Five Books That Changed My Life (From my English Degree)

[@genericallyentertaining]

The first 500 people to use my link skl.sh/genericentertainment12241 will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare!

[@SirBolsón]

"One glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is to voyage through time." - Carl Sagan

[@genericallyentertaining]

Right? Reading is literally so awesome.

[@SirBolsón]

@genericallyentertaining INDEED and that's why Sagan is the GOAT.

Borges said many times he had ideas for novels but he feared writing one and it wouldn't work, or it would be too long. He read many novels that felt like that they could be cut down or needed heavy trimming and he didn't want someone reading his novel and thinking the same. So instead he wrote stories about fictional authors or imaginary novels as a way to put out the story without the risk of actually writing a novel. I absolutely love Borges' work, it inspired me to write and set a high bar to strive to. I'm happy to some appreciation (after he died, people kind of forgot).

[@SirBolsón]

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one." - George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons

[@marcsmirnoff936]

Really? What about people who don't read but who watch movies? Don't they also experience other lives?

[@SirBolsón]

@marcsmirnoff936 Reading helps unlock your imagination, whereas movies hold your hand while doing it. Not saying movies are bad, but they're too easily accessible within this regard compared to books.

[@marcsmirnoff936]

@SirBoggins No doubt. But that's a different issue. I was specifically addressing the author-centric claim that reading is the way to "live" (or experience) other lives. Anyone who doesn't derive something like that from watching movies needs to watch better movies. P.S. Happy Christmas!

[@t-man4383]

I truly love to find these kinds of videos/channels. It is so much more meaningful to me to hear an individual's lived, subjective perspective on things they love, than to just reference "top 100 best books of all time list".

[@genericallyentertaining]

Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed.

[@LightMageMike]

Speaking as someone with an engineering degree (computer, for what it's worth), the degree itself matters fa~r less than other things. It's way more worth it to get a degree in something that interests you since you'll still have to put in the same amount of work finding internships to get job experience to get a job to get job experience to get... I don't regret my time at college, but I certainly wish I'd studied something else.

[@ludvigInLegendaryLands]

You starting off with Borges with that level of enthusiasm inspires me to read the other ones as well! Thank you

[@Martha_My_Dear]

Thank you for this video, and thank you for making young people enthusiastic about Borges. He's a f legend here in Argentina, but I sometimes fear the world is forgetting about him. Thank you.

[@PatataSimbolica]

I love so much the fact that I can perfectly read all of Borges in its original language.

[@genericallyentertaining]

This is genuinely something that keeps me motivated to improve my Spanish! I can parse very basic texts in Spanish, but I would love to get to the point someday of being able to read Borges, (and all the other great authors who wrote in Spanish.)

[@PatataSimbolica]

@genericallyentertaining I'm Going to read more complex books in English in 2025. I've only read shorter and simpler books in English, like the great Gatsby and Alice in wonderland. Don't get discouraged, Spanish is a beautiful language.

[@counting1234]

it's really hard for most people to sit through something that's painful, even if it's rewarding at the end. personally as a math student, i believe (opinion might not be shared by all math students/mathematicians) that after a first course in proofs and logic a *really* motivated self-learner could theoretically teach themselves the undergrad + grad curriculum alone. the issue is that these kinds of people would be exceedingly rare. one thing i wish i'd known back when i was 18 was the art of efficiency; that is, of understanding only the basic gist of material and being able to fill in holes with reasoning afterwards and therefore really cut down on study time. that and not being afraid to get a "bad grade" or to struggle during the learning process. ultimately, what you learned, and the coursework you took in college shapes who you are. it's not just the material, but also the experiences. it's all a part of you now (: so i don't think there should be any regrets!

[@lucasprimo5981]

Can confirm Clarice Lispector is legendary in Brazil

[@benjip2931]

the best book i ever read for my english minor was Personal Days by Ed Park. the book is loosely based on Park’s experience working at the village voice ~2005 when it was being bought out by a bigger company. it’s basically the story of a group of friend who all work at a nameless company being stripped to the bone in a series of buy outs. i highly recommend it to literally anyone who works or has worked in an office.

