Books I read in March and April • Reading wrap-up
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- čas přidán 5. 07. 2024
- 9 books in March and 8 in April... but don't worry I'm not doing 17 book reviews in this video 👀 Lots of interesting stuff in here though, including International Booker Prize shortlisted books, and some great recent releases.
BookTube Prize reviews:
• I judged a book prize!...
Women's Prize reviews:
• Women's Prize for Fict...
James by Percival Everett review:
• James by Percival Ever...
@TheDiscoKingOfficial review of What I'd Rather Not Think About
• 'What I'd Rather Not T...
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Books mentioned in this video:
📖 James, by Percival Everett
📖 Julia, by Sandra Newman
📖 True Grit, by Charles Portis
📖 What I'd Rather Not Think About, by Jente Posthuma (translated by Sarah Harvey Timmer)
📖 The Details, by Ia Genberg (translated by Kira Josefsson)
📖 The Borrowed Hills, by Scott Preston
📖 The Spoiled Heart, by Sunjeev Sahota
📖 Home Fire, by Kamila Shamsie
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00:00 Intro
00:39 Julia
03:24 True Grit
05:59 What I'd Rather Not Think About
08:56 The Details
10:56 The Borrowed Hills
14:11 The Spoiled Heart
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Thank you so much for watching.
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🎁 Amazon wishlist (books that are tricky to get in a physical bookshop in the UK): www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/...
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I don’t read Westerns, per se, but the Walt Longmire series by Craig Johnson is outstanding. It’s a mystery series following a Wyoming sheriff in a small rural town bordering a reservation. The first book is Cold Dish. The audible version is narrated brilliantly. My grandpa was a cattle rancher in Wyoming, and when I listen to the books, it’s like having him read a story to me since he had the same dry wit. The writing is pretty “literary” versus your usual mystery/detective writing. Highly recommended. (There was also a TV series, but I haven’t watched it).
Thank you so much for the recommendation - that sounds great! I hadn't heard of it but will add them to my (never-ending) wishlist 🙌
Absolutely loved The Borrowed Hills. My first 5* of th year. If you want a book that is truthful in it's telling then this is certainly one. As someone from Cumbria, where the novel is set, I can attest to the accuracy. The language, the sayings, the slang, the mannerisms, the hardness, the [apparent] cold heartedness. Honestly, all are described to perfection. The plot is also fantastic. Yes, there is animal violence, but it s in a factual sense of what happens during an agricultural viral outbreak. It certainly does not glorify animal violence.
Absolutely worth the read.
Love hearing your perspective on it as a Cumbrian! It definitely felt like such an authentic voice, and had such a wonderful, strong sense of place.
And I definitely agree that the animal violence was completely in keeping with the tone and plot, I just thought I'd warn people as I know it can be a red line, and I'd rather not see poor reviews and DNFs pop up on Goodreads.
It's great to see that Lonesome Dove gets so much love in the comments, it's truly a magnificent book. Absolutely immersive storytelling and wonderful characters! I hope you pick it up someday, would love to hear your thoughts. 😊
It's definitely bumped up my priorities after seeing how many people are recommending it!
Thank you for reminding me of Julia! I forgot to add it to my tbr and forgot about it lol. Also True Grit sounds fun, I don't think I've ever read a western, but I want to read it now!
True Grit is so much fun! Definitely think it’s a good one for people who aren’t usually fans of westerns 🤠
Lonesome Dive is superb, you feel like you are in the saddle riding with them on their trail. The Sisters Brothers is superb also.
I swear I have a copy of The Sisters Brothers somewhere... may have to dig it out!
So much love for Lonesome Dove in the comments, so perhaps I'll have to make it happen sometime soon.
@@benreadsgood will be great to get your perspective on it Ben.
I'm not personally a reader of westerns, but my husband is, and he maintains that Lonesome Dove is the absolute best!
Lots of love for Lonesome Dove in the comments, so your husband is not a lonesome lover of that book 😅
Lonesome Dove is one of the best stories ever written and more than worth the read!!! Have read it multiple times and loved it each time!!!
No better review for a book than it being over 1000 pages and you still reading it multiple times!!! Sounds like I really need to read it.
