books that help

In which John reads, worries, and drinks champagne to celebrate the release of You Are An Artist by Sarah Urist Green: bookshop.org/books/you-are-an...
Sarah's virtual book tour (featuring me and others): www.theartassignment.com/tour
Other books discussed include:
Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller
The Cholera Years by Charles Rosenberg
Sula by Toni Morrison
The General in His Labyrinth by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall
Ordinary Beast by Nicole Sealey
Space Struck by Paige Lewis.
----
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Listen to The Anthropocene Reviewed at www.theanthropocenereviewed.org
Listen to Dear Hank and John at www.dearhankandjohn.org

[@vlogbrothers]

Hi. You Are An Artist by Sarah Urist Green is available now: bookshop.org/books/you-are-an-artist-assignments-to-spark-creation/9780143134091 Sarah's virtual book tour (featuring me and others) starts tonight: www.theartassignment.com/tour HERE ARE THE OTHER BOOKS I DISCUSSED: Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller The Cholera Years by Charles Rosenberg Sula by Toni Morrison The General in His Labyrinth by Gabriel Garcia Marquez I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall Ordinary Beast by Nicole Sealey Space Struck by Paige Lewis. I hope you are having an okay day. -John

[@keithanderson8021]

Book link doesn't work :(

[@onulaugh]

Love the first prompt of You Are an Artist! As I nursed at 3am. I looked down at the floor at the very spot I have spent countless hours feeding my child and found great inspiration. Thank you!

[@brandonkirk5357]

Thank you John for the live readings and book recommendations, I find myself falling into rabbit holes of literature these days and I think that is a good thing. In times like these my go to books are 'All the Light we Cannot See' by Anthony Doerr which classically follows a twin narrative of a french girl and a German radio operator during WWII and the non fiction 'Beneath Scarlet Sky' by Mark T. Sullivan which tell the story of a teenage Italian during WWII who helped Jewish families to flee to Switzerland over the Alps while also being Mussolini's translator Akin to you missing a busy Mcdonalds, its funny to think that just over a month ago I saw you at tour in St. Pete with all the crowds... life altering times indeed The Cholera Years sounds like a relevant book for sure and I just ordered 'Space Struck'

[@thatoneguy8512]

I am having a great day. And by "great", I mean what I would have called "good" a month ago and "okay" two months ago.

[@Kissowa]

The book link is broken!

[@thomasblyth7539]

“I am the Vice President of panic, and the President is missing” That one is a doozy

[@mariewikiwaka3851]

Thomas Blyth He has to have used that line before because it seems very familiar.

[@danasadek2555]

@@mariewikiwaka3851 he has! In the introduction video of ours poetica

[@mariewikiwaka3851]

Dana Sadek Oh good. I was starting to think maybe social isolation was getting to me.

[@eatingtheunicorn]

I giggled. Tee hee.

[@vlogbrothers]

The whole book is SOOOOOO good. -John

[@LiquorWithJazz]

"Horror abounds in every direction." Have you ever considered being a writer?

[@mariewikiwaka3851]

Jon Christian No, I think that’s his brother.

[@menicman7044]

I don't think so. He would be a great one though.

[@meteyuksel6723]

No, that’s his wife!

[@mariewikiwaka3851]

Mete Yuksel Well played, sir.

[@anjasimone3113]

I love this.

[@jackevans3609]

“I dressed up to feel like a person” I haven’t worn anything other than sweatpants since March 13th

[@marjar.5978]

Jack Evans saaame! They are the best article of clothing that has ever been invented.

[@wolfferoni]

I relate. I haven't worn anything other than pjs and I don't really feel like a person. What is time?

[@Umbrey_Dunctum]

Marja Rautala ...mine get their first wash. Tomorrow...maybe.

[@chrismann2848]

I got up put on jeans and sat back down

[@RhondaKL]

I’m wearing a sundress. Purely because it’s comfortable and my pjs and sweatpants are in the wash.

[@nintando]

dressing up and drinking champagne really is the best way to feel like a person these days

[@Applepopess]

Also very 20s. 🥂

[@mary9983]

*the only way

[@jmsl_910]

#adulting

[@theartassignment]

Hey, I thought that champagne was for me?! (Thanks for the love, John. The book would not have been possible without your support. ) - Sarah

[@umangmalik]

"I remember the halcyon days of crowded McDonald's" *DUDE*

[@TheJsw718]

thank you for this comment because I had no idea what this word was

[@Crystalvampire66]

As someone who works at McDonald's... I can't wait for people to arrive again

[@cameronsluiter323]

I came down here to ask what the heck he said! Thanks!

