A book that whispere to you. Cool description. Reminds me somewhat of We Are Okay by Nina LaCour. A narrative spun in gossamer. Although I think it had more explicit conflict.
Most horror aficianados: "Ehrmagerd, serven ders!" Shaelin: "I'm rooting for the tape to win, I hope they die, they suck." Me: "What happens if you rewind the tape??"
Aaahh!! I’ve been waiting for someone else to share my hatred of the Ring novels for so long. I didn’t buy the book (thank goodness) and instead borrowed it from the library with the mentality that “the book is always better than the movie”. Knowing how great the movies are… I thought the book had to be even better! But nope, Ryuuji’s introduction had me snapping the book shut and returning it by the next day. So far it’s the only book I’ve marked as DNF
Hi Shaelin. Such helpful book crits. i need to pick up that Lorrie Moore collection. I just finished The Greater Journey, by David McCullough, a non-fiction exploration of American expats who moved to France between 1830-1900 and an exploration of Parisian history, including the Paris Rebellion 1832, the second Empire, the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune. I learned a lot and found myself doing a lot of post book research into people I knew little about prior to this book. While the writing style wasn't my favorite and its a little lacking in diversity, I still found it informative and worth reading. I read Theordore Dreiser's "Sister Carrie" a very interesting novel set in 1889 in Chicago and New York. As a New Yorker, it was great fun to see what winter looked like in 1889. Carrie comes to Chicago filled with dreams and one by one, life happens. Its worth a read and discussions. Since you are into collections, I just read Slouching Toward Bethlehem by Joan Didion. Through the entire first half of the book I kept saying and resaying something like, "I respect the writing but its just not my style." or "Wow, great writing but I just don't care." But the second half of the book changed that for me. I'm a convert. I'm now sending the individual stories to friends who would enjoy them. I love them and what a time capsule. They will live with me forever. Definitely read it. Earlier this year I read Vanderbilt by Anderson Cooper, a very well-written and I believe well-researched unvarnished family history to pass on to his sons; Middlemarch by George Eliot (one of my favorite novels of all time); The Promised Land by Barack Obama (unnecessarily long with no wows but lots of "makes sense"); and I finished Anna Karinina by Tolstoy in January (not my favorite.)
Quite a range of styles here, but it’s encouraging to see so many of them are fairly short. My novel manuscript runs to about 55,000 words, too short to publish by modern standards. But then I see “Cold Enough For Snow” and “Empress of Salt And Fortune” and it gives me hope.
I'm reading Klara and the Sun right now and loving it. Have you ever read any Kazuo Ishiguro? Never Let Me Go is one of my favorite books of all time. As I read Klara and the Sun, I'm realizing that Ishiguro is so good at focusing on character and emotions. Any speculative elements that come into his stories aren't the main focus, and I think that's super cool
If you're looking to read more fantasy, can I recommend The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie? It's written in second person from a really interesting narrator. She's not ~super~ short (400ish pages) but I think you'd be into it. Thanks, as always, for the video!
REQUEST: Could you do a video on formatting numbers in your writing? I heard the rule is numbers under ten should be written and over use their numerals. This gets confusing when dealing with money and time though. For example is it 4:30pm, four-thirty, or four-30?
Since I'm not a copyeditor I don't think I would be able to make a video on number formatting just because it can be quite complex and also depends on the style-guide you're using. But, if you look up any style guide online, you should be able to find all the information you need!
cold enough for snow actually sounds right up my alley, i'll definitely look into it. i read a short book called search history, by eugene lim, earlier this month. one of the weirdest books i've ever read. it was aware of itself as a book and of how absurd it is, and it contained a lot of great discussions regarding stories, art, and the internet. though i didn't understand everything, i definitely appreciated what the author was trying to do
short non-western-centric fantasy rec wise, Neon Yang has the Tensorate trilogy of novellas, about non binary siblings growing up in imperial rule when magical creatures are threatening the kingdom and a revolution is brewing. There’s a collection of them on bookoutlet last I was browsing. Even all together it’s pretty slim. I just finished The Magic Mountain by Mann and that kind of blew my tiny little mind. Great stuff, as usual!
@@ShaelinWrites it’s a quartet if you do the whole series, so if you dig it the conclusion is from a different perspective, if I remember correctly, and came out a bit later. Hope you like it!
