I read this a couple of days ago, and Babel was mind blowing. Being an Indian, I finally felt that justice was being done by mentioning the horrors of the british empire and imperialism on all the colonies. The usage of education and brainwashing as a weapon is one of the worst phases of colonialism considering the education system introduced by them is still followed today. RF Kuang still didn't describe the worst of the worst genocides and deeds done by the brits, but for a fictional book for young adults, it was good enough... It's one of my all time favorites now
I read this based on your recommendation and how interesting it sounded (as a language teacher I find languages fascinating) and I'm just blown away. Wow. The level of detail, scope of intellect, story making and character development is incredible. Can't stop thinking about and I'm suffering from book hangover. How to move on from here?
I started reading this a few days ago and starting watching your video as well and if you got to a point that I haven’t read yet I would pause and wait to catch up to continue watching the video, it motivated me to read the book more and felt nice to hear someone talking about it as if we were discussing :) long story short I appreciate this reading vlog!! 🥰
Almost every time I have the most anticipated book, I read it and it rarely lives up to my expectations. Not Babel, it was a masterpiece. It exceeded my expectations.
I've just started reading Babel and it's been years since I was that much engaged in a book. I missed this feeling so much. It rarely happens these days.
Reading Babel now and loving it. Agree that she is such a talented writer and storyteller. Can’t wait to get to the end to see how she brings it all together. Thanks for your insights.
Omgosh the moment I finished watching your video my bf came to the kitchen and was like, I'm finishing placing an Amazon order, do you need anything? I was like well... there's this book called Babel.. and he get got it for me! :D Regan this was such an amazing vlog. Your love and enthusiasm for reading is so infectious. Thank you for making beautiful content year after year for us
I am really looking forward to reading this book. I do not read many fantasy books, but adding real life events in history with a bit of magic, definitely draws me in. Dark academia is a favorite of mine as well!! This might be my favorite vlog of yours ever.
Nobody hypes up a book worthy of praise like Regan and i always end up enjoying what she reads and enjoys! I wanna read this too! You are so eloquent Regan! Always have the best reviews as you read. I wish I could describe how you feel about the book as you read as well as you do.
Babel was my favorite book of 2023. I find that you've chosen the right words to describe the book. Thanks for the reading vlog. It makes me re-experience the thrill of reading Babel. In my opinion, Babel contains so many informations but every element is so well-executed and well-written. As a Mandarin native speaker, it was truly fascinating to read Babel and I really love your reading vlog! Have a great day :)
I’m so happy that you like this book! I finished it a couple days after it came out and was completely blown away. I loved it SO MUCH, but I’ve been seeing a lot of really bad reviews for it on booktube and it’s been making me BIG SAD.
@@zodiacblac1462 hmm, it’s well received book overall and you can’t please everyone. Katie Colson sounded like it went over her head and never watched any Jordaline, but she looks like she doesn’t like dark academia overall… I personally liked it but not everything clicked for me to a point I thought was not going to like the book, but it redeemed itself multiple times! It was very interesting book and I am glad I read it, but I have to agree with Elliot on some issues….. I would say that personally I think it could use some more polishing/editing/beta reading in some parts and it could have been very beloved and special book for me as well. Still liked it very much don’t get me wrong. But I feel you, I got the same experience with Starless Sea, I loved it so much (my favorite new fantasy book along with Piranesi) and everyone was trashing it lol my heart broke…
Im reading along with this vlog and Im loving it!!!! Please do more of this type of content maybe pick 1 book each month and announce it so we can read with you! ❤❤❤❤
I looove your reading vlogs! Babel isn’t the type of book I’d read, but I’ll definitely check it out now when I get into the mood for an academia this fall season!
as an English major, i was pleasantly surprised to see that Babel perfectly encapsulated all 4 years of my studies 😂 the depiction of colonialism, the immigrant experience, language and translation (oh my gosh the TRANSLATIONS!!) as power - literally everything I had ever learned was put into one book (and was way more enjoyable than the actual lessons). Guess my degree was worth something after all, lol
Your vlogs bring joy to my day. Escapism that I crave and need... thank you for the amazing content!! Also, I can't wait to read this book i am so excited
I agree with your use of the words "ambitious" and "achievement", and with the five-star rating. However, I thought that most of the characters were contributions to the themes and plot rather than people I believed in.