[@corporalzeph2518]

"Good morning Hank, it's Tuesday. Horror abounds in every direction" -Every Tuesday for many Tuesdays to come

[@WhoCares-te3yu]

Momo the EnderKitty let’s hope they won’t all be in a row

[@jerden3285]

Hope it doesn't become the new intro!

[@yaelmorin9017]

To distort a line from Susan Cooper, "This Tuesday will be bad, and next Tuesday will be beyond imagining."

[@WouldntULikeToKnow.]

July 24th, still relevant.

[@iloveprivacy8167]

This aged well...

[@kayperkins562]

I cannot explain why but something about these recent all-lowercase titles is so calming.

[@TheSassi14]

probably because it reminds us of the internet, where nearly nothing is capitalized

[@anikabhuta1326]

@@TheSassi14 DUDE THATS SO SMART WHATTTTR

[@mariewikiwaka3851]

I think it’s also less formal. Like, when you send a text to a friend all formatting goes by the wayside and it shows a level of comfortability with the recipient.

[@clay3440]

There are way too many KZbin video titles written in all-caps, and it makes me feel like the creator of the video is screaming at me. These vlogbrothers titles make me feel like John and Hank are inviting me for a brief chat, which is both way butter and much more accurate to what the video actually is!

[@vlogbrothers]

I'm trying to keep it as chill as possible around here, Kay! Glad it's calming. -John

[@PinkPlaid92]

“blaming the victim for the disease instead of the structural and political failures that allowed the disease to spread” that hit me in the face like a ton of books and I needed to hear it! It’s true!

[@NerdfightingMom]

SO on point.

[@iiiiitsmagreta1240]

"that hit me in the face like a ton of books" that's a fantastic turn of phrase and I want to steal it.

[@herranton]

Nothing we build will ever be able to compare to nature's wrath. I'm not saying we shouldn't try, but even though massive mistakes were made, and those leaders should be held accountable, pandemics gunna happen. Just like a hurricane, the best we can do is hunker down and be prepared.

[@PhosphorAlchemist]

@@herranton The problem is leaders who bank on it never happening on their watch and mishandling the emergency when it occurs in ways that dramatically increase suffering and loss of life. Disaster is going to happen, yes. Personal preparedness is great, but if we don't have the systems collectively to handle foreseeable community problems (e.g. a water supply failure, or everyone ill at once) then we are going to have a harder time recovering as communities.

[@VVIIBZ]

"the perpetually terrified 24 year old" Me, a perpetually terrified 24 year old: *looks into the the middle distance*

[@Mehrnooshb]

Hello, perpetually terrified 22 year old here. This community helps though.

[@VVIIBZ]

@@Mehrnooshb It really does.

[@audreybristol-evans1881]

Me, about to turn 24: 🙃

[@WouldntULikeToKnow.]

Me, a perpetually terrified 32 year old. We're all just making it up as we go along.

[@AD-yl4xs]

“I dressed up to feel like a person” I felt that on a very deep important level

[@untappedinkwell]

Nerdfighteria, this is your self care reminder for today: Are you hydrated? have you eaten? have you stretched/moved your body recently? Have you looked away from your screen to give your eyes a chance to remember what depth perception is? Have you taken a break? Did you remember to look after any pets you may have? What about taken your meds? Any/all reminders that you might need, they go here. And if you need something fun, You Are an Artist by Sarah Urist Green is out today and available for order. Happy book release Sarah, and DFTBA everyone!

[@PoseRocks]

Thanks. Wish I could have this every day just to keep me mindful of what I need to do for myself

[@oribennett6520]

+

[@Koffeinsuechtigi]

@@PoseRocks We can replay to each other in this comment every day, that way we get notifications that draw us back to it and remind us to read it every day :)

[@OneTraveller]

+

[@Alovesmakeup200]

good to see you again, thank you

[@rosalieluker9412]

"I dressed up to feel like a person" ... I wore my prom dress to dinner the other night for the same reason

[@vlogbrothers]

Amazing. -John

[@alexreid1173]

A prom dress seems like overkill, but if you had to miss prom this year or something that’s completely understandable

[@rosalieluker9412]

@@alexreid1173 Go big or go home 🤙

[@xzonia1]

I dressed up in slacks and a nice blouse to take the trash out to the trash can. :)

[@lunacouer]

NICE!! All the ++++ 's to you

[@meenakshivisvanathan9992]

John: "it's simultaneously an extremely personal search for meaning and this sweeping history of taxonomy" Also John: "I dressed up to feel like a person"

[@gabrielag9846]

He's a complex individual.