I’d be curious to know what shaelin thinks of the secret history by Donna Tartt. It’s one of my favorites, literary fiction/dark academia but 150,000 words. So I couldn’t help but think of it when she was talking about admiring shorter books lol - I’d love to know if that’s one that she thinks deserves that many words
@@ShaelinWrites Wow, thanks Shaelin! I definitely thought this video would be too old to expect a reply I love long, rich books! But until I found your channel, it seemed like all the writing advice I could find on the entire internet was geared toward tight plots and commercial style. The Secret History gave me hope that the things I want to write do indeed still have a place out there. Now your channel is reinforcing that, and I feel more motivated than I have in years
so glad you posted a recent reads video because I read a book that had me checking to see if your tumblr asks were open. it's Willa & Hesper by Amy Feltman and is one of the best books I've read in?? forever?? I found it for $2 at a dollar general and only bought it because the cover was pretty but it's this amazing sapphic novel, coming of age story, explores Judaism in a way that feels really understandable but somehow also really in-depth. so good. maybe I'm hyping it up too much but it was such a refreshing read.
Thank you for your careful reading of Quan Barry's When I'm Gone, Look for me in the East : I shall look for it tomorrow. True Crime marginalises the victims with exceptions like Andrew O'Hagan's *The Missing* and Helen Garner in *Joe Cinque's Consolation* and *This House of Grief. I recommend all the interviews with Ms Garner on UA-cam. She is a great fan of Janet Malcolm The New Yorker writer. I'm not sure what Koji Suzuki is doing in *Ring* but I remember Bernard Malamud being asked if art is moral - 'It inclines that way,' he said. Let me recommend *Seven Steeples* by Sara Baume (Tramp Press Dublin) about a couple, Bell and Sigh, in mountainous south-west Ireland. It has the playful depth of Ali Smith, language that's in love with animals and the outdoors : Ms Baume wrote *A Line Made By Walking* which I loved. If you enjoy literary biographies do not miss *The Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym* by Paula Byrne, now in paperback, told in short witty chapters. I have reached Chapter XXXI : *Crampton Hodnet is a lie. It does not exist outside the imagination of a deceitful clergyman called Stephen Latimer.*
Becoming an aspiring author has kind of ruined reading for me. I have gained a deeper appreciation of professional authors upon realizing how hard it is, and whenever I read I can't help but be reminded of how much of a bad writer I am. Never have I read a book and thought 'I can do something like this' it's always the opposite. Reading is a reminder of my inferiority.
While I grab a coffee to watch the video, just wanted to make a small suggestion!! Im sure a lot of your viewers are non native English speakers but are interested in writing in English (that includes me!!) or already do that, so it would be very cool if you would be able to have a non native author over as a guest speaker! I think it would be greatly useful, since there is literally no content like that on yt, and may also provide a little of a new perspective on the language even for native speakers!!
I LOVED the Empress of Salt and Fortune! Also, I know someone who is friends with the author and was an alpha reader for the book, which is very cool.
oooh that's so cool!!
binging all your recent reads because i get the best reccs from them
hope you find some books you love
A book that whispere to you. Cool description. Reminds me somewhat of We Are Okay by Nina LaCour. A narrative spun in gossamer. Although I think it had more explicit conflict.
Most horror aficianados: "Ehrmagerd, serven ders!"
Shaelin: "I'm rooting for the tape to win, I hope they die, they suck."
Me: "What happens if you rewind the tape??"
Aaahh!! I’ve been waiting for someone else to share my hatred of the Ring novels for so long. I didn’t buy the book (thank goodness) and instead borrowed it from the library with the mentality that “the book is always better than the movie”. Knowing how great the movies are… I thought the book had to be even better! But nope, Ryuuji’s introduction had me snapping the book shut and returning it by the next day. So far it’s the only book I’ve marked as DNF
ooof if you thought his introduction was bad...it only got worse from there. the movies are soooo so much better!!
