NOVEMBER 2022 READING WRAP UP | magic realism, modernism, & political fiction! Ben Fensome 2024-10-21 | NOVEMBER 2022 READING WRAP UP | magic realism, modernism, & political fiction!
Budget 95 Pride and Prejudice | Part 1 Ben Fensome 2024-10-06 | Part 1 of...A compilation of my BBC Pride & Prejudice lip syncs so far from tiktok and insta (somebenfen)I don't own any of the audio! At time of upload you can watch the original BBC series on BBC iplayer, britbox, amazon prime, hulu.Thanks for watching! 🧷👒https://linktr.ee/benfensome
AESCHYLUS | The Oresteia (and other plays) Ben Fensome 2023-11-03 | Hello!We're talking the Father of Tragedy and Greek DraaaamaBooks mentioned:Prometheus Bound and other plays (translated by Philip Vellacott)The Oresteia (translated by Ted Hughes)Thanks for watching!Bendoomantidote@gmail.com
The Book of Job | a harrowing yet cathartic scrutiny of suffering Ben Fensome 2023-10-25 | Job's Wife: youtube.com/watch?v=DlOOQU0eQpsThanks for watching!Bendoomantidote@gmail.com
SAPPHO | an ancient Lesbian lyric poet Ben Fensome 2023-09-27 | Hello!Today we are moving slightly forward in time to Sappho, the great lyric poet! I've recently read three translations and wanted to share my thoughts on each.Timestamps:00:00 Sappho05:50 Stung with love: Poems and Fragments (translated by Aaron Poochigian)09:13 If not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho (translated by Ann Carson)12:52 Sappho (translated by Mary Bernard)Thank you for watching!Benemail:doomantidote@gmail.com https://linktr.ee/benfensome
HESIOD | theogony & works and days Ben Fensome 2023-09-15 | Hello!Ben here again, sharing my thoughts on having read two translations of Hesiod!Hesiod: Theogony/Works and Days (translated by Dorothea Wender), Penguin ClassicsHesiod Theogony Works and Days (translated by M.L.West), Oxford World ClassicsThanks for watching!Benemail: doomantidote@gmail.com https://linktr.ee/benfensome
HOMER | the iliad & the odyssey Ben Fensome 2023-09-10 | HiyaBen here, continuing our slow meander through foundational BCE literature with HOMER!Thanks for watching!00:00 Homer 4:03 The Iliad E.V. Rieu14:14 The Odyssey Emily WilsonBenemail: doomantidote@gmail.comhttps://linktr.ee/benfensome
The Epic of Gilgamesh | the great flood, the search for immortality, and the start of literature Ben Fensome 2023-07-05 | Hey everyone!I recently read The Epic of Gilgamesh, translated by Andrew George, as well as The Buried Book by David Damrosch and had to share my thoughts!00:00 a lost epic is found05:30 The Epic of Gilgamesh16:00 Its influenceThis may be the first of a series discussing foundational texts so lemme know if its something you'd be interested to see more of.Thank you for watching!Benemail: doomantidote@gmail.com https://linktr.ee/benfensome
My favourite books of all time! Ben Fensome 2023-04-15 | HiyaBen here, about time I did this.... here are my top 10 favourite novels!Thanks for watching!https://linktr.ee/benfensome
