Mid-year book freakout tag (2021)

[@iLiviesimone]

Question of the day: What is a song you have been loving so far this year? My answer: I have a couple lol - Transparent Soul and Lipstick by Willow (really loving her pop punk sound) - Rushing Back by Flume ft Vera Blue- This one is a favorite from a little while ago but I recently saw a live version of it and thought she sounded wonderful so it's been stuck in my head even more (kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXatZ5iDd9d3p7s) - Babylon by SZA ft. Kendrick Lamar- why am I only just discovering this?? Love it!

[@psychedbypat]

For me it's "How not to drown" by Chvrches! 💫

[@missfrizzle1717]

Lil bit by nelly is my pump up song right now lol

[@johnsaxongitno4life588]

I am 48 and i love any Taylor Swift song

[@alexandrasstudio5308]

not a new song but I cant stop listening to Psycho Killer by Talking Heads

[@Catsandcamera]

Not necessarily of the year, but over the past couple of weeks I can't get Alla Ba Ouff by Omar Rudberg out of my head. Which is a big problem because it's in Swedish with a bit of Spanish thrown in so I can't even sing along to it 😅 Omar is in Young Royals on Netflix (I HIGHLY recommend the show!) so I checked out his music, and this one song has taken over my life

[@quintahab1004]

Glad you’re giving The Silmarillion a go. I just started rereading it myself. I think of it as more of a history book than a saga. You don’t really have to read it from beginning to end. You can pick a certain event and read about that. A lot of people may want to know about the Second Age, as that’s the new Amazon series. You can start with Akallabeth: The Downfall Of Numenor. It’s a short chapter and quick read that leads up to the Third age of Middle Earth. That should give you an idea for the show. Then tackle the rest of the book. Or like a bunch of us, just read it from beginning to end. The show should be out by the time you finish it.

[@tefazDK]

I recently just finished the Silmarillion and I loved it so much, even though it's not a detailed narrative story but rather a history book. Now I want to read Dune as well, because you just gave me that idea, and I want to have read it before the movie comes out just like you.

[@iLiviesimone]

Omg yes please do! I’d love to chat with you! And also thank you for your kind comments- wishing you a good day :)

[@raqueliung2556]

YES YES YES YOU’RE READING THE SILMARILLION!!!!!! can’t wait to see your reaction!! i had so much fun with your lotr video; i had just finished reading the books/watching the movies for the first time too, and it was so nice to see how someone else experienced that. I thought the silmarillion might be too much for me, but after finishing the series i just had to read it (totally worth it). i hope you have fun with it! also, thank you so much for all the sci-fi recs! i hadn’t heard of any of those yet, will definitely check them out

[@iLiviesimone]

Omg a fellow first timer?!?!? So cool- and it makes me feel encouraged that as a new reader like me that you enjoyed The Silmarillion. And happy to have shared some new recs- happy reading!

[@stephensmith3111]

@@iLiviesimone There are a lot of KZbin channels with fine content concerning Professor Tolkien's Legendarium: Men of the West, Girl Next Gondor, et al.

[@alexandrasstudio5308]

I like the combination of movies and books in this tag!

[@iLiviesimone]

Glad you enjoyed!! 💜

[@buttercupetc]

that big science fiction book looks so intimidating but sounds really epic!

[@iLiviesimone]

It really does 😩😂 but hopefully the majority of the stories are great!

[@andrewgrant6516]

Great video. The older you get, the more you need young people who are still full of life. Your excitement and enthusiasm are revitalising.

[@iLiviesimone]

Thank you for taking the time to watch my videos Andrew!

[@jonathanf.1181]

This was a great video with amazing recommendations.

[@iLiviesimone]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@ApathyParabellum]

Asimov is timeless. Really recommend his foundation stuff. I read his entire chronology from back to front. Like 12,000 years of his setting. So amazing. A king. Thankful I found your channel.

