These all look interesting. I had only heard of a few.

Midnight and Blue sounds intriguing, a cop in a prison when a murder occurs is an interesting premise. I'm not sure how crime can be 'cosy" but I have Richard Osman on my December TBR so I might find out....

I know I'm super late to this. My perspective is that we did hear a lot more of this resistance in 2016, and then again in 2020, and it was all very performative and honestly tiresome. I think people are tired. Also, the booktube community while heavily left-leaning and American is not all left-leaning or American so I have to imagine there's lots of people who are apathetic or happy about the result. I guess I'm apathetic too because to be honest I'm happy to not see a bunch of sad-faced thumbnails and people suddenly having political opinions that they never expressed before.

I just discovered your channel and I am so happy. Your videos feel almost like talking to a friend :)

I find the Booker Prize and the way it's featured on BookTube less problematic. I agree that there is really no literary benefit in reading longlists or shortlists (you cannot put the quality of literature into such metrics in a meaningful way), but it's also a lot of fun, and I love these heated debates. There is a big industry behind this, yet in a somewhat wonderful way, authors profit from this game, stepping into it almost innocently. The sales for Orbital just from being shortlisted were completely out there, and the same author was just a midlist author before. Or look at the German Book Prize: there is a big industry behind this as well, which hopes for more book sales, yes. Do I think Martina Hefter deserves this recognition after all these years? Hell, yes. Similarly, the National Book Award. I never really followed it, and at least in terms of the ceremony and the industry celebrating itself, it is the closest to Hollywood and the Oscars. This year, I accidentally read 4 out of the 5 shortlisted books before the shortlist was announced, so I thought, let's read that one missing one as well, and it turned out to be a wonderful and somewhat obscure short story collection (!) from a Nigerian writer. I don't really feel tricked into reading that book. That said, this year was the first year where I read 11 out of 13 longlisted Booker Prize books and the complete shortlist. I only liked two out of the six shortlisted books, and the two books that I specifically bought after the shortlist was announced, just to have read all of them, were the two I liked the least, and for literary or entertainment reasons, I could have done without (so apparently my gut feeling when I picked the most interesting nominees worked). I also thought Orbital was pretentious and boring for that matter, but I will decide next year if I want to do it again or not. If I feel like it, I will (and will enjoy the parallel BookTube discussions), and if not, then not, but I'm not very biased politically for or against.

This was great! Praiseworthy is one I want to get to in 2025.

I find it so strange when I see what content gets more traction. I often think of my own channel and whether it is worth it. But I figured I am after all doing this for myself and if at least one person finds my input interesting and likes the books I recommend that is enough for me. I am sorry you have come to the point where you are thinking about completely abandoning the channel.

Looking forward to the crime fiction list.

Saw this randomly, and subscribed because a) I love Mount Rainier, b) I'm from Seattle, and c) at the moment I'm with my wife's family in Stuttgart Germany. So maybe that's why the algorithm showed me your channel 🤣 Keep doing this if it brings your enjoyment, you appreciate the engagement you are getting, and you find its time commitment doesn't lessen anything else you want out of life.

I hope you stick around. BookTube is better off with you. But you gotta be you.

This is my first time seeing one of your videos.I'll subscribe!

This is the first time I've seen your channel. The algorithm is certainly strange.. Anyways, I'll leave you this comment to boost engagement. Good luck in the future, whether or not you decide to keep creating content

I enjoy your commentary as well as your blog videos. Your “I read something” videos are especially interesting to me. Often it means you are going to share your thoughts about a book that is not being discussed on many other channels. If you are no longer enjoying the process and decide to stop, it is our loss however it’s understandable if you wish to follow other pursuits. Good luck and best wishes for successes whichever path you choose to follow.

Love your channel and would enjoy being able to watch you but ultimately it's up to you!

Hi Rainier, I’ve read 55 books this year and reading a few others but I’ll be surprised if I complete much more. Even though I keep track, I don’t think it matters. It’s really about whether you enjoyed reading this year. Sounds like you did.

I enjoy your intelligent, relaxed, dispassionate reviews of books interesting to me, as well as your views of world history and affairs. I hope you continue to review as long as doing so is meaningful to you.

I had never heard of Michael Connelly and looked him up after your mention. Requesting the first Harry Bosch from the library!

I hope you continue!

I’m surprised your channel doesn’t have a larger following. There are a lot of identikit colour by numbers book tubers out there, and yours is authentically different.

Enjoyed your videos, but I am a notoriously bad comment writer.

I was always looking forward to your video. Maybe it would grow if you link with some advertisers like others do?

Your channel, your choice... I have enjoyed watching your channel...

I hate that book, honestly I‘ve never read a book that’s this bad or even close to being this bad

I'm so appreciative of this review. A while back I'd heard of the premise for Dusapin's Winter In Sokcho but I couldn't remember the title or author so it was lost to me forever....until now. Looking up the name helped me remember!

Book tube is generally extremely left leaning, we all know how terrible the election result is, but what good does it do for a book channel to talk about the election? Like I said, we all know, we’d learn nothing from random book tubers speaking about it. We can go to political commentary channels for that, everything you want talked about is talked about by those channels, it doesn’t make sense that booktube should also focus on the same thing.

