I am old & lucky enough to have made reading/writing my career (poetry, criticism & literary essays) so, love your bookish obsessions. I am very drawn to Old English & Norse literature (& to everything Tolkien/Inkling), but my biggest passion is for contemporary poetry. Go the travelling escapist!
Here via a BT Newbie search. (Yeah, what I need in my life is yet another BT channel!) I look forward to learning about books different than the Latest Cool Thing that all the channels are covering.
It’s so good to get to know a bit more about you personally. Your thoughtful evaluations of books are much appreciated and it’s helpful and nice to know more about the context you come from. I connect so strongly with what you say about reviewing as a way of forcing yourself to process what you’ve read. Even though I know it’d be “easier” not to spend hours writing or filming a review it also makes it a less satisfying reading experience if I don’t. And I appreciate so much your desire for dialogue about books and to have your opinions challenged. Also, I’ve read Sjon but recognise I need to read more. Thanks so much for what you bring here to CZcams.
Thanks so much for the kind words, Eric! Since starting the channel I've definitely had more satisfying reading experiences as it has forced me to think a bit more deeply about the books, as you say. Hah - Sjón's great! I didn't mean to "shame" anyone for not having read his whole bibliography or anything like that. I just thought it was an odd question and thought I'd make a joke of it. Thanks so much for your support!
Hey welcome to booktube! I'm an avid horror and manga reader. However, I'm open to other genres as well. I made my channel just to document my thoughts on what I recently read; while also keeping my audio and video editing skills sharp. I have to say my favorite novel now is Bram Stokers Dracula. 🙂❤📚
1. Is it Sean/ Shawn/Shaun? 2. I wouldn’t have found your channel if you hadn’t done this tag. 3. Your doing a great job of talking ( you must have Irish ancestry. Even if we’re shy we still can talk the hind legs off a donkey) 3. 🍀👋☘️Cead mile failte ( welcome to the bookish corner of CZcams )
1. Sean 2. Maybe that means I should do more tag videos! Hah. 3. I appreciate that! I do have Irish ancestry. That might explain some things... 4. Thanks so much, Jacqueline!
I don't like talking about myself too, and that's one of the reasons why I haven't been doing BookTube tag videos, lolz. Though I recently did one, The BookTuber I love tag and I realized how fun it was, - I'm not sure I'll be doing more of it in the future, haha. I love and agree with your idea that a channel should be about the book than personality. Though, this depends on the host of the channel as we all have different perception. Nonetheless, I agree with you on this. I haven't done this tag yet, maybe I'll resort to doing it in the future. It's such a great discussion. Thanks for the video, Sean.
Agreed - I always go back and forth on whether to do them or not. They are fun and it's good to know a bit more about the person, but I just don't really have the personality type to do them often. I'd be interested in seeing you do this tag though!
Just found your podcast.For us in the world who love books you are doing us a great service.For now l will leave it at that because otherwise l would get carried away ranting and raving about how l feel about them! For now l will just listen to your story....
Thanks for introducing yourself. I'm really glad I found your channel. It's something different. I really enjoy your perspective on books. For me it opened another aspect of the world. So, please, keep your channel as it is. For me English/American literature together with Italian and Japanese literature was usually my main interest. Looking at literature from a European mediavial perspective is new and fascinating. And I also need to get more into Nordic literature. So, once more keep your channel and keep it the way it is.
Is there anything more bad ass than saying "I'm a medievalist"? Especially out of context 😂 I'm just happy you started your channel because you've exposed me to books that other booktubers (while I love them) haven't talked about!
Haha! That I'm not so sure of - at least that's usually not the response I get when I tell people. I usually get a more concerned and confused look... Thanks for the support, Yahaira!
Your channel and Leaf by Leaf are my absolute favourite channels. I can totally identify with your chosen name for your channel. I cannot afford to physically travel the world physically but through books I feel I have experienced more than most "frequent flyers" :) Thank you for proclaiming the wonders of post modernist literature and at age 58 I have as a result of your channel only discovered Vollman and Gass and had the confidence to read Pynchon. You will never know how much pleasure these discoveries are giving me. All the best from the UK. Ian
Thank you for the kind words, Ian. Traveling via books is certainly more comfortable and less expensive! I'm glad you've found some use from my silly videos.
