In my mind Susanna Clark is basically the literary Adele where she just comes up from nowhere and destroys the competition and then retreats to basically do it again
@Lou0302
2 жыл бұрын
When you were saying "Stop talking Leena", I was like "No, don't stop !" I could listen to you talking about books (or anything else really) for hours :D
@Cpark1401
2 жыл бұрын
agree Leena talks about books in the most accessible and engaging way, never stop talking Leena.
@cathfelton1955
2 жыл бұрын
When I took Cellular Metabolism and Regulations class in university the first thing our lecturer explained to us - "your weight is more genetically predisposed than your height" This blew my mind!! I think I might read Why we eat too much ☺️
@Tiffanyknows99
2 жыл бұрын
I read the entirety of the Wayfarer series by Becky Chambers this year, a series of beautiful science fiction books that focus so much on communities and found family, and the 'humanity' in all species (there are several different species of alien in this universe). The worldbuilding is so believable and interesting and the characters are fantastic - I'd recommend these books to anyone!
@caoimhenimhuireadhaigh1303
2 жыл бұрын
I've added them to my Storygraph!
@Tiffanyknows99
2 жыл бұрын
@@caoimhenimhuireadhaigh1303 Hope you enjoy them!
@katherineeaton2515
2 жыл бұрын
I like Becky Chambers too.
@missspice5801
Жыл бұрын
Becky Chambers is one of my favourite new Authors!
@ayellowpapercrown6750
2 жыл бұрын
So glad to hear Piranesi mentioned it’s literally the best book I’ve ever read and I don’t even know why, it just hit me right in the heart.
@katherineeaton2515
2 жыл бұрын
Also one of my favorites of 2021
@Berrymccherry
2 жыл бұрын
My favorite book this year was Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The loveliest nonfiction nature book I've ever read, intertwined with native American folklore and perspective. It was nice to read a book on nature that left me inspired rather than devastated.
@Jellibox
2 жыл бұрын
Mine too :)
@tammyw-w4294
2 жыл бұрын
My favourite books that I read this year were 'Equal Rites' by Terry Pratchett and 'The Rest of Us Just Live Here' by Patrick Ness. They were both phenomenal!
@SavidgeReads
2 жыл бұрын
So chuffed to see Still Life on this list. Sarah Winman is a wonder. As is David Olusoga, I’m working with him on a libraries project and he’s all you could hope and wish. Now really want to read Trick Mirror and all the ones I haven’t.
@isabbygabbyorcrabby
2 жыл бұрын
Oooh it is so nice to hear David Olusoga is a good egg in real life (not that I had any doubt), I love his book and also his tv show!
@whatsdozdoing
2 жыл бұрын
Simon do you need an assistant so that I can bask in his glory??? I make great coffees!!
@rowenball3922
2 жыл бұрын
Piranesi blew my tiny mind and was my favourite book of the year... so happy it won the women's prize and that it was on your coveted best books list haha 😊 soo good.
@rebekahbacon7817
2 жыл бұрын
A lot of my reading is catching up from previous years so I think my top 2 were 'Know my name' by Chanel Miller and 'If cats disappeared from the world' by Genki Kawamura. 2 very different vibes but both I will be rereading in future!
@mojimoji5368
2 жыл бұрын
After watching this my tbr list has grown by several books! I finally got around to reading The House of the Spirits in 2021; it was everything I'd hoped it would be and more.
@saffodils
2 жыл бұрын
I read THotS in high school (while we were studying the history behind it!) and I still think about it to this day. It gave me such a strong sense of the place, and she used the magical realism so effectively and so beautifully. Glad to see someone else looking at THotS with new eyes!
@mojimoji5368
2 жыл бұрын
@@saffodils Jealous! What a treat to be able to delve into the story's history/context. For me, the novel kind of doubled as a primer on 20th century Chilean history, which I had previously been completely uninformed about. Completely agree about the sense of place - I can still recall images of the various residences/landscapes so clearly. I can't wait to read more of Allende's work!
@pendragonianlaw
2 жыл бұрын
Piranesi was also one of my favourites, I didn't really have any expectations but it still blew them out of the water. Another book I really enjoyed was The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green, I'm not a big non-fiction reader but that one was lovely, especially because I've been watching the vlogbrothers for almost a decade at this point. Definitely adding The Murderer's Ape and Still Life to my TBR. They sound great!
@jayciecarter2928
2 жыл бұрын
My fave book was Piranesi, with the Vanishing Half coming a close second - I came across both of them from your women's prize video so thank you!!