[@iLiviesimone]

Hi Liam! Okay as someone so well read with Asimov's work, which other stories are a favorite of yours? (I am not sure if I will read Foundation or just watch or the show lol)

[@ApathyParabellum]

@@iLiviesimone Oh god. The best, most digestible work of his would be his Robot Quadrilogy. Caves of Steel. The Naked Sun, Robots of Dawn and Robots and Empire. His short story collection, the Complete Robot is amazing.

[@ApathyParabellum]

@@iLiviesimone his stuff is usually pretty short. The older he got, the longer his books were, but he did publish over 500 stories. Sorry for dumping, he's a hero of mine. My collection: imgur.com/a/8l3eC13

[@BookHooked]

1:30 bravo for reading that! That’s just a scary size😂 5:15 YES! I’m in love with the AQP series and was so content with the sequel!

[@iLiviesimone]

Not only is it a scary size, but I get tired holding it up 😂 the day I eventually finish that I may just have to go out and celebrate LOL And I was just rewatching the first 10 minutes of AQP!! (since they have that available, hurray)- so good!

[@BookHooked]

@@iLiviesimone you will definitely deserve a reward of some sort for that!!

[@Thelaretus]

As a Tolkien fan, I love to see you've enjoyed the Professor's books, and now you're getting into The Silmarillion. There are many more, some heavier (like 'The Silmarillion' and related 'Beren and Lúthien', 'The Children of Húrin', 'The Fall of Gondolin', and 'Unfinished Tales') and some lighter (like 'Leaf by Niggle' and 'Roverandom'). Go tasting them as you want, and don't forget to make it an enjoyable experience; not all books are for everyone, but there's something for each amidst the Legendarium.

[@Serai3]

Also, Tolkien fan here: don't expect The Silmarillion to be like LOTR. It's a very different kind of book. I adore it myself. It's huge and grand and filled with amazing characters and stories, but the style of writing is not the same. I won't say more because I don't want to spoil anything for you, but I wanted to give you a heads up so you wouldn't start it and go "Huh? What is this?" Just didn't want you to be confused and not be able to get into it. (The main reason it's not the same style is that it wasn't really written by Tolkien but pulled together by his son Christopher from a lot of pieces of story his father left behind when he died. So much of the actual writing was done by his son rather than the man himself.)

[@StormDjinn1]

That’s what happened to me! I started it only days after I finished LOTR and it was so weird and different and hard to read I never got past the 2nd chapter. I should probably try again now that I’m an adult…

[@Serai3]

@@StormDjinn1 If you look on it as scripture instead of a novel, it's much easier to get what it's doing. That's basically what it is - the Bible of Middle Earth.

[@iLiviesimone]

Thanks for the heads up!

[@Serai3]

@@iLiviesimone You're very welcome! Please let us know what you think of it. It's one of my favorites, and I wish as many people would read it as possible. It will fill in so many gaps for you, and give you an even greater sense of the scope and depth of his world. :)

[@brooksboy78]

"So much of the actual writing was done by his son." That isn't true at all. Only one chapter ("Of the Ruin of Doriath") was written by Christopher, the rest was cobbled together from his father's writings (ranging from the early 30s to the early 70s). JRR Tolkien wrote the Silmarillion five times before he died (although he never fully completed it), and so his son used the various versions throughout his lifetime and edited them heavily in order to create a sense of internal consistency (and consistency with The Lord of the Rings). The only reason that one chapter was rewritten by Christopher was because it needed MAJOR revision by his father in order to fit with his new conceptions of the world, and since JRR never got around to doing it, it meant that Christopher had to do it. Even the final couple of chapters ("Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin" and "Of Earendil and the War of Wrath" comes from the early 1930s Quenta, which was written entirely by JRR Tolkien himself).

[@Itsmebuddy98]

Loved this video! I really really want to read the book of short stories for the very same reason, thoroughly enjoyed Jeff Vandermeers work so far. Have just started reading ‘Borne’ by him, and it’s so weird in the best way. Thanks for sharing!