Oh gosh this book 🧡 **spoilers ahead** Finished this afternoon and ugly cried at the picnic scene at the end, as well as Victoire's perspective...absolutely beautiful. Did not know it was a standalone, I was hoping to get Victoire's book next!! Oof!!!!! 🥰
i had a strong feeling it was gonna be Babel when i read the title hahaha i am halfway through rn and absolutely blown away (so i shall bookmark this vlog to come back once i finish) edit: i finished it last night and completely agree, it also made me feel like i wanted to write a thesis on it, but like how bc my brain isn't possibly smart enough to do it justice lol i too am at a complete loss at what i should read next, how can anything else live up to it
I know that creators have zero control over the ads shown before their videos, but I know fellow scaredy cat Regan would understand, but I wish they would show scary movie previews after dark, or there was like a scaredy cat setting where you could opt of out specifically spooky/horror movie ads😂😥
Babel is SO GOOD and such a great book and do detailed and amazing and loving it 📖🧡📚🎃📚🍃🍃👻🍁🍂🍂🍁👻🍃🍃🍁📙🎃🧡📖📖📚🎃🍂🍂🍁🖤👻🍁🍂🖤🍃🍃🍃🍁📖📖🧡📚🎃🍂🍁🖤👻👻🍁🖤🍃🍃🖤📖📖📖🧡📚📚📚🍂🍁🖤🍃🍃🍃🖤🍁📖📖📖🧡📚🎃🎃🍂🍁🖤🍃🍃👻🍁🍁📖📖🧡📚📚🎃🍂🍁🖤🍃🍃🎃📚🧡📖📖📚📚
You should try some Guy Gavriel Kay if you enjoy historical fiction with a bit of fantasy. He does it in reverse from Babel where his locals and characters are fictionalized but the historical periods are recognizable
do I have time to read a 500+ page book right now? Perhaps not. Am I going to anyway because of this video and the fact that it’s sitting on my bookshelf? probably
this book is sold out everywhere in France I am so desperate to get a copy omg, I literally pre-ordered it in 3 different stores but they just dont have any stock at all lol😭
I guess I missed something. I noticed you moved the sofa from your family room into your front room a while back, did you get a new sofa for the family room?
I’ve never read rf kuang before, I was going to start the poppy war series but I don’t want to get into a series if I find I don’t like the writing style, I’d rather try one book. does babel have a similar feel to the poppy war in terms of writing style??
We had such different experiences with this book, I really did not enjoy the reading experience of this one. I agree the themes are great, but I feel like the characters and plot fell pretty flat.
I really want to watch this vlog but I haven’t read Babel yet (in a bit of a slump and I don’t want that to ruin my reading of Babel). Before I watch, is this vlog going to be spoiler free? Or should I wait until I read Babel to watch this?
Hi ! I have a question 🙈 I would love to read this book but my first language is french, so I was wondering if the language is difficult, or if it would be easy for a french speaker to understand ? 🥰 thank you for everything 🤍
There's actually some French included in the book. As long as you feel comfortable reading adult fantasy in English I don't think you should have an issue. It's not written using highly academic words, it's just the themes and concepts behind the magic that make you really think.
I had multiple complaints - under-developed characters meant that some of the plot points didn't land with the gravity that I think Kuang intended. Also a large and amorphous mission like "ending colonization" is hard to to connect with on a visceral basis. I own a beautiful collectors edition too (blah)
I highly recommend reading the reality of these subjects (colonialism, imperialism, revolutionary theory, and capitalism) as I have found the reality much more gripping than this story was. It's not bad, and it's a good brief look at those subjects, but it came off a bit heavy-handed to me while at the same time not expressing the level of brutality that actually happened/happens. I almost would have rather read a non-fiction about this subject than this novel. I didn't really get connected to the characters a ton and it took 200 pages for me to really become engrossed in the story at all. It's both less brutal than the reality of history as well as less nuanced. If you haven't thought about those things much, I definitely recommended it, but I didn't feel like it really added anything to those conversations. The language part was interesting, but I don't feel it really effectively communicated the role language has played (and still plays) in oppression. Anyway, I didn't love it. Didn't hate it. And would rather have just read historical accounts than this story. I guess my question is, will this change how you live? Will this affect how you buy clothes, groceries. How you spend your time and energy? Or will it just leave you entertained with the thought of "yeah, this is horrible" as you carry on without change. Will you come to a conclusion on the role of violence in revolution? Will you stop complaining about language prompts? Will you change how you treat poor and marginalized people? I'm just not convinced that it's as effective as I would have liked it to be and it could easily leave you "convicted" but unchanged. I also disagree with it's statement on the necessity of violence, as much as it kinda gives nods to other ways of thinking, but that doesn't make the book bad. All that said, I'm glad it exists and is popular as it will likely get more people thinking and sets the stage for (hopefully) more effective explorations of these subjects in fantasy.
