Books I read in January | Reading wrap-up
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- Опубліковано 4 сер 2024
- I read a ridiculous 11 books this month... not sure how. Quite a few that surprised me, and some that I'd definitely recommend you to read. 4 of the books I read I'll wrap-up separately as part of a themed video on apocalypse fiction, so look out for that soon.
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Books mentioned in this video:
📖 Eastbound, by Maylis de Kerengal (translated by Jessica Moore)
📖 How I Won a Nobel Prize, by Julius Taranto (gifted)
📖 The Storm We Made, by Vanessa Chan
📖 The Guest, by Emma Cline
📖 Good Material, by Dolly Alderton
📖 Redhead by the Side of the Road, by Anne Tyler
📖 Killers of the Flower Moon, by David Grann
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00:00 Intro
00:56 Eastbound
02:44 How I Won a Nobel Prize
06:04 The Storm We Made
08:26 The Guest
10:25 Good Material
13:39 Redhead by the Side of the Road
15:29 Killers of the Flower Moon
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Thank you so much for watching.
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I read four great books in January
How To Build A Boat by Elaine Feeney
Falling Animals by Sheila Armstrong
North Woods by Daniel Mason
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
☘️👋🍀📖📚📕☕️
Thanks for sharing! North Woods and Tom Lake are on my 'must read soon' list ❤️
I loved North Woods!
Thank you for these wonderfully descriptive reviews.
Anne Tyler is a treasure.
The way you described her writing is spot on and every one of her titles is a gem.
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant & If Morning Ever Comes are two of my favorites. The latter, her first, she wrote while still at university.
She creates quirky, yet relatable characters whose personalities and foibles are both heartwarming, and, sometimes, heartbreaking.
You can’t go wrong with any of her titles, really.
William Hurt and Geena Davis brought two of them brilliantly to life in the film adaptation of The Accidental Tourist, and I haven’t traveled without my head buried in a huge tome since reading it in secondary school.
Happy reading!
😺✌️
Thanks so much for watching. Glad to hear you're a Tyler fan and I appreciate the recommendations!
I enjoyed Anne Tyler’s “Breathing Lessons”, though I was a bit unsatisfied that nothing happened in a traditional plotting sense. It was many years ago and I think I would be better prepared for such a book now. Anyway, I remember I was riveted while reading and the characters were vivid and delightful. 🦋
Thanks for sharing your Tyler reading experience! It definitely seems like I need to give more of her books a go.
The Guest is a wonderful book, one of my favourites in 2023.
It really is great!
I loved the audiobook of Dolly Alderton's Ghosts so it's good to know her new story has a good audiobook as well!
Oooh good to know the other one is good. I was so impressed with the narration - really brought it to life!
The tequila sponsorship was very funny. Great video 🙂
Haha thanks - tequila is a dangerous friend to have 😂
Thanks for watching!
Oh wow. I found 5 new books to add to my list. Thank you. I’m so excited.
Glad you found some books here that piqued your interest. Thanks so much for watching!
The Guest is on my library tbr so it was good to hear that you enjoyed it!
I have a feeling you might like it! It's very much a sardonic unlikeable outsider flitting about between luxurious scenes. Lots of fun but very tense.
@@benreadsgood sounds like my kind of thing! 😁
Great wrap up. I too, read Killers of the Flower Moon. Now to see the movie and I may pick up The Wager as well. 😊💙
Thanks very much for watching! I found the movie a bit disappointing, but you've definitely experienced them in the right order.
I've read only 5 Anne Tyler novels. One was Redhead which I enjoyed. I also really liked French Braid.
5 books from one author is pretty good going! I think the most I've read from a single author is 4 from Ishiguro.
Thanks for the French Braid recommendation 🙏
Thanks, Ben🌷I’ve had Eastbound on my wishlist for a while and am glad to hear that you found it worthwhile. My best January read was The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. I’m sure it will be one of my top reads for this year. Two more books I really liked, even though not as much as THEGC, were Checkout 19 by Claire-Louise Bennett and Thunderstruck by Elizabeth McCracken. The latter is a short-story collection which made me think that I should read more of those.
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store is one I serrrriously need to get to! And I like the sound of Checkout 19, but I can't decide if it's going to be one of those books that is a bit meandering and doesn't hold my attention (a me problem!)
Eastbound is a nice little lightning bolt of a book.
As always, great book reviews! I also liked Redhead By The Side of The Road even though there were not too many favorable reviews on it. I like Anne Tyler a lot and recently read The Beginner’s Goodbye which I loved. It was a 5 star read for me and I think you would like it too. Enjoy!
