I’m 17 and am currently on Diamonds Are Forever, which I’m actually enjoying a lot more than Moonraker. I think I quite like the fact that the James Bond of the novels isn’t exactly the James Bond seen in the films. Put simply, the James Bond of the novels is a bit of a bastard, and even somewhat depressive to be in the headspace of. He’s not particularly cool, and I don’t even think he would describe himself as much of a hero. This is at least the earlier novels. At present, I’d say Casino Royale is my favourite, which is fitting since that’s also my favourite of the film series, and is generally a pretty solid adaptation even with the first and third act liberties taken. I’d say they’re worth reading if you’re interested as they are important to modern pop culture, but also be prepared for them to be rather outdated. Not just in the usual amounts of sexism, racism, homophobia and pro-colonialism present, but there’s also the major prevalence of the Cold War in Fleming’s writing, which is so apparent in something like Casino Royale, that it’s kinda funny how much Diamonds Are Forever is just about some American gangsters. Fleming also just has some weird tendencies like in the way he describes certain characters, and the pacing can also be a bit off, unless you like reading in detail descriptions of all of Bond’s meals.

What is booktube? Is it just youtube, but is called booktube when you post something related to books...

Wonderful video! I love that you went outside your comfort zone for so many of these recommendations. I now wonder about books I didn’t pick up because of BookTube these days. 😅

I read Watermelon Sugar so many years ago I can't remember it but I still have a copy. And one or two more by Brautigan. I think he ended up committing suicide poor man. I'm still working on WOT, started book 3 then switched over and started reading Swan Song which I read years ago. Reread Boys Life recently. It does have that boyish charm like the movie Stand By Me and Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury is another in that vein. Yes I am a mood reader! Also put aside janny Wurtz and Steven Ericson, maybe later. Wrote down Never Ending End of the World to remember. Mostly I'm rereading Shogun right now, Swan Song is my night time book. What made me choose two such huge books, over 2000 pages between the two of them. I enjoyed this post, book tube has been very good to you and I have learned a lot and made my tbr list even longer.

I'm only following this guy because he is a knock off Henry Cavill and I like books.

Awesome video man! Just found your channel and subscribed

You've had me really inclined to read Wars of Light and Shadow for a bit now. I think I'm going to start it in January around the time John over at Talking Story is doing his read-along so I can follow along with all of them. But yeah, I have the first few on the way and I'm super excited.

Love the idea and execution of this video, Tom! We definitely have a few books in common on your list here!

Awesome video Tom! I’ve been super on the fence with a Man Called Ove. Especially because I wear my emotions on my bookmark. 😂 I would be that guy plowing through tissue boxes lol.

thanks man , do u wear orange coz of the name like a brand or what?

I haven’t seen anyone talk about it, but I’m in the middle of reading it right now. It’s called Five Broken Blades by: Mai Corland It just came out in May! I highly recommend!

Booktube has definitely been good to me. I haven't read most of my adult life (so lots to catch up on) and haven’t really seen advertisements for books. I don't know where I would be in general, let alone what the quality of books would be that I'd encounter in the wild. There are certainly tons of hidden gems non-booktube people will never know about and I'm loving it.

I loved Impact Winter! You are like the only person I’ve seen even talk about it!

Yea, I'm pleasantly surprised by the quality of Booktube recommendations. The last time I was active in a space like this, when you saw a content creator recommend something you had to take it not so much with a grain of salt as with a cartload. But I've read some incredible stuff I wouldn't have without Booktube - Sword of Kaigen, Licanius, Dandelion Dynasty (was on my TBR, but low priority, Booktube made me get to it sooner). I'm hoping the trend continues when I get to Janny Wurts soon.

Agree on Stormlight. Sadly, as old as I am, I think this is a series I will never get to the end.

I just discovered your channel and already following you on Good reads. Absolutely love the way you review, looking forward to many more videos.

I loved Godkiller, but this one took me a long time to read. I really only enjoyed the last 50 pages or so. Still excited for the 3rd!

Wow, GREAT list!!! I have read quite a few of these (Potter, LOTR, Jane Eyre and Pride & Prejudice are some of my all-time favorite books and I re-read them every few years). Lizzie Bennett is one of my all-time favorite heroes (and a legitimate detective, imho). I absolutely love Rowling as a writer and am currently obsessed with her Cormoran Strike novels. I read Animal Farm as a child but got really sad when I reached the end of the book and couldn’t bring myself to read it again (same thing happened with Lord of the Flies). Another book I think is an absolute must-read is Frankenstein. Mary Shelley for me sits alongside Charlotte Brontë and Jane Austen on the pantheon of literary writers whose works will continue to stay relevant (and resonant) for many generations to come.

Wet kissing? At 1.8x speed 😂? That audio description was definitely NOT on my bingo card LOL 😂😂😂

So you want to read Wind and Truth, and I've never read the stormlight archive books, so I have Way of Kings in my list of books to purchase. That might have to wait until next year however, because I have too much to read this year! Currently going through the first Lord Of the Rings book for the first time, and I'm soon at the halfway point. Then I have book one of His Dark Materials, then first book of The First Law, the second book in A Song of Ice and Fire, the fourth book of Dune ... and then it gets foggy, but I have tons on my TBR. I am a relatively new reader, hence why it's book 1 in so many books 😂

Right with you on books 1-4! A lot of authors I haven't tried yet on the back end of this -- great vid!

