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Life Lessons From Books
Australia
Registrace 12. 01. 2013
There's always a lesson in every book we read.
Hi! I'm Helen. Reading is one of the best ways to learn about ourselves and empathise with others. Books give us different insights and perspectives that allow us to question why and how we have lived our lives.
Here, I share my life lessons learned through books bought from independent booksellers, second-hand stores and borrowed from friends or libraries. Most of the time I come away with more questions than answers - and that’s okay. 🤣
As I'm not on social media, nor use any AI (what you see is what you get here) please help me build this channel and bring more books to you through:
👍Click Like or Subscribe
🛒 Buy from my Amazon Affiliate Site: tinyurl.com/3hwpkmrv
📱Share this channel through your social networks
☕️Donate a cup of coffee to: ko-fi.com/lifelessonsfrombooks
📧 Contact me: www.activatelearning.com.au/contactme/
Happy reading! 📚
Stoner By John Williams (Book Review)
Hello everyone and welcome to my new book review of Stoner by John Williams. Before you ask "isn't he that composer?" well no, like you, that's what I thought at first.
This book came to me through the CZcams algorithm. For some reason, everyone was raving about this book so this is what I was seeing come up in YT Shorts, so I decided to read it. My copy was a beat up copy I bought at a second hand book store and when I read it, I LOVED it. It reminded me of another Australian book (a classic) called A Fortunate Life by A.B. Facey which is also excellent and one that should be on your TBR list.
Here's what I have to say about Stoner. I'm sure you've read this book. It seems that it's a popular book. I had this book as part of my own book club (I run a book club in my local area) and all the members there loved it too.
Let me know what you think of Stoner.
Happy reading!
**********************
Help Me Build this Channel and Bring More Books to You! 😉
As I'm not on social media (so I can have more time to read and write), consider helping me to bring more videos and book tours to you. If you like what you see here, here are some ideas:
👍 Click Like or Subscribe
🛒 Buy the books through my Amazon Affiliate Page www.amazon.com/shop/lifelessonsfrombooks/list/1VWPMKBC1N4B2?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_mixed_d
👉Share this channel through your own social networks
🙏 Consider donating a cup of coffee to me at: ko-fi.com/lifelessonsfrombooks
📱 Business Enquiries or Contact me at: www.activatelearning.com.au/contactme/
My Goodreads Reading Challenge:
www.goodreads.com/challenges/11634?ref=nav_profile_rc
Find out what the viewers of this channel are recommending:
www.goodreads.com/review/list/7228482-helen-blunden?ref=nav_mybooks&shelf=life-lessons-viewers-love
Happy reading! 📚
#literature #books #bookreviews #reading #novels #lifelessonsthroughbooks #lifelessons #helenblunden #activatelearning #booktube #bookshops #book #literaturelovers #johnwilliams #stoner
This book came to me through the CZcams algorithm. For some reason, everyone was raving about this book so this is what I was seeing come up in YT Shorts, so I decided to read it. My copy was a beat up copy I bought at a second hand book store and when I read it, I LOVED it. It reminded me of another Australian book (a classic) called A Fortunate Life by A.B. Facey which is also excellent and one that should be on your TBR list.
Here's what I have to say about Stoner. I'm sure you've read this book. It seems that it's a popular book. I had this book as part of my own book club (I run a book club in my local area) and all the members there loved it too.
Let me know what you think of Stoner.
Happy reading!
**********************
Help Me Build this Channel and Bring More Books to You! 😉
As I'm not on social media (so I can have more time to read and write), consider helping me to bring more videos and book tours to you. If you like what you see here, here are some ideas:
👍 Click Like or Subscribe
🛒 Buy the books through my Amazon Affiliate Page www.amazon.com/shop/lifelessonsfrombooks/list/1VWPMKBC1N4B2?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_mixed_d
👉Share this channel through your own social networks
🙏 Consider donating a cup of coffee to me at: ko-fi.com/lifelessonsfrombooks
📱 Business Enquiries or Contact me at: www.activatelearning.com.au/contactme/
My Goodreads Reading Challenge:
www.goodreads.com/challenges/11634?ref=nav_profile_rc
Find out what the viewers of this channel are recommending:
www.goodreads.com/review/list/7228482-helen-blunden?ref=nav_mybooks&shelf=life-lessons-viewers-love
Happy reading! 📚
#literature #books #bookreviews #reading #novels #lifelessonsthroughbooks #lifelessons #helenblunden #activatelearning #booktube #bookshops #book #literaturelovers #johnwilliams #stoner
zhlédnutí: 143
Video
(Book Vlog) Argh! Lost My Reading Mojo!
