Best book of January for me was Wuthering Heights. By far the best book I've read in probably the last 8 years or so - I was shocked how much I liked it!
My favorite book that I finished in January was Dark Matter. I’m about halfway through Red Rising right now, so that’s a strong contender for February already!
You MUST read recursion by author of dark matter. I finished book in 8 hours of reading it was the best book I've read in forever. Note: not the most literary but the most fun
Seven books in January! Wow that is amazing. I love to read but I’m supper slow. It’s all good. Like you say it is not a competition. Lonesome Dove is in the line up for sure. I recommend all the books in the series. Deadman’s Walk, Comanche Moon, then Lonesome Dove, and finally Streets of Laredo.
My favorite of Jan was Before the Coffee Gets Cold. I like the simplicity of the setting, in a coffee shop, that allowed me to focus on the stories of the characters more intentionally. I live in Japan and lived in Tokyo for 14 years and I have been in many coffee shops that fit this description. It made me feel nostalgia in some ways.
The best book I read in January was a reread, J L Carr's A Month in Country. A short book ((a novella?) but in between those pages it packs in alot. Brilliant.
I love Lonesome Dove as well, and you are right on about the characters coming alive. Deets is a character I continue to think/get wistful about long after finishing the book. I just recently finished The History of the Peloponnesian War, which was tough in parts but worth it. Thank you for the work on the channel.
I just put it down and suffice to say Lonesome Dove was utterly brilliant. I was taken by these characters and their journey through compassion, grief, love, and trauma. They felt stubbornly and tragically real. I will never forgive Woodrow Call for breaking my heart. Oh, and those two pigs were great too.
Best book I read in Jan. was Stoner by John Williams. That book has become one of my favorite books of all time! Read Lonesome Dove in December, definitely in my top reads of 2024.
My fav for January was Streets of Laredo. Epic book. I also started the Live ship traders series . Really enjoying book one , about half way through and pace is finally picking up! As usual your content is great! Thanks
Recently picked up Laredo so I'm excited to get to that eventually, and yeah I'm already taking bites out of Ship of Destiny and the whole series is well worth the investment
Still working my way through The War Before the War on your recommendation, its so good and has gotten me excited about reading history! Another favorite from January was Hunt, Gather, Parent which unexpectedly is a fabulous companion read to The Dawn of Everything which im also still working on. My best fiction read for January was Gideon the Ninth. I loved Pandora's Jar! I didn't know very much about these stories going in, so that probably helped.
Great video as always! It's great how you can distill your thoughts into a few sentences. In Jan I finished reading Xenos by Dan Abnett and I've finally graduated from a 40k lore nerd to an actual reader. Abnett does such a fantastic job explaining the nuts and bolts of how the Imperium operates. It's less sci-fi that I would've expected but still one of the most fascinating settings ever created, and John-Wick-in-space style of storytelling certainly helps. Also tried something new this month by reading two chonkers simultaneously. I finished the first half of Peter F. Hamilton's Exodus and then the first third of The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams. Exodus is a fantastic sci-fi book with a very well thought out setting that's really come together well. Tad Williams on the hand has a very slow writing style that's tough to get into but I'm definitely sticking with it. Finally, I DNF'd The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson for the 4th time over the last decade, and it's about time I accept that his writing just isn't for me. It's too stale for my taste and I've never been a fan of magic "systems" especially at the cost of actual worldbuilding. Same issue with Stormlight. The prose just isn't up to par for me, and I fully understand that it's intentional so I'm not knocking him as a writer overall since I love his YA and Warbreaker is absolutely fantastic. Edit: thank you for making this video btw. Gives me a place to put down my own thoughts.
Dear Michael, I started with SPQR today and I have whole lot of other books waiting to be read about Roman Empire Thanks to you 😂 SPQR The Rise of Rome - From the Iron age to the Punic wars Carthage Mvst be destroyed Dynasty - the rise and fall of the house of Ceasar Caesar The Rise of Rome The Storm before the Storm Rubicon The Fall of Carthage Augustus - From revolutionary to emperor + Assyria - the rise and fall of the first empire Persian Fire Persians - the age of the great kings 🧘🏻♂️🥳
Best book I read in January might be a tie between There There by Tommy Orange and The Vegetarian by Han Kang. There There's cast of characters all struggling with urban Native American identity (which I have struggled/still struggle with) made it one of the most personally important books I've ever read. The Vegetarian is an even darker story of how trauma can separate you from yourself, and the knock-on effects of that in the main character's life. One of the few books I've thought about re-reading almost immediately after I finished, because remembering the first couple acts is all the more haunting when you really grasp the theme at the end.
