There's actually one more BookTuber I forgot to mention-@eastriverg3595! Do you like experimental and classic fiction? Do you like seeing BookTubers who string together thoughts articulately and clearly without losing the thread? Then check out @eastriverg3595!

Wow what an amazing surprise! Thank you so much, my friend! BookTube newbie brothers indeed! I appreciate your kind words very much. And your videos are a delight to watch. The sky is the limit for you and it’s completely deserved!

@ToReadersItMayConcern

3 ай бұрын

"BookTube Newbie Brothers" is such a fun phrase to say-it bounces from tongue to palate to teeth and back with such tactile and staccato rhythm. I got an immediate kick the moment it fluttered out my mouth. Thank you for watching and for taking literature so seriously (and yet delicately with a brushstroke of humor). I'll be recommending your channel every relevant chance I get!

Really appreciate the way you are investing into the booktube community with this video. So encouraging and refreshing to hear you give specific and intentional compliments to all these people. You often hear generic compliments given back and forth, but this detail shows that you actually took the time to pay attention to other people's content. Thank you

@ToReadersItMayConcern

3 ай бұрын

Yes, thank you so much for noticing. I told myself to be honest about my choices, specifically those I actually watch or have watched. I'm glad that comes through.

I would really like more reviews on reference books and anthologies!

@ToReadersItMayConcern

2 ай бұрын

I'll keep that in mind. Thank you for the feedback! I have a hefty collection of Oxford Handbooks. So that'll probably be a vid all its own at some point.

Recently discovered your channel and its amazing 😍

@ToReadersItMayConcern

Ай бұрын

Thank you so much!!

Waiting for your next videos with a pencil and a notebook 😊

@ToReadersItMayConcern

3 ай бұрын

That's kind of you. I'll be sure to share ideas and suggestions worth jotting down!

I love this channel. Please keep this style. Authentic. Real. Focused on thinking through what you think -- out loud and in real time with us. That's what I tune in for. To be there for thinking-through. It's a joy.

@ToReadersItMayConcern

2 ай бұрын

Yes, I like to wonder and wander, and I'm glad there are viewers who appreciate that, too.

You don't ramble, man. I've not heard a word wasted in your videos. Keep going.

@ToReadersItMayConcern

3 ай бұрын

Thank you, that's really kind of you! It's funny how negative comments can linger in one's mind. I'll try to have your positive comment balance it out.

@billieball1

2 ай бұрын

@@ToReadersItMayConcern Correct. You are the exact opposite of rambling. I don't know who made that comment, but rambling is going off-topic in a way that's effective and frustrating and makes us aware of the clock. You move ideas forward and come across as comfortable and focused on what you're sharing so we can see it, too. And you have the gift of producing one-sided conversations (it's KZread, after all) that feel personal like an actual conversational we're having with you in person.

@ToReadersItMayConcern

2 ай бұрын

@@billieball1 This is really nice to read. Really, really, really nice, and comforting, and eases a certain amount of pressure I feel. Thank you!

@billieball1

2 ай бұрын

@@ToReadersItMayConcern So glad to hear! Your longform does not in any way equal rambling. You're just going into depth, and not shortchanging the topic. You provide depth. And the pacing lets us settle in. At the end of the day, like you said --- you love books and talking about them. And I have yet to hear you share even a single sentence that didn't bring substance.

@ToReadersItMayConcern

2 ай бұрын

@@billieball1 You have an excellent rallying quality to your feedback. Reminds me of great former teachers, those who spurred hope over despair. I work as a teacher and have for a while, and I try to remember to tell students the fidelity I witness in their output, as they're not likely to see it themselves (our internal selves so wrangled by discord). You have a knack for precisely that. It feels good being on the receiving end. Us teachers-despite our daily performances-carry doubts within us, too. But doubts, thankfully, can often be a sign we care.

Oh thank you so much for the shout out and the kind, encouraging words! I so appreciate it! Everything you said about being able to live through the voices of others.... that is the best and most amazing part of reading!