Wonderful to get to know you more man. Love the channel and am excited to keep watching! Totally hear you on the focus about the books. Its a hard balance for sure!
Hi Sean and welcome to booktube! (Even though you aren’t new!) always good way to meet new booktubers. Oh man I can totally relate with sucking at editing haha I am just the most basic at it! And booktube takes up so much time so kudos to you for being able to do school as well! 💕
Thank you for introduction yourself. I just discovered your channel the other day through your best reads of 2021 video. I have been on a year long quest of trying to discover my own taste, preference and love for litterateur by watching booktube video recommendations. This had been with mixed success as I'm not a very strong reader, so the heavy stuff goes over my head and the cheap stuff just feels way too one dimensional. I used to read quite a lot when I was younger but in my 20s I just stopped reading for some reason. I am now closing in on 40 and it hit me hard that I don't want to go through life without experiencing some of the most intimate and profound experiences and stories shared from people in history and different cultures through books. Without making this rant any longer, I took you up on your recommendation of "the birds" or "fåglarna", as I'm reading it in Swedish. I must say thank you for that. I have part 3 left to finish tomorrow but I can already tell that this book will stay with me for the rest of my life. I'll drop a comment on your review video once a finish. Once again, great video and thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I'm so glad I've been able to help you rediscover reading! There really is so much wonderful literature out there, but it's difficult to find books that will resonate with you. Vesaas is an incredible starting place though - I'm not sure there's a reader out there with whom THE BIRDS would not resonate. I'm glad it has had a similar impact on you as it did to me. Thanks for the kind words and the support - I look forward to hearing more about your journey of getting back into reading!
Your response to Q4 was beautiful. The thought of reading as a way to develop empathy and experience other lives resonated with me greatly. I do read a lot of fantasy and the writing is very important for me as well. I agree it's harder to come by but I've come across a few gems here and there. One which is in my top 3 along with LOTR and Gormenghast is a standalone novel called Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. It is also shelved as literary fiction so it may be of interest.
I'm fascinated in your academic interest in Medieval literature. Recently I've been really interested in Medieval literature and bought myself a shelf and a half of translated editions of Medieval epics and romances (especially Arthurian and Tristan legends). I can't wait to dive into them! Now, to watch your Bookshelf tour for more recommendations....
Thanks, Isaiah! Medieval Romances and epics are so diverse - there's a lot of fun to be had reading them. And the medieval epics are just some of the best literature full stop. I hope you enjoy experiencing them!
Wonderful getting to know more about you! I think our backgrounds influence how we experience and interpret books, and I’m looking forward to learning more from you. While I am no prose or language expert, I agree that there is much in the fantasy genre that might not meet a high standard. It is, however, a huge and growing genre. This year, I’ve been learning to fall in love with how prose can impact a story thanks to Steven Erikson. Other fantasy authors to mention known for beautifully writing include Robin Hobb, Ursula K. Le Guin, Neil Gaiman, and Susanna Clark (just to name a few). Best wishes on your dissertation journey!
Thanks, Johanna! I definitely agree that are quite few bright exceptions in the fantasy genre - looking back, I think I was a bit too glib. Le Guin, Gaiman, NK Jemisin, Tolkien (of course), etc. are, by and large, great prose writers. I've tried Malazan and some of the other modern "epic" fantasy series years ago and just couldn't get into them, unfortunately, though I've watched quite a few of your videos and some others on Malazan and now I'm interested in trying them out again... Perhaps I've gotten over my pretentious attitude towards these works by now, or perhaps not! Cheers for the well wishes!
@@travelthroughstories you will never receive judgement from me if you do not like Malazan! I don’t recommend it to everyone. Erikson has a very particular style that takes a theme-driven, postmodern, deconstructionist approach to military fantasy that is very surreal and confusing at times. I do think his prose is magnificent though. Even the epigraphs alone are worth appreciating for those who enjoy poetry. You might have seen the video, but Philip Chase translated one of them into Old Norse, which was pretty cool! Thanks for your thoughtful response!
