400 / 1500, depending where you are on the continent.
You’re absolutely spot-on with Pasternak, though, because Zhivago essentially was his only big novel. He was beloved as a poet - beloved and poet might as well be the same word in Russian - and a legendary translator of Shakespeare & Goethe. But he wanted to leave a testament to what his generation went through, and not bow to the official glorifying of the Revolution. He succeeded, but it cost him no end of persecution & he died only years after finishing the book. It was smuggled out and published in the west, and after his death continued to cause his wife and family no end of persecution in the USSR.
@@nony_mation Dark Ages for historians, when they first looked closely at things & across long periods, was more of a visibility-into-the-times issue than anything else. So there’s a Dark Age of ancient Greek & Mediterranean history after the end of the Bronze Age - a pretty sudden unraveling of what had been centuries of semi-stable extended and trading cultures. And that period is still mysterious, with many debated theories - by definition, we’re still very much in the dark.
When it came to European historians looking back at the Western Roman Empire, there really wasn’t a mystery about what happened - Rome’s administration unraveled, safe passage became harder, communication and record keeping fell off a relative cliff. And as accurate records became less available things were obviously harder to pin down, harder to see.
One analogy to today might be if the Internet, and all phone communication, and all satellites, and much of record keeping suddenly all went away for, say, three hundred years - we could still keep civilization going, because everything before those inventions would still be here, but people looking back would go “WOW, something really changed there and suddenly it’s a lot harder to know what’s going on with these people.”
Historical periods are always debated. Historians first thought of all the new things that arose in northern Italy in the fourteen hundreds as “THE Rebirth” of European civilization, Then came all the reasonable responses: Well…Byzantium thrived for a long time, and Charlemagne had a nice revival, and Islamic Spain was a wonder, and the 12th century in France certainly looks like a rebirth. The Renaissance wasn’t the only renaissance, but a major one. The ‘dark ages’ weren’t unrelievedly dark, just harder to see into (and, if you lived in a town Vikings frequented - though they often settled as much as raided - still not exactly pleasant. One reason the Middle Ages proper were very different from the Early Middle ages: the Vikings started heading east instead of south, and people could go “holy crap are we glad that’s finally over.”)
Speaking of names, there’s a remarkable extended series on UA-cam called “The Dark Ages - An Age of Light” that goes right to the heart of all these notions - definitely worth checking out. 👍👍
It's thought by some scholars that Vincent's ear was a casualty of him fighting with Gaugin and that his death resulted from a teenager trying to mug him, and Vincent took the responsibility on himself to spare ruling the boy's life. Those letters to Theo, his brother, are heartbreaking at times.
As to Steinbeck, while The Grapes of Wrath is generally considered de rigeur, his other major novel, East of Eden, is my favorite. His shorter works are all readable and excellent, but East of Eden soars.
People give German a bad name 😂 But in my opinion it's great, the pronunciation has clear rules, EVERYTHING has rules and they stick to them lol. English is the first foreign language I've learned and German is the second, though I'm in no way as fluent; I love listening to German audiobooks though 🥰
Your new background is looking so good! Love the content from the new place Emma!
Right?? It’s so her I love it!
thank you Sierra!!
Hi Emmie I stumbled upon your booktube channel & enjoy your reviews so much!! ( did you say there is another booktube review channel that you recommend called jadey reads? or Jadeyrae reads?) thanks so much!!
Before move: huge unhaul
After move: big haul!!! 🥰
i also used to not be a big van gogh fan, but learning the story of his life has added a whole new appreciation of his work to me. he is known for being mentally ill and often used as an example of the "mad artist" kind of trope, where you have to be crazy to be a genius, but the reality is that van gogh made most of his best work and was happiest when he was in recovery or a respite period from the struggles he faced in his mental health. he had a lot of hope and zeal for life, and for painting! painting painting painting!! the way that he talks about art is like nobody else - not pretentious in any way, but a simple and repeated vow that it is what he is meant to do with his life, and that it makes him feel like his existence is worthwhile. obviously he was not a perfect person, even beyond his mental health issues, but I have come to appreciate him so much more beyond just his infamy for "stary night". if you're curious some of my favorite pieces of his include green wheat & irises :) and the movie loving vincent is phenomenal!