Thanks so much for watching, and for the Tyler recommendation 🙌
DINNER AT THE HOMESICK RESTAURANT by Anne Tyler was my Annuary book. I would recommend the book overall though sometimes the mother really turned me off with her erratic behavior. The oldest son is even worse in terms of cruelty, but I found him fascinating even if I could never condone things he does. I feel he was written in a much more complex way than the mother. I have also read THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST, which I loved, and BREATHING LESSONS, which annoyed the hell out of me, by Tyler many years ago.
Thank you so much for the Tyler 101 🙏
Second nomination for The Homesick Restaurant, so it's currently top of the list!
The Night Alphabet : I see a publication date of Feb 15th, but only for the Kindle.
Currently reading Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park (great so far).
The Trails of Empire bypasses the TBR and it's up next.
How I Won a Nobel Prize sounds interesting. North Woods: 9 libraries listed. All are *checked out*.
Great content.
Ooh, perhaps The Night Alphabet is only getting a physical UK release for now. I'm definitely reading it this month though, so I'll be reviewing it in my February wrap-up.
And fantastic that you're enjoying the Ed Park. I'm so excited to read it but currently not sure where I can fit it into my reading plans!
Just received the ebook of Good Material from the library, can’t wait to get started. I loved Killers of the Flower Moon. Like you said the overall structure was far superior than the movie. Excellent reviews!
Enjoy Good Material! Hopefully it's as good in print as it is on audio 🙏 Thanks for watching!
I borrowed Good Material from the library after hearing Elvin James Mensah raving about it on Shawn’s channel. I didn’t end up getting to it though as I desperately trying to read through my shelves. If it’s on audiobook then that will be the perfect treat esp if it’s partially narrated by Arthur Darvill!!
Great wrap up as always 😊
Thanks Charlie! I think you’ll love Good Material. It’s so warm-hearted and funny but also sad and realistic at the same time. A really surprising new favourite for me.
I've read quite a few Anne Tyler novels. I think my favorite one is The Amateur Marriage. The recent one, French Braid was good, too. From her oldies I liked The Accidental Tourist but I don't know if it holds up. The Guest sounds like a fun read!
A few people have mentioned The Accidental Tourist so it does sound like a goodie!
The Guest is so fun! But also very stressful. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of it.
Great wrap up!! I read Anne Tylers A Spool of Blue Thread for Ann uary. I absolutely adored it. I definitely think it was a case of right book at the right time. It was a fairly slow, character driven family saga....which I always love. There was a bit of humour and a lot of family love and a few dark secrets. It was my first Anne Tyler, definitely not my last....and my favourite book of January.
I read that one as well. Great book
Ooh, we're (non-identical) Tyler twins!
I'm glad you liked reading Killers of the Flower Moon. I loathed that movie, as much as I wanted to love it for Lily Gladstone. I have a copy of that Vanessa Chan book too, although I'm not sure why I bought it. I'm kind of mad at myself, because it seems like the kind of novel I'm trying to move away from. Maybe I'll give it a shot at some point. I do also have the Dolly Alderton book on audio, so I'm looking forward to that. I'm still trying to finish my first book of the year and it's causing some stress. I'm reading The Biography of X now and it's fine; some parts better than others. Also Tender is the Flesh for your February pandemic challenge, since I gave up on my Anne for January.
I didn't dislike the film, but I guess I was just a bit... whelmed. The Chan is good it just felt to me the sort of story I've read before, written in a way I've read before. I appreciated the new historical perspective though.
The Dolly on audio is so great - enjoy! And definitely want to read Tender is the Flesh one day. Great pick.
The Wager is my first experience with David Grann and it was phenomenal! Looking to read Killers of the Flower Moon next. Would absolutely recommend The Wager to everyone and anyone.
Thanks for the recommendation! At first glance it doesn't seem like my usual kind of story, but that cover is gorgeous and people singing its praises have me convinced!
I read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall for Annuary. Those Bronte sisters certainly had their finger on the pulse when it comes to man baby characters. I do have to remind myself of the period in which they were written.
Ah, good old man-babies. In a way, good to know some things never change 😂
Ooo I absolutely love the sound of the Anne Tyler book. 'character study' 'human condition' I'M SOLD! Thanks, Ben!
It’s definitely a lovely meditation on the life of this one guy. I meant to say in the video: if you end up liking it, you’d also really like Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet. Had very much the same energy.
Oh fab. Thanks, Ben!@@benreadsgood
I am avoiding Scorsese’s Flower Moon film. Everything I've heard about it convinces me I should stay away. I loved the book. Highly recommend The Wager; in my opinion it's even better than Killers of the Flower Moon.
