Friday Reads: A DNF and a New Favorite
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- Опубліковано 14 чер 2024
- This was an interesting reading week because I found a new favorite book (I think) and had a surprise DNF. Expand for more information. 👇
Further Viewing 🎥
My Women’s Prize Winners Reaction: • The Women’s Prize 2024...
Book Haul Revisit for June 2024: • Book Haul Revisit for ...
The New York Times Best Books of 2024 (So Far): • The New York Times’ Be...
My Deep Dive on Night Watch: • Did the Pulitzer Prize...
Exciting Upcoming Book Releases: • Exciting Upcoming Book...
My Pride Month Pile of Possibilities: • My TBR for June and Pr...
My Lonesome Dove Deep Dive: • Is Lonesome Dove the G...
Last Friday Reads: • Friday Reads: Women's ...
Jump to the Friday Reads: 18:44
Titles Mentioned 📚
The Known World, Edward P. Jones: bookshop.org/a/99775/97800605...
Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry: bookshop.org/a/99775/97814391...
Nothing Ever Just Disappears: Seven Hidden Queer Histories, Diarmud Hester: bookshop.org/a/99775/97816393...
Tin Man, Sarah Winman: bookshop.org/a/99775/97807352...
Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring, Brad Gooch: bookshop.org/a/99775/97800626...
Cinema Love, Jiaming Tang: bookshop.org/a/99775/97805934...
In Tongues, Thomas Gratton: bookshop.org/a/99775/97803746...
The Guncle Abroad, Steven Rowley: bookshop.org/a/99775/97805935...
My Affiliate Page on Bookshop: bookshop.org/shop/supposedlyfun
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Email: supposedlyfungreg-at-gmail.com
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The order of the Nobel Prizes is always: medicine, chemistry, physics, literature, peace and economics.
Happy birthday! People think the Pulitzer prize isn't serious? I always thought it was almost too serious for it's own good.
Happy birthday, Greg! You have convinced me (again!) to add yet another book to my TBR: Tin Man. Thank you? Currently reading another book you put on my radar: John McGahern's Amongst Women. Early days, but so far loving it. As for the thumbnail "spoiler" controversy, and the comtinued criticism of the way(s) in which you express your opinion(s) on YOUR channel, all I can say is: you have some very prickly followers. 😉
Happy Birthday, Greg!! My dog is clingy too, He's a mama's boy. My mom travels a lot to visit my grandmother and Murphy becomes very sad, but he does follow me around. I'm giving in to starting a book I recently purchased "Good Kings, Bad Kings" by: Susan Nussbaum. It has disability rep.
Teddy’s adoration of Joel is so cute! And I would love to have some of your birthday cake! Happy belated birthday!! 🎉
Thank you! Teddy is a star.
I’m reading Boy George’s most recent memoir, not sure what I’m missing skipping the earlier ones? It’s called Karma and it’s from 2013. But early on he dives deep into his infatuation with astrology. He was born on June 14th, and bends over backwards to dispel the two face nature of Geminis, and then he goes back and says that what really matters in astrology is a person’s rising moon sign.
He says get ready as this will come up again and again, and he basically introduces each person with a character sketch based on their moon sign.
So, happy birthday to you and Boy George!
Happy birthday! Of course, we're all getting a piece of that cake, right? Don't worry about posting the winners. Someone is always going to complain.
I don’t think I was complaining per se but as Greg mentioned, I hadn’t seen the announcement and came to UA-cam to watch Eric Karl Andersons video which was the announcement ceremony. Since I’m subscribed to both content creators and Greg I guess had posted last, his thumbnail was the first thing I saw when I pulled up the app. And yes, I was disappointed. I was looking forward to watching the ceremony (after having avoided social media all day) and getting a somewhat real time sense of the anticipation and the winner reveal. So that was a bummer. Maybe don’t assume that your viewpoint is the only valid one.
I agree with you @a_bookish_gemini , I was in the same situation. And to @jackwaler , not everyone who comments something you didn't like is doing it to just complain and be an contrarian 🙄
I do avoid prize announcements in order to get the news from my favorite BookTubers, so yeah, some of the excitement had been diminished before I even hit play, but I wouldn't say anything was spoiled. (Anywho...) HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 🎂
Happy Happy Birthday!!! You share a birthday week with my son. His was Thursday!
🎉May your next trip around the sun be joyful!
Happy Birthday! I'm sure the cake was excellent. I don't think the prize thumbnail is a spoiler. If someone wants to delay finding out they'd have to avoid all sorts of media because it pops up everywhere moments after the announcement.
