👋 Thanks for giving this video a watch! BOOK yourself in for another one: ○ Goodreads is dead. What now? ua-cam.com/video/zMiJDv265kA/v-deo.html ○ My Top Books of 2020: ua-cam.com/video/9D3TiyEY9-g/v-deo.html ○ I read the entire Hunger Games during lockdown and here's what happened: ua-cam.com/video/y8y-DflB3tY/v-deo.html
If you have luster and consent still I would really appreciate buying it from you and paying for shipping to the US because you're bindings are simply better
For everyone coming back to this video to compare it to the actual Women's short list: The shortlist here was IDENTICAL other than instead of Nothing But Blue Sky, they had How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House. 5/6 correctly IDed the short list!! Leena is a true literary judge
i don't *need* 38 minutes and 20 seconds to eat my lunch but i will take 38 minutes and 20 seconds to eat my lunch because book talk is soothing and adding to my TBR is something i enjoy
For anyone else interested, the judges' shortlist ended up being: - The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (Dialogue) - Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury) - Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller (Fig Tree) - Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (Viking) - How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones (Headline) - No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood (Bloomsbury) So pretty bloody close, Leena!
Can we take a second to appreciate the amount of effort that went into making that stop-motion intro with the books? Loved this video as always, Leena.
My theory about Luster is that it portrays what it's like as a 20 year old with anxious attachment style. You know better, and yet are pushed by subconscious beliefs to act in certain ways, and you definitely don't have the tools to resist yet. That's why I related to it. Plus the wit and the de-centering of the guy were fresh and interesting. It might be perplexing if you're securely attached
I love that you shared this because I've recently realized that the attachment style of the main character has everything to do with how much I like a book or not. 🤯
@@alayamorning Oh me too! I'm Secure with a tendency towards Anxious .... and stories that explore relationships between Anxious and Avoidant have often been attractive to me.
I'm a neuroscience PhD student studying addiction and I just finished Transcendent Kingdom and it CHANGED MY LIFE. I know I'm late to the party here but I wanted to go back to the first place I heard about it, which was this video, and thank you for the recommendation because I think this book is going to be one of those that sticks with me forever. Thanks Leena!!!
I’m obsessed with this video and the sets you created for each book. (The scattered clementines were inspired.) I laughed and “ahhh hmmmm, inSIIIIGHT!”ed in equal measure. You also corroborated some things I’d read from other trusted reviewers, so thanks for helping me narrow things down!
Oh lord, I was born in 1990 and I didn't even question it! Like I KNOW I'm 31 this year, and yet 1991 being 25 years ago sounded completely reasonable to me.
I agree with your assessment of Exciting Times, but I do think that a lot of people are overlooking how this book is kinda racist?? I grew up in Hong Kong and this book could have been set in literally any Asian country that has expats. Also kind of concerning to me that the first time an Asian character speaks is halfway through the book and all the other Asian characters are riddled with stereotypes like the tiger parents and their kids. I just don't think that it deserves the positive comparisons it's been getting. Loved the video as always, Leena, and really appreciated your insight into these books!
I’m so glad to see someone saying this! I actually found a lot of the stereotypes and description of both living in Asia and also being Irish really questionable 😅 I definitely felt quite alone in really passionately disliking this book when it seems to be getting so much praise!
Gosh this is so interesting because whereas I understand the criticism about how the story felt like it could be set anywhere in Asia so long as expats somehow inhabit it, I’ve felt really iffy about the argument that it’s racist? I was born and raised in HK (still living here lol, wait this isn’t supposed to be a flex or anything, I just wanted to provide perspective for why I’m saying what I’m saying) and have pretty much grown up amongst lower-middle class locals. The book was indeed fascinating in that expats are so out of my league on a day to day basis as a member of the sandwich class, so like part of me was just super nosy about what it’s like to be living that kind of bougie life; but I thought that a lot of how the students Ava taught were portrayed were pretty legitimate? I’m an ethnic minority here so I tend to get by speaking in English and I remember entering a local secondary school with my Indonesian-accented English and everyone around me rushing to put up their poshest accent. Everyone went to these extra English classes after school, with, what I considered, was very strange English, and half my class took the IELTS by the time we were about to enter uni. I do think there is a glorification of colonial/British culture here, fuelled by history and political events, especially amongst the liberal middle class and that people who haven’t lived here miss and attribute as racism in the books. Idk just my hot take. (But then again, while I may be a local Indonesian-Hong Konger, my experience may not speak for everyone else so I could be terribly wrong.) I can see the harm that it could do though, especially when we consider that the audience for the book is global and people who do not have situational context, but yeah. Hope this didn’t come off as too rambly
@@jasmineafina.n.850 totally get where you're coming from! I guess for me personally it kind of seemed like there was no point to setting it in HK so the fact that it was set there makes it seem like a fetishisation of Asia
Thank you for the clear and concise reviews. I agree that it is perfectly reasonable to stop reading a book. Life is too short to waste time reading something that does not spark joy. Also, I loved the camera work of each individual book. Art about Art!