[@mariewikiwaka3851]

I feel like this is really valid though because a lot of the time I can go to work and talk about a lot of very technical things but have no idea what I ate for breakfast.

[@k213389]

I just bought Sarah's book for one of my friends. We were talking on the phone and she was saying how she wished she had some way to occupy her time at home in a constructive way, but that she needs something low-stakes, and she can't grow plants, and she wasn't an artist so what could she do. And I thought 'Aha! this is exactly what she needs!' I hope she finds the book helpful and fun.

[@vlogbrothers]

Yay, I hope it helps! -John

[@FroehligGirlz]

Bump

[@viviantompkins7925]

When John said "The Halcyon days of crowded McDonalds", I really felt that

[@jasminu4971]

I would like a shirt that says "The Vice President of Panic"

[@annetteberkin2725]

And the back should say "The President is missing"

[@CassidyNP]

"I dressed up to feel like a person" is my #1 strategy in motivating myself for online university classes. To be fair though, this was also my strategy pre-pandemic to be productive on the weekends.

[@jennifermcdonald7453]

Trust me, it's also my #1 strategy at motivating myself to teach online university classes!

[@CassidyNP]

@@jennifermcdonald7453 Well then on behalf of university students, thank you for every effort you put into making this transition as palatable as possible for us! I know its hard to be thankful while deeply frustrated, so if you haven't been told today that we appreciate you, WE DEFINITELY DO!

[@lyreparadox]

@@CassidyNP +

[@jennifermcdonald7453]

@@CassidyNP Thank you for the kind words! They are nice to "hear"!

[@jennifermcdonald7453]

@@CassidyNP And I'm hoping the rest of the semester goes well for you. We've got this!

[@tullyparker]

I almost spit out my coffee in a laughing panic when you said: "horror abounds in every direction" What a glorious quote.

[@justbeyondthecornerproduct3540]

"Perpetually terrified 24 year old" And we were like "We know, but hey!"

[@mariewikiwaka3851]

Just Beyond The Corner Productions Kinda like when John called us all out of touch in a question Tuesday one time. You’re not wrong and yet I still feel a little offended.

[@RainaRamsay]

XD

[@miche8868]

+++

[@Maximusbuckelew]

+

[@coena9377]

A John Mulaney fan? I see you to are a man of culture.

[@manthangadhia]

It's a little weird that this did not start with "Good morning Hank, it's Tuesday" 😂 But we did get a HUZZAH!

[@kskitchen-fw7uy]

And a "doo-bah-lee-doo" 😄

[@wolfferoni]

@@kskitchen-fw7uy it took me a bit to realise you were saying "doobly-doo". I only know it's spelt that way because John's written it in a comment before

[@mariewikiwaka3851]

Wolfferoni Occasionally Hank goes rogue and uses dooblidoo.

[@cpmouse]

If he’s like me he isn’t sure what day if the week it is anymore.

[@moiradarling97]

I just woke up, so much so that my eyes are still struggling to focus and my brain can’t quite make seems of things properly. Anyways, yesterday I was scrolling through photos on my phone and one of them was a picture of books you (John) has recommended, and I said to myself “ugh, I miss johns book recommendations.... I need more!” and now here we are. I don’t believe in God but I believe someone has listened to my personless prayers.

[@vlogbrothers]

Glad I came through for you today. Hope you have a good day today. -John

[@moiradarling97]

vlogbrothers Thanks(: I hope you have a good rest of your day! I’ll see you and Sarah on the virtual tour later.

[@shermdar_]

I'm agnostic, and moments like this are why I'm not atheist.

[@MrBinthestudio]

Can I drink champagne on KZbin without being demonetized... I laughed so hard at that! 😂

[@anniesoernym]

I think he said 'demonetized'?

[@MrBinthestudio]

@@anniesoernym stupid autocorrect! Good catch!

