2023 Reading Wrap-Up & 2024 Reading Plans
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- čas přidán 25. 07. 2024
- A wrap-up of my 2023 reading year, plus my reading plans for 2024.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Intro 00:00
Comparing yourself to others 00:59
My Life Goals List 02:13
Reading for my UK residency 04:17
Printer’s Error (J. P. & Rebecca Romney) 06:20
Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir) 07:09
Spare (Prince Harry) 07:46
The Lord of the Rings (J. R. R. Tolkien) 08:06
Poetry Books 08:34
- The Girl Aquarium (Jen Campbell)
- Winter Trees (Sylvia Plath)
- Ballads of Books (edited by Andrew Lang)
Matilda (Roald Dahl) 09:33
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (J. K. Rowling) 09:56
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) 10:03
In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash (Jean Shepherd) 10:38
The Meaning of It All (Richard P. Feynman) 11:25
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (Judy Blume) 11:39
Winnie-the-Pooh Poetry Books 12:08
- When We Were Very Young (A. A. Milne)
- Now We Are Six (A. A. Milne)
Grief is the Thing with Feathers (Max Porter) 12:38
Sherlock Holmes Collection (Arthur Conan Doyle) 13:19
- A Study in Scarlet
- The Sign of (the) Four
James O’Brien’s Books 13:40
- How to Be Right in a World Gone Wrong
- How Not to Be Wrong: The Art of Changing Your Mind
- How They Broke Britain
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany) 14:35
Maurice, or the Fisher’s Cot (Mary Shelley) 15:32
The Diary of a Bookseller (Shaun Bythell) 16:11
Lord of the Flies (William Golding) 16:52
Rachel Joyce Duology 17:20
- The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
- The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy
The Illustrated Man (Ray Bradbury) 18:15
Piranesi (Susanna Clarke) 18:30
Malcolm Gladwell books 18:58
- Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
- I Hate the Ivy League: Riffs and Rants on Elite Education
Jonathan Pie: Off the Record 19:43
The Outing 20:17
Origin (Dan Brown) 20:42
Pages and Co.: The Last Bookwanderer (Anna James) 21:55
Fable House (E. L. Norry) 23:03
A Christmas Carol & The Chimes (Charles Dickens) 24:06
The Screwtape Letters (C. S. Lewis) 24:57
Stolen Focus (Johann Hari) 25:30
The Secret History (Donna Tartt) 26:19
Ghosts: The Button House Archives 27:46
My 2024 Reading Plans 29:33
Bloopers 33:31
CREDITS
Music by Daniel Hines
www.danielhines.co.uk
CONTACT JESS
Follow me on instagram if you’d like: @squirrellynerdyjess
Want to get in touch?: jess.trainedsquirrels@gmail.com
I am currently reading:
- Emma, Jane Austen
- Gremlin Trouble!: The Cursed Roald Dahl Film Disney Never Made, Jim Korkis
Number of subscribers when this video was published: 5,846 - Zábava
Never get bogged-down by a target! Just remember that, as you rightly pointed out, we all have other things that need our attention, and that reading fiction whilst stressed out by reading "enough" fiction is guaranteed to give no pleasure whatsoever. If you read and think that, if one reads enough, one can read every "great" book ever written, just remind yourself that there is no definitive list of such works and you can live until you are 100 and still not read at least one book that someone somewhere regards as great! Being more positive, I applaud your decision to start reading those vast tomes that take up so much space in one's bookcase. Your Donna Tartt quandary has a very straightforward solution - read "the little friend" and then "the goldfinch". Both are fantastic, but the latest novel is the best of the three. By the time you get through those two the world might be rejoicing the arrival of number four!! Another suggestion is not to read "Moby Dick" - ever. It is less a novel, more a treatise on the history and practice of whaling. It is very dull. Much better, in my opinion, to give the following some consideration - "the book and the brotherhood" by Iris Murdoch, "the historian" by Elizabeth Kostova, Thomas Mann's "the magic mountain", and Laurence Sterne's "the life and opinions of tristram shandy". Four very different books, but all worth the effort of reading!
Thank you for the recommendations!
Having heard a bit about about the UK residency test, my chances of passing would be slim indeed - and I'm as English as a rained-off cricket match. So congratulations, and sorry about all that. Wishing you every joy of Infinite Jest! My plan is to follow my nose as usual; right now I'm tackling The Apes of God by Wyndham Lewis, so that'll keep me out of mischief for a while.
Yes, I tried the test when it came out. I failed because I didn't have a good grasp of English. So much for having SCE Higher English! I did feel that was a bold statement to make considering it was based on a multiple choice test.
I love that you've given yourself permission to get rid of the self-imposed restrictions :) One of my favorite books is "To say nothing of the dog" by Connie Willis. Good luck on your "notable nine" for 2024.
I just adore you!!! Thank you for another wonderful and relaxing video.
I've read 63 books in 2023 according to goodreads... but that includes also some graphic novels and even picture books... so it's a bit of a cheat. LOL.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Platt is really good. That girl can write crazy!
I do have a copy of that, so maybe I’ll try that before any more of her poetry!
If you liked Dylan Thomas, I would suggest Under Milk Wood. It's about one day in a Welsh village. It was recorded as a radio play with Richard Burton in the 1950s, and he just has the most wonderful voice, so the audiobook would be a real treat if you prefer that.
Thank you for the recommendation!
As always thankyou for sharing and really love the finesse and style you bring to your videos. Personally speaking I will be attempting to read more… just need to find an elusive time turner that the ministry failed to destroy 😂❤
I feel you! My two main aids in that regard have been audiobooks and keeping a book as easily accessible as my phone in the places I would normally slump and scroll. Best of luck!
Jess, I would love to gift you my beautiful 1940s edition of Little Women! I'm afraid I'm not a fan and it's actually sitting in my donation pile. Do let me know how I can get that to you. 😊
That’s so kind! Send me an email: jess.trainedsquirrels@gmail.com
I’ve read over 100 books a few times but I’ve slowed down and picked long books , moby dick , little women are on my list for this year , I am too scared to read Ulysses and infinite jest . But my current read is war and peace