The Wager was one of those books that I would describe as a "Dad book" and that's not normally my cup of tea, but I think this has a really wide appeal.
It was fun to hear your thoughts. I skipped this round, but it happens that I’ve read three books from this group. I agree that The Dictionary People is a good book, but not extraordinary. I also agree that The Wager is super interesting even for someone who doesn’t care about ship wrecks or naval stories. Where we differ is on Wifedom. I read it for the first round. It reads super well, the author makes good points, but there were things that really got on my nerves, enough to supersede the good points. I ranked it second to last in my group, but I am not surprised it is moving on.
@@bouquinsbooks Hi… I’m thinking you and I were judging the same group that included Eve, King, Wifedom, How to Say Babylon, Doppelgänger, and A Fever in the Heartland. This was a very good selection of books, and Wifedom landed at #6 for me because it was the one that didn’t fully capture my interest. I felt the narrative meandered too much, and sometimes I just tire of learning about new avenues where the persistent spirit of misogyny has existed throughout history. 😢My #1 was Eve, then Babylon, A Fever in the Heartland, Doppelgänger, and at #5, King. All these books opened my eyes to something new and had my mouth hanging open in shock too many times… but in a, dang, I did not know that, way! Otherwise, nice reviews, Melissa. I can’t believe we’re in the home stretch! 😊 I got fiction this time.
Melissa, I was a judge for this section too! So happy to see your video and rankings. I was very close to your list, some in different orders. I found that my last place book, The Dictionary People was the easiest to place. Your points for all of these were excellent. Dictionary People was ultimately somewhat interesting in the moment but largely forgettable. I appreciated the effort the author took in researching it but it was mostly a miss for me. Also in my bottom half were The Lumumba Plot and The Wager. I agree with your assessment of both though, and honestly it was tough to decide between the number 4 and number 3 spots. My top three were We Were Once A Family, Flee North, and Wifedom. Wifedom is the book that surprised me the most as far as content and achieving its goal. I agree that I hadn’t really ever thought about it so it was incredible to realize the Orwell wasn’t the best husband anyway and then even the idea for 1984 came from a poem she had written earlier. It makes you wonder how much of some of the classic authors married women who were instrumental in their success. Thanks for the video! Are you judging the semifinal round? I did rounds 1 and 2, so taking a break.
Numbers 4 and 3 are always the hardest decisions to make! Wifedom also really surprised me. I had heard of it, but it probably never would have landed on my TBR if it weren't for the Booktube Prize. And yes, it has also made me re-evaluate how I view authors' works. I know F. Scott Fitzgerald used his wife Zelda's work/writing, and now I am wondering how common this was? I skipped round 1, some I'm judging the semifinals. Very excited about my group. :)
Loved your video and your thoughtful comments. I, too, judged the quarter finals (group C) and now the semi-finals for non-fiction. I love that I am reading books I never would have chosen to read on my own and learning so much about our history and world. Making these videos is such hard work! I gave up trying. Thank you for what you do!!!
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The Wager isn’t my typical book either but I loved it. So tremendously readable!
I enjoyed your thoughts on all of these but particularly on Lumumba and the Wager.
The Wager was one of those books that I would describe as a "Dad book" and that's not normally my cup of tea, but I think this has a really wide appeal.
It was fun to hear your thoughts. I skipped this round, but it happens that I’ve read three books from this group. I agree that The Dictionary People is a good book, but not extraordinary. I also agree that The Wager is super interesting even for someone who doesn’t care about ship wrecks or naval stories. Where we differ is on Wifedom. I read it for the first round. It reads super well, the author makes good points, but there were things that really got on my nerves, enough to supersede the good points. I ranked it second to last in my group, but I am not surprised it is moving on.
What was your top book from your group in the first round?
@@FullyBookedMelissa Eve. It’s still in the running, and I hope it makes it to the final round. 🤞
@@bouquinsbooks Hi… I’m thinking you and I were judging the same group that included Eve, King, Wifedom, How to Say Babylon, Doppelgänger, and A Fever in the Heartland. This was a very good selection of books, and Wifedom landed at #6 for me because it was the one that didn’t fully capture my interest. I felt the narrative meandered too much, and sometimes I just tire of learning about new avenues where the persistent spirit of misogyny has existed throughout history. 😢My #1 was Eve, then Babylon, A Fever in the Heartland, Doppelgänger, and at #5, King. All these books opened my eyes to something new and had my mouth hanging open in shock too many times… but in a, dang, I did not know that, way!
Otherwise, nice reviews, Melissa. I can’t believe we’re in the home stretch! 😊 I got fiction this time.
Melissa, I was a judge for this section too! So happy to see your video and rankings. I was very close to your list, some in different orders. I found that my last place book, The Dictionary People was the easiest to place. Your points for all of these were excellent. Dictionary People was ultimately somewhat interesting in the moment but largely forgettable. I appreciated the effort the author took in researching it but it was mostly a miss for me. Also in my bottom half were The Lumumba Plot and The Wager. I agree with your assessment of both though, and honestly it was tough to decide between the number 4 and number 3 spots. My top three were We Were Once A Family, Flee North, and Wifedom. Wifedom is the book that surprised me the most as far as content and achieving its goal. I agree that I hadn’t really ever thought about it so it was incredible to realize the Orwell wasn’t the best husband anyway and then even the idea for 1984 came from a poem she had written earlier. It makes you wonder how much of some of the classic authors married women who were instrumental in their success.
Thanks for the video! Are you judging the semifinal round? I did rounds 1 and 2, so taking a break.
Numbers 4 and 3 are always the hardest decisions to make! Wifedom also really surprised me. I had heard of it, but it probably never would have landed on my TBR if it weren't for the Booktube Prize. And yes, it has also made me re-evaluate how I view authors' works. I know F. Scott Fitzgerald used his wife Zelda's work/writing, and now I am wondering how common this was? I skipped round 1, some I'm judging the semifinals. Very excited about my group. :)
Loved your video and your thoughtful comments. I, too, judged the quarter finals (group C) and now the semi-finals for non-fiction. I love that I am reading books I never would have chosen to read on my own and learning so much about our history and world. Making these videos is such hard work! I gave up trying. Thank you for what you do!!!
aw thanks, that's very nice of you to say.
Wifedom sounds so good, and I love that bold cover choice 😍
Those trolling letters in Flee North sound so satisfying!
I really enjoyed your reviews! I’ve never heard of We Were a Family but remember the tragedy. I think I’ll check that one out.
It is an excellent work of nonfiction. But rage inducing. I was seeing red the whole time.