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I do so agree with your thoughts. Absolutely loved this book. “Stoner” is a stunner.

I loved this book too and also purchased " Butchers crossing ". I've just finished great small book by John Boyne called "Water " Other following " Earth " Fire will be out in November followed by Air. I would recommend reading in order as characters follow . Holding of reading Buthers crossing as i hope its as good as Stoner , have you read this yet to review ? Might pick it up next.

Greetings from Texas. I enjoyed how you discussed both books, emphasizing the stoicism in the character of the main protagonists. I've known about Stone, but never picked it up. Likely a book I'll enjoy reading. At this point in my life there isn't a point reading anything I don't like. The books I choose are winners each time even by authors I don't know. I can't remember the last time I put down a book because I wasn't liking it. It's as if our unconscious knows what we will like when we look at the book cover, read what it's about, and we bring this stranger home. Not knowing that this stranger will be a dear friend.

Great review!

Awesome, glad you discovered those books! I will have to check out that recommend. Nice review as always

I just read this as well, last week. I was greatly moved by it. Thanks for your review!

I would love to read this book now that I you posted such an excellent, inviting review. Thanks😊.

The part in this novella when Liza tells the underground man that he’s talking like he’s in a book, and his whole confidence completely crumbles, it’s one of my favorite book moments ever

Thank you for this video! I am a native Russian speaker and I read We when I was in early teenage years. I am very surprised that you found the language difficult. I remember the book as a very easy read. Especially compared to other Russian (classic) literature. Thus, most likely, the difficulty was introduced by the tramslator. That is too bad. Perhaps an interesting fact is that Zamyatin contemplated the book after learning about conveyor belt and very narrow specializations of the workers at the Ford production facilities. When he started writing this book, the communism was quite the opposite -- it brought many freedoms to people (in particular, Soviet Russia was the second country in the whole western world where women may vote). Later it became the communism we all know. It was around the time We was fiished. Of course, We looked as an obvious critique of the communism. Thus, it had not been published in Russian for a very long time.

Thank you for this review! I hope it is okay if I give you a compliment: you look very beautiful, I dare to say hot! (I am quite a bit yonger than you, I suppose though.) Also you have a great accent. Loved listening to this review in your accent.

As symbolised by the mouse plague, it's a book about life and death and all the messy things in between. I like your reflection on the hurts of childhood and youth that have gone unquestioned. This came to a head at the funeral where the participants were finally allowed to feel. I agree that this is a book for more mature, experienced women.

When I'm in a slump, I usually go to the library and see if anything grabs me. I'll end up checking out 6-8 books that I know nothing about. I'll come home and read a few pages in each book to see if anything grabs me. I don't know why but I always tend to find something that gets me out of a slump.

I just finished it It stares deep into your soul I have also read Albert Camus' The outsider/stranger The Post office is The outsider without the boring bits The Post office main character gets busy living whereas the protagonist in Camus' Outsider gets busy dying The Post office an existentialist's first class delivery

I loved this book, as a pennyless artist in my 20's when i read it, i was going through the same darkness in the late 90's Australia and it provided alot comfort. I grew up in poor areas's and would equate the aspadistra to the geranium in Australia that seemed to be a staple of the poor persons/pensioners garden. It kicks up quite a stink when you try to move it into hospice.

Hi Helen, when I feel I'm in a reading slump rereading favorite books or new books by authors I've read and liked in the past helps, good luck getting your mojo back, something tells me a new favorite is just around the corner! ^_^

Grab yourself a copy of Green Dot by Madeleine Gray from your local library and your reading mojo will come rushing back

Thanks for your thoughts on the book I just read it and found it confusing. Listening to your review helped me realize I’m not alone

May I advise you to read the Bible. Not that this is really necessary, even as an atheist I know enough about the Bible. And then read this book one more time or perhaps even better watch the movie. Tom Tywker has turned it into a visual spectacle and incorporated at least a hundred hints from Suskind's book. The easiest are the 12 bottles and 1 separately on the right side, should Suskind have made it so easy to place this bottle in the middle? We can only ask ourselves one question: is Jean the good one or the bad one? I say the good one, he wants to give paradise to the people. But unfortunately they are not ready for that yet. Too many sinners, a square full, an earth full? Jean-Baptiste's time will come. And this guideline runs throughout the book and movie and gives you chills that you don't know where they come from. But your subconscious actually knows. Greetings from the Netherlands.🌷🌷

I love this book but by the end I was bored, as my hope for a sudden contemplative shift toward love at the -end- creating a ripple in grenouille was lost. The narrator had become a bit exasperated in my opinion along with me. How disaffected and how untouchable the protagonist is is so sad. Which, ultimately is the point. He got what he desired and then decided it was not worth the expense of civility.

