Great video peeps! Loving to hear your year ended in awesome fashion! So looking forward to how your WARS OF LIGHT AND SHADOW read-along turns out! Be ready to be amazed!!! My favourite SFF series of ALL-TIME!!! Happy reading!
Oceans 11 while referencing nettle and bone? That I was not expecting😂 I am looking forward to reading the mountain crown-I think that’s one I’m going to get to sooner rather than later after both you and Tom Orange have gushed about it. Also Dennis’ book looks and sounds incredible. Cheers to a good reading week!
I am HERE for the Kingfisher love! Love that you read it in the same month as Wind and Truth to see that a great story with a wide scope can be told in so few pages. I'm STILL slogging through Wind and Truth, lol
It sounds like you had a productive December. I...had a December. The year ended off on a whimper unfortunately. There were some good reads in there, but mostly some meh ones. January has started out a lot better, I blew through Sledge vs The Labyrinth, which was awesome. Then I read Spear, which was also very good. I hope that January is also starting out well for you too uncle. Keep up the good work!
I'm glad to hear that One Piece is working so far, John. Keep looking for those themes, and keep having fun! The Last Kingdom was a blast, especially discussing it with you, Mike, and Brian. Long live the Quilluminati!
I love the way you describe the immersive experience of reading one of Jannys books, I’m in the middle of The Gallant now and it’s so interesting seeing Athera before the events of the main novels
Ooooh yes, Nettle & Bone is SO GOOD!! You pushed me to re-read it, and I could not have wished for a better last book of 2024. Just exceptional storytelling. Also can't wait to get to Janny's novella after all the gushing, and will try to check out The Mountain Crown as well! My favourite reads of December were Wind and Truth, Obsdian: Revelation by Sienna Frost (no. 2 on my top 10 of the year!), and Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson 🤩
I started reading the way of kings yesterday, so my Stormlight journey has begun! I read Dungeon Crawler Carl in December but made it last into the new year as i enjoyed it so much, that was a choice based on your recommendation, I'm looking forward to the rest! So glad I found your channel and getting to find so many more reads, watching you, Jacob and the Mrs! Happy New Year! Jen
@@Talking_Story I read the prelude, book one and prologue last night, I'm already hooked from that, the magic system is really intriguing. I'm reading a few chapters an evening. I have a tendency to speed read due to my job, so i'm trying to slow down and absorb what i read for fun this year. so i might be slow getting through it but so far so good!
@Talking_Story excellent! I've only read Hollow Places (very creepy) and A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking (charming, but still with Kingfisher's signature unsettling vibe at times), so I will be picking up more this year as well!
Another great month. My stand out for December was finally getting to The Warrior Bards trilogy by Juliet Marillier. It's a follow on trilogy many years later in her Blackthorn and Grim trilogy. She's a local (Perth, Western Australia) writer and I really like to support her work. ❤
I usually recommend starting with her duology Wolfskin and Foxmask. But the Blackthorn and Grim trilogy is fabulous, because the main characters are a bit more mature. She has a stack of books and you really can't go wrong with any of them. 💜
I am so glad you get what I was aiming for. Yes, some of that is going to come back and bite them personally, but more importantly, in the future beyond this first series. I have a 4,000 year timeline I want to flesh out. I just know you are going to love the next book, Precipice. Also, now that you know her, look at the cover of Books 3 and 4. You know who she is, now.
I feel the same way about Wind and Truth. It's such an interpersonal story and the fact that we've gotten to know the characters for SO LONG makes everything in this book land so well for me.
Great hearing your thoughts on these books! Some of them sound very interesting. I'm mostly done rereading Rhythm of War and will probably start Wind and Truth this week.
Man oh man! Another great month! The Mountain Crown is a new one to me, so yet another one added to TBR mountain! Can't wait to start hitting these puppies in the years to come.
It’s dope to hear about comics around this side of the internet lol. Just the one book for me in December: Mistborn. But if things go according to plan, it should be the first of a lot more for the rest of my life. Other than that, I’m working on this new reprinted DC vs. Marvel Amalgam Omnibus right now next to Harry Potter and Sun Eater. Loving the videos! ✌️
Sorry John I’m a bit more hyped for Jakob loving Empire of Silence than anything you read 😅 But I did indeed love the Wind and Truth journey like you did, even if the writing could’ve been tightened up a bit for maximum impact. Truly memorable character arcs over so many thousands of pages, it’s quite the unique experience. Would you recommend that Wurts novella as a starting point for that series?
Thank you, Thank You, Thank You John! I have started reading Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere with the Mistborn Era 1, currently reading book 3, The Hero of Ages. I've researched the reading order and of course BookTok has several different versions. Do you have a reading list for the cosmere?
In my SciFi/Fantasy book group, we seem to read at least one T Kingfisher book a year. We read Nettle & Bone in 2024. Your enthusiastic review makes me want to read it all over again!
