BookTube Greats: Ten Books I Only Know about from Steve Donoghue

Рет қаралды 7,501

To Readers It May Concern

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 82

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

Let me know some of your favorite BookTubers and book suggestions! 📚

@jansullivan5222 5 ай бұрын

For deep literary reads and analysis check out Leaf by Leaf and Benjamin Mc Evoy. I enjoy both Britta Bohler is also enjoyable so is abookolive.

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

Excellent suggestions! Half I know of and half I don't. Gonna check out their stuff soon!

@nellesify 5 ай бұрын

Although he doesn't post often lately, I absolutely love Sean's channel Travel Through Stories. I also recommend Echoes of Lost Libraries. Echo doesn't post much, but there are lots of ( to me at least) unknown and more obscure authors.

@michaelmasiello6752 5 ай бұрын

Alongside Chris Via at Leaf By Leaf, you’ll want Better Than Food: Clifford Lee Sargent is a gem. He loves a number of writers Steve dismisses too readily, including Bolaño and McCarthy, and he’s perhaps over-fond of Georges Bataille, but he truly, truly loves books, has great taste in music, films, and other such things, and is refreshingly uninterested in people-pleasing. I have discovered some terrific books through his channel.

@leopercara3477 5 ай бұрын

I like Valentina, Abookolive, Bookish, The Outlaw Bookseller, BookPilled, Joe Spivey

@HannahsBooks 5 ай бұрын

Steve is such a gift to booktube, isn’t he? And I’m so pleased to see that you’ve picked up This Republic of Suffering! Faust’s work is amazing. I love what you say about Dance to the Music of Time. It has been on my shelves much too long, unread. I am so pleased to have found your channel.

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

I'm glad you're here! I consider you one of the BookTube Greats alongside Steve!

@HannahsBooks 5 ай бұрын

@@ToReadersItMayConcern I’m so incredibly flattered! Thank you!

@salty-walt 5 ай бұрын

Steve is a gem! He and his videos are to be treasured. I first discovered him when I came across a video beef that somebody had. He was clearly very conflicted, and very hurt by a response that Steve gave to a different video. I don't normally pay attention to such drama, but this booktuber was clearly so personally hurt that I had to see who this terrible ogre was who misunderstood him and this video, calling the person out for rough language. I watched the videos, paid attention to both sides, and saw that Steve was *clearly* right. In fact, rather than continuing to attempt to consolidate opinion around him the gentleman eventually deleted both videos (or at least I couldn't find them again.) Steve was right about his abusive tirade. And as I watched more of Steve's videos, and all of booktube's videos I saw that he was right about not monetizing as well. After watching for a few years I discovered that Steve is right about *almost* everything & most things people might have find objectionable would be reliant upon Steve's unswerving belief in himself and his own character. So refreshing in this day and age! Not only does he have years of hard-earned experience, an invaluable knowledge base to back up anything that he says or reviews, perspective that could only be gained longitudinally; But hardest for most people to swallow, he is right about not monetizing your channel. No hate. No shade thrown on people who feel that they need to monetize, but the true power of booktube is to have a video where you get to start talking right away, and not have someone decide that it's not worth waiting through 20-seconds of commercial to find out what's in the video. The power for the exchange of long-form essay, and friendly interaction without battles from corporate interests, or the vagaries of the KZbin algorithm hiding things from people. Sure, we don't like commercials, but that's not really the point. The way a community grows and interacts with each other without promise of monetary gain but genuine excitement and involvement with the bookish. It is a great power for good not only in the information it contains but in the cumulative effect of its battle against anti-intellectualism. There is so much that we can all thank Steve for if we take time to watch his videos, by his seemingly loan voice in the wilderness, entreating us to learn and grow, and not succumb to intellectual materialism or sycophantism. The power his lifetime of reading, editing, and firsthand experience cannot be matched or even found. The power of the free video, made often, however, should not be overlooked, and it is available to every booktuber on every level of readership and experience. Sadly, he does not enjoy my sense of humor or blunt forthrightness. Still I recommend him to all who will listen. I kind of wish he'd see this, because one day there will be no Steve and there will be no opportunity to speak a eulogy, of him for me. So I speak up and tell you to get on with your bad self and your video praising him. Thank you.