I agree with your remarks on the ebbs and flows of book prizes and their patterns. It's really interesting to look at the lists over time; they have all sorts of hot and cold streaks.
I'm so glad you finally read and loved Tin Man! I need to reread it.
I was so excited for you when I saw you’d started Tin Man, one of my favorites too, I may have even been one of the people back then recommending it here because it felt like such a you book. ❤ Looking forward to your and Joel’s discussion.
Wishing the happiest of birthdays to you, enjoy your ganache!
Double Happy Birthday Greg. 🎉🍀🎂💐🥰
Happy Birthday!!! Love and very much appreciate your (free!!!) content that you clearly put so much thought into, especially the Pulitzer content. You’re passionate about the prize, and whether your reaction is positive or negative it’s always genuine and that’s what drew me to your channel.
I’m so happy you loved the work of art that is Tin Man. It’s not recency bias, you will love it more and more as time goes on. It’s a such a beautiful book.
Thank you for the birthday wishes and the kind comment. I appreciate that! I do think Tin Man will stay with me for a very long time.
Happy Birthday! 🎂
The Known World is one of the best PP winners! I think you will love it. That’s a year they definitely got it right!
Happy Birthday Greg! Wishing you all the best! 🎉
Happy Birthday!!! Wishing you the Best Year Ever.
I don't think it's a spoiler to include the pictures of the winners in your thumbnail, but I'm a Book Nerd. I get Book news daily so I already knew the winner. I love your insights and reactions. I also have a couple of friends that subscribe to your channel and your videos are their only source for Book news. I'm assuming that your video is like announcing Oscar winners for them so they want the element of surprise.
First, happy belated birthday! The cake looked amazing.
I’m so glad you enjoyed Tin Man. It’s such a little gem of a book. I’m pretty sure I was one of those people who implored you to read it in the past so apologies if I unintentionally made you feel pressured.
I don’t think the book cover is a spoiler.
I fairly often set books aside to pick up later when I am in the correct headspace for it. Unless I’m actively hating something I don’t consider it a DNF until I’ve set it aside a few times.
Happy birthday, Greg!🥳
Do we get to see a picture of that delicious sounding cake? Hoping to start the Guncle soon~ love your shirt💜
Happy beeday! 🎉🎉🎉 Thrilled you’re enjoying In Tongues so far. My chat with Tom Grattan about it went up on my channel on its pub day, I absolutely loved it and his debut The Recent East, so a new favorite writer for me! 🕺🏼🥰🏳️🌈
I’m about to finish In Tongues and it’s so good!!
A belated Happy Birthday to you!
Aslo, I don''t think the video thumbnail is a spoiler when the prize winners have already been announced. (Like, how?!?)
And I think your Night Watch video was perfectly fine! I watch your channel to hear your take...
Lastly, for anyone interested and able to read it: there is now a Swedish translation(!) of The Netanyahus, available in hardback and ebook.
Happy Birthday!
Have a lovely birthday 🎂
Happy Birthday Greg 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoyed your cake.
Happy birthday! 🥳🎂
Lonesome Dove: Maybe people are looking at videos to decide what to read for June on the Range? (It's on my tbr, but if I pick up a western -- not one of my usual genres, but it could also count for historical fiction bingo, which is another readathon this month -- it will probably be Lucky Red, maybe on audiobook because the accent sounds like it would add to it.)
Guncle -- I agree, it's hard to believe he had bad coffee in Italy! Mainly because I follow Ben & David the cruise-tubers. They are obsessed with coffee and have stated repeatedly that every coffee they've ever gotten in Italy or on Italian- based cruise ships has been excellent, if not beyond. I believe it! ☕😃
As for the pastries, I believe you about that too. I've never been to Italy, but I remember two Italian contestants, one on Great British Baking and one one on a Top Chef show, maybe a dessert show? There's also an Italian-American baker from one of those shows. I was in love with literally everything all of them made 😍
This is only a request so please pay heed only if you agree...Yes please avoid putting the winners in the thumbnail Greg... I stay in India and can't follow the live show because of the time difference.... I would rather watch the video with baited breath than know the winners in advance... it's just exciting!😊
Wish you a very Happy Birthday 🎈🎂.... Hope you have a wonderful year ahead 🎉
Happy belated birthday! And happy pride
I finished Sharks in the Time of Saviors at the beginning of the month. I have not picked up a book since. I'm in a bit of a reading slump. I started Good Omens last night, an old favorite that always puts me in a good mood. Hoping that will get me out of this reading Funk.
Adding Radiant and Tin Man as my next reads.