A big book haul is just what I needed today! 😍
Like Water for chocolate is magical, heartbreaking and beautifully written. It was an absolute joy to read.
Literally dropped what i was doing (reading Agatha Christie) to watch this. I can’t believe you found hard boiled wonderland in the old cover! Ive been looking for it for ages!
ooh which Christie??? I found it on Thriftbooks! I think they still had a couple!
Everyone was expecting Garcia Marquez to fallout after winning the Nobel prize for 100 years of solitude (which is usually what happens to authors who win) but then he wrote Love in the times of Cholera right after and proved everyone wrong haha I've read two other novels besides those (Chronicle of a death foretold and Of Love and Other Demons) and they are all 5 stars for me
Nobelists often are political but they're always very very good nonetheless.
There is a movie about Van Gogh’s life as a painter called At Eternity’s Gate that is truly truly wonderful and I highly recommend !!
The Snow Child’s plot is very similar to the plot of a Russian (or generally Eastern Slavic?) folk story, Snegurochka
Little bit about “Doctor Zhivago”. I’m Russian, and I just recently read Doctor Zhivago. And I had a hard time understanding what was going on in some parts, because I’m not 100% familiar with the history of Russian Revolution. So I had to google everything, and read it before I could continue to read Doctor Zhivago. So, I would really suggest for you to read a history first, then you will understand better what is happening in the book. The love story in the book is soo touching, soo amazing! And also the author Boris Pasternak is a poet. That’s why he didn’t really write fiction. At the end of the book you’ll see his/doctor Zhivago’s poetry.
My grandmother loved that movie, so what more do you need to know? She would sometimes sing "Somewhere My Love," and the dog would then join in. I think maybe I learned a little of it on the piano. . . .
I read "like water for chocolate' in highschool and really enjoyed it. It was my first experience with magical realism.
My favorite van Gogh is his Irises (not in the vase, the ones out in the field) and I also recommend Starry Night Over the Rhone, which he painted a year before The Starry Night. I think I prefer The Starry Night because it has a sense of movement, but the light on the water in Starry Night Over the Rhone is pretty special too :)
Me receiving a notification on my phone about Emma's new video while resting on bed after a tiring day at work ----> sprints to the kitchen to grab cookies and tea. 🏃♀🥵😁
I'm reading so much more books bc of you and I'm so glad haha
right now reading Anne of Green Gables and Heartstopper vol 3. After One Hundred Years of Solitude wanted something light and fun. :) I remember when I started watching you I was overwhelmed bc I was thinking that all of the books that you talk about sound so good but there is no way I'm gonna read all of them so now I'm just enjoying that I can listen to someone talking about smth that I also love and not comparing myself to you. and from time to time I read smth that you have talked about which makes me feel sooo cooool lol :D
Great chilling video as always. Have a nice day, Emma!❤
I just finished Anne of Green Gables for the first time! So cozy and heartwarming 🥺
I LOVEEE ANNE OF GREEN GABLES!
and your German is coming along nicely! Once you've managed a somewhat solid level, you might start reading some kid's literature - Cornelia Funke wrote tons of wonderful magical books in not too complicated German, so that might be worth attempting soon!
I second this. Loved the inkheart series as a kid.
@@nikolaiquack8548 oh yeah, inkheart is a definite rec, but that one isn't the easiest - maybe start with a little cozy thing like Hinter verzauberten Fenstern or Wild Chicks, but definitely give her more middle grade/ YA-stuff a try after that
@@caerrie That's totally fair. I haven't read as much Funke tbf. I'm sure your recommendations are quite well selected :)
ah that's such a good idea - maybe even Kerstin Gier!!