@susannaobrien8372
2 жыл бұрын
Some of my fav reads have been: - The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice by Shon Faye (recentres a lot of the "debate" around trans rights on the things that matter most and is a brilliant call for solidarity) - Poor by Caleb Femi (heartbreaking and joyful poetry) - Mr Loverman by Bernadine Evaristo (a surprising and charming story) - Revolting Prostitutes: The Fight for Sex Workers' Rights by Molly Smith and Juno Mac (a great argument for including sex workers' voices in feminist activism and why various models don't work) Thanks also for last year's recommendations of The Overstory, Factfulness and Set Me On Fire: A poem for every feeling - all were amazing!
@evemhooper
2 жыл бұрын
I also highly recommend all four of these books!
@newt5111
2 жыл бұрын
I want to thank you for getting me back into reading recently- I used to read a lot when I was younger but I'd been a few year long slump of reading before I found this channel. Thanks to you (and storygraph, which I found through you!) I've read so much this year and I'm so much better for it! All these books sound amazing too, although my 45 book long to read pile is becoming a bit of an issue.... You also got me invested in the environment, research about it, becoming more thoughtful with purchases and reducing the amount of meat I eat- Thank you!
@eveprickett
2 жыл бұрын
i read the entirety of the lord of the rings this year! the films mean so much to me so finally reading the book gave me hope and warm fuzzy feelings in a year that wasn’t the best :-)
@minaermelyn
2 жыл бұрын
One of my favourite books this was "Where you come frome" by Saša Stanišić, which I want to give a special shout out to because it's English translation was just released. Saša was born in Bosnia and came to Germany as a refugee of the Bosnian war with his parents, when he was a teenager. The book tells a fictionalised version of his life and his family, of arriving in Germany, of being a young person in a new place, and of dealing with family history. It's a beautiful, beautiful book and I want to give it to everyone on Earth.
@deadlymuffinz
2 жыл бұрын
I was ready to give up on Piranesi at first, because the story didn't reel me in as much as I thought it would. But I'm glad I stuck with it because it's one of my favourite books of this year. I also fell in love with Helen Hoang's books, I have never related to a work of fiction more.
@noelle7pages
2 жыл бұрын
LOVE the way you talk about reading/"retaining" history books as a kind of proactive lie detector! Going to carry that idea with me also, Cultish by Amanda Montell was definitely one of my top reads this year, and I feel like you would really enjoy it too. An approachable and feminist look at sociolinguistics being one of the primary tools of both bonafide cults and cult-like organizations in society.
@FallenTwin
2 жыл бұрын
i mainly read scifi and fantasy and my favorite books of the year are probably: - Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. Takes time to get into (about 100 pages for me) but the payoff is SO WORHT IT! It has amazing world building, and space necromancers. And the main character is a queer woman with a sword. What's not to like? - This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mothar and Max Gladstone. THE PROSE! It's like reading poetry but in the format of a novel. - the Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells. A re-read, but these books truly capture questions about humanity, personhood, capitalism, and community while still being a space romp. - Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell. It is equal parts sci-fi/fantasy adventure and relationship drama. It has some of my favorite gender systems ever in speculative fiction! It also deals delicately with some heavier topics, in ways that I very much appreciated because it doesn't shy away from how complex toxic situations can get.
@meikusje
2 жыл бұрын
Ooh, I have the Murderbot books on my to read list! Hadn't heard of them before, but a booktube account mentioned them and it sounds great!
@gabriellekerrmusic
2 жыл бұрын
I just finished Gideon the Ninth. Loved it too!
@autism_and_niamh
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you for these recs!! I've been really warming to scifi recently and these all sound excellent :)
@Hillary429
2 жыл бұрын
Loved Piranesi and since I couldn’t get a hold of the audiobook it really got me back into physically reading (albeit a digital copy) as opposed to always going with audiobooks. Loved the mystery of it, really sparked my curiosity and make me long for the museums of Italy and Paris filled with beautiful statues.
@pyjamabottoms670
2 жыл бұрын
My favourite book for 2021 was "such a fun age" It wasn't complex or anything like that - but it's one that I have not stopped thinking about x
@emmatheowl
2 жыл бұрын
I think this is an INCREDIBLE and incredibly complex book! So much going on in such a simple story 🤩
@pyjamabottoms670
2 жыл бұрын
@@emmatheowl that's true! A lot going on but very subtle. I loved it.
@fish-fingers_and_custard7685
2 жыл бұрын
My favourite book I read this year was Just Kids by Patti Smith. A beautiful true story of friendship, deep platonic love, found family, survival and the music/art scene in New York from the late sixties to the early eighties. The writing was absolutely STUNNINGLY poetic and the ending made me sob!!
@Abbieh95
2 жыл бұрын
I've loved My Mess Is A Bit of a Life by Georgia Pritchett, probably my favourite read and definitely the year I learned to love memoir. I also loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, Unsettled Ground, The Girl with the Louding Voice, Stay With Me, and Beautiful World Where Are You.