@shethewriter Ай бұрын

Dance to the Music of Time sounds so good. Added to my list!

@apoetreadstowrite 3 ай бұрын

Thanks for this, just discovered Steve's booktube channel myself, & yes, I love it. I am really enjoying this whole booktube thing. It's amazing reading within community, isn't it? I've been so lucky with my reading/writing career. I don't think I'll ever be as bold as Steve, but I guess we all have our own tone. I love how thoughtful & considered your videos are, you always seem to engage from a position of centred calm & I appreciate that. And thanks for the prod to keep learning from Steve. His book recommendations are often fresh, unexpected & surprising - an ambush of joy.

@KathleenAnnBooks Ай бұрын

Steve is one of my favorite Book Tubers. I’ve been watching his channel from the beginning and I’ve found so many other Book Tubers by watching his channel. I’ve just found your channel and am really glad I did.

@ToReadersItMayConcern Ай бұрын

Yes, Steve brings the perfect blend of joy and cheekiness to BookTube. It wouldn't be the same without him. I'm glad we get to share in that appreciation and that you found my channel and that I, now, found yours. You truly have eclectic bookish tastes; I look forward to perusing your videos when I can!

@KathleenAnnBooks Ай бұрын

@@ToReadersItMayConcern I haven’t posted in quite awhile but plan to start again soon. In the meantime I participate in Book Tube by watching others. 😊

@davidnovakreadspoetry 5 ай бұрын

Well said. I don’t think “this corner” of BookTube would exist in the way it does without Steve’s subtle, I almost might say behind-the-scenes shaping.

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

I imagine myself aging gracefully into Steve's balance of deftness, humor, verbosity, and abundance. That is an aspiration worth having.

@Thetrilingualreader Ай бұрын

(The way you said deification tickled my brain 😂😮) My favourite line of the entirety of Karamazov is: there is no law for God, for whatever stand God takes is right. Also when you mentioned Sapolsky, I was like I definitely have a book by him. I have why zebras don't get ulcers. Didn't read it yet, though.

@jackwalter5970 Ай бұрын

Steve is great, and so are you for your kind appreciation of him.

@brenboothjones 5 ай бұрын

A fitting ode to the don of booktube! Thank you for another wonderful video!

@bookpogo 3 ай бұрын

I can’t believe I just discovered the mentions section!! Thank you so much for the mention. Love your videos

@ToReadersItMayConcern 3 ай бұрын

Thank you! Isn't it weird how KZbin hides that sort of stuff? And then it makes responding to comments awkward, too, especially when trying to follow replies. I also love your stuff by the way! Been steadily going through all your vids. 😀

@bookpogo 3 ай бұрын

@@ToReadersItMayConcern I know! I could only see the mentions in the studio app when I clicked on the tab, but was never notified in my youtube notifs. I'm glad I checked today though! And thank you, that really means so much to me :)

@margarethaines9310 5 ай бұрын

Best BookTube Tag yet! Your presence, too, brings value to this corner of the "Tube" 🙂

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

Thank you, that is so nice to read!

@knapalo 5 ай бұрын

Steve has helped me remember the joy reading can bring. A good deal of my reading selection has been influenced by his channel.

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

Yes, his consistent enthusiasm is infectious!

@owendavis4154 5 ай бұрын

I just finished the Norton anthology of Theory and Criticism based on your recommendation. It was really eye opening for me, I have a really comprehensive toolkit of ideas and ways to think about what I'm reading that I just didn't have before. I also have a huge list of further reading to do which fills me with joy to contemplate. I started watching Steve's channel recently and I am stunned by his knowledge, he's such a treasure!!

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

Man, that is INCREDIBLE! That particular Norton Anthology is so dense and wide-ranging. I remember reading it in college for my English degree, and there are substantial portions that I had to reread and rewrite in my own words to grasp. And then to actually speak and write on certain concepts for class?-That required facing my own assumptions and limitations in such a way as to require genuine maturation in the span of just a couple months. I had to discover-as if for the first time-my own thinking. I hope you continue to chew and to articulate and to apply what you've learned. As with so many worthwhile ideas, each is a start not an end in itself. There's a book you might appreciate as a gentle (yet excellent) follow-up: The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative by H. Porter Abbott. It is different than literary analysis: rather than focus on layers of interpretation, it focuses on form and structure and, in a sense, the historical habits of storytelling across cultures, the ways we seem to crave a resolve to ambiguity, a tension to cling to, and a landing to soften our fall, and how as a storyteller one can employ each craving for their own ends. Whether or not for the sake of your own stories, it will teach you how to better see the framings of the stories of others (in the mass-communicative time as we are in, noting the structures of others' stories is essential)-and it somehow does this in less than 250 pages!