What a month. And so lovely to hear other people’s opinions on a truly communal experience of reading this month :). Many things to be grateful for in the fantasy booktube community and from this channel :) December Reading: Tales of Sun Eater, Vol. 2 - I enjoyed this more than vol 1, which I also liked. It also made me more intrigued for the next book. I feel ready for Kingdoms of Death, although from what I hear I may not be, we shall see. Wind and Truth - i know i know, it’s getting a lot of hate, but - oh boy. I really wanted to like this. Especially more than rhythm of depression. Slow start. Sanderson humour doesn’t land for me. The rest? Contract law and fantasy therapy. The contract law - this is what happens when you set up too much of a convoluted plot, sometimes less is more but this is my subjective take. Everything I say will hit different for others and that’s great! Fantasy therapy? Superficial and heavy handed for the most part. The second half of the book is much better. Still some character arcs seem to be stages of psychological development most people get over in their younger years, which, along with the writing style and humour, really makes me feel Stormlight Archive is just as YA, if not more, than Mistborn is said to be by some. Honestly I think if Oathbringer, Rhythm of War and Wind and Truth had a better edit, the first half of the Stormlight Archive could have had 4 books and be better, or if you want to be brutal, mix about a few things from books 1-5 and cut some things and it could be a flawless trilogy imo (i know it sounds mental). Some characters i’d also remove from throughout part 1, and put into part 2 cause clearly their relevance will be in part 2, rather than part 1. I like the day by day structure of book 5, although it means some characters literally need to evolve in 10 days, which is less realistic. Sometimes im not a fan of nods and winks to the meta of creating and presenting art. In things like Austen, Hobb and Midsummer Night Dream I appreciate it, in name of the wind I think it is pretentious, in cosmere, it’s somewhere in the middle, and pushes the boundary a bit too much for me… Overall, I liked wind and truth. It would rank higher than other books i think are of higher quality in terms of favourites, just because of my investment into the characters and series. I loved a few moments. I enjoyed it more than book 4, but less so than the other 3. But for book 5 alone, ironically, for the main characters of part 1, the destination is better than the journey.
@@Corlwow definitely could’ve been trimmed. I see all the points but I like you loved some moments and overall it was a very enjoyable read for me. I know he lost his editor and had a new 1 here so that probably had some effect. I think I would rate book 5 above 4 but would not crack my top 3 Stormlight slots. Thanks so much for sharing all your thoughts my friend!
Nice set of books to finish the year off. I'm just 90 pages from the end of Glorious Exploits. I had read the first chapter in October and left it there. Started again from the beginning, reading it with a Dublin accent (as recommended by Ferdia Lennon) in my head and it goes alot better for me. I am so glad you mentioned it a week or so ago. I've shed tears twice, laughed a lot more and have empathy with every character so far. Finally just got over a 2 month long chest infection and flu so feel ready to read more now.
Really cool list. My December had several firsts after my wrapping up my Lord of the Rings reread. My first GGK in Tigana, my first Abercrombie with The Blade Itself, read volume one of Tank Girl, started One Piece, but the pinnacle of the lot was Red Rising, devoured it, and have already devoured Golden Son in a three day reading binge last week, definitely an instant favourite.
Do not forget you can totally read the Piebald Prince Hobb novella for a palette cleanser. I read it before Liveship and I did not get struck down by lightening…specially if you want to revisit that world in a small dose, in one sitting.
I would love to read more Bernard Cornwell! The Warlord Chronicles was fantastic. It reminded me a lot of one of my favorite authors Mary Renault, who made historical novels based on myths, effectively offering a theory of the historical context on some of the most famous myths. The Last Kingdom sounds like a great series to read between lengthy books. I didn’t get as much reading done in December as I did in other months, though. I think my brain was fried from all the studying, and traveling home for the holidays, plus taking the exam, was exhausting, which I passed by the way thank God. It’s amazing how just sitting there can make you feel like you’ve been stomped on by an elephant. Despite everything, I really enjoyed the books I read. Three of them were rereads admittedly, which might explain why I found them so enjoyable. I started with Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson. This relatively short nonfiction book tells the story of the Cline brothers, Joseph and Isaac, two meteorologists living in Galveston during the 1900 hurricane-the deadliest natural disaster in American history. The storm claimed between 6,000 and 12,000 lives, mostly in Galveston, ending the young city’s Golden Era and paving the way for Houston’s rise as the dominant city in Texas’s Gulf region. Larson delves into the internal conflicts within the early American weather bureau, its shaky ability to predict the weather, and its political struggles-particularly with the Cuban weather bureau, which repeatedly warned America about the storm but was dismissed. The book also explores the personal tension between the Cline brothers, one of whom tried desperately to persuade the other to evacuate. It’s a powerful story of arrogance, desperation, and regret. As I read, I felt an intense, mounting sense of dread. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a shorter nonfiction read, especially if you're not ready for something as hefty as The Last Lion trilogy (excellent books). Next, I read the first book of Asimov’s Foundation series. I had physically read it in 2022, but I wanted to revisit it in audiobook form, especially since Scott Brick narrated the trilogy. I’ve loved Scott Brick’s voice ever since I heard him as Duke Leto in Dune and the God Emperor in God Emperor of Dune. His narration really elevated the book for me, adding depth to characters who, in my opinion, are often a bit underdeveloped in the text. If you’re new to Asimov, I highly recommend Foundation, as it’s one of the most influential series in science fiction. While the first three books are great, I personally found the sequels to be a bit of a chore. After that, I picked up Legend of the Galactic Heroes Volume 8 by Yoshiki Tanaka. Big things happened in this one! I’ve packed the last two books of the series for my flight back to Europe, and I’m excited to see how it all wraps up. I don’t often read long series, so it’s been a rewarding experience to stick with this one for the past two years. Since Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky was my book of the year for 2024, I decided to dive into the second book in the series, Children of Ruin, which I read in January. I’d heard some mixed reviews, with some fans of Children of Time not as fond of the sequel, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. While this book follows a more typical plot structure than its predecessor (which explored the development of an entire civilization over thousands of years), I still found it enjoyable, and perhaps even more so than many others on Booktube. The new characters were compelling, and though the plot wasn’t as groundbreaking as Children of Time, it was still very engaging. Children of Time will likely remain my favorite in the trilogy (I’m currently listening to Children of Memory), but I wholeheartedly recommend the entire series. Finally, my last read of the year was another reread: Gregory Maguire’s Wicked. Yes, I picked it up because of the film's publicity (which I was too lazy to get on a bus for an hour to see in English, I’ll wait till it comes out on streaming). If you're married to the musical, which I haven't seen but know the major plot points, I’d warn you that the book is really quite different in tone, plot, and characterization. It’s a wonky experience, particularly the first fifth or so, with a very distinct sense of humor that I happy to really enjoy. I really enjoyed it, and I might revisit the sequels later in the year. That’s it for me this month! Now that the exam is behind me, I should have more time to read this month than I did last month. Wishing all of you a fantastic year! Happy Reading!
