I adored Love After Love. I read it a few years ago, but it has stayed with me ever since. Time for a reread. Night Of The Living Rez is one of my favorite collections of interlinked short stories, and Fire Exit is on my tbr for Feb. for the Read Good challenge and I can't wait to get to it.
Hanif Abdurraqib is an amazing writer. He can make you be interested in everything, even in things you never thought you would be. And he is also always touching you on an emotional level. I'm sure you'll love his writing.
I loved Love after Love by Ingrid Persaud, I have her new novel on my shelves to read in the nxt few weeks. I am also waiting for a copy of Night of the Living Rez, which i am so excited to read. Thanks so much for recommending The Road to Dalton. I adored this book📚
Hi Mercedes! This is unrelated to the video but I just finished a book and was really think you would enjoy it too. It's called No Small Thing by Orlaine McDonald, a 2024 release I feel has gone criminally unnoticed. It's about 3 generations of black women in London and their intergenerational trauma, with all three of their perpectives plus one of the neighbours. Orlaine McDonald is a poet and the writing reflects that. It's quite sparse but beautiful, and with short chapters! Anyway, I hope you are well and reading great books! Julia
John Gwynne is amazing! I read Malice last year while waiting for The Fury of the Gods. I’ll continue with Valor sometime this year, but first Fury. I hope you love Malice too❤️ Robin Hobb is an author I mean to read, probably next year. I’ve heard so much praise for her.
I’m part way through Malice, Becca and the Books runs The Catch Up Bookclub and they are reading one book from this series every other month, they discussed Malice last night (I’m behind).
I have just started reading the will of the many. I asked my library to get and they got the hardback but still very excited to read it. I will requst blood over bright haven as you are the second person who has mentined in a video I watched today
Hi, I just read a novel - but really interconnected short stories - based around 3 interconnected American Palestinians families that you might love: Behind you is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj. Three of the stories were the best I have read in a long time and I fell in love with the protagonists. The emotion I got was like Lily King’s Five Tuesdays in Winter. It’s quite short and I did it on audio.
I borrowed Behind you is the Sea from the library last year but didn't get a chance to read it. I'll have to give the audiobook a go. Thanks for the recommendation :)
Jan Carson is amazing. I've bought but not read all her books. Can fully recommend another short story collection of hers, The Last Resort, linked short stories set in an Irish coastal caravan park. The BBC did a fabulous radio broadcast of it, with a different narrator for each story (from memory). I must try and get back to her this year.
Love your videos and have always dipped in over the years. I’m really interested in how everyone keeps up to date with new releases? Does anyone know if there is a weekly newsletter service that you can sign up to that sends out new releases?
Hi! Planning to get back into BookTube again this year and have enjoyed hearing about your favourites of last year and reading plans for this one ☺️ I want to get around to Robin Hobb this year but am more intrigued by the Liveship Traders trilogy than the Farseer one. I’m sure you’ve made a video about this before but I can’t find it… can I read Ship of Magic first?! Hope you’re well 🙂 xx
Hey :) I'm so so happy to hear that! I loved your videos. Yes, you can defo read The Liveship Traders without reading any of the others an imo they're Hobb's best books. xxx
Hi Mercedes! Loved this. One question.. I’ve noticed the volume on your videos has been super low, I’ve had to really turn it up which then blows out my eardrums when the ads pop up - have you changed anything when recording?
Without wanting to pile more on to your TBR, I guess I will, haha, because there is another Cambodian memoir I have a feeling you would like: Landbridge by Y-Dang Troueng. As well as reflections on the Cambodian genocide and refugee life, the author has reflections on her son's illness and her own terminal illness. Poetic writing style, I thought it was beautiful and original on every page. Well "page", I listened on audio, and it worked for me in that format.
