Everyone should read these books // (non-fiction & Murakami) Feb. wrap-up

I read some wonderful books in February, and I think you should read them too!!
Hi friends!
Happy March! I hope you had a wonderful February :)
Although I didn't read a ton of books this month, the ones I did read were *fantastic*!!! As I often think, quality of quantity :)
Since I read 3 amazing non-fiction books this month, I'd love to know which non-fiction books you think I should read next...or which ones are your favorite!!!
Also, I'd love to know which Murakami you think I should read next...or which ones are your favorite!!!
Sending you my warmest wishes,
Carolyn Marie :)
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I'm a freelance illustrator and writer who recently graduated from college at the Fashion Institute of Technology with my Bachelors of Fine Arts in Illustration with a minor in English/Writing.
My greatest passion in life is combining my love of illustrating, writing, and reading!
Happy Reading :)
#booktube #reading #wrapup

[@Tania.atlasinajar]

Quality over Quantity! 4 books is great! Not a contest and everyone should take the pressure off! 🥰

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Absolutely 😊

[@juliehughes1258]

What a wonderful comment to highlight. Sometimes I feel inadequate because I only get through 2-3 books in a month and that only serves to negate my love of reading (and who needs that). Thank you Tania!

[@Tania.atlasinajar]

@@juliehughes1258 thanks Julie! you are most welcome, we all need that little reminder every now and then, reading should be a true leisurely activity! 🥰📚

[@neonoires]

Norwegian Wood is the one Murakami book I haven't read yet. I'm so scared it won't live up to my expectations lol. I used to spend so much time with Murakami, I read all of his long books but I skipped that one on purpose. I need to give it a shot this year because it's been on my TBR for years.

[@Emmareads15]

I wouldn't bother with it, it's so horrendously sexist that moments of it made me feel sick, and I'm not a sensitive reader. This author has a contempt of women baked into his writing that shouldn't be ignored or glossed over.

[@parisaanjum9182]

Please skip it its disappointing

[@sarahsperusals]

the anthropocene reviewed was such a surprising read to me, so glad you loved the auld lang syne chapter too. just hearing the opening made me tear up again 😭

[@CarolynMarieReads]

It was AMAZING and did in fact make me too 🥹 so glad it was such a wonderful surprise for the both of us!

[@kimbarbeaureads]

I haven't read it, but it feels sort of like a writing prompt. It makes me want to write about my favorite things.

[@sophiaisabelle01]

We hope you're doing well, Carolyn. God bless you.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

I’m doing very well! Thank you so much! I hope you’re having an absolutely wonderful day :)

[@anadajovic]

I've read five Murakami books and all of them were worth my time, as well as Norwegian wood which I read 6 years ago, I highly recommend Kafka on the Shore and After Dark!!💗

[@tessalabbe6126]

Murakami is very quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I also loved Norwegian Wood! I do think (at least from my perspective relative to his other works) that NW is a bit of an outlier in his bibliography, simply because it has much less magical realism than many of his other works...but I'm reading Killing Commendatore (his most recent novel) right now, and I think you would really enjoy it. I'm loving it so far. Definitely much more outlandish than NW and has much more magical realism, but also the main character is a painter and the novel deals with/talks a lot about art, which is obviously really fun

[@thebasedgodmax1163]

there's definitely an element of social media which pressures you into reading. it's completely wrong to look at it that way, and then you start not actually caring about the books you read and instead wanting to break some arbitrary goal. I removed my Goodreads reading goal as it does the same thing.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Exactly! I hope removing the app has helped take that pressure away for you :)

[@thebasedgodmax1163]

@@CarolynMarieReads It'll remain for keeping track of books but yeah removing the competitive goal aspect has massively helped me relax with my reading speed!

[@cristinagarza1068]

Im lucky if I can read 2-3 books a month 😅 I really enjoy reading, but I’m not a fast reader and most of the time only read at night before bed so, I don’t have much time. I also LOVED that John Greene book! I read if for a book club last year and I thought it was just wonderful! So whimsy but heart felt and at moments, deep. Such a great easy read! Some of my favorite non-fiction are any books by Malcolm Gladwell!

[@wickedmusicalmad]

When you said you were going to read Norwegian Wood I also finally picked it up and I felt very similarly to you! Murakami’s writing was incredibly lyrical while reading entirely readable - one of the best and easiest reads I have had lately!