[@iLiviesimone]

Hi Kelly! Ahh, I really look forward to reading Borne! And the other one (can’t remember if it’s a sequel or companion?) Dead Astronauts You’ll have to let me know what you think when you finish Thank you for watching 💜

[@imabooks]

My pro tipp for reading the Silmarillion is lean into the silly. There are so many grand stories but there's also so much sillyness and fun throughout and that was what made the book for me. (Sauron makes one particularly hilarious appearance) I also still need to read Dune, but I know that I won't be seeing the movie in theatres (or anytime soon) so I don't feel as pressured. Songs I've been loving this year (I'm picking two): I Went to Bet and I Loved You by Tom Rosenthal & Who Are You, Really? by Mikky Ekko

[@inesbenoist6761]

Your videos never fail to make me smile, thank you :) The Big Book of Science Fiction seems really interesting! I have putting off The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings a little bit but this motivated me to get to it!

[@iLiviesimone]

💜💜 thank you so much for watching! And I hope you enjoy the books if you get around to them :)

[@inesbenoist6761]

@@iLiviesimone yeah, thank you :)

[@MsWOCReader]

I almost skipped Ring Shout because I thought it would be draining too but I was glad I ended up reading it.

[@iLiviesimone]

Same- glad I gave it a go!

[@afantasybabble6222]

Read Exhaltation by Ted Chiang last year and was blown away. Still need to read his first collection. The mind he has to be able to create these stories. Read Ring Shout for the first time this year. P Djèlí Clark has become a must read authors for me. Love all of his works. As of right now, I am 30 pages from finishing Black Sun! It's so good!

[@iLiviesimone]

Yay! That makes me more excited for Exhalation. You'll have to let me know which collection you prefer once you read his first one :) Happy reading!

[@Damichem]

I really enjoy this wholesome content. I look forward to watching more of your videos. I also enjoyed your joke in the description.

[@iLiviesimone]

Thanks for watching! And LOL- glad you liked the joke 😂

[@yw1971]

1:25 - SF is in essence a medium of Short Stories. So it's very fitting to start from them

[@stephensmith3111]

Yeah, I remember The Last Question by Dr. A. This is more teaser than spoiler, but when Cosmic AC (analog computer!) is asked the last question it responds, "I'm working on it." I love that.

[@iLiviesimone]

Yes! I loved it’s response every time it was asked- also your profile pic kinda goes with the story 😂

[@stephensmith3111]

@@iLiviesimone You are here.

[@JaneTheBrain.]

i recently read Stories of Your Life and others too and agreed on Tower of Babylon!

[@iLiviesimone]

Yay! Were you expecting the ending or anything similar?

[@JaneTheBrain.]

No I was completely surprised by the ending

[@RoganShannon13]

I really enjoyed _Exhalation_ and there were a couple in there that I still think about, they were so good. I'm glad you enjoyed _Black Sun,_ Roanhorse is a great author. I really did like the Sixth World series, but I think _Black Sun_ is a small step above it.

[@Catsandcamera]

Wow ok, Ring Shout sounds so interesting! I agree, I think Shadow and Bone is very average, I've only seen one episode of the show but I'll probably carry it on at some point when I'm in the mood

[@iLiviesimone]

Right! The concept for Ring Shout got my full attention

[@joesephjoestar4449]

George RR Martin started out as a sci fi writer he's great! One of his previous stories (i think it was a graphic novel) is gonna be made into a TV series sometime soon.

[@iLiviesimone]

Neat! Do you have any favorite by him?

[@joesephjoestar4449]

@@iLiviesimone i have only read the song of ice and fire series but i did a bit of research into other stuff he's written. i tend to read novel lore far more than novels these days, its very weird 😅

[@JashanaC]

Oh man that Anthony Hopkins movie sounds like it would just make me soooo saddddd! Ring Shout yeaaahhhh!!!! 🥳 I really liked Wandavision, but I didn't feel like I loved it as much as everyone else. But Loki kind of blew me awaayyyy I loved it so much

[@iLiviesimone]

Jashana get your tissues ready for The Father....

[@andrewgrant6516]

Silmarilion is one of the only books I've ever given up on.