@@Johanna_reads Well now you've made me even more intrigued! I read the first two books 7-8 years ago, but I may have to dig them back out. And that sounds really interesting! I haven't seen that video, but I'll check it out. I like the idea of translating modern prose/poetry into so-called "dead" languages in the same way that we always do the reverse. Thanks for all your recommendations, Johanna!
Cheers - appreciate it, I look forward to seeing more of your videos (especially on medieval/viking history and literature, as some of your book hauls suggested you were interested in!).
Thanks for watching! I really appreciate it and I'm glad that someone else is enjoying going through Nádas! Funny that you asked - I just picked up a copy of The Kindly Ones at a used bookstore last weekend. I'm really tempted to dig into it soon, though I have a couple of books to get through before then. I've heard really good things about it though!
Lol... My favorite channels are ones I watch primarily because of the BTer's personality. It's hard to find people who talk about the kinds of books I'm interested in (mostly nonfiction, but not academic). I'm also interested in language and translation. Do you have any recommendations for beginners to that topic?
Fair enough! I think I want people primarily for their personalities as well, for the most part anyways. A really interesting book about translation is Mireille Gansel's "Translation as Transhumance." It's part memoir, but it's incredible. For more stuff on language/lingustics, I really like anything by David Crystal or Seth Lerer. Both are good and quite readable.
How dare you resist cultivating parasocial relationships! I’ve been enjoying trying to articulate my thoughts on a book as well. Does help a lot, I’ve found. Did you try The Prince of Nothing trilogy? I like those because he actually does focus on the prose being much better than typical fantasy. Which, yeah, usually not great.
Hah! Yeah, it's just that one more step of trying to articulate your thoughts that often brings everything together. I haven't heard of the Prince of Nothing trilogy, but I'll look into. I'm really interested in trying to get back into fantasy - I miss it a lot, but I just haven't found anything I've liked in the past few years outside of a couple ongoing series.
@@travelthroughstories same here. Everyone recommended me Sanderson, saying it was “grand master” level fantasy. And yet it all reads like YA workmanlike trite, white, generic fantasy. But with, like, a different magic system than you’d typically see. I really didn’t like his stuff.
@@SpringboardThought I started reading his Stormlight Archives when the first book came out in 2010, so I'm stuck reading those as they're published. Haha. But, other than that, I agree. A lot of the "big ideas" behind his (and other fantasy) books are great and interesting, but if the sentence level writing isn't compelling, I just lose interest quite fast, for better or worse...
I am old & lucky enough to have made reading/writing my career (poetry, criticism & literary essays) so, love your bookish obsessions. I am very drawn to Old English & Norse literature (& to everything Tolkien/Inkling), but my biggest passion is for contemporary poetry. Go the travelling escapist!
Here via a BT Newbie search. (Yeah, what I need in my life is yet another BT channel!) I look forward to learning about books different than the Latest Cool Thing that all the channels are covering.
It’s so good to get to know a bit more about you personally. Your thoughtful evaluations of books are much appreciated and it’s helpful and nice to know more about the context you come from. I connect so strongly with what you say about reviewing as a way of forcing yourself to process what you’ve read. Even though I know it’d be “easier” not to spend hours writing or filming a review it also makes it a less satisfying reading experience if I don’t. And I appreciate so much your desire for dialogue about books and to have your opinions challenged. Also, I’ve read Sjon but recognise I need to read more. Thanks so much for what you bring here to CZcams.
Thanks so much for the kind words, Eric! Since starting the channel I've definitely had more satisfying reading experiences as it has forced me to think a bit more deeply about the books, as you say. Hah - Sjón's great! I didn't mean to "shame" anyone for not having read his whole bibliography or anything like that. I just thought it was an odd question and thought I'd make a joke of it. Thanks so much for your support!
Hey welcome to booktube!
I'm an avid horror and manga reader. However, I'm open to other genres as well.