I love Unsettled Ground - really appreciated the focus on rural poverty and the vulnerability of not having access to many aspects of the "modern world". I've been recommending it to a lot of people on the book recommendation forums on Reddit as although it got a lot of critical praise, I don't often come across people online who are familiar with it. It's become one of my favourite books :)
After watching this I was very intrigued by the concept of Piranesi, so I bought the Kindle version on my laptop and read it all today. I loved it, and I may not have heard about it if not for this video, so thank you!
It’s probably not at all healthy just how much I appreciated you holding the toothbrush book cover up in front of your open bathroom cabinet..... all other points, intelligently delivered and pondered were also appreciated but I squeaked at the bathroom vista! 💜
Have now reserved a bunch of these at my library! Thanks for always igniting in me the push to read fiction Leena (even when my brain and eyes hurt from uni reading!)
Aw I know the feeling, I barely read for pleasure during Uni and I really wish I had, it would have lifted my spirits so much. Hope you love these when they become free at your Lib!
Well I've just bought "Detransition Baby," "Unsettled Ground" and No one is talking about this" so I'll report back in a hundred years when I've finally got round to reading them! lol! Loved your take on these books too!
For me, the mark of a truely good book is feeling like it really shifts my perspective on something, or opens my eyes to new way of thinking/understanding. In particular if I catch myself mulling over it a week (or weeks) later.
This was so comprehensive, and you've really sold me on Nothing But Blue Sky which I wasn't previously interested in owing to that horrific blurb. Desperate to read Transcendent Kingdom and No One Is Talking About This. Thanks for another stellar video, that intro must have taken ages to edit.
This was INCREDIBLE Leena, production value off the charts!!! :o I would highly recommend Homegoing, I think about it nearly every day! Such a harrowing read
We don’t tend to have the same reading taste but I enjoy all of your book videos so much. I love how clear you talk about books and how you make every one seem intriguing
And the winner is… Piranesi by Susanna Clarke!! So excited this gem of a fantasy won. Thank you for the wonderful video Leena! Would love to see another one next year
I bloody love listening to you talk about books, and I love the way this was shot. Burnt sugar next to caster sugar made me laugh, so playful. Skipping over the Piranesi part because it’s next on my list but what a fantastic train watch
I haven't had the time and patience to read good fiction in a while because of work and uni. But this made me REALLY want to pick up a good book again. I love your passion!
I just watched your “artist against algorithms tag” and you said it was totally okay to comment something that’s totally unrelated to the video bc it still helps! so, uhhh, anyway... I’m reading wicked, I’m over 2/3 done, and holy hell leena. this book rules.
Leena, you are boasting so many amazing shades of lipstick here! i would love to see a lipstick vid similar to your secret video on your earrings. Thank you for making my TBR approximately 134 books x
"Proper English" Flashback to when I was teaching English in Japan and I asked the kids "How old are you" and they all looked at me like I had two heads even the teaching assistant before she clarified "You need to ask 'what age are you'"
What? 😮 I've always been asked how old am I instead of what you said (and by actual native English speakers) lol I find it really weird, honestly. P. S. In my county we ask something that can be translated like "what generation (year) are you?"
Thank you for making this video! it is super interesting to hear about what the function of these lists and prizes are from someone "in the business." as a fellow Black woman in STEM I am DEFINITELY going to read Transcendent Kingdom. I also agree I would LOVE to see a movie adaptation of The Vanishing Half!
This absolutely made my day. Like you, I’ve read all 16 and I almost entirely agree with your shortlist. Nothing But Blue Sky was the biggest surprise of them all to me. I hear you on Summer and on books in a series in general, but I loved Summer and the whole seasonal quartet (and yes, I think Winter is the best of the 4). Really did not like Burnt Sugar or Luster, and the ending of Small Pleasures basically ruined the experience of reading it. Thank you, thank you!
That's so cool you read all of them too! It's the first year I have and honestly I'd consider doing it again, it definitely brought me out of my comfortzone and made me discover beautiful books with awful covers!
