Rick MacDonnell
BookTube About Me Tag
updated
This video (hopefully) shows you why you should read one of the best historical novels of the 21st century.
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Pardon the atrocious pun, but I love their spin on the whole spin concept. I'll be playing along all year (in addition to the BookTube Spin, which, again, is a completely different thing LOL).
How it works:
All you have to do is make a stack of 12 books you want to read throughout the year. Any and all books welcome! Then, each month, either Sarah or Jill (follow their channels to get the spin reveals!) will spin a wheel of prompts and pick a book from the stack to match that prompt. You have one month to read it ... and then the next month's prompt will arrive.
If you don't have a book that matches, you replace a book in your stack with another one from your TBR pile.
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Its stranger-in-a-strange-land narrative puts its protagonist at the center of an alien culture whose nearly-human biology has one distinct difference from ours: while they appear human, their bodies aren’t strictly male or female. They are, at once, both and neither.
As a result, this book asked questions that Western culture is still grappling with today.
For more on why you should read The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin ... watch the video!
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#WhyYouShouldRead #TheLeftHandofDarkness #UrsulaKLeGuin
A reminder about how the Spin works:
• Pick twenty books from your TBR.
• Number then 1-20.
• I pick two numbers, spun at random with a wheel, from 1-20.
• You then have until March 30 to read those two books
• It’s that easy! If you only want to read one book, feel free to choose the first number I spin, or pick your favourite from the two numbers. It’s totally up to you.
Shoutout to the Classics Club blog, who originally the created the spin idea to help readers take on more classic reads. They’re 100% the inspiration for this, so all credit for the great idea goes to them.
If you want to learn more about the OG event, check it out here:
theclassicsclubblog.wordpress.com/category/classics-spin
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#BookTubeSpin #BookTube
No ragging on books I don't like. Just full-throated recommendations for the books that I love.
You also might have noticed a little "Season 1, Episode 1" on the thumbnail. That's because I'm committing to a regular schedule for this new series ... but I want to be able to take breaks. I'm not a year-round BookTuber anymore, but I hope this structure will allow me to have my cake and eat it too. When I'm here, I want to really be here. But I also need time off every now and then.
I'm planning for 15 episodes a "season". But if I find that I want to post more, I'll certainly do bonus videos. And this doesn't mean I still can't do tags and top 10s and all the BookTube Spin ... those things will just live outside of the branded videos. All on this channel, though.
I'm excited! Hopefully, you'll barely notice a difference.
Oh, and read The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. It's great.
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Please note that I was sent the book by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. Easiest thing I've ever done.
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These are 3 more under-the-radar books, so giving you some added context for why you might like them should be helpful.
I hope you give them a chance. They're great!
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I thought it was a great idea for a reading project, so I made a video to talk about Book Therapy AND go over the 9 books that were prescribed to me.
You can do it too. Just go here: booktherapy.io/products/personalised-book-prescriptions-2
Important note: this is not an ad. I am not affiliated with Book Therapy and have not been incentivized to make his video. I just thought it would be fun.
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Questions:
1. Best book you have read so far this year
2. Best sequel you've read so far this year
3. New release you haven't read yet from this year, but you want to
4. Most anticipated release for the second half of 2022.
5. Biggest disappointment this year.
6. Biggest surprise this year.
7. Favourite new author.
8. Newest fictional crush.
9. Newest favourite character.
10. Book that made you cry this year.
11. Book that made you happy this year.
12. Most beautiful book you've bought or received so far this year.
13. What do you need to read by the end of the year?
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And I actually think that's a beautiful thing. If you're curious, watch the video and let me tell you why.
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LINKS:
More about the 20 Books of Summer and where to sign up: 746books.com/2022/05/04/announcing-20-books-of-summer-22
CHANNELS MENTIONED:
@TheBookBully
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#20BooksOfSummer22
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Please read it.
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Books mentioned:
- The Service by Frankie Miren
- The Color of Water by James McBride
- Morality Play by Barry Unsworth
- Brood by Jackie Polzin
- Frances and Bernard by Charlene Bauer
- Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold
- Euphoria by Lily King
- The Wind That Lays Waste by Selva Almada
- The Wanderers by Meg Howrey
- Mrs Gaskell and Me by Nell Stevens
- This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
- Gould's Book of Fish by Richard Flanagan
- Absolutely On Music by Haruki Murakami
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In lieu of a straight review of To Paradise by Yanagihara, here are my 13 thoughts:
0:00 - Intro
0:30 - The "What If" Nature of the Story
5:20 - The Fatalism of To Paradise
6:53 - The Alternate History of Book 1
8:43 - All Three Stories Feel Unfinished
9:51 - I Was Ready When It Was Over
10:40 - The Distraction of the Naming Repetition
12:39 - Why Book 3 Might Have Been My Favourite
14:04 - What I Think The Book is Saying
14:30 - Comparing It to A Little Life
16:52 - How the Two Books Are Similar
18:13 - Yanigahara is Hard to Recommend
19:09 - How to Approach Reading To Paradise
19:46 - Don't Expect This to be A Little Life
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#ToParadiseReview #ToParadiseHanyaYanigahara #13Thoughts
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If you want some other great reviews of this book (positive and negative):
@whatpageareyouon youtube.com/watch?v=d24o2Jru2KM
@ShaelinWrites youtube.com/watch?v=0w7zqej7Y18
@literaryiggy youtube.com/watch?v=-lErf8HKVCM
They share very different thoughts than I do but I enjoyed their reviews very much. Smart stuff from smart people :)
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It went ... poorly.