I made my channel just to document my thoughts on what I recently read; while also keeping my audio and video editing skills sharp. I have to say my favorite novel now is Bram Stokers Dracula. 🙂❤📚
1. Is it Sean/ Shawn/Shaun?
2. I wouldn’t have found your channel if you hadn’t done this tag.
3. Your doing a great job of talking ( you must have Irish ancestry. Even if we’re shy we still can talk the hind legs off a donkey)
3. 🍀👋☘️Cead mile failte ( welcome to the bookish corner of CZcams )
1. Sean
2. Maybe that means I should do more tag videos! Hah.
3. I appreciate that! I do have Irish ancestry. That might explain some things...
4. Thanks so much, Jacqueline!
I don't like talking about myself too, and that's one of the reasons why I haven't been doing BookTube tag videos, lolz. Though I recently did one, The BookTuber I love tag and I realized how fun it was, - I'm not sure I'll be doing more of it in the future, haha.
I love and agree with your idea that a channel should be about the book than personality. Though, this depends on the host of the channel as we all have different perception. Nonetheless, I agree with you on this. I haven't done this tag yet, maybe I'll resort to doing it in the future. It's such a great discussion. Thanks for the video, Sean.
Agreed - I always go back and forth on whether to do them or not. They are fun and it's good to know a bit more about the person, but I just don't really have the personality type to do them often. I'd be interested in seeing you do this tag though!
@@travelthroughstories Sure. I'll get to it probably by January. Its worthwhile.
Just found your podcast.For us in the world who love books you are doing us a great service.For now l will leave it at that because otherwise l would get carried away ranting and raving about how l feel about them! For now l will just listen to your story....
Thanks for introducing yourself. I'm really glad I found your channel. It's something different. I really enjoy your perspective on books. For me it opened another aspect of the world. So, please, keep your channel as it is. For me English/American literature together with Italian and Japanese literature was usually my main interest. Looking at literature from a European mediavial perspective is new and fascinating. And I also need to get more into Nordic literature. So, once more keep your channel and keep it the way it is.
Thanks for the support, Karin!
I’m glad you did this so I could find you through searching the newbie tag(newbie here). Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
I like your idea of making reading an experience.
Glad you did this.
Thank you for watching!
Is there anything more bad ass than saying "I'm a medievalist"? Especially out of context 😂 I'm just happy you started your channel because you've exposed me to books that other booktubers (while I love them) haven't talked about!
Haha! That I'm not so sure of - at least that's usually not the response I get when I tell people. I usually get a more concerned and confused look... Thanks for the support, Yahaira!
Your channel and Leaf by Leaf are my absolute favourite channels.
I can totally identify with your chosen name for your channel. I cannot afford to physically travel the world physically but through books I feel I have experienced more than most "frequent flyers" :)
Thank you for proclaiming the wonders of post modernist literature and at age 58 I have as a result of your channel only discovered Vollman and Gass and had the confidence to read Pynchon.
You will never know how much pleasure these discoveries are giving me.
All the best from the UK.
Ian
Thank you for the kind words, Ian. Traveling via books is certainly more comfortable and less expensive! I'm glad you've found some use from my silly videos.
a Masters in Medieval Studies sounds SO cool! Much more interesting than my Masters degree!
Haha! There are certainly parts of it that are interesting and many other parts that are bone-dry boring, as I'm sure you found in your Masters!
@@travelthroughstories I definitely agree 🤣 mine is in Legal studies so parts were really cool and parts were very dry
@@TheBookishMom Very nice. At least yours sounds more...immediately applicable! Looking forward to checking out your channel.
@@travelthroughstories thanks 😊 ironically, I now work in marketing 🤣
Interesting-and honest!-perspective on why you joined Book Tube. I’ll be looking forward to more of your videos.
Wonderful to get to know you more man. Love the channel and am excited to keep watching! Totally hear you on the focus about the books. Its a hard balance for sure!
Cheers man! It's definitely a tough balance - for what it's worth, your channel is doing a great job with that balance. Keep up the good work!
I’ve been a lurker on your channel for a while but glad to get to know you better here !
Wow, thanks so much! I've been watching your channel for years. Appreciate the support!
