The Neapolitan Novels is probably the best lit fic series I have EVER read. It was fantastic and I blew through all four books in like two weeks. It is truly fantastic and reads so fast because of the writing style. If you loved the first one, you can't even imagine how attached you'll get in book 2. Re: Golden Son, probably the best sequel I've read since Jade War. It is so, so good. Probably 100x better than Red Rising. I loved Morning Star also - the writing gets much better after book one.

I LOVED The Marriage Portrait. The writing and setting is so stunning, don’t delay 😉 Hamnet was even better, but don’t hold that against this one. Hamnet is just that good haha

I absolutely gobbled The Marriage Portrait it was incredible . The use of present tense really gave it more immediacy and emotional impact like other historical and Greek myth retelling fictions that have that present tense too like Clytemnestra, Pandora or The Wolf Den (that I absolutely recommend’

@arlissbunny

4 ай бұрын

Completely agree. I LOVED The Marriage Portrait.

@carys7417

4 ай бұрын

I'm so happy to hear this review. I've read Hamnet and found it stunning, I've been saving The Marriage Portrait for a special occasion, so I'm taking with me next week to France! Stunning cover as well.

@lindaleehall

4 ай бұрын

I really loved the marriage portrait. The scene with the tiger is just so magical and breathtaking. Clytemnestra outshone all the other Greek retelling for me. But then she had always been my hero.

@arlissbunny

4 ай бұрын

@@lindaleehall Yes to all of that! I pulled the tiger quote out and have it in my journal because I found it so moving. And Clytemnestra was in my top five books last year. For me it’s the star of the Greek retellings because it so completely reframes Clytemnestra.

The Malazan series is just amazing❤. It's my favourite series as of now and I'm so happy that other people are willing to embark in this journey. Even if the series just gets more stunning the more you read it I get why a lot of people are put off by it. You are immediatly thrown in the core of a really complex world and magic sistem with a whole bunch of secrets and dynamics that no one will explain to you. But I think this is just one of the many things that makes Malazan the interesting and exiting experience that it is (looking in the appendix for the explanation of the various races and objects was my favorite thing to do😂)

What a fun tag! I think I’ll do this too. I love how neatly you're able to summarise books as you're talking about them. I keep adding to my tbr every time I watch one of your videos.

SPECTACULAR TBR Regan! Love it! 💕❤️❤️💕💕❤️✨✨📙📚📚📙📙📖📖📙📚📚📙📙📙📚📚📙📖📖📖💕❤️📙📚📚📙📙❤️💕💕❤️❤️💕💕❤️🌹🌹✨✨✨🌹✨✨❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

I LOVED The Golden Enclaves. I think the way it answers questions set out in the series and ties things up is just fantastic. One of my favourite finales.

I’m really intrigued by OUR SHARE OF NIGHT! I want to read it! I’m also intimidated by chonky books, any book that’s more than 500 pages! 😂🥰

I am so impressed with your commitment to this challenge and getting Assassin's Apprentice read on the last day of the year!

I absolutely loved this video! I have several on my shelves intimidating me for reasons too haha! There were so many you mentioned on here that I've not even heard of that I gotta check out now, they look so interesting!

I haven't been here in a minute 😢😢😢 watched your April tbr first and its so fun to see some books there here as well 😂😂😊

I just finished Ancillary Mercy and loved it! Such a good final book. And I still can't get over the amazing narrator for the audio books. Just so so good. Hope you enjoy!

I started The Expanse series when I saw you reading them last year ,then went onto reading one every month. Loved the whole series.

The Wager was so good, i highly recommend!!!!

@ba-gg6jo

4 ай бұрын

Definitely a fine read and quite a follow up to Killers of the Flower Moon.

I really think you should save yourself a lot of time. CC 3 was the WORST in the series (I liked 1, 2 was just ok, and 3 I hated), Bryce is at an all-time annoying, the writing feels unedited, and it's just not worth it. The crossover is kinda interesting but lackluster compared to what I think a lot of people anticipated.

@bookSketchlove

4 ай бұрын

I'm in the middle of CC3 and I though I was the only one really annoyed with Bryce. Your comment just gave me some peace haha... And yes, If what I read was the whole crossover I feel cheated. I thouht it was going to be fun all of them together, instead I got that. Which very questionable on Bryce's part by the way.