@ToReadersItMayConcern

2 ай бұрын

You're so welcome! I had to film it separately and last-minute as I discovered your channel right after filming, but I'm glad I was able to fit it in. You're your own special place on Book-Writer-Tube that I want more people to discover.

PS - as a rambler myself, I don't mind the rambling. I'm here for it. Because I like conversations and discussions, and when someone rambles on KZread, it is kinda like a conversation.

@ToReadersItMayConcern

2 ай бұрын

I just read a poem yesterday about rambling, a poem that rambles itself while sharing adoration for the rambling of another. Flowing with words, and in the metaphor of the poem a flow that cascades and builds like a river with strength and sustenance. It's called "To The Sea" by Anis Mojgani. I'll have to remember that sometimes people desire the rambling.

@talking_to_trees

2 ай бұрын

@@ToReadersItMayConcern looked up the poem (love poetry recommendations, thank you) and it is so beautiful. Exactly my thoughts around rambling... because I and everyone really at times falls into our own unspooling -which really I think is a beautiful softness of being human

I would recommend the channel Drunzo.

@ToReadersItMayConcern

Ай бұрын

Excellent, thank you!

I'm halfway through The Modern Mind by Peter Watson which I heard of from you. Thank you! It's a super interesting and readable history of ideas of the 20th century.

@ToReadersItMayConcern

3 ай бұрын

That feels great to hear, thank you! I'm so glad something I suggested is resonating with you.

Came across your channel tonight. Thank you for not overly producing your videos and keeping it real. I keep wanting to tackle infinite jest but I hear you need to know other authors/works first. I picked up Ulysses (Joyce) around the same time. I went down the KZread proverbial rabbit hole today. That’s the algorithm that led me to you! Have you thought of doing a Bookclub on your channel ? The Nietzsche book stood out (I think from your other video) stood out. I’ve tried to read him but don’t know where to begin.

@ToReadersItMayConcern

2 ай бұрын

I think the best way into Infinite Jest is to read a couple of David Foster Wallace's other works first, especially his short story collection Brief Interviews with Hideous Men. That was my way of easing in, and I felt Brief Interviews contained much of what he aims for in Infinite Jest but in sample-size form, allowing you to learn his form and fixations first prior to diving into months of work with Jest. I genuinely feel that having read that collection first I was able to appreciate and anticipate what he was doing in Jest far easier. His first novel Broom of the System is also a nice tease of what he accomplishes with Infinite Jest. I ended up reading all of DFW's works, and I don't think knowledge of other writers helped me as much as just reading his stuff. As for Nietzsche, I'm gonna copy what I wrote in another comment, as I think it will help you: Nietzsche happens to be unique among philosophers in his writing style: rather than logical in his construction of arguments (in some ways, he does not construct arguments in the traditional sense at all), he focuses more on the psychological side of what he writes about. Think of Nietzsche's writing as musings or acerbic meditations on how culture has developed and how culture is changing and the dangers that can arise; you can also, kind of, think of it like poetry, as in, truths presented metaphorically and with an emphasis on emotion more than reason. I first started with Genealogy of Morals, and, if I remember correctly, it is Nietzsche's speculations on how we developed Christian morality and what that suggests about our psychology (again, the key is it's him speculating on how it's affected our way of thinking). Then I read Beyond Good and Evil, which is about the responsibility we have for our lives now that we can't fall back on God or anything else for objectivity. Both books use those topics as jumping off points to talk about almost everything we take for granted, all the things we presume 'have to be this way' and don't actually have to be that way. But the key to understand while reading is that all of the above is not presented as a reasoned argument. It's more that Nietzsche seems to have noticed a potential problem-e.g. the problem of abandoning belief in God and the morals therein-and what that means for our psychology, because we may think its something we can abandon without consequence, and Nietzsche seems to feel there is actually a great deal of consequence. That said, he's also not saying we need God or Christianity or anything like that. He's more saying that the same psychology that led to God and Christianity is still within us and thus we have to contend with how we're gonna end up projecting those desires onto our future (such as persisting in judging things as "good" and "evil"). Nietzsche is rebellious and opinionated and often saying what he feels more than what he's carefully thought through. Still, he's important as a figure who questions what we take for granted. If philosophy is a practice of questioning dogma, he's in that practice of questioning our essential dogmas. And that is useful for helping you think through your own thoughts. It's also very likely you won't agree with Nietzsche's entire conclusions-that's to be expected. He's more engaging if you just allow yourself to consider why he felt the way he felt and how that matches or doesn't match what you notice in life. I do have a couple additional recommendations. For all philosophers that you read going forward, I highly recommend that you read the A Very Short Introduction books for each philosopher first. Those serve as great introductions because they're just long enough to cover a wide range of a philosopher's ideas-longer than what you'd find in a broad overview-but also intended for someone new to the material. Of all the summaries I've read of philosophers, I've found the A Very Short Introduction series to be the best. Aside from that, there is also the free Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy available online. However, those entries are far denser and thus more advanced. Still, when it comes to philosophy, get as much of a summation of the philosopher's views as you can prior to reading. It'll help give you a mapping of what to pay attention to. Last recommendation: I just listened to The Popperian Podcast #13 with guest Ken Gemes, and I felt he gave an excellent summary of Nietzsche's views. That may help you. And the two copies of Nietzsche's writing that I have are The Modern Library Basic Writings of Nietzsche, translated by Walter Kaufmann, and The Portable Nietzsche, also translated by Walter Kaufmann (his translations are especially smooth to read). Those two collections combined contain all his major works (they don't overlap much). Good luck!

