I went on a mental health day trip into town this last Friday and visited two warehouse sized thrift stores with bookshop sized book sections. I scored so many titles I had been looking for, that I came home with an entire BOX of books. Such an exciting haul. (We also ended up getting to eat out at a local restaurant and were the only people out on a riverside patio, in a gazebo, with fairy lights strung in the trees, and our own fire pit. We ate and drank and soaked in the atmosphere. This has nothing to do with books but was such a rare and wonderful blessing that I just had to share.) Also found four books on the donation sale shelf of our library, who just reopened their building to the public. It makes me want to start a booktube channel solely for the purpose of sharing all my new treasures! LOL

aw you're spoiling us with these frequent uploads

I think you hit on something about repetition with Murakami that you’ll definitely notice the further you get into his catalogue. I really notice it with more straightforward books like Norwegian Wood, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki, and South of the Border West of the Sun. His protagonists are pretty much the same, rudderless man in his mid 30s, in some sort of transitional phase of his life, usually divorced or separated from his wife or about to be. When there’s less magical realism, I tend to notice the sameness a lot more. When I read South of the Border it felt it a version of about four of his other books. When he’s got talking cats, little people, going into wells, , and frogs raining from the sky the dullness and repetition tends to fade into the background. His brilliance seems to come when he uses his characters as blank canvasses to explore some wild and woolly ideas. Not that I’ve read anything from him I’d consider out and out bad, but he does have his dull spots.

I'm from Germany and we are currently looking at Rilke in my german advanced class. I now completely understand your obsession, he's incredible.

omg this came in the perfect timee!! i will be watching this so i can calm down a bit because your videos give me comfort somehow hdjhd :)

Days of Abandonment is a terrific black comedy with an excruciating set piece 🗝

elena ferante is one of the best authors i've ever read. she writes in incredibly real way. how i describe the feeling when reading her books is like being naked while a whole crowd of people watching you. it makes you feel anxious and nervous, but also fragile and happy. you just relate to characters so much. I haven't read days of abandonment yet,but I think it's a good start because one you read Napolian tetrology, no other works of hers will live up to it. I also just want to say I picked up One hundred years of solitude today because of you , I love all your recommendations 🥰

omg i've been scrolling through youtube trying to find a good video to watch for ten minutes. thankfully i decided to refresh the page and i saw this was uploaded a minute ago!

If you like Kafka, start with The Unconsoled (it is basically like The Castle), if you like Proust then go with the Remains of the Day. If you like Dragons, you should read the Buried Giant.

Brideshead revisited is about a young soldier who goes back to the mansion of the home of the family of his school friend. It is about the family before the war and the events and relationships of the protagonist and this family. He goes back in time and retells the story of that relationship and the events that occurred before the war. There has been movies and a tv series based on the book.

Hello Emmie!, i'm learning english and you're one of my favs channels on youtube where I'm learning this lenguage, I love the content that you always make, your vlogs and book reviews I like so much, keep it up!!.

I am definitely going to take many book recs from this video... Hope you're having a great day Emma💛

The Unconsoled is AMAZING! It left such a lingering impression on me and I never hear people talk about it. I’m excited to hear your thoughts!

So mole over is the new word we learnt today

I am living for these frequent updates! Thank you :)

awww emma, I'm so excited to hear your thoughts on these books. you deserve all the good things in life ♡♡♡

I think you're gonna love Brideshead! Also I JUST started reading Dickens and A Christmas Carol in my British Lit class and so I'm so glad I happened to click on this at the right time and see Mr. Dickens and His Carol, it looks so interesting and it's going right to the top of by TBR. Thank you!!

