2021 Reading So Far | Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag

*This video is sponsored by Skillshare*

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Books mentioned:

PLAYING INDIAN by Philip J. Deloria

A BRIGHTNESS LONG AGO by Guy Gavriel Kay

CATCH THE RABBIT by Lana Bastašić

BEAUTIFUL WORLD, WHERE ARE YOU by Sally Rooney

THE POPPY WAR by R. F. Kuang

STORIES OF YOUR LIFE AND OTHERS by Ted Chiang

EXHALATION by Ted Chiang

FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER by Angeline Boulley

PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION by Emily Henry

LOVE MEDICINE by Louise Erdrich

EARLY MORNING RISER by Katherine Heiny

THE LIONS OF AL-RASSAN by Guy Gavriel Kay

THE COPENHAGEN TRILOGY by Tove Ditlevsen

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[nadishaseneviratne]

Damn girl! You are such an eloquent and engaging reviewer. I am always excited by your posts and so far I am half way through this one and just had to stop to say....thank you! Please don't stop reviewing, I love your content.

[meiliu]

I heard so many recommends and good things about Ted Chiang from booktubers I like! Definitely gonna pick up his works soon! I do like many sci-fi films but never read any sci-fi books. The kind of sci-fis discuss humane topics are exactly what I've been looking for!

[christinehopkinsconnelly]

I just checked A Brightness Long Ago out from the library. Your adoration of the characters, plot and everything else about this book sold me!

[hannahmay]

Asylum Road by Olivia Sudjic - on displacement during childhood as a fallout from siege of Sarajevo, follows a roadtrip of a young couple from the uk returning to Bosnia to reunite with family. Think it may be up your street, so brilliantly observed and anxiety inducing. Funnily enough, after I read and raved about it, i was directed to catch the rabbit.

[meiliu]

My recent literary crush is Milkman! I read it after watching your review video and totally obsessed! So I ordered a physical book and gonna reread it and annotated it😄

[EricKarlAnderson]

I need to get back to reading Chiang's stories. I've only read a few. You summarise them and what his writing is doing so well.

[myreadinglife]

I have Firekeepers Daughter on my TBR and now I’m even more excited for it. On some level, I am always chasing that high of loving the book the way I did as a kid.

[Phil-pp]

"Playing Indian" and "A Brightness Long Ago" both sound very interesting recommendations. On the basis that I'm reading a lot of heavy non-fiction at the moment, I've made a start on "A Brightness Long Ago" ... loving it so far. Thank you.

[books_and_bocadillos]

I thought I was going to pass on People We Meet on Vacation, for the time being - but you just sold it to me and now it's top of my list for books to read ASAP! 🤓

[opollitico]

I just always enjoy your reviews and conversational style so dearly much, Claire

[Scarfknitter]

I love Ted Chang. All of his stories are so imaginative, thoughtfully conceived and laid out, so satisfying to read. I only wish he had more books out there. I just read The Copenhagen Trilogy and felt it’s stronger than some contemporary auto-fictions, quite unique.

You made me want to try A Brightness Long Ago and Fire Keeper’s daughter and your glasses are really cute 😍

[leafye]

Your book picks are so different from everyone else’s and I really appreciate that!!!!

[johnwright]

Im glad you said that about sally roonys latest novel about the title because i was feeling exactly the same ! Lol

[okidokiboki]

I haven't read Beach Read because I've gotten mixed impressions from the reviews, but now I'm very intrigued by People We Meet on Vacation.

[yobebooo]

I am around 60% through The Poppy War right now, and am unfortunately quite disappointed. I had a few of your favorite books on my TBR, so now I’m excited to bump them up to the top. :)

[SpringboardThought]

I really want to try The Copenhagen Trilogy too! I keep hearing about it!

[Phil-pp]

Thoroughly enjoyed "A Brightness Long Ago". Very engaging read and GGK builds a credible realistic-seeming world. His use of repetition is one way he achieves this I think. He often repeats physical descriptions in close succession (e.g. Folo as "ugly" or Teobbaldo as "unnaturally handsome" etc. In one place Folco is described as raising a smile ... "on his ruined face" 🤣). This obviously helps make the characters more distinct in the reader's mind. Particular events are also often described from multiple perspectives (e.g. the horse race at Biscio). These types of repetition helps make the world seem more real I think. As you pointed out in your review the fantasy element is very light touch, but nevertheless beautifully done, Chapter 11 being a notable example. I found the dialogue between Folco and Teobaldi didn't always ring completely true and veered a little towards melodrama. The dialogue between Donio and acting duke Ricci was very believable as a conversation between two intelligent men, one powerful and vastly experienced and the other up and coming. Overall, the writing was much better than I expected and the retrospective, part matter of fact part poetic poetic, narration had a way of making me reflect on my own life ... what have been the key choices I've made so far?; what key choices am I about to make? etc etc. As to fictional crushes, I fear Donio is now too old for you. I myself am a fan of Jelena's 'healing' methods.

[allisonschneider]

I can’t watch your videos anymore. They always end with me rushing to the local bookshop to purchase a few new books 🤦🏼‍♀️ another great video!

[Eliot]

I love listening to your insights, Claire! Definitely planning to read A Brightness Long Ago now. :)

[jessdekkerreads]

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, that audiobook pulled me out of an audiobook slump. Also, the audio for Akwaeke Emezi’s memoir is incredible.