zhlédnutí 175Před dnem
Hello everyone. I hope you’re having more success with reading than I am. I’m in a reading slump at the moment as I try and find books that would reinspire me. You know the kind of book. The one that you have an obsession over. I need a book like that now. Any ideas?! However these types of books just don’t come into your hands when you want them too. You need to read widely and hope that they ...
Trip to the House of Books in Mitcham and Suggestions for Australian Books to Read
zhlédnutí 203Před 14 dny
Hello everyone and welcome to my new book tour of bookshops I visit all around Melbourne. This is a second hand bookseller in the suburb of Mitcham which is in Melbourne. Staffed by a group of lovely volunteers, all sales of these books go towards community service projects. I visit House of Books which lives up to its name. Situated on the Maroundah Highway, enter through its doors and be welc...
Revenge Books: The Revenge Club by Kathy Lette & Lileth by Eric Rickstad
zhlédnutí 144Před 21 dnem
Hello everyone and welcome to my latest video where I share some life lessons about a couple of books I have finished reading at the same time. These books made me think about the concept of revenge especially when females have to get dressed up as men to infiltrate the male circles then seek some vengeance. Both books here are well worth a read. One is amusing (but situations are real for many...
Providence by Anita Brookner (Book Review)
zhlédnutí 181Před 21 dnem
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest video review of another Anita Brookner novel called Providence. This year I have been going on a Brookner bender (Aussie slang for 'going overboard' usually reserved for explaining wild nights that are alcohol fuelled. However, there's no alcohol here at all). Just a slow dawning realisation that all of Brookner's books are melding into similar storyline...
Time for a New Book Haul - What I Bought On Sale
zhlédnutí 218Před měsícem
Hello everyone and welcome to a new video where I talk about some new books that I've bought on heavy discounts - which frankly is one of the good ways to acquire books (it's better if you get them for free but that's because I'm a 'tight arse' - Aussie slang for someone who doesn't spend her money or opens her purse and moths fly out - ha ha!!) Let me know if these are of interest to you too. ...
Kids Run The Show (Les Enfants Sont Rois) by Delphine De Vigan (Book Review)
zhlédnutí 91Před měsícem
Do kids run the show when it comes to these kidflunencer social media channels? This is the latest novel Les Enfants Sont Rois by Delphine De Vigan (translated from French by Alison Anderson) that answers this question. Written partly as a thriller but also dystopic (but not really, you can see how as a society we are already down the path she writes about) and also a commentary about how child...
Trip to Collins Booksellers in Moonee Ponds Melbourne
zhlédnutí 148Před měsícem
Hello everyone and welcome to my latest jaunt to bookshops around Melbourne. Today I visit the Collins Booksellers in Moonee Ponds. Come along and see what I buy. What's your favourite bookstore and why? This video is not sponsored although thank you to the kind staff at Collins Booksellers in Moonee Ponds for allowing me to take video footage in their store. Help Me Build this Channel and Brin...
Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang (Book Review)
zhlédnutí 259Před měsícem
Hello everyone and welcome to my new book review. This book was one that came recommended to me and admittedly, I had to wait for some time to borrow it from my local library because of its popularity. First things first, I have not read any of Kuang's previous works. Secondly, it had a lot of themes such as envy, revenge, social media toxicity, plagiarism and cultural appropriation. There's a ...
The Pachinko Parlour Book Revuew by Elisa Shua Dusapin
zhlédnutí 150Před 2 měsíci
Hello everyone and welcome to my new video where I talk about Elisa Shua Dupin's The Panchinko Parlour. I really liked this book because it was about identity of Koreans in Japan and also the relationship of a young woman and her grandparents. It took me down a rabbit warren learning more about the Japanese colonisation of Korea. Have you read this book? Or know the author? Buy the book here: (...