"she wants to hunt him down and cook him **takes a breath**the perfect desert." you almost got me there 👀
the alternate version lol
I have a medieval recommendation!! I’m an English lit student and I took a Middle Ages lit class in my first year, I would really recommend the Canterbury tales because it’s all split up into smaller sections and would be easier to dive into as someone who isn’t familiar with the style and language of the period. It’s about a group of people from different classes/professions coming together on a pilgrimage and it focuses on the stories they tell each other on their journey. If you’re in the mood for something funny and don’t mind medieval fart jokes, my favourite story from the Canterbury tales was the Miller’s tale 😇 honestly medieval lit has so much to offer, and reading perspectives from the time really paints such a vibrant picture of these people, way more detailed and heartfelt and COLOURFUL than what pop culture leads you to believe!!
There are some good stories in Canterbury Tales. They do tend to the ribald, but that's okay IMO. Definitely it isn't the worst thing I've ever read, tho tbh I don't think I'd like to teach it. Often when I'm reading Shakespeare I imagine myself lecturing on the play, which I don't do with Chaucer. It may be me only and perhaps there are others would jump at the chance to present their ideas, idk.
Van Gogh was the black sheep of his family. He was a bit of a neet early on in life and his parents disapproved of him. Think Holden Caufield. He couldn't get along very well. Reading his biography by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith now. He eventually got into painting but well before that he worked in publishing, printing and art sales. He struggled in life, not just financially.
Like Water for Chocolate is so, so good! You're gonna love it, Emma!
After reading The Snow Child, I want to read more from Eowyn Ivey but so surprised to know that she’s only written two books! Loved, loved this book.
This was so wonderful to come home from work to! Love hearing what you're reading! Still working on Solitude--loving it! What's really amazing is the fact that English of course is not the original language so we're all reading a translation and yet it's still so lyrical and beautifully expressed. That's the mark of great literature! Have a great day, Emma!
Yeah, I'm nearly done rereading Solitude. The first time I didn't notice the structure - largely because I was less familiar with the Bible then - but now I hear reverberations of the Adam and Eve story. I think that adds something to a story that otherwise is sometimes bizarre to the point of comedy (as perhaps is the Book of Genesis?). Additionally, the reread has reinforced my notions of Magical Realism, which is essentially Realism plus the occasional miracle to avoid pointless tragedy.
Personally I think Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World is Murakami’s best book. I think he’s at his best when he leans into writing more fantastical stories and settings.
Seconded! It is my favorite by him for sure.
@@YaniqueSGillana that one is my favourite too! the two "worlds" are so fun to read.
I trust you so much that you’re the only person who’s ads I don’t skip
Like Water for Chocolate is such a great book and the movie is beautiful, too! I read it a few years ago and the story has stuck with me ever since. Excited to hear your thoughts!
I love that Doctor WHO episode where they take him to the future at the end 😍🥹
The only other significant thing I've read from Marquez is No One Writes to the Colonel, which is a fair bit more mundane in tone than One Hundred Years of Solitude, but it is quite beautiful in its own right. Also I caught a reference to it in One Hundred Years of Solitude just yesterday (the bit when Colonel Aureliano Buendia gets really pissed off and almost starts another war because of the way that the veterans' pensions will all need to be individually approved by a single commission, meaning most of them will be waiting for their pensions for years).
Judging by your descriptions I'd probably really like Thomas Wharton, I oughta check him out.
Yeah, the Colonel's presentation is meant to be more realistic than the way we sometime mythologize heroes, like we in North America do to George Washington, who besides having bad teeth loved going to the horse races. I remember reading about Dr. Freud who was constantly fighting with his people about the distribution of credit and royalties.
Cannery Row is such a fun read! I think you'll love it - it's a nice short story that is a great introductory to the writing style and vibe of Steinbeck. It's fun as a California native to know all the places that are mentioned in the book as well!