@@leenanorms Same. I love this particular prize and make a point to read the longlist every year (I had read 7 before the list came out so I had a head start!
i tend to skip through haul videos and "what i read" videos, and also normally skip through long videos 20 mins or over. not this video. the whole thing is incredible. You are a WHIZ! I ate up all 38 mins. Gold award to top youtube! i'm so looking forward to checking out these books. Thank you!
i would listen to you talking about books for hours on end. Always love your insights and the way you present books. My tbr is getting too long! ahahah
I'm 75% through one of the books. I'm having a slow reading year! I intend to read the short list. I hope the one I've almost finished is on it so I don't have quite so many I need to read. This video was excellent! I'm excited to read some.
Found this video because of your algorithm overlords and thank god!! This was an incredible video and i always enjoy to see some piranesi love being spread around!!
Only read Piranesi but I loved it. I didn’t know what to expect but definitely one of my favourite books I’ve read this year. Thanks for some more recommendations as wanted to try more off the list and wasn’t sure which would appeal.
I read Summer first before all the others and it almost made going back through the previous books more enjoyable bc I had so many "OH SHIT OH FUCK" moments when everything from Summer all clicked together 😂
"There's a lot to unpack here" "And it makes me want to die" "And before I knew it, I was tits deep in really good fiction" You've just written the book of my life in those sentences alone.
Leena! I love your channel!! Since you're freelance now, you should check out the "Barefoot Bookseller" Program at Soneva Fushi island in the Maldives. I work here on the island, and we have someone new come every six months or so to run the onsite bookshop. Program is run by Ultimate Library in London.
The way you described Burnt Sugar was exactly how I felt about it, but I couldn’t find the words 🙃 I wanted it to be amazing but really struggled towards the end and felt like I needed more.
unrelated but I love Convenience Store Woman, and I couldn't explain why until what you said hit the nail right on the head! "mood based discussion of what it's like to be consumed by the default way of living but then feel a little bit uneasy about it" THIS!
The criteria for your reviews are SPOT on! Books shouldn’t - necessarily - reflect a utopia to be good, real life is full of flaws and dents and I love reading about it and learning from it. Ik the books in this vid has to be in English but if you’re looking for a good women centered book I’d recommend Vinterbørn by Dea Trier Mørk. I don’t want children and it still resonated immensely with me. Also Dødevaskeren by Sara Omar and Magrethe by Anne Lise Marstrand Jørgensen.
Absolutely fabulous! You did a great job of explaining the difference between judging and suggesting a book to a pal. Also your editing is just *chef's kiss*
You are so good at recognizing what you like and dislike about books and why something is good or not. Love to hear you talk about books. So many times I read a book and i like or dislike it but can't pinpoint what exactly it was about the book. Awesome video! :)
Your editing **chef's kiss** Also, if you liked the short, broken-up thought paragraphs in No One Is Talking About This, I think you'd really like Weather by Jenny Offill if you haven't read it already. It's about feeling anxious about the climate emergency, so feels right up your alley!
The editing in this video is perfection. And matching your outfit to the cover, so aesthetically pleasing. (Also loved the horrible histories cameo in the background) I really want to read your whole shortlist now
I LOVED this video - I always find your book thoughts so insightful! Re. Luster (I haven't read any of the others apart from Exciting Times which I didn't like that much) - I've just finished it and I did really enjoy it. I don't think it's a perfect book, and I don't think it should win from what you've said about the other books, but I think it does do characters really well and that it is genuinely 'beautifully written', so much so that I was really sucked into the plot. I agree with your points about some of the situations not being textually justified and I guess I agree - I thought the plot was weakish at points - but it didn't necessarily matter to me because the writing-style was so fantastic and it also served to mirror a really confusing time in the protagonist's life where things were very confusing to her. Plus it was really short so it felt more like a time capsule rather than an expansive tale! But yeah, as I said - I don't necessarily think it should deserve to win - but (like Exciting Times I guess, although I really hated the plot) I am really thrilled about the fact that it is a debut novel and Raven Leilani is only gonna hone her craft as time goes on
I have just begun the audiobook for No One Talks About This, 30 minutes in and already loving it! So I just went back to watch you talk about that book because I knew it was your recommendation that had led it to be on my TBR - thank you! 🙏🏻
Oh wow you got 5 out of 6 correct. I've read and have nothing but positive things to say about Luster, Detransition Baby, Burnt Sugar and How the One Armed Sister Sweeps her House - that you think there's better books on the list than those 4 bodes well for my May reading plans. 🙂
Absolutely loved hearing your perspective on the list and loved your shortlist and rally appreciated how you applied your criteria as well. I wonder who will really win!
Wow thank you so much for all the time and energy you put into this video!! 💖 I got Piranesi from the library last week and now I can’t wait to read it!
