You're so right - it seems all the same books get all the attention... I mean, more specifically I've noticed on UA-cam. I appreciate that you find books that nobody else has talked about and feature them. That's great!. I try to seek out new authors or local authors I've never heard of whenever I go book shopping.
Good day. Your discussion about "Cells," a book and author new to me, made me think about Roland Barthes "Mourning Diary," a book he wrote to deal with the death of his mother, and Peter Handke's "A Sorrow Beyond Dreams," which is how he dealt with his mother's suicide. I'm glad you brought this book to my attention. I'll be adding it to my library. Happy New Year and best to you from Texas.
I only recently discovered your channel and I am enjoying this space very much. This list, in particular, sounds very interesting. My TBR list is growing exponentially since I discovered you.
I don't remember how I found your channel this year but I really appreciate it, and have added many of your recommendations to my list! I'm currently reading The Unconsoled by Ishiguro based on your recommendation. Strange that I missed this book since I've read some of his others and also went to college for classical piano performance! I guess it was published during a time when I was immersed in music rather than literature and just missed it. Thank you and Happy Holidays xoxo
Fab idea for a video! I read an odd but compelling short story collection called A Perfect Cemetery by Federico Falco. I finished it months ago and I still think about it. And Fifty Sounds by Polly Barton is a brilliantly crafted non-fiction about language and love and living in another country. I hope more people read these gems!
Thanks for this, Eric. Some interesting selections! I've read a couple, based on your reviews this year, and just added two more onto my TBR. (Had to shove them on, with my back and shoulders, since it's already so overstuffed. Hoping they don't get completely buried...) If I was to make recs, I'd add on Our Wives Under the Sea (Julia Armfeld), which is just a beautiful story, a metaphor for the waning of a marriage, easily one of my favorites last year. I also really liked Seven Steeples, by Sara Baume, which is such a gentle but powerful book, and I'm currently knee deep into Solenoid, by Mircea Cartarescu--I don't read many surrealist novels, but this is just getting to me!
I'm very interested in The Family Chao; it's been on my list for awhile so it's good to hear a strong recommendation. A book I loved this year that I didn't hear others discussing is Sleepwalk by Dan Chaon. Weird and wonderful.
The family Chao sounds great. I just added it to my Audible queue. I see that it is set in Wisconsin and I just moved to Wisconsin so it should be interesting. Thanks for the tip.
This is a great idea for a video. I am also feeling that several books I read and adored this year are not getting the recognition they deserve. I’d like to see more love for The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn.
Two "golden" books. The Golden Circles sounds very intriguing and a shorter book. Thanks for these recommendations. always good to hear about new or not widely covered books. Loved this.
I've been interested in family Chao ever since I first heard your review of it, as brothers Karamazov is one of my favourite books ever. A beautiful book I don't often hear about is Devotion by Hannah Kent. Its depiction of queer love and the force of nature was really endearing.
Thanks so much for putting this list of hidden gems together Eric - you have just given me a recommendation for a Christmas gift for my mum. I think she would love The Golden Mole 🥰
Both The Tides and The Perfect Golden Circle are on my list of favorites list this year :^) I also enjoyed Our Wives Under the Sea, Lessons in Chemistry, Chilean Poet, The Book of Goose, and many more! I look forward to my bountiful TBR stack which includes Namwali Serpell's The Furrows and Kate Manning's Gilded Mountain. I'll add The Family Chao to my list. Thanks! (I don't think the latter three are available in the US yet.)
“Children of Time” by Adrian Tchaikovsky blew my mind. I love it so much I immediately went into the sequel and was a little disappointed. It may have just been that huge shoes I was expecting it to fill from it’s magnificent, riveting predecessor. If you enjoy space opera/sci-fi I definitely recommend a million times over.
