Wells' "War of the Worlds" is wonderful. An atmospheric depiction of a bucolic community dealing with cataclysm.

I love to hear about unpopular opinions! And I appreciate that you didn't feel the need to apologize for them, as everybody annoyingly seems to feel the need to do in their intro (and outro and video description -_-) with this tag. And I don't say this because I agree with everything you say, I don't. But that's what makes it interesting!

@bookmistress7142

8 жыл бұрын

I hate that people apologize when they get rid of books too and then they apologize for not giving them to subscribers! Rolls eyes

Absolutely agree on Harry Potter ... A imaginative warm, nostalgic world spearheaded by a slog of a character. I don't get it. And many things about your job sounds wonderful and thrilling but having to roll through John Green novels is NOT one of them. Lol. Love you unpopular opinions.

@saintdonoghue

8 жыл бұрын

I just don't want to be one of those reviewers who only read in their own narrow, carefully-fenced pet genres!

I knew going back to this one would have made my day, and it did 😂

I loved this video! I'm glad I found your channel -- and from a fellow Bostonian too! I was relieved by your thoughts on Americanah. I loathed it from the first page, but it was certainly the "it" book for a while in a lot of different circles and everyone seems to adore it. I thought I was crazy!

This really tapped into your grumpy side - I loved it! Whenever someone mentions The Da Vinci Code near me, I start complained about how stupid the world's leading cryptologist is. It's not very convincing when his playing cacth up to the reader.

My goodness..you are an honest bad ass Steve! :) All the water molecules running in the same direction in the river. Steve is the stone that makes them swirl!

That was great, Steve. Any chance we could get a video on your opinion on Ebooks vs. paper books?

One of the best responses to the unpopular opinions book tag! I don't keep up with DC Comics but learning that Superman and Wonder Woman were a 'thing' made me cringe. I would be interested in seeing your review of 50 Shades of Grey out of sheer curiosity.

I would love to see a video, or perhaps series of videos, where you talk about movies that are better than the books. I believe that little quick opinions, like you have here, are enough of an explanation. I personally had to trudge through Where the Heart is as well as Julie and Julia, even though I really enjoy those movies.

So much fun to hear you talk about John Greens books - almost makes me want to read them!!

@saintdonoghue

8 жыл бұрын

By all means read one, and let me know what you think!

Oh I love Star Trek Voyager, my favourite Star Trek show :)

Super video - as always!! You're rant on how the movie adaptations are better than books is amazing - an unpopular opinion for the 'unpopular' tag! Touche´!

OMG yes, I love DC comics. Totally agree with your answer for the OTP question. Can't get into John Green either. Only like The Fault In Our Stars. Overall really enjoyed your take on this tag, how you managed to make it so funny.

I agree with you about knausguards My Struggle, reading it was a snooze fest, mad at myself for finishing it.

I think I can see where you're coming from with Harry Potter, it's just that this series fascinated me and gave me so much as a child that I refuse to look at it with a critical eye. I re-read it for the sheer comfort and nostalgia, but I definitely understand why one might not be so fond of the books if there are no such memories attached to it. Out of interest though, have you tried her Cormoran Strike series? I'm reading the third book at the moment and again I just find them very comfortable and pleasurable to read. In my opinion, J. K. Rowling is just great at writing "cozy" stories if that makes any sense, that keep you entertained on a rainy day, and sometimes that's all a book needs to be for me, and then I'm more than willing to forgive little imperfections.

I have not read Americanah yet, but absolutely loved her first two novels - what did you think about them?

I read Jaws when it come out and loved it and still enjoy the film! Also read The Deep by the same author but that film was bad. Love your videos!

This was very interesting and amusing! :D And I wholeheartedly agree about John Green! It's kind of a heresy these days to say that, specially on KZread/Booktube, but... I don't like his books either. LOL. Not even the infamous The Fault In Our Stars. xD * runs away from the hordes trying to burn her in a pile * As for your opinion on Harry Potter... WOW! I never thought I'd heard someone say that out loud, hahaha! xD Take care, Steve, and thanks for sharing your opinions with us.