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out-because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out-because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out-because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me-and there was no one left to speak for me. -Martin Niemöller

Great video! Thank you!

You raise some very pertinent questions. Thank you. The result of this election says a lot about the American electorate, does it not?

I admire you very much for speaking out as many have not! I will continue to support your channel and hope many others will join you as a sane voice in these troubling times.

I am thinking of starting a purely political channel.

Please watch Canadian Shawn Breathless Books In Search of Despair segment. He and his guest mince no words about last Tuesday.

Possibly because we already knew. Or read and follow it enough within our own families and friends IRL or maybe a lot of people are like when I grew up don't express every political detail publicly. Or neutral or because sometimes people address things for views and likes. Etc. Etc. NOONE is paying most booktubers so maybe some of us want this time for only the books we choose to discuss not out of duty. I'm a visual artist and a million times over the world thinks that artist have to reflect the times, which generally means the worst if times anything traumatic or life changing moments through struggle. It's exhausting we never get a chance or place to rest. Artist who paint nothing but flowers and trees are questioned like they are not creative enough because it doesn't reflect a dead body amongst the garden. Mostly though it's not for everyone to address we all sound like the same talking heads. Or it's just noones business what our views are. If it's a genuine concern for anyone let it be, but it's not the assignment of the day. We never know what people are doing offline to support what they believe in.

As an American commenting 4 day after the election, I have no answers to your questions that so many of us in the US have been wondering as well (and may I say am also embarrassed from the election outcomes). It is so flabbergasting to watch a Swede being far more educated on our US political climate and having far greater critical thinking skills than over half of people in my own country. May you transfer some of your intelligence onto my fellow americans lol (and thank you as always for your valuable insight. I'm just nodding my head aggressively throughout this entire video)

this list is so important now.

As Malaysian, it hit me. The case/scene describe about the migrant seem like a distance news I've read as a child. The descption of digging your own grave resonance the biggest human trafficking case happen in Malaysia/Thailand border and it happen from where I'm from, Perlis. Precisely a place named, Wang Kelian. What Tash Aw describe 'nobody notice in a plain sign' is true. These camp just meters away from a 'kampung' and my father used to go with his mountain bike around the same perimeter. But, nobody even the villager aware of those temporary camp. The villager heard a questionable sound here and there and did't think much of it. Brace youself before reading the report or news article about this. The statment they 'just a body' is lament in this case.

I said that s*** back in 2016

Thank you for this. Critical thinking skills, logic, and empathy are vital in these dreary times. Sending positive vibes your way as well! 💙🤘

We’ve all been asking these same questions for years.

I agree. It’s incomprehensible from this side of the Atlantic

I agree is very important this election and who is the winner

Amen!

Great break down. I appreciate your perspective.

Patria, the tv show was breathtakingly beautiful.

It’s excellent and scary.

Är det inte bättre att åka hem och hjälpa sitt folk.

I find it strange that every example of current autocracies you cite from her book, that are busy crushing their people's rights, are on the political left (this is before you get around to discussing Orban and Poland, which I assume to be your own commentary). You then segue to the danger posed by Donald Trump, who is nobody's leftist, and whose stance on China has been more hardline than that of any Western leader in forty years. Not to say that an authoritarian rightist figure could not arise; but 1) this "dangerous" man already spent four years in the White House, and the actual period of his presidency failed to produce anything akin to an American Reich; and 2) the weaponization of federal beauracracies like the IRS, FBI and the State Department, the public arrest of poltical opposition figures in SWAT-like takedowns for alleged process crimes(!); and the attempt to establish a Government "Truth" Board (the official office of disinformation control)--all of these practices of the past dozen years have been stunningly one-sided. That is why so many Americans, unpalatable as Mr. Trump may personally be, cling to him as their only defense against a cabal that is transparently attempting to seize total control of the very democracy they claim is under threat. They are correct: it is!

sounds like trump's and johnson's "little secret"...not certifying the votes

There is NO genocide taking place in Ukraine. There is in Gaza. Where is the hack on that issue?

She's a total hack. They find lack of democracy everywhere but not in the hegemon wannabe and plutocracy at home. If you want to read a GREAT book, Sheldon Wolin's Democracy inc. is one I recommend and more important for the Western audience. Opposition in Venezuela was literally aiding death squads in El Salvador in the 80s. Not a word about that from 'informed sources'

THE US IS BANKRUPT PHYSICALLY, MORALLY, SPIRITUALLY, ACADEMICALLY, MENTALLY, WRAPPED IN A BUBBLE OF MASS MEDIA DISTORTION SO DISTANT FROM REALITY THAT FANTASYLAND IS NOW ITS TRUTH AND EVERYONE KEEPS THEIR MOUTHS SHUT IN CASE THE ZIONIST TRAINED POLICE FORCES SHOW UP AT YOUR FRONT DOOR ARMED TO THE TEETH WITH MILITARY TOYS FROM FOREVER WARS...