[@foolcoded]

I don't normally comment on KZbin, but I agree with you so profoundly regarding all these books that I simply couldn't help myself. I am especially fond of Middlemarch (I have hardly read every single English novel, but I agree that as far as Realist fiction goes, it's almost certainly the best example of the genre), although I also have a deep appreciation for Ficciones, Passing, and The Gospel According to GH. Some similar novels I think you would appreciate (if you haven't read them already, in no particular order) are If on a winter's night a traveler by Italo Calvino, The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy, Primeval by Olga Tokarczuk, Villette by Charlotte Brontë, The Blazing World by Margaret Cavendish, and The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. Based on what I have ascertained of your tastes, I think you would appreciate all of these wildly different books for various reasons. As a sidenote, did you also happen to double major in literature and physics? You'd think there would be more of us, considering both fields require a similar curiosity and analytical rigor, but I've only encountered a few. Have a nice day!

[@genericallyentertaining]

Thanks for the suggestions, and I'm so glad my thoughts resonated with you! I've been eyeing If on a Winter's Night a Traveler for a while now, so I'll definitely have to get that one a shot sometime soon. A couple of the others I haven't heard of, and I'm really excited to look into them now. Unfortunately, I didn't major in physics, although if I could go back, I might have liked to. I have a deep love for physics, but I've never found the opportunity to study it in-depth. In college, I attended a bunch of physics lectures for classes I wasn't taking and took a ton of notes, but between all my other classwork, I never had time to learn the material very well. But one of my long-term goals in life is genuinely to take the time to really teach myself some physics at my own pace.

[@foolcoded]

@@genericallyentertaining Yes, I definitely recommend checking out Calvino's works if you enjoy Borges. His Cosmicomics is also one of my favorite works of experimental science fiction of all time! And for what it's worth, I think that having a passion for physics and learning it at your own pace is equally if not more valid than obtaining a degree as a status marker to prove that you can Do Physics. I have a lot of issues with the discursive and pedagogical approach to the field after years of being entrenched in that department - which was quite frankly only exacerbated by the fact that the engaged pedagogical methods, rigorous and thoughtful critical frameworks employed, and general atmosphere of support, passion, and camaraderie in my Comparative Literature department starkly highlighted the lack of such virtues in the physics world... I will always have a great passion for physics as a system of concepts I find fascinating, but as an industry with certain incentives and approaches that tend to hinder passion more than foster it, I actually do think that attending lectures and reading for your own edification is probably the healthiest approach in many ways, if that serves as any consolation.

[@pixelpupmkingaming5503]

The goat posts once again

[@ketellynmanique539]

As a Brazilian, I get to read tons of amazing Brazilian authors in our native language. And I'll never forget the moment I first read The Passion According to GH. I was on my way to college (I have a Bachelor's degree in Portuguese and Translation), and I almost missed my stop! lol You choosing one of Lispector's books only proves the power of, not only a great source material, but also a decent translation. If you haven't already, check out Machado de Assis, another brilliant Brazilian author.

[@genericallyentertaining]

Thanks for the rec! I will have to check them out.

[@philipm3173]

18:03 I'm so glad you brought this up, that's a big reason I think The Years of Rice and Salt was so refreshing to read after having had the fantasy I used to love become very stale and uninspired.

[@JonahsWail]

Thanks for the recommendations. I’ve missed out on Lispector entirely, I’ll start with that one listed. Cheers to ya.

[@sheenaringofan1]

Great video brother. Definitely giving me the push to get on with reading Herodotus. Editing tip: don't J cut your jump cuts like that, just cut the audio with the video. It will appear far more natural for the viewer that way.

[@ArthurHLI]

Oh okey I wasn't expecting seeing Clarice Lispector here! As a brazilian, and huge fun of her works, is awsome see her get the recognition that she deserves! I highly recommend, if you didn't read it yet, her other book "The Star Hour". And would be great to see a video abour her. About the movie, it is an experience! Is very strange. It's, i believe, word by word from the book, with things happening. If I'm not wrong, the movie as a whole was put together in the editing room, so is almost experimental. I will definitely search for your others recommendation! And, now that we a here, let me recommend you Machado de Assis "Dom Casmurro", he is also one of our greatest.