I wrote my masters dissertation on feminism and women as Other in Shirley Jackson's short stories and used The Lottery and Other Stories as my main work, so I'm really excited to see that you'll be reading it! Shirley's writing is sublime. She writes such creepy stories about the strangeness and scariness of humanity, I love it. Hope you'll love it too! :D

I read Brideshead Revisited last summer and while I did like it, it's overtime that I've come to love it! At first it was a solid 3/5 stars for me because of differences between where I wanted the book to go and what actually happens, and it was a _little_ slow- like I would read for hours but not get much further into the book. I thought it was such an interesting story though, the characters were fleshed out well, and the writing was beautiful. A bit after I read it I watched the 1981 miniseries, which I thought was amazing! It's probably the most faithful adaptation I've ever seen and it definitely played a part in me appreciating and liking the novel more. I also started to do some research on Waugh and the book, the writing of it, its legacy, etc., which I would like to continue with but got so sidetracked with other books and movies and life stuff. Maybe most significantly, I found myself thinking about the book so often! I just couldn't get it out of my head. And all of those things combined prompted me to increase my initial rating of it and include it in the list of my favorite books read in 2020! It's not exactly *dark* academia, but I would consider it _academia._ And not *light* academia either because there are serious aspects (e.g. another impending war and crumbling upper class) and tragedy and _what is the meaning of ___?_ discussions, but things don't align with the secretive, mysterious, and maybe crime-involved imagery that comes to mind with the term dark academia. At least, that's my opinion. There's a subtitle of it that is very telling of ideas and themes that are discussed throughout the novel. It doesn't seem like your edition has it on the front cover, either; in the edition I have it's on the title page inside: Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder. I'm excited to hear your thoughts on it whenever you get around to reading it :)

I am currently reading the Legendborn and I am loving it so far as this revolves around king Arthur's 🤴 descendants and anything related to king arthur is what I love to read about. The Guinevere deception is also a retelling of the Arthurian Legend so, you should read that. The days of abandonment seems intriguing, I would read it. Thanks Emma for posting a video today as you made my boring day so far a cheerful one🙂🥰❣.

killing comendatore is one of my favorite books of all time. it was my first murakami book and really had a profound impact on me. it had a slow burning suspense but a light, fulfulling ending. highly recommend

I read The Remains of The Day in January it introduced me to Ishiguro's brilliant storytelling 😊 I then read Never Let Me Go last month and omg!! so disturbing and moving at the same time. I think it doesn't matter which book you end up reading first so far I have enjoyed both books. I got The Buried Giant and Artist of the Floating World on my shelf. He is becoming a favourite ❤️ I am looking forward to getting Klara and Sun and the rest of his novels. I hope you enjoy his writing as much as I did 😊

And I’m hooked❤️

Omg I'm so excited for you to read Shirley Jackson's short stories! Last semester I wrote two of my final essays on some of her stories and let me tell you, sinking your fingers deep into all things myth and unadulterated human experience is one of the most rewarding things I have done during my literature degree.

I loved middlesex! Also I really like your lamp

Love hearing about your selections. And your demeanor and voice are just so nice. I hope your channel keeps growing.

I love hearing about your selections and this came in the perfect time. Thank you :)

I loved Greenglass House. It takes place over the winter school holidays so if you can manage to wait until December, that would be the perfect time to read it.

Your videos always make my day 🥺 its so nice to see all the new books youve got. Ive always wanted to branch out and read more classics, and youre helping me a lot with that by sharing your books!

Looking forward to your review of ‘Snow Country’! I’ve purchased a load of Yasunari Kawabata books and can’t wait to read his works. Lovely video ✨

I really like this type of videos! It makes me curious about what those books are about, and I sometimes actually go and read them. I truly love your channel, thank you.

Ahhh, your videos always bring so much joy!

I love that you love Ishiguro! I’ve read Remains of the Day and The Buried Giant and would recommend both. I’m definitely getting Legendborn for the book club this month!

Middlesex and The Book of Longings are some of my favorite books ever, I am also starting to read more Ishiguro this year, I plan on picking up Klara and the Sun, his newest book

When your favorite poet's name itself is a poem and you can mole over it's beauty.