Highway Thirteen was on my best books of 2024 list. I’m listening to History of Sound Love After Love was brilliant There’s a short story of Jan Carson that I can never forget. It was on bbc Radio4 when the story was part of the short story competition. It was about a couple going to a family gathering who have been struggling to conceive. It’s heartbreaking.
I hope you get on better with Love After Love than I did. I did feel like it made you feel for the characters however I also feel like it used queer characters as fodder for other characters' development unfortunately which is something I don't really care to read at this point.
Your library charge you for reservations? 😮 I know there’s a charge if you ask them to order books in but didn’t realise some of them charge for reservations 😅
Yes, and they even charge me to reserve books in my actual branch. So it's 60p just to move it from one shelf to another! I guess my county must not get enough funding from the council
My husband adores Hanif's books and I feel guilty that I haven't read any of his works yet. I'm going to read They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us very soon! I'm also going to read Blood Over Bright Haven very soon too. I just bought it over Christmas and I hope it's as good as people say. I DNF'd The Will of the Many because I thought it was pretty generic but I guess I didn't get far enough for it to start really subverting tropes and getting really good. I have heard so much praise that I'm going to try it again at some point.
It will be good to chat about them both then :) They both sound so good! To be fair I think the James Islington I previously read was probably quite generic but I was in the right mood for it at the time and found it a real page turner.
Have some of these on my TBR as well. Preferred The Sword of Kaigen to Blood Over Bright Haven.
I adored Love After Love. I read it a few years ago, but it has stayed with me ever since. Time for a reread. Night Of The Living Rez is one of my favorite collections of interlinked short stories, and Fire Exit is on my tbr for Feb. for the Read Good challenge and I can't wait to get to it.
💕😀thanks Mercedes.🥰
Hanif Abdurraqib is an amazing writer. He can make you be interested in everything, even in things you never thought you would be. And he is also always touching you on an emotional level. I'm sure you'll love his writing.
I loved Love after Love by Ingrid Persaud, I have her new novel on my shelves to read in the nxt few weeks. I am also waiting for a copy of Night of the Living Rez, which i am so excited to read. Thanks so much for recommending The Road to Dalton. I adored this book📚
Hi Mercedes! This is unrelated to the video but I just finished a book and was really think you would enjoy it too. It's called No Small Thing by Orlaine McDonald, a 2024 release I feel has gone criminally unnoticed. It's about 3 generations of black women in London and their intergenerational trauma, with all three of their perpectives plus one of the neighbours. Orlaine McDonald is a poet and the writing reflects that. It's quite sparse but beautiful, and with short chapters!
Anyway, I hope you are well and reading great books!
Julia
Night of the Living Rez is fiiiiinally getting a UK release in August, if you can wait that long!
I think you’ll love the Hanif Abdurraqib!
John Gwynne is amazing! I read Malice last year while waiting for The Fury of the Gods. I’ll continue with Valor sometime this year, but first Fury. I hope you love Malice too❤️ Robin Hobb is an author I mean to read, probably next year. I’ve heard so much praise for her.
Have added a few of these to my list, looking forward to your reviews on them😊
I’m part way through Malice, Becca and the Books runs The Catch Up Bookclub and they are reading one book from this series every other month, they discussed Malice last night (I’m behind).
I have just started reading the will of the many. I asked my library to get and they got the hardback but still very excited to read it. I will requst blood over bright haven as you are the second person who has mentined in a video I watched today
Hi, I just read a novel - but really interconnected short stories - based around 3 interconnected American Palestinians families that you might love: Behind you is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj. Three of the stories were the best I have read in a long time and I fell in love with the protagonists. The emotion I got was like Lily King’s Five Tuesdays in Winter. It’s quite short and I did it on audio.
I borrowed Behind you is the Sea from the library last year but didn't get a chance to read it. I'll have to give the audiobook a go. Thanks for the recommendation :)
M L Wang’s book is amazing. The Sword of Kaigen from her is also amazing, if you haven’t read it. Best standalone fantasy books I’ve ever read.