[@itsgoodtobegood]

Love the video. And I'd totally watch the four hour one rating all books 😅

[@juliall255]

Excellent video, as always! Also, I like Gawyn

[@genericallyentertaining]

Well, none of us are perfect.

[@juliall255]

@@genericallyentertainingLMAOO NOTED😂

[@adityaudupa9]

Love these refs, thank you so much

[@goronska]

Towards the end I was more and more hooked. Suffice to say, within 20 minutes of watching this I was already at my bestie's bookshelf of weirdness and found Lispector to grab home and read in 2025 :3

[@jsmxwll]

i've read a fair bit of Borges. i've read everything that i've been able to get my hands on and have yet to find a work unworthy of the effort. i never went to university, just an avid reader. The Histories was one of my favorite books as a child. formations of little green army men assailed Lincoln-log fortifications in my childish attempts to recreate battles written in The Histories . accuracy was mostly irrelevant.The Odyssey was another favorite. i am familiar with the rest other than Lispector. i'll be checking the library for it soon. great video. it was interesting to see the view of someone who came to things i've also read but for very different reasons.

[@LordJazzly]

This is awesome, thank you for sharing these. Of this lot I'd only read Herodotus before, from being a bored teenager in a town with a very well-stocked library. Also - George Eliot being a woman is pretty well-known here in Australia, in part because of a widespread bit of (incorrect) folk trivia that claims she was one of the Bronte sisters.

[@KeKe-bv8qv]

I have no regrets watching this video and am seriously considering buying some of these. If I'd watched this a month or two earlier I'd have put these on my christmas wish list.

[@Irina35mm]

I enjoyed this a lot, time flew by. I shall read these at some point! Well, some of Borges' short fiction I already read; it's intriguing indeed. What I find myself liking more from him are his essays and discussions - those I read a long time ago and I don't remember stuff in detail, but they just stuck with me somehow, and the writing is beautiful, of course, but also his observations are so unique and interesting and profound. Like in 'Beauty as a physical sensation' (I can't find it in english?!) and 'Dialogues - Borges - Sabato'

[@end.olives]

Lol i didnt expect as a brazillian to see a brazillian writer in here

[@Johanna_reads]

This video couldn’t be more timely! I had just put Clarice Lispector on my reading list for 2025, so I loved hearing your thoughts about her and The Passion According to G.H.! If you haven’t read Guy Gavriel Kay, I recommend his fantasy books for well-researched historical fantasy world-building. Happy reading and journaling in 2025! 😊

[@genericallyentertaining]

That's awesome! Thanks for watching, and I really hope you enjoy Lispector. I haven't read anything by Guy Gavriel Kay, so I'll have to check him out as well. Appreciate the recommendation!

[@marcelhidalgo1076]

I'm so happy that Maximilian Dood joined the book tube community

[@cadian101st]

I did a history undergrad and actually wrote how Herodotus shouldn’t be considered the father of History, rather Thucydides should. I also came to the conclusion you did that Herodotus was more the father of Anthropology and folklore

[@sharked5596]

Great suggestions. All of these sound intellectually interesting! You sold me most on the historian as a fantasy author i think it'd be very helpful 😊

[@All_Powerful_God_Enel]

As an aspiring writer from the same country hearing you talk about him makes me want to start my Borges journey soon, I've been putting it off for too long 😅

[@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk]

Best wishes for 2025. I hope you get some great books.

[@milmundos]

The Borges' short stories feels like SCP entries

[@cjgilmore283]

Love your content😊

[@qew_Nemo]

I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on Gene Wolfe. You seem to enjoy unique writers and I think it's fair to say he deserves that distinction.

[@ramseywalid2715]

Great picks and got me very interested. Subbed!

[@youtubeaccount2984]

You really articulated for me why I don’t know what my favorite novel is nice

[@jaspervanheycop9722]

If you like rambly ancient history stuff you've probably already read it (sadly there's only so much left, you can read every Greaco-Roman source if you dedicate like... a couple months), but Cato the Elder is so amazing. Truly the Being John Malkovich for the ancient world, were you get to look out into the Roman world from the reumy eyes of a cantankorous old man. From bizarre tangents like which fish sauce makes you gassy, to insightfull poltical analysis, to him getting mad at the darn kids on his lawn , even recipes for pastries and cookies (which actually work, as numerous culinary historians have proven). I've referred to him as Roman "Angry anime grampa", and I mean that in the most loving way I can.