Eh… Poppy War was so bad and overrated that I decided pretty quickly not to waste any more time on her books. I seriously don’t get why it’s so popular. I know a young 20-something wrote it, but it READS like a young 20-something wrote it. It was so cringe that I even started highlighting all the ridiculous things the characters were saying and doing to laugh about it with a friend who kind of liked the book on the first read through but read it again and couldn’t stand it. Maybe I’ll revisit Kuang again later if I hear her writing has matured, but I’m skeptical of all the glowing reviews she gets now.
I read this a couple of days ago, and Babel was mind blowing. Being an Indian, I finally felt that justice was being done by mentioning the horrors of the british empire and imperialism on all the colonies. The usage of education and brainwashing as a weapon is one of the worst phases of colonialism considering the education system introduced by them is still followed today. RF Kuang still didn't describe the worst of the worst genocides and deeds done by the brits, but for a fictional book for young adults, it was good enough... It's one of my all time favorites now
I read this based on your recommendation and how interesting it sounded (as a language teacher I find languages fascinating) and I'm just blown away. Wow. The level of detail, scope of intellect, story making and character development is incredible. Can't stop thinking about and I'm suffering from book hangover. How to move on from here?
YES! You have finally read the masterpiece that is Babel!
I didn't read the Poppy War trilogy bc it sounded a little too dark for my taste, but Babel sounds so good. Definitely on my TBR
I started reading this a few days ago and starting watching your video as well and if you got to a point that I haven’t read yet I would pause and wait to catch up to continue watching the video, it motivated me to read the book more and felt nice to hear someone talking about it as if we were discussing :) long story short I appreciate this reading vlog!! 🥰
Almost every time I have the most anticipated book, I read it and it rarely lives up to my expectations. Not Babel, it was a masterpiece. It exceeded my expectations.
I've just started reading Babel and it's been years since I was that much engaged in a book. I missed this feeling so much. It rarely happens these days.
Reading Babel now and loving it. Agree that she is such a talented writer and storyteller. Can’t wait to get to the end to see how she brings it all together. Thanks for your insights.
Omgosh the moment I finished watching your video my bf came to the kitchen and was like, I'm finishing placing an Amazon order, do you need anything? I was like well... there's this book called Babel.. and he get got it for me! :D Regan this was such an amazing vlog. Your love and enthusiasm for reading is so infectious. Thank you for making beautiful content year after year for us
I am really looking forward to reading this book. I do not read many fantasy books, but adding real life events in history with a bit of magic, definitely draws me in. Dark academia is a favorite of mine as well!! This might be my favorite vlog of yours ever.
Nobody hypes up a book worthy of praise like Regan and i always end up enjoying what she reads and enjoys! I wanna read this too! You are so eloquent Regan! Always have the best reviews as you read. I wish I could describe how you feel about the book as you read as well as you do.
I’m absolutely obsessed, I finished it and began rereading less than 24 hours later!
LOL . You are a true bookworm .
Babel was my favorite book of 2023. I find that you've chosen the right words to describe the book. Thanks for the reading vlog. It makes me re-experience the thrill of reading Babel. In my opinion, Babel contains so many informations but every element is so well-executed and well-written. As a Mandarin native speaker, it was truly fascinating to read Babel and I really love your reading vlog! Have a great day :)
I’m so happy that you like this book! I finished it a couple days after it came out and was completely blown away. I loved it SO MUCH, but I’ve been seeing a lot of really bad reviews for it on booktube and it’s been making me BIG SAD.
Bad reviews?! 😢
@@Morfeusm Katie Colson, Jordaline, Elliot Brooks all gave mediocre reviews. Breaks my heart. I highly disagree.
