lovely....ok, THIS topic is supremely important to me, as a poet especially....for some idiotic reason, people assume when they write or read poetry, that a poem (or collection) must be based on 'real life'---especially the ubiquitous 'I' OR "YOU"....which is nonsensical...maybe because we live in a world, or I live in a world, surrounded by writers and poets who write about their life and experiences endlessly...their suffering...instead of also writing poems that are 'imaginative' or 'works of fiction'...often the 'characters' in my poems are NOT me or people I now, but personae and characters i have created or imagined....or often i will write a poem about an idea, or idea of form, or word, and try to focus on the 'voice' of the character...and i do love playing with the 'voice' and ideas and metaphor and moments of a 'person' im creating...now, of course, my life enters a poem or story, in otherwords, my life in full: what i have see/experienced AND IMAGINED, what i've dreamed up...the books i ve read and films ive seen: all lead to characters and ideas...and when i do right about 'real-life people' (me, my partner, my family, people i know, or people i see around me who i dod not know personally), i try to re-imagine then...to metamorphize them...like Ovid, to sound pretentious...which is why i loathe the term 'auto-fiction' cause all fiction is and is not auto, just as all our life is and is NOT us....we CONSTRUCT memory, we CONSTRUCT experience...we are constructions of everything....anyway, Octopus Man sounds interesting...if you recommend, i will read....i think this is important vid for your readers so that they understand writers or books when they are reading if they are NOT writers...btw, I LOVED the damned Utd, and his other football book (im forgetting the name now)...anyway, for me, what is most important in a book LANGUAGE & CHARCTER....lovely, ttyl, bb

Hi Marc. Loving the videos, as always. Wondering if you've gotten round to Ducle Maria Cardoso's 'new' (in English) book, Eliete: A Normal Life. Hachette have spat it out without an ounce of effort. Yet to see a single review, or display. For me, it doesn't reach the dizzying heights of Violeta Among The Stars, but not sure it was ever going to. Some say it's one of her best books and I certainly couldn't put it down. Would love to hear your take.

I loved this book and was surprised at how effectively it engaged me. I expected it to be more didactic, and although the point is made how incredibly difficult life was as a gay man at that time, it was the plot that fully engaged me. It was a total page turner because the impact of decisions made by the characters could have disastrous results. I recommended it to my book club and look forward to our discussion.

The new Houellebecq is absolutely brilliant.

My enjoyment of Enter Ghost was a step up from yours, but yes one of the elements in that was better understanding the different groups within the Palestinian community. I'd add to your list the Palestinians who have been living as refugees in countries like Jordan for decades and are now second and third generations. And as a British Palestinian, Hammad could convey the tensions between these groups and the sense in which no one of Palestinian origins can ignore questions of history and identity.

Carole Maso in a thumbnail! My God! I read and loved her novel Ghost Dance in college, bought Ava for my mother. Talk about a writer who isn’t discussed as much she deserves to be. Hey, my friend, I’m reading your recent collection of stories just now and thought you’d like to know. I hope you’re well.

I have to say as soon as you said Ava features a 90 year old woman I was sold! But the rest of your review cemented the desire to read it. Good luck with Solenoid Mark!

fabulous....I've sent the link to your review of The Trees Witness Everything to Victoria...Im certain she will be thrilled: you've done again a lovely and sensitive read of her book and the collection,,,victoria is one of my fave american contemp poets writing in english as she has a restless mind and insatiable need to try on and conquer form while out-of-the-black chirping extraordinary beautiful and heartbreaking lines...just wait until you read the other i sent, With My Back to the World...masterpiece.....and i am so so hungry do read Ava...damn it Solenoid...ok, begin tonight...btw, lovely to hear O'Brien book is still lovely...one of the finest NARRATIVE novelists and most un-pigeon-holable in America..and The Things They Carry is easily top 3 of the best books on vietam from an American perspective....anyway, will touch base later when I begin solenoid....GO ENGLAND!

