10 Best Books of 2023 (so far...)

[@shuwei9420]

I felt myself on the brink of a reading slump today from mental health ✨shenanigans✨, but listening to you speak about these books with so much passion might’ve just saved me. Now off to pick up a fresh book. Thank you!!

[@emilysanders5020]

I have to admit I take inspiration from your videos for new book recs because you cover quite a variety of authors and genres and you're very eloquent in describing both the plot and your impressions on them! it makes me wonder where you get your book recs! thanks for the video!

[@laurendimke967]

the way you speak i just instantly added multiple books to my tbr! you're so convincing and passionate reading the synopses!

[@omalleysmith9100]

I could listen to you talk about books all day long. Thank you for your insights and enthusiastic reviews. So many books to read!!!

[@WillowTalksBooks]

🥹💜

[@KristinKravesBooks]

Clytemnestra quickly became one of my favourite Greek Myth retellings! I cannot believe that it's a debut.

[@lulamatshabalala3709]

You are one hell of a reviewer. I'm excited to dive into many of these books.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

😇💜

[@sakinaalia1067]

Yay I’ve read a couple of the ones on the thumbnail and I really loved yellowface and in ascension so I’m excited to try the rest. My top 5 are Dyscalcula Camonghne Felix The new life Tom crewe Hungry ghosts Kevin Husein The laughter Sonora jha Small worlds Caleb azumah Nelson

[@salomekjones]

I love that you read a lot of books in translation. There are so many things you can get from such books that are rare in books written in English by native speakers.

[@linalajnas]

I love Looking glass sound. A book I definitely will read again. My next book is Yellowface, I look forward to start reading it. Thank you for a great video. ✨

[@MariaCamarena_OneWing]

I read Yellow Face as per your recommendation, and absolutely loved it!

[@RoundSeal]

Hopefully the second half of the year is this good for books, too! I can't wait to read every single one of these 💚

[@markov1300]

I love your eye makeup 😻 ty for the recommendations !!

[@krisprepolec5616]

My happy place is the dark, creepy, and mysterious, especially if it has a sense of humour. I love your insightful reviews of books in that zone.

[@janina6206]

I love and appreciate your recommendations so much. Very glad that you're a part of booktube and share your (bookish) thoughts with us. Thanks for that! :)

[@cloudyyy_0.0]

6:17 as a piano player this is going to be my absolute fav i know i just love books with piano competion or classicsl music settings for thst matter

[@aparnatripti8515]

I came from your bunny book review and I must say there's just sthg that makes me want to trust all your book recommendations even though they aren't quite my genre. So glad to have discovered you.

[@lindylouwho550]

WOW Willow, yet another fantastic video. Two Sherpas and Finger Bone really appeal to me - thank you. I have never heard of either..... off to buy both ASAP😊😊😊

[@valeriavelz]

this video made me realize that I haven't read any books published this year. my favorite books so far have been the Iliac crest by Cristina Rivera Garza and the hottest dishes of the tartar cuisine by Alina Bronsky. from what I've gathered from your videos I think you'd enjoy them, specially the iliac crest.

[@kathleenbrady9916]

Just read Finger Bone after your review...loved it, so touching even though gruesome at times.... thanks for recommending it.😊

[@illustrationblogs]

I just found your channel and I can't stop watching it. I love it!!!

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Aw yay, thank you!

[@EveningReader]

Currently reading In Ascension and was hooked from the beginning. So excited to hear you mention Catriona Ward - she's been high on my list to get to. And so happy to hear your review of Yellowface. I was worried about hype, but not anymore. That's a must-read for me this year. And I've got another handful of books to add to the TBR now as well!

[@vitareads]

I love your reviews so much. Most of these are on my TBR. Thanks so much for everything you do.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

You’re so welcome 💜

[@anitamaas6544]

The Whispering Muse is my favourite too🤩🙏and In Ascension the best!

[@AndreaAlamilla-us3kn]

Just found your channel. So far I can't get enough of your content. It's awesome! Seriously considering which books I'm going to get by your recommendations

[@anitamaas6544]

Every time i see you, a big smile appears on my face. I love your voice and the way you look 😍 i am still reading the book Pageboy and i like it a lot. It takes you on a journey through his life and struggles. ♥️

[@WillowTalksBooks]

🥹🥹🥹

[@katpat-rice]

this is my first video of yours but these are great recommendations and i’m enamored with the way you describe books !! subscribed 😁

[@isam.2653]

In Ascension changed me ❤ jaw-dropping. I saw MacInnes at the Cymera festival in Edinburgh and I cannot wait to hear from him again at the International book festival.