Medea and Other Plays by Euripides (Book Review) and a bit of Anna O by Matthew Blake
zhlédnutí 130Před 2 měsíci
Let's talk about Medea, the ancient Greek tragedy by Euripides. I had never read any Greek plays before and I thought it was high time I should. I was reading Anna O, a new book by Matthew Blake (which I have decided not to review on this channel) that intrigued me about Medea. I had this book on my bookshelves and finally decided to read it. I'm so glad I did because it destroyed all the WRONG...
Come Book Shopping With Me at Book Grocer and City Basement Books in Melbourne
zhlédnutí 195Před 2 měsíci
Come book shopping with me as I explore the bookstores of Melbourne. This morning I wanted to head into Northcote which is a northern suburb of Melbourne. However, best laid plans....I got there too early (shops didn't open until 11am) so I headed back into the city to go to a couple of bookstores. So I visited the Book Grocer on Queen Street and also the massive underground second hand book st...
Steppenwolf Book Review by Herman Hesse
zhlédnutí 580Před 2 měsíci
Steppenwolf is a novel by Herman Hesse with lots of deep messages about life and in particular, our approach to it. I would say that despite this book at times being a tad odd (especially the third part), it is a book for those who feel they are in a "liminal" space between longing for the old world yet fearing the new world if they don't approach this new world with the right mindset. Steppenw...
The Porcupine Book Review by Julian Barnes
zhlédnutí 127Před 2 měsíci
Today let's talk about Julian Barnes's 7th book called The Porcupine. Admittedly it was a harder read for me but that's because of the Eastern European politics. This genre is political fiction and I needed to research Eastern European politics of the 1990s to get into this book which is based on Bulgarian politics. Reading this made me think of the collections of books I have. I have my favour...
What I've Been Reading, Read & Couldn’t Read - A Book Vlog
zhlédnutí 337Před 3 měsíci
Hello everyone. A different video to one i usually do to chat about what books I’m reading and what I couldn’t continue reading. It’s difficult to create one video per book every time simply because I read a lot and I’d be bombarding you with videos. Some of these books are book club choices and others are what I picked up in bookstores or libraries. Books I talk about are: Mr Palomar Reunion U...
Wifedom Mrs Orwell's Private Life by Anna Funder (Book Review)
zhlédnutí 551Před 3 měsíci
Wifedom Mrs Orwell's Private Life by Anna Funder (Book Review)
Diary of a Bad Year by J.M Coetzee (Book Review)
zhlédnutí 135Před 3 měsíci
Diary of a Bad Year by J.M Coetzee (Book Review)
The Labyrinth by Amanda Lohrey (Book Review)
zhlédnutí 150Před 3 měsíci
The Labyrinth by Amanda Lohrey (Book Review)
Kafka On the Shore by Haruki Murakami (Book Review and Some of My Notes)
zhlédnutí 540Před 4 měsíci
Kafka On the Shore by Haruki Murakami (Book Review and Some of My Notes)
Book Shelf Tour of Readings, Carlton in Melbourne
zhlédnutí 183Před 4 měsíci
Book Shelf Tour of Readings, Carlton in Melbourne
Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee (Book Review)
zhlédnutí 806Před 4 měsíci
Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee (Book Review)
Getting Rid of Books That Have Been On My Shelves For Years
zhlédnutí 190Před 4 měsíci
Getting Rid of Books That Have Been On My Shelves For Years
The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (Book Review)
zhlédnutí 713Před 4 měsíci
The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (Book Review)
Ask the Dust by John Fante (Book Review)
zhlédnutí 569Před 5 měsíci
Ask the Dust by John Fante (Book Review)
Come Book Shopping With Me at Paperchain in Manuka, Canberra Australia
zhlédnutí 247Před 5 měsíci
Come Book Shopping With Me at Paperchain in Manuka, Canberra Australia
Tour of the National Library of Australia
zhlédnutí 202Před 5 měsíci
Tour of the National Library of Australia
Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař (Book Review and NOTES)
zhlédnutí 815Před 5 měsíci
Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař (Book Review and NOTES)
Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood (Book Review)
zhlédnutí 424Před 6 měsíci
Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood (Book Review)
What’s in my Book Haul? (Calvino, Flaubert, Murakami and MORE!)
zhlédnutí 419Před 6 měsíci
What’s in my Book Haul? (Calvino, Flaubert, Murakami and MORE!)