Sounds Great

Enter Ghost is the best book I read in the first 6months of this year.

That Krasznahorkai sounds fun. Who is publishing it?

The only problem with watching other KZfaqrs channels is that it only increases the tbr. So many books and so little time! Happy reading to you.

I have watched you for years and I am infinitely grateful for the reviews you post. The books you recommend are the ones I am most excited to get to. Carson’s Nox, Brand’s Blue clerk and Griffith’s Tomb Guardians.

Lgbtq+lmnop books are worth 2, POC books 2.5. Don't sell yourself short, my man!

Preciso reler "Memórias póstumas...." Reler pra ver se passo a gostar.

I’d love to go through that TBR pile. My best books in first half Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad Brotherless Night by VV Ganeshananthan Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Haworth ☘️ Service by Sarah Gilmartin ☘️ Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan ☘️ How To Build A Boat by Elaine Feeney ☘️ Solider Sailor by Claire Kilroy ☘️ The Caretaker by Ron Rash North Woods by Daniel Mason Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff Stone Yard Devotional by Charolette Wood Strong Female Character by Fern Brady Fayne by AnnMarie MacDonald Tom Lake by Ann Pachett Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano ☘️👋🍀📖📚📕☕️

Hi, You mentioned obtaining certain titles from the US thru Thrift, can I ask a couple of questions please? Do you pay import duties (if so, how much roughly) & the Thrift website doesn't declare the postage fee to the UK, do you know how much a book it is? Does it work out better to order several books together? Much appreciated.

Interstate by Stephen Dixon is worth your time if you haven't read it. I did it because of the paperbird review and the Bookworm interview Dixon did with Micheal Silverblatt. Very powerful book quite prosaic thudding language but puts you through the wringer

Enjoy the second half of your reading year.

Agree. Couldn't stand the characters. Would have thrown it across the room but it was a Kindle download.

Your review is nice and big.

I just wanted all the characters to die. Interesting that your new book is a play on the title of this.

ok, finally finished hahahaha....in between teaching breaks....i left an earlier comment, but it disappeared: weird, my comments disappeared, you tube doesnt like me...anyway, agree completely...i found the book not only pretentious and a bore (i couldnt make it past 2/3 way), but abominable in its the writing ...for all the reasons you site...my belief is this: i read it immediately after i had finished Normal People (her first) and i believe that after that book won so many rave reviews (and a few awards), the publisher asked Rooney: any other manuscripts around...i feel Conversations may have a book she tried to write in uni...and let it go...wrote normal people and went back and the publisher and editor dropped the ball...and they just published it immediately..1 yr between the novels...and 3 years between Conversation and Beautiful World...has to be the explanation, because it is soooo sloppy in language and execution...and pretentious as hell...anyway...as you know, i love your 1-star reviews...and i wish there would be more of them...i think Rooney is better as a YA writer, honestly....i do feel bad: she is quite bright, rights a beautiful essay (on chess)...but anyway...can't wait to watch your next wrap up....well done...made my friday, and now Germany lost, though it was an absolutely brilliant match...double good day!...cheers, bb

Really enjoyed your rant/critique Marc. I’ve come to think of these kinds of books as a type of YA for 20 year olds, which I suppose is why it’s so appealing to them. It seems to me the purpose is to identify with and find catharsis in the characters and their interactions and outer/inner worlds. Not so much about growth and greater commentary or impact on things. I’m a millennial and millennials are now 30+ so it might be interesting to see if Rooney continues to write for her age group or expands in some way but I’m not interested enough to keep up with her work myself.

The only other one star book I’ve seen from you was for Hangman by Maya Binyam. I’d rather read Hangman ten more times (at least it was funny) than read one chapter of this insipid trash. You put enormous effort into this one!

This was the winner when I sat on the shadow panel for the Young Writer of the Year Award and I absolutely hated it. She said she'd based a lot of it on conversations with her own friends and so I think she needs to get some new friends.