BEST BOOKS I READ IN 2022 Ben Fensome 2023-01-01 | Hello!Ben here, here are the best books I read this year!Thank you for watching!Benemail: doomantidote@gmail.comhttps://linktr.ee/benfensomeBooks mentioned:If Not, Winter, Fragments of Sappho, Anne CarsonWar and Peace, Leo TolstoyA Room With a View, EM Forster1984, George OrwellOne Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Aleksandr SolzhenitsynStoner, John WilliamsSong of Solomon, Toni MorrisonMidnight's Children Salman RushdieDisgrace, J.M.CoetzeeThe Sense of an Ending, Julian BarnesSmall Things Like These, Claire KeeganAfter Sappho, Selby Wynn SchwartzIn Search of Lost Time, Marcel Proust
In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust | a year long reading vlog Ben Fensome 2022-12-28 | This year I read all of In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust.Here's how it wentTIMESTAMPS00:00 A madeleine moment00:50 Swann's Way06:27 Within a Budding Grove12:54 Midyear Check In15:10 The Guermantes Way20:24 Paris Trip21:24 Sodom and Gomorrah28:51 The Captive33:36 The Fugitive36:24 Time Regained43:04 Tips Advice, and final thoughts50:26 Proust DanceHere's some other vids on Proust that I found valuable:@HardcoverHearts youtube.com/watch?v=kZGlX8b_9Z0&t=257s@JuanReads youtube.com/watch?v=LpJ7axMwmyQ&t=257s@alanaestelle2076 youtube.com/watch?v=FF8HcR5vwew&t=25s@BetterThanFoodBookReviews youtube.com/watch?v=ovdZTxBxQIk&t=717s@Fiction_Beast youtube.com/watch?v=47zd7JIdVcEFull videos:March Reading Wrap Up (Swann's Way)youtube.com/watch?v=JJcoZxAf0-A&t=1018sApril Reading Wrap Up (Within a Budding Grove)youtube.com/watch?v=eB9P4-Lz9-s&t=1706sMid Year Freakout Tagyoutube.com/watch?v=J_pgjVXwZWs&t=334sJune Reading Wrap Up (The Guermantes Way)youtube.com/watch?v=hxjglbGoQ9E&t=1048sI went to Parisyoutube.com/watch?v=otT1SpGyDgk&t=778sAugust Reading Wrap Up (Sodom and Gomorrah)youtube.com/watch?v=Yp7TEbYDtx8&t=1744sOctober Wreading Wrap Up (The Captive)youtube.com/watch?v=0uMa_itytgk&t=1645sNovember Reading Wrap Up (The Fugitive)youtube.com/watch?v=i7p1NH8OYb0&t=722sThank you for watching! Benemail: doomantidote@gmail.comhttps://linktr.ee/benfensome#insearchoflosttime #proust #booktube #readingvlog #classicbooks
10 Classic Book Recommendations! | 3000 years down to 10 books? Easy! Ben Fensome 2022-12-17 | Hello!Ben here. Today we're condensing around 3000 years worth of classic western literature down to 10 books hahaVideo was inspired by:@KDbooks youtube.com/watch?v=IspFvLiFFAE&t=178s@saintdonoghue youtube.com/watch?v=XTnRYqRlBzs@BrandonsBookshelf youtube.com/watch?v=OKuTaP86o4g&t=1sThanks for watching!Spoilers:Greek Epic PoetGreek TragedianRoman PoetMiddle Ages Italian Poet Middle Ages English Poet Renaissance English Playwright 18th Century Nigerian/British Abolitionist Writer19th Century English Romantic/Gothic Novelist19th Century Russian Realist Novelist19th Century American Renaissance NovelistBen xemail:doomantidote@gmail.comhttps://linktr.ee/benfensomesince you're down here...I've written a play! And it is being put on in London next February!We have launched a kickstarter to help us bring it to life, if you are able to donate, anything small or big is greatly appreciated!http://kck.st/3jbhSugMore info on the show here:vaultfestival.com/events/buffThank you!