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.
I love John Boyne’s books! However I haven’t read these that you mentioned. I haven’t read Butchers Crossing yet and will review here once done. I don’t think it’ll be for a while yet as this month I’m also reading graphic novels for something different.
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.
Hello again and thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts. How do you choose your books? In my own experience, I’ve noticed that for some books (the majority, debut authors), I’d struggle through them. Maybe the authors haven’t found their voice, maybe they write every single detail leaving nothing to the imagination of their reader, maybe the subject doesn’t appeal. Afterwards, such books make me lose my “reading mojo”. It happened recently until one of the readers here on this channel urged me to “read East of Eden”. I did. Quick as a flash, I was inspired again. Thing is, I would have missed some great authors if I didn’t read their books. (Elisa Shua Dusapin and Charlotte Wood jump to mind). Also, I’ve learned to not expect that just because someone raves about a book they loved that I’d like it too. I have been so disappointed many times. Oh, and also ignoring those quotes and testimonials from other authors on the covers of books. Marketing ploys methinks. 🤣 Do you have specific ways of choosing your books? What do you look out for? I always think of the video you shared when you talked about enchantment. Id like my books to do this all the time. Maybe I’ve set my expectations too high? 🤔😊
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!
Thank you for watching, always appreciated! Happy reading 🙂
I would love to read this book now that I you posted such an excellent, inviting review. Thanks😊.
Please read it and let me know what you think. I had it as a book in our book club (I run a local book club) and all the ladies there thought it was the best book they had read this year.
@@LifeLessonsFromBooks It might take a little while. First I have to get the book then I am not as fast as you are (my reading is limited to spare time). However I am glad a good read is in plan 😀
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 watching and sharing your thoughts. Happy reading! 📚😊
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.
Ah thank you for this information. Yes, it would have definitely been how it was translated. However it’s one of my best books I’ve read this year! Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts. Happy reading! 📚😊
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.
Ha ha! Thank you. I’m always surprised when people comment on my accent. What accent?! 🤣
@@LifeLessonsFromBooks thanks for accepting my compliment without getting offended. Cheers my lady. I was born in Moscow (unfortunately, ha-ha) and when people said I had a Muscovite accent, my reaction was akin to that of yours: accent? What accent? P.S. I left a recommendation to one of my favorite contemporary Russian writers under one of your comments to this video. Enjoy!
Thanks I'll check them out. Much appreciated :-)
@@LifeLessonsFromBooks enjoy. I forgot to mention, that Buddha's Little Finger sometimes is translated as Clay Machinegun.
Fab! Thanks, I'll check out his works.
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.
Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts here. If you haven’t read any of her other books, I highly recommend them too! 😊
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.
Fantastic idea! Well, any idea that gets me visiting a library is a good one. 🤣
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
*Makes mental note to read The Outsider* 📝 Thank you for your observation. Happy reading 📚😊
@@LifeLessonsFromBooks The outsider is rather snobbish compared to Post office it will bore you to tears darling
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.
Thank you for your comment and watching the video. I didn’t know that about geraniums. I love geraniums and have them all around my garden in pots. My husband hates them. They just can’t die and multiply easily. Cheap too. 😊
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! ^_^
Thank you! Since creating this video, I started reading Steinbeck’s East of Eden and sure enough, reading mojo is back! 🙌 🥳
Grab yourself a copy of Green Dot by Madeleine Gray from your local library and your reading mojo will come rushing back
Ok noted. Thank you. I read Blueback by Tim Winton on your recommendation and loved it!
@@LifeLessonsFromBooks oh that's great re Blueback ..if your lamenting Yellowface give Green Dot a whirl..terrific easy read, funny, poignant...
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
No worries at all. I put it off for many years and once I decided to just get through it, I realised that the timeline was different. It all started to make sense then.
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.🌷🌷
Thank you. Well that’s certainly an interpretation I hadn’t considered that’s for sure. 🤔 I have not seen the movie yet. You reminded me to seek it out. I’m intrigued now….