Too difficult to decide (finished 6 books), I love all three of these for completely different reasons: The Daughter's War by Christopher Buehlman. Love this book because the author created something completely original, atmospheric and real. The main character, well... I felt her. Streets of Laredo by Larry Mcmurtry. The characters, the intense and layered plot, McMurtry makes you care, and this creates suspense when the going gets tough in the wild west. The 3rd is the novella The Gallant by Janny Wurts. The Gallant was transcendent. You are there and you know the characters and experience the danger. I read this one with a book club and the participants were commenting nonstop.
Are you planning on reading the other books in the Lonesome Dove series? You don't hear them talked about as much so maybe they aren't as good...who knows. But I'm sold on reading it ASAP now. Thanks for all the reviews!
I am also a character driven reader. You might like Hild, and its sequel, Minewood, by Nicola Griffith. It's a historical fantasy tracing the early life of St. Hilda of Whitby, of which little to nothing is known. I don't typically enjoy (or read) historical fantasy, but I absolutely LOVED both books and they are exemplary character studies.
Best book I read in January was A Time to Kill by John Grisham. It was very similar to To Kill a Mockingbird only much more graphic. It was a book that I got when I bought a "blind date with a book" from a local bookstore of mine. Very intense read.
My favorite book of January was one i squeezed in at the very end of the month called "The Spirit Bares it's Teeth" by Andrew Joseph White. It was haunting and a great representation of autism, anxiety disorders and the trans experience. This month I'm looking forward to tackling "Black Sun" and "Shadow of the Gods"
With Kingdom Come Deliverance II releasing yesterday, any chance on getting some recommendations for books covering Bohemia around the early 15th century?
Rogue Heroes: The History of the SAS, Britain's Secret Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War by Ben Macintyre After watching the first two seasons I had to read the book. Havent finished yet but amazing so far.
Hey, if you ever read The Daughter’s War, the prequel to Blacktongue which is Galva’s story or the sequel Buehly is writing right now, you may have to think about Blacktongue one more time. 😀
It sounds like the average American has started reading again. that is fantastic. I did some research last year and the information I found was that most Americans don't read a single book a year. Now it's 12?! That's great news. And the average reading level is middle grade. The best book I read in January was My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams. I'd be interested in trying Lonesome Dove. Maybe. Someday. If I come across an inexpensive copy.
Station Eleven was my favorite book that I read in January. Has anyone read At Night All Blood is Black? It comes highly recommended, but, after reading the synopsis, I'm not sure I'm ready for something so dark.
My favourite read of January was Hisham Matars In the country of men. My non fiction read was In the time of madness Indonesia on the edge.of chaos I am currently reading Lives Between the lines a journey in search of the lost levant❤
Usually it's by separating genres. One fic, one nonfic, one manga running at the same time. If I'm easing through a big book where the world is already cemented in my head I can rip through some shorter works during it without it bleeding through
That’s awesome, but I just don’t get it! How can you read so much? I’m lucky if I finish 1 or 2 per month max. Would love any tips you can offer on reading faster!
I read 5 books last month, which for me is massive. Before I get into my fave I wanna say finding your Insta and then here on UA-cam was a huge shift for me and helped get me back into reading, I hadn’t really read anything in years, but your channel helped me reconnect with my love of reading, so thank you. I started the Red Rising series, and finished the first 2, and Golden Son was my favorite of the month. I’m also starting Water Moon, so excited to hear your thoughts! Also, have you read East of Eden? It’s on my list, as is Lonesome Dove, and I’d be curious how you compared the two classics.
Best book of January for me was Wuthering Heights. By far the best book I've read in probably the last 8 years or so - I was shocked how much I liked it!
My favorite book that I finished in January was Dark Matter. I’m about halfway through Red Rising right now, so that’s a strong contender for February already!
also read Dark Matter too. What an unreal book
I read Dark Matter this month as well and am a huge RR fan!
Dark Matter is a fun ride.
I read it over 5 years ago and I still think about it often. Love that book so much
You MUST read recursion by author of dark matter. I finished book in 8 hours of reading it was the best book I've read in forever. Note: not the most literary but the most fun
Seven books in January! Wow that is amazing. I love to read but I’m supper slow. It’s all good. Like you say it is not a competition. Lonesome Dove is in the line up for sure. I recommend all the books in the series. Deadman’s Walk, Comanche Moon, then Lonesome Dove, and finally Streets of Laredo.
My favorite of Jan was Before the Coffee Gets Cold. I like the simplicity of the setting, in a coffee shop, that allowed me to focus on the stories of the characters more intentionally. I live in Japan and lived in Tokyo for 14 years and I have been in many coffee shops that fit this description. It made me feel nostalgia in some ways.
I loved Lonesome Dove!!! The made for TV movie is worth watching.
The best book I read in January was a reread, J L Carr's A Month in Country. A short book ((a novella?) but in between those pages it packs in alot. Brilliant.
I love your long form videos! They are my favorite.
Appreciate you!