@@Fianna1775-o5u wow that is low reading month?! Just amazing. Huge congratulations on your exam!! I need to get back to Foundation. I read book 1 years and years ago.
I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed You Like It Darker. Every novella in that book is insanely good. Couldn't agree more with your take on Rattlesnakes. Would you ever give Cujo another chance? It ended up surprising me by how amazing it was. Went in for scary borker but got an incredible family drama instead and I was here for it.
@@hobbyvomit pretty sure I was too young to see what he was doing with his theme work for Pet Sematary and Cujo. Would definitely give another go now that I have more mileage.
@ I don’t think you’ll be disappointed when you do 🤙🏼
16 днів тому+3
One of the books I read in December was James by Percival Everett. The reviews for that one got me really interested and man, did that one deilver. Highly recommend😊
I just finished Empire of Silence. I really enjoyed it as well. Not perfect but for a first book it sets up this story to just be HUGE! I'm all for it lol. Listening to the Lesser Devil and the writing is even better. I can't wait to get caught up on this series.
I had a great reading month. If I absolutely had to pick a book of the month it would be What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher. If I have to punt novellas, then Death Masks by Jim Butcher.
I read so many amazing books in December it's so hard to pick 😭 Will of The Many was epic, Nettle & Bone was such a fun adventure and Iron Widow was wild! John you need to read The Twisted Ones by Kingfisher it was really creepy! Maybe one for spooky season this year 🤟
Happy New Year Mintons! Jakob can just wait to get to «Howling Dark»! 😄 In December I read: «The Power Broker» by Robert Caro (Political Biography/Investigative Journalism Classic, my Q4 long-read: What an amazing mix of encyclopedic knowledge, real life larger than life characters & wit, as a showcase, his description of NYC Mayor La Guardia as a mayoral candidate: «La Guardia possessed qualifications for making the run beyond the fact that, half Jewish and half Italian, married first to a Catholic and then to a Lutheran of German descent, himself a Mason and an Episcopalian, he was practically a balanced ticket all by himself.» 😂) «Dreaming the Eagle» («Boudica» #1) by Manda Scott (Historical Fiction about the Celtic British Queen and her Rebellion against the Romans: Amazing prose, borderline Fantasy with the Celtic Druidic elements!) «Baudolino» by Umberto Eco (Historical Fantasy set during the Later Crusades on the border of Myth and History in 13th Century Europe and Middle East: Eco loves to overload his reader with Literary and Medieval in-jokes, so clearly he is my spiritual Italian Uncle!😄) «Dictator» (Cicero Trilogy #3) by Robert Harris (Historical Fiction about the Roman Politician Cicero: While not my favorite in the Trilogy, Harris’ Cicero is easily my favorite character in 2024!) «City of Thieves» by David Benioff (Historical Fiction set during the WW2 Seige of Leningrad (Modern Day St. Petersburg): Man, the gallows humor is strong in this one! 😅) My lungs are like punching bags due to pneumonia, but I am slowly on the mend! ☺️ Cheers! 😎🙌
John can you stop adding to my TBR? You make me really want to get into Janny Wurts. It sounds like her books would be right up my alley. I’ll have to check out that novella. And Nettle and Bone is now on my list. Thanks for the positive review of Wind and Truth. I just started Rhythm of War and have been slightly dreading getting to W&T because of all the mixed reviews, but you’ve renewed my hype to read it.
Oh, you are going to love Curse of the Mistwraith! That has one of my favourite 1st chapter to a Fantasy novel I've ever read. In December I read: *Fantasy* Fitz & the Fool 2: Fool's Quest Fitz & the Fool 3: Assassin's Fate - And thus ends my initial journey around the Realm of the Elderlings, and believe me I'm already dying for a re-read. Its definitely become my favourite *completed* Fantasy series (sorry Malazan and First Law). *Marvel Comics* Daredevil 2: Hell to Pay Written by Saladin Ahmed | Art by Aaron Kuder - Really enjoying the current direction of this run and seeing Matt's previous already messy life conflict with his new one as a priest has been excellent. Daredevil 1: Know Fear Written by Chip Zdarsky | Art by Marco Checchetto - Since I'm trade waiting on the current Daredevil run i thought I'd go back to the previous one and loving it. Not the biggest fan of Zdarsky's humour from some of his previous stuff but seeing him do serious drama instead has been great. Reminds me i need to get back to his Spectacular Spider-man run. Ultimate Black Panther 1: Peace and War Written by Bryan Hill | Art by Stefano Caselli - Really digging what I've read so far of the new Ultimate universe.
@Talking_Story now its just to figure out if its now my overall favourite Fantasy series, but ultimately, I think the passage of time will decide that one or maybe, it might flip-flop. That's the beauty of it, you don't have to have just 1 favourite. 😎
Novellas and short stories are great, dense and packed with goodies. I clicked on the link to buy The Gallant, but I am one of thise that really needs a paper copy. Where can I buy a paper copy? I like the concept in Dennis Myer's book, Final Assembly. Touching on topics that are true to reality, corporations trying to take over everything, can lead to some exciting fiction! It is so much fun imagining and writing about the problems we might face in the future in a dystopian society, seeing the patterns like corporations trying to take over, police states, government overreach, and writing about it. That's why fiction is so important. Even if it is fiction, it gets people thinking about these things and maybe opening up their minds to the patterns going on around them. That's about as close as I can get without wanting to rail and rant about what bothers me in the world now. But it takes art (especially it's highest cultural changing form, literature) to actually have any affect on society. That's why we write books and poetry and music, and sing like there's no one else around.