[@mikaylaleighann]

The anthropocene reviewed is one of my favorite books ever! One of the first books I bought for myself after I read it from the library

[@CarolynMarieReads]

I’m so glad you love it too! ✨

[@Hannahlikeagdolls]

I’m I love to hug my books.!!!

[@brugueshj559]

Murakami is one of my favorite authors. He is great

[@douglashuff8868]

Wilkins Macawber will keep you in stitches!

[@pattidoyle5102]

I have my personal goal set for how much time I want to spend with my books, articles, magazines, and journaling. I can go as fast or slow, backtrack, reread, stop to summarize, etc. I love to create moods, for example: play Russian music while I read Dostoevsky and eat pickles or borscht. I love to read nonfiction about Catherine the Great, then Tolstoy, then more nonfiction, etc. because the nonfiction helps me learn the backdrop of my fiction. I summarize and take notes on my nonfiction so I can remember it. I can find music for all types of classics and the helpful nonfiction. I read Fens, Bogs, and Swamps to sneak some nature/ climate reading in and ended up learning about bogs in Russia as well! I love how everything ties together, it’s all connected. Of course, that describes my “Russia project” but it works with all reads. My Goodreads goal is just a number I put in so I have an easy place to record my reads for the year.

[@victoriah.2083]

A lot of the books I read lately I wanted to slap not hug! Lol. But doesn't keep me from looking for a BFF (book fav forever)😊

[@GaryOrleck]

I have 75 5-Star reviews along with a 4.8 rating on Amazon . My book is unique because it is about Coming of Age,Friendship, Travel , a Memoir along with the History of the 60's all rolled into one Non-Fiction story that is unbelievable yet true.I will let just two of my reviews speak for it! THIS IS A TOUR-DE-FORCE MASTERPIECE! For openers, you are an exquisite writer, and the book came to life for me with an added dimension as I held you in my mind’s eye and could hear you speaking the lines. I cried when it ended. The mark of a masterful book is the unsatiated hunger for more at the close. You are a superb storyteller, and the story itself, of course, is so beyond anything imaginable. Besides the entertaining glamor, shock, humor and terror of the events, is the profound sensitivity, tenderness and wisdom of you, Gary. Maybe I expected only a sort of raucous ride through the pages but you have woven into the tales such humanity, humility, and truths of life, morality, faith and love. Your friendship with Maurice and the adventures were so formative, and you spin them into this rich memoir….but I dare say, Gary, you ought to keep writing. I think there’s more within your soul awaiting pen to paper, whether published or not. ‘Travels With Maurice’ is a gem of a book that just sneaks up on you with its greatness. While the title makes you think it’s a travelogue or road trip book (and we’ve all read enough of these), Travels is so much more. The story begins with a toast in a bar to the news that an old friend has died; you are quickly drawn into the world of Gary Orleck, who did a simple favor for Maurice, a fellow student at Babson College, and then found his life changed in a way that he could have never foreseen. Soon, this son of a tire businessman found himself driving through Europe in the height of the 60s with the son of an Iranian billionaire in a bright red Mustang. Going from a world of limitations and “no’s,” Gary found the doors unlocked, the curtains were drawn back and in the company of the rich, famous artists from exclusive music venues in London, clubs in the south of France with exclusive underground dance rooms, dancing with Bridgette Bardot, dining with the Shah of Iran and in the midst of military tensions during the Cold War. So ‘Travels With Maurice’ is a travelogue or a road trip book, right? And that is where the magic of this book lies. The lifelong friendship, the lessons learned, and the change of attitude towards Gary’s life itself make this book an incredible read. While Maurice, as the son of a rich man, could have easily skated through Europe and his life on his family’s money, he was incredibly aware of the people around him, their hopes, their dreams and tried to make their interaction with him, however brief, meaningful and memorable. Sure, Travels has its share of women, parties, 60’s music stars, and well, exactly what you might expect from two young American men driving a sports car with a copious amount of money, but the treasure of this book is in the way these two young men changed each other for the better. The book gives you a choice. You can read it as an incredible, funny, and heartwarming road trip book. You can let yourself be immersed in this world the author, Gary, got to experience once-in-a-lifetime, but you will be doing yourself a disservice. The richness of this personal story will find you savoring every page, from the toast that opens it to the story of these two men’s lives long after their time together in Europe. This is not a simple book. It is an invitation by Gary to the reader to go on a journey with him that isn’t measured in miles driven, but in years of life that he has finally been able to put down on pages that you simply won’t be able to stop turning. I only hope that this wets your appetite because as you read it you will come to realize that this story must be true because nobody could make this story up- NOBODY !