i went to PARIS | art, proust, & sightseeing Ben Fensome 2022-08-22 | Salut!I decided to go on a short Paris trip and here's what I saw! (and the books I read/bought)Thanks for watching!Ben xemail: doomantidote@gmail.com insta: benthefen
MY PENGUIN CLASSICS COLLECTION | a black spine stock take! Ben Fensome 2022-04-18 | Hello!Ben here, here's all the black spine penguin classics I currently own!00:00 Intro and preamble 04:20 The CollectionThe majority of these books I have purchased second hand, either from second-hand bookshops, charity shops or online. Authors and titles include:DickensHardyCharlotte and Emily BronteElizabeth GaskellE.M ForsterCharles DarwinTolstoyDostoyevskyBoccaccioChaucerMoby DickThe Faerie QueeneThe KoranDon QuixoteThe MahabharataPlatoAristotleSapphoHomerVirgilSophoclesAlexander Dumasand many others!Thanks for watching!Ben x
WAR & PEACE by LEO TOLSTOY | a book discussion Ben Fensome 2022-01-18 | Hello!Ben here, I finished reading War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy for the first time and wanted to share some thoughts about it!I read the translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (I pronounce her name wrong) published by Vintage ClassicsTIMESTAMPS:00:00 War and flipping Peace02:07 The Second Epilogue 04:13 Free will vs Determinism05:57 The Main Characters12:33 Fiction with Non-fiction13:56 I should have annotated it15:18 Is it worth it?16:46 Pierre and the Great Comet of 181117:58 Conclusion!Follow up Vids!Here's a couple other reviews on this book which I really enjoyed:@TheBookchemist youtube.com/watch?v=NeOViN1KTQ4@whatpageareyouon youtube.com/watch?v=F0LthBLZtBk&t=99sThanks for watching!
TOP 12 BOOKS I READ IN 2021! | 6 classics! 6 new releases! Ben Fensome 2022-01-01 | Hello!Here's a run down of the top 12 books I read in 2021!Non spoiler timestamps in publication date order:00:00 Intro01:14 PART ONE: CLASSICS/BACKLIST #1 1600#2 1871#3 1980#4 1987#5 1993#6 2018/2015:56 PART TWO: NEW RELEASES IN 2021 #7 7th January #8 4th February#9 16th February#10 4th May#11 17th June#12 18th July29:12 TOP 3 AND FAVOURITE BOOK OF THE YEAR!Thanks so much for watching, commenting, liking, disliking, subscribing, everything! I'm really grateful for all the fun we've had this past year. I hope we can have some more good times on this weird little channel in 2022! Ben xEmail: doomantidote@gmail.comBooks mentioned (alphabetically):A Midsummer Night's Dream, William ShakespeareBeloved, Toni Morrison Detransition Baby, Torrey PetersGreat Circle, Maggie ShipsteadMiddlemarch, George EliotNo One Is Talking About This, Patricia LockwoodOpen Water, Caleb Azumah NelsonParable of the Sower, Octavia E ButlerThe Name of the Rose, Umberto EcoThe Promise, Damon GalgutThis Mournable Body, Tsitsi DangarembgaWhat You Can See From Here, Mariana Leky
Lets Revisit: HIS DARK MATERIALS! [CC] Ben Fensome 2021-05-16 | Hello!After 20 years I recently reread Philip Pullman's HIs Dark Materials trilogy and here's some rambly thoughts on it!Closed Captions available.His Dark Materials:Northern Lights (or The Golden Compass), 1995The Subtle Knife, 1997The Amber Spyglass, 2000Very vague timestamps:00:00 Intro 01:55 Paradise Lost 2: The Revenge03:24 NORTHERN LIGHTS09:05 THE SUBTLE KNIFE16:10 THE AMBER SPYGLASS21:13 What is the message at the end of the trilogy?25:00 ConclusionHere's a fantastic (SPOILERY) interview where Philip Pullman goes deep into the themes of the book:highprofiles.info/interview/philip-pullmanCouldn't find the artist's name but here's where the image of the Mulefa came from after a Google image search:reddit.com/r/hisdarkmaterials/comments/e7u6vr/since_i_saw_people_were_posting_those_this_is_myThanks for watching!Ben x