Great Video and thanks for the channel :), you are wonderful.
Thanks Abhilash - I really appreciate the kind words and the continued support!
Hi Sean and welcome to booktube! (Even though you aren’t new!) always good way to meet new booktubers.
Oh man I can totally relate with sucking at editing haha I am just the most basic at it! And booktube takes up so much time so kudos to you for being able to do school as well! 💕
Thank you, Steph! It's nice to meet you too. I'm looking forward to checking out your channel as well!
Well this was very cool! I love your bookshelves, it looks like a wonderful collection! Glad to have stumbled accross your channel!
Thanks so much! I appreciate you watching.
Thanks for introducing yourself! I'm really loving this channel and excited to see more from you :)
Thanks for watching! :)
I enjoyed getting to know you better. These were interesting tag answers. Subscribed.
Thanks so much! I'm looking forward to checking out your channel as well!
Thank you for introduction yourself. I just discovered your channel the other day through your best reads of 2021 video. I have been on a year long quest of trying to discover my own taste, preference and love for litterateur by watching booktube video recommendations. This had been with mixed success as I'm not a very strong reader, so the heavy stuff goes over my head and the cheap stuff just feels way too one dimensional. I used to read quite a lot when I was younger but in my 20s I just stopped reading for some reason. I am now closing in on 40 and it hit me hard that I don't want to go through life without experiencing some of the most intimate and profound experiences and stories shared from people in history and different cultures through books. Without making this rant any longer, I took you up on your recommendation of "the birds" or "fåglarna", as I'm reading it in Swedish. I must say thank you for that. I have part 3 left to finish tomorrow but I can already tell that this book will stay with me for the rest of my life. I'll drop a comment on your review video once a finish. Once again, great video and thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I'm so glad I've been able to help you rediscover reading! There really is so much wonderful literature out there, but it's difficult to find books that will resonate with you. Vesaas is an incredible starting place though - I'm not sure there's a reader out there with whom THE BIRDS would not resonate. I'm glad it has had a similar impact on you as it did to me. Thanks for the kind words and the support - I look forward to hearing more about your journey of getting back into reading!
Your response to Q4 was beautiful. The thought of reading as a way to develop empathy and experience other lives resonated with me greatly.
I do read a lot of fantasy and the writing is very important for me as well. I agree it's harder to come by but I've come across a few gems here and there. One which is in my top 3 along with LOTR and Gormenghast is a standalone novel called Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. It is also shelved as literary fiction so it may be of interest.
Thank you! I've heard great things about Clarke - I'll have to get to that one sometime soon.
Lovely video, thank you for doing it :) Your "academic" background sounds very interesting indeed, looking forward to your other videos :)
Thanks so much! I appreciate the support!
I'm fascinated in your academic interest in Medieval literature. Recently I've been really interested in Medieval literature and bought myself a shelf and a half of translated editions of Medieval epics and romances (especially Arthurian and Tristan legends). I can't wait to dive into them! Now, to watch your Bookshelf tour for more recommendations....
Thanks, Isaiah! Medieval Romances and epics are so diverse - there's a lot of fun to be had reading them. And the medieval epics are just some of the best literature full stop. I hope you enjoy experiencing them!
Wonderful getting to know more about you! I think our backgrounds influence how we experience and interpret books, and I’m looking forward to learning more from you. While I am no prose or language expert, I agree that there is much in the fantasy genre that might not meet a high standard. It is, however, a huge and growing genre. This year, I’ve been learning to fall in love with how prose can impact a story thanks to Steven Erikson. Other fantasy authors to mention known for beautifully writing include Robin Hobb, Ursula K. Le Guin, Neil Gaiman, and Susanna Clark (just to name a few). Best wishes on your dissertation journey!
Thanks, Johanna! I definitely agree that are quite few bright exceptions in the fantasy genre - looking back, I think I was a bit too glib. Le Guin, Gaiman, NK Jemisin, Tolkien (of course), etc. are, by and large, great prose writers. I've tried Malazan and some of the other modern "epic" fantasy series years ago and just couldn't get into them, unfortunately, though I've watched quite a few of your videos and some others on Malazan and now I'm interested in trying them out again... Perhaps I've gotten over my pretentious attitude towards these works by now, or perhaps not! Cheers for the well wishes!
