Best/Surprising/Touching Moments of 2024!! - Year in Review

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Beautiful video, John and Jakob! May you have many great reads, new favorite characters, heartwarming friendships, and special memories in 2025 on Talking Story!

[@Talking_Story]

Thanks so much my friend!

[@michelleizoco]

So you two convinced me to buy City of Thieves AND The Gallant while I was watching this video. You both have so much enthusiasm and when you love something - it's contagious. Hearing you two talk about the moments that touched your heart - I got a little verklempt. I won't lie. I love watching you two together and finding your channel has been one of the best parts of this year. I look forward to next year and the books we all love, the interactions we share and the way our lives change.

[@Talking_Story]

@@michelleizoco this is amazing. Thanks so much for sharing. Means so much to us. Have a wonderful holiday season!

[@GrahamDixonUK]

Favourite read so far this year Recursion - Blake Crouch. In response to your closing comments, I believe you receive what you give out. you both come across as genuine, compassionate, empathetic and humourous. I enjoy every video you put out and have some great books to read in the coming year thanks to you recommending them.

[@Talking_Story]

@@GrahamDixonUK this means the world to us. Thanks so much!

[@unlimitedreads]

This was such a fantastic video, guys! John...we went through Oathbringer together and I'm never going to forget that, I feel like we both went through hell and back with Dalinar, and out of the Stormlight books, it's a real stand out and I want to thank you for the friendship we have forged 🙌 and Jakob, you are so awesome and I'm looking forward to following you both into 2025!

[@Talking_Story]

@@unlimitedreads to know I have a brother from down under it makes my world a much smaller and far more magical place!

[@christhewritingjester3164]

Great video! I love the deeper reflection on each point. This kind of variety is why I love what you guys do here! My read of the year was Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradburry. There were a lot of top reads, but man that book really spoke to me on another level. It's been a blast overall getting more involved in the BookTube community. I've been more of an active participant over the last year and it's truly been amazing. So, thanks for creating that kind of environment and inspiring so many people to take part.

[@Talking_Story]

@@christhewritingjester3164 Bradbury is such a beautiful storyteller. This would not be the same place without my friend! For soooo many reason.

[@BrianBell7]

Really like how you formatted this year-end video. It's totally different than anything else, and I'm here for it! Also, I don't know how I didn't win every category. Goals for 2025.

[@Talking_Story]

@@BrianBell7 we both had you for every category then we had to go back and switch it up

[@BrianBell7]

@@Talking_Story OK. I'm appeased.

[@Talking_Story]

@ now I can sleep tonight

[@aaronharvey5625]

You said you haven't run into any rude people on the platform? Im going to change that: You guys rock! (Delivered in a rude sounding tone) For real though, I've been a subscriber for a while but haven't really been watching many booktube videos until recently so I'm basically new. You guys both bring so much positivity and make me even more excited to pick up my reading habits some. I'll definitely be joining the patreon after the holidays!

[@Talking_Story]

Oh my friend this is awesome! Welcome to the channel. Let us know what you are picking up to read.

[@AReadersJourney]

I've loved discovering your channel this year. You guys really brought me back to loving BookTube after a year or so away from it, and inspired me to restart my own channel as well. So much fun watching you guys and hearing about so many great reading experiences, and to see the way you have fostered a community on this platform. Can't wait to see what you all get up to in 2025!!!

[@Talking_Story]

@@AReadersJourney my friend this means so much to us. Any tiny bit we have to do with you adding amazing content to Booktube makes us beyond happy!!

[@BooksWithBenghisKahn]

What a beautiful vid! Dragonsteel was so special for me too, and it was delightful to meet you and Jakob in person even if it wasn’t for long enough. And it was an honor to learn the art of the sword alongside you too 😊 Dalinar is one of my all time favs as well, and man did this get me hyped to read To Ride Hell’s Chasm and City of Thieves (both of which I own!). And John………you have absolutely no earthly idea what you’re in for with the rest of the Realm of the Elderlings. It’s gonna hit like a freight train, followed by a ton of bricks 😅

[@Talking_Story]

@@BooksWithBenghisKahn oh my brother all I can say is I can’t wait for that train!

[@Gl1tch2263]

I am in the middle of a Farseer reread right now. It’s genuinely a bit concerning how much I care about these characters So excited for you to continue 🙏

[@Talking_Story]

@@Gl1tch2263 it is a bit concerning for sure! I am looking forward to getting back in soon!

[@jsboisvert1981]

The power of the people!

[@Talking_Story]

@@jsboisvert1981 no doubt!!

