LOVE or HATE? I Read From New York Times Best Seller List and Went Through Too Many Emotions

[@litlbucky]

Love the Buggy tattoo!! 🤣

[@merphynapier42]

gotta show my support 😂

[@tyriquesmith8850]

Haven't watched the video yet and this comment is throwing me for the biggest loop!

[@ThePoptimist]

Thanks for the huge shout out! Lot of main character energy and unreliable narrator vibes with Yellowface (I love you mentioned Evelyn Hugo, I kept thinking Girl on the Train) But there's a particular type of bookishly online person that will love the deep cuts referenced here, along with a dash of successful Asian woman online having to deal. Let's not forget that perfect, cynical ending to the story too!

[@merphynapier42]

It was so difficult to put down! Like you mentioned in your review, I wasn’t sure she’d be able to stick the landing but it was great!

[@maem7462]

I recently finished reading Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo. It is such a good book. It is so hard to put down the book

[@Georgesmomsu]

Half way through the audio of Yellowface. It’s brought up lots of conversations.

[@CatherineElizabeth728]

Oooooh I didn't like Happy Place either. SO MUCH miscommunication that it was illogical and unfeasible. But, I loved Yellowface.

[@MsNikkyD]

Just had a very confused moment where I thought you read "naughty pine floorboards" and it took me way longer than it should have to realise my mistake 😅

[@redgiant970]

"I don't have twitter and this isn't real" kinda sums up exactly how I feel about Twitter just in general

[@taylorgayhart9497]

I already know how you feel about Happy Place and I’m still excited for this one! Lol

[@badfaith4u]

Happy Place and Yellowface are on my TBR pile and have started Yellowface.

[@Prototype-357]

The Wager immediately reminded me of the game Return of the Obra Dinn, it's my favorite game ever, I'll pick up the book later, seems really interesting.

[@Punkandcannonballer]

Hey Merph, I think a romance you'd love is the Wisteria Society for Lady Scoundrels. Having read Babel and Poppy War, Kuang is just a pass for me. Great ideas that never really go past very surface level, simple executions.

[@KristinKravesBooks]

I'm so happy you loved Warrior Girl Unearthed. I was so impressed by her debut! I have only read Book Lovers from Emily Henry and really didn't love it. I have Happy Place on audio so I am going to try it but I am nervous!

[@tinagarcia3571]

FireKeeper's Daughter was her debut novel is that what you were referring to?

[@greeniegreens7737]

Happy Place was so disappointing to read. I’ve enjoyed several of Henry’s prior books, but this one was rough. I completely agree with your breakdown of the book

[@unprocessed_life]

The people I know who were touched by Happy Place are people who deeply connected to it. But IMO, strictly as a book, it was hard to read.

[@banaa9463]

And here you go fattening up my TBR again

[@evildoesnotsleep-x2b]

I thought the same of Happy Place. It was supposed to be about having this precious friend group and everyone acted like a child. And Wyn using the "I'm too dumb for you" excuse and hurting her was the last straw

[@GloriaZThompson]

Great vlog! Was fun to watch. I had the same thoughts on Happy Place! Glad I'm not alone with how much I hated it and all those stupid people not talking to each other. 🙄

[@thejustinwestra]

I read Babel and really liked it, but I haven’t read anything else by RFK yet. Yellowface and The Poppy War are both on my TBR, but I know The Poppy War is pretty divisive so I might go with Yellowface first. Babel is dense and slow-paced so I can see why it wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’d recommend trying it again when you’re in the mood for it! I kind of like how her books are so on the nose, she’s tackling difficult topics head-on and isn’t being subtle. My wife doesn’t like reading physical books but she started her first audiobook recently which is Happy Place. Whether she likes it or not I’m excited to tell her that she will probably like Emily Henry’s other books more since that seems to be the consensus!

[@the_eerie_faerie_tales]

Oou I can't wait to read The Wager this month for a readathon! Thanks for the rec, Merphy!

[@tinagarcia3571]

I am 3/4 through Warrior Girl Unearthed, super good I love how she writes, this is her 2nd book, I hope she keeps writing.

[@Olphas]

I thought Yellowface was really interesting and I read it quite quickly, too. Haven't read any of her other books yet. It did manage to make me quite uncomfortable at times. Sometimes because being in June's shoes while she makes these terrible, terrible decisions and the way she rationalises them makes it quite hard to be on her side as a 1st person protagonist. And the other thing is the social media madness ... being the target (kinda) of these atrocities really was something ... I have no idea how I would deal with all that if it would actually be directed at me for whatever reason.