I’ve been saying that the Dragon Western Vision Quest Political fantasy subgenre is severely underserved. Seriously though…can’t wait to read that one.
Thought about defacing my church’s bathroom this Sunday…but I thought better of it. Can’t lose my job just to tell people about the greatest producer on Booktube
Only read 2 books in December, but they were both massive. Demon in White and Kingdoms of Death in the Sun Eater series by Chris Ruocchio were both great. Demon in White was the better of the two. Kingdoms of Death was one of the darkest books I've ever read.
Call me predictable but my favorite book of December has got to be Free Live Free by Gene Wolfe. It’s Wolfe writing Raymond Chandler style noir scifi and I love it. It’s bizarrely different from his BOTNS books. And in BOTNS, many casual readers have said that Wolfe doesn’t write good female characters but this is largely because the main character doesn’t have a healthy view of women for a large part of the book. Free Live Free absolutely refutes that point though! The women characters were by far the most compelling in this book and Wolfe is a master!! Ok gush over.
I haven't read Wind and Truth, but are you surprised by the reception? Overall I've heard it's pretty disappointing! Brando Sando is making spreading himself too thin
The reception outside of reviewers on UA-cam is actually pretty positive. While I see both positives and negatives as completely valid and agree with some of both (I personally loved the book), most people seem to be loving the book. A general rule that persists within pretty much every fandom is that the people with more negative opinions are much more vocal and predominant.
@@benbryan4468 I’m with Ben I truly enjoyed it but I can see the criticisms people are having it. It is not my fav of the Stormlight Archive. It is not my least fav either. I think Sanderson pulled off a great deal of what he set out to do. IMO
Another great deadpan delivery by the best producer on booktube
@@JohnfromNY89 thanks my friend!
Great video peeps! Loving to hear your year ended in awesome fashion! So looking forward to how your WARS OF LIGHT AND SHADOW read-along turns out! Be ready to be amazed!!! My favourite SFF series of ALL-TIME!!! Happy reading!
I am picking up Mistwraith today PL so excited
@@Talking_Story ohhh happy day!!!! I am so excited for you!!!
I gotta say, I don’t know what Jakob is working, but I’m assuming it’s related to the book and I’m getting more hyped for it!!!
@@iSamwise I just saw it in its completed form and hype is warranted!
Great episode John and Jacob! Sounds like I need to join the read along!
@@evanpeppel would love to have you on board
Oceans 11 while referencing nettle and bone? That I was not expecting😂
I am looking forward to reading the mountain crown-I think that’s one I’m going to get to sooner rather than later after both you and Tom Orange have gushed about it.
Also Dennis’ book looks and sounds incredible.
Cheers to a good reading week!
@@Chance.Dillon let me know what you think of em when you get to them Chance.
I am HERE for the Kingfisher love! Love that you read it in the same month as Wind and Truth to see that a great story with a wide scope can be told in so few pages. I'm STILL slogging through Wind and Truth, lol
The Gallant and Nettle and Bone served as a counter point to that chonker! 😂
It sounds like you had a productive December. I...had a December. The year ended off on a whimper unfortunately. There were some good reads in there, but mostly some meh ones.
January has started out a lot better, I blew through Sledge vs The Labyrinth, which was awesome. Then I read Spear, which was also very good. I hope that January is also starting out well for you too uncle.
Keep up the good work!
@@someokiedude9549 started awesome as well with Glorious Exploits!
Great month to round off the year. Looking forward to all of the 2025 reads! On chapter 3 of CoTM and really enjoying it.
I am wrapping CotM up and the second half has just slapped for me!
@ so glad to hear that. I wish I could power through books like you, it takes me a bit longer!
@ we all move at our pace. No biggee.
I'm glad to hear that One Piece is working so far, John. Keep looking for those themes, and keep having fun! The Last Kingdom was a blast, especially discussing it with you, Mike, and Brian. Long live the Quilluminati!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy long live us all my friend!
I love the way you describe the immersive experience of reading one of Jannys books, I’m in the middle of The Gallant now and it’s so interesting seeing Athera before the events of the main novels
@@SpacedOutReads I’m starting book 1 tomorrow!
@ That first chapter of Curse of the MistWraith lives rent free in my head
@ oh wow. I can’t wait to pick it up today!
Every time I see Jakobs name on a wall I get a bookish tingle
@@AndrewsWizardlyReads it has that effect on you too?
@ of course
Judging by where you are when you see Jakobs name, you might wanna get that tingle checked out 😂
@@NerdLevelRising oh my 😜
@ 😂
Ooooh yes, Nettle & Bone is SO GOOD!! You pushed me to re-read it, and I could not have wished for a better last book of 2024. Just exceptional storytelling.
Also can't wait to get to Janny's novella after all the gushing, and will try to check out The Mountain Crown as well!
My favourite reads of December were Wind and Truth, Obsdian: Revelation by Sienna Frost (no. 2 on my top 10 of the year!), and Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson 🤩
@@esmayrosalyne sounds like you closed out the year in style.
@@Talking_Story for sure, and then started the new one in even more style ;)))
@ you are the best 😀
I started reading the way of kings yesterday, so my Stormlight journey has begun! I read Dungeon Crawler Carl in December but made it last into the new year as i enjoyed it so much, that was a choice based on your recommendation, I'm looking forward to the rest! So glad I found your channel and getting to find so many more reads, watching you, Jacob and the Mrs! Happy New Year!
Jen
@@thedragonsbookden great 25 to you Jen. Gotta let me know how Stormlight works for you.
@@Talking_Story I read the prelude, book one and prologue last night, I'm already hooked from that, the magic system is really intriguing. I'm reading a few chapters an evening. I have a tendency to speed read due to my job, so i'm trying to slow down and absorb what i read for fun this year. so i might be slow getting through it but so far so good!
