Good morning Greg, another great video. I am so glad to hear that Jamie is doing well and that you had a great reading week (yay🎉). I am so happy you didn’t give up on “The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois”! It was on of my favorite read of 2021! I loved, loved, loved this book! Miss Jeffers is an awesome writer. I went through a range of emotions while reading this book. It was a book that stuck with me. It felt authentic and I was really vested. All parts were necessary and the end result was well worth it. I also cried after reading it. There were so many layers in this book, just as there are in us. I really appreciated this because we are complicated and multidimensional. You make me want to read this book again now. Your enthusiasm is so infectious! “Yellowface” is on my TBR. It is an upcoming book club pick and I am looking forward to reading. I am currently reading “The Secret Book of Flora Lea” by Patti Callahan Henry. I hope you have a great week this week! Thanks again for this video.
I'm so glad you also loved Love Songs! I feel like I didn't even do it justice because there is so much to talk about with that book that it's impossible to fit it into one Friday Reads video. Just a staggering achievement. I look forward to your thoughts on The Secret Book of Flora Lea.
I have copies of both Love Songs and Yellowface and after your reviews I am really excited about reading. I have to say I am in awe of Kuang and her ability to discuss significant issues in an easily digestible fashion, such as the damage British colonialism created in her book Babel. I am currently working on logging the books in my collection, I am a bit of a book magpie, anytime I see something shiny and new I buy and read and forget about the books I purchased on my last shopping trip, so I told myself I can read a new purchase after reading a dated one. I am currently reading The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry ( I do love that Victorian novel trope). Enjoy your weekend away!
I have just discovered your podcast or vlog, and I love it! I loved Demon Copperhead, too. I can't wait to read Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois. Thank you for all your reviews. I'm also a dog lover. Diane Reynolds Meridian, Mississippi
So glad you had such a good reading week. I agree with you Love Songs was such an amazing book and fast paced surprisingly. I'm reading Yellowface now and it's interesting so far. I haven't read the Grapes of Wrath yet but maybe I'll read the Sanora book.
You made me want to read “love songs” so I just checked on Amazon here in Japan and found a hardcover copy for about 8 dollars! I don’t know why this new copy is marked down so much, but looking forward to reading it. Sending positive energy for your recovering loved one.
"Love Songs" was one of my favorites of 2021 and I would have loved for it to win the Pulitzer last year. "Yellowface" is Roxane Gay's book club pick this month. Your take is interesting. I'm a teacher almost on Summer Break, and I'm getting ready to start "The Covenant of Water" which I'm excited about even with the 736 pages. Thanks for your book talks!
Absolutely LOVED all your thoughts about Love Songs! I've been waiting for you to get back to it 'cause I KNEW you'd love it!!! It's definitely one of my favorite books of all time... I'll be re-reading it at some point but I have to buy another one because I lent my copy to someone and never got it back --- arrrgh!, I hate it when that happens! Anyway, I'm SOOO happy you enjoyed it! I "sailed through it" as well - I couldn't help myself, it was just too good to put down!
I just picked up Yellowface at Target and I'm excited to read it for AAPI month. I love messy, unlikeable female lead characters so it seems up my alley. I also added Whose Names are Unknown to my TBR so thank you for bringing that to my attention.
Love Songs has seemingly been overlooked for so many prizes. I thought it should have definitely been longlisted for Women's Prize. For me, it felt like the story of the US told through the eyes of those least likely to be centred in traditional nation building narrative - black and indigenous women.
Love Songs was so good, top 10 all time for me and you really did it justice (even though there’s no way you actually can because there’s so much in there). I finished The Times of Our Singing but haven’t got on to the Netanyahu’s. My library got “Small Things Like These” and “Trespasses” so I’m doing them first.
There are so many things about Love Songs I didn't talk about here. It does so many things so well! I hope you enjoy Small Things Like These and Trespasses.
I really need to dust W.E.B. Dubois off my shelf😊 glad it picks up in the last half. I also want to read E.M. Forster. Did you know “My Policeman” by Bethan Robert’s was inspired by his life? I liked the book but didn’t love it. I’m reading Trespasses and so far I’m loving it.
