⛅️ all the stories i read in june & july (+ august tbr!)

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hey besties, today i'm bringing you all of the stories that i read so far this summer, plus what i want to read before this season ends! i was given the honour of judging two writing prizes this summer and honestly, it's been such an unforgettable experience - and so i hope you love this little ramble!
with love,
joel 🗡
- help the world, friends!
✨ do the right thing | dotherightthing.carrd.co/
✊🏽 black lives matter | blacklivesmatters.carrd.co
🙅🏽 stop asian hate | anti-asianviolenceresources.c...
🇺🇦 information on ukraine | ukrainewar.carrd.co/
- books mentioned (links coming soon!)
📖 their vicious games | / 61629389
📖 paper girls
📖 the upper world
📖 ace of spades
📖 afterlove
📖 the first day of my life
📖 hani and ishu's guide to fake dating
📖 the yearbook
📖 skin of the sea
📖 house of hollow
📖 the crossing
📖 you're the one that i want
📖 the book eaters
📖 babel
📖 the final strife
📖 i'm glad my mom died
📖 i want to die but i want to eat tteokbboki
📖 lonely castle in the mirror
📖 the priory of the orange tree
📖 book lovers
📖 carrie soto is back
- social links
🐦 twitter | / joelrochesterr
📸 bookstagram | / fictionalfates
⏰ tiktok | / fictionalfates
📚 goodreads | / joelrochesterr
📖 storygraph | app.thestorygraph.com/profile...
📌 pinterest | pinterest.co.uk/joelrochesterr
☕ ko-fi | ko-fi.com/joelrochesterr
- music credits
🎼 namoo nara - back in time | thmatc.co/?l=AAD418C5
🎵 louie zong | louiezong.bandcamp.com
🎵 prod. riddiman | / prodriddiman
🎼 synae - wild world | thmatc.co/?l=21E731DF
- business enquires
✉️ partnership + commercial enquiries: [e-mail]
✉️ publishing + review enquiries: [e-mail]
- disclaimer
🌻 This video is sponsored by Karma.

[@alyssacascos8665]

“This book basically changed me as a person” ummm say less I am picking Babel up ❤️❤️❤️📚

[@fictionalfates]

YES i cannot wait for you to experience it too!

[@heyimsasa]

oh my god, okay small thing: i love it when you can tell the people in others' lives are influencing them when they include little things into their speech patterns (ex: friends including phrases they frequently hear from friends). i noticed you started saying "in and of itself" more which is what ellias does a lot LOL it's cuuute! 😊💖

[@erinsbooks]

The Priory of the Orange Tree is stunning. I just read it a couple weeks ago. Carrie Soto is Back is on my TBR; just waiting for my library to come into my library same now with Babel.

[@bon3999]

afterlove is my favourite book ever 😭😭😭 first sapphic book i ever read and was recommended to me by my now girlfriend soooo

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

Okay stop it, the locker is so cute???! How did all of that fit in there..

[@mmeashh]

take a shot every time joel says “in it of itself”

[@calebthomas7227]

The Book Eaters was the best debut I have picked up this year! I LOVED it.

[@craftyreads]

This has been the highlight of my day, I’ve been waiting for you to upload!! 🙌🏼

[@Taydelphia]

Last week, I ordered Babel and it will arrive sometime next week! 🥰

[@li3703]

haven't watched in ages and I'm honestly so excited

[@Manonouhouh]

Your videos are my dose of serotonin🌞

[@orionartemis3175]

You're literally like my favourite booktuber. Your vibe and everything is just topnotch and so chill and you make me wanna be productive

[@fictionalfates]

omg you’re so kind, thank you so much!!

[@The7Girlie]

Already been wanting to read Babel and Book Eaters and you just convinced me 100%! Also I see the Avatar shirt hehe 👀

[@maudhaugland5822]

The Priory of the Orange Tree is big, but also really fast paced so it didn't take me that long to read actually! And lonely Castle in the Mirror was such a wonderful book as well 💛

[@deathsheadhawkmoths]

my brother just lent me paper girls!! i need to finish neverwhere by neil gaiman before i get started on it

[@luvxli6333]

im literally so excited for babel im going to meet rfkuang later this month ahhh, also alchemy of souls I can't wait for the next episode TT

[@Khushi_Kishore]

I really enjoyed Lonely castle in the mirror! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it!!

[@ruth1527]

I'M SO EXCITED FOR BABEL

[@luiye4600]

Hi Joel I absolutely love your videos and love your recommendations

[@lollydolly4590]

I am so psyched to read Babel

[@TheSassyLibraryFox]

I've seen "Paper Girls" all over my feed and I'm so curious about it. You read so many interesting books in June & July. Most of them are on my TBR already and I just added the rest. *lol*

[@radiosilence3657]

Ayo! Sorry I'm late! Just wanted to say that I love your energy in this video, Joel! I can't really explain it, but you look so radiant!

[@finsfables]

I ended up picking up priory of the orange tree a little while ago mostly because this cute guy working at the book store told me I should get it HAHA but I’m also very intrigued to read it, very excited to see ur thoughts on it :))

[@ellenonoda]

I already have Babel pre-ordered even though I never read the Poppy War Trilogy 😂 but I’ve heard so many good things that I couldn’t resist, I’m discovering I like dark academia after reading The Atlas Six so I’m really excited for this release! If I like it I’ll go read the Poppy War Trilogy! Thanks for a wonderful video!