@@zodiacblac1462 hmm, it’s well received book overall and you can’t please everyone. Katie Colson sounded like it went over her head and never watched any Jordaline, but she looks like she doesn’t like dark academia overall…
I personally liked it but not everything clicked for me to a point I thought was not going to like the book, but it redeemed itself multiple times! It was very interesting book and I am glad I read it, but I have to agree with Elliot on some issues….. I would say that personally I think it could use some more polishing/editing/beta reading in some parts and it could have been very beloved and special book for me as well. Still liked it very much don’t get me wrong.
But I feel you, I got the same experience with Starless Sea, I loved it so much (my favorite new fantasy book along with Piranesi) and everyone was trashing it lol my heart broke…
Im reading along with this vlog and Im loving it!!!! Please do more of this type of content maybe pick 1 book each month and announce it so we can read with you! ❤❤❤❤
I looove your reading vlogs! Babel isn’t the type of book I’d read, but I’ll definitely check it out now when I get into the mood for an academia this fall season!
Yay! It’s going to be a good Saturday now that I get to watch this video! ❤ can’t wait to read Babel myself!
„Mathilda is here as well with her bowl“ 😂 casually dragging this huge bowl on the sofa
I was going back and forth about wanting to read this, but you made it sound so amazing I need to pick it up asap
as an English major, i was pleasantly surprised to see that Babel perfectly encapsulated all 4 years of my studies 😂 the depiction of colonialism, the immigrant experience, language and translation (oh my gosh the TRANSLATIONS!!) as power - literally everything I had ever learned was put into one book (and was way more enjoyable than the actual lessons). Guess my degree was worth something after all, lol
Can't wait to read it, thanks for your thoughts on it!
Where did you get that burnt orange/red dress!!!?!?? So gorgeous 😍
I really liked this book but it took me FOREVER to finish. Normally I skim at points but literally every sentence in this book was important!
Your vlogs bring joy to my day. Escapism that I crave and need... thank you for the amazing content!! Also, I can't wait to read this book i am so excited
I agree with your use of the words "ambitious" and "achievement", and with the five-star rating. However, I thought that most of the characters were contributions to the themes and plot rather than people I believed in.
Oh gosh this book 🧡 **spoilers ahead** Finished this afternoon and ugly cried at the picnic scene at the end, as well as Victoire's perspective...absolutely beautiful. Did not know it was a standalone, I was hoping to get Victoire's book next!! Oof!!!!! 🥰
Do you think R&R kind of loved each other? Robin felt like ace the whole time but… hm last scene makes me think…
i had a strong feeling it was gonna be Babel when i read the title hahaha i am halfway through rn and absolutely blown away (so i shall bookmark this vlog to come back once i finish)
edit: i finished it last night and completely agree, it also made me feel like i wanted to write a thesis on it, but like how bc my brain isn't possibly smart enough to do it justice lol
i too am at a complete loss at what i should read next, how can anything else live up to it
I JUST finished this and I open UA-cam and see this video. So perfect - just like this book 😭😭😭
Finished this today. Wow. Thanks for the recommendation.
I just knew you’d love this book. Glad it lived up to your expectations!
I love that vintage style dress 😍 glad your laptop is better always annoying when they play up
I love your outfit at the beginning of the video. It’s kinda giving Wednesday Adam’s but also dark academia. Super cute though!🥰
I know that creators have zero control over the ads shown before their videos, but I know fellow scaredy cat Regan would understand, but I wish they would show scary movie previews after dark, or there was like a scaredy cat setting where you could opt of out specifically spooky/horror movie ads😂😥
Ahhhh I cant watch this yet because I’m only a little over halfway done, but even then I already agree with the title!! It’s so so good
not me putting this video on to watch while i cook and ate my fried rice just to watch you make fried rice too i love it
Love how she tried to hide what book it was in the thumbnail like we all didn't already know it was Babel lmao.
Now I'm REALLY excited to read this book!
I loved Babel and also thought of it as my favorite of the year. Amazing.