[@rmdodsonbills]

Demonized, demonetized. Potato, potahto.

[@dionnajenkins3335]

Might I just say: this thumbnail is giving me life.

[@anikabhuta1326]

John Green needs a job as a promoter stat. He's gonna get Sarah's book sold out at this rate.

[@Gingrnut]

His video reponse to Hank announcing his first novel where he lambasted him for not mentioning it enough, or where you could pre-order it, and included those details literally as often as he could, is my favourite John Green video. John means a lot to me, he is sensitive, and intelligent, and his writing and work makes me think about the world in better ways, but he is also an absolutely ace advocate of self promotion. Not the overbearing, annoying kind, but the smart kind that makes you want to buy something just because he mentioned it.

[@rmdodsonbills]

I mean, he kind of already does. Part and parcel of being self-employed, which writers definitely are, make no mistake.

[@anikabhuta1326]

@@Gingrnut I know right?? These two have had such an impact on my entire life. I hope to let them know what a role they played someday

[@coena9377]

Because I have ADHD, my brain requires a lot of stimulation to focus and online classes don’t give it that much so I’ve been having a lot of difficulty since with college since switching to the online format. While it’s not a book, I’ve found reading ADHD forums really helpful and chalk full of good advice. A lot of the advice I’ve found most useful is specifically directed to college students with executive functioning problems but something one person wrote in a forum that I think applies to everyone is “I’m trying to nurture in myself a sense of empathy for myself. I’m trying to be understanding and forgive my own mistakes.” I’ve always had a self worth that’s tangled up with my output, so on a day where I do nothing I feel like I’m worth nothing. I’m trying to understand that hard times call for great compassion and that includes being compassionate with myself and my imperfections. As for books, I’ve been reading a lot more fiction lately. I just finished Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, a charming consideration of human culture and man’s place in the universe from a human and non-human perspective, and am now reading the sequel, My Ishmael. I’m also working on Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card, which is a follow up to Ender’s Game, Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card, which is also set in the Ender’s Game universe, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, which I’ve only just started but am quite enjoying, and had been reading Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman by Richard Feynman.

[@clarabiesel3115]

A book that astounded me with its tenderness and beauty was Becky Chambers' The Long Way To a Small Angry Planet. It's about a mismash of a crew on a scrappy space ship doing routine tunneling work, and about their secrets and joys and loves and sorrows, and every minute I spent reading it (including ones at stupid hours of the night fueled by pregnancy/anxiety induced insomnia) was a glowing moment of light. Congratulations to Sarah. I love her show, and I am delighted to see her book is available at my library on ebook. Downloaded now.

[@rosemaryklauscher9389]

Those books are amazing! I would highly recommend her other books in that setting, Letters From a Spaceborn Few, and A Closed and Common Orbit.

[@ericaosko6656]

I am extremely thrown off that this does not begin "Good morning Hank it's Tuesday."

[@nerdygirl31415]

I feel like thats because none of us know what day it is anymore

[@Hitiroshachi]

I very rarely comment but I wrote a poem for the present times and I thought this might be a kind place and a thoughtful time to share it and I just like to think that maybe, even one person, has taken the time to read it. I do not expect a response from anyone, just to know that it's been read. Thank you. I call it: D.I.A.R.Y (During. In. After. Reflection. Year.) We start with laughs, For it will never come, Not for us, There's us, and them. That's how it's always been, How it always will be, Until it isn't, And it's us. But we go on, For time will blow And it will go, It won't come for me You think, And though you're right You're safe, you're warm. You see that you're alone. So hide away, Then locked away, You start to fear But not for you. You think of those, Who's left and lost, Who fight the fight For you to breathe. So though you find, Encased in glass, Yourself and those you love. You look on out As while your doors Are sealed with hope, Life lives and loves 'Til time has passed And when one day We step out, anew We hug, we love, We live, we laugh Different and the same. Changed and yet remains. What once was And will be For the briefest of seconds, We stop, we think, we thank And yet, we go on Like nothing really happened.

[@isabelleraudszus7102]

Hitiroshachi beautiful❤️

[@reneeelliott2893]

I very much hope that we don’t go on like nothing happened. I know there is so much anxiety and fear right now. But I feel the world is on the threshold of a new beginning.