Nice list! I am pumped for these too!!!

Wow, imagine a teacher saying reading fantasy wasn’t “worthwhile” to a student that was actually TRYING to read? It’s crazy to think how childish a person can reveal themselves to be even as they attempt to impart ignorant ideals (based what I genuinely think are toxic social norms) onto the next generation. I still remember the first time I went into a public library after my family and I officially made the move from Nigeria to the US. I couldn’t believe all the fantasy books, horror books, and graphic novels the library was letting me borrow (for FREE). Not saying you couldn’t enjoy that luxury in a third world country, but it felt like such a gift to me when I discovered all the great new FREE stories the library had to offer me. And as the years go by fantasy continues to be a adventure I can escape to time and time again to experience a wholesome form of humanity I hardly ever see anywhere else (and certainly not in the “real world” that teacher considered to be so “worthwhile”).

Definitely will be reading the Fury of the Gods and the next RJBarker. And Sanderson! Ideally would like to reread the first books in all these series but that ain't gonna happen.

Hi, I just officially discovered your channel. At first when I saw a thumbnail of one of your videos I thought Superman/Henry Cavill had suddenly decided to start his own booktube channel (I knew he was a PC gamer but booktuber too? Lol!) but seriously congrats on both the channel and all the content so far. As far as my favorite book series right now I think I’ll base it on the ones I re-read the most and it’s a three-way tie between Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Cormoran Strike. Honorable mentions go to Tom Wood’s “Killer” series, as well as Jonathan Renshaw’s “Dawn of Wonder.” TBRs currently include the Sun Eater series and the Red Rising series. PS: I also do a lot of walking while listening to Audible (though I can never quite tell if it’s actually keeping my weight down, lol). Thanks and looking forward to checking out more of your videos.

Man, I'm not sure if it would be any worse than what you've listed, but Sanderson's The Reckoners series would be pretty brutal as well.

Good list, thanks for the heads-up :)

Nice list! I saw a brief video in which Reeves said the collab was based on a comic he wrote called BRZRKR. I’m not into comics, but I’m curious about this release. I’ve also never read anything by Mieville. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you pick it up!

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

I’m hoping to be caught up with Stormlight by the time Wind and Truth releases. Just started Way of Kings, hoping to knock one out a month, but I probably won’t if it means I have to read them all back to back. Also starting Shadow of the Gods soon, I’m more likely to get caught up on that before Fury releases lol.

Yesssss!! I just finished the shadow of the gods and I’m pumped for The Hunger. Should be caught up and ready for Fury when it comes out

Yes, «The Fury of the Gods»! Also excited for Book #3 of «The Sundered Nation» Trilogy by Vaughn Roycroft and the Standalone Sequel of the «Edan» Trilogy by our dear Philip Chase!

So... books five is the end of its own arc? Or is it just the halfway point?

Awesome video Tom! I’m also really excited to get a new Bobiverse book! I’m excited about Wind & Truth too.

In the Lives of Puppets by Klune was great. A lot of fun! And Tchikovsky's Children of Time is awesome. The Mercy of Gods is one I will be reading as well. 👍

I’m super curious about the book of elsewhere. Never read meiville but I love me some Keanu. All the eclectic possibilities

Just discovered your channel a week ago and I have been binging your videos! I am super excited to finish the dark tower this year, I am also planning to begin the Stormlight Archive!

The House in the Cerulean Sea was one of my favorites from last year. It’s a great palette cleanser and the sequel looks promising. Glad Lady Orange liked it too! So pumped for The Fury of the Gods too!

Solid list, The Book of Elsewhere is my 2nd most anticipated release of this year! It's Keanu's BRZRKR character and setting with China's writing, apparently the only constraint China had with the writing is to ensure the MC gains the ability to die. I suspect it'll probably be very accessible as far as China books go, as he's going to be constrained by the realities of the world Keanu's already established, so not sure how much of a measuring stick it'll be for his other work. Would be a bit like trying to judge Terry Brook's Shannara by reading his Phantom Menace novelization. I guess we'll find out in a few short days! I'm so hyped for that book, I've been waiting YEARS for new China Mieville.

Too many books!!

Before the end Wheel of Time is bad. But after the books end you could live a good Life, maybe, depending on where you are

Oof berserk's world would be no fun, also i just remembered the Blight in the wheel of time that place seems like hell 🤣 just a heads up i think you might want to fix the title to say "worlds" instead of "world"

Love to see some Empire of the Vampire gushing, I loooove that series as well!! Though Nevernight still has my heart, as that got me back into reading in the first place. Also, I really need to get back into some Stephen King! Looking forward to all you've got in store in the second half of the year, be that reviews or vlogs or any other type of content ;) Happy reading!!

I’m only getting into berserk so I don’t have the full scale of why I wouldn’t get… but I have some ideas

In fantasy, is there anything worse than being a commonborn NON chosen one?

Great video Tom! I totally agree about Empire of the Vampire and Attack on Titan. I wouldn’t want to live in the world of the Fifth Season either, but it might be doable.

Wait until you read King’s Dark Tower.

Yeah love Westeros. Would not want to live there!

I haven't read a single fantasy world I can think of that I'd want to live in. They're one and all pretty messed up places. It actually makes it appreciate reality more, as much as we have deep systemic issues to deal with, it's for the most part a far sight better re: quality of life than any of these places . . .

What a great way to enter the weekend when you drop a video. 🚀