Finally someone who feels the same as me about ‘The Details’. I have seen a lot of praise & just couldn’t work out what I was missing but I found it rather forgettable & struggled to connect, it all felt too zoomed in, if that makes sense? I needed a little more of the bigger picture. I think the author achieved what they wanted to but I learnt something about my own reading preferences. Wonderful video as always, thank you!📚👏
Yeah it's super, super close. I did like what that allowed Genberg to do with the level of detail, but as you say I just lost the arc of the bigger story. Just not for me (or you!) 😅
Thanks so much for watching!
I read True Grit and The Sisters Brothers (by Patrick Dewitt) and loved both. I haven't read Lonesome Dove yet but it is definitely on my TBR. I read a couple Walt Longmire novels by Craig Johnson, but to me those read more like mysteries/crime novels than westerns.
Thanks for the reviews, now I really want to read The Spoiled Heart and The Borrowed Hills!
Need to go on the hunt for my copy of The Sisters Brothers I think 🤔
And both The Spoiled Heart and The Borrowed Hills are bangers. Hope you enjoy!
Some great westerns The Thicket by Joe Lonsdale (will be released as a movie starring Peter Dinklage). News of the World (2020 movie starring Tom Hanks). West by Carys Davis reminds me most of True Grit. Finally ‘My Name is Yip’ by Paddy Crewe. It’s described as a western, although technically set in the south in Georgia. Also, you don’t have to be an American to write a great western. 😊
Thanks for the recommendations! I'd be really keen for some more Carys Davies actually, as I read Clear and absolutely loved it.
John Wayne won his first and only best actor Oscar for the original 1969 film, True Grit. He deserved it. He was terrific. If you haven’t seen him in the original, it’s worth checking out.
Confession: I actually did not know there was a 60s adaptation. I was only aware of the Coen Brothers one. Thank you for bringing it to my attention!
Borrowed Hills sounds so good but I think I’d be a bit squeamish, I suspect it will depend on the writing style so I may grab a copy from the library at some stage this summer. I loved Home Fire, hope it’s going well for you ♥️
Give it a try and see what you think! It's great northern fiction - reminded me a bit of Benjamin Myers at times.
Great reviews!
You may have already read it, but favorite read 2023 and a Western
The Bullet Swallower- Elizabeth Gonzalez James
Thanks for watching, and for the recommendation! Heard a bit of buzz about that one on Instagram actually... the only thing holding me back that the UK cover is terrible compared to the US one 😂
my interest in all those retellings that are happening can be summarized as follows:
😂
Loved true grit, and I'm in the library queue for Lonesome Dove
True Grit is sooo good! Lonesome Dove is definitely on the radar. Thank you for watching!
I’m so glad to see your review on Borrowed Hills, I’ve been intrigued by this one and now I feel the need to pick it
It's really great! Hope you enjoy it if you get to it.
The Borrowed Hills sounded amazing until you mentioned the animal violence...
But True Grit is going on my tbr for sure. I just love the way you speak about books!
I think it's done well and very in keeping with the tone, subject matter, etc. but definitely thought it worth warning people!
And thank you so much for the kind words, I really appreciate it 😊
The audio book of True Grit is read by Donna Tartt. She does an amzing job and her essay on the book is also a treat to hear.
Oh wow, that's so interesting! I did enjoy her introduction, but had no idea she did the audio!
Im really interested in Julia, great review 😊
It's a really enjoyable take on 1984!
Great video, thanks bro! Glad to hear we agree on Booker books again 🙏
I always know I've got it right when you have said the same thing 😅
I strongly urge you to pick up a copy of Lonesome Dove. I would include it very high in my list of best books I’ve ever read and I hardly ever read westerns.
Thank you for the nudge! Definitely need to give it a go.
Thanks for reminding me about True Grit. I think it was Greg who first brought it to my attention a few years ago, but I never ended up reading it at that time. I’m definitely getting the audiobook from my library. It sounds fun!
It's such a fun ride and I now can't wait to watch the movie, because Hailey Steinfeld is PERFECT for it. Charisma for days.
I have a hold on "Julia" (which, of course, is checked out bc of your influence).
Hope you enjoy it! I need a hit for you after The Night Alphabet wasn't your jam 😅
@@benreadsgood Solid 5 stars. Julia was (clearly) not right in the head the author's prose was spectacular.