@@thedragonsbookden nice take your time journey before destination
@Talking_Story 100% agree with you there.
Yeeessss I'm so happy with your book of the month! It's one of my favorites for sure
@@KFoxtheGreat it was such a fun read. More Kingfisher coming my way no doubt
@Talking_Story excellent! I've only read Hollow Places (very creepy) and A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking (charming, but still with Kingfisher's signature unsettling vibe at times), so I will be picking up more this year as well!
@@KFoxtheGreat I will look out for those 2
Another great month. My stand out for December was finally getting to The Warrior Bards trilogy by Juliet Marillier. It's a follow on trilogy many years later in her Blackthorn and Grim trilogy. She's a local (Perth, Western Australia) writer and I really like to support her work. ❤
@@heathergoldsmith she is someone I really want to try. Where would you recommend I start?
I usually recommend starting with her duology Wolfskin and Foxmask. But the Blackthorn and Grim trilogy is fabulous, because the main characters are a bit more mature. She has a stack of books and you really can't go wrong with any of them. 💜
@ oh thanks so much!
I am so glad you get what I was aiming for. Yes, some of that is going to come back and bite them personally, but more importantly, in the future beyond this first series. I have a 4,000 year timeline I want to flesh out. I just know you are going to love the next book, Precipice. Also, now that you know her, look at the cover of Books 3 and 4. You know who she is, now.
@@Dennis_M_Myers oh I will check that out!
I feel the same way about Wind and Truth. It's such an interpersonal story and the fact that we've gotten to know the characters for SO LONG makes everything in this book land so well for me.
@@arabellawillow yessss! Absolutely! For me too!
Loved hearing your thoughts on Wind and Truth when there’s so much mixed feelings on it from others
@@NevsBookChannel overall I was pretty satisfied Nev.
Great hearing your thoughts on these books! Some of them sound very interesting. I'm mostly done rereading Rhythm of War and will probably start Wind and Truth this week.
Can’t wait to see how this 1 lands for you
Man oh man! Another great month! The Mountain Crown is a new one to me, so yet another one added to TBR mountain! Can't wait to start hitting these puppies in the years to come.
@@christhewritingjester3164 can’t wait to hear all your thoughts when you get to them.
What a jam packed month! Hit after hit! Great way to end the year
It was such an awesome wrap up to a wonderful year here!
It’s dope to hear about comics around this side of the internet lol. Just the one book for me in December: Mistborn. But if things go according to plan, it should be the first of a lot more for the rest of my life. Other than that, I’m working on this new reprinted DC vs. Marvel Amalgam Omnibus right now next to Harry Potter and Sun Eater. Loving the videos! ✌️
@@matttcosmo oh I remember Amalgam. Some wild stuff there. Looks like you have amazing reads lined up!
Sorry John I’m a bit more hyped for Jakob loving Empire of Silence than anything you read 😅
But I did indeed love the Wind and Truth journey like you did, even if the writing could’ve been tightened up a bit for maximum impact. Truly memorable character arcs over so many thousands of pages, it’s quite the unique experience.
Would you recommend that Wurts novella as a starting point for that series?
@@BooksWithBenghisKahn I totally get that excitement and yes I would say try the novella to see if the series would be for you.
Nettle and Bone is such a gorgeous and incredible story. So glad you loved it too!
I truly did! I need more Kingfisher!
Thank you, Thank You, Thank You John! I have started reading Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere with the Mistborn Era 1, currently reading book 3, The Hero of Ages. I've researched the reading order and of course BookTok has several different versions. Do you have a reading list for the cosmere?
@@cyndi9265 I followed Jays lists from his channel Captured in Words. I have no complaints. It was a great list to follow.
@@cyndi9265 so glad you are enjoying Mistborn. Get ready for the Sandelanche headed your way for the end of book 3!
@@Talking_Story I will check out Jays list. Thanks!
In my SciFi/Fantasy book group, we seem to read at least one T Kingfisher book a year. We read Nettle & Bone in 2024. Your enthusiastic review makes me want to read it all over again!
@@cj-uk232 I am definitely picking up more of her work. She is 3 for 3 for me so far
Really cool to see the little outro jingle I created with AI
No clue who Iris Tan Music Productions is though 😅
@@tyrrtech dude I meant to thank you the top of video I am so sorry.
@@tyrrtech that is probably left over from our regular music. I will ask Jakob if he forgot to change it.
What a month. And so lovely to hear other people’s opinions on a truly communal experience of reading this month :). Many things to be grateful for in the fantasy booktube community and from this channel :)
December Reading:
Tales of Sun Eater, Vol. 2 - I enjoyed this more than vol 1, which I also liked. It also made me more intrigued for the next book. I feel ready for Kingdoms of Death, although from what I hear I may not be, we shall see.
Wind and Truth - i know i know, it’s getting a lot of hate, but - oh boy. I really wanted to like this. Especially more than rhythm of depression. Slow start. Sanderson humour doesn’t land for me. The rest? Contract law and fantasy therapy. The contract law - this is what happens when you set up too much of a convoluted plot, sometimes less is more but this is my subjective take. Everything I say will hit different for others and that’s great! Fantasy therapy? Superficial and heavy handed for the most part. The second half of the book is much better. Still some character arcs seem to be stages of psychological development most people get over in their younger years, which, along with the writing style and humour, really makes me feel Stormlight Archive is just as YA, if not more, than Mistborn is said to be by some. Honestly I think if Oathbringer, Rhythm of War and Wind and Truth had a better edit, the first half of the Stormlight Archive could have had 4 books and be better, or if you want to be brutal, mix about a few things from books 1-5 and cut some things and it could be a flawless trilogy imo (i know it sounds mental). Some characters i’d also remove from throughout part 1, and put into part 2 cause clearly their relevance will be in part 2, rather than part 1. I like the day by day structure of book 5, although it means some characters literally need to evolve in 10 days, which is less realistic. Sometimes im not a fan of nods and winks to the meta of creating and presenting art. In things like Austen, Hobb and Midsummer Night Dream I appreciate it, in name of the wind I think it is pretentious, in cosmere, it’s somewhere in the middle, and pushes the boundary a bit too much for me… Overall, I liked wind and truth. It would rank higher than other books i think are of higher quality in terms of favourites, just because of my investment into the characters and series. I loved a few moments. I enjoyed it more than book 4, but less so than the other 3. But for book 5 alone, ironically, for the main characters of part 1, the destination is better than the journey.