@lisavanherck5761
2 жыл бұрын
My favorite books this year: - Outlawed by Anna North (It's kind of an AU sort of western, but with mostly women as the outlaws? It was fab.) - The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang (I'm a sucker for stories that have to do with tailoring and dressmaking, and the illustrations are absolutely beautiful) - Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer (Because I read the first few chapters of this when it was leaked in 2008 and the finished product lives up to my teenaged expectations so I love it.)
@rymhreads
2 жыл бұрын
Piranesi was a magical, other worldly read (or rather listen, for me! Chiwetel Ejiofor narrates the audiobook beautifully and with such humour). This year I found joy, comfort and catharsis in Helene Hanff's 84 Charing Cross Road. Miss Ranskill Comes Home is a hot water bottle of a book. Dial A for Aunties had me keeling over in laughter at one point (another well executed audiobook!) As a person that was a child in care, Lemn Sissay's My Name is Why struck such a chord with me and finally made me take a step to interrogate aspects of my own past. I've definitely hit a reading slump in the last part of this year, but The Murderer's Ape is added to the tbr and will be read with almost immediate effect!
@charau95
2 жыл бұрын
For books that recapture the magic of reading as a child, I recommend (another MG book) Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend. I absolutely adore that book.
@emmtag2962
2 жыл бұрын
On the subject of discovering other peoples nostalgia, the Fablehaven series for me. My teachers in elementary would read the first book of a series out-loud to us, tell us what the next book was called and then start a new series. Which got a lot of people in my class to start reading, but I could never get the next book. So I'm picking it up now as an adult and loving it.
@emmakates
2 жыл бұрын
it’s so hard to pick just a few, but my favorites that i read this year were the anthropocene reviewed by john green, on earth we’re briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong, lonely castle in the mirror by mizuki tsujimura, and the bell jar!! i also really loved piranesi, homegoing, trick mirror, and little weirds
@kelso365
2 жыл бұрын
My best books of the year: Honeybee by Craig Silvey, The Year the Maps Changed by Danielle Binks, and Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Dolan and Harold Morris… 😀
@kdonaldson7308
2 жыл бұрын
Piranesi was one of my favs of the year as well, along with The Death of Vivek Oji, Invisible Women, The Diary of a Plague Year, Take a Hint Dani Brown, The Two Towers, Less, and Re-coil. I am absolutely going to check out Why we eat so much!
@tegan6554
2 жыл бұрын
Somebody's daughter by Ashley C. Ford is a memior about Ford's childhood growing up with an incarcerated father and a mother who had emotional issues. It made me weep (and definitely check the content warnings cause it gets dark). It was written so beautifully and with a lot of love and forgiveness to her past. Almost painfully raw but in a way that's really stuck with me. And it was her debut!
@BookNomming
2 жыл бұрын
Middle grade is honestly becoming my fave type of books! They tackle so many tough topics beautiful, they are engaging and beautifully written and so much more effort is put into them in terms of language and world building
@xiahkixiri
2 жыл бұрын
Please recommend some! I want to find my way back to them.
@fionaboyle7616
2 жыл бұрын
I have ten books I gave five stars this year and can't narrow them down into favourites so sorry for the long list haha Exit West- Mohsin Hamid No One Is Talking About This- Patricia Lockwood (which I read because of Leena's Women's Prize video!) The Book of Trespass- Nick Hayes A Still Life- Josie George Lanny- Max Porter Shuggie Bain- Douglas Stuart Diary of a Young Naturalist- Dara McAnulty The Wanderer- Peter van den Ende Small Island- Andrea Levy Rebirding- Benedict Macdonald
@Petitesser
2 жыл бұрын
omg, I recognized the authors name on the Murderer's ape, and it's because I read one of his books (Spionerna i Oreborg) that probably hasn't been translated into English when i was like 10-11, and I absolutely loved it then. So much that when I saw it at the library a few weeks ago I lended it and reread it as an adult and it was still quite cosy, I tried to read it to my 4-year old but it was a bit too long, will wait a few more years. Definitely checking out his newer books, thanks!
@HT-vm4nr
2 жыл бұрын
The Northern Lights and the sequels by Phillip Pullman - another makes you feel like you are little again and falling in love with reading for the first time.