Thank you for the tag and also for your kind review of me and my channel. I enjoyed your talk about your channel and getting to know you.

@ToReadersItMayConcern

3 ай бұрын

Oh, thank you for stopping by! You're such a pleasant presence on BookTube, and I'm glad to alert others to your videos any chance I get.

This is so cool! Thank you so much! Big smiles here😁.

@ToReadersItMayConcern

3 ай бұрын

Absolutely! I love your channel! And you just dropped a new vid. Gonna watch ASAP!

@Paradisereading

3 ай бұрын

@@ToReadersItMayConcern thank you! Now I’m nervous 😬 lol! I’m excited to watch your bookshelf tours. I love bookshelf tours 🤗

I'm new to booktubers and your channel. Great content and thoughtful observations!

@ToReadersItMayConcern

2 ай бұрын

Welcome, and thank you! There are so, so many great BookTubers out there. I list out some other favorites in my New Booktuber Tag video, which you may want to check out.

Not in one volume, but a series called Writers from the Other Europe, including The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz, one of my all-time favorites. Of course I watched to the end---wouldn't miss it.

@ToReadersItMayConcern

3 ай бұрын

Whoa, that is wonderful! Thank you! That's exactly the kind of collection I wouldn't have found on my own!

Nicely done. Good luck with what you choose to read, I hope you get some great stories. I'm currently reading the Count of Monte Cristo. I may be some time!

@ToReadersItMayConcern

3 ай бұрын

That's the key: finding great stories. The Count of Monte Cristo is a hefty one. Be sure to share all your thoughts when done with it (I'm a proud new subscriber to you)!

Booktube is really exploding, and I think that is a good thing. On the one hand it feels very crowded, but once you start digging in, you quickly find your folk. And these are sometimes people you can turn to for recommendations and honest opinions, and sometimes someone you just sit with them while they chat to you about books. And then you go and do the same thing. Thanks for all the marvelous recommendations. This is actually the third video of this kind I have watched (but yours is the only one I am commenting on) so I have a gazillion tabs open. I am off to find some people to hang with! Thank you x

@ToReadersItMayConcern

2 ай бұрын

There is so much to come in BookTube-surely we must still be in the early days-and I can't wait to see what ideas and methods and books others bring to us!

Great introduction! Looking forward to more videos

@ToReadersItMayConcern

3 ай бұрын

More to come! Thank you!

