Okay does this make me a negative person because I really enjoyed this 😂 seriously though, these reviews were so thoughtful and I think even though you did pull from your emotions or more subjective considerations (which we all do!) it was clear which parts were more objective and which parts were more subjective which I personally think is the important thing! Also definitely glad I wasn’t planning to read any of these books haha. Though Samantha Shannon is an author I’d be interested in trying so I hope she comes out with a book that appeals to me more than her current ones. And I agree with your feelings about the blurriness of “semi autobiographical” books! I also sometimes just get very petty and resent the fact that a random person thought “you know what the most important story to tell is? ME as the main character!” and then they win a bunch of awards for it lol. Also your realization at the end was so funny! I actually had something similar happen with a recent review/discussion where I was like “this isn’t going to be a normal structured review that’s me summing up how I feel about this book” and then it totally was lol. Also similar in that I was SUPER subjective with some of my criticisms (way more than usual I think) to the point where I’m like, should I even post this? 😅 Anyway, really enjoyed this video experiment!
@mcs-books90754 жыл бұрын
Haha, not at all, Cara! I am of course glad that you enjoyed this video, and it certainly fills me with a lot more confidence than I had before uploading this! Yes, Priory of the Orange Tree is probably the most likely to fall within your general interests, but there are far better fantasy books as you are well aware, so you're truly not missing out on anything here! I absolutely agree, it feels uncomfortable naval gazing when writes centre themselves as the main character and just veil their own ideals through the lens of supposed "fiction". It makes me think of the Icelandic author Sjòn who actually turns up as a side character in one of his novels, and that WORKS because the whole book has this magical realist perspective ensuring that you can understand everything is fictional, and an author turning up in their own novel under this context makes sense and enhances that meta and mystical feel. Thank you for your lovely comment
@CarlasBookBits4 жыл бұрын
I literally gasped out loud when I saw you uploaded! 🙈🙌 Your eloquence is soo missed and needed on booktube! Funny, I'm actually planning to reread Priory very very soon, and while I enjoyed it the first time (kinda agree with your point though; that you can kind of 'feel' the author's hand in the storyline, and so the story doesn't feel as organic as it could), I wonder if I'm gonna agree more with your opinion the second time around. 😁
@mcs-books90754 жыл бұрын
Awh, Carla!!
@ReadandFindOut4 жыл бұрын
Ooh, interesting review of Priory. I loved it, but I do think it was her first work that wasn't YA. I think the point that sometimes you're not ready for your own ideas is super valid; I feel like I've had this half formed idea that could be great for research in my field for the past year or two, but I don't think it's something that I'd be ready for or could fully flesh out right now.
@mcs-books90754 жыл бұрын
I can definitely see that she's managing flipping between adult and YA writing, and I'm certain that her future books will develop with a much clearer standing on either side. I have also felt very much the same about a research project in my field, and I completely understand the eagerness to dive into something you feel excited about, haha!
@ameliareads5894 жыл бұрын
Fabulous video! You did a very good job in trying to do as objective reviews as possible. In my opinion there are not enough critical reviews on booktube. I would love to see more like this from you!
@mcs-books90754 жыл бұрын
Thank you, it's definitely a challenge so I can appreciate why people don't want to do it as regularly. Your comment has certainly made me feel better about what I wanted to achieve, but I think I still need to practice it a bit more, or at least jot down some notes before I just go on spurting all my ideas in such a messy way, haha!
@ameliareads5894 жыл бұрын
@@mcs-books9075 For me you never come across messy at all, Matthew, even without any notes. You are a very reflective person in my opinion.
@CharlesHeathcote4 жыл бұрын
I don't mind seeing negative reviews + have been known to purchase books based on them in the past. I didn't plan on reading any of these books beforehand. In terms of Priory of the Orange Tree, I know what you mean about not having the skill to write a piece yet (Imma use myself as an example, because I'm a regular narcissist.) I was in the lucky position a few years ago to recognise I didn't have the necessary skill to write a book I had an idea for. However, I've noticed that other younger writers don't have this insight into themselves. I might read the book one day (it isn't likely) but I might. In terms of Motherhood, you raise an interesting point with regards to writing for a specific audience. I often think that every writer is writing for every reader, but maybe this isn't the case. I can see how basing a novel on our experiences will ultimately always colour the prose in some way because the writer will want you to empathise with them as a person, which in turn might mean that like attracts to like and only those who've had similar experiences can become emotionally invested. I don't know. I haven't read the book. I just felt like having some half past nine hypothesising.
@mcs-books90754 жыл бұрын
I certainly think I shouldn't be shying away from doing as many negative reviews in the future. I also have this idea for a story which I know that I full well cannot write at this stage, the idea is quite Mitchellian, and I think it would require a lot of control and skill to give it the justice it deserves which I just don't think I yet have! I do think that most authors put a little bit of themselves into many characters that they write, and of course it's impossible to not colour the prose with your own perspective, I think that's just part of the human condition, but this book seemed to take it way beyond that and seemed to just miss the point entirely. I think I would much rather read a collection of essays about motherhood from a perspective that doesn't just rely on having a fully functioning womb, and the money to live as frivolously as Heti.