I was so excited about My Policeman when I heard about the connection last year, and then the movie adaptation’s reviews were bad and I started hearing some negative things about the book. I’ll still read it, but the urgency slowed way down.
Good morning. I finally read Foster by Claire Keegan. I really enjoyed it but I have so many questions. Maybe that was the point. I also read a current event book. I am reading The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh. It is YA. It's a beautiful story about Ukraine and the people. I want to read The Love Songs. I have the hardback copy. It's too heavy so I think I need the paperback. A mysterious person sent me a copy of The Covenant of Water. I think that is my next book though it is a very heavy hardback book. I read the Women's Prize long list so I am eager to see the winner. Hope you have a good week.
I haven’t read a Verghese book and I feel a bit like I’m missing out. The hardcover of Love Songs is definitely heavy. Even the paperback got a little awkward to hold toward the end. But it’s so good! I’ll have to check out The Lost Year.
May has a been a REALLY SLOW reading month so far. I have been reading "Trespasses" by Louise Kennedy, but very slowly, even though I like it quite a bit. I took both "Trust" and "Demon Copperhead" out of my library, so I hope to get to them next!
The story behind _Whose Names Are Unknown_ is fascinating, and frustrating. I will look out for it. _Night of the Living Rez_ has been on my TBR so I suppose that should keep priority. I feel about books about the publishing world the way I feel about books about an English professor: I’d rather not…
Listened to Yellowface this week as well, and like you found the audiobook a lot of fun and unputtdownable. I really liked the commentary on the publishing industry, public conversation and perception of the issues and how in the end Song could just imagine how she would come out of the whole mess as the winner. I was wondering if that book would have the same impact (or familiarity with the discussion) for people outside of the bookish (online) world - you know average readers, who are not online talking about books, but just buying and reading them. Would the enjoy / understand the book as we do?
That's an interesting question. I think since the idea of cultural appropriation and cancel culture has been so centered for a while now, more casual readers do have an access point. They just might not get as much glee out of it.
Well, they say you learn something new every day: palimpsest is today’s thing. 😂 I’m overjoyed for you that your extended journey with Love Songs paid off so richly. I have to say I don’t think it’s for me. But who knows? Maybe some day.
I mentioned earlier when Joel talked of his love of Dust Bowl literature the book Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. It’s a Newbery Award winner and is done as a novel in verse, and the audio book version is two hours. It’s beautiful and heartbreaking and has one of the most brutal scenes in a children’s book that I’ve read and I think is very much the equivalent of Grapes of Wrath for children, which you might find interesting to read.
by the way did you see this? PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection For an author whose debut collection of short stories represents distinguished literary achievement and suggests great promise for future work. Winner: Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty
I would also recommend Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou about cultural appropriation, representation but from the side of academia as opposed to publishing a little uneven but enjoyable and enlightening
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Good morning Greg, another great video. I am so glad to hear that Jamie is doing well and that you had a great reading week (yay🎉). I am so happy you didn’t give up on “The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois”! It was on of my favorite read of 2021! I loved, loved, loved this book! Miss Jeffers is an awesome writer. I went through a range of emotions while reading this book. It was a book that stuck with me. It felt authentic and I was really vested. All parts were necessary and the end result was well worth it. I also cried after reading it. There were so many layers in this book, just as there are in us. I really appreciated this because we are complicated and multidimensional. You make me want to read this book again now. Your enthusiasm is so infectious! “Yellowface” is on my TBR. It is an upcoming book club pick and I am looking forward to reading. I am currently reading “The Secret Book of Flora Lea” by Patti Callahan Henry. I hope you have a great week this week! Thanks again for this video.
I'm so glad you also loved Love Songs! I feel like I didn't even do it justice because there is so much to talk about with that book that it's impossible to fit it into one Friday Reads video. Just a staggering achievement. I look forward to your thoughts on The Secret Book of Flora Lea.
Love Songs is absolutely a favorite! It should be required reading. Sooooo many topics to discuss
I feel like I didn't even scratch the surface when it comes to discussing Love Songs.
So glad you loved “love songs” it’s fantastic and heartbreaking.
It really is!
Your review of Love Songs is excellent and reminded me of why I loved it. I'm so glad you loved it, too.