[@meghanap5619]

Please read Kafka on the shore It’s one of the best novels I’ve ever read. It’s the perfect book if you want to experience Murakami’s magical realism and weird writing. The characters are explored so beautifully and their stories are so touching. Each character is so vivid and unique. It’s so deep and meaningful and left such a huge impact in my life that I probably can never forget.

[@duyguacar2504]

I couldnt agree more. I am a huge murakami fan and read many books of him and kafka on the shore is definitely one of bests. I know 1q84 is the best but i wanna keep it for a little more.

[@mirlne]

I'm reading this rn!!!! Haha it's really driving me crazy, I'm a little more than halfway through and I'm starting to connect the dots ....

[@felicityyoon2612]

I prefer Kafka on the shore too. 🤚

[@mrodriguez377]

Ooohh I really wanted to hear your thoughts on Norwegian Wood (details and all)! Maybe in another vid :)

[@pdcasablanca]

I hug, kiss, smell, and sometimes feel the urge to take a bite off my favorite books (but I rarely do).

[@kangkana5744]

Even I realised this after years of trying hard to fulfill my goodreads goals..that quality over quantity should always be preferred. So, now I keep my goodreads goal just 1. After that...I might read more books and there's absolutely no pressure.

[@selfmadenewbie]

A good semi non fiction, in that it reads as a conversation between teacher and student while also giving concrete lessons is, “The courage to be disliked.” by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga - It’ll change how you think about yourself.

[@mariafelipemiro2283]

Heyy Carolyn!! I don't know if you have read It, but I really recommend you Educated, it's a non fiction book that I loved and I think that maybe you could love too. Also, don't feel pressured to read a Big amount of books a month... Reading is something that you have to enjoy! Thank you for another video♥️

[@kalareadsagain]

I listened to The Anthropocene Reviewed in January and loved it so much! The Auld Lang Syne chapter made me cry because it was so beautiful. I feel like I need to get a physical copy and just read a chapter whenever I need to just remember the good in the world.

[@Jeanette_Medina]

Oh, ok, you sold me on "The Anthropocene Reviewed." I had a lump in my throat just listening to you reading the intro. 🥺

[@teresak2022]

I can recommend Kafka on the Shore or South of the Border, West of the Sun 🤍🤍

[@andresmontielc]

Cool reads! Thanks for sharing 😊. There are a lot of books out there that most people haven't heard about that should get a lot more exposure. The last one I read was When Dying Is Not a Problem and I really liked it, but very few people know about it.

[@DavidAPiano]

I'm a hook bugger, oops i mean a book hugger 😀 I normally get through one book a month, although this year i've read 5 so far.

[@eduardoanayatfschannel8498]

2:00 THANK YOU FOR THAT Comment! So true!!!!! Quality over Quanity, amen!

[@tiffanyanne7861]

I'd recommend Wind Up Bird Chronicle! That was my first Murakami and I loved it

[@heatherdorsey4770]

I just saw a TedEd video on I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. It is one of the most banned books in the U.S. I live in Arkansas and we read her books in school and watch her perform her poems.

[@eddysoldado3660]

So glad you loved Nowegian Wood. It was my first Murakami novel and he became my favorite author. I recommend A Wild Sheep Chase.

[@rogston39]

Murakami's 'South of the Border, west of the Sun 'is as beautiful and evocative. Glad you enjoyed Norwegian Wood :)

[@ReligionOfSacrifice]

I am probably reading too many books per month & am planning on enjoying warm weather with more exercise & forgetting books. I have this list of about 55 books I still want to read. No planned timeframe for reading all of them. I am not a speed reader. February 2023 books, I read, include a book written by a female (Charlotte Brontë) that fell in the top ten books I've ever read. "Villette" was absolutely amazing. First female to be in my top ten books. 1) “Hard Times” by Charles Dickens 2) “The Warden” by Anthony Trollope 3) “The 39 Steps”by John Buchan 4) “Anne of Green Gables” by L.M. Montgomery 5) “Less Than Zero” by Bret Easton Ellis 6) “Vilette” by Charlotte Brontë 7) “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë 8) “The Professor” by Charlotte Brontë 9) “Reminders of Him” by Colleen Hoover