Im halfway through book . I love it. I think Alexei is a bit of a player or joker, who sees through the aristocratic pretensions of the characters and how money seems like the ultimate value. Its based on Authors real life. Realism.

Thanks for your recommendation of ‘The Land Before Avocado’ which I am a third of the way through. A delightful read. ‘Tirra Lirra by the River’ is a very good novel, as is Jessica Anderson’s ‘The Impersonators’., both shortlisted for the Miles Franklin award. I retired 13 years ago and have frequented op shops, lions bookshops and Oxfam weekly and subsequently have around 2,000 books to be read! I find it hard to resist a bargain! What makes it worse is that I borrow from the library, always reading all the NBA, Pulitzer, Booker and Miles Franklin shortlists and Nobel Prize winners via the library. I have got to the point where I am trying not to visit bookshops. Bookshops that sell new books do not interest me as they rarely stock literary fiction of European and South American authors. Also I do not like the large paperbacks that have taken over from hardcovers! I could never afford hardcover books but through Oxfam and Lions I have a good collection of hardcover first editions! Happy reading!

Yes, a very thought provoking read. I too have read most of Orwell’s books. My brain says you enjoy ‘art’ for art sake and accept that most great artists have flawed characters. So I will read the couple of books left to complete my list of ‘Orwell’ books. I like his nearly reportage style of writing, but more importantly, he provides practical detail that makes his writing convincing - to some degree. Given how random I go about choosing my next read, it is difficult to know when I will next pick up an Orwell novel!

Impressive! I like alphabetically ordered. 😊💙

The book does not have a happy "Disney" "Lassie come home" ending. The most sympathetic European meets a tragic ending. His servants have insecure employment in the aftermath. His mistress ends up as an aged prostitute. The good doctor gets a ruined reputation. The shallow girls snares the deputy commissioner. The crocodile who ruined the lives of others to advance himself gets his membership of the European Club, the deputy commissioner's job and awards and a great reputation. There is no justice in the empire, or karma apparently.

One of my faves when I lived out East!!!

"The land before avocado@?! ha ha! "Tira Lira" looks fab. Alphabetised and categorised sounds like a dream. There's a charity shop near me where the books are organised by colour of spine. You can find NOTHING. It's so foolish. I bet if the person who organised the shelves went to their local library and found the same, they would be first to shout "But how can I FIND that book on mountaineering when I don't know what colour the spine is?"

Hi , Here in England we have a book cycle where I live , you can donate books and choose 3 books a day to take away for a donation. I use the library and charity shops . However I do buy new ones as books are quite reasonably priced here especially the popular ones 😊

OMG your in my hood and my go to shop..I go here probably once a week..I was going to mention it to you..also there are 5 op shops about 3 minutes apart from The House of Books where I do my book trawling..also not far from here in a shopping centre is a Community Hub where they get and give books for free..the other day I got a new copy of Yellowface and Crime and Punishment all free..i reckon I know every op shop and 2nd hand book shop in the east..only ever bought one new book Lessons by Ian Mcewan ..I'd buy his discarded pencil shavings..