@savannahhenderson4700

4 ай бұрын

@bookSketchlove I'm just not a fan of Bryce being written like Modern (but also worse quality) Aelin.... but with none of Aelin's logic and backstory. Like did SJM think we wouldn't notice or just go along with it????

@bookSketchlove

4 ай бұрын

@@savannahhenderson4700 I absolutely agree with you on your take of Bryce. She was never a saint of my devotion to begin with and I feel she is just getting more annoying and insufferable as the book progresses. How is it that I like almost everyone else, but the main character?

@colegreenofficial

4 ай бұрын

Oh man. I was getting a little irritated at Bryce and I thought it was just me too. I think SJM is going to have to bring full sci fi to all of the cross overs for this to make any sense. Im in the middle of CC3. I feel it could've been 5 chapters shorter already.

@clocoles22

4 ай бұрын

I found myself getting annoyed with the povs, I just wanted Ruhn and Lidia. I couldn’t care less about any of the others

I'm so glad I'm not the only one having a hard time with Crescent City. I'm so bored. This is definitely her worst series yet. I'm currently struggling to get through book two and I just keep putting it down. Didn't like Silver Flames either. I 100% think you will LOVE Yumi and the Nightmare Painter though. It was fantastic!

I have Our Share of Night on my tbr as well, hopefully we both end up enjoying it 😊

In a very similar place with The Luminaries! I've had it on my shelf for a few years now and have started it twice but haven't managed to keep up the momentum to read it. I LOVED Birnam Wood though, so I really want to try getting to The Luminaries this year!

YES I am the same with Hobb, I've been trying to do a re-read for months and I stopped 100 pages into book two of Farseer. They have so much of my heart and I adore them, but I also need to stop dragging it out hahaha.

Marriage Portrait is my favourite book I read in 2023 and one of the best I have ever read. Masterpiece!

This is a good TBR! So many good books

Once upon a broken heart series is so good 😭

I felt this way about ToG. I read1-7 SOOOO fast, but took sooo very long to read Kingdom of Ashe, I was not ready for the series to end, it shattered me!

I hope you'll check out The Expanse show some time! Would be a great way to get back into it and the show is phenomenal.. The final season is book six and I was so happy with how it ended. The authors did an amazing job working on the show.

@SubhaReadsBooks

4 ай бұрын

The show is so good! I've been stuck on finishing up The Expanse Series. I'm on book 6 and just need to keep reading!

This was fun! My most intimidating book on my physical TBR is The Count of Monte Cristo 🫣

@Jodi9810

4 ай бұрын

It is HUGEly long! But fun. I've been listening to the audiobook for over a month and I'm just past 1/3 through. It's an enjoyable story, though, IMO. Good luck!

@victoria9663

4 ай бұрын

@@Jodi9810 thank you for your encouragement! I have heard such good things, i am determined to read it this year. I'm still scared though 😂

@storiesnstoneware

4 ай бұрын

This one is one mine too😂

Omg Yumi and the Nightmare Painter is the best one of the secret projects

The Wager is so good!! Reads more like a epistolary thriller in a way. If you love nautical adventures, you will love it!

yumi & the painter was one of my fave books of last year omggg

you HAVE to read The Story of a New Name!!! its my fav in the series

@jules.mp3

4 ай бұрын

Agree, if I had to choose a favorite, it's Story of a New Name. But all four are so fantastic.

so relatable! i’ve actually read 2 of the books featured last year. the wager - you don’t necessarily need to wait for your non-fiction mood to kick in as it reads like an adventure novel. in fact, i had to keep reminding myself that i’m not reading fiction and all of this really happened. i’d absolutely recommend it. our share of night - there’s not that much horror. way worse is the human cruelty and the treatment of the main character. it was tough to read. it’s a very slow read as well. i believe it had no chapters but (very long) parts and different povs and time jumps that didn’t immediately connect with the part before. i really enjoyed how things were woven together by the end. i very much liked it and definitely want to read more by this author. but this one takes a lot of patience, some concentration (to make those interwoven connections), and strong hands (that book is heavy!😅). have a wonderful weekend and happy reading! 💜

Please read the three body problem! 😍ITS SO GOOD!!!!! 🎉

I believe and have faith in Regan you can face ur fear and read all these books ❤️📚📚🌹📙🌹❤️📚✨✨📚💕🌹📖📖✨✨📚❤️🌹🌹📙📙💕❤️📖✨📚❤️💕📙📙📙📙🌹🌹❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

The third Scholomance book has a really excellent twist about 1/3 through.