@owendavis4154 5 ай бұрын

Thank you for your kind words and encouragement. I will definitely check out your recommendation, sounds fascinating. Thanks.

@Geemeel1 5 ай бұрын

This is so great that you would do this. !!This is what the world needs more of at this point. Love your channel and your patience and relaxed way of presenting. 💫

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! You're so kind!

@CarolAttrux 5 ай бұрын

What a great tribute to Steve! He is terrific and has made such a great contribution to the reading world. Other booktubers that have influenced my reading are The Evening Reader and Books are Sick. I appreciate their approach to books and reading. Thanks again for this. New subscriber. 🇨🇦📚

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

These channels look fantastic! Thank you!

@markfortuin7111 5 ай бұрын

I am new to your channel, but gosh i’m already a fan. Very informative & like your presentation style. (I subscribed).

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

Thanks and welcome!

@GypsyRoSesx 4 ай бұрын

We love Steve and the Bean 💖

@ToReadersItMayConcern 4 ай бұрын

Oh, yes, can't forget the Bean!

@jansullivan5222 5 ай бұрын

Viewing from the Caribbean I also enjoy Steve's content

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

I'm sure he'd be glad to know he has such reach and appreciation. 😀

@Vocatus2222 5 ай бұрын

That second book reminds me of the kind of work Alexander von Humboldt did about 200 years ago. Great video, thanks for sharing these !!

@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk 5 ай бұрын

Best wishes to you and Steve. I hope you are reading something good.

@noeditbookreviews 5 ай бұрын

Oh man, SO many points to connect with. What a great video. And yes, Steve is a treasure to youtube. I'll be coming back to this video for sure. And regarding your statements on god and jesus, I wish yourube had a "love" button! Excellent!

@willk7184 5 ай бұрын

As someone who enjoys your articulate and insightful videos, any booktuber you recommend is on my list to check out.

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

That's so kind of you to value my opinion. I won't take it for granted. 🙏

@mildrumpus 5 ай бұрын

What would we do without Steve? 😎📚👍

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

Indeed. Irreplaceable.

@ThatReadingGuy28 5 ай бұрын

This is an amazing video! Maybe it's my turn to do take your idea and do my own version.

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

Absolutely, go for it! The more positive, appreciative BookTube vids out there the better!

@boatofcar3273 5 ай бұрын

Another great video! Thank you!

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@TheActiveMind1 5 ай бұрын

You've peaked my interest in "The House of Government" as I'm currently studying the Russian language and absorbing more of the culture. Adding it to my cart!

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

That's great! You may find Natasha's Dance by Orlando Figes and The Icon and the Axe by James H. Billington of particular value to you: they both attempt a broad culturally-focused history of Russia. I also strongly recommend you read A People's Tragedy by Orlando Figes before reading The House of Government. It introduces the directly relevant revolutionary history and even some of the major characters in The House of Government (making the latter book feel almost like a direct sequel).

@TheActiveMind1 5 ай бұрын

@@ToReadersItMayConcern You got it!

@JamesRuchala 5 ай бұрын

Good list of books. I definitely think of some of these as "Steve" titles.

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

Steve is the one to go to for eclectic tastes, for sure.

@Infinimata 5 ай бұрын

It's really nice to see a Burgess novel talked about that isn't "A Clockwork Orange"!

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

He has sooo many novels, and he seems to aim high. Makes me wonder what I'm missing!

@user-um4di5qm8p 5 ай бұрын

Behave by Sapolsky is like a biological bible! Human behavior explained from a second ago to millions of years ago,...what an accomplishment! Best understood via his Stanford lectures on youtube :) Thanks for sharing this list, now must check out St. Donoghue !