[@iLiviesimone]

Oh nooo- see, I feel like that's one of the responses I'm seeing. That people either really enjoyed it, or they gave up on it I wonder where I'll fall

[@sanika9201]

That lovely outro from Avatar the Last Airbender? What is that instrument called?

[@iLiviesimone]

It's a kalimba :) Pretty cheap, very easy to handle and learn, and such a peaceful sound- I highly recommend it

[@RaveYoda]

The Last Question is such an amazing story! I'm glad you enjoyed it! =D

[@iLiviesimone]

Was just thinking about this again the other day (I was reading 2001: A Space Odyssey and it came to mind lol)!

[@RaveYoda]

@@iLiviesimone I didn't know 2001: A Space Odyssey had a book? To be frank, I don't recommend watching the movie as that's what I'm familiar with! The 2nd movie I do recommend just because it has better pacing (and plot).

[@RaspberryDevil]

I enjoyed this video, I like how you included other media than books :D That big short story book at the beginning sounds really cool! You're the second person I watched who thinks that chloe brown is average, which might be a good thing since it reminds me not to have too high expectation whenever I read the book :')

[@iLiviesimone]

I will still hope that Chloe Brown works for you! And I'm glad you liked the other media included XD Thank you for watching!

[@rustincole_w1339]

I think I'm in Love

[@brianav.9300]

I didn't like to Get a Life Chole Brown either but Take a Hint, Dani Brown is the BEST and I usually don't even like contemporary romance but I absolutely loved the book. (Song: Made It by Teyana Taylor)

[@iLiviesimone]

Oh I LOVE hearing this!! It does seem that people vary in which Brown sister's books they enjoyed so I hope I have a similar case to you And thanks for sharing a song- I just started playing it and okay uplifting vibes!!!

[@clarkgrayhame1250]

It's great that you are going to read The Silmarillon, it's a great book that sets you through the story of middle earth. As far as Dune, there are a bunch of books in the Dune series. The original movie, you mentioned, was made in the mid 1980s. I was a teenager then and I loved it. Hopefully the new one will be better but we'll see, I'm not too hopeful about that. One suggestion, if you enjoy fantasy, is the Shannara series of books. They first started off as a trilogy with the Sword of Shannara, Elfstones of Shannara and the Wishsong of Shannara. Great books, a fun read and a great post-apocolyspe fantasy.

[@iLiviesimone]

Thanks for watching and for your recommendation! And I think I may watch that 80s one prior to this new one if I finish the book soon enough

[@lethewade2345]

Ann and Jeff have quite a few of those giant anthologies. I'm currently reading their Modern Fantasy one and it's absolutely incredible!

[@iLiviesimone]

Oh a fantasy collection too?? I'll have to look in to that whenever it is I eventually finish this scifi one LOL

[@kabes7]

The Last Question is probably my favorite short story, good pick. You will like Dune I think -- also I find it pretty quick to read, unlike Tolkien. In addition to the old Dune movie there's also a low budget mini series from 2000. Low budget as in some scenes are filmed in front of what looks like a painted wall as a backdrop, almost like it's a theater production. But it's pretty faithful to the book. I liked it a lot. They also did a mini series for Children of Dune which was higher budget (and it has James McAvoy in it, one of his earliest roles). I am ridiculously excited for the Denis Villeneuve movie, even though it's only going to cover half the book and we have to wait who knows how many years for the rest. As for the Silmarillion... good luck :)

[@iLiviesimone]

Oh I never heard of the existence of either of those miniseries so thanks for that! (and thank you for watching 💜)

[@Ian-ou4ih]

You might enjoy Shin Godzilla (2016) more than the recent American movies if you preferred the more serious tone of 2014 to its sequels. The original Gojira (1954) is also fantastic if you're not opposed to the types of things to be expected in 50's sci-fi movies (black and white, dated effects, etc).