[@lorifrederick2367]

Love the look back. Jakob, you made me cry 😊 . Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Looking forward to see you in 2025. One of my fav moments was about a month or two ago, John made a comment or suggestion, and Jakob turns and says "you know"......making the same comment. John was like "were you listening to me at all?" (I hope this makes sense) Well, i laughed so hard at that. 😅😅

[@Talking_Story]

@@lorifrederick2367 I know the exact time you are talking about. Thanks so much for those kind words. To know we brought a smile to you is the best we could ever hope for.

[@lucasbertsche3710]

Jakob does not miss with the thumbnails! May or may not have read it on a bathroom wall that Talking Story has the best thumbnails on Booktube 😳

[@Talking_Story]

@@lucasbertsche3710 oh that’s out there

[@emzstern]

Well finding your channel was definitevly a highpoint (can't remember if it was this year or last year, anyway just wanted to highlight it just in case). Another highpoint was the publication of me and my friends 4 anthology (I got some really heartwarming comments about my short story from a person I don't think reads sci-fi normally. So that really pushed me to continue writing and hopefully improve). I got a few precious workdays with a collegue who I rarely gets to work with but when I do it's always awesome with book/writing talks. Those worknights goes soooo fast! And lastly I just got accepted into the worldbuilding writing class I've mention before. Huzzah! Looking forward to the writing year of 2025!

[@Talking_Story]

@@emzstern oh wow huge congrats. I hope your muse chatters away at you through 25! Thanks so much for those kind words as well.

[@emzstern]

@@Talking_Story Thank you as well for creating such a wonderful community! I'm sure it will! Will 2025 be the year I finish my first draft? Who knows! But hearing you talk about books and your own project as well is so, so inspiring!

[@Talking_Story]

@ 25 will be the year for us! I can’t wait to see what people think. It is out with some very early readers to get some blurbs if we can.

[@emzstern]

@@Talking_Story Exciting! Best wishes to you!

[@Talking_Story]

@ thanks my friend!

[@bradmiller3367]

“I’ll do the first one first.” That is positively BRILLIANT!!!😅

[@Talking_Story]

@@bradmiller3367 solid plan

[@Dennis_M_Myers]

I hope the holidays are warm and happy for you all.

[@Talking_Story]

@@Dennis_M_Myers right back at you my friend!

[@egowriter]

can't lie, i got a little misty eyed when Jakob said the Dragonsteel trip was his touching moment of the year... BRB, gotta go call my dad.

[@Talking_Story]

@@egowriter yes make that call!

[@TedReadInstead]

Hey J&J I had to stop when you brought out Oathbringer, as it's on its way to me in the mail and Dalinar is one of my boys. I didn't want anything ruined so I stopped the video! Haha! :) Thanks for these categories. This was fun! :)

[@Talking_Story]

@@TedReadInstead we were careful there were no spoilers. You won’t believe what is coming your way!

[@TedReadInstead]

@@Talking_Story I'm very excited! :)

[@someokiedude9549]

Beautiful stuff boys. Getting me all sentimental on this flight back to Okieland from Florida. It’s been a good year on my end too, lot of productivity for the channel. Here’s my list. Fav New Series: I didn’t read too many series’ but The Edan trilogy from Dr. Philip Chase would be my pick. Disappointing Read: The Wizard Knight by Gene Wolfe. Solid but not as good as I hoped. Biggest Surprise: The Hybrid Helix books from Joe Berne. Favorite New Character: Gus McCrae from Lonesome Dove. Touching Moment: Going to Florida with my parents and gaining 500 subscribers. Great work Uncle!!

[@Talking_Story]

@@someokiedude9549 huge congrats to you nephew!

[@thatsci-firogue]

I had read Farseer around late 2021 / early 2022 and despite my lukewarm response to Assassin's Quest at the time Farseer became one of my favourite Fantasy series but in December 2023 after multiple attempts I devoured Ship of Magic and I have devoured most of RotE in 2024 (given that I tend not to read much in Decembers anyway, Assassin's Fate will likely be my last read of the year), RotE has been my favourite series of 2024 Tawny Man especially. Wars of Light & Shadow at a close second and i wrapped up Memory Sorrow & Thorn.

[@Talking_Story]

@@thatsci-firogue I can’t wait to get further in on Elderlings. Sounds like a pretty great year.

[@heidi6281]

@@thatsci-firogue Or he/she who has no name. The Last King of Osten Ard is so unbelievably incredible, do not wait too long… when you are ready I will give you the reading order… I think Tad must have perfected his craft these last thirty years or maybe I have a more discerning ear now after so many books.😏 Two novellas and 4 chonkers of pure reading enjoyment ahead of you.

[@thatsci-firogue]

@@heidi6281 Yeah, I can't wait to continue! It'll be early 2025 for sure. I've been given the reading order, I think its: Heart of What Was Lost, then Witchwood Crown, Empire of Grass, Brothers of the Wind and then Into the Narrowdark and Navigatior's Children? I can confirm I am a man.