@@LifeLessonsFromBooks Thank you for the response. Jean Baptist's life story is quite similar to that of Christ and parts of the Bible. Like honors your father and mother. Well, what can I say about the birth of our best friend? He didn't honor her, he's only human, the crying. Christianity is not always easy to follow, it is sometimes full of contradictions and I believe that Suskind has made good use of this. All employers and/or owners who exploited and treated him brutally die. Romans 12:19, JP doesn't have to do anything to get retribution. If JP is eaten, he wants it himself, just like Christ voluntarily went to the cross. I can really recommend the film, it is a good reflection of the book and perhaps makes it easier to see the depth of the story. The book and the film are full of references, but it seems like we don't want to see them and I think that's brilliant. Tom Tywker turned it into a beautiful spectacle and wrote the music together with 2 friends, with the absolute highlight, meeting Laura. The best actors in the world participate in it. Have fun watching and I hope to get a response to this again.🌷🌷
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.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts here. It was my second reading of this book and remember thinking how different - and how I perceived him to be - compared to the first time I read it. I had similar thoughts to you on my second read.
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.
Brilliant, that’s why I love Dostoyevsky’s writing!!! Happy reading!
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!
Thank you for responding. You do have a lot of books to read! I still like visiting bookstores and I can understand your feelings towards them. After all, just wait a while and you’ll be able to find them at second hand book stores anyway - or at a library.
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!
That has been my feeling and I have all his books and now I’m not quick to jump on reading them.
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?"
I cracked up with this. Hilarious! What is this idea about spine colour?! Who even came up with it?! 🤣
@@LifeLessonsFromBooks not a reader, manifestly! nor a librarian. an archivist would go red with anger. Perhaps an interior decorator - the type of person who buys leather bound volumes by the yard, to go with their library decor in the room where they watch TV? It is a thing. Have you not come across it before?
@@heathergregg9975 the only place I’ve seen this way of organisation is in some Instagram photos (when I was on IG a few years ago before I deleted it) of some people stacking their bookshelves in colour order. 🤣
On another note, (and slightly similar) is I’ve always been fascinated by the French having all white books. I think there’s a publisher (Gallimard? 🤔) that publishes books in the same style of white cover with a red stripe. I’ve seen photos of these and they look pretty good (but they also have the title on the spine) In fact, when I was in Paris some years ago, even the hotel we stayed in had these books on their shelves so it was all white. I do wonder what books they publish though 🤣
@@LifeLessonsFromBooks I know! I've seen them in Parisian apartments owned by beautiful fashionably emaciated magazine editors. I think of all that missed art covers - although I'm not fond of the current fad for blocky awkward pink, turquoise and yellow designless fiction covers which look like a five-year old doodling on his granny's ipad. It makes all those books look samey.
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 😊
Oooh i like the book cycle idea! Is that run by the local council/community group?
@@LifeLessonsFromBooks It’s a volunteer run charity which aims to provide free books and educational resources to children and adults
It’s a brilliant idea and good on them for doing this. I haven’t heard of anything like this here. I’m sure there are some about. I know the U3As (University of Third Age), schools for retirees in different suburbs have book exchanges and it’s where sometimes I drop books off (and borrow/buy) too.
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..
Wow, there you go. I loved the House of Books! So glad I went there. The staff were very lovely and I enjoyed looking around there. I wasn’t aware of the community hub as mitcham isn’t in my neck of the woods. I’m so glad we have lots of choices for books here!!
I buy books at op shops,fetes,garage sales,second hand book sellers all the time.99% of my nooks are second hand ❤
Books not nooks😂
🤣
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!!
@@jonathonglover6488 Wonderful! So glad you liked it too and shared your thoughts here. It is a deep read and tonight, I also read that this book is long listed for the Booker Prize, which along with JM Coetzee who had the honour in 2016 means another Australian is represented. I love her books and how she writes. Like you said, there’s a lot of depth. Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts. (I imagine it was the author’s voice on the audio?)
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.
Oh wow. Thank YOU. 🙏 This is such incredible feedback and yes, we can learn so much from delving into the books we read beyond just the words on the page. I always had this “thing” where I try to see alignment/patterns from different books I read at the same time. It’s as if I’m trying to find that thread that links everything but of course, it’s not there. So I have to make that thread instead. So it’s all interpretation to the point where you come away with more questions than answers. I still think that’s a good thing though. Thank you so much for your kind feedback, it means a lot to me. 🙏📚😊
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
I read Lolita many years ago and to be honest, I need to read it again as I can’t remember it. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts here. Greatly appreciated. 😊
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
Phew. I’m so glad you’re enjoying To The Lighthouse. It’s a different type of read to go from one character’s head into another. I must have been in the right frame of mind when I read this or else I would have been totally lost but instead, it became one of the best books I’ve read because of this writing. I LOVE how you described it as being in the mind of Van Gough. Yes!!!