@@Corlwow definitely could’ve been trimmed. I see all the points but I like you loved some moments and overall it was a very enjoyable read for me. I know he lost his editor and had a new 1 here so that probably had some effect. I think I would rate book 5 above 4 but would not crack my top 3 Stormlight slots. Thanks so much for sharing all your thoughts my friend!
@ i totally agree! And it is indeed a huge achievement for brando sando what he’s created overall! :)
@@Corlwow so true!
Elliot Brooks raved about Nettle & Bone a while ago and for some reason I didn’t end up putting it on my TBR… absolutely am now!
@@N.A.Summur dude. It is really good!
@ it really sounds like it!
Great video! I tagged you to do the Would You Rather Booktag Stephen King Edition created by The Bookish Drummer and it’s airing on Tuesday.
@@JessBookgirlTV I will watch for that!
WHOA so excited about your BOTM pick. I love getting to see the monthly wrap ups
@@lindy_wilson thanks so much
Nice set of books to finish the year off. I'm just 90 pages from the end of Glorious Exploits. I had read the first chapter in October and left it there. Started again from the beginning, reading it with a Dublin accent (as recommended by Ferdia Lennon) in my head and it goes alot better for me. I am so glad you mentioned it a week or so ago. I've shed tears twice, laughed a lot more and have empathy with every character so far.
Finally just got over a 2 month long chest infection and flu so feel ready to read more now.
@@GrahamDixonUK that is such special read for me. I hope it works every bit as much for you. Feel better soon!
Just finished this now. It certainly will stick with me for a long time. I also think I'll be re-reading this every now and then.
@@GrahamDixonUK yes!!
Really cool list. My December had several firsts after my wrapping up my Lord of the Rings reread. My first GGK in Tigana, my first Abercrombie with The Blade Itself, read volume one of Tank Girl, started One Piece, but the pinnacle of the lot was Red Rising, devoured it, and have already devoured Golden Son in a three day reading binge last week, definitely an instant favourite.
@@francoisdeclercq1360 oh Red Rising only gets better as you go IMO
Do not forget you can totally read the Piebald Prince Hobb novella for a palette cleanser. I read it before Liveship and I did not get struck down by lightening…specially if you want to revisit that world in a small dose, in one sitting.
@@heidi6281 I really do want to go back. Have heard to wait but if there was no lightning for you maybe I should be in the clear.
I would love to read more Bernard Cornwell! The Warlord Chronicles was fantastic. It reminded me a lot of one of my favorite authors Mary Renault, who made historical novels based on myths, effectively offering a theory of the historical context on some of the most famous myths. The Last Kingdom sounds like a great series to read between lengthy books.
I didn’t get as much reading done in December as I did in other months, though. I think my brain was fried from all the studying, and traveling home for the holidays, plus taking the exam, was exhausting, which I passed by the way thank God. It’s amazing how just sitting there can make you feel like you’ve been stomped on by an elephant. Despite everything, I really enjoyed the books I read. Three of them were rereads admittedly, which might explain why I found them so enjoyable.
I started with Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson. This relatively short nonfiction book tells the story of the Cline brothers, Joseph and Isaac, two meteorologists living in Galveston during the 1900 hurricane-the deadliest natural disaster in American history. The storm claimed between 6,000 and 12,000 lives, mostly in Galveston, ending the young city’s Golden Era and paving the way for Houston’s rise as the dominant city in Texas’s Gulf region. Larson delves into the internal conflicts within the early American weather bureau, its shaky ability to predict the weather, and its political struggles-particularly with the Cuban weather bureau, which repeatedly warned America about the storm but was dismissed. The book also explores the personal tension between the Cline brothers, one of whom tried desperately to persuade the other to evacuate. It’s a powerful story of arrogance, desperation, and regret. As I read, I felt an intense, mounting sense of dread. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a shorter nonfiction read, especially if you're not ready for something as hefty as The Last Lion trilogy (excellent books).
Next, I read the first book of Asimov’s Foundation series. I had physically read it in 2022, but I wanted to revisit it in audiobook form, especially since Scott Brick narrated the trilogy. I’ve loved Scott Brick’s voice ever since I heard him as Duke Leto in Dune and the God Emperor in God Emperor of Dune. His narration really elevated the book for me, adding depth to characters who, in my opinion, are often a bit underdeveloped in the text. If you’re new to Asimov, I highly recommend Foundation, as it’s one of the most influential series in science fiction. While the first three books are great, I personally found the sequels to be a bit of a chore.
After that, I picked up Legend of the Galactic Heroes Volume 8 by Yoshiki Tanaka. Big things happened in this one! I’ve packed the last two books of the series for my flight back to Europe, and I’m excited to see how it all wraps up. I don’t often read long series, so it’s been a rewarding experience to stick with this one for the past two years.
Since Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky was my book of the year for 2024, I decided to dive into the second book in the series, Children of Ruin, which I read in January. I’d heard some mixed reviews, with some fans of Children of Time not as fond of the sequel, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. While this book follows a more typical plot structure than its predecessor (which explored the development of an entire civilization over thousands of years), I still found it enjoyable, and perhaps even more so than many others on Booktube. The new characters were compelling, and though the plot wasn’t as groundbreaking as Children of Time, it was still very engaging. Children of Time will likely remain my favorite in the trilogy (I’m currently listening to Children of Memory), but I wholeheartedly recommend the entire series.