A bit unrelated to anything but I love this font, it always reminds me of the font that my favourite band uses. I decided what to read after watching your very entertaining video and I feel validated for loving Piranesi so much thanks to you. I cannot imagine how much more I would enjoy it if I understood the references as well apparently. I didn't want to read Nothing but Blue Sky because of that horrendous cover (love the blue though) and blurb (i find your reaction dead SPOT ON) but now I decided it's going to be my next read wow, don't want to sound rude but what were they thinking?? they secretly hate the author I suppose. It also sort of reminds me of this graphic novel I love named "Daytripper" with grief and death.
Notorious L. N. Like the judges collar. Animal print is rogue! A rogue judge! Really enjoyed the discussion about the continuing necessity of The Women's Prize. I listened to Luster, good but a bit forgettable. Consent, still on the TBR, I really wanted it to be about...consent... I'll still try it since it's short. Great comments about Dawn French! I returned Nothing but blue sky back to the library unread.... might need to pick it up again. Great round up!
I did not even know this prize existed and here I am, having watched and enjoyed your entire video and with four new books on my tbr... You're so good at this!
I will admit, embarrassingly, that in your intro, when you zoom in on your face... my phone is on my car mount, so I looked over at that moment and thought my phone was falling so I tried to catch it 😅 v good editing 10/10
Wow! This made me subscribe right away. Such a good video. Funny and engaging and legitimately good at communicating. So many people reiterate the same point over and over and over. Glad I came across this video and channel.
I also have the same stair bannister (horribly painted in black along the top part) in the old divided villa I live in. I'm in New Zealand, so the house was built in 1896 and then divided into flats in around the 1960's. I don't think it's had much done since the 1960's. There's a ghost which is a great bonus.
Literally bought Piranesi on Audible as I was watching this. Will start it as soon as I finish writing this comment. This is my first time seeing any of your videos and I absolutely love you (you're erudite and passionate and insightful and funny and cool) and I'm sure I'll watch a whole lot more.
Adored this video! And so much respect to you for reading all of the books on the longlist. You’ve made me basically want to read ALL of your shortlist
👋 Thanks for giving this video a watch! BOOK yourself in for another one:
○ Goodreads is dead. What now? ua-cam.com/video/zMiJDv265kA/v-deo.html
○ My Top Books of 2020: ua-cam.com/video/9D3TiyEY9-g/v-deo.html
○ I read the entire Hunger Games during lockdown and here's what happened: ua-cam.com/video/y8y-DflB3tY/v-deo.html
If you have luster and consent still I would really appreciate buying it from you and paying for shipping to the US because you're bindings are simply better
For everyone coming back to this video to compare it to the actual Women's short list: The shortlist here was IDENTICAL other than instead of Nothing But Blue Sky, they had How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House. 5/6 correctly IDed the short list!! Leena is a true literary judge
*takes bow*
This comment is a B-Roll appreciation comment! Loved the themed shots of each book and that stop motion in the intro :)
Strongly second this sentiment (try say that five times fast)
i don't *need* 38 minutes and 20 seconds to eat my lunch but i will take 38 minutes and 20 seconds to eat my lunch because book talk is soothing and adding to my TBR is something i enjoy
haha glad I could accompany you!
"It's a fiction prize, not a literary fiction prize!" - YES!
You'll be on the list one day Murphy ;)
Can someone please explain to me what the difference between the two is? 🙈
Mareeen14 my understanding is that fiction is plot backed whereas literary fiction is character based. Not sure how right I am though
@@josepha133 mostly writing style
For anyone else interested, the judges' shortlist ended up being:
- The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (Dialogue)
- Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury)
- Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller (Fig Tree)
- Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (Viking)
- How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones (Headline)
- No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood (Bloomsbury)
So pretty bloody close, Leena!
*bows*
Dear Leena, you did not disappoint.
haha PHEW x
I'm 8 mins in and can I just say the EDITING??????? babes this slaps
Can we take a second to appreciate the amount of effort that went into making that stop-motion intro with the books? Loved this video as always, Leena.
More outfit changes than Cher on her 17th farewell tour...
♡
😂😂😂I was tempted to do one for each book but I ran out of time
My theory about Luster is that it portrays what it's like as a 20 year old with anxious attachment style. You know better, and yet are pushed by subconscious beliefs to act in certain ways, and you definitely don't have the tools to resist yet. That's why I related to it. Plus the wit and the de-centering of the guy were fresh and interesting. It might be perplexing if you're securely attached
I love that you shared this because I've recently realized that the attachment style of the main character has everything to do with how much I like a book or not. 🤯
Oh wow this is a very interesting insight, thank you!
@@alayamorning Oh me too! I'm Secure with a tendency towards Anxious .... and stories that explore relationships between Anxious and Avoidant have often been attractive to me.
This was an awesome video. I really want to check out Unsettled Ground now!! ♥️
I think you'd like it a lot!
