Mid-Year Freak-Out Tag 2024
6:45
14 күн бұрын
June Wrap-Up and July TBR 2024
25:36
May Wrap-Up and June TBR 2024
20:26
Book Review: Among The Living
1:49
April Wrap-Up & May TBR 2024
19:24
March Wrap-Up & April TBR 2024
20:08
February Wrap-Up & March TBR 2024
19:36
My Worst 10 Reads 2023
8:40
6 ай бұрын
My Best 10 Reads of 2023
5:57
6 ай бұрын
September Wrap-Up & October TBR 2023
21:30
August 2023 Books Read Wrap-Up
15:40
July Wrap-Up & August TBR 2023
9:17
2023 Mid-Year Freak-Out
5:52
11 ай бұрын
May to July 2023 catch up.
15:18
Жыл бұрын
My April Wrap Up and May TBR 2023
10:19
The Brink book review
2:36
Жыл бұрын
March Wrap-Up, April TBR 2023
16:35
Пікірлер
@sarahhall4107
@sarahhall4107 3 күн бұрын
Hi Malcolm. I hope you, Sabrina and the boys had a lovely holiday. 32 books is quite an achievement. Well done. I read 0 books and have read 0 books all summer. Nevermind! 😊
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 3 күн бұрын
Thanks. We all had a great time. The weather held for us. No worries, plenty of room for improvement then.
@TheBookclectic
@TheBookclectic 3 күн бұрын
😂 You couldn't read your own writing!! ❤
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 3 күн бұрын
No one can
@TheBookclectic
@TheBookclectic 3 күн бұрын
Oh those Dinosaur graphic books look fun!
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 3 күн бұрын
Yes. i went to the same market as last year to get another one, but they only had this one.
@TheBookclectic
@TheBookclectic 3 күн бұрын
I'm actually reading a Star Wars novel (probably in December) called Splinter Of The Mind's Eye. I don't read Star Wars books, but this is an alternate to Empire Strikes Back, and that really interests me. I hear it's good, so I'm excited to find out for myself!
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 3 күн бұрын
Cool. Alan Dean Foster, who ghost wrote the novelisation of The Star Wars was approached to write the sequel. He was told to keep it low budget (they didn't know how successful the first film was going to be). So he based it on a swap planet - the inspiration for Dagobah. A lot of other concepts also made it into Empire.
@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk
@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk 18 күн бұрын
Some interesting books mentioned. Food for thought. The ever expanding tbr! Happy reading to you.
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 17 күн бұрын
Our TBRs Will be the end of us all...
@cjgeminitarot6836
@cjgeminitarot6836 Ай бұрын
Just finished it, have not seen the show. I actually did like the beginning, but overall? If you think about anything too deeply, none of it makes sense. SPOILERS. They’re using the game to foster love and loyalty to the Trisolarans? How? It’s a game where you go to a barren wasteland and the world keeps ending. At the game meetup the writer was like, “omg YAS life would be so much more interesting if the Trisolarans were here!” Really? How? They’re strips of leather that live on a dead planet. I don’t get it. They use the nanowire to prevent damage to the data…at first I went with it. But the scene plays out and the boat crashes and catches on fire. And realistically most of it would have sank. HOW was this the best option to get a data drive? 😂 The sophons are almost omnipotent. And we need to kill the humans. So we’re going to use the sophons to kill the humans right? No, we are just going to enact a complicated plan of psychological warfare. Oh and also when scientists encounter things they can’t explain, they just kill themselves, everyone knows that. Parts of it were compelling to me. But if you think about any of it at all, I feel like the entire plot falls apart. But it’s clear that the author wants you to think about these things. I don’t know what to do about it. I have the whole series, I heard the second book is better but…It’s hard for me to look past how ridiculous much of this plot was.
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 19 күн бұрын
Yes to everything you just said!
@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk
@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk Ай бұрын
Best wishes with what you choose to read. I hope you get some great stories. Happy reading!
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 19 күн бұрын
Thanks, finally gotten to sit down and do some editing...