[@StudioLindsay]

I’m reading Happy Place soon and I’m glad to know going into it that it’s going to be different from Emily Henry’s other books. I probably won’t enjoy it as much but I’m glad to know that beforehand. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the friend group!

[@Sandheart1]

Merphy!! If you really liked Warrior Girl Unearthed you might like the first book the author wrote, the Firekeeper's Daughter. It has similar themes and is set in the same community as Warrior Girl Unearthed (which is also the town/community where I grew up!)

[@tyriquesmith8850]

"Buggy Flesh" the best out of context tattoo

[@watchablesbykane]

so now i wanna read The Wager :) thanks for the recs.

[@heatheredbooks]

I am now curious to know if the mutiny in The Wager is the same in North and South. Excuse me while I spend the next few hours going down this rabbit hole 😂. I will also be adding this to my TBR.

[@stardust8181]

I just finished Warrior Girl Unearthed and it was so good, I loved it as much and maybe even a little more than Firekeeper’s Daughter

[@Saladbar1120]

Thanks for the reviews! I read The Wager and Yellowface, and I really liked both of them. My guess is that those two will probably be on “best of” lists at the end of the year.

[@JordanEllington-mf5pd]

"I don't have twitter and this isn't real" kinda sums up exactly how I feel about Twitter just in general

[@dphunk87]

Im almost done with the Wager. Its been absolutely fantastic!

[@abcarr96]

Hard recommend The Poppy War. One of the most grounded magic systems i've read, and such a humanizing experience.

[@ninadtengse7993]

Yellowface - so so immersive. Am not the target audience but the book just reads like hot dark gossip.

[@a_literarylavender]

Wow, now I'm scared about reading Happy Place. Thought I'd bring it with me on Holiday but perhaps I should think of another book instead....

[@starlasell5698]

❤📚❤️. I added The Wager to my Goodreads, it sounds so good! Then, I went ahead and added Killers of the Flower Moon, it also sounds good.

[@SynsBookNook]

The Wager sounds right up my alley. I had heard about it but didn’t know too much. Going to add that to my tbr. Yellowface is one I want to get to at some point. I read Babel and liked it quite a bit, never read the Poppy Wars.

[@danab3099]

I saw Killers Of The Flower Moon on the list as you were picking your books. Even though it is non-fiction it reads like fiction. The writing is very accessible and the story is engaging.

[@NaritaZaraki]

Being so on the nose is kind of one of the things I actually really love about R.F. Kuang! I've been very tired and extremely frustrated with the "norm" of depicting stories that are extremely politically charged but then when those discussions are brought up, the author and/or fans, back pedal into "oh you're just reading too much into it" or "this is apolitical actually" territory and it is infuriating. (the two most egregious recent-ish examples for me was the director of "Joker" basically saying the movie had no politics at all actually. JOKER!! and the creators behind the video game depicting the "real life accounts" of the soldiers on the ground during the second battle of Fallujah in Iraq saying the game will be "apolitical"???????) I love that R.F. Kuang, not only doesn't engage in that kind of bullshit while writing on its face obviously political stories, she also does not allow for that kind of evasiveness from her readers either. You wanna talk about the book? You're gonna have to engage with what she's saying. Period. Which means we get to have actual fruitful discussions and really dig into the nitty gritty of interpretations, perspectives, bias, etc. etc. and everything we as readers bring with us into the story while engaging with the politics she's discussing. IT'S GREAT! :D Also, we should note the skill required to get to be very on the nose without ever actually losing the nuances of what you're talking about. It's honestly impressive.

[@najawin8348]

"Also, we should note the skill required to get to be very on the nose without ever actually losing the nuances of what you're talking about." Except... She _doesn't_ do this? Her work is *incredibly* black and white, she portray's Athena's critics as deranged, ignorant and jealous and the criticism that she brings up wrt Athena _mirrors criticism she herself has faced._ Perhaps there's a _slight_ lack of nuance there as she engages with her own critics in horrifically bad faith. Moreover, there's a distinction between being obvious in the themes of a series or book and refusing to trust your readers to think for themselves. Indeed, some of the most enduring works of fantasy and science fiction (Jonathan Strange, Left Hand of Darkness) thread this needle perfectly. Kuang's do not. She insists repeatedly that this is not a problem, and my only response to this is, well, "skill issue".

[@meghanroberts3353]

THANK YOU for your thoughts on happy place. I totally agree with everything you said and I don’t get the hype around this book.

[@guardiantwotw1]

How can you string thoughts together with the volume of those birds around the 7 minute mark?! Hehehehehe. They be some chirp chatty birds!!

[@Ozgipsy]

Very well produced blog Merphy. I have to get into reading The Wager.