I buy books at op shops,fetes,garage sales,second hand book sellers all the time.99% of my nooks are second hand ❤

I just listened to the audiobook of this today. It was my first time reading Charlotte Wood, and I was blown away by the content, and the prose of the novel. It is completely understandable how you would relate so much to the protagonist and the events in her life, and it is awesome that you were able to reflect on your own life because of it. For me, a male in my late 30’s, the novel offered plenty too. Something that stood out to me was that the protagonist was not only a victim of hurt, but also a perpetrator too. She jumped in on the mistreatment of Helen in school, and also ghosted the lovely Vietnamese couple who wanted to interact with her. It suggests to me that we are all a part of this cycle that adds suffering into the world, and the novel offers various ways for us to engage with that - whilst also showing all of their limitations. Whether it be religion, medicine or philosophy, nothing really fully lets us understand why there is so much suffering in the world. I thought this was best encapsulated by the father’s description of his daughter’s death as a logical response to her recognition of evil in the world, and our disregard for the natural world in our current capitalist system. Powerful stuff. I think the other element that jumped out at me was the idea of our mistreatment not only of other people, but of the natural world. That these two things are irrevocably linked - and the whole novel felt like a gothic, borderline apocalyptic, look at the natural world turning on us, with the scary (zombie like?!?) mice that are plaguing the countryside. Terrific novel. And thanks for the review!!

Mention should be made of the protagonist's meeting with the dean, the book's central event.

This video is exactly why I'm so drawn to your channel, and why I think you are SO brilliant a voice in this booktube space! I think it's so hard to draw immediate life lessons from certain books that can feel so raw and put us in a space that is vulnerable and uncomfortable. Yet, we do learn life lessons from these books, don't we? Your videos always remind me to dig deeper and really think about what I'm reading. You've found a way to connect these three books and ask those deep questions, which make us (the viewers) ask ourselves what we think of these themes and topics. I'm so glad you did make this video, especially since you said you weren't sure you were going to make it.

I like this book but Lolita was better written except when telling how us females are pretty clever on being manipulative even when so young

This is one of my favorite books because of how amazing the descriptions are. I find it hard to picture things in my brain, but I feel like I'm transported to this world, whether Suskind is describing a fish market or a perfume shop or a dirty cave. It really helped inspire my own writings. I also love how none of the characters are really likable, we have an antihero and an unclean, unfriendly society that even he as a pretty bad person can't fit into.

Great review..I haven't come across these books but you raise some interesting and contentious issues..how far does literature go in representing the voice of the people and are writers becoming distorted in their world view?.but then that's literature right?.. watched your review of To The Lighthouse then got stuck into the book and OMG what a book..I felt like I was in the mind of Vincent Van Goth describing Starry Night..it's awesome..onwards and upwards

Revenge is never a solution. It creates more source of animosity, further fights and war. I do not see the need for anyone to own a gun. Those violent video games are evoking unnecessary actions among young people resulting irreversible consequences. Great review of important issues touched in those volumes. Thank you😊.

Thank you. Excellent. Liked, subbed, and bell'd ✅

Yes indeed.. Wonderful book. I began reading it just three ago and I'm having a great and entertaining time reading it. I never thought of Greene being so witty and "page turner". Thanks for uploading your opinion about this book 📚

It was an okayish book, but i do feel like Murakami definitely has some fantasies he lives out in his books. Some scenes (esp where he was describing the 13 year old) were uncomfortable and uncalled for.

Where did you get the clips of the 2021 film? Where can I watch the film? I've looked everywhere and cannot find anywhere to buy or watch it.

Really liked the review. If you have any other suggestions on similar topics, I’d love to hear them! 😊

Its great you bring these writers to the fore.ive never heard of her..I've got Hotel du Lac on reserve at the library so lets see..always up for a Booker..its good how you also bring female writers to our attention..just finished The Fetishist by Katherin Min now tackling The Waves by Woolf ( have you read any of hers?)..happy is a day of reading and writing...

Bravo !! Le français est une langue très difficile (les conjugaisons !!), donc je ne peux que t'encourager. N'hésite pas si tu as des questions, et surtout, bon courage !

as a russian, that's really cool to see such a great and thoughtful review! I've read this book fully only recently and came to search if it's any popular abroad, because here in russia Zamyatin is really in the same line with Orwell and Huxley, so it surprised me, that you haven't heard of this author before :( anyway, that's wonderful that the book is getting a little more popularity now, i think it truly deserves world recognition 🥰

Как жаль, что я не знаю английский 😢 Самое время это исправить 😊 Интересно послушать ваши рассуждения о книге