The Night Alphabet: ...........sooooo
you enjoyed the trip?
Butcher's Crossing is a great western
Thanks for the recommendation. This reminds me that I *really* need to prioritise Stoner!
I always recommend The Big Sky series by A.B. Guthrie. It's about the settling of the American West starting in the 1830s. The second book, The Way West won the Pulitzer in 1950. I have not read the other 4 books in the series, as I was satisfied with those.
Oooh thanks for the recommendation - I hadn't heard of that series before. And the Pulitzer does tend to have a really high hit rate for me - I often love the winners!
If you want to explore the Western genre I have to recommend In The Distance by Hernan Diaz
Ooh, I actually have that one on my shelf and I loved Trust, so I should give it a go. Thank you!
Ooh I'm keen on the new Sunjeev Sahota book. I'm hopeful, however, that there will be a bit of a rest period between prizes now and I plan to re read a number of books I already own IF I can keep my FOMO under control.
I am SO WITH YOU on struggling with FOMO. I have become so weak-willed when it comes to being influenced 😂
Hope you make the most of this quiet period until the Booker!
I recently just finished 1984 and it immediately became one of my favorite books. It’s one of those books that you know you’ll reread in the future.
With that said I’m very curious how it’s retold in Julia’s POV. But I also don’t want to tarnish my images of the characters in 1984… so I’m a little conflicted lol.
Maybe worth trying a chapter and seeing how you feel! I definitely wouldn't think there's a risk of tarnishing 1984, but it's an interesting companion piece for sure.
Loved True Grit. My parents took me to see the Kim Darby/John Wayne film when I was ten and I read the book not long after. As a young girl, the voice was so exciting. PS The Sears tower was built long before the Twin Towers. 😉
Oh I'm so pleased that Mattie's voice resonated for you. It is so, so good and absolutely made the book for me.
I wasn't sure about the tallest building situation, but I just gave it a quick check and the Sears Tower (1973) took the crown two years after the Twin Towers (1971)! What blows my mind is that both are/were only about half as tall as the Burj Khalifa 🤯
@@benreadsgood Wow. Thanks for setting me straight. I thought the Sears building was much older.
Don’t worry I think I get facts wrong at least 5 times in every video, so I was surprised this one was correct 😂
@@benreadsgood You are very kind. ✌️
If you've not enjoyed 1984 as much as you thought you might today, try the just-released Audible Original (free on the premium sub) which is brilliantly done and made a bit snappier for modern audiences, but remains faithful.
You know what, I've had so many adverts for that! It does sound cool. Is it abridged, or like a dramatised version?
Blood Meridian by Cormac Mc Carthy
One I've always wanted to read actually - thanks for the reminder! 🙌
So you think I could read Julia without ever reading 1984? I’ve been dreading 1984 for the very reason you said. Dated. Even Handmaid’s Tale, which I loved when I read it 25 years ago, but when I went back to it, it didn’t really hold up.
Yeah I think you could read it without having read 1984 - it stands alone fairly well, but I do think you'll get more out of it if you're familiar with the original story. Some of the change in perspective might lose its novelty without that. But Newman doesn't rely on you knowing anything!
Those who know me know how disappointed I was with The Details. Had picked it up late last year and was surprised to see it longlisted. The last chapter was the only saving grace of the book.
I honestly couldn't even tell you what happened in the last chapter 😂 The book has disappeared into a black hole in my memory.
Read The Oxbow Incident
Thanks for the recommendation! Building up quite the list of westerns to read 🤠
I was disappointed in Julia. I read 1984 & JulIa back to back. That forms a 700 page “book” that is very dark and very repetitive. Not sure what I was expecting, but this was not it.
Ah, that's a shame to hear it didn't quite work for you. Sounds like maybe it's important to have a bit of space between the two! Can definitely see how it might end up quite repetitive.
I was really looking forward to The Borrowed Hills but was really disappointed by it. Far, far too dark and grim for me
That's a shame to hear it didn't quite work for you. Definitely bleak but I loved the atmosphere that created!
Absolutely agree regarding the 1984 bit 📚🪱💚
Glad we agree! 🤝