@PeruseProject

4 ай бұрын

ooooooo!

@danceATgdc

4 ай бұрын

You have to read it! It’s so good 😭 it’s emotional for sure but expands the world in such an interesting way and the twist is crazy!

@tailsandtales3

4 ай бұрын

It definitely goes out of its way to answer so many questions and I loved it!

I LOVED Yumi and the Nightmare Painter! My favorite of the secret projects (still have to read the last one) so far!

@abbygammon

4 ай бұрын

Yumi quickly rose to one of my favorite Sanderson books!

The Irish Readathon in March is the perfect excuse to read The Bee Sting XD

I feel like you're gonna LOVE the Golden Enclaves! It finishes the trilogy very well, and answers many questions we have throughout the story. I gave it 5 stars

I highly recommend listening to the HOFAS (CC 3) audiobook. There were so many parts of the book that could have been edited out that the audio made it easier to listen to because I could just up the listening speed.

I think you'll like The Three Body Problem. It is hard sci fi, but it's not overly complex or hard to read. Mostly I feel it's much weaker in terms of character work than plot or concept, and a lot of people struggle with it for that reason. I think it helps to know that going in so you don't get caught up feeling frustrated about the lack of character depth and development and can just know that's a thing but that the concept is strong enough to make it still worthwhile.

With your enjoyment of sci fi, I'd definitely recommend the book Spin by Charles Wilson. But also, the Bobiverse series, which, while 4 books, each are on the shorter side. It is the right amount of comical and interesting. The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells is also wonderful. The Three Body Problem trilogy is one of my favorites of all time. The first book reads more like a mystery and the second two books are some of the best science fiction I have ever read in ambition, ideas and scope. Not the best characterization, but you read them for the ideas and plot it presents. :) Hope you enjoy your reads this year!

@zyxxyzify

4 ай бұрын

Spin… I loved it so much. Haven’t read anything like it yet.

I have some of the same intimidating ones, especially Three Body Problem and the Malazan series. Malazan is definitely going to have to wait its turn - I still have most of the Elderling world and Stormlight Archive to get through first, and plenty of other series as well. The Wager is on my 2024 priorities list. I finally picked up the 2nd Expanse series book after loving the first a couple of years ago. Maybe I'll be on a roll and keep working through them once I get Caliban's War done. Just so many books that I want to get to. In most cases it's not that I'm avoiding them, just that I can only read so fast, and they all have to wait their turn even though I'm super-anxious to read them.

The audiobooks for Wheel of Time and My Brilliant friend are amazing. Highly recommend.

I just finished reading Assassins Fate today. I didn’t want it to end either. It was so good. I was in tears by the end. Hopefully she continues the story by writing more about Bee!

You match your pillow! 😂

Regan, I’m currently reading the Licanius Trilogy (on book 2) and really enjoying it! They are long but they’re hard to put down & I think you would enjoy them!! Also, it’s not really Roman-inspired like the will of the many (I had the same assumption about it too actually) but more like classic fantasy. However, there are some unique and interesting plot elements that help the series put its own spin on classic fantasy. It’s been described as being “a cross between the wheel of time and Brandon Sanderson” and as someone who loves Brandon and didn’t love wheel of time, I’m really enjoying these books!

I feel the same way you do about Red Rising, and I continued through book 3 and still just don't care for it. I don't know if I'll pick up the later books

I can't speak for any on your list, but the most intimidating book on my TBR has been there since 2008, and that's House of Leaves. At least once a year I take it down from my bookshelf and flip through it and am just.... dumbstruck. I dunno when I'm ever going to have the mental fortitude to make it through that one. Compels me, though. One day.

I really can't wait for your opinion about Blood over Bright Haven. It was just amazing for me.

SE’s Malazan intimidates me too. I’m really not into taking notes while reading a series just to understand what’s going on. I have been contemplating reading Esselmont’s Dancer’s Lament series first since it’s basically a prequel. Maybe it can ease me into to SE’s complicated world and I’ll understand a bit more before tackling the rest.