@BookwormAdventureGirl
2 жыл бұрын
A great list!! Several of these (Transcendent Kingdom, Piranesi, Unsettled Ground) are on my TBR. Happy to hear your thoughts. 😊💙
@beeboca
2 жыл бұрын
not to be dramatic but this series really kept me going this month, thank you 🙏
@rhonamitchell975
2 жыл бұрын
Not read as much this year as last year but still some great ones: Written on the body by Jeanette Winterson - I’m not usually one for the poetic would rather just get into the story but this was so beautifully done I love the bones of you by Christopher eccleston - I love an autobiography that is more than just a straightforward this is what happened in my life and this is just that you can tell Chris is deeply thoughtful and there’s so much insight to be gained from him talking about masculinity, class, and mental health. Such a fun age by Kiley Reid just felt so spot on and relevant as well as being funny and warm
@flikitaw5654
2 жыл бұрын
My favourite read this year was definitely Maggie O'Farrells Hamnet - it was super comforting and beautifully escapist for me during a difficult moment, I LOVED it. I'm also currently reading The Betrayals by Bridget Collins which is like some kind of amazing 1920s-ish non-magic-based Harry Potter for adults?! I liked her first book but this one has totally blown it out of the water, it's so clever and dreamy, highly recommend! Last one is an honourable mention for Dreamland by Rosa Rankin-Gee, about as far as you can get from a comforting read, but I couldnt put it down and her writing - holy shit, I would kill to be able to write half as well as that!
@KsenyaTs
2 жыл бұрын
Oh, didn't know the paperback of "Unsettled ground" is already out! And apparently "No one is talking about this" is coming out now as well - I pre-ordered them both and am delighted I'll be getting them so much quicker than expected. Also chuffed to see "Still life" on your list as well, am waiting for that paperback too and am beyond excited. Thank you so so much for sharing your thoughts, makes me so happy to see that so many titles that piqued my interest did deliver! And for "Piranesi" I don't have any words either... A brilliant year for the Women's Prize, right?)
@edwinamceachran
2 жыл бұрын
thank you for this series of the last month - really enjoyed watching these everyday in my lunch break or catching up in the evening. deffo going to add some of these to the listening list next year
@georginachard8604
2 жыл бұрын
I read "Guards guards!" by Terry Pratchet this year and it was bloody beautiful. I'd heard from many lovers of discworld that it's the best place to start and I'm glad I did. I think you'd really like it Leena, lots of sarcastic social commentary, dragons, fast paced and overall very hopeful and fun :)
@testosteronic
2 жыл бұрын
Oh I started with The Wee Free Men (Tiffany Aching), I'd heard of starting w the city watch but hadn't had it recommended, main thing I was told was _not_ to start with The Colour of Magic lol. I'm in the middle of Hogfather rn, I planned a bit so I'd have it lined up for Christmas. Hope you really get into all of the rest of discworld! It's so good!
@AneCathrine
2 жыл бұрын
Some of my favourite books from 2021 were the Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North, Kindred by Octavia E. Butler, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (Transcendent Kingdom is on my tbr!), All Systems Red by Martha Wells, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (I really need to read her other book), the Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton and Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore. When 2021 was over, I really felt like I’d had a bad reading year, but looking back these books bring me so much joy and have a somewhat overarching theme of the love of humanity☺️
@bassoonrckr
2 жыл бұрын
This is going to be my first year of reading 100 books in a year (on track at 97 and halfway through two books)!! That’s mainly what I’m excited about this December, but I also finished reading the Discworld series after three years of slowly making my way through. Other Sci-if fantasy favs were the Skyward series and Once and Future duology. I’ve read a lot of audiobooks this year and because I used my library to check them out I read some books that are in my top books that I wouldn’t have ordinarily approached, like 84 Charing Cross Road, Hollow Kingdom (seriously no one has heard of this the main character is a cussing crow in a zombie story) and a road dahl I hadn’t heard of before - Henry Sugar.
@balletlover95
2 жыл бұрын
I read "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" twice this year, it was so good! "The 7¹/² Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" was really cool and kicked off an interest in mysteries that I have never had before that has now lead me to read several Agatha Christy books (which I also really enjoyed). I also read "The Martian" by Andy Weir again this year because it is fantastic. I have it on audio book and I have listened to it like 5 times total. Thank you for your favorites list, I love adding to my TBR and now I feel like I have some really good ones on there!
@shaneyswift3127
2 жыл бұрын
Evelyn Hardcastle is so twisty, I've listened to it twice on audio and want to read it physically too because I still feel like two times wasn't enough to keep up with all the twists and turns. I love it so much.
@lauraenright5412
2 жыл бұрын
Some more information about Piranesi: the disease that Susanna Clarke has is ME/CFS, widely misunderstood and extremely underfunded multisystemic neuro-immune disease that affects millions of people worldwide (it's not a rare disease), and is also a disease that many people with long covid are being diagnosed with, as it is very often triggered by a virus. It's an issue quite close to my heart, being another one of the people who has ME/CFS. Just that I would take the opportunity to put this here in case anyone reads this and happens to be interested :)
@lbhreads
2 жыл бұрын
one of my favourites was 'betty' by tiffany mcdaniel, it was a devastating family saga/historical fic and the only book to make me cry in 2021
@bethmw28
2 жыл бұрын
My absolute favourite this year ❤😭
@Victoria-dh9vb
2 жыл бұрын
I haven't read much in the way of book books (it's been a manga/manhwa heavy kind of year) but I did read City of Girls, and very much enjoyed it. It was refreshing to have a female character that was so open about sexuality, especially since it's written from the prospective of an elderly woman. I think it serves as a good reminder that the elderly are more than just the period of their life they are currently in. So often we just put them in this "old" bubble, and that is a huge disservice to both them, and ourselves. It also sort of revolves around people and viewpoints that aren't usually the focus of most narratives about that time period. And there's a number of lines that still tumble around in my head, and I'm still mulling them over months lather.