@TheBookclectic
@TheBookclectic Ай бұрын
YES! I love John Wyndham! ❤ Also didn't they turn that Sweet Tooth story into a movie? I feel like I've seen a movie trailer for that 🤔.
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 Ай бұрын
Netflix did a TV show. I watched the first episode on a friend's account before Netflix clamped down on password sharing.
@TheBookclectic
@TheBookclectic Ай бұрын
@@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 Was it any good?
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 17 күн бұрын
It was okay, seemed pretty close to the material.
@karlstone6011
@karlstone6011 2 ай бұрын
I feel so much better now about getting half way through, and lost in the unfathomable distances between worlds, having given up! Chronological relation of events seems an odd choice given the character of those events - and how it leaves, almost the whole of the second book without any event occurring relevant to the principle plot. I wondered if it's a cultural thing; within the overall structure of the work, if the second - seemingly superfluous book is not akin to how Chinese art makes use of blank space? Or because it's the three body problem - there had to be three books? Might go back to it. It's not uninteresting or difficult to read, just sparse.
@PhilChandlerArts
@PhilChandlerArts 2 ай бұрын
I was debating getting the book, because this sort of thing fascinates me. But after your review I’m not so sure. I have issues keeping my attention focused reading nonfiction books. Maybe I’ll try the show first. 🤔
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 Ай бұрын
That would be wisest, might help you get into the book then.
@sparkspl
@sparkspl 2 ай бұрын
This book feel like Chinese knockoff SF. Hype was so unreal, cos it was unreal.
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 Ай бұрын
That's the problem with hype, rarely lives up to it. I'd started this before the hype.
@IanTerronesReads
@IanTerronesReads 2 ай бұрын
I thought the first book was pretty good, but the 2nd and 3rd books are amazing
@maltefiebig9673
@maltefiebig9673 2 ай бұрын
I actually like it a lot (though I breezed through the first book and never felt a desire to go back and reread it like the second or third), but can attest to the fact that nothing is lost in translation. If anything Ken's translation enhances it. Ironically, the Chinese very much reads as if translated from English.
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 Ай бұрын
Thanks for that insight. Yes, I forgot to mention that Ken did a great job reading it.
@pllpsy665
@pllpsy665 2 ай бұрын
The book is indeed pretty bad. The thing I don't like the most is that it likes to pretend that it's "hard science fiction" when in fact it is not that at all. It's very psychdelic science fantasy in the vein of the most wacky illogical, implausible Dr Who nonsense wrapped in endless pretentious technobabble bunk and lacking any of the Dr Who charm. The show is actually not that bad.It's a pretty well produced fun show with a talented cast. It never tries to explain the nonscience and just creates a spectacle.
@nnr77
@nnr77 2 ай бұрын
I've had this on my kindle for literally years. I've started it a few times, Never been able to get past a few chapters. The writing/translation just put me off.
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 Ай бұрын
There's no shame in abandoning a book.
@TheKillaBunny77
@TheKillaBunny77 2 ай бұрын
I haven’t read the book but was thinking spending a credit on the audible version. I might give it miss if it doesn’t tell the story better than the show. I did see the tv show and while I enjoyed it, the ending was flat and they did a poor job explaining the whole wall-facer thing, it felt tacked on at the end. Also, the whole idea of putting a brain in a box and shooting it across space to speak to aliens was stolen from Lovecraft. Have a read of/listen to Lovecraft’s ‘The Whisperer in Darkness.’ It’s the same idea, but executed in a way that is truly horrifying. No one in their right mind would wish that fate on a friend. That’s the bit I truly disliked about this story. *shudders*
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 Ай бұрын
I gather the show was the better option. Save your credit for something else.
@Galva94a
@Galva94a 2 ай бұрын
interesting point of view. I loved the book and read it in three/four days, and loved expecially the creation of the sophons part
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 Ай бұрын
Delighted that you got enjoyment out of it.