I'm a neuroscience PhD student studying addiction and I just finished Transcendent Kingdom and it CHANGED MY LIFE. I know I'm late to the party here but I wanted to go back to the first place I heard about it, which was this video, and thank you for the recommendation because I think this book is going to be one of those that sticks with me forever. Thanks Leena!!!
I’m obsessed with this video and the sets you created for each book. (The scattered clementines were inspired.) I laughed and “ahhh hmmmm, inSIIIIGHT!”ed in equal measure. You also corroborated some things I’d read from other trusted reviewers, so thanks for helping me narrow things down!
happy to be part of the narrowing!
"25 years ago, in 1991..." That's 30 years ago, I'm just gonna throw that out there.
P.S. Leena, I love your videos. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
You're so welcome! Hahah HOW did I not catch that in the editing process?! Doh!
I kept on thinking about that 😂😂😂 I'm 25 and was SOOOOO confused about why I was not born in 1991🤣🤣
I'm so glad you said that, I thought I'd just misheard but got so confused about what year it was
Yeah, I did a double take on that comment. I was like, wasn't 1991 exactly 30 years ago? Did she mean 1996, am I going crazy?
Oh lord, I was born in 1990 and I didn't even question it! Like I KNOW I'm 31 this year, and yet 1991 being 25 years ago sounded completely reasonable to me.
My StoryGraph to-read list is now much longer. Thank you!
Storygraph for life
Same 😅
Mine too haha! I have a tag called "leenarecs"
I agree with your assessment of Exciting Times, but I do think that a lot of people are overlooking how this book is kinda racist?? I grew up in Hong Kong and this book could have been set in literally any Asian country that has expats. Also kind of concerning to me that the first time an Asian character speaks is halfway through the book and all the other Asian characters are riddled with stereotypes like the tiger parents and their kids. I just don't think that it deserves the positive comparisons it's been getting.
Loved the video as always, Leena, and really appreciated your insight into these books!
I’m so glad to see someone saying this! I actually found a lot of the stereotypes and description of both living in Asia and also being Irish really questionable 😅 I definitely felt quite alone in really passionately disliking this book when it seems to be getting so much praise!
Gosh this is so interesting because whereas I understand the criticism about how the story felt like it could be set anywhere in Asia so long as expats somehow inhabit it, I’ve felt really iffy about the argument that it’s racist? I was born and raised in HK (still living here lol, wait this isn’t supposed to be a flex or anything, I just wanted to provide perspective for why I’m saying what I’m saying) and have pretty much grown up amongst lower-middle class locals. The book was indeed fascinating in that expats are so out of my league on a day to day basis as a member of the sandwich class, so like part of me was just super nosy about what it’s like to be living that kind of bougie life; but I thought that a lot of how the students Ava taught were portrayed were pretty legitimate? I’m an ethnic minority here so I tend to get by speaking in English and I remember entering a local secondary school with my Indonesian-accented English and everyone around me rushing to put up their poshest accent. Everyone went to these extra English classes after school, with, what I considered, was very strange English, and half my class took the IELTS by the time we were about to enter uni. I do think there is a glorification of colonial/British culture here, fuelled by history and political events, especially amongst the liberal middle class and that people who haven’t lived here miss and attribute as racism in the books. Idk just my hot take. (But then again, while I may be a local Indonesian-Hong Konger, my experience may not speak for everyone else so I could be terribly wrong.) I can see the harm that it could do though, especially when we consider that the audience for the book is global and people who do not have situational context, but yeah. Hope this didn’t come off as too rambly
@@jasmineafina.n.850 totally get where you're coming from! I guess for me personally it kind of seemed like there was no point to setting it in HK so the fact that it was set there makes it seem like a fetishisation of Asia
I'm here because of Jack Edwards and... THIS IS AMAZING 💯
Writing an essay on literary prizes and their value so this was perfect timing!
haha ooo that's so cool. There's lots of article links in the description too in case helpful. Good luck!
Thank you for the clear and concise reviews. I agree that it is perfectly reasonable to stop reading a book. Life is too short to waste time reading something that does not spark joy. Also, I loved the camera work of each individual book. Art about Art!
I love Unsettled Ground - really appreciated the focus on rural poverty and the vulnerability of not having access to many aspects of the "modern world". I've been recommending it to a lot of people on the book recommendation forums on Reddit as although it got a lot of critical praise, I don't often come across people online who are familiar with it. It's become one of my favourite books :)
my stack of unread books is toppling but i'm adding all of these to my list! topple, baby, topple!
Leena's outfits are ALWAYS on point
After watching this I was very intrigued by the concept of Piranesi, so I bought the Kindle version on my laptop and read it all today. I loved it, and I may not have heard about it if not for this video, so thank you!