@gracegardner7068
2 жыл бұрын
So I just finished the Breadwinner series and I could not recommend them enough. There are four tiny middle grade books about an 11 year old girl living in Afghanistan when the Taliban took over. The story is just incredible and sad and hopeful and I learned so so much.
@lucymain21
2 жыл бұрын
One of my favourite books this year was Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis - it's a first contact book set in the early 2000's and it was just such a fresh perspective on the genre! I read it the same time as my Dad and we did the same with the sequel, so the series is kind of "our thing" now 😊
@seilanna1
2 жыл бұрын
I mainly read romance/ urban fantasy but some books I really liked was the grave witch series by Kalayna Price. The last book in the series came out this year and I really enjoyed the ride.
@tiffytattoo2450
2 жыл бұрын
May I thank you so much for reigniting my love for reading?! I discovered your channel in 2020 and this year was filled with books. An absolute joy I thought I lost along the nervwrecking journey of growing up. Your love for literature is contagious! I loved Spinster and Undying. My To be read grows and grows and I truly thank you for this new found old love in my life!
@klnamba
2 жыл бұрын
I live in America and there's a gap there with books that are talked about and accessible. But some of my recent favorites: The Grace Year by Kim Ligget Breath by James Nestor The Beekeeper of Aleppo Any of Frederik Backman Any of Kristin Hannah The Silent Patient The Only Woman in the Room The Other Einstein
@sophiapearson6473
2 жыл бұрын
Oh!! I'm so SO happy you loved Piranesi!!!! I read that book so fast, I just loved it. Will probably have to re read it/buy a physical copy!!
@sophiapearson6473
2 жыл бұрын
Also! I loved The Golem and the Jini
@saffodils
2 жыл бұрын
I never finished "Series of Unfortunate Events" as a kid-the library was always out of odd ones after the fifth-so I guess I'll have to check it out this next year! I tend not to read kids' books anymore, but a friend recently recommended "The House in the Cerulean Sea" to me and that was phenomenal and definitely one of my favorites this year. (That kind of book can help kids think about complex issues in our society, but it doesn't stop being helpful when you're an adult and have had more experience with the world!)
@BookNomming
2 жыл бұрын
Middle grade is honestly so good at tackling tough topics, it’s fast becoming my favourite
@mxrumphius
2 жыл бұрын
My favorite book this year was A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers! It's honestly the perfect read for any millennials with burnout (all of us?) and those asking existential questions. I've been thinking a lot about work this year and blew through a bunch of great nonfiction books on that theme this year: Work Won't Love You Back, Laziness Does Not Exist, Burnout (by the Nagoskis), and Can't Even. And my last fave rec from the year is Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake, a chapter book that I think you would adore!
@littlestpineapple2898
2 жыл бұрын
- Bullshit Jobs was deeply affirming & helped me reorient the way I think about work and our society. - The Murderbot Diaries are completely brilliant & I've read them like three times this year. They speak so completely to the time that we're in now in a way that feels both honest and hopeful & were really valuable for me as someone who spent the year coming to terms with my identity as an aroace person. - I also freaking loved The Jasmine Throne, which did feminist fantasy in a way that actually felt appreciative of women in the variety of ways they exist in the world & the variety of ways the shape politics. Also sapphic af.
@clairesilverspar
2 жыл бұрын
I struggle to find time to read properly at the moment (6 month old takes up a lot of time), but I can highly recommend the Black and British tv show on the BBC if you cant sink the 24 hours into the book. I learnt a lot and it has made me want to find the time to read the book.
@ZaydaFleming
2 жыл бұрын
I have really enjoyed Naomi Novik's fairy tale type books, Spinning Silver and Uprooted (Women acting with agency and personal power in fairy tale settings who are the main characters and not villains) as well as her Scholarmancy series (A dangerous magical school with a sarcastic and angry teen female lead). I also am really enjoying Silvia Moreno-Garcia's books, Mexican Gothic and The Beautiful Ones and Gods of Jade and Shadow (stories of love and thrills and mystery and intrigue that made me Feel Things).