Finally, my last read of the year was another reread: Gregory Maguire’s Wicked. Yes, I picked it up because of the film's publicity (which I was too lazy to get on a bus for an hour to see in English, I’ll wait till it comes out on streaming). If you're married to the musical, which I haven't seen but know the major plot points, I’d warn you that the book is really quite different in tone, plot, and characterization. It’s a wonky experience, particularly the first fifth or so, with a very distinct sense of humor that I happy to really enjoy. I really enjoyed it, and I might revisit the sequels later in the year.
That’s it for me this month! Now that the exam is behind me, I should have more time to read this month than I did last month. Wishing all of you a fantastic year!
Happy Reading!
@@Fianna1775-o5u wow that is low reading month?! Just amazing. Huge congratulations on your exam!! I need to get back to Foundation. I read book 1 years and years ago.
I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed You Like It Darker. Every novella in that book is insanely good. Couldn't agree more with your take on Rattlesnakes. Would you ever give Cujo another chance? It ended up surprising me by how amazing it was. Went in for scary borker but got an incredible family drama instead and I was here for it.
@@hobbyvomit pretty sure I was too young to see what he was doing with his theme work for Pet Sematary and Cujo. Would definitely give another go now that I have more mileage.
@ I don’t think you’ll be disappointed when you do 🤙🏼
One of the books I read in December was James by Percival Everett. The reviews for that one got me really interested and man, did that one deilver. Highly recommend😊
Oh thanks I will have to look that 1 up
@@Talking_Story It's Huckleberry Finn, retold from Jim's perspective
@@DanielSClouser oh that’s why is sounded familiar. Pretty sure the Mrs read that and told me a good deal about it.
@@Talking_Story I thought she might have! It seems like her type of thing.
@@DanielSClouser yep
I just finished Empire of Silence. I really enjoyed it as well. Not perfect but for a first book it sets up this story to just be HUGE! I'm all for it lol. Listening to the Lesser Devil and the writing is even better. I can't wait to get caught up on this series.
Prepare for that to happen at Howling Dark!
I had a great reading month. If I absolutely had to pick a book of the month it would be What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher. If I have to punt novellas, then Death Masks by Jim Butcher.
@@gryftkin that is a good month!
I read so many amazing books in December it's so hard to pick 😭 Will of The Many was epic, Nettle & Bone was such a fun adventure and Iron Widow was wild! John you need to read The Twisted Ones by Kingfisher it was really creepy! Maybe one for spooky season this year 🤟
@@kirbsharrison I want to read a lot more Kingfisher. Twisted Ones got it!
“It’s spread across the globe” from the bathroom walls! Get the disinfectant! Get the frickin chem trails 🛫!
@@fangs1972 yeah get them!!
Happy New Year Mintons!
Jakob can just wait to get to «Howling Dark»! 😄
In December I read:
«The Power Broker» by Robert Caro (Political Biography/Investigative Journalism Classic, my Q4 long-read: What an amazing mix of encyclopedic knowledge, real life larger than life characters & wit, as a showcase, his description of NYC Mayor La Guardia as a mayoral candidate: «La Guardia possessed qualifications for making the run beyond the fact that, half Jewish and half Italian, married first to a Catholic and then to a Lutheran of German descent, himself a Mason and an Episcopalian, he was practically a balanced ticket all by himself.» 😂)
«Dreaming the Eagle» («Boudica» #1) by Manda Scott (Historical Fiction about the Celtic British Queen and her Rebellion against the Romans: Amazing prose, borderline Fantasy with the Celtic Druidic elements!)
«Baudolino» by Umberto Eco (Historical Fantasy set during the Later Crusades on the border of Myth and History in 13th Century Europe and Middle East: Eco loves to overload his reader with Literary and Medieval in-jokes, so clearly he is my spiritual Italian Uncle!😄)
«Dictator» (Cicero Trilogy #3) by Robert Harris (Historical Fiction about the Roman Politician Cicero: While not my favorite in the Trilogy, Harris’ Cicero is easily my favorite character in 2024!)
«City of Thieves» by David Benioff (Historical Fiction set during the WW2 Seige of Leningrad (Modern Day St. Petersburg): Man, the gallows humor is strong in this one! 😅)
My lungs are like punching bags due to pneumonia, but I am slowly on the mend! ☺️
Cheers! 😎🙌
A lot of great historical stuff on this list. Feel better quickly my friend!
John can you stop adding to my TBR? You make me really want to get into Janny Wurts. It sounds like her books would be right up my alley. I’ll have to check out that novella. And Nettle and Bone is now on my list. Thanks for the positive review of Wind and Truth. I just started Rhythm of War and have been slightly dreading getting to W&T because of all the mixed reviews, but you’ve renewed my hype to read it.
@@KindlesandKicks Dude I really liked it. I think Kingfisher and Wurts would be up your alley.
Do you plan to read the Tales of the Sun Eater collections?
@@Chloes_World_of_Books I do. I am reading the novellas as I go and gonna go back for the short stories.
I cannot put down Hell’s Chasm. You guys and Jake weren’t fibbing around. All aboard the Wurts train🚂
@@SteveSanchez-Books awesome!!
Oh, you are going to love Curse of the Mistwraith! That has one of my favourite 1st chapter to a Fantasy novel I've ever read.
In December I read:
*Fantasy*
Fitz & the Fool 2: Fool's Quest
Fitz & the Fool 3: Assassin's Fate
- And thus ends my initial journey around the Realm of the Elderlings, and believe me I'm already dying for a re-read. Its definitely become my favourite *completed* Fantasy series (sorry Malazan and First Law).