I have had the last 200 pages of Assassin's Fate left to read for MONTHS. I feel you. I'm not ready!!!

Mariana Enriquez, one of my favorite authors from my own country! I recommend starting with her short stories collection to get into the type of horror she writes. "Things we lost on the fire" and "the dangers of smoking in bed" are my favorites!

Somehow I both started and finished The Expanse last year. Definitely worth it.

Our share of night is so good

I really liked The Marriage Portrait and I have the felling you’d like it too

If/when you start reading Malazan, I recommend finding some friends / people to either readalong with or be able to discuss the books with. I found i got more out of the series when i read and discussed it with others.

Assassins fate you will blaze through so quickly i promise you, but yeah near the end there was so many tears in my eyes i couldnt even read😂😂😂but the SECOND i finished that book i wanted to reread assassins apprentice soooooo bad. Im excited to do it all over again

I loved the wager i think you'll like it 😊

As soon as you said “books I’m not able to finish” I thought to myself, I wonder if she’s finished assassins fate yet, lol no judgement! I do it all the time with beloved series’ too 😭

You recommended Birnam Wood and it was great (total insanity). You'll love The Bee Sting.

I hope you get around to reading The Wager, it really is a great read.

Im really underwhelmed by the gunslinger book one in the dark tower series.....I dont even want to finish it but its short and it was 20 bucks lol we shall see....I also just bought the shadow of what was lost and can't wait to read it. I am also starting Malazan and can't wait.

I’ve read 14 of these (counting series as one!)

I have the same situation with the Secret Projects. I think I was in an early shipping batch for 1, and then a late batch for 2, and then so many other things happened that I never caught up😅 And while I have read The Golden Enclaves (and loved it as an ending), the experience was like beating back the feels with a stick after every page, hahaha

I am a chicken too and believe me our share of the night is manageable and the father son relationship is so interesting

I had to read The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu last fall for a class and I was so disappointed. The concept was so cool, but I was constantly pulled out of the story by how dense the science in it was. There were whole passages that read more like a science textbook than a novel. There was also a real disconnect in the perspective that the story was written from, as there were so many peripheral characters that would have been so much more interesting to follow. Hopefully, you like it though!

"The Golden Enclaves" is definitely a bit of a different vibe from the first two books, and it took me a while to get used to it. But once I did, I really enjoyed it (still ranking the first two higher though), and it cemented it as one of my favorite trilogies of all-time.

I used to not read nonfiction outside of school, but over the last 3 or 4 years I have gotten more into it, and I will read 1 or 2 nonfiction books a month (the rest being fiction), usually on Japan.

Never has a booked impacted me the way the final few chapters of Assassin's Fate did. I've read the series twice now and both times my emotions have taken a very hard knock!

Regan I’m in the same boat as you for the wheel of time and the red rising series😅I read the first 4 wheel of time books and liked them fine, but continuing in the series felt more like a chore than fun. And I was also underwhelmed with red rising! I have Golden Son on my shelf but I’m struggling to motivate myself to read it lol. I wanted to love both of those series so they’ve been a little disappointing for sure. Also to anyone who’s read the wheel of time…does it get better??

as someone who was also savoring assassin's fate in February, it got to a point in the book where i knew i had to finish the rest of it in one sitting. i went from reading bite sized morsels to devouring the last chunk in a day. i went to bed immediately afterwards because i did not have the emotional energy to do anything else (even tho it was like 8:30 LMAO). And yes, I sobbed like a baby. Can't believe I probably read my favorite book of the year in FEBUARY

You should totally try and read golden son. The red rising series is so good! The first three are a trilogy . You don’t have to continue after the first three but you can if you want.

Where did you get that gorgeous copy of Yumi and the Nightmare Painter??

Our Share of Night is really good. Bit eccentric and weird but good

The Luminaries is really good, in my opinion it's much better than Birnam Wood (which in itself is a great book). It's mysterious, has great characters, has a really cool set up (astrology/everything is connected-set up and things, I'm sure I didn't get all of the meaning), and with every re-read you discover something new. Also: beautiful writing. If you like David Mitchell and Haruki Murakami, this will be a great read!