@sunflowersandstorms5608
2 жыл бұрын
Every time i go to a bookshop that has books in English, I see Piranesi, pick it up, wonder if I should get it and then get spooked with the prize! For some reason, this book is expensive to bring from the outside. My favourites so far: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, The Long Song by Andrea Levy, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, and The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid
@bettyreads222
2 жыл бұрын
Some books I enjoyed this year were Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo, In Deeper Waters by F.T Lukens, Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw, Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong and Medical Apartheid by Harriet A. Washington. Would like to read Black and British one day.
@jenlong4139
2 жыл бұрын
This is fab as I was like 'I need to read more in 2022 where should I start let's check Leenas channel' and this is the newest video! yesss
@jenniferdossett911
2 жыл бұрын
Deacon King Kong by James McBride. It’s funny and depicts community in such a beautiful way. Absolutely loved it.
@piamickels9942
2 жыл бұрын
you are literally the best at selling me a book, most of these are going on my tbr if i haven't read them already! some of my favourites this year were The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green, Detransition, Baby by Torey Peters, Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert (any romance novel by her tbh), Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde and Cantoras by Carolina de Robertis! And while I'm at it, even though I didn't read it this year, one of my favourite German books has *finally* been published in English so I'm using this chance to give a shoutout, it's by Saša Stanišić and it's called Where You Come From. Hope someone enjoys these recs!
@shangoshango2471
2 жыл бұрын
Piranesi was incredible, I cried so hard and it felt so real. Pew, House of Leaves, The Three Body Problem were great as well!! And a few Dutch books , two 5 stars and lots of 4 stars this year :D
@anabluu
2 жыл бұрын
Leena, you are literally the friend I always wanted to have, intelligent and knows books to recommend AND we have the same taste! Thank you for existing and having a channel so we could (half) meet 💛💛💛
@IsabellaBoyne
2 жыл бұрын
So sad I just missed the premiere but some of my favourite books that I read this year were: Perfume by Patrick Suskind (a re-read because it's my favourite book of all time), All The Young Men by Ruth Coker Burks which was a fascinating insight into the AIDS epidemic in America, Girl A by Abigail Dean, and Writers & Lovers by Lily King! I know you only asked for one favourite but I couldn't help but gush about multiple
@emilyschettlers
2 жыл бұрын
Oh I've been meaning to read Writers & Lovers!
@Hillary429
2 жыл бұрын
Wow! I loved Perfume.. the descriptions of scent were unlike anything I’ve read before, so illustrative. And I loved the way he extracted the scent from the women. I never hear people talk about this one.
@Hillary429
2 жыл бұрын
I believe it’s called And the Band Plays On, many people have recommended this one to me and it is set during the AIDS crisis as well. Might be worth a google
@laurasaurus7399
2 жыл бұрын
You inspired me to actually get back into reading. I haven't properly read a book since before college and I'm now graduated from college. I started reading a book last night before bed, thank you so much for giving me that gentle push to go back to reading I'm really excited for new book adventures
@jazzam0razz
2 жыл бұрын
I read Transcendent Kingdom a few weeks ago and it was ABSOLUTELY GUTTING. Beautifully written and a good cathartic cry. As a PhD Candidate in STEM and as a Black woman from an immigrant family who GREW UP IN RURAL ALABAMA, it hit so close to home. If you're reading this comment, please read it, you will NOT regret it. Other excellent books I read this year were: - Outraged: why everyone is shouting and no one is talking by Amplify Dot - Somebody's Daughter: A memoir by Ashley C. Ford - Snapdragon, a graphic novel by Kat Leyh
@lenadai5755
2 жыл бұрын
Ive only read 26 books this year (might hit 27 before the end of the year) but here are all my 5 star reads: Everything i never told you - Celeste Ng The Anthropocene reviewed - John Green Tender is teh Flesh - Agustina Bazterrica Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut Pride and Prejudice (re-read) - Jane Austen The Nickel Boys - Colson Whitehead
@philippapascoe6189
2 жыл бұрын
I've not read alot of books- been into my fa fiction too much...!- but I've always been a bookworm and miss reading. One book I did find this year that I loved and was surprised by was Tidelands by Philippa Gregory. Its kind of slow moving and very real life, set in the run up to Cromwells takeover with a priest from France trying to save the king and a woman who live in the Tidelands on the east coast and its just amazing. I've not done it justice bit I absolutely loved it and would read again in am instance. Love the audible version- normally o prefer making up the voices of characters in my head but the narrator got it spot on.
@helenaelizondo
2 жыл бұрын
oh no Leena I read all the books in the Women's Prize except Transcendent Kingdom and Unsettled Ground because I left the ones that sounded best for last and now it's 24 of december and you are making me read both of them xx
@welovemaddy
2 жыл бұрын
I read some really good books this year: the vanishing half, the song of achilles & circe, the mushroom at the end of the world, miroloi, Song of the bats...
