I am currently reading 'a Man Called Ove' and im loving it so far, Beartown was my top book of 2023, and i would highly highly recommend it, and it would almost certainly make your top books of 2024
Backman's book My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry was my top book of the year whatever year it came out, and I read about 120 books per year so that's pretty high praise. Totally check it out if you liked his other stuff. It's not related to the Beartown trilogy, but it is definitely Backman's style and has similar themes of tolerance, etc.
I loved Ove, but I read the Beartown trilogy last year and they made me laugh, cry, and feel for the characters even more than Ove did. I am sure I will reread them. Actually, Ove has already been made into a movie in 2015 in Sweden. I watched the German version, and it made me laugh and cry as much as the book did. I don't know if I will try the American version as well.
I loved The Martian and generally, I don't read sci-fi. 🤓 Project Hail Mary is on my shelf, but I haven't gotten around to reading it. I will definietly bump it up on _the list._ War and Peace is also on that list, so maybe I can try the chapter per day method.😬 Thanks for sharing! 📚
I have commented on your videos before about Malazan. I am also working through it currently. I just finished book four. But I wanted to say that War and Peace is my favorite book ever. I read it a couple of years ago and keep thinking about it and wanting to read it again. Anna Karenina is also fantastic. I would like to recommend his novellas. I've read a lot of them, but my favorites are probably The Death of Ivan Ilyich, which is really the perfect introduction to Tolstoy because it pretty much crams in his philosophy and his magnificent character work into a book that can be read in a few hours, and The Cossacks, which is the book he wrote right before War and Peace and is of similar quality, and would be perfect for those folks who think W&P is bloated.
Great recommendations! I haven't read Anna Karenina yet, but I've read some of Tolstoy's shorter work, and it is indeed excellent. However, there's something about the scale of W&P that makes it that much better. As if the size adds to the experience. I've heard people call the book bloated, but honestly, aside from some of the "essays" in book four about history (which while interesting probably could have been a separate work), there's nothing in the main narrative that I'd cut from War and Peace! As always, thanks for watching and commenting. It warms my heart that someone who watches my Malazan videos also appreciates when I talk about Classics. Sometimes it feels like I'm talking to two separate and very distinct audiences :)
Cheryl Strayed will be coming to my hometown in March to talk to the school system primarily. All interested parties can come out as well. She will be talking about Wild. War and Peace is on my list for this year.
I tried War and Peace half a lifetime ago, and I remember enjoying it, but I got lost in the scope and put it down after around 300 pages. I might have to give it another try. I read Wild recently on your recommendation. I liked it, maybe not as much as you but for a genre I don't normally dive into, it definitely kept me turning the pages.
Thanks for watching and commenting, Alex! I completely understand getting lost in the scope of War and Peace. For the first 1/3 of the book, I actually took copious notes that I referred back to on a regular basis when I got lost (this, I think, is the downside to the chapter-a-day approach... it can be months between seeing certain characters and it's easy to forget who they are and what they've done). However, once I got really immersed in the novel, it kind of just flowed by itself. I know it's strange to talk about a book that requires more than 300 pages to get "into," but if you've got the time and desire, I'd definitely recommend giving it another go. Also, happy to hear you enjoyed Wild. The fact that you didn't enjoy it as much as I did isn't that surprising... I'm not sure even I can fully explain why I like that book so much! :)
@@ADudeWhoReads Makes sense. One of your other commenters had some recommendations about shorter Tolstoy works, maybe I start with some of those. Looking forward to more reviews!
Thank you for a great top10 presentation. You really make me want to re-read war and peace (after about 25 years). One of my top 10 of 2023 is Anna Karenina, which I actually read 2 times during that year, because like you experienced wirh W&P, I was actually sad when I had reached the end of the book 😂. Tolstoi is truly one of the greatest
Wow. While most people fear they can't get through Tolstoi once, you're reading Anna Karenina TWICE in the SAME year!? Good for you! I'm all for re-reading your favourites. Thanks so much for watching and commenting!