Happy Birthday!🎉🎉
Happiest of birthdays, Greg and the gateau sounds lovely! No worries about posting the winners didn’t we already know who the winners were?
No, “we” didn’t. Who’s “we”?
Happy late birthday Greg!
Thank you!
Happy birthday greg. Have a blessed day and year
Hope you had a lovely birthday and that the gateau was as delicious as it sounded.🎂
I read The Known World a long time ago and had a really hard time with it, but it was because I was too young for it. It's been on my re-read list for a while and I hope to read it again this year.
Happy Birthday to you…hope you had a wonderful day!
My last 2 reads were disappointing. One I dnf and the other was a story worth telling but ,like the dnf, both were so poorly written that they were difficult to read and put me in a reading slump! Then I started Tin Man…the quality of the writing, the story, the feelings❤️❤️❤️!
Other prizes to come include: the Orwell Prize on June 27, the Hugo Awards on August 11, the World Fantasy Awards on October 20 and the Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction on Nov 11.
Anyone who thinks the Pulitzer isn’t a serious prize should tell that to the people who win one.
People are so annoying 🙄 Why watch the video because you are going to talk about the winners anyway?! They will be spoiled regardless. Like make it make sense. You have a great channel. Don’t let the few weirdos out there make you doubt yourself and the work you do.
Anyway, happy birthday 🎉 and happy Pride 🌈
Happy Birthday! ❤️🎂🥳
I also finished Tin Man this week. I was kind of sad it was such a short read, but at the same time, I didn't think she left anything out. I am now almost halfway through Fire Exit and am liking it a lot. Thank you for the recommendations regarding both.
The 1970's must have also been a tough decade for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, given that there was no award for three of the years. My current audio book is Humboldt's Gift, the winner in 1976, (author Saul Bellow also won the Nobel Prize that year). I'm not a big fan of how men regard women in this book, which is probably typical for this era, but there is a funny bit of irony in that the protagonist of the novel is himself a Pulitzer Prize winner. I'll be glad to check this one off my Pulitzer project list.
I'm so glad you enjoyed Tin Man and Fire Exit! I agree--I would have spent a lot more time in the universe of Tin Man, but it feels like a perfect capsule as it is.
Those three years in the 1970s will be interesting to look at. Here's a preview: the first year with no prize, the Board wasn't thrilled with the options for that year. They considered giving it to Eudora Welty purely as recognition for her career, but decided it was better to give no prize than to do that (especially interesting because Welty ended up winning two years later anyway). The next year with no prize was the infamous year where Gravity's Rainbow was the unanimous recommendation of the jury but the Board believed it to be obscene, so they awarded no prize rather than see it go to Gravity's Rainbow. The third time is a bit murkier and will require more research on my part, but I believe the Board was all set to give it to Alex Haley for Roots when accusations of plagiarism came out against the book. Instead, Roots got a special citation and no official Pulitzer was given for that year. At some point I will do dedicated videos for all three circumstances.
Bellow is an author I am interested in getting around to, but I am a bit worried that I'll run into similar issues to what you have found.
Hi, Joel & Ted. Always great to see you both. I had my own special birthday cake made by the men in my life [ages 6 & 8 yo and grand pa and papa] It was a most interesting, colorful cake ever!
I shall now go forth and read Lonesome Dove.
Your Vaca to Ireland & Scotland sounded super. We are planning a long Ireland and UK trip next year.
Thank you for another video. What date is Greg's day? -- my is on the 15th.
That cake sounds amazing! My birthday is June 14th, so we're back to back!
I hope you’ve had a wonderful birthday! I think in terms of content it’s harder to make videos about the Pulitzer since they don’t have a long list / short list to ponder over. That said, I love hearing you speak about it even if it’s not my favorite book prize. It’s made me follow it a bit more closely and hearing your insight is always nice
Teddy hugs. Thank you for sharing teddy with me by long distance
Happy birthday. Always love to see Joel as well.
Thanks!
Happy Birthday fellow Gemini 😊
Happy birthday to you as well!
Happy Birthday, Greg, and Many Happy Returns!!!🥳🎂🥂🍾 Sarah Winman’s Still Life (set in Italy and England) was among my favourites of 2022. I’ve been meaning to read more by her, and Tin Man will be next. Right now I’m reading River East River West by Aube Rey Lescure (shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction). It’s set in China, but feels like a full immersion in the Chinese and American cultures, seen from Chinese and American points of view. I only have forty pages left and it’s been a great read so far. Next is going to be Knife by Salman Rushdie, and Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel.
The Irish Book Awards is later this year but not sure when.
Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoyed your cake. This isn’t exactly like your Guncle issue but I did DNF a romance once because the protagonist ordered a steak well done.
OK, I'll read Tin Man as my next book. You convinced me. I found it at a library sale last year, and it has just been sitting on my shelf.
You can’t control for every person’s preferences
Happy Birthday Greg. Woohoo.
Thank you!
Happy Birthday! Thanks to you Tin Man is the next book I am going to read. I got the ebook from my Library.
Thanks! I hope you like Tin Man.
happy birthday greg...
Thank you!
Happy Pride Month birthday from someone else with a Pride Month birthday!🎂 You mostly love the same books that I do such as “Tin Man.” In the rare cases where you don’t share my enthusiasm for a certain book, I don’t dismiss your opinion; instead, I use our different views as an opportunity to ponder something I might not have previously considered about a book, and try to look at it from a different perspective. It’s an opportunity to see things through your eyes even if that means I still don’t agree with you. What matters is that we love reading; not that we agree on every book. 😀
Exactly!
Happy birthday fellow Gemini. As I'm in Australia most things are announced overnight so the reaction videos are often coming out by the time I wake up so I always make the point of looking up the winner first before opening youtube. I'm also waiting on the Miles Franklin Award Shortlist, but it is difficult to find the exact dates for when that will be announced anywhere.
Wishing you a very Happy Birthday, saw the cake on Insta and it looked wonderful. Prize reaction thumbnail- it’s a reaction video, you’re not announcing the prize so definitely not a spoiler. Radiant was also on my Pride reading list and I thought it did a great job exploring his life and art.
Oh, photos or thumbnails of book covers are not spoilers.
Oh well, I guess I was on my own after all. Just to clarify…
To those who are saying “we already knew who the winner was”, well I had NOT seen the announcement and had actively avoided social media all day in order to watchEric Karl Andersons vlog of the ceremony. Since I’m subscribed to both content creators and Greg I guess had posted last, his thumbnail was the first thing I saw when I pulled up the app. And yes, I was disappointed. I was looking forward to getting a somewhat real time sense of the anticipation and the winner reveal. So that was a bummer and I don’t think I need to apologize for having voiced my disappointment?!
I apologize for the reaction trending toward the harsher side. It was not my intention to make you feel like you need to defend yourself or apologize. I admit I still don't necessarily see it as a spoiler, but for you and the small group of others who would prefer not to know before they click, I can make an adjustment going forward.
PS Happy birthday (belated or not) to a fellow Gemini!
@@SupposedlyFun thank you and happy birthday month to you 🥂🥰
Oh goodness. People can make drama out of all sorts of things when it comes to prize content. Anyway, you asked what we're reading. I just finished a book about Effa Manley, who owned a black baseball team before integration. I got my brother to read The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison, so I'll reread it with him. Happy reading to you and Joel!
The Effa Manley book sounds interesting. Happy reading!
I just finished Tin Man and loved it also. I’m going to Pacific Grove next week and I am going to listen to it on audio as I drive. I loved the kindnesses that you mentioned also. I’m not sure what I will read next…things are ramping up for my sweet dog and I may need to be brave and help her out. I’m fighting it tooth and nail, but love can require the hardest decisions…
We'll be thinking of you and your dog. ❤️
@@SupposedlyFun thank you. She is gone. It’s the worst pain.
@@seasheleyes I'm so sorry. I wish there were words. Today is the anniversary of the day we lost Guinness, so I know what you are going through. ❤
@@SupposedlyFun it’s so difficult… I’m so sorry about your Guinness too. But our dogs get the best love eh? Which every dog deserves. I sure want people to miss me after I pass…it proves the amount of love exchanged. I was kissing her as she passed and holding her so close. It was so intimate and a beautiful gift for both of us. Thank you for caring that I hurt.
@@seasheleyes ❤❤❤
I'm immersed in Tin Man now!
I have never been into audiobooks - I am a committed reader! - but I am wondering how you decide what books to listen to vs read.
Forgot to say Happy Bday! 🎂
Yes, I've just started audio books and could really use some guidance, Greg. Maybe a short video?
I enjoyed Tin Man but can’t remember much of it but before that I read Still Life and can remember everything. Like Everything- such a good book, way better than TM
I personally don't think the book covers are a spoiler - I usually find out winners through Instagram stories anyway! Tin Man sounds great so I'll have to add it to my TBR. I'm about halfway through The Guncle Abroad and enjoying it - I wasn't as big of a fan of The Guncle as many others, but I thought it was a sweet read, and I decided to read the follow-up because I'm taking a trip this summer to many of the European spots featured in the book!