[@azh-cn1im]

I loved it!!! :D thank you for posting it

[@ameliafrandsen668]

+++

[@toriwangler6483]

I have been rereading Maggie Steifvater's The Raven Cycle, which has been my annual activity for the past 5 or 6 years. As always, its familiarity is comforting; her writing and storytelling never cease to blow my mind. I also just started All The Light We Cannot See. Only 50 pages in and I know it's going to rock me. I hope everyone in Nerdfighteria is coping okay! ❤

[@Hippopotalust]

"Good Morning Hank, it's Tuesday. Horror abounds in every direction." That's a mood we can all relate to.

[@adityakurdunkar6655]

i just love it when John recommends books.

[@juliegolick]

I recently re-read "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern, and it's just as lovely as the first time I read it. Definitely recommended as an "I need to take my mind off the present" sort of book.

[@possiblypoet]

HUZZAH!!!!

[@catherinecase1142]

If ever there was a line of poetry that gave form to a hard to express feeling, its "I am the president of panic and the vice president is missing." YES. That is exactly what it feels like.

[@RainaRamsay]

SO true.

[@mr.ladytoast]

I just started a comfort reread of Diana Wynne Jones' The Chronicles of Chrestomanci series with a group of friends on bookstagram.

[@c.a.9759]

Katelyn Michelle I was just thinking how nice The Dark Lord of Derkholm would be right about now!

[@mr.ladytoast]

@@c.a.9759 I've been wanting to get that one! I'm slowly building up my DWJ collection but she's got so many books!

[@TheHudhornet]

"The perpetually terrified 24-year-old." John I'm 24.

[@shermdar_]

haha I am also 24 and thought the same thing

[@zoes7986]

I'm 23, is this what I have to look forward to?

[@CaptainJesas]

If 24 is that bad I’m even my terrified than I was!

[@neuholdarnold2034]

Another 24 year old checking in

[@Lic021]

I'm going to be 25 in 7 days and. ya nah i'm still kinda terrified

[@stephaniesesicgreer4823]

"So she would wait. For any act done consciously may be defiant, may be independent, may change life utterly. But one can act thus only if one knows there is no safety." -From Malafrena by Ursula K. Le Guin, one of the few books of hers that I haven't read until now. It gave me the timely line above this morning.

[@moonglazer12]

I’ve been listening to ‘Good Omens’- a great comedic book to listen to when the world is feeling apocalyptic, and you need a reminder that there are good things in the world worth fighting for.

[@curiositykilledthekat]

"i dressed up to feel like a person" wholeass mood

[@actuallyjade]

"The Pox Party. A supposedly fun thing I'll never do again" Had me laughing so hard

[@i_love_rescue_animals]

I can't believe this comment hasn't gotten more likes! Me too!! 🤣

[@Mr_TheHan]

Just finished N.K. Jemisin's "The City We Became" last night. I found it to be a frenetically fun exploration of urban life and community that was ultimately hopeful. Her full throttle voice in that book is simply stunning.

[@andersonfor2012]

As an essential worker, I feel really lucky that my life hasn't really changed that much. Seeing everyone down and out about isolation just makes me realise just how lucky I am. Hang in there everyone we'll get through this together!

[@AmeliaBell28]

I forgot how much vlogbrothers videos ground and anchor me in times when I'm feeling especially detached from the world and reality. Thank you guys ❤️

[@dallasrover5515]

"The Pox Party, a supposedly fun thing I'll never do again" was the funniest thing I've heard in weeks. Cabin fever getting rough, y'all.

[@mollypotter15]

I recommend re-watching Great British Bake off seasons where you dont remember the winner, yoga(or at least just moving oddly at one point of the day- who knows what you can find upside down), the odd sewing job and FOR SURE poetry. Thank you for keeping this little corner of the internet safe and supported- I send my love to you all!

[@mpd9695]

Quarantine has had me spiraling into a lot of unhelpful existential crises. I'm a screenwriter trying to "make it" in Hollywood (blah blah, etc.), and just this morning I thought that it might be horribly selfish of me to pursue this career when I could be doing something that would be more helpful to humanity. Then I saw this video, and I read through all of the comments about how much you, John, have helped so many of us, whether it be through your videos or your books or your reminder that I should wear pants today. You've made a huge difference to a lot of people, and I can too. Art has value, and I do too. Thanks for the reminder.