@erinnorris
2 жыл бұрын
the thing I loved most about trick mirror is that it feels very self aware of its own flaws, if that makes sense? That's the book that got me back into reading via audiobooks and I really want to do a re-listen.
@erinnorris
2 жыл бұрын
as a recommendation, house on the cerulean sea was absolutely sweet and precious and beautifully allegorical for the state of the world.
@MargaretPinard
2 жыл бұрын
LOVE that! Not that it equips you to know all of history, 'but it prevents you from being lied to' YES, Leena!
@munglejoela
2 жыл бұрын
I'm interested to read Still Life after seeing it on Between the Covers on BBC recently. I've really enjoyed these videos, thank you. My faves off the top of my head are Piranesi, A Still Life by Josie George, Wintering by Katherine May, and Humankind by Rutger Bregman which really cheered me up in a dark year.
@munglejoela
2 жыл бұрын
Oh, I read Black and British a few years ago and loved it. Of course was not taught any of it at school. I liked the TV series as well.
@Larissa_KD
2 жыл бұрын
These were my favourites! ✨ The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune ✨ In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado ✨ A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers ✨ A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers ✨ Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers ✨ Emma by Jane Austen ✨ Summer by Ali Smith ✨ Homie by Danez Smith ✨ A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende ✨ Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi ✨ Blue Horses by Mary Oliver ✨ Longbourn by Jo Baker ✨ The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel by Renée Nault ✨ Sitting Pretty by Rebekah Taussig ✨ The Tea Dragon trilogy by Kay O’Neill ✨ The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw ✨ The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams ✨ Reputation by Lex Croucher
@mkmunares
2 жыл бұрын
Dear Leena, I just discovered your chanel and I LOVE IT. My favorite book of 2021 was Frankestein’s mother by Almudena Grandes (awesome spanish writer, who died last november). Its part a series about the people who lost the spanish civil war and had to live under Franco’s dictatorship. You can read each book of the series independently and they are all beautiful and moving, but listening to you I think you would like this one specially. Anyway, thank you for your videos and a big hug from this new peruvian follower.
@Michelle-dh1rf
2 жыл бұрын
My top books this year were No One Tells You This by Glynnis MacNicol, Quit Like a Woman by Holly Whitaker and Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roper. Apparently I really like memoirs.
@Hillary429
2 жыл бұрын
I think the book that affected me the most was Tender is the Flesh.. I simultaneously praised this book while also being physically nauseated. I thought she touched on so many topics surrounding meat and humanity within such a short book I was stunned when I finished it. Can’t really recommend it due to the graphic content but absolutely ⭐️⭐️🌟⭐️⭐️
@theonewithmo
2 жыл бұрын
I love middle grade and there are gems in the genre that I think can be overlooked because they're seen as only for kids. I'm definitely going to check out The Murderer's Ape. It sounds so good. Some of my favorites this year have been: Men We Reaped - Jesmyn Ward (A memoir where the author recounts five men she knew that she lost in the span of five years to drugs, suicide, etc. great book about being black, poor and southern in the u.s.) The Girl and The Ghost - Hanna Alkaf (Middle grade fantasy set in Malaysia and I believe is inspired by a Malaysian folktake!) Pachinko - Min Jin Lee (Made me absolutely love multigenerational stories. it chewed me up and spit me out but i loved it) The Plotters - Un Su Kim (Korean crime novel about an alternate world where there's an organization of "plotters" behind every assassination and it follows one such assassin. So enjoyable in my opinion) His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (Haven't started The Amber Spyglass yet but so far this trilogy has been amazing and and just such a joy to read with each page)
@pamkellman1068
2 жыл бұрын
i was looking at my reading trends this year and noticed several religious-adjacent books, all of which i enjoyed so thoroughly and made me deeply contemplate what it means to live a meaningful life. lauren groff's matrix, claire luchette's agatha of little neon, and rivka galchen's everyone knows your mother is a witch
@caitmcg4382
2 жыл бұрын
My favorite books of the year were Psalm for the Wild-Built and Amari and the Night Brothers! Adding so many of these to my TBR, thanks as always Leena!
@anna-ne9zk
2 жыл бұрын
Some of my favs from this year were: 1. Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (i mean, i feel like everyone is in love with this one and I LOVE IT TOO) 2. They Said This Would Be Fun: Race, Campus Life, and Growing Up by Eternity Martis (I live in Canada, and found that there are a lot fewer books on Canada's ongoing history with things like racism & 2SLGBTQIA+ issues than say the U.S. or the U.K., so I was thrilled to find this one. This book is both a memoir and deep dive into Canadian university culture and the huge issues that exist within it. I found it really witty & brilliantly written, deeply emotional at times, and so damn informative. Would highly recommend!)