@thekinginthenorf
@thekinginthenorf 2 ай бұрын
the books' weaknesses are that it takes the author's awesome ideas and then tries to cram it in half-assed characters. the scope and imagination in the second book is my favorite of the whole series--but it only gets that good in the second half, which says something about the skill of Cixin Liu as a writer. but his ideas are absolute gems
@mikeboosh8776
@mikeboosh8776 Ай бұрын
I got about half way through the second book, then dropped it because I was just bored. I might go back and try to finish it off, but the fact that it feels like a chore to complete rather than an enjoyable thing probably speaks volumes.
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 Ай бұрын
Unfortunately, none of ideas were new, so I have nothing to latch on to.
@xyshomavazax
@xyshomavazax 2 ай бұрын
TBP’s ideas are cool, but the 2D characters who speak only in expository paragraphs made it hard to finish. The show handles the narrative, characters, and dialogue much better - though there was still too little juice for the squeeze.
@Lavishlybookish
@Lavishlybookish 2 ай бұрын
The show is definitely better than the book. The book was published almost 20 years ago and it reads like it.
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 Ай бұрын
I gather they made some improvements and also included content from book 2.
@portantwas
@portantwas 2 ай бұрын
I didn't hate it but don't know if I'll bother reading the next one, The Dark Forest. It needed editing to make the pacing better, so I agree with your comment about the chapter on the folding interdimenstional thingee being unnecessary. There was a really bad chapter where it describes the point of view of an alien communication worker that really ruined the whole manipulative 'fake' aliens in the game that humans players can't take at face value. Anyway, I read it before watching the Netflix show, which I didn't like much at all. The show was confusing and clunky.
@thekinginthenorf
@thekinginthenorf 2 ай бұрын
The Dark Forest is the best one but unfortunately the best parts are in the second half. The imagination of the author is truly astounding, but his skill as an author in building three dimensional characters falls short. I would recommend it as an audio book you save for long walks
@akshayhere
@akshayhere 2 ай бұрын
The interdimentional chapter was the best thing about the entire book. What are you on about?
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 Ай бұрын
I'm 'glad' I listened to it. I wouldn't have finished it otherwise.
@TheWeco
@TheWeco 2 ай бұрын
I only read it after seeing the show so that might have affected how I felt about it. I did found it interesting and really liked those long explanations as well. The characters I did struggle with but I think that was aided by the show. The tech side really isn't what the series is about. The more original concepts come with the "cosmic sociology" - what's life like in the universe and how does it interact. The second book to me is far superior to this one as it gets much deeper into that. Might not be the same for you, but it's one of the best pieces out there for me. With the setup here, it's easy to pick up later. Da Shi is the only main returning character so there's a bonus? The third one drags a bit and by the end really gets in deep with the dimensions mentioned here so it might not be your cup of tea. Although if the second one hits hard then there's enough stuff to keep entertained throughout it as well.
@TheWeco
@TheWeco 2 ай бұрын
Oh and also the trisolaren computer was predicting the position of the three suns and therefore the stable era. So the inputs were the current positions.
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 Ай бұрын
Thanks, that wasn't made clear.
@kempiro
@kempiro 2 ай бұрын
You might like the Netflix show much better. They really fix the boring characters thing in an ingenious way, and keep the plot moving.
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 2 ай бұрын
I don't have Netflix, and this certainly wasn't the deciding factor to get it. Good to hear they made some improvements, though I doubt that would have been difficult.
@mikeboosh8776
@mikeboosh8776 Ай бұрын
I have to say, I really enjoyed the Netflix show and struggled with the books.
@TheBookclectic
@TheBookclectic 2 ай бұрын
Oh dear. I finally got around to buying this book a few weeks ago. I've been on the fence about reading it. You have pretty good reading tastes, so I'm feeling pretty convinced I'm not going to like it either! 🙈 (well... except for that whole not liking Frankenstein thing! 😂❤)
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 2 ай бұрын
Maybe with lower expectation you might like it better... Then again, you do like Frankenstein.