[@ValerieRutherford528]

I completely understand how you feel. I'm not able to do a lot to help the world due to my extreme anxiety, but I still feel selfish sometimes self-publishing when my stories are so personal and seem to not appeal to the crowd. But the truth is that art can heal. You never know what impact the things create may have in the future. And creating art matters even if it doesn't reach an audience. Though I believe that we have these dreams for a reason. So, please, keep creating and going for your dream!

[@mpd9695]

@@ValerieRutherford528 This made my day. Thank you, and good luck with your stories!

[@ValerieRutherford528]

@@mpd9695 Good luck to you, too!!

[@maryrabelo.s.wagner8346]

John typing a search: "Can I drink Champagne on Yoututbe without being demotised..." John's reaction to knowing that, apparently, YES: Há...! 😃 Moments as spontaneous as this, in a world millimetrically calculated to look 'cool', bring us a comforting sense that there are still naturally genuine people, who dress up to feel good for themselves and not just for the approval of others. Cheers, John! 🥂 And thanks for the tips.

[@isabellamoore144]

Thank you John for everything you make and do that helps people feel better during this time and every other. ♥️

[@annaejohnson287]

My best friend and I haven’t been able to see each other in real life much so we’ve been swapping books. Thank god for my stockpile i’ve unknowingly been creating for times like these. We annotate in the margins, pointing out things we love, referencing the jokes we’d be making if we were together, and we write about what happened the day we read a particular chapter. Finding connection with our loved ones is difficult in the good times, and seems impossible now, but the secret notes we stash in books for each other helps numb the loneliness, at least for a while.

[@someone3821]

Anna E Johnson sounds like a great friendship :-)

[@worthasandwich]

I have vowed to watch three movies a week while all of this is going on, at least one of them has to be new. So far I have watched: Ex Machina, The Color Out of Space, Midsummer, and one more I cannot think of. It is helping, but I think I need to watch something light next. It reminds me a bit of when I was in Film School.

[@user-po1rs6nw9w]

John wearing work clothes to feel like he is outside.

[@Rikku147]

"The perpetually terrified 24-year-old" Oh. It me.

[@ninawii5318]

I reread the horse and his boy, a book from the chronicles of Narnia, because I was freaking out about everything and it definitely made me remember being 11 and discovering that I like reading and I could find comfort in those words and also being 15, thinking about the past and the future and scared of everything and now being in the middle of a pandemic still scared but a little bit more hopeful

[@sarahelizabeth3551]

Just the other day I was wishing for more John Green book recommendations! Your recommendations have been how I found a lot of my favorite books. Thanks 😊

[@mehazc]

If I could recommend one book in this trying time, it would be Man’s Search for Meaning. If things feel overwhelming, or like you can’t understand them, or you feel empty inside when you should be feeling panicked and fearful, let Frankl’s story hoist you up and renew your hope in human perseverance.

[@ueblay]

+ Not a light read, but a vital one.

[@mustardsfire22]

Is this the latest in a video John's ever said "Good morning, Hank?"

[@gabrielleabshire6376]

In tough and trying times, I find myself inevitably returning to the books that sculpted my childhood and my adolescence, books about a strange boy under a stairwell and his community. 💚🐍

[@ThePrincesstoadstool]

I have been reading Angela Carter's "Burning your boats: The Collected Short Stories." Carter's works are just the perfect amount of horror and dreaminess and grit that I can escape my rumination, yet still be reminded that the materiality of my life is so fiercely connected to the world around me.

[@Lasersplitter]

"Can I drink champagne on KZbin without being demonitized? Apparently yes!" *ad pops up* Not sure, if you placed it there or some algorithm but great timing either way

[@mariealexandraaa]

HUZZAH

[@myfisharmyisever-growing7393]

I was due for a Jane Eyre reread this summer, but I pushed it back because I needed it. I'm deeply soothed by just how restless our governess lead is--at one point, she describes how she would get pangs of longing for crowded cities and the company of strangers and the power to do and see things in the world, and would assuage it by pacing through an unattended corridor, on an upper floor of Thornfield Hall. This book understands what it means to be truly alone in the world, but Jane has such a rich internal life that the issue never becomes about despair.

[@sarahprunierlaw9147]

Hi John, Sarah here. Myself, my husband and 2 kids have spent the last 29 days waiting this out in my parents house in rural Vermont (normally we live in Baltimore). I'm reading the physical copies of fantasy novels I read when in my teens and early 20s. Finding that box of books I packed 15 years ago was AMAZING! Thank you Mercedes Lackey!