[@SarahAsYouWish]

I highly recommend The Firekeeper’s Daughter, also by Angeline Boulley. It is just as good as Warrior Girl Unearthed and features some of the same characters.

[@Tdilllz]

Loved the video! I’ve been wary of picking up books from the NYT list recently but I’ll have to give it another look! I’m guessing this has been brought up before, but I think you’d really enjoy the story in the Uncharted series of video games. They tie in history and historical figures, and the sense of adventure, mystery, and discovery in all four of the main games is incredible. Even if you simply watched a playthrough and don’t make a video, I really think you’d like them all, but especially the fourth game. The theme/setting in it is one you’d be interested in, as you’re already very familiar from other pieces of fiction you’ve read or may be currently reading.

[@fatimasajid1026]

Yellowface is the only book I'm inclined to read after hearing your description lol

[@bhsprinkle]

I almost never read popular books or I read books after the potential popularity is gone. I'm always late to the party. But seeing you investigate the list and share findings based on your subjective reading taste is amazing. Thank you so much for this video.

[@icedcoffeeandbookss]

Such a great video! Ngl i skipped most of your talking of Happy Place because I’m reading it next month and want to have my own thoughts but I’ll definitely come back after and see what you thought of it!

[@Amanda-qt6lc]

That shipwreck one sounds amazing. When i saw you pick up happy place on another vlog i knew we were getting a rant soon. People we meet on vacation and beach read were good, but book lovers was terrible.

[@thehobbyist7275]

I'll persist some more here: gotta read Berserk one day. Its character writing and juicy themes and messages are something I think you'd love. It's incredibly dark, but it's definitely a journey of healing that you'd love

[@big_grub]

I really liked the music in this vlog - my wife just bought one of the other Emily Henry books and I'm curious if she will like it now.

[@AvanToor]

Yellowface: I'm not knowledgeable when it comes to Online Book Space. I watch a BookTube video every now and then. This very comment section on this very platform is the closest I get to engaging in Social Media. I'd say, about half the apps or sites she mentioned, I had to look up. I loved this book! I loved seeing all the fallacies and hypocrisy in a believable context. I loved being asked questions without seeing them answered, being pushed to come up with the questions myself. And I really enjoyed - with my tablet by my side - learning about em dashes and Little Pink.

[@Armistice_]

Just finished Yellowface this morning, I adored it. Sorry to hear that Babel didn't work for you. But trust me, it really picks up halfway through and the ending, my god... If you can get past the slow beginning, there's a genuinely great story there. Give it another chance because it honestly deserves it. And regarding the criticism of Rebecca being "heavy-handed". Well, yeah, that's the whole point. As a Latino who wants to be a professional writer, I see how we get treated, and I think Asians get it far worse. Particularely Asian women. I know you were talking about criticism that other people may have with Kuang regarding how she talks about these issues, so this comment is not for you per se, but consider that sometimes people from marginalized communities have to be blunt because otherwise, nobody gives a fuck. And I think Yellowface addresses that criticism in its own way, too. The way I see it, sometimes you need someone to shout from the rooftops. But it's really sad when people label Rebecca and other writers of color, especially women, as hysterical or blunt. To me, what truly matters is the quality of the writing. You have to be assertive, no doubt about it. However, there's a clear distinction between social advocacy in movies like Captain Marvel and books like Yellowface or The Fifth Season. Quality is what counts, and let me tell you, Rebecca has that in abundance.

[@panaxioius6791]

On Yellowface, I think it would be interesting if you tried the manga Billy Bat about a similar subject matter(very hard to get physically, would recommend digitally)

[@andreamiller3578]

I just finished a pretty good book by The Wager's author. THE killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. The Wager is on my TBR list now. He's a good writer.

[@BrebearMckae]

Oh dear… happy place 😬😬

[@thewitchyreader6131]

Great Video!

[@RKingdom05]

I actually don't like romance stories, but a romance manga (kaguya sama: love is war) made it to my top 3 manga of all time, so I hope you could someday check it out!

[@sarahschreffler5407]

Sounds like a shallow friend group if they were afraid to talk to each other.

[@kimbarbeaureads]

$27?!?! I've seen The Happy Face for fifty cents at the Library. I can't even

[@somerandompersonhi2028]

I thought you weren't supposed to pay anything at all if you're getting something from a library??

[@hayapatel_]

@somerandompersonhi2028 libraries sometimes sell books to raise funds, it's often books people donate to them or books they no longer want to keep

[@Monoxddddd]

Se menciona Chile: Somoh el mejor país de Chile!!!