*Marvel Comics*
Daredevil 2: Hell to Pay
Written by Saladin Ahmed | Art by Aaron Kuder
- Really enjoying the current direction of this run and seeing Matt's previous already messy life conflict with his new one as a priest has been excellent.
Daredevil 1: Know Fear
Written by Chip Zdarsky | Art by Marco Checchetto
- Since I'm trade waiting on the current Daredevil run i thought I'd go back to the previous one and loving it. Not the biggest fan of Zdarsky's humour from some of his previous stuff but seeing him do serious drama instead has been great. Reminds me i need to get back to his Spectacular Spider-man run.
Ultimate Black Panther 1: Peace and War
Written by Bryan Hill | Art by Stefano Caselli
- Really digging what I've read so far of the new Ultimate universe.
@@thatsci-firogue wow Elderlings takes the prize? That is amazing!! As always an amazing list.
@Talking_Story now its just to figure out if its now my overall favourite Fantasy series, but ultimately, I think the passage of time will decide that one or maybe, it might flip-flop. That's the beauty of it, you don't have to have just 1 favourite. 😎
@ wise words. Why pick just 1!
Novellas and short stories are great, dense and packed with goodies. I clicked on the link to buy The Gallant, but I am one of thise that really needs a paper copy. Where can I buy a paper copy?
I like the concept in Dennis Myer's book, Final Assembly. Touching on topics that are true to reality, corporations trying to take over everything, can lead to some exciting fiction! It is so much fun imagining and writing about the problems we might face in the future in a dystopian society, seeing the patterns like corporations trying to take over, police states, government overreach, and writing about it. That's why fiction is so important. Even if it is fiction, it gets people thinking about these things and maybe opening up their minds to the patterns going on around them.
That's about as close as I can get without wanting to rail and rant about what bothers me in the world now. But it takes art (especially it's highest cultural changing form, literature) to actually have any affect on society. That's why we write books and poetry and music, and sing like there's no one else around.
@@momo_genX that’s exactly why we do that like there is no one else around! Ebook is the only way to get ahold of the Gallant unfortunately.
I figured it out! When two tingles intermingle, it’s a “twingle”!!
@@bradmiller3367 my brother I like the way you think
I’ve been saying that the Dragon Western Vision Quest Political fantasy subgenre is severely underserved. Seriously though…can’t wait to read that one.
@@Ktchev it was quite different so hard to kinda sum up but so worth a look I would say. Let me know if you check it out.
For December, I read my first Stephen King book 11/22 and it was my book of the month.
@@lisarichards1599 that is such a lovely love story. It really hit for me.
suggestions for comic book books or graphic novel series?
Super hero? Horror? Sci fi? What are looking for?
@ something that would put a good pallet cleanser in between more serious books. so probably not horror but more towards sci fi
@gamequill7794 I would say try Brian K Vaughn’s Y the Last Man. Not a light read but a very interesting post apocalyptic read in comic book form.
@@Talking_Story Thank you! Any super hero ones? Standalone or series
@ Guradian Devil by Kevin Smith is a very fun 1
Always like ur father and son on the video it looks fun…. 🎉
@@safinan8008 we have a blast together no doubt!
Thought about defacing my church’s bathroom this Sunday…but I thought better of it. Can’t lose my job just to tell people about the greatest producer on Booktube
@@PreacherReads I can totally understand why you drew that line for yourself
I’ve decide Jakob is my fav producer on Booktube . 🎉
@@mastersal4644 yay let the pigeons loose!
I had some nitpicks with Wind and Truth too but overall it was great. It would've been my book of the month if I hadn't read Gardens of the Moon.
@@mrgoodkat8448 ahhh Gardens is up for me next month.
@Talking_Story sweet! I want to get to the next one ASAP.
Only read 2 books in December, but they were both massive. Demon in White and Kingdoms of Death in the Sun Eater series by Chris Ruocchio were both great. Demon in White was the better of the two. Kingdoms of Death was one of the darkest books I've ever read.
@@jcainwa5236 kingdoms of Death is up for me this month.
Call me predictable but my favorite book of December has got to be Free Live Free by Gene Wolfe. It’s Wolfe writing Raymond Chandler style noir scifi and I love it. It’s bizarrely different from his BOTNS books.
And in BOTNS, many casual readers have said that Wolfe doesn’t write good female characters but this is largely because the main character doesn’t have a healthy view of women for a large part of the book. Free Live Free absolutely refutes that point though! The women characters were by far the most compelling in this book and Wolfe is a master!!
Ok gush over.
@@iSamwise predicable yes but you gotta love what you love!
I loooooove to hear One Piece picking up steam here on TS 🎉
@@NerdLevelRising just finished vol 8 today!
I think something’s wrong, the best producer in the world said his name was Jakob. I thought he was “The Producer of Many Names”
@@CombativeRoboGuy and Jakob is 1 of those. But only 1
I haven't read Wind and Truth, but are you surprised by the reception? Overall I've heard it's pretty disappointing! Brando Sando is making spreading himself too thin
The reception outside of reviewers on UA-cam is actually pretty positive. While I see both positives and negatives as completely valid and agree with some of both (I personally loved the book), most people seem to be loving the book. A general rule that persists within pretty much every fandom is that the people with more negative opinions are much more vocal and predominant.
@irat913 I'll have to give it a go myself this year. Glad you enjoyed it 🙌
@@benbryan4468 I’m with Ben I truly enjoyed it but I can see the criticisms people are having it. It is not my fav of the Stormlight Archive. It is not my least fav either. I think Sanderson pulled off a great deal of what he set out to do. IMO
@@Talking_Story My personal second favourite, I think what happened to each character was amazing
@@AMillionToOne123 I agree I love each character arc and was very satisfied with where they all ended up.
Long Live the Quilluminati!
@@BrianBell7 Long may we wave!!