I adore Voyager. It is so incredible!!!

Americanah and Harry Potter, agreed 100%!

Oh.......My.......God...... Did you and I agree on something?? Seriously? Steve, this is earth shattering sir. *marks the day on the calender* I thought I was the ONLY person who would ever be so bold as to say that Star Trek Voyager was awesome. I almost bought the audiobook for The Fireman (inspite of owning the paperback already) simply because I was told that Kate Mulgrew is the narrator. - AND, The Doctor will always be one of my favorite Trek characters. (Robert Picardo was here in my town this summer for a con - he's hilarious) I even agree with you when it comes to Harry Potter. There's some merit to giving the side characters some praise and it's an interesting world, but Harry himself doesn't seem to have any agency (especially early).

@saintdonoghue

8 жыл бұрын

Couldn't agree more about both Voyager and the sheer brilliance of the Doctor! That's one of the main things I love about the show: the fantastic chemistry of the crew.

I love the HP series but I hated Harry Potter, even as a kid. Part of me believes people are too nervous to admit Harry is an obnoxious character. I'll keep thinkin' that anyway...

Uh! Oh! Steve! Duck! Incoming! :) You definitely stuck to the tag title of "Unpopular Opinions"! Appreciate your honesty, as always, even though I disagree. Keep doing what you do, Steve. (P. S. I do agree that Lois Lane & Superman should be together!)

There are 2 instances that come to my mind automatically when we say "movie over book"... 1) JAWS! Book is pathetic.. Movie scared pre-teen me soooo much. 2) The Thornbirds.. Beautiful movie; mini-series I think.. I couldn't finish that book. AND, as you know for me, a DNF is very rare! This video kept me laughing the entire time.. I just wish you would open up with us sometimes. 😜 Haha

@saintdonoghue

8 жыл бұрын

I know! I'm so shy and reserved in these videos! Hee. But: you take that back about "Jaws" the novel! It's actually quite good, quite adult - well worth a revisit by you! I shall put a copy in the mail immediately!

@retiredbooknerd

8 жыл бұрын

+Steve Donoghue Haha... I have Jaws, but thank you sir! I just did a reread in 2014, and it was still BAD! Lolol

@saintdonoghue

8 жыл бұрын

Oh come now! Re-read the restaurant scene where Mrs Brody goes for her clandestine meeting with Hooper - that's some very good, very ADULT writing! Or perhaps what you really need is a certain OTHER giant killer shark novel ...

@LizSchubert

8 жыл бұрын

+Steve Donoghue I, too, was going to say I love JAWS the book. I hadn't read or seen the movie since they came out mid 70's?. The re-read was wonderful, the re-watch of the movie was shocking how dated it seemed.

@elisasantos2864

8 жыл бұрын

I have also DVFed Thorn Birds - i am so glad i am not the only one!

I'm glad I'm not alone in disliking John Green's books. I thought I was alone out there. I had a few of them and after reading The Fault in Our Stars I got rid of them because I could not endure another of his stories.

I think it is crazy when by see books for sell and no info whatsoever about the plot! So since it is Anne Rice I should by it? That is all I need to know. Lol

I saw the title of this video and thought: "Uh oh! You are brave, Steve." ;D

I share your opinion on Americanah, the vegetarian and the Ferente books. They are all 3-star books for me and I can't understand the hype around them.

Currently reading Americanah and I'm just so disappointed with it. The main character is nonexistent, she doesn't grow or changes throughout the novel and it's virtually "better" than any other character in the book. Btw I adore the vlog brothers but never read any John Green. That might be a case of the KZread channel being better than the books. Their scishow iniciative is awesome and The art assignment it's pretty good as well.