This video was amazing and just hearing your voice comforted me after a busy day :) ♡♡♡

This is officially my new favorite channel to relax to 🥰

you are the only person I love and don't even know. thank you for making my quarantine days better. ❤️

It seems Ishiguro is beginning to grab me too. I have recently picked up 'The Remains of the Day', and hope to read it sometime this Spring. It's always fun to hear what you have to say about the books. 😃

MiddleSex is one of my favorite books of all time.

I went through the Year with Rilke for 3 years. I lent it to my sister but I find I’m missing it.... might need to get another... and the letters to the musician. It’s new to me, so thank you!

Love Elena Ferrante! After reading My Brilliant Friend, you're going to want to read them all in the Neopolitan series!!

Your videos are so beautiful and calming! 💖

I read The Lottery 3 years ago during my 2nd year of Uni and man did it stick with me?! Just wonderful.

You look so pretty Emma ❤️🥺 Haven't watched the video yet but i'm sure i'll love it

the lottery is... my favorite short story ever. I hope you love it!

Even I bought unconsoled by Ishiguro recently. Once I finish the boy with striped pajamas, maybe I can start it too alongside of Beartown and the colour purple

I’m so curious for The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. I’ve loved her short stories that I’ve read so far! 😃📖

I've read Ishiguro's Remains of the Day but in French. It was among my top 3 books for year 2020.

Nice haul. The only thing with which I have any familiarity is the very famous Jackson story, The Lottery. The one about longing Anna may be interesting though its subject matter has become what we here on BT call a trope. Of all the mentioned works, Letters to a Musician sounds most fun but only because it reminds me of the incredible reading experience I had with Flaubert's Letters. Looking forward to your next show, thx Emma.

I am not a student of literature, but I was assigned The Remains of The Day by my professor in our Modern Novel class. Anyhow, I detested it. And my professor found it hilarious because he was, actually, anticipating that reaction, lol. I assume it is one of those: you either love it or hate it works.

Love the video! Your voice is so calming :)

well my tbr just got that much bigger haha, and yes that cartoon looks just like gaiman

I remember reading for the first time The Lottery. We discussed it in our Lit class back in college. I had to stop and breathe because I didn't expect what happened at all.

I'm so curious about The Master of Go! Also very interested in what you will think of The Unconsoled, it sure is a different work compared to other books by Ishiguro! I definitely recommend The Remains of the Day first, I think it is his most accomplished novel so far (although my favorite is A Pale View of Hills!) :) Thank you for your videos!!

Great book haul..I have the Mr dickens and his Carol one..will read it closer to 2021 Christmas

I'm also accumulating so many Murakami’s books in my apartment ! I didn’t know Lettres à une musicienne by Rilke, I think I'll buy it soon, Lettres à un jeune poète was one of my favorite books of 2020 ! 🥰

The Remains of the Day utterly broke my heart. But that's the only Ishiguro I've read so far. But I highly recommend it.

I am currently reading Killing Commandatore and I'm enjoying it very much!! I love all his books. I haven't read any of hid shorts stories yet.

I'm a big fan of the classics, so this is great for me.

Regarding Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, be prepared to be shocked. I love this short story. Kazuo Ishiguro, I have not read his other works yet, but if one day you can read Never Let Me Go by him is great, and it broke my heart.

I've just finished Anne's series last week. Loved it ( except book four)!! Hope you enjoy it.❤🤗

I would definitely advise Remains of the day first. :) The Unconsoled is a very weird book, and I think it is best to read it after you get to know more of Ishiguro's works (personally I loved it but it's a very frustrating read and takes absolute ages to get through, and I definitely see why a lot of people DNF it haha). Days of Abandonment was my first Ferrante - I love her way of writing, she's awesome.

oh my god Legendborn is so good I flew through it. It's such a refreshing take on the YA genre, I hope you enjoy it!

Yay more book recs

The Book of Belongings was absolutely PHENOMENAL (!!!)