[@mecahhannah]

Awesome 😂 thanks

[@tunesmelodia]

Oooo yellowface sounds so interesting!

[@kaungpyaekyaw2107]

I think you should try reading Berserk Manga. It's one of the three legendary seinen manga amongst Vagabond and Vinland saga.

[@Lynn-CA]

Merphy has tried it, and talked to friends who are fans of the series, and has decided it's not for her

[@georgek5737]

Have you read The Expanse series? I'm finishing the first book. I liked it. It's a bit of a challenge as it's my first read in years.

[@fishingfitness]

Only the dead by jack carr was on the list, highly recommend the series as a non-sff series

[@sandilemlambo5701]

Maybe I'll get into Kuang through Yellowface

[@rahulbk8455]

Can you to read (The diary of young girl-Anne Frank). I recently read it and it was such a nice book. Oh my god I want your review on this book. ❤❤❤

[@nazimelmardi]

Interesting that somewhere we can hear from Brando Sando how this list is made. It's not that simple as it looks. There are many lists to make that "list" so even his books are not on the top of x list but on the top of other lists... (cooking books are selling more than other things ...)

[@saunatonttu93]

Honestly, as someone that was bothered by how on the nose The Poppy War trilogy and even Babel got, it bothered me a lot less in Yellowface. Perhaps it's because the language Kuang uses is more suitable for contemporary stories? As some critics noted for Babel, the terminology Kuang sometimes uses feels VERY modern and probably not something the characters in the story would have known. And personally I think Yellowface has a lot fewer pacing issues that Kuang's previous works do, so that helps. (For reference, the PW trilogy for me is 3 stars, Babel was a 4 star, and Yellowstar full 5 stars.)

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

I’ve still never read an Emily Henry book 🥲

[@robertpowell1834]

Wait, what? Reading a tale of mutiny and shipwreck while on the stern of a boat in a large body of water? What’s next? Let’s read “Christine” while riding in a red 1958 Plymouth Fury. This could be the start of any book lover’s version of X-Games. Let’s live on the edge people!

[@taylorgayhart9497]

Starting to realize maybe I was out of the norm, as I was reading first hand accounts of the Holocaust in 5th grade 😅 idk I think giving your nieces some thoughtful and insightful books to introduce them to these topics could be a good thing, because they’re definitely already being exposed to these topics, especially if they have smart phones, and I’ve seen the ignorant stuff teenagers share online. My youngest brother just turned 19 and I monitored his social media until he turned 18, and I was constantly having to debunk crazy shit.

[@Zed-x-]

Did you try the fourth wing would love to hear you opinion on it ☺️

[@jack-heights]

Not going to lie, was hoping you'd get the Jack Carr book lol

[@PeteCalebandPuppets]

Merphy at some point in your life, you gotta read Mob Psycho 100, it's my favorite series and the characters and storyline are amazing.

[@reid.b2926]

Please read 'The Plot' and tell me what you think about 'Yellowface'

[@lightscamerasashley.]

💖

[@the_Nameless_One99]

Why in the world do you have "Buggy Flesh" written all over your arm? Love the One Piece top btw.

[@Lynn-CA]

On her patron stream for the chapter where 'Buggy Flesh' was being chanted by several people she said she was going to get a t-shirt for her next One Piece video. She forgot, so did that instead. This video was recorded on the same day.

[@anthonynolastname8517]

What state is Murphy from? East coast or west coast? Curious of her love of the ocean (I also love the sea) and what coast she is enjoying.

[@merphynapier42]

Kentucky 😭 but someday I’ll move closer to the ocean!

[@naviro6672]

Maybe off topic but I am curious... I will ask until I get your answer... Did you read the truth books by Dawn Cook???

[@smarton1600]

You were bored of Babel? wow.

[@luisquintanilla1694]

#shappie tattoos are real tattoos

[@madalenapires21]

Can someone link the Yellowface review Merphy mentions in the end of the video, please? I can't seem to find it.

[@davidcunningham6525]

Hi, the link is in the description under the video.

[@rachelspencer9456]

🧡📚🧡📚🧡📚🧡

[@Aether_GM]

Golly

[@evanmiller4502]

can people still join your discord server? I was in there on an old account and have since made a new one cause I forgot my login and wanna join again 😭

[@Lynn-CA]

discord.gg/hARwgXcs

[@JohnSaxon-vw5vi]

Only watched the video for the black T-shirt five stars ⭐️ 😂😂😂

[@youwishyouknow-6683]

Can some booktuber make a Non-Woke Fantasy Book Series List ? It would be greatly appreciated

[@scarlett1997pink]

Wow you’re so quirky and not like the other girls