Babel is SO GOOD and such a great book and do detailed and amazing and loving it 📖🧡📚🎃📚🍃🍃👻🍁🍂🍂🍁👻🍃🍃🍁📙🎃🧡📖📖📚🎃🍂🍂🍁🖤👻🍁🍂🖤🍃🍃🍃🍁📖📖🧡📚🎃🍂🍁🖤👻👻🍁🖤🍃🍃🖤📖📖📖🧡📚📚📚🍂🍁🖤🍃🍃🍃🖤🍁📖📖📖🧡📚🎃🎃🍂🍁🖤🍃🍃👻🍁🍁📖📖🧡📚📚🎃🍂🍁🖤🍃🍃🎃📚🧡📖📖📚📚
You should try some Guy Gavriel Kay if you enjoy historical fiction with a bit of fantasy. He does it in reverse from Babel where his locals and characters are fictionalized but the historical periods are recognizable
me when i saw the title: im guessing BABEL
HECK YES IM RIGHT, THE AUTHOR NEVER MISS!!!
It was amazing!!! I’m glad you enjoyed it, too
Babel is a masterpiece 🥺
Babel is a lot like reading Guy Gavriel Kay, a specific complex look at an event in history with a light dusting of magic.
I'm planning on reading one of guy gavriel kay books this month heard great things about his work
Sometimes it MAKES me depressed sometimes I appreciate her
Don't tell me computers don't have minds of their own - start of SkyNet ?😱
What lipstick are you wearing in this?! SO pretty
Verdict: I want this book asap
Another great reading vlog! 💗 Thank you for thissss
do I have time to read a 500+ page book right now? Perhaps not. Am I going to anyway because of this video and the fact that it’s sitting on my bookshelf? probably
I had lost interest in Babel, but now you brought it back.
I had heard good things about this book but with your review, I ordered it from my local book store.
You're making me want to read Babel lol.
going to Costco for one thing and instead $200 is my brand lol
I clicked on this knowing it's Babel 😳 So glad you enjoyed it!
Been reading Babel all day I'm already on Chapter Seven
Where was your dress from right at the start? It was so pretty 😊
What do you do for work? I think you said you were freelancing on your last update?
I didn’t think I’d cry at the end because it was so cerebral… but I did
She doesn't get bored year
this book is sold out everywhere in France I am so desperate to get a copy omg, I literally pre-ordered it in 3 different stores but they just dont have any stock at all lol😭
I guess I missed something. I noticed you moved the sofa from your family room into your front room a while back, did you get a new sofa for the family room?
I’ve never read rf kuang before, I was going to start the poppy war series but I don’t want to get into a series if I find I don’t like the writing style, I’d rather try one book. does babel have a similar feel to the poppy war in terms of writing style??
Is there a plastic sticker still on your spatula? (in the fried rice cooking scene)
LOVEE your vlogs make my days so happy and peaceful xoxo 😘 🎃🧡🍂🧡📙📙🍃🍁🍁📚🖤📖🍂🍂🧡🎃👻👻🖤📚📖🍃🍃🧡🍂🧡🎃📙📙🍂🧡🧡🎃📚📚📖🍁🍃🍃🍁📚🖤📚📖🍁🍂🍂🎃🎃📙📙📙🖤📚📖🍁🍂🍂🧡🎃🎃📙
Synonym to consistency is regan
We had such different experiences with this book, I really did not enjoy the reading experience of this one. I agree the themes are great, but I feel like the characters and plot fell pretty flat.
I'm buddy reading Babel in October and it's taking everything in me to not read it right this second!!
I love your reading vlogs! I will definitely add Babel to my tbr. 📚Thank you! 💛
I wish they will translate in my language soon. I can’t wait to read it after your vlog
Can’t wait to get a copy!
Did you get a copy?
@@Morfeusm Not yet!
What do you do for work? Are you in publishing field?
Reagan is pronouncing it "bay-bull", but I thought it was "bah-bel" like the tower of babel...? 🤔
Now I'm so unsure! Lol
I really want to watch this vlog but I haven’t read Babel yet (in a bit of a slump and I don’t want that to ruin my reading of Babel). Before I watch, is this vlog going to be spoiler free? Or should I wait until I read Babel to watch this?
I have to read it now!!❤
My laptop literally didn't turn on for 3 months and then one day just turned on?! Honestly I just let it do what it wants and hope for the best
Ugh I still need to get a copy of Babel 👀
Sadly I didn't like the book. Also... Omg!! THE PUG 😍😍😍
Hi ! I have a question 🙈 I would love to read this book but my first language is french, so I was wondering if the language is difficult, or if it would be easy for a french speaker to understand ? 🥰 thank you for everything 🤍
There's actually some French included in the book. As long as you feel comfortable reading adult fantasy in English I don't think you should have an issue. It's not written using highly academic words, it's just the themes and concepts behind the magic that make you really think.