@TheBookclectic
@TheBookclectic 2 ай бұрын
@@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 😂😂😂
@Once_could
@Once_could 2 ай бұрын
Pretty interesting, thank you for the video!
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 2 ай бұрын
You're most welcome 😁
@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk
@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk 2 ай бұрын
Hello and best wishes. Everyone has to prepare for the zombie apocolypse! Here's to a great reading summer. Happy reading!
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 2 ай бұрын
Hello to you too. Enjoy your reading summer as well.
@gordon8282
@gordon8282 3 ай бұрын
The rage war trilogy is a good scifi opera too bad fox couldn't capitalize on this work a space opera based on the aliens vs predetor universe would be a bit knowing this franchise has a lot of fans from both older and younger demographics
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 2 ай бұрын
It does have a good coverage of the franchise and is another case of the movies they should have done.
@sealife13
@sealife13 3 ай бұрын
Did you know he wrote a part two, wayward?
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 3 ай бұрын
Yes, we have it, it's on the TBR shelf. I think we're in a shorter books mode at the moment, hoping to get to it soon.
@sealife13
@sealife13 3 ай бұрын
That is so cute, I once had a boyfriend that would read books to me over the phone when we were apart ( obviously otherwise it would have been really weird)
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 3 ай бұрын
Love the image of you two both on the phone next to each other as he reads to you... Makes more sense to do it when you're apart, though.
@christinacampbellbooks
@christinacampbellbooks 4 ай бұрын
Enjoyed hearing your thoughts on this one. I liked this book. I really liked the concept of multiples. It was a really fun read. Looking forward to reading the next in the series ☺
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 4 ай бұрын
Thanks for the feedback. Glad to hear you enjoyed it too. I have read (and reviewed) Antimatter Blues, not as good as Mickey7, but still enjoyable.
@anthonyprice4862
@anthonyprice4862 4 ай бұрын
Brilliant! I found this really useful. I bought The Prefect years ago but never fancied reading it. I’d actually put the book in a box to go to the charity shop. For some reason I started to read it and became hooked. Fast paced and a lot of fun. Didn’t know about the trilogy so I’ll be picking them up soon. Cheers.
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 4 ай бұрын
Delighted to hear you enjoyed it and glad to be of service. Happy reading.
@TheBookclectic
@TheBookclectic 4 ай бұрын
I have a couple Alistair Reynolds books, but I haven't read them yet. Hopefully I'll get to him this year!
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 4 ай бұрын
Which ones do you have?
@TheBookclectic
@TheBookclectic 4 ай бұрын
@@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 I have Beyond The Aquila Rift (I had to get this after watching Love, Death, and Robots on Netflix!) and Diamond Dogs / Turquoise Days.
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 4 ай бұрын
Ohh, some short stories, nice!
@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk
@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk 4 ай бұрын
Spent most of February reading Dune. Currently on page 805 of the Count of Monte Cristo. Still some way to go! Best wishes with your reading choices. Happy reading.
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 4 ай бұрын
I applaud your dedication to the big books! Love Dune, hated Dune Messiah. Not sure if Count will ever cross my radar.
@zachwaterman5931
@zachwaterman5931 4 ай бұрын
Just finished it , I enjoyed it , can't wait to dive in book 3
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 4 ай бұрын
Cool, it's going to be one I'll need to order if I want to read it.
@tomsaveryscotlandicproduct8505
@tomsaveryscotlandicproduct8505 4 ай бұрын
The British version of the comic book guy
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 4 ай бұрын
I don't know what to say to that... thanks?
@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk
@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk 5 ай бұрын
Thats a heck of a lot of books. I spent most of February reading one, Dune. Had a couple of other thinner books but I currently reading the Count of Monte Cristo. I maybe some time!
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 4 ай бұрын
It was, I don't quite know how I managed it. Certainly have struggled through March and April. Looks like you've picked a couple of big books there.