Thanks for replying 😊. I am trying to establish an immediate re-reading of books I really liked. I noticed that it helps me to remember 10 times more details.
exactly! I think it's a matter of age that one gets aware of the benefits of rereading, for me this goes in parallel with a change of my reading objectives. In my 20ies and 30ies, I was just ambitious to 'have read' as many books as possible. A few decades later, I think that reading just with the aim of having read a book makes little sense (at least for me), - because 90% get quickly lost from memory. What is much more important for me is to enjoy the process of reading, and to build a stock of books that not just ticked items on a list but worlds/ideas/stories that I really have 'internalized' and can carry always with me in my heart & brain 😊. I like your recommendation of Sourcery. I haven't read much Pratchett (only 'small gods' and 'mort'), but now I'm curious for more
@@polyglotreading Couldn't agree more! Bragging about the QUANTITY of books one has read seems like such an odd thing to me, and yet so much of reading culture seems to be about volume (Booktube, Booktok, Goodreads, etc. all seem to encourage quantity over quality). I'd rather read 5 really good books in a year than speed through 50 books just for the heck of saying it. On a completely DIFFERENT note, if you want to read more Pratchett, and you haven't read it already, I'd highly recommend Good Omens (which he co-wrote with Neil Gaiman). It remains my favourite novel by either of them. It's not Discworld, but it is peak Pratchett!
great to see that we have a similar approach/attitude about reading :-) Thanks for suggesting a good starting point for my next Pratchett experience. I'll let you know how I liked it.
I tried to read War and Peace in my 30s but it was a bust because of the names. I started to read just plain history books discussing the Napoleonic invasion of Russia and of course the Russian names became much more familiar to me. Then I decided to read War and Peace again and the second time I had much better success because I really figured out all the names. That was an excellent video. I am still working on Joe Abercrombie. I had to give up on Erickson, I cannot figure out what is going on his books. They are very confusing.
Thanks so much for the kind words! In addition to the familiarity with Russian names, I think your understanding of the Napoleonic invasion also helped you read War and Peace, much more easily the second time around. One of the things I always recommend people do if they're going to read W&P (or any other work set in a different era) is to learn a bit about the time period. You don't need to get a History PhD, but it's amazing how reading a Wikipedia article can help us to understand a piece that much easier. As for Erikson, that's a common complaint about him. I'll be honest, I personally don't really see it, but you're certainly not alone. Different strokes! Once again, thanks for watching and commenting! :)
Hello, professor😊. You presented us really excellent books, some of which I have read before. I love history, so I like that you talked about the unsurpassed and eternal "Epic of Gilgamesh". Troy (Fry) is a phenomenal book, I recommend it to everyone. And we read the classic "War and Peace" in high school. For Russian classics you have to have time and concentration, they are not for quick reading. In return, they will provide us with an unforgettable spiritual enrichment. Just continue with the wide spectrum of books... there's too much horror and sci-fi, even in real life :) Greetings from Serbia and happy holidays!
Here are two books which fall into different categories you mention. On writing, "The Simple Art of Murder" by Raymond Chandler and history "The Greek Myths" by Robert Graves. Anything by Graves is worth reading.
Graves is great and that particular book combines two of my favourite subjects: history and mythology! I'll also add Chandler's book to my list. It's always great to read how the masters talk about their craft. For instance, I'm not a huge Stephen King fan, but I loved "On Writing."
I have this goal of reading two giant classics (War and Peace and Les Miserables) this year, among other “normal” reading. I hope I am able to finish them.
A worthy goal! I want to read Les Miserables, too, but it won't be this year. I want to read it in French, and my reading speed in French is slower than in English (and I'm already a pretty slow reader in English), so I'm saving it for a year with more "room" in it. :) As always, thanks for watching and commenting!
@@nedludd7622 Coming through with not just great recommendations of English books, but of French ones as well? Cheers to you, sir! Thanks for the tips.
Graphic novels are so fun! I don't know many so definitely adding your honorable mention to my discovery list. So far I've loved Persepolis, which takes place during the Islamic Revolution and is funny, tender, and profound; and Heartstopper - one of the most wholesome and enjoyable depictions of queer joy that I hope teens and adults that need it discover because of its healing message. So glad you discovered Backman! I adore his writing, you might also enjoy Beartown, but every book I've read of his has that same gorgeous prose. I'm a software engineer with some science degrees and a literature degree so I'm always pumped when people enjoy Andy Weir's biting wit and storytelling skills (The Martian is a hilariously good time) - if you like science-forward fiction you might also like The Three-Body Problem, I just heard it's being developed into a TV series too, how fun! edited to add: eyyyy War and Peace! one of my favorite classics for how intimate yet extremely readable it was, great list!