[@ReligionOfSacrifice]

Okay, so I've finally figured out that hate of readers influencing other readers is a topic. Here is my weigh in. When I was a child, I knew of no child who loved to read as I did. I was into science fiction and my mother was into Russian literature and when she wasn't looking I'd pick up a book and read the chapter she had just finished or the chapter she was presently reading. I remember from "In the First Circle" how the steeples of all the churches were missing throughout all of Russia and so all the cities had lost something which gave them beauty seeing them from afar. This was the thoughts of an atheist at the time and it caught my attention as I didn't believe at the time in Christianity as a very young teen. I always read or studied, but after someone slit their throat, their wrists, stabbed their chest until their lungs collapsed, and then did seppuku (cutting open the belly so the guts spill out) and his fiancee called 911 and four doctors for over six hours (24 hours of surgery) sewed him back together again he came back to life after four days and requested I visit him every day. WELL, I DIDN'T READ A BOOK FOR OVER 8 YEARS. Got back into reading with a movie called "Let the Right One In" as it reminded me of that foster care world of children who were damaged goods, but you have to read the English while listening to the Swedish language to really feel the right emotions of that movie. Since then I have desired to create a top 100 books list and pulled that off and it helped me do some great reading. What I was hoping was that some people would offer up good reads to a person who likes Russian literature, but it doesn't seem to happen. I did get some kid who offered up some science fiction last night and that was a first. His ideas were “The Color of Magic” (Discworld series) by Terry Pratchett, “The Mysterious Benedict Society” (The Mysterious Benedict Society series) by Trenton Stewart, and “The Guns of Navarone” by Alistair MacLean and so I looked over videos on You Tube on science fiction and added a few more that weren't offered up by a Christian kid. Here is what I have as possible reads, but it would be always welcome to get an offering of an idea to a good book. 1) “A Pair of Blue Eyes” by Thomas Hardy 2) "The Housekeeper and the Professor" by Yōko Ogawa 3) “Huntingtower” by John Buchan 4) “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde 5) “Slaves to Desire” by Eli Gilić 6) “People of the Book” by Geraldine Brooks 7) “Under Satan's Sun” by Georges Bernanos 8) “Liza of Lambeth” by W. Somerset Maugham 9) “Shirley” by Charlotte Brontë 10) “Tales of Angria” by Charlotte Brontë 10) “The True Briton” by Philip Wharton 11) “James Madison: America's First Politician” by Jay Cost 12) “Love Letters between a Nobleman and His Sister” by Aphra Behn 13) “Oroonoko” by Aphra Behn 14) “North and South” by Elizabeth Gaskell 15) “Chess Story” by Stefan Zweig 16) “Roadside Attraction” by Abby Knox 17) “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel García Marquez 18) “Kim” by Rudyard Kipling 19) “Rule-Governed Behavior: Cognition, Contingencies, and Instructional Control” by Steven C. Hayes 20) “Some Issues Concerning the Control of Human Behavior” by Carl R. Rogers 21) “Classroom Pivotal Response Teaching for Children with Autism” by Aubyn C. Stahmer 22) “The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the Divine” by A. W. Tozer 23) “The Path of Prayer” by Samuel Chadwick 24) “The Region of Dead Calm” by Ivan Turgenev 25) “The Rendezvous 1907” by Ivan Turgenev 26) “Romans” by Ivan Turgenev 27) “The District Doctor and Other Stories” by Ivan Turgenev 28) “A Desperate Character and Other Stories” by Ivan Turgenev 29) “Fortune's Fool” by Ivan Turgenev 30) “Daniel Deronda” by George Eliot 31) “The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories” by Angela Carter 32) “For the Good of the Cause” by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 33) “Live Not By Lies” by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 34) “Love in Excess” by Eliza Haywood 35) “A wife to be Lett” by Eliza Haywood 36) “Childhood” by Leo Tolstoy 37) “Madame Bovary” by Gustave Flaubert 38) "Barchester Towers" by Anthony Trollope 39) “He Knew He Was Right” by Anthony Trollope 40) “Epitaph of a Small Winner” by Machado de Assis 41) “The Pentateuch as Narrative: A Biblical-Theological Commentary” by John H. Sailhamer 42) “David: A Man After God's Own Heart” by J. Vernon McGee 43) “To the One I Love the Best” by Ludwig Bemelmans 44) “The Complete Poems of Anne Bronte” by Anne Brontë 45) “Mexican Gothic” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia 46) “Generation X” by Douglas Coupland 47) “Dead Souls” by Nikolai Gogol 48) “The Dark Interval: Letters on Loss, Grief, and Transformation” by Rainer Maria Rilke 49) “The Lost Reflection” by Bruce T. Jones 50) “The City of Brass” (The Daevabad Trilogy) by S. A. Chakraborty 51) “The Lies of Locke Lamora” (Gentleman Bastard series) by Scott Lynch 52) “The Color of Magic” (Discworld series) by Terry Pratchett 53) “The Mysterious Benedict Society” (The Mysterious Benedict Society series) by Trenton Stewart 54) “The Guns of Navarone” by Alistair MacLean 55) “Lady Audley's Secret” by Mary Elizabeth Braddon 56) “Common Sense” by Thomas Paine 57) “Love Bites” Lynsay Sands 58) “A Soldier Of The Great War” by Mark Helprin