Seeing that you bought "Artemis", you really also should read "The Martian"! I haven't seen the film and was quite unimpressed by the book for the first few chapters, but honestly, once I got into it, I absolutely loved it! It's quite a ride, and so unlike so many other 'proper' sci-fi books I've read ... and the sense of humour of our protagonist ist just great, too. Highly recommend! Oh, and "Mr Dickens and His Carol" was one of my favourite books of 2017! I don't know if I'd still like it that much now, but I'd love to come back to it as well when you guys read it :)

Brideshead Revisited is one of my favorite novels and I think you'll love it! 🖤

Emma I want to read the master of go as it was written in the year I was born love your channel love from John in Australia please stay safe

I read the Book of Longings! I loved it! I suck at reviews, but it was really good!

I absolutely love Murakami's novels, with 'repetitive' elements and all :) but unfortunately I cannot say the same about his short stories. I feel his writing thrives on longer narrative forms... Btw, there's an audio adaptation of The Sandman, narrated by Neil Gaiman and with a full cast of (voice) actors for the characters. It has a sort of 'cinematic' vibe when it comes to the soundtrack/ scene change music, but it's quite good. Happy readings :)

25:55 I'm not familiar with this series, but that is 105% Noel from Bake Off. For Kazuo Ishiguro, start with The Remains of the Day! It's a short and honestly perfect book. Great video, great haul!

Book of Longings is my favorite book I’ve read in a while and I haven’t seen any book tubers read it, I’m so excited to hear what you think of it

Both Ishiguro books are great. I enjoyed the Buried Giant a little bit more.

omg i screamed when i saw Middlesex i read it this year and it was great

🇮🇹The Leopard 🐆 by Giuseppe di Lampedusa - the Italian War & Peace (kind of/sort of/not really). *Also features a great dog character 🐾

I love how frequently you’ve been uploading:)) I’m gunna catch up on your recent vids today haha

You absolutely have to read Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro! It's such a beautiful book 💜

Hi Emma, your video has now relaxed me so much: tomorrow I'll start my first ever job and I'm terrified. Now i feel better thanks to you

Love, love, love Sue Monk Kidd!

Sue Monk Kidd also wrote a book called The Secret Life of Bees. I didn't realize that was the same author until now.😆

Gotta say, I’ve been feeling real motivated lately. I just read a 600 pg book. Not gonna say which one otherwise I’ll get roasted. Great video I read Midnight Sun. OK BYEEEEEE! 😅😅😅😅

On goodreads one of the reviews compares The Mater of Go to The Chess Story by Stefan Zweig which I really enjoyed and read last year. Definitely recommend if you haven’t heard of it

Mole over 🤣🤣🤣love this

If you plan to read Ferrante I would like to recommend that you read My brilliant friend and the other novels in the Neapolitan cycle first and only after that The days of abandonment. I personally really loved my brilliant friend but was not a fan of The days of abandonment. Just a piece of advice:)

Personally never let me go and remains of the day and nocturnes are my favorite Ishiguro. I got half way through the unconsoled and was bored and didn’t enjoy it. It’s been shelved for now

Amazing as always ☺️ love the Harry Potter prints behind, where did you get them? 😍🌙

Hi Emmie, I recommend that you read "My sweet orange tree" by Jose Mauro de Vasconcelos, it is a Brazilian novel. They made us read it in elementary school, I don't know if you already read it!

that cartoon looks EXACTLY like neil gaiman i agree

How can you be so beautiful?

You should read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, it's like modern day fiction but mixed with old tales and going back in time and living in time loops and it has vintage photos, if you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend✨

Murakami's Killing comendatore caused me a year long reading slump :( because it's so long and I didn't feel satysfaction at the end, it felt like worthless job. i like Murakami but not this one. I suggest 1Q84 ! 💜😂

🖤🖤

Tus colores brillan más en la nieve..

Start with the unconsoled coz having a vague synopsis makes it more readable from my perspective..just saying

♥️

I thought Mr Dickens and His Carol was terrific.

What do you think about Delphi Classics? There are many copies of Tolstoy on scribd and I didn’t know which to pick.

Love your channel can you recommend any Canadian murder mystery/ thriller books

my internet crush