[@iLiviesimone]

Thanks for the recommendations Ian! And my family really gets a kick out of those older versions, so this is a nice reminder to see if I can watch one again somewhere

[@kostoa1214]

What is the instrument you use for your outro it sounds soooooo gooooodd

[@iLiviesimone]

It’s a kalimba! Highly recommend since it sounds beautiful, is easy to learn, and is not expensive

[@kostoa1214]

@@iLiviesimone thank youuuuu I’ve wanted to learn a instrument for a while now and this hits all the marks!! Can you tell me the melody you were playing in the outro too is was DEVINE

[@iLiviesimone]

@@kostoa1214 I'm so excited for you! It's an instrument that sounds so great even if you are hitting random notes together hahaha- that melody is the theme music for Avatar the Last Airbender ( I believe Avatar's Love). Plenty of tutorials on YT when you get your hands on one!

[@missfrizzle1717]

Omg i DNF’d Chloe Brown and I wanted to love it so bad!! Haven’t seen anyone else with the same opinion. Everyone else loves it and I rly enjoy romance but it just didn’t work for me. I’m still interested in reading the sequel tho and hopefully that’ll be more my style?

[@iLiviesimone]

Exactly- I wanted to love it, but there really wasn't much of a connection I had to that book I'm assuming that the newest one, Eve Brown is the best, and so I think I may try that eventually and see if that one works

[@liamoconnor9487]

After watching your videos I just had to go out and buy a kalimba.

[@iLiviesimone]

That is awesome- I hope you have fun with yours! I just was playing mine right before typing this lol. I was playing a piece from the movie Interstellar which I recommend trying out!

[@ankhor9252]

I value your channel for inspiration and for opening new pathways for me. May I gently suggest something retro? Evelyn Waugh. Evelyn Waugh. He was English and wrote from the 1930s to the 1960s. He is considered one of the best writers in English ever. He wrote Brideshead Revisited. He should be read for his style if for nothing else. So many of his books and short stories are brilliant satire -- super funny.

[@iLiviesimone]

Always love getting recs, especially of those I've never heard of, so thank you! And thank you for watching 💜

[@laresistance4]

Dune is fantastic. For me it's closer to Game of Thrones than LOTR. A must read.

[@iLiviesimone]

Looking forward to finally seeing what it's all about :D Are you looking forward to the upcoming movie?

[@laresistance4]

iLivieSimone absolutely, looks great from the trailer. It's interesting that they're making 2 films to cover the first book, not sure where the cut off point will be. Hopefully they'll pull it off.

[@andrew348]

Waiting for you to jump into historical fiction and read Aztec by Gary Jennings. Talk about being immersed into a different world

[@iLiviesimone]

Never heard of that, so thanks for the rec:D

[@ryannabrown8467]

omg I felt the same way about chloe brown. I could not feel the romance I have dani brown book so im hoping that one will be different

[@iLiviesimone]

If you like Dani Brown you’ll have to let me know! Yeah I just wasn’t invested in them :( Happy reading though!

[@titojdavis8374]

"it's more draining than it is entertaining" thanks for my new response when people ask me why I won't read ww2/holocaust books

[@heyimsasa]

i need to watch a quiet place 2. i also hope it doesn't drag itself into the mud because that's how sequels usually go 😖 awww i'm sorry godzilla vs kong was a disappointment. i really loved the movie because of how fun it is~ but also i love kaiju fights and idc about anything having to do with the people 😂

[@iLiviesimone]

I hope you enjoy A Quiet Place! And I am very glad you enjoyed Godzilla v Kong hahaha, no matter if it wasn't my favorite- What was your favorite part?

[@heyimsasa]

@@iLiviesimone literally every kaiju fight in the movie LOL it was jam-packed with fun and just when i thought the fights couldn't get any better, it always did especially when mechagodzilla came into play 💖 it was so much fun.

[@SiriusBlack-wh6uh]

i read red rising and wasnt impress and then they went to live at the castle and all hell broke loose lol

[@iLiviesimone]

I've had Red Rising forever and didn't know there were even castles in it 😂

[@SiriusBlack-wh6uh]

@@iLiviesimonehave you read it?