[@hmm6411]

Outside of biographies Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer and Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson are great non-fiction books. As always, thank you for your videos. It's a bright spot in my week. I need as many as I can get.

[@Cubehead27]

I do in fact do a lot of book-hugging as well, The Anthropocene Reviewed is absolutely fantastic yes, and also as far as recommendations go I cannot recommend George Orwell's non-fiction highly enough - Homage to Catalonia is one of the best books I've ever read

[@briaryhale1473]

I read The Little Prince this month. You have commented how much you love it. Have you reviewed it on one of your videos? It was a bit hard for me to understand. I also read Good Wives and Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott, which I have really enjoyed. Thanks for the recommendation to read Good Wives..

[@apriltaylor6635]

I am SO GLAD you loved norweigan wood, I've noticed on booktube people just dismiss him with a 'he talks about women weird' and don't give his books a chance, he is an amazing writer, he can write about the most insane and bizarre things and somehow make it beautiful!!! The way the characters view women doesn't offend me at all because it's so realistic, men do most of the time look at us as a nice pair of ears

[@__loveball]

i adore books but im a slow reader 💜 i like spending some time on everything i read, carefully thinking it over and annotating 💜 unless i read fantasy or something lighthearted ☺️

[@clairebott1539]

Hi I saw Maya Angelou perform her poetry, at the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool, England it was definitely one of the most treasured evenings of my life. Wow what a woman. Her rendition of ‘And Still I Rise’ was phenomenal. Try if you can to see her performing her poetry on KZbin, you won’t be disappointed.

[@danielg3918]

I really enjoyed Murakami's and nonfiction What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. That's two recommendations in one :)

[@ChinyeOseji-bearwitness]

i would highly recommend Claude Brown's "Manchild in the Promised Land" as a good Nonfiction must read. I read this in my teens and absolutely loved it!

[@circleofleaves2676]

I'm reading David Copperfield and I had the same thoughts as you - that I'll likely still be reading it into March, which is fine, because The Catcher in the Rye is a short read.

[@luzsalas7583]

I really love your wrap up videos. Soooo, I am reading East of Eden and it is SO good, you are going to love it. It is very melancholic but at the same time it is a page turner, so very easy to read even though it touches complicated subjects. It is amazing. I wish you had put it in the game of tomes. I unfortunately can't follow Game of Tomes as I'm in a no buy year :/, but I'm so happy with the concept and been thinking of doing if for my self. I have tought of thinks like Madam Bovary vs Anna Karenina, and Frankenstein vs Heart of a dog.