[@Kimberly-oneminut]

You are what I have been missing in book tube 👌 thank you for these amazing recommendations

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Aw thank you!

[@poonamvaze6072]

After listening to your reviews i would like to read The whispering muse.. I love all your review videos

[@Tutankhamun18Reads]

I have been wanting to read Walking Practice, so hearing you talk it about here has now immediately made me order. Two Sherpas also sounds very interesting! Thanks for putting together this fantastic list. I read In Ascension and really loved parts of it.

[@GabrielTheMagolorMain]

I adored your review of Looking Glass Sound, I will read it because of how excited you got me about it. But I really love hearing that Catriona Ward saw your review, it must have made her feel great and that just makes me happy. It’s so cool how we can personally thank authors now. I feel like authors do so much for me, their books take me away, teach me something, make me feel these awesome emotions, its great to be able to show appreciation for that because of social media.

[@mckenziekate]

I absolutely loved watching this video. You have made me so excited about reading ✨ I have been curious about Clytemnestra and am now excited to pick it up after hearing your opinion. Hope you’re having a great day!

[@amandar3467]

Another set of books I have to request from the library! By the way, I wonder if you've seen Paris Belongs to Us and/or the Spirit of the Beehive. I love reading works in translation and also international film and I feel like you'd be interested in those. I especially love the latter.

[@angelicajasmin5917]

💗 Thank you!

[@osonhodeleon]

So many interesting books. Thank you for another great video.

[@isaidwhatisaid12]

i really like this channel, great recommendations.

[@badfaith4u]

Yellowface was my favourite.

[@seagull2019]

My future is BOOKS!

[@isaidwhatisaid12]

id love to see your book collection one day!

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I get so many new books, and get rid of so many old ones all the time, it never really feels like there’s any point in doing that :(

[@thewitchef]

At this point I treat your videos as book recs

[@ferventfei]

i'm not sure if you've read this book but there's this non-fiction anthology called "it came from the closet". its about the exploration of queerness and horror, so i thought u might be interested. also, another recommendation is "in memoriam" by alice winn. it's a queer historical fiction book that challenges people's romanticization of war.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I actually reviewed It Came From The Closet like a year ago. I had mixed feelings about it :)

[@ferventfei]

@@WillowTalksBooks oh interesting! ill try to find the review :))

[@MriInterocitor]

Translation and aliens remind me of Michael Flynn’s very dark novel Eifelheim, where modern-day scholars uncover a first contact with aliens in a small German town in the 14th century. It is a tragedy, and a really good one. Neither aliens nor humans ever fully realize how much they’ve misunderstood each other; only we as readers do.

[@rebeccah.6587]

I read Walking Practice after hearing your review in a previous video. I found it engaging and thought-provoking, and I liked the end. Have you read Fernanda Melchor's new book? From what I can tell, no one is talking about it.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I didn’t even know she had a new one out!

[@javawatson]

Great content ❤

[@Thegelstudioedit]

Did you read Circe? Maybe I need to watch more vids of yours. I loved that but I wanted it to have more rage .. perhaps Clytemnestra will beat it!

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Yeah I read it back in 2018. It was fine, but low down on my list of Greek Mythology books. Here’s everything I’ve read: booksandbao.com/best-greek-mythology-books/

[@Thegelstudioedit]

@@WillowTalksBooks ooo thank you!

[@janethansen9612]

Great books. Your top ten of the year is going to be difficult to choose.

[@BOOcketMan]

If you’re looking for mythical retelling I HIGHLY recommend Kaikeyi by vaishnavi patel

[@aligreads9037]

Ironically yellow face has the same plot of a book called “the Plot” released a couple years ago

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I’ve never heard of that book, but if it did turn out that Yellowface was a work of plagiarism, I would laugh and cry and then collapse 💀

[@asterismos5451]

James Somerton has a lot of cool video essays on queer horror and why it's so appealing.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Oh nice, thanks!

[@angelaholmes8888]

Here's my top ten list Spare prince harry's memoir Reminders of him by colleen Hoover What my bones know by Stephenie foo memoir The bodyguard by katherine center Any man by amber tamblyn Someday maybe The fiance farce by Alexandria bellefleur Delilah green doesn't care I have the right to by chessy prout memoir Heart bones by colleen Hoover

[@ipshitajee]

You're looking so gorgeous! Also thank you for always introducing me to great translated fiction. Your channel got me into reading translated books more .🤎🤎🤎 And I love that we have quite similar taste in reading.