Gabriel garcia’s writing is wonderful throughout his works. Love in the time of cholera is beautiful just like 100 years
god like water for chocolate is absolutely unhinged i love it so much
I have another middle grade book by heather fawcett on my tbr called the school between winter and fairyland only i have it in dutch because i'm trying to learn the language and i asked a friend of mine who lives there to bring me just anything she thought i might like when she visited me and it was this book! i knew nothing about this author before so i'm even more excited now that i know she's winter approved!
Hi Emma! In The General in his Labyrinth, Gabo definitely still has his lyrical, magical voice. It was written some 20 years after 100 Years but I lost myself in it, just the same. By the way, if you ever find yourself drawn more toward short stories, he was an absolute master. In fact, I think his magical realism may be most potent in his shorter works.
Oh, and also Emma, if u like One Hundred Years of Solitude, I think you would also like to read Beauty is a Wound by Eka Kurniawan. It's the same magical realism generational historical fiction stuff except that this book twists the narrative into Indonesian culture and history.
ooh gonna go add that to my ever growing list now, thank you for the recommendation!
OH! The Snow Child!! I read that this last winter and I adored this book. It was so magical and lovely. The character nuances are just *chefs kiss*. It's a beautiful exploration of parenthood and the Alaskan wilderness. It snows practically the entire book so you don't even necessarily have to wait for winter because the scenery emotes soooooo well lmao I really really really hope you like it.
I weeped while reading "A Fine Balance"! Not surprising, because I picked this from a list of books that made you cry!
I loved your description of hoarding winter books. I detest winter, but LOVE winter books.
Yes, King County is in Washington. It is where Seattle resides. 😊
📖 Getting ready to open up all the apps ThriftBooks, Goodreads, Amazon, eBay Lmaooo so I can put the ones I like in my cart for the future! 🥰
🗺 📜 Emmie: “I’m Dora”
Ich wünsche ihnen einen wunderbaren Tag! 🌙
I actually have a couple of Thriftbooks orders coming today! lol
@@LexieMoon321 hahaha same I ordered a couple of classics like 4 days ago! 😅😂
Lmfaooo literally same! My wallet isn’t ready but I am! 😂
@@khalilahd. ain’t that the truth! 😅
I read Like Water for Chocolate in high school as an assigned reading, and I LOVED IT, in fact my whole class enjoyed the reading (even the ones who claim to hate reading).
I love Like Water for Chocolate! I read it for a class and it is so beautiful and funny and just emotional. Definitely worth the read.
5:33 "and she wants to hunt him down and cook him" is what i heard bc of the pauses during the sentences
that would be quite a different manga lmao
bless you for dealing w all the traffuc sounds all the time omg
I read Laura's book "Como agua para chocolate" and I really enjoyed it .. I was really proud because it was one of the very first books I read entirely in Spanish without struggling too much.. Too bad I don't have the physical book anymore.. it's apparently kind of a modern classic in Mexican literatu
eeeek okay ever since I filmed a book haul I've been getting into them and tbh you're my inspiration because you always do these massive hauls and they're so FUN. also your glasses are adsorbs
a fine balance is one of the most incredible books i’ve read, it lowkey broke me and i haven’t recovered but it is so worth it lmaoo
❄In Russian tradition "a snow child" is a girl called Snegurochka, she is a granddaughter of Ded Moroz (Father Frost) ❄
Love your new background and Calcifer's excellent guest appearance in the ad! 🧡
I hope you enjoy Like Water for Chocolate. It's been a while since I've read it but I remember loving the elements of magical realism and the way emotions, cooking, and food are connected. Still longing to try the Chiles en Nogada that appear in the book.
Regarding GGM, I definitely think his writing style carries into his other works. I've also read Chronicle of a Death Foretold (one of my favorites), Love in the Time of Cholera, Of Love and Other Demons, and The Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Eréndira and Her Heartless Grandmother (short story collection) and his flawed characters, magical realism, and beautiful writing are there. I haven't read his nonfiction yet, but I'm curious to see if his background as a journalist informed those works.