[@maria83maria]

I'm definitely hugging books🤗📖📚

[@aye.p]

Hugging books?? You are not alone! 🤗🤗❤

[@Pursuitsofmybookishheart]

I’m a Kafka on the shore gal, all the way. As for non- fiction, I tend to like books about reading like The Rights of the Reader by Daniel Pennac, The Shallows (author on the tip of my tongue) as well as everything Alan Jacobs has written. They bring me a lot of joy

[@Littlegizmoemmy]

Kafka On The Shore is still my favorite by Murakami. After Dark really does make you wanna sit in a Denny's at midnight and read it. I thought the way he talked about women was a little weird but also figured it was just a book but after listening to his memoir called ''What I Talk About When I talk About Running'' (which is free on audible and wasn't long) he's def....pretty...weird and creepy when it comes to women which after listening to his memoir his writing in his books when it comes to women is a lot more uncomfortable. I still love his work though. Spent $30 on The Strange Library and its an absolutely beautiful book. The arts so interesting but the story was weird.

[@michellesorensen7518]

I read his Book about Running...he is different that's for sure.

[@benbojammin]

Escapism v. Something More. I've been thinking about this a lot recently as well. My solution was to pick a book for pure enjoyment and then pick something that makes me think about big questions. Last Month for me looked like this : 1. The Long way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers 2. Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward 3. Carrie by Stephen King, 4. Continuation of 'War and Peace' by Leo Tolstoy (6 month journey from January to June).

[@clarag7411]

I wholeheartedly recommend Living, Thinking, Looking by Siri Hustvedt as a non-fiction book! It's a collection of essays about art, reading, memory, empathy... I always learn so much when I read an essay by Siri Hustvedt, she is an amazing, underrated author (not only of essays but novels!)

[@nikolaiquack8548]

I don't usually hug my books, but I might have to start now. Does that mean that your love language is physical touch? 😂 Also, thank you so so much for telling us that we shouldn't pressure ourselves in terms of how much we read. It can definitely start to feel like a bit of a contest sometimes. I'm kind of like that with movies and reviewing them on letterboxd tbh.

[@rachelo75]

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is the pinnacle of Murakami's work in my opinion, but you might want to work up to it! Kafka On The Shore was my first Murakami and has more of his trademark magical realism. :)

[@tine272]

I read "only" 5 books this month but 3 of them were five star reads! 💞

[@kathdong9685]

I’ll recommend “What My Bones Know” by Stephanie Foo. It’s an amazing non-fiction book, telling her story about dealing with trauma.

[@janebaily3758]

Read at your own pace. Enjoy reading for what you can/do get out of it. It does not matter at all "how many" books to read.

[@clairebott1539]

I think there are 6 books about Maya Angelou’s life and other writings. Great reading xxx

[@isoseismic]

I’ve just put in orders with Amazon and Book Depository to make my Ishiguro stack like you did! And yes, with Norwegian Wood ordered as well. So excited to read Never Let Me Go and Norwegian Wood. My favorite nonfiction book from 2022 (which was VERY unexpected) was Matthew McConaughey’s Greenlights. He has lived such a bizarre and fascinating life. Two runners up would be Inside Out by Demi Moore and In Order To Live by Yeonmi Park. My favorite fiction book of 2022 was All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. I read four great books in February: Foster by Claire Keegan (Wow! I shouldn’t have finished it at work, I was falling to pieces.) Mr. Salary by Sally Rooney (Tiny “book” that packs a punch.) Spare by Prince Harry (Great to live his life through his eyes.) The Road by Cormac McCarthy (I loved it.) Thanks for your reviews and your inspiration! I can’t tell you how encouraging your “big book fears” video was. I used to love reading Leon Uris books as a teenager (a long time ago) but I’ve never made it through Trinity. Maybe soon.

[@thedude9014]

I stated reading norwegian wood yesterday

[@ieatgremlins]

Your hair is glorious.

[@tejaswinisureshkrishnan4228]

The anthropocene reviewed wa a just a beautiful book🥺❤️

[@MotherofMax-he6mj]

My favorite non fiction book.... made this deep lasting impact on my entire life.... It's a book about Harriet Tubman. Called "A Life Imagined" . Its just incredibly impressive and amazing all that this woman accomplished over and over again, with soooo many odds stacked against her. I read it at a very crucial time in my life.

[@zinaberger8211]

I also hug my books and u r not the only one

[@gabiocampos]

Read afterdark by murakami, that book won’t let you leave your sit until you finish it ❤

[@shrutiii]

If you are looking to read another Murakami, would recommend 'Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his Years of Pilgrimage'

[@sarahali2168]

hey Carolyn! can you please attach me the link to your video where you read The Mysteries of Udolpho. since i have been meaning to read it and i remember you did review it in one of your earlier videos i just can't seem to find which one. Thank youuu so much for your videos. i always follow and love your recommendations!