Oh my God thank you so much for the kind words about my channel!

@ToReadersItMayConcern

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for the great reaction!

I’ll be honest, I doubt I’ll ever read any of the books you enjoy, but I really love hearing about them. You have such an intelligent, unhyped way of conveying the big ideas, and your engagement with them. I do randomly hope you’ll take a stab at exploring non-Western philosophy some day. A book I’ve recently become curious about is ‘The Need for Roots: Prelude to a Declaration of Duties Towards Mankind’ by Simone Weil. As our culture has moved away from organized religion, it feels like the responsibility for our relationships with one another has also fallen away. Modern corporatism treating people like inventory to be moved around to best maximize profit has also fostered a breakdown of community and care.

@ToReadersItMayConcern

3 ай бұрын

That book sounds right up my alley. Thank you so much for suggesting it! Ethics and its challenges has been on my mind a lot lately. Though, I guess it's always been on my mind. I have a 'gentle' or 'empathetic' disposition, but I know that many don't, and that difference in disposition seems a fundamental problem. A tough one to resolve. I look forward to reading that book, and if you discover any other non-Western philosophy books (or of any topic worth sharing) please feel free to share. I know I won't likely read all there is to read, but I surely would love to!

@LaughingStockfarm1

3 ай бұрын

@@ToReadersItMayConcern oh, I’m sorry I wasn’t clear…Simone Weil is pr’ly still a Eurocentric book. I don’t know many scholarly texts about Asian philosophy outside of Buddhist Phenomenology by Lusthaus, examining the Yogacara school. There’s also ‘Meditations on Emptiness’ by Jeffrey Hopkins, which is more from a practitioner’s POV and through the Madyamika lens, but a very good place to start. Buddhism has a massive philosophical tradition dating back centuries, but it can take some sifting through the religious framework to get to the crux. Of course, same with the Western traditions backlog, but we’re used to that verbiage. 😁 Once you get used to the particular framework, there’s a ton of stuff…I particularly like Karl Brunnhölzl’s translations. Those are in the Tibetan corpus. I find them the most clear ( 😆) for the basic framework and nuances. Then once you get some idea of the questions addressed, you can plunge into Dogen, of the Japanese Zen tradition, said to be one of the greatest of the Asian philosophers.

@LaughingStockfarm1

3 ай бұрын

@@ToReadersItMayConcern I found another text on my shelves that might be helpful in understanding the classical dialectic in Buddhist philosophy…”Nagarjuna’s Middle Way” by Mark Siderits and Shoryu Katsura.

@ToReadersItMayConcern

3 ай бұрын

This is so helpful to me. Thank you very, very much!

Welcome. Please read Terra Nostra by Carlos Fuentes.

@ToReadersItMayConcern

3 ай бұрын

It's on my shelf, and will do!

@TraumaticTomes

3 ай бұрын

I appreciate your commitment to the cause. There are dozens of us Terra Nostra truthers on Booktube (that's a lie, one or three at most)

@ToReadersItMayConcern

3 ай бұрын

"There are dozens of us... DOZENS!"

@TraumaticTomes

3 ай бұрын

I am partial to the Fünke

Stream of consciousness fiction sucks. Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, Thomas Pynchon...

Thank you for the recommendations! I would also like to recommend @BenjaminMcEvoy. He focuses on classic literature and his channel is fantastic. And, don't mind the people who say you're rambling...I did not think that. It's refreshing to watch someone talk about books of substance with passion.

@ToReadersItMayConcern

3 ай бұрын

Oh, yeah, Benjamin, he's great! He's an inspiration for how to grow a channel without losing one's authenticity, and I really appreciate that. Thank you for your kind words about my speech. I try to ignore the negative comments, but they can linger nonetheless. Your kindness goes a long way.

@BridgetSmith-lr2rm

3 ай бұрын

@@ToReadersItMayConcern You're welcome! No matter what you do there will be people who find something negative about it, but don't let that spoil your enthusiasm. I think you're going to have a great channel!