It’s probably not at all healthy just how much I appreciated you holding the toothbrush book cover up in front of your open bathroom cabinet..... all other points, intelligently delivered and pondered were also appreciated but I squeaked at the bathroom vista! 💜
Have now reserved a bunch of these at my library! Thanks for always igniting in me the push to read fiction Leena (even when my brain and eyes hurt from uni reading!)
Aw I know the feeling, I barely read for pleasure during Uni and I really wish I had, it would have lifted my spirits so much. Hope you love these when they become free at your Lib!
Well I've just bought "Detransition Baby," "Unsettled Ground" and No one is talking about this" so I'll report back in a hundred years when I've finally got round to reading them! lol!
Loved your take on these books too!
haha I look forward to hearing your thoughts in 2121!x
I got Piranesi the day it come out and blew through it. I absolutely love everything in it and how Susanna Clarke writes is magic.
For me, the mark of a truely good book is feeling like it really shifts my perspective on something, or opens my eyes to new way of thinking/understanding. In particular if I catch myself mulling over it a week (or weeks) later.
This was so comprehensive, and you've really sold me on Nothing But Blue Sky which I wasn't previously interested in owing to that horrific blurb. Desperate to read Transcendent Kingdom and No One Is Talking About This. Thanks for another stellar video, that intro must have taken ages to edit.
"We need more found family narratives" 💕 So fun and interesting to hear all your thoughts on all of these! 📚
This was INCREDIBLE Leena, production value off the charts!!! :o I would highly recommend Homegoing, I think about it nearly every day! Such a harrowing read
Haha thank you
that stop motion intro is the best thing i've ever seen and i've watched it like 15 times already
I am 1minute15 in and I'm already obsessed with the editing for this video. The intro, the skin in the game, I am HYPED.
WATCHING THE INTRO AND SO EXCITED
I’ve just finished a massive exam and this feels like a proper treat for myself. Thank you Leena ❤️
Congrats!!!
We don’t tend to have the same reading taste but I enjoy all of your book videos so much. I love how clear you talk about books and how you make every one seem intriguing
of course the judges agreed on 5 out of the 6 ✨ leena’s opinions never disappoint
im coming back to this video because this video is easily one of the best video i've watched on booktube! i looove this concept!
Aw thank you!
And the winner is… Piranesi by Susanna Clarke!! So excited this gem of a fantasy won. Thank you for the wonderful video Leena! Would love to see another one next year
I bloody love listening to you talk about books, and I love the way this was shot. Burnt sugar next to caster sugar made me laugh, so playful. Skipping over the Piranesi part because it’s next on my list but what a fantastic train watch
How have I not seen this channel until today? The UA-cam algorithm has failed me again!!
I haven't had the time and patience to read good fiction in a while because of work and uni. But this made me REALLY want to pick up a good book again. I love your passion!
I just watched your “artist against algorithms tag” and you said it was totally okay to comment something that’s totally unrelated to the video bc it still helps! so, uhhh, anyway... I’m reading wicked, I’m over 2/3 done, and holy hell leena. this book rules.
Leena, you are boasting so many amazing shades of lipstick here! i would love to see a lipstick vid similar to your secret video on your earrings. Thank you for making my TBR approximately 134 books x
"Proper English"
Flashback to when I was teaching English in Japan and I asked the kids "How old are you" and they all looked at me like I had two heads even the teaching assistant before she clarified "You need to ask 'what age are you'"
Is that technically the correct way of asking that? I've never heard "what age are you".
I’ve never heard ‘what age are you’ either.
I find this very interesting. In Portuguese we say what would be literally translated to "how many years do you have?"
''What age are you'' is a word to word translation of how old are you in French.
So maybe she got them mixed up.
What? 😮 I've always been asked how old am I instead of what you said (and by actual native English speakers) lol
I find it really weird, honestly.
P. S. In my county we ask something that can be translated like "what generation (year) are you?"
"It's nice to be nasty about art" Should be a t-shirt. LOVED THIS
Thank you for making this video! it is super interesting to hear about what the function of these lists and prizes are from someone "in the business." as a fellow Black woman in STEM I am DEFINITELY going to read Transcendent Kingdom. I also agree I would LOVE to see a movie adaptation of The Vanishing Half!
This absolutely made my day. Like you, I’ve read all 16 and I almost entirely agree with your shortlist. Nothing But Blue Sky was the biggest surprise of them all to me. I hear you on Summer and on books in a series in general, but I loved Summer and the whole seasonal quartet (and yes, I think Winter is the best of the 4). Really did not like Burnt Sugar or Luster, and the ending of Small Pleasures basically ruined the experience of reading it. Thank you, thank you!