I love Lonesome Dove as well, and you are right on about the characters coming alive. Deets is a character I continue to think/get wistful about long after finishing the book. I just recently finished The History of the Peloponnesian War, which was tough in parts but worth it. Thank you for the work on the channel.
You're welcome! And the Pelopennsian War book was from Thucydides or did you go with something like Kagan?
Thucydides! But I used Kagan's Yale lectures for context and might try his one volume text as it looks really good.@@KistReadsBooks
I just put it down and suffice to say Lonesome Dove was utterly brilliant. I was taken by these characters and their journey through compassion, grief, love, and trauma. They felt stubbornly and tragically real. I will never forgive Woodrow Call for breaking my heart.
Oh, and those two pigs were great too.
Just wish they rented the pigs yknow
Best book I read in Jan. was Stoner by John Williams. That book has become one of my favorite books of all time!
Read Lonesome Dove in December, definitely in my top reads of 2024.
My fav for January was Streets of Laredo. Epic book. I also started the Live ship traders series . Really enjoying book one , about half way through and pace is finally picking up!
As usual your content is great! Thanks
Recently picked up Laredo so I'm excited to get to that eventually, and yeah I'm already taking bites out of Ship of Destiny and the whole series is well worth the investment
@ really enjoying Hero of two worlds as well!!! Good reccco
Still working my way through The War Before the War on your recommendation, its so good and has gotten me excited about reading history! Another favorite from January was Hunt, Gather, Parent which unexpectedly is a fabulous companion read to The Dawn of Everything which im also still working on.
My best fiction read for January was Gideon the Ninth.
I loved Pandora's Jar! I didn't know very much about these stories going in, so that probably helped.
Gideon! 🙌
Hell yeah! Glad you liked the film adaptation of Confessions.
Great video as always! It's great how you can distill your thoughts into a few sentences.
In Jan I finished reading Xenos by Dan Abnett and I've finally graduated from a 40k lore nerd to an actual reader. Abnett does such a fantastic job explaining the nuts and bolts of how the Imperium operates. It's less sci-fi that I would've expected but still one of the most fascinating settings ever created, and John-Wick-in-space style of storytelling certainly helps.
Also tried something new this month by reading two chonkers simultaneously. I finished the first half of Peter F. Hamilton's Exodus and then the first third of The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams. Exodus is a fantastic sci-fi book with a very well thought out setting that's really come together well. Tad Williams on the hand has a very slow writing style that's tough to get into but I'm definitely sticking with it.
Finally, I DNF'd The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson for the 4th time over the last decade, and it's about time I accept that his writing just isn't for me. It's too stale for my taste and I've never been a fan of magic "systems" especially at the cost of actual worldbuilding. Same issue with Stormlight. The prose just isn't up to par for me, and I fully understand that it's intentional so I'm not knocking him as a writer overall since I love his YA and Warbreaker is absolutely fantastic.
Edit: thank you for making this video btw. Gives me a place to put down my own thoughts.
Dear Michael,
I started with SPQR today and I have whole lot of other books waiting to be read about Roman Empire
Thanks to you 😂
SPQR
The Rise of Rome - From the Iron age to the Punic wars
Carthage Mvst be destroyed
Dynasty - the rise and fall of the house of Ceasar
Caesar
The Rise of Rome
The Storm before the Storm
Rubicon
The Fall of Carthage
Augustus - From revolutionary to emperor
+
Assyria - the rise and fall of the first empire
Persian Fire
Persians - the age of the great kings
🧘🏻♂️🥳
Wow! Enjoy!
Going to to screen shot this as book to read about it Rome looking forward to getting into some of them
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy for January. I really enjoyed it, more than I thought I would.
Best book I read in January might be a tie between There There by Tommy Orange and The Vegetarian by Han Kang. There There's cast of characters all struggling with urban Native American identity (which I have struggled/still struggle with) made it one of the most personally important books I've ever read. The Vegetarian is an even darker story of how trauma can separate you from yourself, and the knock-on effects of that in the main character's life. One of the few books I've thought about re-reading almost immediately after I finished, because remembering the first couple acts is all the more haunting when you really grasp the theme at the end.
I'm here mostly for the history recommendations. Currently reading Bernstein's "Delusions of Crowds" which you suggested in an earlier video. Thanks!
Nice!
Too difficult to decide (finished 6 books), I love all three of these for completely different reasons: The Daughter's War by Christopher Buehlman. Love this book because the author created something completely original, atmospheric and real. The main character, well... I felt her. Streets of Laredo by Larry Mcmurtry. The characters, the intense and layered plot, McMurtry makes you care, and this creates suspense when the going gets tough in the wild west. The 3rd is the novella The Gallant by Janny Wurts. The Gallant was transcendent. You are there and you know the characters and experience the danger. I read this one with a book club and the participants were commenting nonstop.