[@vardhinividya4932]

‘I dressed up to feel more like a person’ is an overwhelming Mood

[@giabea.]

I love the Art Assignment and I’m so excited to get my own copy!

[@bibliofowl]

I've finally started in on the various how to books I've assigned myself (chess, piano, bread baking, cooking in general). Also just started really getting into Duma Key by Stephen King. I'm seeing a lot of parallels to Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami that I like a lot. It feels like they both wrote a story from the same prompt. I just finished The Crying of Lot 49 and had a Mandela effect moment cause I could have sworn you did a Crash Course video on it. After I finished Pynchons shortest novel I jumped right in to his longest and, so far, much more enjoyable novel Against the Day. I love the characters (at this early stage the main characters are a group of young aeronauts called the Chums of Chance) and it's set at the 1893 Columbian Exposition, one of my favorite events in American history.

[@thebookbella4764]

I love how books are time machines that take us back to specific points in our life during the times we read them. Like a favorite song we've heard 100 times on the radio during a specific time in our life. So many triggers for memories.

[@zenhyejin]

Thank you x

[@antoniafrank6192]

i recently reread paper towns and i never really connected with the book before but this time i absolutely loved it. i am a senior in (austrian) highschool right now and missing out on my last few weeks of school in quarantine at the moment. i like rereading YA books when i'm stressed and paper towns was next on my bookshelf. initially i thought it would just be really sad to read about how Q and his friends spent their senior year, but it actually made me feel a lot better. i could really relate to their thoughts about leaving and endings, even if my unconventional ending to school is so different than the one the characters experienced.

[@evol-yu4mu]

Hi John, can I just say that books are like holy and we owe them one for getting us through this quarantaine. Books in all kinds of shapes. E-book, Audiobook. A paperback or a hardcover. Books are just majestical creatures waiting to be read, consumed and judged by us, without judging. I love them. A TOAST TO BOOKS! (and everyone else. DFTBA)

[@RainbowSprnklz]

this felt delightfully unhinged... maybe it was the like voice over jump cuts at the beginning, the champagne and happiness for your wife in all this, "to feel like a person," "good morning hank... horror abounds in every direction," staring wistfully off into the distance as you yearn for mcdonalds... anyway BIG MOOD! or whatever, glad youre smiling also how dare you convince me to read a book by exploiting my unholy mid-month craving for the anthropocene reviewed!

[@kaitlynb9520]

“blaming the victim for the disease instead of the structural and political failures that allowed the disease to spread” YES SOMEONE SAID IT👏🏼👏🏼

[@joshogden1081]

My anxiety and depression has been at an all time low since this pandemic has started. I was laid off and I had moved to a new house only a few days before that happened. It's encouraging to hear that I'm not alone in feeling so anxious, and calming to have you share your experience during this time. I read all your books when I was in high school and it's a very homey place I get to hearing you talk. So thanks.

[@ZombieInvader]

I've been returning to memoirs about the 1930s-1950s in working class communities. Specifically, James Herriot's veterinary memoirs and Jennifer Worth's nursing/midwifery memoirs. They remind me that what we are experiencing now is not too dissimilar to obstacles previous generations overcame, that medicine has come such a wonderfully long way, and that community can be found in darkest times.

[@skylerwitherspoon]

Congrats Sarah!! Edit: I've been thinking of that Paige Lewis line on a daily basis lately. I'm participating in NaPoWriMo (where I'm writing 30 poems in 30 days) and I keep wishing I could come up with something that captures how I feel half as well as that line does. Thanks for sharing it again ❤️

[@skylerwitherspoon]

@Kaumudi H thank you!!

[@Warlocktopus]

Hurray for books

[@Barnsy2507]

I have been listening to Dear John and Hank. I normally manage to listen to the odd episode here and there, when I’m prepping resources for a lesson or driving to work, but now I’m stuck at home, I’ve gone back to the beginning and am listening to them all through. Really enjoying them!

[@T._.liu.]

I’m finding joy in the now-constant need to create, whether it be a short writing piece, drawing, a section of choreography, the ability and need to create really keeps me somewhat sane.

[@mythserene]

The Cholera pandemic is one of my weird fascinations. Is “The Ghost Map” too cliquish of a recommendation? As a serious pathfreak I actually loved it.