@gem3630
2 жыл бұрын
Hearing you talk about authors having a way with words and constructing sentences made me think about recently reading the first chapter of The Wind in the Willows. The way the river and forest is described and the writing style is so beautiful. It makes me want to re-read books I read as a child, something like The Secret Garden. Anyways, hope you’re having a lovely festive season Leena, loving the videos x
@FictionalSarah
2 жыл бұрын
I finally got to the Mistborn series, by Brandon Sanderson, in 2021 and loved it! Others I enjoyed include Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam, The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker, The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue, The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue by V.E. Schwab and I fell I love with a ton of books by Frances Harding’s, especially Deeplight. I also read Anna Karenina, which I enjoyed! It felt good to dive into a longer classic, and something I do want to try and do more. Got 50 books read last year, but really would love to hit 100 again! Only managed that once, in 2014.
@alexaanderson8805
2 жыл бұрын
I've been waiting for this video!! Some of my faves for the year (including some I discovered through your excellent recommendations: - When the Music Stops - Joe Heap - Ninth Street Women - Mary Gabriel - Motherhood - Sheila Heti - Many Different Kinds of Love - Michael Rosen - Girl, Woman, Other - Bernadine Evaristo - The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy - The Dictionary of Lost Words - Pip Williams - Midnight Chicken - Ella Risbridger
@vollgasstudio
2 жыл бұрын
My absulte favorite book this year is "A Psalm for the Wild-Built" by Becky Chambers. After eading so many (and also really good) dyistopian books, this one just cheered me up like nothing else. If you need some utopian love go for this one. I also recommend the other books by her.
@julieannelovesbooks
2 жыл бұрын
I read nightbooks J.A. White this past weekend. I loved it so much. It literally reads like a fairy tail. Please read it. You will not regret. If you have access to the audiobook I highly recommend, because the narrator takes her role of ‘screeching’ (is that the word I’m looking for?) very seriously.
@albaruizdunbar4565
2 жыл бұрын
I'm going to come back to this later because my custard cremes ran out and while this is amazing wothout biscuits on it's own, it feels weird not to honor this by nibbling on a custi crem :)
@ayahsaheb9029
2 жыл бұрын
Love from A to Z was one of my favourite books this year. Incredibly reflective of my own life and it was so wonderful to see that!
@madhulih
2 жыл бұрын
The only books I read in 2021 were the all souls trilogy. I'd recommend them if, like me, one of the things you've missed the most these pandemic times is libraries, particularly academic libraries, and thus would love a book where the main driver of the plot is trying to get a manuscripts from the stacks. (also vampires and witches and magic and politics and genetics. but mostly library protocols).
@talopque
2 жыл бұрын
Piranesi was definitely one of my favourite books of the year! No wonder it has won women prize!!
@LarryS378
2 жыл бұрын
of all the booktubers/influencers out there I am so glad I found your channel as your recommendations are consistently amazing and so in tune with my tastes. Thank you for these lists!!
@LarryS378
2 жыл бұрын
my faves this year: 1) No one is talking about this 2) Detransition baby 3) Invisible women (have you read this? I expect you'll love it) 4) Gone (Min Kym) 5) Kim Jiyoung born 1982 6) Bluets 7) This is pleasure 8) Educated 9) Mythos 10) Autumn ali smith
@stephwhite7983
2 жыл бұрын
❤❤❤Still Life ❤❤❤ I still miss those people. Fight Night by Miriam Toews also has characters that still have my heart ❤❤❤
@djunaskye6220
2 жыл бұрын
Piranesi was my favorite book of the year and I read it because of you :) I raved about it all year and tried to get everyone I know to read it XD one person did end up reading it and liked it a lot!
@clover3124
2 жыл бұрын
A book I loved that nobody has recommended is The Dressmakers of Auschwitz by LJ Adlington. It's a non-fiction book that's partially interviews and partially narrative about women held prisoner in the infamous camp that were forced to sew couture clothing for SS offices wives. It's a look at WW2 through the eyes of women that I haven't read before. It's a hard read because of the subject, but worth it.
@AnanasAbanaan
2 жыл бұрын
I think my favorite this year was "Untold Night and Day" by Bae Suah. It reads like a dream, where you wake up and think "That was a strange dream," and then go about your day, until you wake up again and realize you were/are still dreaming. You're never quite sure how many characters there are and which people are actually the same person, or which events are the same thing from a different perspective. There's a lot of subtext about Korean shamanism, so it's super interesting to look it up after you've read it, and then read it again with a different lens. The translator, Deborah Smith, did one of my favorite translations ever, and it seems like she does most of the English translation of Suah's work, so I'm excited to read more!
@jenkrr
2 жыл бұрын
My best book of 2021 was In by Will McPhail. It blew me away. I'm not usually a graphic novel fan, but having enjoyed his New York Times cartoons for their wit and observations, I was intrigued. And it was even better than I expected.
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