Thanks for watching and for the thoughtful comment! Beartown and Three-Body Problem are two books that have come up a few times now, so I definitely need to add them to my list. If you're looking for any other graphic novels to add to your reading pile, check out Asterios Polyp, which is one of the books I mentioned in my top 10 of all time. Happy reading!
Really interesting list. If you liked the epic of Gilgamesh, you might be interested in Jess Kidd’s most recent novel, The Night Ship, as it has deep echoes of and direct references to Gilgamesh. It was really interesting to me to see how the Gilgamesh story was modernized. Happy New Year!
Rewatching this one….I’m guessing your life is very busy right now. Hang in there 🤘I don’t think people realize how laborious these videos can be. Cheers!
Thanks for the words of encouragement! Aside from time constraints, I've also had a full house the last couple of weeks, which makes it difficult to find enough quiet time to record a video. I remain in awe of your ability to produce content on a DAILY basis...
Great list! Based on one of your previous videos I read The Nice House on the Lake Volumes 1 and 2 from the library and enjoyed them a lot, though I disagree that they are a complete story (while they do conclude the first arc, the reader is only just beginning to understand some of the things that are happening by the end of Volume 2). I've now added On Writing Well and A Man Called Ove to my TBR. The only Backman I've read is Anxious People, which is an absolutely delightful book about suicide. In fact, it's one of the best novels I've ever read! Abercrombie is absolutely a top-tier fantasy author! The only fantasy novel I've read that is better than anything I've read from Abercrombie is the standalone The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold (which is also the best book I read in 2023).
Hi Josh. Thanks for the comment and the recommendation. I've gotten so many recommendations for McMaster Bujold in the past few months that I'm definitely going to have to read something by her in the coming months! With regards to the Nice House on the Lake, I actually think the series was supposed to conclude after volume 2, but due to the success of the series, Tynion actually opened the ending up to continue the story, but as far as iI know there's no actual date announced for when/if he'll return to it. I actually think the story would have been stronger if it HAD concluded after volume 2, and the opening up of new plot threads is one of the reasons why volume 2 wasn't as strong as volume 1, IMHO. Have a great 2024!
@@joshyaks I was talking to a friend who's much more plugged into the world of comics and he was telling me that Tynion is one of the busiest writers in the industry, and he's goto commitments that stretch multiple years into the future, so we may not want to hold our breath while we wait for TNHOTL to continue...
Hi Jeff. That's the reason why I put off reading it for so long. But, frankly, if it's something you want to commit to, the experience is SO worth it. I read the Maude translation for three reasons. First, I read the first few pages of a couple of translations, and I liked the style of this one. Second, I have read that Tolstoy himself approved of this translation. Third, the Maude translation preserves French in the main text and uses footnotes to translate it, just like the original Russian. Contrast that with the Briggs translation, for example, which translates the French into English in the main text. Given that I like to stay as faithful to the original as possible (and that I read French), I liked the idea of having the French preserved in the main text. That said, I've also heard great things about the Anthony Briggs translation. My biggest tip would be to read the first couple of pages of a few different translations, and go with what connects with you. Thanks for watching and commenting!
The Maude translation that ADudeWhoReads is referring to is the Oxford World Classics version, edited by Amy Mandelker. The other Maude translations do not preserve the French. I read the Briggs translation and it is fine. It got me into Tolstoy. It's hard to go wrong with the available translations. The Pevear and Volokhonsky translation is the most literal and academic (and also preserves the French), and the Briggs, Garnett, Maude, Edmonds, and Dunnigan are all pretty similar, honestly.
@@asymptoticspatula Thanks for clarifying that. I knew that the Oxford World Classics edition was edited (and some of Mandelker's endnotes are actually quite helpful), but I didn't know the original Maude translation DIDN'T preserve the French. Thanks for educating me!