Relatable. And much of my avoidance is the way women (or whatever demographic is shallowly written) are portrayed in books that are “popular.” I like a good yarn, but with a towering TBR, characterization is becoming a deciding factor for me.

i actually just read "our share of night" for my bookclub and personally hated it, but i will say that this book is more literary horror than straight up horror, so there are some scary moments but they're buried amongst a lot of long winded stories and info dumping. so you'll have a lot of chances to catch your breath, so to speak

I’m most intimidated by The Devil’s Thief, which is the second book in the Last Magician series. I’m scared because it’s 700+ pages and the first book was a 2 star and DNF-the-series until the end was amazing 😅 so I’m scared I’ll end up disappointed

I have read The gardens of the Moon, had mixed feelings about it but still want to give book 2 a shot (since according to the fans, you shouldn't judge the serie by book 1)...but it is now my most intimidating book in terms of lenght, comitment (complex world) and potential enjoyment. It's been sitting on my shelves for 3 years 😓

For me, Dune is the most intimidating book on my TBR 🙈 I just know it will be super dense and wordy, so I'm waiting to watch the second movie before attempting to tackle it.

Don't be too scared of taking time between book 1 and 2 of the licanius trilogy. I had a slump after 1 and seemed to forgot a few things before starting 2 and he does a recap of book 1 very wonderfully and everything came back to me. :D

I’m 90% through assassins fate.. I’ve picked up many hobbies to avoid finishing it. I’m broken.

The golden enclaves was the best of the 3 I swear….

Haha. You think you’re intimidated. I’ve read only the first two in the Expanse series. Keep saying I’ll continue but they are hugggeee. Maybe next month 😅

I loved cc#1 and cc#2 while it wasnt the best i still really enjoyed reading it. But cc#3 was the worst thing I've read in a while 😭 do not waste your time reading it

I loved CC1 but CC2 is dragging for me. I’ve heard such mixed reviews on the third

As someone who loves the Crescent City series, House of Flame and Shadow was so boring and disappointing to say the least. I had so many issues with it. If you do continue reading it I'd be really interested to hear your thoughts in a reading vlog

I've told myself that if I don't finish Gardens of the Moon this year, I'll have to get rid of my signed hardcover because it's been years and I've tried reading it three times

I really hope you check out Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver. It’s the first in her Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series and I’ve been alone in my love for this series for nearly 20 years 🥹 It’s such a good series set during a time before agriculture was a thing and people lived in clans and off of the land. Demons, spirits and the land and its creatures are all alive in the books and just makes for such an immersive story, so to anyone reading this comment I sincerely suggest reading this series if it intrigues you!! 🥰💖

I loved The Luminaries. I enjoyed Blood over Bright Haven but it wasn't a five star for me.

❤️📚

I've always found chunky books to be super intimidating 😢

I'm at the exact same point in the Wheel of Time. I found it so underwhelming... I don't want to continue when there are so many other books I want to read instead.

I loved cc3! I had a lot of fun with the crossover. CC3 gave me exactly what I expected in terms of nice romantasy with twists and turns to keep the story interesting. CC is not supposed to be a groundbreaking, life changing book. I had a good time reading it. Hope you give it a chance, but honestly? If this kind of book does not bring you joy anymore, why bother? Just skip it and go read something more to your current taste in books.

❤❤❤

I haven’t read CC2 or CC3 yet but if you’re not liking SJM’s recent books then I don’t think you’re gonna like CC 3 lol.

@PeruseProject

4 ай бұрын

that's what i'm thinking too lol

Assign’s fate it is definitely an emotional roller it is one of my favorite series! 💕❤️💕📙✨✨✨💕❤️🌹🌹🌹📖❤️❤️💕✨📚📚📚✨💕❤️🌹🌹📖📖📖📖💕💕💕📙✨📚📚✨💕🌹🌹🌹📖💕📙✨📚📚✨📙❤️❤️📖📖❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

I just DNF'ed the WOT series about 100 pages into book 6...it was too much of a slog for me.

8:41

Soooooooo I loved The Marriage Portrait, but I had a major problem with the way the main conflict was resolved. No spoilers, but it really wasn't a good solution. (The ending itself was great, I just hate how we got there.)

Did I just miss the sponsor part of this video or was it not there

I found Marriage Portrait to be a bit meh - it felt like a very ordinary historical fiction (Philippa Gregory) that only got attention because of its author. I liked it but didn't love it. Our Share of Night is excellent- the horror is very well done.