APRIL 2021 READING WRAP UP | its all about love and death innit Ben Fensome 2021-05-01 | Hello!Ben here,Here's the books I read in April! 4 of which may very well be in my top 10 of the whole year!It's a long one... (bonus points for anyone who finds the Theresa May reference)Timestamps (or chapters as I believe they're now called):00:00 Women's Prize for Fiction Shortlist Reaction 03:30 The Sorrows of Young Werther, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (trans. by Michael Hulse)08:10 The New Sorrows of Young W., Ulrich Plenzdorf (trans. by Romy Fursland)10:16 Eugene Onegin, Alexander Pushkin (trans. by James E. Falen)16:32 You, Nuala Ni Chonchuir19:52 The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco (trans. by William Weaver)24:40 By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept, Elizabeth Smart27:59 Beloved, Toni Morrison32:18 Story of the Eye, Georges Bataille (trans. by Joachim Neugroschal)38:39 Detransition, Baby, Torrey Peters45:14 Open Water, Caleb Azumah NelsonMany of these books were provided by Kieran @KDbooks (THANKS SO MUCH MATE!!) If you don't follow him then what are you even doing?Here is his review of Story of the Eye:youtube.com/watch?v=6mYnjRX11Xw&t=397sOther Follow up Vids:The Book Chemist's in depth review of The Name of the Rose:youtube.com/watch?v=9JHbd34D3zM&t=500sGreat review of Open Water from a new booktuber Satbo Reads Books:youtube.com/watch?v=F2vSZzfkywk&t=205sA brilliant comprehensive review into Detransition Baby from Zack Wilson (I want him to make more vids so please send him some love!)youtube.com/watch?v=CwdUR_oDmNYThanks everyone!Ben x
MARCH 2021 READING WRAP UP | Middlemarch! Vanishing Half! Exciting Times! Piranesi! Ben Fensome 2021-04-05 | Hello!Ben here.Here's what I read in the month of March!Timestamps:Exciting Times, Naoise Dolan 02:49The Book of Not, Tsitsi Dangarembga 08:24Piranesi, Susanna Clarke 13:20Red White and Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston 17:12The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett 21:23Hard Times, Charles Dickens 28:12Love After Love, Ingrid Persaud 32:17Wordsworth Classics covers & editions chat! 37:41Middlemarch, George Eliot 39:35Booktubers mentioned!* Alex @whatpageareyouon * Bob The Bookerer youtube.com/channel/UCo9wDCo3u3J5Sky9skhVkXA* Svea Schaike youtube.com/channel/UCNMT-Q8WIDsgXpIc96UYUfg* Charlotte @CoynieReads * @brittabohlerthesecondshelf Womens Prize for Fiction Reaction: youtube.com/watch?v=4C7BmTWzxmU&t=150sFollow up Vids for Love After Love (for balance haha)* Here's a very positive review from @shawnbreathesbooks youtube.com/watch?v=GM5yB0rzY7E&t=365s* I also really enjoyed this detailed mixed review from @Comfycozyup youtube.com/watch?v=t1NlwhVpHhAThink that's everything!Thanks so much for watching! Stay safe!Ben x
ONE YEAR ON BOOKTUBE! | best (out of context) bits! Ben Fensome 2021-01-16 | Hello!January 2021 marks my first year anniversary on Booktube! To celebrate, here's a compilation of me messing about over the past year. Expect silly voices, esoteric film quotes, and a strange dance...Thank you so much to everyone who's joined me on this bizarre journey... to anyone who has subscribed, liked, commented, recommended, shared, buddy read, or simply watched A BIG BIG THANK YOU!Hope you enjoy!Ben xx(n.b. a handful of clips for some reason have lost frame rate in the editing process, that's just down to my knackered laptop haha)