Again, yes to Gilgamesh. Never gets any BookTube love. I still have faith that one day those missing cuneiform tablets will turn up or at least another version that was contemporary-ish datewise to the incomplete one. My prediction is that we will find out that Utanapishtim was really an alien who had a mild obsession with vegetarian curry dishes. Also, I love graphic novels and like you I get cheesed when people are disdainful. A lot of the same people who won't give YA a go. Their loss, but it sucks. If people ARE pronouncing Sourcery to rhyme with hour-surie, I feel sad about humanity. I love Backman. He can do no wrong. Incidentally you may be the only American I've heard on BookTube who pronounces Ove correctly. Loved both the Tom Hanks adaptation and the Swedish one with subtitles. Backman's book My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry was hands down the best book I read in whatever year I read it.
Hah. I love the Utanapishti theory. I'm going to be counting on them finding that tablet. As for pronouncing Ove correctly... maybe it's because I'm Canadian?
@@ADudeWhoReads I wondered if you were Canadian but not b/c of your Ove pronunciation haha. There was only one word in the whole video where I caught the accent but it did make me suspect. I used to work at a Tim Hortons here in Ohio and - shocker - the owners were Canadian and she used to say stuff like "take this out" but she would say "oat" and if I busted on her for it she'd overly exaggerate and say, "take it AAAOOWWWWT". 😄 I left that job years ago (I hated it) but we stayed friends and she comes to my book club.
@@OhioEddieBlack Hah. It's funny you should say that because I always thought I had a very neutral accent, but you're not the first person to mention the "out." I guess some speech patterns you just can't escape! Also, I think it's hilarious that the owners of a Tim Hortons in Ohio were Canadian. 😂
I am currently reading 'a Man Called Ove' and im loving it so far, Beartown was my top book of 2023, and i would highly highly recommend it, and it would almost certainly make your top books of 2024
That's a bold prediction, but I'm down to give it a shot! Thanks for watching and commenting!
Backman's book My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry was my top book of the year whatever year it came out, and I read about 120 books per year so that's pretty high praise. Totally check it out if you liked his other stuff. It's not related to the Beartown trilogy, but it is definitely Backman's style and has similar themes of tolerance, etc.
I loved Ove, but I read the Beartown trilogy last year and they made me laugh, cry, and feel for the characters even more than Ove did. I am sure I will reread them. Actually, Ove has already been made into a movie in 2015 in Sweden. I watched the German version, and it made me laugh and cry as much as the book did. I don't know if I will try the American version as well.
I loved The Martian and generally, I don't read sci-fi. 🤓 Project Hail Mary is on my shelf, but I haven't gotten around to reading it. I will definietly bump it up on _the list._ War and Peace is also on that list, so maybe I can try the chapter per day method.😬 Thanks for sharing! 📚
I really feel like now I need to go back and read the Martian. Thanks for watching and commenting! :)
I have commented on your videos before about Malazan. I am also working through it currently. I just finished book four. But I wanted to say that War and Peace is my favorite book ever. I read it a couple of years ago and keep thinking about it and wanting to read it again. Anna Karenina is also fantastic. I would like to recommend his novellas. I've read a lot of them, but my favorites are probably The Death of Ivan Ilyich, which is really the perfect introduction to Tolstoy because it pretty much crams in his philosophy and his magnificent character work into a book that can be read in a few hours, and The Cossacks, which is the book he wrote right before War and Peace and is of similar quality, and would be perfect for those folks who think W&P is bloated.
Great recommendations! I haven't read Anna Karenina yet, but I've read some of Tolstoy's shorter work, and it is indeed excellent. However, there's something about the scale of W&P that makes it that much better. As if the size adds to the experience. I've heard people call the book bloated, but honestly, aside from some of the "essays" in book four about history (which while interesting probably could have been a separate work), there's nothing in the main narrative that I'd cut from War and Peace! As always, thanks for watching and commenting. It warms my heart that someone who watches my Malazan videos also appreciates when I talk about Classics. Sometimes it feels like I'm talking to two separate and very distinct audiences :)
Cheryl Strayed will be coming to my hometown in March to talk to the school system primarily. All interested parties can come out as well. She will be talking about Wild.
War and Peace is on my list for this year.
That’s awesome, Patrice. I hope you enjoy War and Peace as much as I did. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I tried War and Peace half a lifetime ago, and I remember enjoying it, but I got lost in the scope and put it down after around 300 pages. I might have to give it another try.