Lovely to know about them. Your both 50 books were amazing guide during the year. One book I loved reading this year was 'Lessons in Chemistry ' by Bonnie Garmus'
The Perfect Golden Circle is SO good, and I'm pleased you see you giving it a shout out here. It's almost certainly one of my favourite reads of 2022 👏
Yes, sometimes I find that I am pursuing reading all the prize nominations so much that other books fall by the radar, then I wake up and wonder why nobody is talking about them. Andrew Miller The Slowworm's Song should have received more attention, and Emilie Pine : Ruth and Pen. Also Home is Not A Place - by Johny Pitts and Roger Robinson - stunning pictures, poetry and prose capturing Black Lives in Britain ( although someone either in the Guardian or Observer nominated thus as best book of the year)
I am much more adventurous with my reading in genre. I 100% use you and a few other lovely booktubers who focus on literary fiction as my resources for litfic. But one book I really loved, but hasn’t been widely talked about in either my genre circle or litfic: The Cabinet by Un-Su Kim. I think it is an amazing mosaic type novel that talks about bureaucracy, and current societal fear and very satiric and mysterious. It is too litfic for genre and too genre for litfic I think 😢 I am extremely interested in picking up Cells! And I bought Family Chao for my mum and I to read, I think we are going to love it!
I really liked A Perfect Golden Circle. Was quite clever at what it was getting across. I also had no idea about crop circles so I found it amusing annnd informative haha
Cells sounds interesting, however the cover is off-putting for me. Not sure why they chose that , as it doesn’t seem to fit the synopsis you gave. I would pass that by in a bookstore without stopping. Im not a prude by any means, however I think the cover may have missed the mark on the sell.
I’m buying the golden mole entirely on your recommendation. I’m in boston and oddly it doesn’t come up on the websites of any of the local independent bookstores or even the public library ( which is beyond spectacular here).
More than fiction, nonfiction seems to get over looked and definitely not as well covered and reviewed especially on social media. Two wonderful narrative nonfiction books I saw nowhere, but are so worth checking out this year are: The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures, about the British/French man living in the US who was the first person to record and project a multiple framed motion picture who mysteriously vanished into thin air while visiting his brother in France just prior to making his announcement. There was even talk that Edison had him disappeared. While his whereabouts remain unknown, you can still watch his movie Roundhay Garden Scene here on UA-cam. The Premonitions Bureau is about how a psychologist and investigative journalist who setup a unit after the Aberfan Disaster to track people’s premonitions and visions of the future and test them for verisimilitude.
No document by Anwen Crawford really went under the radar, I thought it was so beautiful and anxious a nonfiction read. It’s out on Transit in the us but I don’t think it’s been published in the uk yet.
I read both Tides and The Family Chao. Unfortunately the books never gripped me. I found them average. I started reading them with great expectations, but was bored with them most of the time. I did finish both, but for me they were both forgettable reading experiences.
I like hearing about under rated books. It cheered me up to see a video from you today as I’m feeling very unwell.
I loved the Family Chao. Glad you mentioned it here and hope it will find wider audience 😀
This book was such a find-I loved it and so did a reader friend of mine.
You're so right - it seems all the same books get all the attention... I mean, more specifically I've noticed on UA-cam. I appreciate that you find books that nobody else has talked about and feature them. That's great!. I try to seek out new authors or local authors I've never heard of whenever I go book shopping.
Good day. Your discussion about "Cells," a book and author new to me, made me think about Roland Barthes "Mourning Diary," a book he wrote to deal with the death of his mother, and Peter Handke's "A Sorrow Beyond Dreams," which is how he dealt with his mother's suicide. I'm glad you brought this book to my attention. I'll be adding it to my library. Happy New Year and best to you from Texas.
I only recently discovered your channel and I am enjoying this space very much. This list, in particular, sounds very interesting. My TBR list is growing exponentially since I discovered you.
Thanks so much! Hope you find some new favourite reads.
I don't remember how I found your channel this year but I really appreciate it, and have added many of your recommendations to my list! I'm currently reading The Unconsoled by Ishiguro based on your recommendation. Strange that I missed this book since I've read some of his others and also went to college for classical piano performance! I guess it was published during a time when I was immersed in music rather than literature and just missed it. Thank you and Happy Holidays xoxo
That’s so lovely to hear, thank you! And I’m so glad you’re reading The Unconsoled. Happy holidays to you!