@bluestrawberry8412
@bluestrawberry8412 6 ай бұрын
I love the lil christmas yoda on the shelf :) btw love the video
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 6 ай бұрын
Didn't even notice he was there when I edited this!!! Thanks for the support 😊
@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk
@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk 6 ай бұрын
I'm you have the Gaul to show Asterix! Best joke I could do, sorry. Hope you are reading something good and best wishes to your channel. New subscriber here.
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 6 ай бұрын
I see what you did there... Thanks for the sub, hope you enjoy what you see. Reading's been not bad for February. Got a Wrap-Up For January to do, need strength for that sort of thing.
@TheBookclectic
@TheBookclectic 6 ай бұрын
I didn't know you wrote! Groovy! I'll check it out!
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 6 ай бұрын
Blushes
@TheBookclectic
@TheBookclectic 6 ай бұрын
I recently picked up The Kaiju Preservation Society because you said you liked it so much, so if I don't like it... I'm holding you responsible 😂❤.
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 6 ай бұрын
Seeing as how differently we view Frankenstein... I'm bracing myself now.
@TheBookclectic
@TheBookclectic 6 ай бұрын
@@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 😂 Well you a lot of books I like actually. Frankenstein is an anomaly! Lol
@TheBookclectic
@TheBookclectic 6 ай бұрын
😂 Your disdain for Frankenstein is hilarious! It's one of my all time favorite books, but I enjoyed hearing you trash it! ❤
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 6 ай бұрын
I'm just relieved you find it amusing.
@deadby2534
@deadby2534 6 ай бұрын
Got recommended this from a video on a completely different topic, but glad I did. Keep it up homie, thanks for the suggestions.
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 6 ай бұрын
Welcome to my channel. Thank you for the supportive comment, really needed that today :)
@1984isnow
@1984isnow 7 ай бұрын
Yes, out of gas.
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 7 ай бұрын
A good choice.
@TheBookclectic
@TheBookclectic 7 ай бұрын
Oh my yes... I just got done watching Kenobi. I don't know what the hell they were thinking there. Extremely disappointing and kind of disgusting really. Especially since I had watched The Madalorian and The Book Of Bobo Fett right before it.
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 7 ай бұрын
To be honest, from the moment Disney decided to drop the EU as canon I don't consider anything they've done as Star War (it's Disney Star Wars).
@TheBookclectic
@TheBookclectic 7 ай бұрын
@@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 Absolutely do not blame you!
@TheBookclectic
@TheBookclectic 7 ай бұрын
Oh West Of Eden is one of my favorite novels of all time, but I scared to read the sequels!
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 7 ай бұрын
Don't be scared, it's been so long since I've last read it, but I do remember the trilogy being very satisfying.
@TheBookclectic
@TheBookclectic 7 ай бұрын
@@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 OK that's good to know! Thanks! ❤
@TheBookclectic
@TheBookclectic 7 ай бұрын
Oh you have a black cat! I also have a black cat. We can be friends forever now! 😂❤
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 7 ай бұрын
His name is Quinlan Vos (Jedi Master) also answers to Quinny. He's 14 and rules his domain with an iron thumb (or would do if cats had thumbs...)
@TheBookclectic
@TheBookclectic 7 ай бұрын
@@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 😂 that's awesome!
@Sugbon
@Sugbon 7 ай бұрын
keep up the reaading bro!
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 7 ай бұрын
Thanks. Struggling this month - Mistress of the Empire is a BEAST! Really enjoying it but it's the 19th today, I've still got 200+ pages to go and then got Winter In Eden & 2 Terry Pratchett's to fit in before the end of the month.
@user-gx5we7pj9q
@user-gx5we7pj9q 8 ай бұрын
Thank you for the review, I appreciate it! Merry Christmas :)
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 8 ай бұрын
You're very welcome! Happy New Year!
@SADS131313
@SADS131313 8 ай бұрын
grewat book ovewr all
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 8 ай бұрын
Thanks for watching
@TheBookclectic
@TheBookclectic 9 ай бұрын
I don't have anything to say, so I'll just drop another 👍🏻.
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813
@wyrmbergmalcolm2813 9 ай бұрын
Thanks