I read Wild recently on your recommendation. I liked it, maybe not as much as you but for a genre I don't normally dive into, it definitely kept me turning the pages.
Thanks for watching and commenting, Alex! I completely understand getting lost in the scope of War and Peace. For the first 1/3 of the book, I actually took copious notes that I referred back to on a regular basis when I got lost (this, I think, is the downside to the chapter-a-day approach... it can be months between seeing certain characters and it's easy to forget who they are and what they've done). However, once I got really immersed in the novel, it kind of just flowed by itself. I know it's strange to talk about a book that requires more than 300 pages to get "into," but if you've got the time and desire, I'd definitely recommend giving it another go.
Also, happy to hear you enjoyed Wild. The fact that you didn't enjoy it as much as I did isn't that surprising... I'm not sure even I can fully explain why I like that book so much! :)
@@ADudeWhoReads Makes sense. One of your other commenters had some recommendations about shorter Tolstoy works, maybe I start with some of those. Looking forward to more reviews!
Thank you for a great top10 presentation. You really make me want to re-read war and peace (after about 25 years). One of my top 10 of 2023 is Anna Karenina, which I actually read 2 times during that year, because like you experienced wirh W&P, I was actually sad when I had reached the end of the book 😂. Tolstoi is truly one of the greatest
Wow. While most people fear they can't get through Tolstoi once, you're reading Anna Karenina TWICE in the SAME year!? Good for you! I'm all for re-reading your favourites. Thanks so much for watching and commenting!
Thanks for replying 😊. I am trying to establish an immediate re-reading of books I really liked. I noticed that it helps me to remember 10 times more details.
Not to mention you notice a whole bunch of details that you didn't during the first read, because now you know what to look out for!
exactly! I think it's a matter of age that one gets aware of the benefits of rereading, for me this goes in parallel with a change of my reading objectives. In my 20ies and 30ies, I was just ambitious to 'have read' as many books as possible. A few decades later, I think that reading just with the aim of having read a book makes little sense (at least for me), - because 90% get quickly lost from memory. What is much more important for me is to enjoy the process of reading, and to build a stock of books that not just ticked items on a list but worlds/ideas/stories that I really have 'internalized' and can carry always with me in my heart & brain 😊.
I like your recommendation of Sourcery. I haven't read much Pratchett (only 'small gods' and 'mort'), but now I'm curious for more
@@polyglotreading Couldn't agree more! Bragging about the QUANTITY of books one has read seems like such an odd thing to me, and yet so much of reading culture seems to be about volume (Booktube, Booktok, Goodreads, etc. all seem to encourage quantity over quality). I'd rather read 5 really good books in a year than speed through 50 books just for the heck of saying it.
On a completely DIFFERENT note, if you want to read more Pratchett, and you haven't read it already, I'd highly recommend Good Omens (which he co-wrote with Neil Gaiman). It remains my favourite novel by either of them. It's not Discworld, but it is peak Pratchett!
great to see that we have a similar approach/attitude about reading :-) Thanks for suggesting a good starting point for my next Pratchett experience. I'll let you know how I liked it.
I tried to read War and Peace in my 30s but it was a bust because of the names. I started to read just plain history books discussing the Napoleonic invasion of Russia and of course the Russian names became much more familiar to me. Then I decided to read War and Peace again and the second time I had much better success because I really figured out all the names. That was an excellent video. I am still working on Joe Abercrombie. I had to give up on Erickson, I cannot figure out what is going on his books. They are very confusing.
Thanks so much for the kind words! In addition to the familiarity with Russian names, I think your understanding of the Napoleonic invasion also helped you read War and Peace, much more easily the second time around. One of the things I always recommend people do if they're going to read W&P (or any other work set in a different era) is to learn a bit about the time period. You don't need to get a History PhD, but it's amazing how reading a Wikipedia article can help us to understand a piece that much easier.
As for Erikson, that's a common complaint about him. I'll be honest, I personally don't really see it, but you're certainly not alone. Different strokes!