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

Summed up so aptly-"biological bible." By the end of Behave I felt I had gained a broad understanding of the subject, one ideal for venturing further into denser material. Steve Donoghue's Greatest Books of All Time List is still ongoing, so now is the perfect time to get started on those vids (and he also has TONS of bookshelf tours with many surprising selections).

@user-um4di5qm8p 5 ай бұрын

@@ToReadersItMayConcern Exactly!! Grateful to have now known about St. Donaghue from you 🙏 What a cheerful well-read guy he is! Have now successfully noted down some of his recommendations that will take a long time to read 🥲

@Nakshatrasengupta 5 ай бұрын

i love this channel

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

You're so kind. Thank you!

@ben6162 5 ай бұрын

Frick. This is why I don't go on booktube. I have a backlog of thousands of books I habe simply got to read, it costs my entire wage minus rent and a hundred or so on food every few months. And that backlog gets even longer every time I go onto this corner of the internet. I am thinking about starting a booktube or tok but it is just so daunting.

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

Start a BookTube, bud! Seriously. It could even help with your book-cost troubles: if you develop an audience, you can reach out to publishers to request review copies of upcoming releases; just be clear that you're not going to showcase or review a book you're not personally interested in, and they should still send you worthwhile releases (again, given you have a sufficient audience).

@aadamtx 5 ай бұрын

Some great suggestions, especially since I agree with almost all of them ;-) Loved MacCullough's Reformation and Christianity: The First 3000 Years (he can be amusing at times). I've been pushing the USA Trilogy for decades, although just the other day at the bookstore I steered a student away from that set and instead to Tim O'Brien (realism in the novel). God: A Biography is also excellent, but I haven't read the others. That dang McPhee volume has been sitting near our POS desk for ages, gathering dust - I'll need to find a prospective buyer. And sorry, but I gave up after volume (or movement) 3 of the 12v Powell - found it rather dull compared to Proust and James. If you want to try something odd, I finished Jose Donoso's OBSCENE BIRD OF NIGHT minutes before watching your video - trippy, in a good way. Shifting books last week, I thought of you when I came across Barbuse's STALIN (1935) and Levine's STALIN (Cosmopolitan Book Corp, 1931). Both are hardcover, $8 for Barbuse and $25 for Levine. If you're interested or want more info, google "Kaboom Books" for the contact form.

@ToReadersItMayConcern 5 ай бұрын

I literally just received my order of Obscene Bird of Night yesterday. Now I have even more reason to get started sooner rather than later. I love the fact that it seems actively unnerving and disorienting. I have in mind to someday record a video on discomfort and obscenity in literature-I just finished reading Vollmann's Butterfly Stories and was rereading bits of Ballard's Crash the other day-but that's a tough subject to broach with honesty and tact. What I discover for myself is a deep beauty amidst the horror, perhaps because of the horror. That's tough to articulate. If any particularly poignant but "gross" or merely "uncomfortable" yet riveting and true books come along that I should read, let me know, the more experimental and strange and on-the-brink the better (as if a poet transcribing across the skin of their own palm). It is possible I fell in love with literature for its facilitation of safe yet intense pain. You're so kind for keeping me in mind! I need to finish Kotkin's Stalin (hoping the third volume releases soon); just read the last pages of Montefiore's Court of the Red Tsar a couple days ago (as you can tell, I'm a bouncy reader never quite sticking to a single book at a time). I might be veering off Stalin biographies for a while, though not from that time period. I'll be keeping Kaboom Books in mind. If I ever find myself in Houston, Texas, I will absolutely be stopping by!

@aadamtx 5 ай бұрын

@@ToReadersItMayConcern Great reading minds think alike! I'd be interested in hearing your take on Obscene Bird once you've finished with it (I hope you bought the New Directions edition, which is apparently more complete than earlier editions). I read Crash ages ago, after seeing the James Spader film - enjoyed both, since they have a Cronenberg/Peter Greenaway (e.g., A ZED AND TWO NOUGHTS) sensibility. For horror more on-the-brink, see if you can find the two horror novels of Shane Briant. SB was a British actor who worked with the Hammer Studios then moved to Australia to continue his career. I'll jog my memory for other experimental/strange works!