@lucyrutherford4 жыл бұрын
I tried to read Motherhood when all the hype for it was around and I think you pinpointed why I dnf'd it! There were a few sentences about motherhood that felt insightful but mostly it seemed like an excuse for the author to ramble on about herself but because it was "fiction" it was presented as artistic as opposed to self involved. And I'm the target audience as well!
@mcs-books90754 жыл бұрын
Yeah absolutely, and it was difficult to really see the artistic element because of the way it was structure and laid out. I particularly did not care for the I Ching question an answer sections which didn't really seem to add any interesting layers to the narrative!
@Sci-FiOdyssey4 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the Priory of the Orange Tree review. This is currently sitting on my shelf and I’m aiming to get to it this year. I do keep looking at it and wondering why the publisher let it be so long. Is it really good or is it impossible to edit down? Anyway you had some interesting thoughts which I will bear in mind when I finally start it... 🤞
@mcs-books90754 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the great comment. It certainly is interesting that it was allowed to be kept so long, in fact, it really could have done with being cut into two books as opposed to one mammoth one, but I guess it's all about contracts and time management for her other series!
@BetweenLinesAndLife4 жыл бұрын
WHO IS SHE?! One thing for sure: we love herrrrr😄 Jokes on me for having 2 out of 3 books on my TBR/wishlist 😂 You know that I‘m not the biggest fan of reviewing books I didnt like either but I do believe that as you said it can be a good exercise! And I love how you tied your reading experience to lessons you learnt! That‘s why I don‘t DNF, because even the worst reading experience teaches me something in the end! One of my WIP is sitting there until I have the skills to write it and I‘m fine with that! ...most of the time 😂 You know that I‘m all for the potential of an universal appeal (I agree not all art needs to be universal, but I feel like it needs to have the potential to be)... so I am especially hesitant about Motherhood now...
@mcs-books90754 жыл бұрын
Hahaha, well you know both mine and Sophie's thoughts on Priory, so there is absolutely potential that you'll enjoy it, remember, it was still a three star read!! A good exercise for sure, but one that I managed to achieve, not so convinced hahaha, but I definitely had a fun watching my own descent into crippling self doubt as the video progressed... and this is even without the ten minutes that I managed to cut!! Hahaha! Maybe you'd like Motherhood, I think you're a part of the demographic its aimed at, and I know that some of the narrators ideals align with your own, so.... who knows... maybe wait until you're in your 30s also?
@BetweenLinesAndLife4 жыл бұрын
@@mcs-books9075 I will keep both of you posted once I get to Priory :P Haha, I loved the ending, you know that :D Well... we'll see about Motherhood... :P I will wait it out a little for sure
@Bibliofilth4 жыл бұрын
Great to see your reviews again. I don't have a more insightful comment to add because I haven't read any of these books. 😂
@mcs-books90754 жыл бұрын
Hahaha, totally understandable, at least you know not to particularly invest much time in checking them out! ;)
@john-alanpascoe58484 жыл бұрын
I enjoyed your reviews, but I particularly want to respond to what you said at the end about trying to keep your emotions out of the review. The whole point of books (or works of fiction at least) is to evoke emotions; in my opinion not discussing those emotions in a review is leaving out a huge chunk of the reading experience. I know there is a general trend, especially on the internet, where everything should be as objective and rational as possible, but I think that’s really missing the point. ‘This book is good because the average sentence length was less than 20 words and. the physical book weighed less than 300 grammes’ is an entirely objective review, but also completely uninteresting. ‘This book had beautiful writing’ is inherently subjective, but far more interesting as a review.
@mcs-books90754 жыл бұрын
Yes I absolutely agree with you, I kept referring to objectivity in quotation marks because I think what I was aiming more to achieve was an approach to reviewing that wasn’t solely focused on just the emotions, because I do believe that negative reactions can some deter us from actualising our thoughts. My hope was to verbalise why I experienced the negative feelings and what relation that bears with my understanding of literature I enjoy. For me that’s something separate from an emotional reaction, but still not objective... haha!
@AmyGetsLit4 жыл бұрын
Omg! MATTHEW IN MY NOTIFICATIONS!! Ok, off to watch! ❤
@mcs-books90754 жыл бұрын
Hahaha, oh no, this isn't the best comeback I could've made!! >.
@moonbook124 жыл бұрын
Cool reviews
@mcs-books90754 жыл бұрын
Thank you!
@moonbook124 жыл бұрын
@@mcs-books9075 you're welcome, and I think you may love All Boys Aren't Blue (great book=)