You missed some of the more notable examples: Schindler’s List, The Graduate, The Godfather and Godfather 2, Psycho

'You're strong!'.. Omg yes! I kept thinking this cant be it, they wont just base this relationship on that.. but lo and behold they did..lol.. 5 years and the hook was her physical strength...It came across worse in the animated movie. It could be just me, but the new 52 had some juvenile aspects to it's characters,the aim was, I suppose to ground them with current psyche. A little arrogant, a little immature etc etc... except the execution was bad at times...Thank God for rebirth *fingers crossed* I love the HP books, but I do get what you are saying...however, for me , it will always be Ron I dislike, even though I do agree Harry could be a whiny prat at times.. On the other hand, the HP books were infinitely better than the movies. Heck I shouldn't even compare them, because I hate those movies with the fire of a thousand burning suns.. Great video. Fun opinions.

Yayyyy my nagging for this video paid off. Great video Steve, you really pulled out some true unpopular opinions. I refuse to read Harry Potter, there are enough people in the world who will like that book for me. John Green books are soooo *rolls my eyes*...

I just love your you tube videos they make my day. I am in the worlds longest reading "slump" .so your videos cheer me up. Thank you very much for doing them. I noticed in some of your videos that you read historical romance books. Have you read any of Grace Burrowes books? If you have what did you think of them? What book would you suggest to get out of a reading slump?

@saintdonoghue

8 жыл бұрын

I have indeed read Grace Burrowes and heartily like her work! And her books are so immensely readable - surely they're the perfect antidotes for a reading slump?

@gailnichols7044

8 жыл бұрын

I have read all of Grace Burrowes books to date and love them very much. Since the new Roots Mini-series starts Monday I was kinda in the mood for a "chunker" family saga book like that one. I am a huge fan of the tv mini series of roots from 1977 I say if it aint broke don't fix it. Did you like roots the book/mini series? Will you watch the new one tonight?

LMAO at the harry potter comments i grew up on it so its got a soft spot for me lol

Word! Preach! I couldn't stand Harry Potter either and I don't understand why EVERYONE is so fucking obsessed with him!! My favourite character was Snape. He MADE that series for me. Without him in it, I would never have finished those books.

Steve you are a brave, brave man. Dissing Harry Potter, the greatest work of literature since Shakespeare??? according to Booktube, takes a brave but foolhardy soul. The Hunt For Red October was a great movie adapted from a terrible book by Tom Clancy. All Clancy's novels are steaming piles of malodorous horseshit but somehow make great movies - one of the great mysteries of the universe. Loved the video. Made me laugh out loud. Love the fact that you read romance - the most under-rated genre of the lot. There are some great authors who are ignored or savaged by the literati for the simple reason they write romance - Susan Elizabeth Phillips to name but one. Stay extra-cranky,it somehow suits you, but dig yourself a fox-hole before the Harry Potter Army starts lobbing in the heavy artilliary.

@saintdonoghue

8 жыл бұрын

Hah! After what you all showed me this week, I don't worry about foxholes - this channel is my foxhole against a-holes! Here, we all can just gripe and disagree and recommend and talk books, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

@larrytherat3280

8 жыл бұрын

Gonna be a crowded foxhole with all of us squeezed in there. See your subscriber numbers are rapidly climbing towards a thousand. Congratulations. You are breath of fresh air and good sense.

OK you like DC comics and I'm just finding out about this? Talk about Doomsday Clock!!!!

Yes! Okay, I just read Americanah and I do not understand all the hype about it! That alone might have just bumped you into my favorite booktubers group!!

@ThatsWhatSheRead

8 жыл бұрын

I also loved the Friday Night Lights movie!! You keep doing you, Steve!!

I adore Star Trek Voyager!

Oh man lol I do like John Green. I guess you can call it guilty pleasure. Paper towns was forgettable in ways. I liked the ideas of looking for Alaska but hated the main characters. I enjoyed the humor of an abundance of katherines and the quotes of the fault in our stars. After seeing a walk to remember I decided to read it. Id rather watch the movie again. One thing I'll never understand is why people love the film adaptation of catching fire. It literally leaves out like half the story. Yes JL is good in them but they down play the harshness and poverty. I guess I'll see how I feel about Harry Potter once I finish the series.

The best unpoular opinion tag !!....Hate Harry Potter as a character read the first and stop right there thanks for voicing it and admitting it ;).