I’m so glad you also loved it!
I have copies of both Love Songs and Yellowface and after your reviews I am really excited about reading. I have to say I am in awe of Kuang and her ability to discuss significant issues in an easily digestible fashion, such as the damage British colonialism created in her book Babel. I am currently working on logging the books in my collection, I am a bit of a book magpie, anytime I see something shiny and new I buy and read and forget about the books I purchased on my last shopping trip, so I told myself I can read a new purchase after reading a dated one. I am currently reading The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry ( I do love that Victorian novel trope). Enjoy your weekend away!
Thanks! I’ve heard good things about The Essex Serpent. I would be curious to try more of Kuang’s books.
Thanks Greg. Just bought Love Songs and added to my tbr
I hope you love it as much as I did!
I'm really excited about Yellowface. I want to read Love Songs but haven't yet because if the length but I need to sooner.
I'm obviously biased but I really loved Love Songs.
Stopping the video to say: you finished Love Songs?!?!?! 🥳 Woo HOO!!!!!!! Okay, back to watching …
About time, right??
I have just discovered your podcast or vlog, and I love it! I loved Demon Copperhead, too. I can't wait to read Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois. Thank you for all your reviews. I'm also a dog lover.
Diane Reynolds
Meridian, Mississippi
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you also loved Demon Copperhead (and are a fellow dog lover).
So glad you had such a good reading week. I agree with you Love Songs was such an amazing book and fast paced surprisingly. I'm reading Yellowface now and it's interesting so far. I haven't read the Grapes of Wrath yet but maybe I'll read the Sanora book.
I definitely recommend Sanora Babb’s book-even if as a companion to Grapes of Wrath.
You made me want to read “love songs” so I just checked on Amazon here in Japan and found a hardcover copy for about 8 dollars! I don’t know why this new copy is marked down so much, but looking forward to reading it. Sending positive energy for your recovering loved one.
I wonder if it's marked down so much because a paperback version has been released for a year now. I hope you love it!
"Love Songs" was one of my favorites of 2021 and I would have loved for it to win the Pulitzer last year. "Yellowface" is Roxane Gay's book club pick this month. Your take is interesting. I'm a teacher almost on Summer Break, and I'm getting ready to start "The Covenant of Water" which I'm excited about even with the 736 pages. Thanks for your book talks!
A Pulitzer win for Love Songs would have been incredible (and, in my opinion, correct). I look forward to your thoughts on Covenant of Water.
Absolutely LOVED all your thoughts about Love Songs! I've been waiting for you to get back to it 'cause I KNEW you'd love it!!! It's definitely one of my favorite books of all time... I'll be re-reading it at some point but I have to buy another one because I lent my copy to someone and never got it back --- arrrgh!, I hate it when that happens! Anyway, I'm SOOO happy you enjoyed it! I "sailed through it" as well - I couldn't help myself, it was just too good to put down!
I knew I would love it, too--and I'm so glad I finally finished it!
I just picked up Yellowface at Target and I'm excited to read it for AAPI month. I love messy, unlikeable female lead characters so it seems up my alley. I also added Whose Names are Unknown to my TBR so thank you for bringing that to my attention.
I hope you like Whose Names Are Unknown as much as I did! Yellowface was a fun read.
Love Songs has seemingly been overlooked for so many prizes. I thought it should have definitely been longlisted for Women's Prize. For me, it felt like the story of the US told through the eyes of those least likely to be centred in traditional nation building narrative - black and indigenous women.
The Women's Prize snub of Love Songs is the most baffling to me. I just don't understand it.
Love Songs was so good, top 10 all time for me and you really did it justice (even though there’s no way you actually can because there’s so much in there). I finished The Times of Our Singing but haven’t got on to the Netanyahu’s. My library got “Small Things Like These” and “Trespasses” so I’m doing them first.
There are so many things about Love Songs I didn't talk about here. It does so many things so well! I hope you enjoy Small Things Like These and Trespasses.
I really need to dust W.E.B. Dubois off my shelf😊 glad it picks up in the last half. I also want to read E.M. Forster. Did you know “My Policeman” by Bethan Robert’s was inspired by his life? I liked the book but didn’t love it.