[@Scatterbrainn]

Thanks for these recommendations; I'm excited to check them out. One book that had a big impact on me is Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal.

[@hannahr2824]

I am really interested to hear what your actual physical reading experience of Herodotus was (ie, was it something you were engrossed in to the point of being unable to put it down, or was it consumed more academically?) I read Thucydides during my undergrad and, while portions of it were fascinating and enjoyable to read, I can’t say it was something I’d physically read through like a typical novel or even modern history book. Was it fun to read *while* you were reading, or more enjoyable as a whole once you were finished? Anyways, this was a really interesting video. Your short form content is fantastic, but you do a great job presenting the merits of these books. You’ve made me want to check out nearly all of them (even Herodotus!), and it’s been a long time since I’ve even drummed up interest in *one* book from a recommendation video. Great work!!

[@rustyshackelford934]

Yeah, I don’t have a college degree and I’ve either read the authors you’re talking about or I have their books on my shelves TBR. I’m sure it’s helpful having a program that pushes you that way, but it’s not necessary all you peeps out there, ya just gotta look down the right paths. You can find out about all these authors by just listening to other authors-or noticing the authors they drop in essays, novels, stories, or interviews-going to libraries, or just scouring around goodreads. If I had the money I might have done the same and gone to college for English, that way I’d have a piece of paper that is beneficiary, since I read the stuff anyway. But at the same time, I know English degrees are limited in their application. Hard to say. Probably do like you said, and get a degree in something else to get a grounding in a different subject, opening your mind to an even wider variety of thought and processes.

[@LordJazzly]

Update: I started reading Borges because of this video. If that reads as an accusation, then _good,_ because it's bloody well _intended_ as one. _How could you_ he is so much work and it's so surreal and I can already _see_ that there's not going to be anything profound to discover underneath the surrealism but my brain _wants_ to engage with it anyway. This is one of the very few books that I have wanted to throw at the wall instead of reading it; last one was _Wuthering Heights_ because of the utterly foul relationship dynamics, and now there's _Labyrinths_ because it is _tempting_ me to _waste my time_ with something that I already _know_ will have _no payoff._ Again - *how could you* (also thank you, it's a great recommendation, I haven't had this much fun figuring out how to engage with a book in a while.)

[@materiagrix]

I’m so glad I read every book on this list except one 😊

[@Boris.Becker.]

Great suggestions!

[@heitormarcolino2193]

i love u Generic Entertainment

[@lukedavis6157]

Didn't even know George Elliott is female. But I've seen Middlemarch in second hand bookstores a lot, people seems to be not picking it up. So I'll pick it up the next time I saw it, you really sold this book to me.

[@BOSSman9823451]

Nella Larsen was half Danish through her mother. Unfortunately, she's pretty much unknown here in Denmark...

[@katherinep1010]

Ok, I think I need to find that Borges book, like yesterday.

[@elementary1872]

2:54 Funny you say this, considering my uni, for some reason, just cut all of the subjects that included Shakespeare texts.

[@jacksonduruy4303]

I'd say 100 Years of Solitude is the book that's had the biggest impact on me.

[@ikeofnewt7690]

I screamed aloud when I saw borges' fiction in the thumbnail

[@mohanamukhopadhyay3895]

I remember being really moved by Borges' House of Asterion.

[@I_Love_Learning]

That one is one of my favorite, the twists washed over me in such a weird way, it was great!

[@inthtis22]

My English degree was a while ago and I read a lot (and skipped a lot, haha, great use of $$ but I’m a slow reader tbh). I think my favorite was Shakespeare. Basic I know but provide of endless thoughts

[@chitwansingh]

4:08, this guy is a real one!

[@dobi26jo37]

this is a great video, thank you. also i have a Q - have you read witch hat atelier?

[@5oulcrusher]

Lispector sounds really interesting, but she also sounds similar to the New Zealand author Janet Frame, who I highly recommend.

[@genericallyentertaining]

Oh, interesting, I'll have to check her out! Thanks for the rec.