Thank you for all the content, Emma!
I taught Like Water for Chocolate to my seniors this past school year! There were mixed feelings about the magical realism, but everyone was down for the recipes
I really love the snail with the skull shell!😍
Hadn't realized. Lovely combination! 😅
“I’m Dora” 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Theres a hispanic band named La oreja de Van Gogh translates to The ear of Van Gogh. It has nothing to do with the video, but you talking about it reminded me of the band and song Rosas (Roses)
I recently read Chronicle of a Death Foretold and Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor by García Márquez, and they were both great, but I preferred Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor. They’re both super short if you’re looking for some lighter reading from him. I haven’t tackled his longer novels yet, but I definitely intend to!
20:30 omg thats literally the plot of one russian fairy tale!!!!! the fairytale about snegurochka (the ice maiden) !!
You enlightened, beautiful soul, creative words, and the owner of beautiful taste. I want to thank you for everything you offer. Really, thank you from my heart. Your high-end ideas and expressive words helped me change my life. I would like to say that you are more wonderful than I say about you.
Am I the only one who thinks Emma is the grown up version of Matilda?
!!!! Oh my god, so happy to see you’ve picked up Cockroaches. One of the most startling novels I’ve ever read.
My wallet isn’t ready but I am! also Calcifer did his THING in that ad! Best supporting actor hands down 👏🏽😅
True 😂
Like Water For Chocolate is on my top 5 of all time list. It's a lovely and moving story.
This book haul batch is so satisfying for the eyes. Such stunning covers!
I adore the background, it’s giving me studio ghibli vibes xx
I feel THE SAME about winter books.
Calcifer’s German is 👌
@ * e m m i e *, congrats on your pronunciation! "Mein Name ist Emma", that sounded really good :))) and the Grüezi had me giggling, so sweet!
i've always wanted to read a fine balance! it sounds sooo amazing
you're making me want to get to murakami again, i haven't read him in over a year
As a Canadian I have been meaning to read A Fine Balance for years. It won the Booker and Giller prize in the mid-90’s. I have been intimidated by the size. May need to give it a go.
Good call on Thriftbooks! I’ve never used them before, but presently placed an order for 4 books that were on my Amazon wish list forever (I don’t like full retail prices).
I also read a library copy of Hard boiled wonderland last month. It was an entertaining book but felt a bit unfinished.. It seems like all of Murakami’s stuff is highly speculative, but this one was just too far out. It also had numerous references to western culture and literature, as if he was trying to throw in as many as possible. He mentioned The Red and the Black, Rudin, Spring Torrents and Lord Jim.. to name a few, lol.
Don't we just love Emma's *smol* voice when her partner comes home 🙈 Also, always LOVE a big book haul!
I would recommend you read these two from Gabriel García Márquez: “The incredible and sad tale of innocent Eréndira and her heartless grandmother” (a short story collection) and “Of love and other demons”. Those two are my other faves from him! ☺️
I think you're going to love The Snow Child. Its incredible. I would also recommend her other book 'To The Bright Edge of the World'. Her writing is stunning!
calcifer now being part of the ads is so wholesome 🥹
Don't worry about The Snow Child--it's definitely magical realism and it's never 100% clear whether or not she's 100% magical or not, but she does have magical qualities.
ah amazing to hear!
Wanted to comment on GGM! I read Love in the Time of Cholera several years ago and didn’t love it due to the plot (just not a storyline I was into) but the writing style is lovely. I recently read Chronicle of a Death Foretold and LOVED it. You know what happens from the beginning and I still had an emotional response to the end.
Yes, I agree. I've read both of those - many years ago - but still remember the spirit of them. Chronicle was published in the first issue of Vanity Fair, and they made a pretty big deal of it. The illustrations were stunning. As for Cholera, I think the final image is one of the most vivid and lasting ones in literature. It's unfortunate that GGMs friendship with Castro, of Cuba, made reading him a political statement. It's a shame bc he's a terrific writer.