Fab idea for a video!
I read an odd but compelling short story collection called A Perfect Cemetery by Federico Falco. I finished it months ago and I still think about it. And Fifty Sounds by Polly Barton is a brilliantly crafted non-fiction about language and love and living in another country. I hope more people read these gems!
I am intrigued by the photograph in the background. Who is the artist?
Thanks for this, Eric. Some interesting selections! I've read a couple, based on your reviews this year, and just added two more onto my TBR. (Had to shove them on, with my back and shoulders, since it's already so overstuffed. Hoping they don't get completely buried...)
If I was to make recs, I'd add on Our Wives Under the Sea (Julia Armfeld), which is just a beautiful story, a metaphor for the waning of a marriage, easily one of my favorites last year. I also really liked Seven Steeples, by Sara Baume, which is such a gentle but powerful book, and I'm currently knee deep into Solenoid, by Mircea Cartarescu--I don't read many surrealist novels, but this is just getting to me!
I'm very interested in The Family Chao; it's been on my list for awhile so it's good to hear a strong recommendation. A book I loved this year that I didn't hear others discussing is Sleepwalk by Dan Chaon. Weird and wonderful.
Interesting! I’ll look up Chaon’s book. Thank you
The family Chao sounds great. I just added it to my Audible queue. I see that it is set in Wisconsin and I just moved to Wisconsin so it should be interesting. Thanks for the tip.
Hope you enjoy it!
This is a great idea for a video. I am also feeling that several books I read and adored this year are not getting the recognition they deserve. I’d like to see more love for The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn.
Love this, Eric. Have added a couple to my TBR including The Family Chao. 😊💙
Thanks! 😊📚 Hope you enjoy it.
Two "golden" books. The Golden Circles sounds very intriguing and a shorter book. Thanks for these recommendations. always good to hear about new or not widely covered books. Loved this.
Really great suggestions Eric! Thank you!
Never heard of them, thanks for the heads up. This is a why I love the ace booktubers like you.
Thanks! 😊📚
I've been interested in family Chao ever since I first heard your review of it, as brothers Karamazov is one of my favourite books ever. A beautiful book I don't often hear about is Devotion by Hannah Kent. Its depiction of queer love and the force of nature was really endearing.
The Perfect Golden Circle is so underrated. I really loved the atmosphere and the reluctant friendship dynamic between these characters.
Yes, such a great story and characters!
Thanks so much for putting this list of hidden gems together Eric - you have just given me a recommendation for a Christmas gift for my mum. I think she would love The Golden Mole 🥰
It makes a wonderful gift and I hope your mum enjoys it.
Both The Tides and The Perfect Golden Circle are on my list of favorites list this year :^) I also enjoyed Our Wives Under the Sea, Lessons in Chemistry, Chilean Poet, The Book of Goose, and many more! I look forward to my bountiful TBR stack which includes Namwali Serpell's The Furrows and Kate Manning's Gilded Mountain. I'll add The Family Chao to my list. Thanks! (I don't think the latter three are available in the US yet.)
I am so excited to read The Furrows! The New York Times Book Review's raving about it as one of the best books of the year completely won me over.
“Children of Time” by Adrian Tchaikovsky blew my mind. I love it so much I immediately went into the sequel and was a little disappointed. It may have just been that huge shoes I was expecting it to fill from it’s magnificent, riveting predecessor.
If you enjoy space opera/sci-fi I definitely recommend a million times over.
Lovely to know about them. Your both 50 books were amazing guide during the year.
One book I loved reading this year was 'Lessons in Chemistry ' by Bonnie Garmus'
Thanks so much! 😊📚 And I keep meaning to read that novel. Thanks for the reminder.
I've wanted to leave everything and just run away, but I could never leave my daughter behind.
The Perfect Golden Circle is SO good, and I'm pleased you see you giving it a shout out here. It's almost certainly one of my favourite reads of 2022 👏
I’m glad you agree!