[@iLiviesimone]

@@SiriusBlack-wh6uh No- I just own the first two books. They have been sitting there for so long now but I never find the motivation to pick it up

[@SiriusBlack-wh6uh]

@@iLiviesimone dont do it that book is super cut throat not for the faint of heart.

[@tylerscofield9799]

You found Isaac Asimov 😎 the father of ALL Sci Fi books. Read Foundation, or any of his short stories sounds like you enjoyed 1. You could just wait for Apples new show "Foundation" that comes out this year which, personally I cant wait to see it. But his stories are amazing and given the actual years he was writing this and the fact computers weren't even invented, for me it shows how important peoples imaginations are. How this thought process should be nurtured in people not beat out of them. I see that happening a lot to people, getting their dreams beat out of them. To me there is no greater crime than seeing someone's dreams being, beat out of them. I dnt mean being the next LeBron, like telling a five foot five Jewish boy that i dnt think your gonna do well in the NBA lol. But mentally, that i far to often.

[@iLiviesimone]

Hi Tyler! I can't decide yet if I'll read his Foundation series or just watch the show, but I will definitely check out more of his short stories Thanks for watching :)

[@JordanShurmer]

You should check out The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov. It's like that short story, on steroids

[@iLiviesimone]

I gotta say, that is the perfect way to sell it- now I really want to get on that series

[@HyeJinStarlight]

oooooh you didn't like Godzilla vs Kong? It is such a cute romance!!!!!

[@iLiviesimone]

😂😂😂 Now see, if they decided to make it a romcom..... 👀

[@titojdavis8374]

Listen to Dune, it's a really good audiobook

[@HMan2828]

If you like sci-fi and huge epics, I highly recommend you start reading the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. It's without a doubt his magnum opus, and it's the best sci-fi I have ever read in my life, and I only read the first 4 books. There's like 12 at this point I think... Forget the really bad movie with Matthew McConaughey from a couple years ago, they did a terrible job at cherry picking moments from a bunch of books, and as usual for Stephen King stories, the movie adaptation is complete and utter crap. The books however, when I started reading them I couldn't put them down. Highly recommended!

[@iLiviesimone]

Thanks for the recommendation :)

[@MsWOCReader]

I thought Get a Life Chloe Brown was mediocre too. I know everyone loved it for the representation but that's not enough to make me enjoy a book. The romance was flat for me. And Chloe was annoying.

[@iLiviesimone]

Yes, the representation was something I appreciated, but didn't play much of a role in my enjoyment of the story- I'm with you there. Quality of representation and quality of the story aren't the same Did you like any of her other books?

[@vladd2727]

When we will get a one piece manga review :)

[@iLiviesimone]

I… have no idea 😩

[@vladd2727]

@@iLiviesimone If you decide to do it, I promise you it will be a wonderful journey.

[@Upharius]

Have you read any Thomas Sowell?

[@iLiviesimone]

Never heard of him! Have any recommendations?

[@Upharius]

@@iLiviesimone "Wealth, Poverty and Politics" is a good one. You'll learn so much in such a short timespan about the world, you will feel like you cheated life.

[@scottcornford1644]

The Way of Kings is better than Lord of the Rings

[@iLiviesimone]

Oooh, I'll have to see what I think when I eventually make it to that book! I wanted to finish his Mistborn trilogy and read Warbreaker first

[@scottcornford1644]

@@iLiviesimone I would suggest Warbreaker before book 3 of way of kings its not needed for book 1 - 2. Are you aware that a lot of Sanderson books are in a constant universe called the cosmier example there are mistborn characters and plots entertwin with way of kings

[@iLiviesimone]

@@scottcornford1644 Thanks for the input! I have seen so many different reading orders for all his works in the cosmere- I think I liked the idea of doing Warbreaker because it sounds like it is a standalone novel (for now)? I don't mind reading it kinda early

[@brooksboy78]

LMAO, no it isn't. Brandon Sanderson's prose is painfully mediocre.