OHH MY GOODNESS I I HADNT WATCHED THE VID YET AND I THOUGHT YOU MEANT LOTR I FELT SO BETRAYED
I like that I have never heard about any of these books before and I love your shirt so much 😭 I might check out those monks and the salty empress
Hi Shaelin. Such helpful book crits. i need to pick up that Lorrie Moore collection. I just finished The Greater Journey, by David McCullough, a non-fiction exploration of American expats who moved to France between 1830-1900 and an exploration of Parisian history, including the Paris Rebellion 1832, the second Empire, the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune. I learned a lot and found myself doing a lot of post book research into people I knew little about prior to this book. While the writing style wasn't my favorite and its a little lacking in diversity, I still found it informative and worth reading. I read Theordore Dreiser's "Sister Carrie" a very interesting novel set in 1889 in Chicago and New York. As a New Yorker, it was great fun to see what winter looked like in 1889. Carrie comes to Chicago filled with dreams and one by one, life happens. Its worth a read and discussions. Since you are into collections, I just read Slouching Toward Bethlehem by Joan Didion. Through the entire first half of the book I kept saying and resaying something like, "I respect the writing but its just not my style." or "Wow, great writing but I just don't care." But the second half of the book changed that for me. I'm a convert. I'm now sending the individual stories to friends who would enjoy them. I love them and what a time capsule. They will live with me forever. Definitely read it. Earlier this year I read Vanderbilt by Anderson Cooper, a very well-written and I believe well-researched unvarnished family history to pass on to his sons; Middlemarch by George Eliot (one of my favorite novels of all time); The Promised Land by Barack Obama (unnecessarily long with no wows but lots of "makes sense"); and I finished Anna Karinina by Tolstoy in January (not my favorite.)
The amount you read always impresses me! Would love if you'd do a video on how you manage to read so much. :)
I have a video on how to read more you can look up! I'd leave a link but youtube would probably flag it as spam haha
@@ShaelinWrites Oh thank you!! I will definitely check it out :)
Quite a range of styles here, but it’s encouraging to see so many of them are fairly short. My novel manuscript runs to about 55,000 words, too short to publish by modern standards. But then I see “Cold Enough For Snow” and “Empress of Salt And Fortune” and it gives me hope.
My current project is in a vignette style as well! Might have to check out Jane
i felt the ocean vuong review!! im reading it, and it is beautiful and i LOVE him, but sometimes his poems feel a little heady and inaccessible
I'm reading Klara and the Sun right now and loving it. Have you ever read any Kazuo Ishiguro? Never Let Me Go is one of my favorite books of all time. As I read Klara and the Sun, I'm realizing that Ishiguro is so good at focusing on character and emotions. Any speculative elements that come into his stories aren't the main focus, and I think that's super cool
I've only read The Remains of the Day by Ishiguro but I would highly recommend it.
Ishiguro is a living master. Character and emotions, yes, above all. NEVER LET ME GO just killed me. Deeply moving. His books matter.
I actually bought my sister the serial killer because of you!! Excited to crack it open after finals.
it's a really fun read! the perfect book to dive into after finals haha
If you're looking to read more fantasy, can I recommend The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie? It's written in second person from a really interesting narrator. She's not ~super~ short (400ish pages) but I think you'd be into it. Thanks, as always, for the video!
i LOVED Quan Barry’s other book! so fun
oooh is that we ride upon sticks?? I really want to read that one as well!
REQUEST: Could you do a video on formatting numbers in your writing? I heard the rule is numbers under ten should be written and over use their numerals. This gets confusing when dealing with money and time though. For example is it 4:30pm, four-thirty, or four-30?
Since I'm not a copyeditor I don't think I would be able to make a video on number formatting just because it can be quite complex and also depends on the style-guide you're using. But, if you look up any style guide online, you should be able to find all the information you need!
@@ShaelinWrites Ok, thank you!
hi.i am new to your channel. very interesting recommodations. sooo happy i found your channel.
cold enough for snow actually sounds right up my alley, i'll definitely look into it. i read a short book called search history, by eugene lim, earlier this month. one of the weirdest books i've ever read. it was aware of itself as a book and of how absurd it is, and it contained a lot of great discussions regarding stories, art, and the internet. though i didn't understand everything, i definitely appreciated what the author was trying to do
I think for the right reader, cold enough for snow would be a knock out of the park!!
Don't mince words Shaelin, tell us what you really think
(about Ring)
short non-western-centric fantasy rec wise, Neon Yang has the Tensorate trilogy of novellas, about non binary siblings growing up in imperial rule when magical creatures are threatening the kingdom and a revolution is brewing. There’s a collection of them on bookoutlet last I was browsing. Even all together it’s pretty slim.