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 so much again for watching and sharing your thoughts. It was interesting to read these very different books at the same time, each not sitting well with me but I was curious as to why. I like the idea of reading two books of different genres of similar themes at the same time and then see the links/or differences between them. I pay attention to how books make me feel too. Any odd feelings or they just don’t sit well, I have to reflect on them. I guess that’s why I started this channel, to find others to talk about it and get different viewpoints too. That’s the beauty of books and reading I guess. Have a wonderful weekend and hope you’re reading something lovely.
@@LifeLessonsFromBooks You can never go array with the amazing classic authors; I am reading East of Eden by Steinbeck a real gem well worth the time 'invested' in the family saga.
@DefaultName-nt7tk totally agree. As I’m in a couple of book clubs, I’ve been reading all sorts of new and debut novels too which is not usual for me that is throwing me out a bit. I recently bought East of Eden and looking forward to reading that.
@@LifeLessonsFromBooks I can hardly wait to hear your thoughts about it.
@DefaultName-nt7tk ok. I pledge that I will read East of Eden this year!
Thank you. Excellent. Liked, subbed, and bell'd ✅
Wonderful. Thank you so much it’s greatly appreciated! Hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with lovely reading experiences. 📚😊
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 📚
@@josebenito15 thank you for watching and sharing your experience of the book too. Happy reading!
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.
I got it from the trailer czcams.com/video/u6kj6lfRbGo/video.html - I want to find the film too because I'd love to see it.
Really liked the review. If you have any other suggestions on similar topics, I’d love to hear them! 😊
Thank you much appreciated. This genre isn't always my preferred but as I loved The Alchemist of his previously, for some reason the books by Italo Calvino are jumping to my mind as I write this. Maybe check out Calvino, in particularly Invisible Cities which I have reviewed here czcams.com/video/dxhUxJ6qrRY/video.html or even Susanna Clarke's Piranesi czcams.com/video/dp2PnmzWWlY/video.html I'm going with the same surrealistic feeling that Coehlo writes about...
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...
No worries at all. Glad to share the recommendations here. How was Katherin Min? I haven't heard of this author so I'll check her out too. Let me know what you think of Hotel du Lac as I loved this book as my first taste of Anita Brookner. As for Viriginia Woolf, yes, I have read a couple of books and I even did a review here czcams.com/video/dxZGpoRI2dQ/video.html I fell in love with her Lighthouse novel. For some reason, I must have been in the mood for this type of writing and I loved this book - and the reading experience. I know to some people, they find her style difficult to read but I loved it. I raved about it. Maybe I was just in that 'state of mind' at the time....
For me, the Min book stalled a bit, the classical music theme dragged on the main story and the novel meandered. I started on Waves, got to page 20 and returned to the airport..it was so delicious I wanted to take-off again and slower..seeing this was written in 1931 it's an important book and well ahead of its time..I'll check out your review..the Lighthouse..book awaits me at the library..happy days
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 !
Merci beaucoup. J'adore votre langue, les traditions and la culture. J'ai decidé que je veux la francais dans ma vie et donc je dois etudier tous les jours. Un peu de lecture, d'écriture, de conversation, d'écoute de musique et de regarder des films francais. Mon seul regret c'est d'avoir ne pas commencer plus tôt....
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 🥰
Thank you so much for your thoughts here. I hadn’t heard of this author before but I’m so glad I read this book. I’ve loved Russian authors and want to read more especially current ones. Any recommendations of ones you can share please?
@@LifeLessonsFromBooksI highly recommend Pelevin. But none of his recent books. The ones from the 90s and beginning of the 00s. Buddha Little Finger and Generation P are two great ones.
Как жаль, что я не знаю английский 😢 Самое время это исправить 😊 Интересно послушать ваши рассуждения о книге
Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment. I appreciate that greatly. 🙏😊📚