Your review made me want to read this book

I have ardently avoided this book, so your thorough take-down vindicates my instincts. Quite enjoyed your rant. I don't understand how Rooney could even have enjoyed writing the book, given that you can see she has writing ability beyond what's typically on the page. My vague guess was that the book was calling out certain pretensions and hypocrisies, but in an unsatisfying, superficial way I didn't want to sample. Sounds like I might not have been far off.

Everything I had hoped for and more.

Bought a copy from The Works. Don't think I'll bother now. Straight to the charity shop. Are you aware of the book 'The Obscene Bird Of Night by Jose Donoso? Recently translated. It's recommended by Kurt Vonnegut and Roberto Bolano. I'm currently reading Delillo's White Noise.

brilliant title of the vid...ok, will watch when i get to school...very excited

Hi Marc, I have an intense interest in this subject. I write only Memoir or nonfiction. I believe that art is individual. So in other words, you put art in everything you write, which might be both nonfiction and fiction. However, when I write Memoir, I try not to make stuff up. I agree with the Memoirist Mary Karr, who believes that intentionally adding fiction to your memoir is like eating a sh*t sandwich. Even if a little is made up, It’s still sh*t. However, Memoir is art and art is individual and part of the person who creates it. I don’t know where I stand on the two terms you brought out, but I think both terms have validity. So when I write Memoir, I try to make my story as interesting as I can without making stuff up that didn’t happen. I also have an unusually accurate autobiographical memory, which helps. Aloha.

An utterly fantastic video! Thank you so much.

I need to watch this with a notebook and make a list.

Hi, Marc. I'm an aspiring reader and a first time watcher of your video here. Thank you for the wonderful recommendations, never have I added so many new to-read items from a single recommendation list. I will be staying tuned to your next contents. I hope you have another wonderful reading month. Happy July, cheers from Japan!

wow wow wow thank you,

My list is already long enough😭😭

This video has made me fall in love with books I haven’t read and of which I’ve never heard. What an amazing contagion of enthusiasm you have dispersed.

You read too fast, bro. You're not really reading.

Great... 📚😍📚❤️

I’ve had to watch more than once as I didn’t have a pen the first time. Our taste in books overlaps with books like Women Talking Trust The Lost Children Archives

Found it! Really interesting. I rely so much on booktube recommendations, others' curation I guess. It would be fun to go directly to a small publisher especially and choose some books from their catalogue just based on what jumps out at me.

I got so excited when I saw you posted this video. I saved so many titles to look into, woo! Still looking forward to your thoughts on Conversations with Friends lol. Steve Donoghue posed the question of how one finds and picks books they want to read and I'd love to hear the ways you find books, if you'd be interested in sharing of course. Hope you're having a great summer!

Fantastic list. I knew of a number of them (and have read a subset) but you've now made me add a number to my already too large backlog of books to check up on. Cheers!

I just discovered you...and I'm glad that I did. 😊

This was an incredibly video. I’ll be rewatching this one I’m sure.

fantastic list, Marc! looking forward to checking out some of the unfamiliar ones, also nice to see Burrough's trilogy mentioned

I’m speechless! I watched it all straight through, taking notes along the way. I adore your way of speaking and you are great on camera. I’ve read and loved about a third of these; heard of but not read another third, and the other third were new to me. Excellent Excellent video. My number one go to channel. Thanks ever so much 😊

This video makes it clear how much you have influenced my reading. Thanks for all the good leads.

That was a wonderful listen so thank you Marc. I have long appreciated your interest in the more experimental and unconventional novels out there so I recognised many of these 50 from your channel and I even guessed the top 3 correctly 🤓. I have only read 11 of the 50 but good to see The Unfortunates, Ducks, Austerlitz and Milkman getting a mention. I actually have another 14 of these on my shelf but as I only manage about 4 books a month I am a long time getting to them. Wittgenstein’s Mistress by Markson was planned for next month. One question - the version of This is not a novel that you have - does it contain all four of the books of what some call The notecard quartet (Readers Block, This is not a novel, Vanishing point and The last novel)? Cheers