Jan Carson is amazing. I've bought but not read all her books. Can fully recommend another short story collection of hers, The Last Resort, linked short stories set in an Irish coastal caravan park. The BBC did a fabulous radio broadcast of it, with a different narrator for each story (from memory). I must try and get back to her this year.
Ohhh, that sounds brilliant! Thanks for the recommendation :)
Love your videos and have always dipped in over the years. I’m really interested in how everyone keeps up to date with new releases? Does anyone know if there is a weekly newsletter service that you can sign up to that sends out new releases?
Hi! Planning to get back into BookTube again this year and have enjoyed hearing about your favourites of last year and reading plans for this one ☺️ I want to get around to Robin Hobb this year but am more intrigued by the Liveship Traders trilogy than the Farseer one. I’m sure you’ve made a video about this before but I can’t find it… can I read Ship of Magic first?! Hope you’re well 🙂 xx
That's great news! Always loved your videos!
@ameliareads589 thank you! That’s so kind 😌
Hey :) I'm so so happy to hear that! I loved your videos. Yes, you can defo read The Liveship Traders without reading any of the others an imo they're Hobb's best books. xxx
@@MercysBookishMusings ah, that’s good, am looking forward to getting to them then ☺️ Have you listened to the audio for The Liveship Traders? xx
@jessicah95 yes, I really enjoyed her narration :)
Here in Los Angeles, we don’t have anymore fines for overdue books.
Hi Mercedes! Loved this. One question.. I’ve noticed the volume on your videos has been super low, I’ve had to really turn it up which then blows out my eardrums when the ads pop up - have you changed anything when recording?
I personally don't find this. Maybe it's your device?
Sorry - I forgot to increase the volume on my last couple of videos!
@@beckycanty definitely not my device.
Without wanting to pile more on to your TBR, I guess I will, haha, because there is another Cambodian memoir I have a feeling you would like: Landbridge by Y-Dang Troueng. As well as reflections on the Cambodian genocide and refugee life, the author has reflections on her son's illness and her own terminal illness. Poetic writing style, I thought it was beautiful and original on every page. Well "page", I listened on audio, and it worked for me in that format.
Thanks so much for the recommendation. It sounds brilliant :)
Highway Thirteen was on my best books of 2024 list.
I’m listening to History of Sound
Love After Love was brilliant
There’s a short story of Jan Carson that I can never forget. It was on bbc Radio4 when the story was part of the short story competition. It was about a couple going to a family gathering who have been struggling to conceive. It’s heartbreaking.
I hope you get on better with Love After Love than I did. I did feel like it made you feel for the characters however I also feel like it used queer characters as fodder for other characters' development unfortunately which is something I don't really care to read at this point.
That's a shame. That's the sort of thing I find really frustrating too so we'll see!
Hi Cornwall Library doesn’t charge for reservations …. Yet. Good job the amount I reserve😂
Your library charge you for reservations? 😮 I know there’s a charge if you ask them to order books in but didn’t realise some of them charge for reservations 😅
Yes, and they even charge me to reserve books in my actual branch. So it's 60p just to move it from one shelf to another! I guess my county must not get enough funding from the council
We have a 50p charge per reservation in Cambridgeshire!
@@fmrobinson1 that’s crazy. I thought they wanted people to use libraries more 🙄
My husband adores Hanif's books and I feel guilty that I haven't read any of his works yet. I'm going to read They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us very soon!
I'm also going to read Blood Over Bright Haven very soon too. I just bought it over Christmas and I hope it's as good as people say. I DNF'd The Will of the Many because I thought it was pretty generic but I guess I didn't get far enough for it to start really subverting tropes and getting really good. I have heard so much praise that I'm going to try it again at some point.
It will be good to chat about them both then :) They both sound so good! To be fair I think the James Islington I previously read was probably quite generic but I was in the right mood for it at the time and found it a real page turner.