You'll be hard-pressed to find a bad Anne Tyler. I just re-read Dinner At the Homesick Restaurant for Ann-uary and it really held up for me. My first Tyler was Searching for Caleb, so it has a special place in my heart. French Braid, The Amateur Marriage, Saint Maybe, Breathing Lessons, The Accidental Tourist . . . you really can't go wrong.
I didn’t dislike the film, it’s just very long and I feel like I’ve seen it before. Which is a shame as it’s a story I definitely didn’t know, and an important one to tell.
Thanks for recommending The Wager, and for the Tyler tips! Lots of love for Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant in the comments so maybe that’s where I should head.
I also read The Guest in January. Easily my favourite read of the month, and I'm with you on all of your reflections, including the ending. I'm now reading The Pisces by Melissa Broder, which feels pretty similar in tone (so far; I believe there will be a magical realist element later in the book) and I'm enjoying it so much. Might be worth picking up if you've not read it yet.
Yeah really enjoyed it, and to be honest I'm surprised it's such a divisive book! I wonder if, in general, people just struggle with unlikeable protagonists. I gobble them up though.
Thanks for the Broder tip - I've never read her before and was tempted by Death Alley, but maybe I should start with one of her other ones!
I was curious if 'The Storms We Made' would live up to its description. I'm hoping to read it soon, but I think I'll stick with my original plan of reading it via the library before deciding if I want to add it to my collection. Thanks for sharing!
It definitely wasn’t a bad book, and I enjoyed my time with it. It just felt like something I’d read before a number of times, even if the story and historical context was new to me. Definitely worth checking out of the library.
Thanks for watching! 🙌
I agree with so many comments below - Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant is a brilliant Anne Tyler book also Saint Maybe and Ladder of Years - lots to enjoy.
Such a chorus of support for Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant - sounds like a surefire bet for my next Tyler (whenever I can fit in something else into my reading plans 🫠).
Looking forward to hearing about your end of the world reads!!
It is definitely a mixed bag and I have some spicy thoughts about one of them… 👀
(Spicy as in I hated it.)
Ooooh I’m intrigued!!
I was also a Dolly Dodger until Ghosts, which is fab. I think you hit the nail on the head with the marketing
We are Dolly dodgers no more! 🎉
I just added How I Won a Nobel Prize to my TBR - sounds interesting. I really liked the Emma Cline book - that was some great writing. It was one of those books that I wished I knew someone else who had read it so I could talk about it. I read Tom Lake for the prompt this month. I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. I’d recommend it.
Glad Taranto’s one sounds interesting! I had such a fun time with it. And The Guest was such a nice surprise for me.
I need to read Tom Lake this month as it’s on my ballot for judging the BookTube Prize. Glad to hear you enjoyed it - I’m excited to get to it.
Definitely pick up The Wager.
Thanks for the recommendation 🙏
Ouch - hope it wasn't a tequila hangover (been there). I have The Storm We Made on my shelves which I'l get to soon. Read 4 books in Jan - loved 2 of them ... My Sister the Serial Killer and at last I got round to Rizzio which was fab. Thanks for the lesson on super conductors, and I much preferred your synopsis of How I Won A Nobel Prize - hilarious!
It was a tequila hangover I’m afraid 🫠 I like to think the margaritas were worth it.
Glad you loved Rizzio - such a banger!
And I was very much expecting everyone to skip over the superconductors bit, but the analytics suggests not, which is nice. Science for everyone! 😂
I would really recommend The Wager by David Grann 😊
Thanks for the rec! 🙏
Nice. Added the Nobel Prize one to my TBR. Maybe Eastbound as well. The Guest isn't my typical fare, but I rather enjoyed it until I got to the end. It just seemed like a cheap cop out.
I read Close Range by Annie Proulx for Annuary. Great stories, but a terrible advertisement for Wyoming! 😆For Feverary I'm attempting The Stand. Unabridged. 1400 pages. I might not be done until Easter 😅 My favourite book from January was In Memoriam by Alice Winn.
Glad a few of these sounded interesting!
The Guest’s ending was fine for me; I’ve come to quite like a bit of ambiguity. But I can see how it might feel abrupt. There’s a fine line between feeling unfinished and feeling delightfully open to interpretation!
The Stand!!! In the shortest month! Best of luck 🤞🏻
I’ve been a “Dolly dodger” myself … but you’ve convinced me bc if the story succeeds in showing the deflation/complexity/shame/boring/ridiculous experience in seeing “old friends” in your thirties - when returning home feeling sort of defeated as it is - where everything is about where we’re at in life, then I’m in 😅🤦♀️🕺
And it does it so entertainingly! Although worth knowing it feels very much like it nails ‘British male friendship’ and I can’t speak to how relatable it would be for others. Hope you enjoy it!
