“I am confused a lot of the time” “I don’t really remember what it’s about” dude, as a fellow scatter-brained reader I unironically love how you don’t try to use editing to make yourself look super polished and formal, you just talk from the heart and without pretense, really makes it a joy to hear you talk so casually and naturally. Makes me sad to hear you didn’t like Kierkegaard as much as you thought. My undergrad seminar on Kierkegaard was one of my favorite classes I ever took. It’s not bad to read subsequent existentialist literature to sort of get a retroactive appreciative view of Kierkegaard.

@agwriting

6 күн бұрын

Yeah my experience with Kierkegaard was hard to explain. I enjoyed the course and the ideas we talked about, but the assigned reading just felt kind of scattered and rushed and so I didn't dive into the text, I suppose, in the way I would've liked to. I'm sure I'll read more of, or re-read, his stuff. That probably didn't come across in the video, but I definitely do plan on adding onto what I learned in the class.

This was really interesting. I love hearing people talk about books. It's therapeutic, this was therapeutic truly.

i’m listening to cultish on audiobook right now and i’m devouring it so far. i don’t normally listen to audiobooks, but i couldn’t justify buying the book to only, maybe, not enjoy it. i love learning about language (not currently a college student but will be going to school again soonish) and a book like this, with so much research, thoughts, interviews, etc. is perfect. humans really are wonderfully weird creatures.

@agwriting

13 күн бұрын

Sounds incredible, I'm glad you're enjoying it. I can't wait to read it soon. I don't listen to audiobooks much either, but I think a book like that is perfect if you're gonna.

As I am writing this there are 10 views on this video. I'm just a random dude from eastern europe in his 20's that likes to listen to people talk about books. For the first time in years I got recomended a good video from a new creator. It was great listening to you, I can't wait to hear about your summer trips and what you got out of your classes and travels. Would love to hear what you think of the 2023 booker winner - Time Shelter

@agwriting

Ай бұрын

Thanks for watching, it means a lot. I really wasn't sure if anyone would enjoy this. I picked up Time Shelter from the airport this morning, will definitely let you know what I think of it an upcoming video.

The Remains of the Day is one of those books that I sorta just had to sit with for half an hour afterwards to try and soak in all that I had just read. It has a massive meaning to mass ratio, so you can easily fly through it in an afternoon (and pore over it as much as you want on a rearead). I really, really reccomend it.

@agwriting

17 күн бұрын

That actually sounds so perfect, I'm kind of upset at myself for leaving it at home now haha. It's gonna be at the top of my list for August.

Really loved this video so much! Really liked your insight with each piece. Can’t wait to see more of your content!

Great video. I go to Ohio State but I live in northeastern Illinois and have visited Madison several times. Awesome campus. Loved hearing you talk about this!

“I’m confused a lot of the time and that’s just the truth of it.” Preach 😂 thanks for your honesty and relatability. I felt the same way about Neuromancer, not sure if I should give ol’ Willy Gibby another chance?

So i normally dont comment on videos but i felt like i had to. I really enjoyed your video Alex, because it was so down to earth and just talking about books. No pressure to know or understand everything or to read 50 books in a week like social media is telling you to do. Also not overedited or overenthusiastic like a lot of booktubers nowadays. Just sharing thoughtful perspectives. Mostly when i get recommended a video of a new creator i do not really enjoy it but with your video i just kept watching. I am looking forward to watching more of you, please go on like this!!

@agwriting

Ай бұрын

Thanks so much for watching, I'm really glad you enjoyed it. I get overwhelmed by all that too, definitely a goal of mine to stay away from idealizing things.

Short story collections for sure deserve more love on this platform. I hope you review some on your channel. My favorite short story is Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin. But I also love Hemingway, Raymond Carver, Kelly Link, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Saunders. I've had to read a few for creative writing courses as well. I used to not understand the value of the short story but over time I learned to appreciate them. Great video!

@agwriting

26 күн бұрын

I totally agree. I only have one collection with me right now, but there's a ton I'll review once I'm back home. I've been reading a lot of standalone stories though, which I'll talk about in the next video (George Saunders, Alice Munro). And thanks for the Baldwin rec, If Beale Street Could Talk is pretty high on my reading list but I haven't read much of him up to this point.

Hey you popped up on my recommendations. Well done video and explanation for those books. I write poetry and always looking for new books and inspiration

Read If on a Winter's Night a Traveler and loved Calvino's playfulness! Real Life and Self-Help have been in my TBR for a while :') thank you for his vid, it's oddly comforting!

@agwriting

17 күн бұрын

I'm so excited for all three of those! There's a decent chance I'll talk about all of them in the same video, I wasn't able to take them all to Stockholm and am probably gonna read them late summer/early fall

Hello! I am also a second year undergraduate student, well… i guess not anymore since my last quarter already ended so now technically I’m in my third year. So, just a bit about me.. even though I am not a creative writer major (since my uni only offers it as a minor) I am double majoring in English and Comparative Literature, and also minoring in Literary Journalism. I really enjoy listening to people talking about books and literature. You mentioned some books that I so eagerly want to read, and others that caught my eye. But, all I got to say is that your first video is actually great. Hope you make more like this one in the future :) loved it 🙂

@JeffRebornNow

20 күн бұрын

Hi @ Isela Lopez. So you like literary journalism? I do, as well. Tom Wolfe was a wonderful practitioner of that. Have you ever heard of him? His best books in that genre are "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" and "The Right Stuff." Both are excellent; but my favorite piece of literary journalism is Truman Capote's "The Muses Are Heard." It's about an all-black stage production of the Gershwins' "Porgy and Bess" that, at the end of 1955 (and in the middle of the Cold War), travels to the USSR to become the first Western play (musical or otherwise) to be performed in a Russia under communist control. It is beautifully written, and it combines bits of political intrigue with humor that pokes fun at hubris and bureaucratic mishaps. It's difficult to describe how really perfect this piece of journalism is.

subscribed, great ideas!

so happy this was recomended to me, really good video! love listening to you talking about books and i cant wait for summer to come and being able to watch your videos about your trip to europe.

@agwriting

Ай бұрын

Thank you, I really appreciate it. Gonna try and get a few more videos out while I'm away for sure.

I wonder what stays of Pelevin after translation. I personally read him for his writing style, his skill of juggling with words using slang, obscene and lofty languages. And his stories, no matter how mad, are always deeply connected with the time they were written at and Russian reality. Not easy to translate. Btw one of his key novels is «Generation П» (published in the US as Homo Zapiens, and in the UK as Babylon), read it when I was a teen, shocking experience for a young reader :)

@agwriting

Ай бұрын

Really interesting to think about. That style was definitely present, but I would assume the translation doesn't fully do it justice. I'll try and talk about that a bit in the next video as I'm reading another novel in translation right now. Interesting title changes there, I'll have to check that book out too.

Do you have good reads ?