Once again, thanks for watching and commenting! :)
Hello, professor😊. You presented us really excellent books, some of which I have read before. I love history, so I like that you talked about the unsurpassed and eternal "Epic of Gilgamesh". Troy (Fry) is a phenomenal book, I recommend it to everyone. And we read the classic "War and Peace" in high school. For Russian classics you have to have time and concentration, they are not for quick reading. In return, they will provide us with an unforgettable spiritual enrichment. Just continue with the wide spectrum of books... there's too much horror and sci-fi, even in real life :)
Greetings from Serbia and happy holidays!
Hah! Not even my students call me professor ;) Agreed with all of your points, and thank you so much for taking the time to comments, Sanja.
Here are two books which fall into different categories you mention. On writing, "The Simple Art of Murder" by Raymond Chandler and history "The Greek Myths" by Robert Graves. Anything by Graves is worth reading.
Graves is great and that particular book combines two of my favourite subjects: history and mythology! I'll also add Chandler's book to my list. It's always great to read how the masters talk about their craft. For instance, I'm not a huge Stephen King fan, but I loved "On Writing."
I have this goal of reading two giant classics (War and Peace and Les Miserables) this year, among other “normal” reading. I hope I am able to finish them.
A worthy goal! I want to read Les Miserables, too, but it won't be this year. I want to read it in French, and my reading speed in French is slower than in English (and I'm already a pretty slow reader in English), so I'm saving it for a year with more "room" in it. :) As always, thanks for watching and commenting!
@@ADudeWhoReads Try "Le rouge et le noir" by Stendhal and "Voyage au bout de la nuit" by Céline. The latter is a masterpiece of dark humor.
@@nedludd7622 Coming through with not just great recommendations of English books, but of French ones as well? Cheers to you, sir! Thanks for the tips.
Graphic novels are so fun! I don't know many so definitely adding your honorable mention to my discovery list. So far I've loved Persepolis, which takes place during the Islamic Revolution and is funny, tender, and profound; and Heartstopper - one of the most wholesome and enjoyable depictions of queer joy that I hope teens and adults that need it discover because of its healing message.
So glad you discovered Backman! I adore his writing, you might also enjoy Beartown, but every book I've read of his has that same gorgeous prose. I'm a software engineer with some science degrees and a literature degree so I'm always pumped when people enjoy Andy Weir's biting wit and storytelling skills (The Martian is a hilariously good time) - if you like science-forward fiction you might also like The Three-Body Problem, I just heard it's being developed into a TV series too, how fun!
edited to add: eyyyy War and Peace! one of my favorite classics for how intimate yet extremely readable it was, great list!
Thanks for watching and for the thoughtful comment! Beartown and Three-Body Problem are two books that have come up a few times now, so I definitely need to add them to my list. If you're looking for any other graphic novels to add to your reading pile, check out Asterios Polyp, which is one of the books I mentioned in my top 10 of all time. Happy reading!
Watching your last couple videos to catch up🤘
You rock, Greebo!
Really interesting list. If you liked the epic of Gilgamesh, you might be interested in Jess Kidd’s most recent novel, The Night Ship, as it has deep echoes of and direct references to Gilgamesh. It was really interesting to me to see how the Gilgamesh story was modernized. Happy New Year!
Thanks for the recommendation, Patricia. Hadn't heard of the Night Ship, so I'll definitely put it on my list to check out!
Rewatching this one….I’m guessing your life is very busy right now. Hang in there 🤘I don’t think people realize how laborious these videos can be. Cheers!
Thanks for the words of encouragement! Aside from time constraints, I've also had a full house the last couple of weeks, which makes it difficult to find enough quiet time to record a video. I remain in awe of your ability to produce content on a DAILY basis...
Great list! Based on one of your previous videos I read The Nice House on the Lake Volumes 1 and 2 from the library and enjoyed them a lot, though I disagree that they are a complete story (while they do conclude the first arc, the reader is only just beginning to understand some of the things that are happening by the end of Volume 2).
I've now added On Writing Well and A Man Called Ove to my TBR. The only Backman I've read is Anxious People, which is an absolutely delightful book about suicide. In fact, it's one of the best novels I've ever read!
Abercrombie is absolutely a top-tier fantasy author! The only fantasy novel I've read that is better than anything I've read from Abercrombie is the standalone The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold (which is also the best book I read in 2023).
Hi Josh. Thanks for the comment and the recommendation. I've gotten so many recommendations for McMaster Bujold in the past few months that I'm definitely going to have to read something by her in the coming months!