Thank you so much. Some great sounding books that I may not have found otherwise. ✨
Yes, sometimes I find that I am pursuing reading all the prize nominations so much that other books fall by the radar, then I wake up and wonder why nobody is talking about them. Andrew Miller The Slowworm's Song should have received more attention, and Emilie Pine : Ruth and Pen. Also Home is Not A Place - by Johny Pitts and Roger Robinson - stunning pictures, poetry and prose capturing Black Lives in Britain ( although someone either in the Guardian or Observer nominated thus as best book of the year)
I haven't heard anyone talking about Teddy Wayne's new novel Great Man Theory, but I really enjoyed it.
I am much more adventurous with my reading in genre. I 100% use you and a few other lovely booktubers who focus on literary fiction as my resources for litfic. But one book I really loved, but hasn’t been widely talked about in either my genre circle or litfic: The Cabinet by Un-Su Kim. I think it is an amazing mosaic type novel that talks about bureaucracy, and current societal fear and very satiric and mysterious. It is too litfic for genre and too genre for litfic I think 😢
I am extremely interested in picking up Cells! And I bought Family Chao for my mum and I to read, I think we are going to love it!
Oh great idea from K Plumb - " slipping between the cracks " review
I really liked A Perfect Golden Circle. Was quite clever at what it was getting across. I also had no idea about crop circles so I found it amusing annnd informative haha
I'm glad you liked it too!
These books sound amazing! Thank you!
Cells sounds interesting, however the cover is off-putting for me. Not sure why they chose that , as it doesn’t seem to fit the synopsis you gave. I would pass that by in a bookstore without stopping. Im not a prude by any means, however I think the cover may have missed the mark on the sell.
Enough people thought the same that an alternate cover was also marketed
I’m buying the golden mole entirely on your recommendation. I’m in boston and oddly it doesn’t come up on the websites of any of the local independent bookstores or even the public library ( which is beyond spectacular here).
I guess it might not have been published in the US yet. It can be ordered online from book depository. I hope you enjoy it.
How not to drown in a glass of water ...by angie cruz.
I bought this on audible...
The narrator was totally dynamic and the story was most gratifying.
More than fiction, nonfiction seems to get over looked and definitely not as well covered and reviewed especially on social media. Two wonderful narrative nonfiction books I saw nowhere, but are so worth checking out this year are:
The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures, about the British/French man living in the US who was the first person to record and project a multiple framed motion picture who mysteriously vanished into thin air while visiting his brother in France just prior to making his announcement. There was even talk that Edison had him disappeared. While his whereabouts remain unknown, you can still watch his movie Roundhay Garden Scene here on UA-cam.
The Premonitions Bureau is about how a psychologist and investigative journalist who setup a unit after the Aberfan Disaster to track people’s premonitions and visions of the future and test them for verisimilitude.
Great selection!! ❤
😊📚
No document by Anwen Crawford really went under the radar, I thought it was so beautiful and anxious a nonfiction read. It’s out on Transit in the us but I don’t think it’s been published in the uk yet.
Interesting, I don't think I'd heard of Crawford's book before. I'll look it up. Thank you! 📚
@@EricKarlAnderson it was shortlisted for the Stella prize
Terminal Zones was one of my favourite reads this year! I’m looking forward to reading Unofficial Britain :)
I'm glad you enjoyed it so much too!
Night of the Living Rez was exceptional.
Tides sounds like The Sea by Banville
My poor tbr, added all of these 😂
😅📚📚📚
I read both Tides and The Family Chao. Unfortunately the books never gripped me. I found them average. I started reading them with great expectations, but was bored with them most of the time. I did finish both, but for me they were both forgettable reading experiences.
Tides sounds a bit like Colm Toibin’s The South.
The Family Chao is a great book.
👍
Article in the Guardian Dec 4th rated Cells as a best book of 2022
Ah great, I hadn’t seen that at the time I made this video.
check out THE AIR BETWEEN OUR TUBS: Borrowed Dreams
The truth is, there are no great books from 2022. You should focus on great books from 50 years ago maybe. True.