I just finished The Magic Mountain by Mann and that kind of blew my tiny little mind.
Great stuff, as usual!
Neon Yang's trilogy is next on my fantasy tbr!!
@@ShaelinWrites it’s a quartet if you do the whole series, so if you dig it the conclusion is from a different perspective, if I remember correctly, and came out a bit later. Hope you like it!
Shaelin ive got a question: Im making a book (3rd person past tense) about 2 twins, both of them being a protagonist. Can i make this work/
I’d be curious to know what shaelin thinks of the secret history by Donna Tartt. It’s one of my favorites, literary fiction/dark academia but 150,000 words. So I couldn’t help but think of it when she was talking about admiring shorter books lol - I’d love to know if that’s one that she thinks deserves that many words
I read it last year and really enjoyed it!! It definitely earned its rich amount of detail!
@@ShaelinWrites Wow, thanks Shaelin! I definitely thought this video would be too old to expect a reply
I love long, rich books! But until I found your channel, it seemed like all the writing advice I could find on the entire internet was geared toward tight plots and commercial style. The Secret History gave me hope that the things I want to write do indeed still have a place out there. Now your channel is reinforcing that, and I feel more motivated than I have in years
so glad you posted a recent reads video because I read a book that had me checking to see if your tumblr asks were open. it's Willa & Hesper by Amy Feltman and is one of the best books I've read in?? forever?? I found it for $2 at a dollar general and only bought it because the cover was pretty but it's this amazing sapphic novel, coming of age story, explores Judaism in a way that feels really understandable but somehow also really in-depth. so good. maybe I'm hyping it up too much but it was such a refreshing read.
I read Willa & Hesper a couple years ago!! So good!!
Thank you for your careful reading of Quan Barry's When I'm Gone, Look for me in the East : I shall look for it tomorrow.
True Crime marginalises the victims with exceptions like Andrew O'Hagan's *The Missing* and Helen Garner in *Joe Cinque's Consolation* and
*This House of Grief. I recommend all the interviews with Ms Garner on UA-cam. She is a great fan of Janet Malcolm The New Yorker writer.
I'm not sure what Koji Suzuki is doing in *Ring* but I remember Bernard Malamud being asked if art is moral - 'It inclines that way,' he said.
Let me recommend *Seven Steeples* by Sara Baume (Tramp Press Dublin) about a couple, Bell and Sigh, in mountainous south-west Ireland.
It has the playful depth of Ali Smith, language that's in love with animals and the outdoors : Ms Baume wrote *A Line Made By Walking* which I loved.
If you enjoy literary biographies do not miss *The Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym* by Paula Byrne, now in paperback, told in short witty chapters.
I have reached Chapter XXXI : *Crampton Hodnet is a lie. It does not exist outside the imagination of a deceitful clergyman called Stephen Latimer.*
Have you read The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern?? I was very worried about it but it ended up being one of my favorite books of all time
Becoming an aspiring author has kind of ruined reading for me. I have gained a deeper appreciation of professional authors upon realizing how hard it is, and whenever I read I can't help but be reminded of how much of a bad writer I am. Never have I read a book and thought 'I can do something like this' it's always the opposite. Reading is a reminder of my inferiority.
You'd like my collection, Stalking Kilgore Trout
While I grab a coffee to watch the video, just wanted to make a small suggestion!! Im sure a lot of your viewers are non native English speakers but are interested in writing in English (that includes me!!) or already do that, so it would be very cool if you would be able to have a non native author over as a guest speaker! I think it would be greatly useful, since there is literally no content like that on yt, and may also provide a little of a new perspective on the language even for native speakers!!
Have you ever published a book? I'd be keen to read some of your work!
No book yet, but my published short stories are linked in the description!
Shaelin, in your comments on COLD ENOUGH FOR SNOW you mentioned your favorite book from last year, but I couldn’t make out the title. What is it?
Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin!
@@ShaelinWrites Thanks!
God, your Ring review reminds me of when I read the original Planet of the Apes novel. The book is super racist, nothing like the movie at all.
Hi shaelin, I'm from India.
Do you want to say something for a newbie writer like me?
kotlc fans where are u???