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Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller
No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
The Performance by Claire Thomas
Homesick by Jennifer Croft
Fake Accounts by Lauren Oyler
Which one will I choose? THE SUSPENSE IS SO MILD, YOU GUYS.
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I also give some booktubing advise, talk about what I learned in 2021, and overall just have a great time.
Thanks for watching and most of all thanks for subscribing :)
Channels mentioned in the video:
@TheBookBully
@WillowTalksBooks
@Fully Booked youtube.com/channel/UC6TB0Zz9XWpeJ5jf9nPz8QQ
@Mrs Richards Reads
youtube.com/channel/UCc8qsMe3pIGfNUvbdthTGew/featured
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Jill's Channel (follow her, or else):
youtube.com/channel/UCtAP3L7wGt9vLs83pygJNCQ
- - Tag questions - -
1. The longest book you read this year and the book that took you the longest to finish.
2. A book you read this year that was outside of your comfort zone.
3. How many books did you re-read?
4. Favourite re-read of this year.
5. A book you read for the first time that you look forward to re-reading in the future.
6. Favourite single short story or novella that you read this year.
7. Mass Appeal: A book you liked and would recommend to a wide variety of readers.
8. Specialized Appeal: A book you liked but would be hesitant to recommend to just anyone.
9. Reflect on your year as a bookish content creator (goals met, good/bad memories, favourite videos you made, etc).
10. Tag some fellow bookish content creators.
I'm tagging (but don't feel obligated!):
@JasmineReads
@yogiwithabook
@acruelreadersthesis5868
@SupposedlyFun
@booksimnotreading
@pagesofcarolyn
@RovingReader
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0:00 - Intro
0:50 - Book #10
2:08 - Book #9
3:54 - Book #8
5:03 - Book #7
6:20 - Book #6
7:20 - Book #5
8:26 - Book #4
9:22 - Book #3
12:26 - Book #3(b)
14:38 - Book #2
17:03 - Book #1
19:49 - Outro
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#BestBooksOf2021 #Top10BooksOf2021
My reading wrap-up for October:
0:00 - Intro
0:33 - A Dream of a Woman by Casey Plett
4:15 - Things I Have Withheld by Kei Miller
6:24 - Hex by Rebecca Dinerstein-Knight
9:19 - Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian
11:22 - The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck
13:25 - Lady Chatterly's Lover by DH Lawrence
15:12 - Bewilderment by Richard Powers
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This was my first Sarah Waters book and colour me impressed. My friend @chrisbookishcauldron6381 once described her to me as "Sarah Hall if she cared about plot" and it's pretty bang on.
This book is really, really good.
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On today's episode: Simon of www.stuckinabook.com fame.
Follow him on...
Twitter: @stuck_inabook
Instagram: @simondavidthomas
Simon has been blogging about books since 2007, with a focus on novels by women between the World Wars, though he'll dart a bit around other genres and periods. In his own words: "If you imagine a housewife in 1930, then you can probably picture my reading taste."
In this video, Simon recommends I read and review Miss Hargreaves by Frank Baker.
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Original Tag by @Steve Donoghue youtu.be/8AI_wnQfIXo
I'm tagging:
Jill @TheBookBully
Sabrina @bookishsabrina
Carolyn @pagesofcarolyn
Melissa - youtube.com/c/FullyBookedMelissa
THE BOOKS AND LIFE TAG QUESTIONS:
1. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being a normal person and 10 being the late Harold Bloom, how much are books and reading a part of your life?
2. Where does your personal library stand right now in relation to the rest of your life? Do you have more books now than you ever have? Fewer? How has your library changed?
3. Take a mental step back and ask yourself: what is the most likely first bookish impression a newcomer would have in your home?
4. How often (if ever, gulp) do you clean or re-organize your books?
5. On average, how many books do you acquire in a given week?
6. What song is your current ear-worm?
7. What percentage of your self-control do you retain in a well-stocked bookshop?
8. Do you ever feel the need to take a break from books? If so, what form does it take?
9. When you meet a new person, how long does it take you to bring up books?
10. Have you given any thought/made any provisions for your personal library after you croak?
11. Are you known among your friends & loved ones for your weird and probably unhealthy relationship with books
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#BooksAndLifeTag
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Medieval Europe. Feminism. A warrior-poet prioress. And Lauren Groff. What's not to love here.