The Plant Hunter sounds so interesting. And, oh my ... A Fine Balance broke me . I read it many years ago and have never forgotten it. I hope you enjoy it. It is wonderful.
absolutely been loving watching your videos !!! i recently got 'letters to a young poet' by rilke since you talked about it heheheh !! you just create such a calming atmosphere !!
ahh you got Rilke!!! cannot wait to hear your thoughts - that means the world to me!
If you're interested in Steinbeck, you have to read East of Eden! It's my favorite book ❤️
Cannery Row has definitely been my favorite Steinbeck so far, I wasn't a huge fan til I read it! I highly recommend reading it--super easy and moving!
I’ve spent my whole like thinking Rudyard Kipling was a woman and you referring to ‘him’ in passing absolutely shook me to my core.
It’s not even a feminine name, I have no idea where I got the notion from.
I love short funny stories 😁
I've read seven or eight books by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and I would have to say my favorites are Chronicle of a Death Foretold, One hundred years, and Memories of my Melancholy Whores. The writing is top notch on all of those. My least favorites are The autumn of the patriarch and news of a kidnapping which I found both to be boring.
Another book haul by Emma and I'm screaming on top of my lungs ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Hi Emma! Hope you are well. I love that you are doing the books around the world series, which You inspired me to start aswell 🥰 Would be amazing if you upload your list of books in the series please 🤍🤍
I'm currently reading Love in the Time of Cholera and Marquez's style is very present. It's the third work of his and from what I've read I can take an educated guess that his writing style carries throughout his works. Also if you're planning to get into Steinbeck, it may seem like East of Eden is a commitment, but it genuinely has some of the best, most well-written characters I've come across. It also has kind of a similar vibe to a hundred years of solitude.
OMG A fine balance is one of my favorite novels ever . I found accidentally just by goggling indian novels and choose this one . The book is so good . Snow Child ! I read that years ago that was magical . I couldn't recall the authors name I need to re read that . Talking about Winter novels Winters tale by Mark Helperin a magnificent story . East of Eden by Steinbeck is another favorite of mine .
I am German and just wanted to say that your German sounds really really good! And if you ever need or want someone to talk or write German to - hit me up!
Lots of love from Lüneburg in Germany!! ☀️☀️
That edition of Doctor Zhivago is beautiful! I love those snowflakes on the cover
No way, I've been thinking of sending you The Snow Child, but thought it's currently too warm for that. Can't wait to hear your thoughts. It's a good book!
That is the most beautiful book haul. Many darn pretty books Enjoy!
Your German actually sounds really natural to me. Great pronunciation and the sound of your voice somehow just fits.
I really want to read kitchen princess (and maybe get into reading manga) but I can’t find it anywhere, unfortunately
I also just finished reading Letters to a Young Poet because you made me want to read Rilke and I loved it so much! It’s such an incredible collection of letters (and if his letters are so beautifully written and carry so much meaning, his poems must be divine)
Same
If you liked One hundred years of solitude and you liked it and you want to read Steinbeck, I really do recommend East of Eden. It's amazingly written and it's a family drama. His best book by far. And currently my favorite book, at least for the last 10 years.
Omg no way you posted on my birthday! Anyways i just want to thank u emma for appreciating different literature from all around the world as someone whose both from greece and russia it makes me happy when u read and review stories from there! Hope you enjoy all these amazing books, take care and stay safe!! 💕💕
happy birthday Maria!!! Hope you've had the loveliest day so far
Appreciating the level of detail you are giving Murakami
5:31 Emma, love, that was a weird time to take a pause.
Emma: "She wants to hunt him down and cook him"
*pauses*
Me: *gasps* what???!
Emma: "The perfect dessert"
East of Eden by Steinbeck is one of my all time favorite books. Even if you decide you aren’t a huge Steinbeck fan I still recommend trading EoE. Such a good tale of the human condition. Ugh, 👨🏻🍳 💋
Deine deutsche Aussprache ist super ❤️