[@MaBelleIndifference]

My favourite Murakami was Kafka on the Shore! 😊

[@denisefreitas6727]

I've read Anthropocene, and i really liked it. I want to read the other books you've read. I've read Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro this February, and i loved it!

[@bookstorm7]

reading should be aways a joy, and not a competition - you're so right, quality over quantity. Maya Angelou's book just went on my TBR....Norwegian wood - l just couldn't connect with it. I felt it was written so matter of fact, like there was no emotion. and the ending, I was like - why? I haven't given up on Murakami, After dark is now on my list.

[@margueritemitchell1829]

She wrote quite a few biographical books and poetry..Maya. I liked that she got her name. Nickname to reality 😀

[@Arkapravo]

I really need to read 'Norwegian Wood'

[@ObstinateHeadstrongGirl]

Love these updates, Carolyn. I finished three books in Feb. -The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster, Spare by Prince Harry, and Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv

[@RalphNC09]

This book is definitely outside of your normal taste, but if you like epic fantasy like ASOIAF-which I know you loved-you might like it? I'd really love to hear your thoughts on Swan Song by Robert McCammon. I just finished it about 3 weeks ago and it is absolutely one of the best things I have personally read. Control your expectations if you do read it 😅 cause I know how those can ruin a story, but I think more people should be talking about McCammon!

[@ha_limabeanz]

Born a crime, Trevor Noah's memoir is my favorite nonfiction!! It's hilarious and so intriguing I highly recommend!!

[@premadimauro2691]

What a beautiful video. I wish more book tubers would read less and review in more detail as you have. I enjoyed every minute of this video. Quality over quantity is surely the way to go in my eyes. Thanks again for a wonderful video

[@lisasstitchingandsuch]

It's not the number of books you read that draws me to your channel it's your ability to talk eloquently about the books and your experience reading that does. Non-fiction is hard to get into IMO because everyone's interests are very different and the thing or person you might be interested in reading about can either be not popular or not recent or even both. Just keep your eyes and ears perked for recs, and even just listen to podcasts, watch documentaries and even read wikipedia articles of stuff you come across that interests you - eventually you will start to find the books.

[@__rishikasingh]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@CarolynMarieReads]

💕💕💕

[@z.r.108]

I would recommend The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker for non ficition. And I agree, quality over quantity! Always!

[@hhira7225]

About the pressure of reading a certain amount of books in a month, I know one girl who sets her goodreads reading goal to just one book. Yes, it is what it is. In that way, she doesn't feel pressured to reach to her goals asap at the same time she actually finishes a decent amount of books. I think that's a brilliant idea. 4:20 You asked for non-fiction rec so here I am to talk about the book I already mentioned once in one of your past vids but it just didn't come across your attention. And that is Totto-chan: A little girl at the window. I finished it in early feb. Oh boy, that was an instant 5 star read. It's about the author's childhood life like I know why the caged bird sings. Everything about this book is so wholesome(the tomoe gakuen school, the headmaster aahh) Please check it out

[@AdrianasWonderland]

i really would like to read a Murakamis book, i just afraid the will make me sad... i know it is a stupid way of thinking, but recently i have been feeling so down, and i feel like i just need a cute middle grade book

[@LE-wc1dr]

Just go wherever the book takes you.

[@booklady8888]

Do you ever read mysteries or historical fiction books?

[@circleofleaves2676]

📚The 5 books I read in february, in order: Felicity (Mary Oliver) Things my son needs to know about the world (Frederik Backman) Once There Was a War (John Steinbeck) The Thirty Names of Night (Zeyn Joukhadar) Companion Piece (Ali Smith)

[@margueritemitchell1829]

Hello from British Columbia Canada 🇨🇦🖐👍♥️🚍🚐🌲🌳🛣🌳🌲🚐🚍🦝💧🦝

[@sadiazad9400]

Wind up bird chronicle

[@kateturpin8326]

After dark

[@riiissaaa]

for a non-fiction read, please read Know My Name by Chanel Miller!! It is so powerful and I think everybody should read it. She narrates the audiobook!

[@ObstinateHeadstrongGirl]

A nonfiction I think you'd enjoy is Howards End is on the Landing by Susan Hill - I listened to the audio book and loved it!