My original plan was to read Boulder on January first, but at the last hours, it became my last book of the year novella for 2023 because of the shorter page count and running out of time, and A Meal in Winter became my first day of the New Year novella, which I heard about from you and I think one other Booktuber last year. It had the right level of introspection and moral complexity, not to mention the cold setting to fit exactly what I wanted for the start of the year.
Eastbound became my number one fiction of 2023 and all but destroyed me. It would have made a great novella kick off for me this year, but I’m glad I read it earlier, it would have been hard to peak for me that early with my best book.
Hands down the most overrated and disappointing book I read last year was The Wager. He does nothing but rehash what others have already said about the story adding none of his own new research or commentary to it, and as such it lacked any dynamism or introspection I expect from narrative nonfiction. His constant reliance on Lord Byron’s Grandfather’s first person account left me more intrigued about the event then anything he provided and I would say read that first instead, and then see if you need more. I plan to read it this year.
My “Ann book” was just fine, an epistolary novel I was five steps ahead of the whole time and slightly cloying. It’s amazing how 84 Charing Cross Road reads better as an epistolary novel and more believable as a “love story” than any actual overtly constructed epistolary novel.
Very pleased to hear you enjoyed A Meal in Winter. Definitely a good one for these chilly days - chilling both in temperature and atmosphere.
Shame that The Wager wasn't great for you. Seems to be getting raves from other commenters! I feel like I will read it at some point, but good to hear the ways it missed the mark.
Which Ann book did you go for? Fingers crossed Fever-uary is more successful 🦠
@@benreadsgood It was called Meet Me At the Museum by Ann Youngston, I had put it on a list during a heavy epistolary phase thinking it would be something I might like because of museums, but the writer wasn’t clever enough to pull it off in that complicated format. In epistolary works it’s really what isn’t said between the letters that builds the tension and a masterful writer can allude and imply what’s going on in a subtle way, but this all was way to straightforward, and thus the reader was way ahead of the writer and it was anticlimactic.
You're reading non-fiction - glorious! (I'm your reading opposite; I read mostly non-fiction and only occasionally pick up a novel.) Absolutely DO read "The Wager," it's brilliant!
Haha I should read more of it really. I just get so pulled in by fiction!
I have the same very conflicted feelings about Spotify audiobooks, I’ve listened to a few there but have tried to only go for things I can’t find at the library.
It’s so tricky isn’t it! I saw in the news yesterday that licensing them has pushed them into loss… and meanwhile they’re putting up subscription prices and giving Joe Rogan $250 million 🤢
I’m kind of treating it as ‘bonus books I probably wouldn’t have bought or read otherwise’.
Holy crap! Totally forgot we were in February already.
It'll be Christmas soon!
Currently reading The Storm We Made 📖🪱💚
Hope you’re enjoying it!
Best Ann Tyler
The Homesick Restaurant
I'm probably too sensitive, but I thought everyone was so mean to the son who just wanted to have a family meal where everyone stayed to the end.
Thanks for the recommendation!
The Wager is amazing, read it before Scorsese makes it into a film (rumors are he got the rights to the Wager as well).
Oooh good to get the inside track on upcoming film adaptations. I definitely would want to read that one before seeing a film of it, after my experience with Killers 😅
I only read 5 in January, having covid slowed me down a bit. I don't read too many novels, mostly history.
Ah that’s rubbish! That time resting in bed could be alright if you could still read, but COVID can really knock you out. Hope you’re feeling better now!
@@benreadsgood Yes I'm better now, back to knocking off a book every 5 days or so. Covid makes it impossible to concentrate, I would start and stop 2 or 3 books a day, declaring them unreadable.
Laughed out loud at your Ben Shapiro zinger. Ben Shapiro is one of those anomalies; I know I'm not meant to like him, but I do! It's not that I agree with his politics, but I admire his ability to debate and articulate his arguments.
Anyway...my January reads:
Our Share of Night, by Mariana Enriquez
Boy: Tales of Childhood, by Roald Dahl
Boy Parts, by Eliza Clark
Still Life, by Sarah Winman
Death in Her Hands, by Ottessa Moshfegh
Five Decembers, by James Kestrel
The only time I enjoy seeing Ben Shapiro is when he is being taught a lesson by someone who knows what they’re talking about 🙃
Some great ones in your January reads! I still need to get to Death in Her Hands - one of my last Moshfeghs to read.
The Guest was good, but the ending was terrible.
I actually quite liked the ending, or was at least not put out by it! I wasn't craving any particular resolution, and I kind of love the internet speculation that's happened 😂