That's so cool you read all of them too! It's the first year I have and honestly I'd consider doing it again, it definitely brought me out of my comfortzone and made me discover beautiful books with awful covers!
@@leenanorms Same. I love this particular prize and make a point to read the longlist every year (I had read 7 before the list came out so I had a head start!
Wow, I just want you to review every book I’ve ever read. Very insightful - thank you!
i tend to skip through haul videos and "what i read" videos, and also normally skip through long videos 20 mins or over. not this video. the whole thing is incredible. You are a WHIZ! I ate up all 38 mins. Gold award to top youtube! i'm so looking forward to checking out these books. Thank you!
i would listen to you talking about books for hours on end. Always love your insights and the way you present books. My tbr is getting too long! ahahah
I'm 75% through one of the books. I'm having a slow reading year! I intend to read the short list. I hope the one I've almost finished is on it so I don't have quite so many I need to read.
This video was excellent! I'm excited to read some.
Found this video because of your algorithm overlords and thank god!! This was an incredible video and i always enjoy to see some piranesi love being spread around!!
Only read Piranesi but I loved it. I didn’t know what to expect but definitely one of my favourite books I’ve read this year. Thanks for some more recommendations as wanted to try more off the list and wasn’t sure which would appeal.
"and that's the real mistery that will never be solved" made me spit my coffee laughing so hard. thank you leena for another amazing video!
This editing is so beautiful
Thank you!
Bit late to the party but have to add: Complementing the book cover with the background. *whispers* : appreciate
I read Summer first before all the others and it almost made going back through the previous books more enjoyable bc I had so many "OH SHIT OH FUCK" moments when everything from Summer all clicked together 😂
"There's a lot to unpack here"
"And it makes me want to die"
"And before I knew it, I was tits deep in really good fiction"
You've just written the book of my life in those sentences alone.
This is so good! Love your detailed reviews! ♥♥♥
It makes me so happy to see you so happily talk about books, something you love 😍😍😍😍 I love this for you!!
Haha they definitely get me going, I think maybe my calling is opening a bookshop
@@leenanorms if you do that, it will be the first place I visit when I come to England, pinky promise !!!!!! Love form 🇨🇦❤️
Leena! I love your channel!! Since you're freelance now, you should check out the "Barefoot Bookseller" Program at Soneva Fushi island in the Maldives. I work here on the island, and we have someone new come every six months or so to run the onsite bookshop. Program is run by Ultimate Library in London.
The way you described Burnt Sugar was exactly how I felt about it, but I couldn’t find the words 🙃 I wanted it to be amazing but really struggled towards the end and felt like I needed more.
Love the video, my to-read list has grown significantly since I found your channel!
I make no apologies ;)
unrelated but I love Convenience Store Woman, and I couldn't explain why until what you said hit the nail right on the head! "mood based discussion of what it's like to be consumed by the default way of living but then feel a little bit uneasy about it" THIS!
The criteria for your reviews are SPOT on! Books shouldn’t - necessarily - reflect a utopia to be good, real life is full of flaws and dents and I love reading about it and learning from it.
Ik the books in this vid has to be in English but if you’re looking for a good women centered book I’d recommend Vinterbørn by Dea Trier Mørk. I don’t want children and it still resonated immensely with me. Also Dødevaskeren by Sara Omar and Magrethe by Anne Lise Marstrand Jørgensen.
Absolutely fabulous! You did a great job of explaining the difference between judging and suggesting a book to a pal. Also your editing is just *chef's kiss*
1:08 I just can't. I love this. You're the best. Hands down.
"...a very One Day ending"!!! I love you. I was never so angry as at that ending! Thank you! Also 120 books a year! WHAAAAAAAAAA?????????
You are so good at recognizing what you like and dislike about books and why something is good or not. Love to hear you talk about books. So many times I read a book and i like or dislike it but can't pinpoint what exactly it was about the book. Awesome video! :)
Your editing **chef's kiss**
Also, if you liked the short, broken-up thought paragraphs in No One Is Talking About This, I think you'd really like Weather by Jenny Offill if you haven't read it already. It's about feeling anxious about the climate emergency, so feels right up your alley!
The editing in this video is perfection. And matching your outfit to the cover, so aesthetically pleasing. (Also loved the horrible histories cameo in the background) I really want to read your whole shortlist now
I have just checked the shortlist...man, you know a thing or two about literature. Respect!!
I'm only 24 seconds in but that intro alone deserves a comment, it is amazing!!! Your editing skills just keep surprising me!!
I'd heard about No One Is Talking About This from the Books Unbound podcast, so it's really interesting to hear another perspective on it!
OMG, you had me at your RBG videobomb!! Piranesi is a FANTASTIC story, and so expertly written.