CLASSICS I WANT TO READ IN 2021 | Classics TBR! Ben Fensome 2020-11-22 | Hello!"You better call Ben with the stupid hair" here.I wanted to create a Classics TBR for myself for the coming year and see how I do!Books and authors mentioned:Vanity Fair, William Makepeace ThackerayCharles DickensMiddlemarch, George EliotWar and Peace, Leo TolstoyCount of Monte Cristo, Alexandre DumasElizabeth GaskellThomas Hardy (briefly)The Tenant of WIldfell Hall, Anne BronteVillette, Charlotte Bronte (briefly)Clarissa, Samuel RichardsonWhat are some classics books you'd like to get to next year?Booktubers mentioned:Leo @ A Little Book Lifeyoutube.com/channel/UC-FEiOwoPLd1RWQzEvEoyIASimon @ SavidgeReadsyoutube.com/user/SavidgeReadsSteve @ Steve Donohueyoutube.com/user/saintdonoghueThanks for watching!x
JANE EYRE | We need to talk about it! (spoilers) Ben Fensome 2020-08-22 | Hello, Ben here! :) I LOVED reading Jane Eyre for the first time and needed to talk about it! This is a rambling (kinda chaotic) chat through the plot and CONTAINS SPOILERS. If you have not read Jane Eyre I would encourage you to read it BEFORE you watch this video but just for safety sake I start talking about major spoilers from 09:20I don't really pre-plan these videos, and as this is more an unfocussed ramble of my own experience/reaction reading the novel, I didn't get to all the key subplots and characters (sorry Blanche!). If you're after a more analytical or in-depth review of Jane Eyre I would highly recommend the following videos: The_BookChemist youtube.com/watch?v=qm2XgIo77N0 Life by Jo youtube.com/watch?v=2G1pY-uPHFc&t=394s Books and Things youtube.com/watch?v=WUKKaOqyOOQ Other than that, hope you enjoy! Thank you!
a Jane Austen noob ranks her novels Ben Fensome 2020-07-10 | Hello! Ben here.So I'm a new fan of Jane Austen! I recently finished reading Jane Austen's finished novels and thought it would be fun to rank and discuss them based on my initial read. Timestamps!#6 03:13#5 06:05#4 08:53#3 12:55#2 14:51#1 18:57The books:Sense and Sensibility (1811)Pride and Prejudice (1813)Mansfield Park (1814)Emma (1815)Northanger Abbey (1818)Persuasion (1818)What are your favourites? I'm slightly piggy-backing off Jane Austen July which is being hosted by Kate at Books and Things: youtube.com/watch?v=KYi82SaBTjc and Marissa at Blatantly Bookish: youtube.com/watch?v=IJeokFmt_Ns Also, be sure to follow the hashtag #JaneAustenJuly for lots and lots of Jane Austen content from various booktube creators. I'm enjoying it all so far :)Thanks everybody!x
MY YEAR OF READING! | Catching Up On Classic Novels Ben Fensome 2020-01-26 | Hello! Ben here.Reading in 2019 became a big hobby and in this video I recap and reflect on my experiences of reading classic books (and modern bestsellers) for the first time.The books I talk about and timestamps:100 Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez 02:00Maurice, E.M. Forster 03:40Rubyfruit Jungle, Rita Mae Brown 05:20Persuasion, Jane Austen 07:40Emma, Jane Austen 08:55Great Expectations, Charles Dickens 10:12Celestial Bodies, Jokha Alharthi 12:55Milkman, Anna Burns 15:08Rebecca, Daphne Du Maurier 18:45Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte 22:47Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert 27:05The Color Purple, Alice Walker 28:05Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons 30:58Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe 32:30Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger 34:35Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy 36:42Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad 39:19If On A Winter's Night A Traveller, Italo Calvino 41:22Bright Lights Big City, Jay McInerney 43:10The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Mohsin Hamid 44:04Moby Dick, Herman Melville 45:35Frankenstein, Mary Shelley 49:38The Overstory, Richard Powers 50:49The Sea The Sea, Iris Murdoch 53:39Kafka On The Shore, Haruki Murakami 55:15Exit West, Mohsin Hamid 56:29A Man Called Ove, Fredrick Backman 59:22Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen 1:00:15Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller 1:01:20