With regards to the Nice House on the Lake, I actually think the series was supposed to conclude after volume 2, but due to the success of the series, Tynion actually opened the ending up to continue the story, but as far as iI know there's no actual date announced for when/if he'll return to it.
I actually think the story would have been stronger if it HAD concluded after volume 2, and the opening up of new plot threads is one of the reasons why volume 2 wasn't as strong as volume 1, IMHO.
Have a great 2024!
@@ADudeWhoReads Oh, that's interesting context. Either way, I hope we don't have to wait too long to get a conclusion to the story!
@@joshyaks I was talking to a friend who's much more plugged into the world of comics and he was telling me that Tynion is one of the busiest writers in the industry, and he's goto commitments that stretch multiple years into the future, so we may not want to hold our breath while we wait for TNHOTL to continue...
War and Peace just sounds so challenging to the point it scares me off. Which translation did you read and how did you choose that particular one?
Hi Jeff. That's the reason why I put off reading it for so long. But, frankly, if it's something you want to commit to, the experience is SO worth it.
I read the Maude translation for three reasons. First, I read the first few pages of a couple of translations, and I liked the style of this one. Second, I have read that Tolstoy himself approved of this translation. Third, the Maude translation preserves French in the main text and uses footnotes to translate it, just like the original Russian. Contrast that with the Briggs translation, for example, which translates the French into English in the main text. Given that I like to stay as faithful to the original as possible (and that I read French), I liked the idea of having the French preserved in the main text.
That said, I've also heard great things about the Anthony Briggs translation. My biggest tip would be to read the first couple of pages of a few different translations, and go with what connects with you.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
The Maude translation that ADudeWhoReads is referring to is the Oxford World Classics version, edited by Amy Mandelker. The other Maude translations do not preserve the French. I read the Briggs translation and it is fine. It got me into Tolstoy. It's hard to go wrong with the available translations. The Pevear and Volokhonsky translation is the most literal and academic (and also preserves the French), and the Briggs, Garnett, Maude, Edmonds, and Dunnigan are all pretty similar, honestly.
@@asymptoticspatula Thanks for clarifying that. I knew that the Oxford World Classics edition was edited (and some of Mandelker's endnotes are actually quite helpful), but I didn't know the original Maude translation DIDN'T preserve the French. Thanks for educating me!
Dude, try The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V. Prob the best graphic novel I’ve read in the last year.
Sweet! I’ll check it out. Thanks for the reco!
Again, yes to Gilgamesh. Never gets any BookTube love. I still have faith that one day those missing cuneiform tablets will turn up or at least another version that was contemporary-ish datewise to the incomplete one. My prediction is that we will find out that Utanapishtim was really an alien who had a mild obsession with vegetarian curry dishes. Also, I love graphic novels and like you I get cheesed when people are disdainful. A lot of the same people who won't give YA a go. Their loss, but it sucks. If people ARE pronouncing Sourcery to rhyme with hour-surie, I feel sad about humanity. I love Backman. He can do no wrong. Incidentally you may be the only American I've heard on BookTube who pronounces Ove correctly. Loved both the Tom Hanks adaptation and the Swedish one with subtitles. Backman's book My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry was hands down the best book I read in whatever year I read it.
Hah. I love the Utanapishti theory. I'm going to be counting on them finding that tablet. As for pronouncing Ove correctly... maybe it's because I'm Canadian?
@@ADudeWhoReads I wondered if you were Canadian but not b/c of your Ove pronunciation haha. There was only one word in the whole video where I caught the accent but it did make me suspect. I used to work at a Tim Hortons here in Ohio and - shocker - the owners were Canadian and she used to say stuff like "take this out" but she would say "oat" and if I busted on her for it she'd overly exaggerate and say, "take it AAAOOWWWWT". 😄 I left that job years ago (I hated it) but we stayed friends and she comes to my book club.
@@OhioEddieBlack Hah. It's funny you should say that because I always thought I had a very neutral accent, but you're not the first person to mention the "out." I guess some speech patterns you just can't escape! Also, I think it's hilarious that the owners of a Tim Hortons in Ohio were Canadian. 😂
😊 'Promo SM'
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