I LOVED this video - I always find your book thoughts so insightful! Re. Luster (I haven't read any of the others apart from Exciting Times which I didn't like that much) - I've just finished it and I did really enjoy it. I don't think it's a perfect book, and I don't think it should win from what you've said about the other books, but I think it does do characters really well and that it is genuinely 'beautifully written', so much so that I was really sucked into the plot. I agree with your points about some of the situations not being textually justified and I guess I agree - I thought the plot was weakish at points - but it didn't necessarily matter to me because the writing-style was so fantastic and it also served to mirror a really confusing time in the protagonist's life where things were very confusing to her. Plus it was really short so it felt more like a time capsule rather than an expansive tale! But yeah, as I said - I don't necessarily think it should deserve to win - but (like Exciting Times I guess, although I really hated the plot) I am really thrilled about the fact that it is a debut novel and Raven Leilani is only gonna hone her craft as time goes on
I have just begun the audiobook for No One Talks About This, 30 minutes in and already loving it! So I just went back to watch you talk about that book because I knew it was your recommendation that had led it to be on my TBR - thank you! 🙏🏻
You have persuaded me to put Piranesi on my TBR. I haven’t heard anyone else describe it in quite that way.
Oh wow you got 5 out of 6 correct.
I've read and have nothing but positive things to say about Luster, Detransition Baby, Burnt Sugar and How the One Armed Sister Sweeps her House - that you think there's better books on the list than those 4 bodes well for my May reading plans. 🙂
FIVE OUT OF SIX!!! amazing tekkers.
Watched this video twice - when it came out and when the new list came out!
Absolutely loved hearing your perspective on the list and loved your shortlist and rally appreciated how you applied your criteria as well.
I wonder who will really win!
Wow thank you so much for all the time and energy you put into this video!! 💖 I got Piranesi from the library last week and now I can’t wait to read it!
aw you're welcome, glad you enjoyed it!
ooooh i loveeeed luster. definitely agree about it being divisive but it felt SO true to early twenties flailing
A bit unrelated to anything but I love this font, it always reminds me of the font that my favourite band uses. I decided what to read after watching your very entertaining video and I feel validated for loving Piranesi so much thanks to you. I cannot imagine how much more I would enjoy it if I understood the references as well apparently. I didn't want to read Nothing but Blue Sky because of that horrendous cover (love the blue though) and blurb (i find your reaction dead SPOT ON) but now I decided it's going to be my next read wow, don't want to sound rude but what were they thinking?? they secretly hate the author I suppose. It also sort of reminds me of this graphic novel I love named "Daytripper" with grief and death.
Week after week Leena delivers what I need.
Notorious L. N. Like the judges collar. Animal print is rogue! A rogue judge! Really enjoyed the discussion about the continuing necessity of The Women's Prize. I listened to Luster, good but a bit forgettable. Consent, still on the TBR, I really wanted it to be about...consent... I'll still try it since it's short. Great comments about Dawn French!
I returned Nothing but blue sky back to the library unread.... might need to pick it up again. Great round up!
Thank you for spending so much time on this
You're so welcome!
I did not even know this prize existed and here I am, having watched and enjoyed your entire video and with four new books on my tbr... You're so good at this!
EXCELLENT VIDEO, your thoughts are always so original and your videos are always so you, I loveeeeee
aw thank you!
that stop motion intro.... Leena you're always levelling up!!!
I will admit, embarrassingly, that in your intro, when you zoom in on your face... my phone is on my car mount, so I looked over at that moment and thought my phone was falling so I tried to catch it 😅 v good editing 10/10
Wow! This made me subscribe right away. Such a good video. Funny and engaging and legitimately good at communicating. So many people reiterate the same point over and over and over. Glad I came across this video and channel.
I love all the book content we're gettimg recently!
me: is thoroughly entertained by this great video
also me when leena is sitting on her stairs: I hAvE tHe sAMe sTaIR BaNiStEr aS leEnA :D
I also have the same stair bannister (horribly painted in black along the top part) in the old divided villa I live in. I'm in New Zealand, so the house was built in 1896 and then divided into flats in around the 1960's. I don't think it's had much done since the 1960's. There's a ghost which is a great bonus.
Literally bought Piranesi on Audible as I was watching this. Will start it as soon as I finish writing this comment.
This is my first time seeing any of your videos and I absolutely love you (you're erudite and passionate and insightful and funny and cool) and I'm sure I'll watch a whole lot more.
Adored this video! And so much respect to you for reading all of the books on the longlist. You’ve made me basically want to read ALL of your shortlist
Your editing is so entertaining! :D (And I loved every single one of your outfits btw...)
Thank you so much 😄