[@onoud9417]

Murakami is too much of a weird misogynist for me ngl

[@sauravsikdar9649]

Hello!!Did I talk to u on Telegram today? Couple of days ago,I wrote a message on this video and later u replied that I have been shortlisted for a giveaway. I contacted 'you' on telegram this morning. Was that u?or some hoax? Just making sure.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

I’m sorry, but that’s not me! Please don’t give any person information to them! I’ve been trying to report them. Sorry for the confusion!

[@sauravsikdar9649]

@@CarolynMarieReads I understand completely.

[@arianelegros1774]

No please not Murakami! He is so a misogyne and sexualise teens...

[@dustin9551]

Sexualizing teen women is not pedophilia. Teens are not children. Misogyny is the hatred of women. How is he misogynyist?

[@arianelegros1774]

@@dustin9551 she is 11 ..

[@arianelegros1774]

@@dustin9551 please just search on KZbin why his texts are misogynistic because there lots of info

[@a_literarylavender]

take all the time you want with reading💕 as long as you're enjoying your time reading, we're happy to hear any and all thoughts you have🥰 thanks for being a blessing and making me feel better with every video of yours

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Thank you so much! I hope you do the same and enjoy every page you read 😊 thank *you* for being incredibly kind and supportive :) it truly means the world!

[@NatReads]

The highlight of my reading in February was FINALLY reading Wuthering Heights for the first time. I had been wanting to read it ever since I got into Gothic literature after reading Frankenstein, and it was also one year after reading Jane Eyre for the first time. I am now torn between the two and can gladly say that, in the best way, I wasn’t prepared for Wuthering Heights. It’s without a doubt one of the more memorable classics I have read. I don’t know if I can say that I liked it because it’s not a happy story or an easy one to read, which I think speaks more to Emily Bronte ´s writing talents. It was a captivating tale that I managed to read in 3 days, the fastest I have ever read a classic.

[@carly885]

I'd definitely read After Dark by Murakami next 😊

[@Harmosaurus]

I feel most of us has had to fight the goodreads anxiety and the pressure to read. We all just have to keep supporting each other and not worrying so much about social media pressures. Best of luck to everyones reads in march :) P.S. Finished Anna Karenina!

[@BigRedCatBanjo]

❤❤❤ what did you think of Anna Karenina? I still have 100 pages left

[@carolilopes4939]

congrats on finishing anna karenina!

[@Emmareads15]

I really feel uncomfortable when women are propping up Murakami, that book is absolutely disgusting to women. If we want change in the world and for women to stop being treated as sex objects, change has to start and it doesn't involve holding up extreme cases of sexism and hailing them as literary masterpieces. How any woman can read that book and not be disgusted with the author's clear hatred of women, I'll never understand. Sorry Carolyn, nothing personal, but it blows my mind women can ever find it OK.

[@dustin9551]

Your opinion is worthless. Keep it to yourself. She likes what she likes,Karen.

[@Emmareads15]

@@dustin9551 Yeah, my name's not Karen, BTW that's a sexist thing to call a woman with an opinion, not surprising that you're sexist Dustin, if you clearly love Murakami (I see what he inspires in people...) BTW, what gives you the right to express your opinion to me, but I'm supposed to not have one?

[@rondoflicflac]

Yes hugging books is the best!!!

[@NicholasTSilveira]

Norwegian Wood! 👍🏼

[@hope4565]

I also hug my books on a regular basis. You are not alone.

[@omidfazeli2334]

Hey Carolyn. Watching your videos rekindled my interest in reading. Love how passionate you are about books. In the past couple of month, I have read Don Quixote, great expectations, Mrs Dalloway and Wuthering Heights. I am planning to read Brothers Karamazov next.

[@Natasha318812]

Carolyn, I'm so glad that you liked Murakami. My favorite books of him are "South of the Border, West of the Sun" and "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage"

[@gangsta_meg]

Please do a Kafka's portrait!!

[@panggifkuei]

I've read all of Murakami except his non-fiction. Based on your experience with Norwegian Wood, I'd suggest for you to go for Kafka on the Shore next. What I found to be the best way to read Murakami personally was to switch between his more grounded books vs the more magical realistic ones. So Kafka next is a good idea IMO.