[@heidi6281]

Hey you got the beautiful illustrated edition for Farseer! Lucky Duck!

[@Talking_Story]

@@heidi6281 I did. I splurged for my bday with some gift cards. They are so nice!!

[@MacScarfield]

«Sun Eater» and Servo! 🙌 Excited to read «City of Thieves» over Christmas! 😎 I am surprised Bertran from «A Song for Arbonne» or any other GGK didn’t get a mention, John! 😅 So many great new series for me this year: «Memory, Sorrow & Thorn», «Sun Eater», «The Prince of Nothing», David Gemmell’s «The Rigante» series, but I have to go with Robert Harris’ «Cicero» Trilogy and his take on Cicero as my favorite character of the year! As for emotional, again so many: The gutpunch of the ritual sacrifice of (multiple!) children in Bernard Cornwall’ «Stonehenge» (😭), the compassion of David Gemmell’s characters in the «Rigante» series, but I think have to go with the funeral in «Når Landet Mørknar» (Approximately «When The Land Darkens») by Tore Kvæven (Historical Fiction set during the 13th Century end of the Norse Settlement of Greenland, think of it as a Norse John Steinbeck novel)! Or maybe all of «A Brightness Long Ago»! 😄😊🙌 Cheers

[@Talking_Story]

@@MacScarfield what a year you had. It’s so funny you had at first I had all 3 but I just couldn’t break the rules that hard for fav character

[@Tyler.Morgan]

Woah woah woah you gotta give me a little credit for City of Thieves😅that was my Patreon pick that Mr Poo pulled out of the hat on month one. I'm glad between the Mrs and i we could finally convince you to read it. It's been a great year on the channel and I'm looking forward to the next!

[@Talking_Story]

@@Tyler.Morgan I give you full credit my friend. That book was amazing!

[@katherinep1010]

Let's see... Favorite new series this year: Scholomance by Naomi Novik Biggest disappointment: Kings of the Wyld - I really liked it at the beginning, but ended up throwing my Kindle across the couch at one point. This was the only book to actually make me angry this year. Biggest Surprise: This is How You Lose the Time War - I expected to hate this and ended up loving it. Favorite Character: Isabella from The Memiors of Lady Trent And Jakob cracked me up with his favorite character being from his most disappointing read. 😂

[@Talking_Story]

@@katherinep1010 I caught that too. Disappointed but this guy Sevro! sounds like you had an amazing year!

[@25Natalija]

John, your t-shirt is too good. 😍

[@Talking_Story]

@@25Natalija oh thanks!

[@deadslugs]

Same. Sauce please ❤

[@dannyjorde2677]

I've just realized that City of Thieves is a retelling of All Quiet on the Western Front. It's a great retelling from what I heard, so I'll read it for sure.

[@Talking_Story]

@@dannyjorde2677 let me know what you think of it!

[@christopherprice6480]

Great video gents 👏 the father , son duo youtube needs

[@Talking_Story]

@@christopherprice6480 thanks so much! Made our week!

[@connorarmstrong2201]

Love this channel so much!! You guys are the best!

[@Talking_Story]

@@connorarmstrong2201 wow thanks so much!

[@zeallygreen]

💚

[@deadslugs]

Great video! Im just happy Jacon read enough for this video! ❤

[@Talking_Story]

@@deadslugs he is making strides!

[@gryftkin]

The Mrs. - "What do you want for dinner?" John - "What would Dalinar do?"

[@Talking_Story]

@@gryftkin you Daddy Dalinar wants meat!

[@bradschwartz9084]

Jacob iron gold was a decent read. Then you get to Dark Age and Light Bringer and they are AMAZING!

[@Talking_Story]

@@bradschwartz9084 I agree with you.

[@carleelynn2017]

You guys made my year!! I’m so glad I found this community. Here’s to sticking around for many years and reads to come 🎉🎉🎉

[@Talking_Story]

@@carleelynn2017 absolutely we are having way too much fun to go anywhere!

[@masonmclaughlin7905]

Sevro has an argument to be the best side character of all time. Also the goblin of mars is maybe the best nickname of all time. Update. 60 pages in the gallant and 92 pages into boys life both good!!

[@Talking_Story]

@@masonmclaughlin7905 oh I hope they both hit for you!

[@AndrewsWizardlyReads]

I LOVE oathbringer

[@Talking_Story]

@@AndrewsWizardlyReads soooo good!