Read it.
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Books Mentioned:
- Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
- The Idiot by Elif Batuman
- One Day by David Nicholls
- The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
- Americanah by Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie
- Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
- Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
- The Course of Love by Allain de Botton
- Trust Exercise by Susan Choi
- Ordinary People by Diana Evans
- Tender by Belinda McKeon
- Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin
- Three Rooms by Jo Hamya
- Topics of Conversation by Miranda Popkey
- Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan
Do you have other book recommendations for Sally Rooney fans? Let us know in the comments!
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#20BooksOfSummer21 #20BooksOfSummer
This was the second book of my #20BooksOfSummer2021 challenge, and also the book I picked for the #BookTubeSpin2.
Enjoy!
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#20BooksOfSummer21 #20BooksOfSummer
Feel free to tag yourself! Change up the prompts in your videos if you'd like, or just use mine. Up to you.
Topics discussed are:
1. Reading the Last Page First
2. Enemies to Lovers
3. Dream Sequences
4. Love Triangles
5. Cracked Spines
6. Back to My Small Town
7. Monsters Are Regular People
8. No Paragraph Breaks
9. Multi-Generational Sagas
10. Re-Reading
11. Artificial Intelligence
12. Drop Caps
13. Happy Endings
14. Plot Points That Only Converge At the End
15. Detailed Magic Systems
16. Classic Fantasy Races
17. Unreliable Narrators
18. Evil Protagonists
19. The Chosen One
20. When the Protagonist Dies
21. Really Long Chapters
22. French Flaps
23. Deckled Edges
24. Signed Copies by the Author
25. Dog-Earing Pages
26. Chapter Titles Instead of Numbers
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This was Review 1 in my #20BooksOfSummer2021 project. For more on the project and my 20-book TBR, watch my intro video here: youtube.com/watch?v=wdUjwdiBmZc
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#20BooksOfSummer21 #20BooksOfSummer
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#MayWrapup #MayReadingWrapup
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#MaybeMidrash2021 #MaybeMidrash
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BOOKS MENTIONED AND WHEN:
1:21 - The Enchanted April
2:20 - Gould’s Book of Fish
3:47 - 100 Miles of Baseball
5:08 - Words in Deep Blue
6:03 - Hallelujah Anyways
7:33 - Sorrow and Bliss
9:04 - Mass Effect: Revelation
9:48 - Lucky Per
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"Midrash" is a form of Jewish religious critical commentary. By us using the term for this reading event, it’s a nod to the culture of questioning and analysis that is fundamental to Judaism. However, that questioning/analysis mindset can be applied to other traditions, too.
In the context of this event, Midrash speaks to the conversations that happen when a narrative artist (novelist, filmmaker, poet) interprets sacred stories, traditions and ideas.
Jason's channel: youtube.com/channel/UC1B9FfvVLRt8s6scUa79oag
Felicia's channel: youtube.com/channel/UCokJv7u_sHqZUrFQYetlyDA
Steve's channel: youtube.com/channel/UC1B9FfvVLRt8s6scUa79oag
A list of all the Maybe Midrash videos people have made, sorted newest to oldest: youtube.com/results?search_query=maybe+midrash&sp=CAI%253D
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#MaybeMidrash2021 #MaybeMidrash
-- youtu.be/x_Pt-JK77IE
I was tagged by Kieran at KDBooks
-- youtu.be/sFYjIR2fKVs
QUESTIONS/PROMPTS:
0:56 - Old Fashioned: Historical Fiction Recommendation
2:22 - Sidecar: Book with a strong supporting character
2:55 - Manhattan: Book set in NY
3:41 - Bloody Mary: Book that scared you/messed you up
4:38 - Espresso Martini: Book that kept you reading into the night
6:27 - Sazerac: Book that left you disoriented
7:26 - Long Island Iced Tea: Book that is doing TOO MUCH (bonus point if it works anyway ;))
9:09 - Negroni: Book with a love triangle
11:03 - Bay Breeze: Book with light, chill/heartwarming vibes
13:28 - Dark and Stormy: Book that’s dark, thrilling, and menacing (bonus point if the setting matches!)
14:43 - Martini: Classic Recommendation
My Other Videos That I Reference
- The Age of Innocence: youtube.com/watch?v=KXYomrnI30A
- The Magus: youtube.com/watch?v=xFmLTVMKnxM
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Are you participating? Who are you reading? Do you have any go-to Aussie authors you'd recommend? Let me know in the comments, please :)
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If you're a curious reader interested in death and grief and all its permutations, I'd recommend you check this out. It's from a small Canadian press, so if you have trouble tracking it down, just let me know. I'll help however I can :)
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#TheBookTubeSpin #BookTubeSpin1
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Have you read any of these? Which book should I start with?
Follow Corgi Bob at www.instagram.com/corgi_bob (or @corgi_bob)
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#MysteryBookHaul #GlassBookShop #NotAnAdLOL