[@wanderlking8634]

I recall reading a great deal for my degree that I didn't necessarily enjoy but that left an impression. Two books that I did like were Wuthering Heights and Hard Times. Also poetry. William Carlos Williams and Charles Simic were both easy to enjoy. TS Eliot is sort of insufferable tho.

[@philipm3173]

Funny how not so long after Middlemarch we got a real life Swiss Casaubon (Jung).

[@Mefrius]

What do you mean by meandering book? English is not my native language and i am just began to read books in english

[@nofacedetected]

I also have a degree in English and feel mostly the same way as you. I've never heard of any of these books (besides herodus of course) much less read them. I'm excited to. My list of books that only read because I was an English major is weird, because my college often had us read modern contemporary for some reason. So I'll just list it out without too much explanation... I've already written papers on them haha No no boy by John okada Skippy dies by Paul Murray An occurrence at owl Creek by Ambrose beirce And if you can believe it The adventures of huckleberry Finn by Samuel Clemons

[@genericallyentertaining]

That's cool to hear! It's really interesting how different the curricula can be for English majors. Of these, the only one I've read is Huckleberry Finn. (I didn't like it much when I read it in middle school, but I was quite young then, so I probably need to give it another chance - but I absolutely loved A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, especially since I read it as part of a class no Arthurian literature, so I got to see what Clemens was parodying.)

[@nofacedetected]

@genericallyentertaining the thing about huck finn is that the first third of the book is an insanely intricate web of lies from the narrator, the second third is a parody of allusion itself with two characters that represent worthless callbacks to previous literature and canon (Shakespeare mostly) and then mark twain couldn't figure out out to resolve the growing issue of social commentary and the evils of slavery and took a break for many years before writing the last third of the book which is almost universally reviled as a terrible conclusion that he forced himself to write to resolve debts. It's clearly his best book but also his most uneven. It's a frustrating but rewarding read... As an adult. There are many attempts by later authors to make a worthy sequel to the book since twain never did (huck out west being the one my professor recommend).

[@alainrios3090]

I’m the English major also study books translated into English?

[@Darth_Tuna]

Best nerd channel on KZbin hands down

[@leagueofmagic1221]

This guy books!!!

[@joseeugeniomonteiro6033]

I did'nt expected Clarice Lispector lol. Here in brazil she is THE author who we quote things she probably never said, you know? Just less famous then Machado de Assis in my opinion.

[@SabrinaSilva-hn7dg]

Clarice Lispector ❤❤❤❤

[@BlindCentipede]

Have you read Burton or Browne?

[@googoogaga-eo1ct]

Wind and truth review when???

[@xMo29]

Its unlikely you would have read as much without it being for your degree. No way you could have done that as a, say, science major. Ive done this "would the grass have been greener" with my own degree in biology. Im a lawyer now and I wonder if i would have been better off in my career if i had majored in business instead if biolgy, but then i think "my biology degree was instrumental to develiping my critical thinking in ways that i dont think a business degree would have"...but we can never know

[@SouthPark333Gaming]

I'm familiar with quite a few of those, and I don't have an English degree

[@nyarparablepsis872]

When you mentioned Herodotus and his "Histories" I felt as if you said "Germs, Guns, and Steel". I cannot put into words how much I despise this Greek travelogue writer. We still have to fight the fallout from his fantasies in my field (Assyriology). The man was a Greek and thought that all non-Greeks were inferior. He exoticises the East (orientalism), and just makes up stuff that would vibe with his similarly minded audience of Greeks who want to be titillated by the Other. /rant over Apologies for that! 😅

[@isidorregenfu9632]

Consider my interest in Lispector piqued 🤔 Sounds a bit like a psychedelic trip and/or a spiritual insight in terms of raw intensity

[@TheZetaKai]

Like every other degree, to some extent, an English degree is a very expensive, time-consuming alternative to a library card.

[@jeebusthegreat8819]

how do you paddle around foreign countries and afford rent and stuff with an English degree? Do you teach at a foreign school or something?

[@ladyethyme]

Rich parents?

[@I_Love_Learning]

I think he may have mentioned sometime that he just travels on a super small budget, but I may be misremembering.