[@ruth1527]

I loved reading The book eaters very happy to received an ARC for it. Its simply amazing definitely worth preordering

[@seawitch8219]

Good time to read Priory since Samantha Shannon announced a prequel book that is supposed to come out next year.

[@CityGirlWriter]

If you want to read some more SFF for Women in Translation Month, then I recommend "The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories" edited and collected by Yu Chen and Regina Kanyu Wang, a collection of Chinese SFF in translation by female and nonbinary writers and translators (R.F. Kuang is included). I just finished reading this via audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed the short stories and learned about translating these stories from Chinese to English and being a translator in general. Not gonna lie, since you read Babel I think you would enjoy this collection if you are really curious about translation in general. Cannot to watch your The Priory of the Orange Tree reading vlog and secret TBRs!! *sidenote: cannot wait to see which Babel editions you preordered ;)

[@maddie9545]

If you’re interested in a graphic novel written and translated by a woman I highly recommend Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim translated by Janet Hong. It’s the story of a Korean woman who was taken by the Japanese Imperial Army and forced into sexual slavery. It’s a very difficult read which I implore everyone to look up the trigger warnings for but it is also an important read and exceptional

[@fictionalfates]

thank you so much for the recommendation and the warning about triggers, it’s much appreciated! ♥️

[@rubyyro]

I do hope you get to talk about those shortlisted YA titles sometime in the future! I'm really interested in your thoughts. I've heard of several of them, but I've only read Afterlove by Tanya Byrne and lets just say it was the only 5 star read I had during my Pride Month read-a-thon. So especially interested in your thoughts on that one.

[@persephonexx]

I wanna read Babel so badly!

[@readingwarlock]

Ooh for a translated work, 1st title that came to mind was The Vegetarian by Han Kang and translated by Deborah Smith 😊

[@maryamjuma1704]

i'm reading the tteokbokki book right now!

[@themanylivesofciara738]

The Final Strife is Epic! Also I’m Glad My Mom Died is a 5 star memoir!

[@raymondhodgson1190]

Might try and read "Whereabouts" by Jhumpa Lahiri. It was originally written and published in Italian and translated by Lahiri into English. It's short and moody and was very interesting to read as the author was originally an English speaker / writer who had great success and she just decided to become fluent in Italian, and this is her first Italian novel.

[@jazzmineanderson6330]

I love Attorney Woo I recommend it

[@OUTSPOKENWALLFLOWER4444]

Paper Girls!💕

[@ReadingNymph]

I want to get The Book Eaters and Babel though im waiting till they are in paperback

[@ewaldkostergunnsisko3491]

So I am not the only one who wants more of Lance Reddick's Wesker. Haven't been reading much lately(too hot to focus) but I have been watching The Sandman and Bastard! Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy. Also the movies Prey, Day Shift, Incantation and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the movie.

[@Li6doe]

Watched video…… (Adds babel to Amazon basket) ❤️❤️

[@jeannareadsbooks8475]

For Women in Translation month, try Catch the Rabbit by Lana Bastasic, translated by the author. It follows 2 friends who come back together after not speaking for 12 years as they go on a roadtrip because they've heard news that one of their brothers who dissappeared during the Bosnian war. Definitely unhinged women vibes ( one of them changes her tampon in a moving car and throws it out the window and doesn't even wipe her hands afterwards) but its written and structured in a very interesting way

[@RaetheSaint]

Just a heads up that a lot of Latinx creators have been calling out TJR for harmful stereotypes used in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and are worried that she’s writing another Latinx MC and may keep using harmful stereotypes and bad rep

[@caitlina5776]

Looking forward to checking out Babel! I’m finishing up The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman right now and am really enjoying it!

[@charityyoder9028]

That book is seriously my favorite surprise this year ! I picked it up on a whim from a library display and don't regret it. Sadly don't see it getting a ton of love - which it absolutely deserves.

[@caitlina5776]

@@charityyoder9028 Yes, I found it through my library too! I just finished it and it was so good, I was fully not expecting that betrayal at the end 👀 Really looking forward to the second one!

[@romeISdead]

Am I the only one who saw that ad where the women just gaslighted me into thinking something is in my eye?

[@pavlinazitkova]

❤❤

[@melaniek6714]

Hi Joel, I saw that you asked a subscriber for Brazilian author suggestions below. I don't know many, but I thought I'd recommend a title from my home country Germany: This house is mine by Doerte Hansen Its been one of the best selling books in Germany in I don't know how many years and its funny, sad, deep, cheeky and loads of other things ;)

[@felipesantana4937]

Joel have u ever read any brazilian authors??? Huggies from Brazil. 🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@fictionalfates]

i’ve read vitor martins and LOVED here the whole time, i’d defintiely take more suggestions though!!

[@iknowthe_end]

hey joel! i wondered if you’ve read the girls i’ve been? if not read it! i think you’d love it x

[@fictionalfates]

i have not! but, i actually own this one and i’ve been meaning to read tess sharpe so maybe i should soon 👀

[@iknowthe_end]

@@fictionalfates oo okay! :)

[@rachelelizabethdare1981]

Can you do a YA recommendations video please?

[@aroojalvi6241]

hey J, I have a kdrama recommendation. Please watch twenty five twenty one! Be prepared to have lots of tissues around you!!!

[@fernandoaquino7193]

Did he just spoil Babel? Oh, 🐳.

[@fictionalfates]

nope! all i said about the book can be found in the blurb

[@fernandoaquino7193]

@@fictionalfates That being the blurb, I bet the book will definitely be a ride! Can’t wait.