Happy belated birthday!
The Nobel Prize for Literature is always announced on the Thursday, 1 pm local time to be exact.
As for having the winners in the thumbnail, I do consider it a spoiler. All the US prizes are usually announced in the middle of the night for Europeans, and they might not make the news here.
Thank you! I admit I still don't consider that to be a spoiler myself, butI can make accommodations for the small amount of people who don't watch reaction videos to discover the winner.
Prize reaction thumbnail not a spoiler for me but that is because I usually watch out for the prize announcement and then come over to your channel to see what your thought!
I think the Pulitzer prize has a reputation of being one of the most prestigious prizes for writers and artists in the US so definitely a serious prize. I wonder if some people don't get as invested in it because they don't release a longlist/shortlist.
I think the longlist/shortlist aspect is a big part of it--although I confess I find it a bit refreshing to just get a winner announcement with at least one major prize.
It’s completely fine to include the winners in the thumbnail of a winners video. You aren’t announcing the winners. You’re giving your reaction to a prior announcement.
I think the reason that the Pulitzer has been so annoying to me is that it IS a serious prize. It should be making serious decisions and has failed spectacularly on a few notable occasions. It needs to do better!
LOL You THINK Tin Man will be a new favorite? Ha ha ha. It will be. It already is. So glad you finally read it and (as expected) loved it!
I’m really hoping prizes in the second half of the year will be more exciting. The first half prizes have been horrible for me. Just really nothing interesting in fiction, although I did enjoy some of the Women’s Prize for non-fiction books. I never expect much out of the regular Booker, but who knows, it might be good this year. 😕
I just finished what is kind of a Women’s Prize adjacent book and absolutely loved it. When Eric did his Women’s Prize video with Anna James, she mentioned a book called The Warm Hands of Ghosts that she wished had been listed. Turns out she was right. It’s quite fabulous. (And then you remind me that you don’t really do ghosts, and this whole comment becomes irrelevant. 😂) (It’s not really about ghosts.)
Happy belated b-day!
Thanks!
Happy Happy Birthday! 🎉🧡 Okay, seriously, if your video is NOT titled "Guess who won!" then the thumbnail is not a spoiler. The video was your reaction, and you didn't put that information on the thumbnail. So ..um .. yeah.
How about a photo of that cake in the thumbnail, eh?
Happy birthday!!! 🎉
No no, do not worry about "spoilers" in winner videos. That's ridiculous. If someone choose to not pay attention and gets their news from YT videos, that's on them. The term "spoiler" has had its definition stretched beyond belief. I mean, what's the difference if they know the winner from the thumbnail or from the first minute or so of the video??? People are silly. Ignore them. Also, happy hatching day!
Just got my copy of Tin Man! Excited to read it but might read a Pulitzer winner first. I'm almost done with Chain Gang All-Stars and it is compelling but I don't know that I'm really enjoying it... The thumbnail isn't a spoiler IMO...although I guess those people are getting the news from you and maybe that is flattering.. that they are waiting for your video to find out winner? I think I am partly drawn to your videos because the books you are reading and your opinions are in the ballpark of my own... not exact by any means...I. love The Goldfinch, All the Light We Cannot See and North Woods... but maybe these people have such different thinking that they can't handle your opinion. They just shouldn't watch if it isn't for them because what would the value be if if you weren't sharing your genuine opinion?
What wait, The Womens prize winner was announced. Just it wasn’t a spoiler for me. Just finished the short story collection White Cat Black Dog by Kelly Link , finished Enter Ghost and just started Wellness Nathan Hill
Good morning. I soft DNFed Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. I have read 50 percent. I have been told it gets better. I read a very interesting pride book. It was Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon and Superstar by Cynthia Carr. I think you would enjoy it with your interest in movies. There is a very interesting interview with Percival Everett on the Politics and Prose UA-cam channel. Right now I'm reading My Government Means to Kill Me. Very interesting.
Keep reading.
I have a hold on Darling from the library, so glad it was a good read!
@@bookofdustI found it absolutely amazing. It was a story that I didn't know.
@@annegibson6072 If people know anything, it’s usually from the Lou Reed lyrics, and then they don’t even realize it! But those two lines are a masterpiece of character depiction! There’s a schtick in Hedwig and the Angry Inch I’ve always believed is a direct homage to Candy.
Still Life is much, much better than Tin Man. Probably in my top twenty.
Good to know!
Happy birthday! It’s not a spoiler. If people aren’t ready to know about current events they should avoid all media until they are. Bloop💁🏽♀️
Happy Birthday!