@@hellomelloyello thank you 🤍
I just ordered mine this week. I won't look at this until I finish it! 🙈
YAY SO EXCITED!!! 🎃🎃🍁🍁🍃🍂🍃🖤🍁🍁🍂🧡📖📖📙📖📚📚📙📖📙📙📙📙🍃🍁🍁🍂🧡🎃🎃🎃👻👻👻🍁🖤🍃🍂🧡🧡🍂🍃🍁🍂🎃👻👻🎃📖📖📙📙🍁🍁🖤🍂🍂👻👻🎃📙📖📖📖📖📚📚📚
❤️📚
Incredible book ❤️❤️❤️ just fyi it’s pronounced baw bel
Eek, I DNF-ed this one. I made it 200 pages and had just had enough. Was bored most of the time.
Genuine question, is it pronounced Baybel or Babble? Regan’s the only one I heard say Baybel and it’s just throwing me for a loop for some reason 😅😅😅
The former is British pronunciation 😊
It's Babble (in the U.S.)
I had multiple complaints - under-developed characters meant that some of the plot points didn't land with the gravity that I think Kuang intended.
Also a large and amorphous mission like "ending colonization" is hard to to connect with on a visceral basis.
I own a beautiful collectors edition too (blah)
Wednesday Addams vibes!
Hello
I highly recommend reading the reality of these subjects (colonialism, imperialism, revolutionary theory, and capitalism) as I have found the reality much more gripping than this story was. It's not bad, and it's a good brief look at those subjects, but it came off a bit heavy-handed to me while at the same time not expressing the level of brutality that actually happened/happens. I almost would have rather read a non-fiction about this subject than this novel.
I didn't really get connected to the characters a ton and it took 200 pages for me to really become engrossed in the story at all.
It's both less brutal than the reality of history as well as less nuanced.
If you haven't thought about those things much, I definitely recommended it, but I didn't feel like it really added anything to those conversations.
The language part was interesting, but I don't feel it really effectively communicated the role language has played (and still plays) in oppression.
Anyway, I didn't love it. Didn't hate it. And would rather have just read historical accounts than this story.
I guess my question is, will this change how you live? Will this affect how you buy clothes, groceries. How you spend your time and energy? Or will it just leave you entertained with the thought of "yeah, this is horrible" as you carry on without change. Will you come to a conclusion on the role of violence in revolution? Will you stop complaining about language prompts? Will you change how you treat poor and marginalized people?
I'm just not convinced that it's as effective as I would have liked it to be and it could easily leave you "convicted" but unchanged.
I also disagree with it's statement on the necessity of violence, as much as it kinda gives nods to other ways of thinking, but that doesn't make the book bad.
All that said, I'm glad it exists and is popular as it will likely get more people thinking and sets the stage for (hopefully) more effective explorations of these subjects in fantasy.
I am so glad you pronounce it properly! Why why why are so many people pronouncing it ‘babble’? They sound so silly!
The proper pronunciation in American English is babble.
Happy Saturday Regan hope you have a wonderful day xoxo 😘 📙📚🎃🍃🍃🎃📚📖🖤🍁🍁🍂📖📖🖤👻👻🍁🍁🖤🍃🍃🎃🧡📚📖📖🖤🍂🍁🍁👻🖤📖🖤👻🍃🍃📚📚📙📚🧡🍃🍃📖📖📖👻🍂👻
Eh… Poppy War was so bad and overrated that I decided pretty quickly not to waste any more time on her books. I seriously don’t get why it’s so popular. I know a young 20-something wrote it, but it READS like a young 20-something wrote it. It was so cringe that I even started highlighting all the ridiculous things the characters were saying and doing to laugh about it with a friend who kind of liked the book on the first read through but read it again and couldn’t stand it. Maybe I’ll revisit Kuang again later if I hear her writing has matured, but I’m skeptical of all the glowing reviews she gets now.
I haven't read Poppy War but Babel doesn't read like a kid wrote it. It reads like an academic wrote it.