Are you planning on reading the other books in the Lonesome Dove series? You don't hear them talked about as much so maybe they aren't as good...who knows. But I'm sold on reading it ASAP now. Thanks for all the reviews!
You're welcome! I picked up Streets of Laredo so I may get to that fairly soon
I am also a character driven reader. You might like Hild, and its sequel, Minewood, by Nicola Griffith. It's a historical fantasy tracing the early life of St. Hilda of Whitby, of which little to nothing is known. I don't typically enjoy (or read) historical fantasy, but I absolutely LOVED both books and they are exemplary character studies.
Thanks for the rec! Checking it out
Hi, new subscriber. The best book I read in January is All the Shah's Men, which was one of your recommendations. I absolutely loved the book 5 stars.
Oh yes, have read that twice, it's great and I'm glad you loved it!
Read 5 books last month, favorite was The Black Tongue Thief by Christoper Buehlman.
Have you read any Stephen Graham Jones yet? I loved When I Was A Teenage Slasher and now I hear that the Buffalo Hunter Hunter is excellent!
I haven't but Buffalo Hunter has me super intrigued
Best book I read in January was A Time to Kill by John Grisham. It was very similar to To Kill a Mockingbird only much more graphic. It was a book that I got when I bought a "blind date with a book" from a local bookstore of mine. Very intense read.
My favorite book of January was one i squeezed in at the very end of the month called "The Spirit Bares it's Teeth" by Andrew Joseph White. It was haunting and a great representation of autism, anxiety disorders and the trans experience. This month I'm looking forward to tackling "Black Sun" and "Shadow of the Gods"
With Kingdom Come Deliverance II releasing yesterday, any chance on getting some recommendations for books covering Bohemia around the early 15th century?
Rogue Heroes: The History of the SAS, Britain's Secret Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War
by Ben Macintyre
After watching the first two seasons I had to read the book. Havent finished yet but amazing so far.
Best book I read in January was The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre. Phenomenal book!
Agreed, really excellent
Hey, if you ever read The Daughter’s War, the prequel to Blacktongue which is Galva’s story or the sequel Buehly is writing right now, you may have to think about Blacktongue one more time. 😀
It sounds like the average American has started reading again. that is fantastic. I did some research last year and the information I found was that most Americans don't read a single book a year. Now it's 12?! That's great news. And the average reading level is middle grade.
The best book I read in January was My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams.
I'd be interested in trying Lonesome Dove. Maybe. Someday. If I come across an inexpensive copy.
new subscriber. appreciate the book recommendations
Thanks for hangin out!
Is Lonesome Dove standalone or series? Thanks!!
It's technically a series but Lonesome Dove was first in the publication order and can be read as a standalone
I read A Foreign Field by Ben MacIntyre and I've just started Genghis Khan
RIP Graeber!
Fav book in Jan was Blood Over Bright Haven.
Banger
Best book of January 2025 had to be Water Moon. So excited to see your opinions on it!
Probably finishing it by tomorrow!
Station Eleven was my favorite book that I read in January. Has anyone read At Night All Blood is Black? It comes highly recommended, but, after reading the synopsis, I'm not sure I'm ready for something so dark.
My favourite read of January was Hisham Matars In the country of men. My non fiction read was In the time of madness Indonesia on the edge.of chaos I am currently reading Lives Between the lines a journey in search of the lost levant❤
Pretty silly question but how do you balance reading so many different books at once
Usually it's by separating genres. One fic, one nonfic, one manga running at the same time. If I'm easing through a big book where the world is already cemented in my head I can rip through some shorter works during it without it bleeding through
I can't pick one favorite so I'll do a fiction and nonfic, The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay and Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
David Graeber! 🤑
That’s awesome, but I just don’t get it! How can you read so much? I’m lucky if I finish 1 or 2 per month max. Would love any tips you can offer on reading faster!
Check the 0:55 mark
@ yep…wrote the comment before watching the full vid 😂
I read 5 books last month, which for me is massive. Before I get into my fave I wanna say finding your Insta and then here on UA-cam was a huge shift for me and helped get me back into reading, I hadn’t really read anything in years, but your channel helped me reconnect with my love of reading, so thank you. I started the Red Rising series, and finished the first 2, and Golden Son was my favorite of the month. I’m also starting Water Moon, so excited to hear your thoughts! Also, have you read East of Eden? It’s on my list, as is Lonesome Dove, and I’d be curious how you compared the two classics.
Hey thank you! I actually haven't read East of Eden so I couldn't compare them. Also Golden Son was one of my favorites from 2023
BERSERK!? wasn't expecting that, keep reading it gets......it gets ummm heavy 😞
My best in January was A Savage Moon by Theodore Brun. 5-star read for me.
I DNF’d Blacktongue Thief. Haaaaaated the narration, it just annoyed me.