[@genericallyentertaining]

After I graduated, I knew I wanted to spend some time travelling, so I just bought the cheapest ticket I could find to Southeast Asia, and stayed in cheap places and ate cheap food. I had some money saved from working day jobs in college, and I knew I might not get an opportunity to do this later in life, so I just went for it. Of course, in many parts of the world, I would have run out of money very quickly, but Southeast Asia and South Asia in particular are quite affordable if you stay in hostels, take buses, eat cheaply, etc. I didn't have an apartment back home at that point, so I wasn't paying rent, and I was probably spending less money per day than I would have back in the States. Doing online work and making a little money from KZbin ad revenue helped me stay afloat (although KZbin revenue was pretty much insignificant until my channel started getting a lot of views about a year ago when that "Two Types of Fantasy Worldbuilding" video blew up.) But yeah, I still don't make very much money at all, and I think the only reason I was able to do this now is because I'm fairly young and still have a pretty high tolerance for things like "sitting in a cramped overnight bus for 12 hours straight" and "sleeping in crowded $5-per-night hostels." Now I'm splitting rent on an apartment, so I'll be doing that a lot less.

[@jeebusthegreat8819]

@@genericallyentertaining Oh ok, that’s really cool hope it was fun and glad that this channel was able to support that for a while. It sounds like it was a really life changing experience and the fact you were able to do it for so cheap is really cool. I was just curious because I’ve always really enjoyed English and History but I have a lot of anxiety over being able to “make it” in life so I did engineering and physics but the fact you did your English degree as a mostly intellectual pursuit and it still turned out ok is really inspiring and gives me at least a lot of hope. Hope you have a good night man.

[@nikacomedawn]

Hah. English. Imagine having such a *common* degree. I'm a creative writing major because I accidentally changed it when I transferred schools and left being domething as common as a mere English teacher at my old school. ...Of course I haven’t started at my new school yet and if I can't parse the registration system and find housing I could be a math major for all it would matter (under no circumstances should I ever be allowed near math).

[@ianbowden2524]

People being too inspired by media in their media is definitely a problem.

[@GliYch]

Hey, just telling you that you got autogenerated audiotracks! (and they don't sound really good) You maybe want to turn it off! I'm german myself and I would never watch this in german! ^-^"

[@genericallyentertaining]

Ah, thanks for letting me know! I heard KZbin was doing this, but I hadn't noticed it on my videos before. That's a shame that the quality is so bad.

[@WorthlessWinner]

Dorothea Brooke should've married Herodotus

[@General_reader]

Now I can skip the degree. Thanks for saving me $60,000.

[@SirBolsón]

"The world is not in your books and maps, it's out there." J. R. R. Tolkien

[@arkhanok6329]

how many more quotes do you have

[@SirBolsón]

@arkhanok6329 I got a lot from Google.

[@michaelvins3215]

Doesn't this contradict the other one

[@SirBolsón]

@@michaelvins3215 Kinda.

[@Noveltea1113]

K, I’ll make sure to be outside when I read

[@Skootfairy]

Anybody can read books. If they know how to read.

[@ladyethyme]

So you're saying you have an English degree… But most of the authors that inspired you to most of this video are not English. ;) "anyway, onto the authors that inspired me when I was getting my English degree. So here's this Argentinian writer…" Lol When I get my English literature degree, it was in… English writers. Just saying.

[@noahbeitzel79]

british writers?

[@AndrewHelwer]

Perhaps English degrees are about works in the language and not steamed hams who live on an island

[@Skootfairy]

I dont see a problem with translations being included. The point of books is ideas, discussions. And translation is quite the interesting thing in itself. Learnign to read in a couple other languages is even better (edit: also context i dont know if the books mentioned are translations but im keeping the comment here anyways)

[@feendishlyjam]

I would be first if it wasn't for the pinned comment

[@grantn.9061]

As someone with an English degree, it's pretty useless. Most of the classes you're required to take are nonsense and the whole program is designed for children or women. You don't actually learn to read or write in a more effective manner, you're just taught methods of interpretation, which for the most part aren't really appropriate to the texts and are just tools for writing essays. If I could go back in time, I would study philosophy or mathematics, because even if somewhat impractical economically it would still be substantive and worthwhile.

[@greatcoldemptiness]

Based Eliot enjoyer Read Literature. Genre fiction is a blight and disease.