@@travelthroughstories you will never receive judgement from me if you do not like Malazan! I don’t recommend it to everyone. Erikson has a very particular style that takes a theme-driven, postmodern, deconstructionist approach to military fantasy that is very surreal and confusing at times. I do think his prose is magnificent though. Even the epigraphs alone are worth appreciating for those who enjoy poetry. You might have seen the video, but Philip Chase translated one of them into Old Norse, which was pretty cool! Thanks for your thoughtful response!
@@Johanna_reads Well now you've made me even more intrigued! I read the first two books 7-8 years ago, but I may have to dig them back out. And that sounds really interesting! I haven't seen that video, but I'll check it out. I like the idea of translating modern prose/poetry into so-called "dead" languages in the same way that we always do the reverse. Thanks for all your recommendations, Johanna!
These were great answers! I identify with most of what you said.
Cheers - appreciate it, I look forward to seeing more of your videos (especially on medieval/viking history and literature, as some of your book hauls suggested you were interested in!).
Nice to know more about you! Found you though a review on dogma which I bought and loved!
Thanks so much!
Nice to meet you. Thank you for taking the risk to introduce yourself. Thank you for your contribution to my reading endeavors.
Nice to meet you as well, Patrick. Thanks for the kind words! Looking forward to seeing you around!
Very interesting
Thanks, Rick!
Thanks for introducing yourself! I'm loving the channel and excited to see part 3 of Péter Nádas. Have you read The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell?
Thanks for watching! I really appreciate it and I'm glad that someone else is enjoying going through Nádas! Funny that you asked - I just picked up a copy of The Kindly Ones at a used bookstore last weekend. I'm really tempted to dig into it soon, though I have a couple of books to get through before then. I've heard really good things about it though!
welcome to the booktube community!
Thank you!
I'm not a very good speaker,lol I love that.🤣Same boat
Haha - I got to be honest! For what it's worth, I think you're very articulate based on the video of yours that I just watched! :)
@@travelthroughstories Thanks
Lol... My favorite channels are ones I watch primarily because of the BTer's personality. It's hard to find people who talk about the kinds of books I'm interested in (mostly nonfiction, but not academic). I'm also interested in language and translation. Do you have any recommendations for beginners to that topic?
Fair enough! I think I want people primarily for their personalities as well, for the most part anyways. A really interesting book about translation is Mireille Gansel's "Translation as Transhumance." It's part memoir, but it's incredible. For more stuff on language/lingustics, I really like anything by David Crystal or Seth Lerer. Both are good and quite readable.
A very late welcomet o booktube!
Thank you!!
How dare you resist cultivating parasocial relationships!
I’ve been enjoying trying to articulate my thoughts on a book as well. Does help a lot, I’ve found.
Did you try The Prince of Nothing trilogy? I like those because he actually does focus on the prose being much better than typical fantasy. Which, yeah, usually not great.
Hah! Yeah, it's just that one more step of trying to articulate your thoughts that often brings everything together. I haven't heard of the Prince of Nothing trilogy, but I'll look into. I'm really interested in trying to get back into fantasy - I miss it a lot, but I just haven't found anything I've liked in the past few years outside of a couple ongoing series.
@@travelthroughstories same here. Everyone recommended me Sanderson, saying it was “grand master” level fantasy. And yet it all reads like YA workmanlike trite, white, generic fantasy. But with, like, a different magic system than you’d typically see. I really didn’t like his stuff.
@@SpringboardThought I started reading his Stormlight Archives when the first book came out in 2010, so I'm stuck reading those as they're published. Haha. But, other than that, I agree. A lot of the "big ideas" behind his (and other fantasy) books are great and interesting, but if the sentence level writing isn't compelling, I just lose interest quite fast, for better or worse...
Just subscribed..loving the content! At what school do you study medieval literature as a graduate student?
Thank you very much! I study at a university in New York.
Great video - Thanks
Thank you, Jim!