Ah, speaking of Dan Brown the worst book of them all - Digital Fortress! How can the top cryptographers with a "supercomputer" not figure out 3? And how on earth can anyone read that book and not know the code the moment Tankado is killed?? I had to read the book for a computer course in my undergraduate studies, it nearly killed me and I nearly pummeled the whole class!

To add to your 'film adaptations unequivocally better than their book sources' list: Wizard of Oz (and I'm not even a huge fan of the movie). I was shocked by how dull/dry/lifeless the book was, considering it's supposed to be a beloved American classic. Also: The Princess Bride, No Country for Old Men, American Psycho, Blade Runner, Starship Troopers (Heinlein is _garbage_ ), most Kubrick adaptations, etc. etc....

WHAT. Superman and Wonderwoman are together? What the heck? That just sounds wrong.

@saintdonoghue

8 жыл бұрын

A whole bunch of really talented writers had five full years to make it feel in any way natural, and they all completely failed. I REALLY hope things go back to Lois & Clark this summer ...

I normally think the book is better than the movie, however, I agree that it is not always the case. I was horribly disappointed when I read The Jane Austen Book Club, which is a movie I adore. Another good example is Pride and Prejudice. *GASP!* I will admit it, I liked the 2005 movie better than I liked the book. In fact, here's my big unpopular opinion...I don't really think Pride and Prejudice is all that great, period. *Double Gasp!* I enjoyed both Sense and Sensibility and Emma far more than P&P. I do love the movie though. Haha!

I've never liked Harry Potter much either. The franchise in general is a lot of fun but Harry as a character is rather bland. I agree with you on the movie point as well. When a book is adapted to film it is essentially rewritten and, in a lot of cases, thus improved. A story goes from being written by one person to a whole crew of professionals.

No Post on Sundays

I love Voyager from season 4 onward, the first 3 seasons were meh. DS9 is the best in the star trek series for me.

It's so good to hear you say you detest Harry Potter! I just go, "Oh, please". But how can anyone of our generation take that stuff seriously? We grew up with so much better. And I can't allow that this is just a generational attitude. Regardless of childhood sentiment, a lot of early Potter fans must recognize this as adults. You'd know better than I. What say?

Forrest Gump!!!!! I guess it's been too long and people no longer watch the movie and think hmmm I'll read the book. Because then I would expect to see some very entertaining booktube reviews of it. The book is so incredibly bad. I haven't come across a book to film adaption that can compare.

@bookmistress7142

8 жыл бұрын

Agreed.

I really didn't like "Cosmopolis" I remember at the time a couple friends raving about it and I thought it was utter shengus so much so it put me off the film, even though I enjoy that directors work.

@saintdonoghue

8 жыл бұрын

I think you might enjoy the movie - but not half so much as I enjoy acquiring the fantastic word "shengus"!

3:10 superman is still a man, no? men do these things all the time. adds to the character i think (even if most would consider it flawed)

I liked Harry Potter as a book, when all I used was my imagination, then the god awful movies came out and it became a joke to me, so I no longer enjoy it. As for Stephen King I read and watch enjoying both. War of the worlds with was amazing, the book hard to follow

I just read and watched Pet Sematary and can confidently say the book was better but that's mostly because the movie was soooo bad.

All of you are crazy, Harry Potter is an amazing character. The will to never give up and the love for his friends are some of the many qualities that make Harry great. I respect your opinion, but it's baffling.

@saintdonoghue

5 жыл бұрын

Hah! Well, I knew I was treading on sacred ground! And I'll take all the Harry-love in the world, since it gave the world an entire generation of smart, passionate readers!

Oh Steve i sense another hate hashtag coming....bashing on HP? Brace yourself, they are a cumin´ hahahahah I will only disagree on the book beying better than the movie thing on one instance: The Other Boleyn Girl. The movie had some strange transitions and dropped off Mary´s 1st husband out of the face of the Earth for no reason at all. She was married in one frame to.....whatever Carey and then she was beying courted by William Stafford. On the book at least was mentioned that Carey dyed of disease.