[@garion_s]

Favourite New Series - this one is really tough. Between the Culture, Warlord Chronicles, The Prince of Nothing, Vorkosigan Saga and Empire of the Wolf I have to pick The Prince of Nothing because Bakker is the darkness that comes before and planted the seed of this thought in my brain, I guess. Disappointing Read - now my first thought was Dungeon Crawled Carl, but I kind of expected to hate litrpg and tried what many would claim is the best representative of the genre just to base my hatred on some actual experience reading it. I wasn't wrong, DNFed that really quick but it doesn't qualify since for the book to be disappointing, you need to have expectations for it to be good. So my pick would be Walk Among Us: Three Novellas of the World of Darkness I really wanted some good Vampire the Masquerade stories but got only one okayish or maybe one and a half out of three in this anthology. Biggest Surprise - Player of Games and Culture series as a whole. I knew Iain M. Banks and his sci-fi anthology series was well respected but I didn't expect it to grip me so hard. This is a world I would like to live in, which is rare with all of this brutal fantasy and sci-fi madness we all read. Fav New Character - I can't pick my boy Iron Bars since he is not new, so my pick instead would be Spinnock Durav with Yedan Derryg, the Watch coming as close second (all from Malazan). Touching Moment - Beak in Reaper's Gale (Malazan). If you know you know, I'll have it etched in my memory to the end of times and I forget what happens in books easily.

[@Talking_Story]

@@garion_s great list thanks for sharing. I look forward to knowing about beak!

[@jenn9027]

Favorite read: illuminae trilogy (it brought me out of that long slump I was having, bit depressed it's over honestly) Most disappointing: Frankenstein, I know I'm in the minority, but I had the Young Frankenstein movie as reference and there are no similarities, I'm also not big on flowery language and holy crap I loathed Victor, what a freaking idiot. I did enjoy the live though, hearing other people's perspectives is truly fascinating. The most disappointing thing to happen this year was my car dying, I'd read this book again if it meant getting my car back. Biggest surprise: getting back into romance audiobooks, especially when you find the narrators whose voices melt your panties right off, while you were having your hair blown off, I was having a different reaction, and I've binged a pretty decent amount in a short time, but it started with mystery comedy romance and took off from there. Favorite character: ummm male narrator voices, doesn't matter who the male character is. One of my all-time favorites is Ezra from illumimae files though, there's a line he says that makes my cold dead heart start beating into hopeless romantic phase again wishing someone would say it to me for real. Something that touched my heart: my niece sleeping over for the first time, I'm not much for kids, but that girl adores me, and even finding out she has cat allergies will not deter her from wanting to hang with me again, I need to get more activities for us to do though and figure out how to get sleep, kid took up my bed and snored (probably because of the allergies). Otherwise, not sure anything touched me, but am worried my grinchy heart thawed a little honestly.

[@Talking_Story]

@@jenn9027 I bet it thawed more than a little. So happy you finally busted that slump!

[@kirbsharrison]

Such a lovely video guys! 😊 I'm so glad I found your channel this year, everytime I get a notification it brings me so much joy! ❤

[@Talking_Story]

@@kirbsharrison that is absolutely all we could ever hope for. Thanks so much for this.

[@AReadersJourney]

City of Thieves is so frickin good

[@Talking_Story]

@@AReadersJourney yessss!!

[@angelamccollister]

As long as the shirt doesn't say What Would The Blackthorn Do. 😂

[@Talking_Story]

Right?!

[@AndrewsWizardlyReads]

lol iron gold and Dark Age are disappointing to me 😅

[@Talking_Story]

@@AndrewsWizardlyReads I have heard others feel the same way

[@Chance.Dillon]

*erases all my vandalism

[@Talking_Story]

@@Chance.Dillon noooooo

[@radudumanovschi3387]

I put the entire Red Rising series at the top of my list of disappointments. I think it will be the only series by this author that I will read. I will finish it. I am struggling to finish the books in the series.

[@Talking_Story]

@@radudumanovschi3387 I get it. All stories are not for everybody and they hit us all so differently. Just gotta find those that speak to us!

[@GrahamDixonUK]

I'm struggling to get into Red Rising. Currently only up to chapter 4 after 3 months. I will make it through this coming year. I think my nephew holds me in contempt even though he thinks it's the weakest in the series.

[@Talking_Story]

@ I think the second 3 are a huge step up.

[@AndrewsWizardlyReads]

I’m putting Jakobs name on every bathroom in the Midwest I enter

[@Talking_Story]

@@AndrewsWizardlyReads yes!!

[@thatsci-firogue]

I was lucky, most disappointing read for me (that I finished) was a forgettable thriller from the 70s. I wasn't wild about Dragon Haven (Rain Wild Chronicles 2) but I liked it after the 1st third. Everything was either really good or I loved.

[@Talking_Story]

@@thatsci-firogue amazing year!

[@moostermcmoosterpants817]

You guys became my favorite book tube channel this year! 🍻

[@Talking_Story]

Oh wow that’s an unbelievable compliment! Thanks!