I’m reading Trespasses and so far I’m loving it.
I was so excited about My Policeman when I heard about the connection last year, and then the movie adaptation’s reviews were bad and I started hearing some negative things about the book. I’ll still read it, but the urgency slowed way down.
Good morning. I finally read Foster by Claire Keegan. I really enjoyed it but I have so many questions. Maybe that was the point. I also read a current event book. I am reading The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh. It is YA. It's a beautiful story about Ukraine and the people. I want to read The Love Songs. I have the hardback copy. It's too heavy so I think I need the paperback. A mysterious person sent me a copy of The Covenant of Water. I think that is my next book though it is a very heavy hardback book. I read the Women's Prize long list so I am eager to see the winner. Hope you have a good week.
I haven’t read a Verghese book and I feel a bit like I’m missing out. The hardcover of Love Songs is definitely heavy. Even the paperback got a little awkward to hold toward the end. But it’s so good! I’ll have to check out The Lost Year.
May has a been a REALLY SLOW reading month so far. I have been reading "Trespasses" by Louise Kennedy, but very slowly, even though I like it quite a bit. I took both "Trust" and "Demon Copperhead" out of my library, so I hope to get to them next!
Ahhh I can’t wait for your thoughts on Demon and Trust. I’ve had slow months this year as well. It can be frustrating.
The story behind _Whose Names Are Unknown_ is fascinating, and frustrating. I will look out for it. _Night of the Living Rez_ has been on my TBR so I suppose that should keep priority. I feel about books about the publishing world the way I feel about books about an English professor: I’d rather not…
😂 Fair enough!
Listened to Yellowface this week as well, and like you found the audiobook a lot of fun and unputtdownable. I really liked the commentary on the publishing industry, public conversation and perception of the issues and how in the end Song could just imagine how she would come out of the whole mess as the winner. I was wondering if that book would have the same impact (or familiarity with the discussion) for people outside of the bookish (online) world - you know average readers, who are not online talking about books, but just buying and reading them. Would the enjoy / understand the book as we do?
That's an interesting question. I think since the idea of cultural appropriation and cancel culture has been so centered for a while now, more casual readers do have an access point. They just might not get as much glee out of it.
Wow! You had a great reading week! I am pumped to read Love Songs after hearing this! Love that Joel fixed your holder. ❤️🤩
He's a good one! ❤️
I agree with everything you said about Yellowface. It was fun to read.
I’m glad you liked it!
Great review of The Love Songs of WEB DuBois I have not read it.
Going to stop before you review Yellow Face because I want to read it.
I look forward to your thoughts on Yellowface once you read it!
your T-shirt is awesome ( رهيييب🤩)
Thank you so much!
Read what you can do about that rooster in Roald Dahl’s ‘Danny the Champion of the World’. 😉
😂
Well, they say you learn something new every day: palimpsest is today’s thing. 😂 I’m overjoyed for you that your extended journey with Love Songs paid off so richly. I have to say I don’t think it’s for me. But who knows? Maybe some day.
Palimpsest was my favorite "smart word" when I was in my early twenties. 😉
I mentioned earlier when Joel talked of his love of Dust Bowl literature the book Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. It’s a Newbery Award winner and is done as a novel in verse, and the audio book version is two hours. It’s beautiful and heartbreaking and has one of the most brutal scenes in a children’s book that I’ve read and I think is very much the equivalent of Grapes of Wrath for children, which you might find interesting to read.
We have it on our list! I distracted him by throwing Sanora Babb in his way first. 😂🤣
Love you for using palimpsest.
That was my favorite smart-sounding word when I was in my twenties. 😉
by the way did you see this? PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection
For an author whose debut collection of short stories represents distinguished literary achievement and suggests great promise for future work.
Winner: Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty
I did see that! I was so excited that it won.
If you audiobook Room with a View, you will race through it. Very short. Lyrical. Easy.
I’ve read it before and I’m really looking forward to a reread (in whichever format I get to).
I would also recommend Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou about cultural appropriation, representation but from the side of academia as opposed to publishing a little uneven but enjoyable and enlightening
Thanks for the recommendation!
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