[@dani_dazed]

Just added all of these to my “to read” list

[@OmNomNomTurtle33]

The yearning for a crowded McDonalds is exactly the feeling I've had every time I try to read. Specifically, scenes in dimly lit bars and taverns have my heart fluttering. I work(ed) in a brewery and I never thought I would be missing our overcrowded Friday nights.

[@sydneywillis602]

I’ve been rewatching some of my favorite childhood cartoons. It kind of brings a calm and happiness of being a kid without worries for awhile.

[@ItsEvanWilson]

i’m reading Every Day by David Levithan !!

[@vlogbrothers]

Great book! -John

[@1310ishan]

HUZZAH OLD BEAN!!!

[@rbb9753]

Ishan Tinkerty-tonk old horse! (You know, we should try to bring back the slang that PG Wodehouse used in his Bertie Wooster and Drones Club stories.)

[@Hannah-ologist]

I've also been re-reading books from a long time ago, including Graceling, Bitterblue and Fire By Kristin Cashore. They remind me of reading at my summer camp in Maine and also the person (child) I was when I was reading them. They have been such a huge comfort. And they're also just kick-ass books

[@ValerieRutherford528]

I'm reading Graceling for the first time right now! I'm not usually as into high fantasy as modern fantasy, but I'm enjoying it more than I expected!

[@samhitahiswankar]

Thank you John. I have been binging all your content. Vlogbrothers, DHHJ, books, anthropocene reviewed. Your voice soothes me. Thank you for existing. You're doing well and I appreciate being alive in the same world that you are in.

[@someone3821]

Samhita Hiswankar +

[@keerak]

Around the World by Bike - by Alastair Humphreys Honest and interesting, and hours and hours of enjoyment. Being in the moment, on the journey, and for me, a glorious bit of escapism. I can especially recommend the audiobook, expertly read by the author.

[@lelmasterduodo]

Huzzah!!!!

[@ispeakforthebooks]

As an elementary school librarian who just learned I won’t be seeing my kids again this year I have found great joy this week in reading Shel Silverstein poetry to Zoom class meetings. Their tiny laughter and bright faces have meant the world to me. Gosh I miss them.

[@mary-gaellevezinadionne950]

I’ve read We have always lived in the castle by Shirley Jackson with my coworkers and found it to be an amazing book during these times of self isolation

[@thomasblyth7539]

“Horror abounds in every direction” - agreed

[@catherinecase1142]

This is 100% true, yet surprisingly other things continue to abound too. It's hard to believe the contrasts that can share a space and time.

[@spaceykid]

ok im at least early for one thing in my life

[@ashleyjohnson1990]

Story time! I have (mostly) recovered from a moderate case of COVID-19. I live in Boston and my entire family lives in the Midwest, which has made this scary time even scarier. To make me feel better, several of my family members sent me care packages or other gifts to help get me through the complete self-isolation (note: I live alone). My brother surprised me with a book that got delivered this past Saturday, “Theories of International Politics and Zombies” by Dan Drezner, which appeals to current events as well as my love for horror genre and international relations. Unbeknownst to my brother, I already had this book. It’s actually one of my all-time favorites! But I lent it to someone nearly 2 years ago and never got it back. I’d been meaning to buy a new copy but hadn’t done it yet! Not only is it the perfect gift for this moment in time, it also was a wonderfully thoughtful surprise.

[@annareed7436]

I have been watching lots of gardening videos and spending all the time I can out in my garden to stay sane in these times. 🌱💕 thank you for another lovely video. The consistency of watching Vlogbrothers since 2010 has been very comforting.

[@8rainbowcaterpillar]

Hazahhh friend :)

[@tavislemm6141]

I feel like John is drinking more, but for the best cause

[@bibliophilesunite]

Bill Bryson's travel writing will simultaneously help you escape this difficult times, educate you on the lands the travels, and delight you into laughing out loud with his witty turns of phrase. Like John, Bill has a fabulous way with words. This was a particularly quotable episode of the vlog brothers. Well done, John. And thank you.

[@RockelLin]

I haven't been reading much lately, but I have finally gotten around to listening to the Welcome to Nightvale podcast. I just finished year two, and I am so proud of Tamika Flynn and Dana.

[@hannaho9471]

John you said so many profound things in this video but “y’all”?? When did you start saying y’all??

[@Kfroguar]

He does have roots in Alabama, you can't get that out entirely