my Worst Books of 2021

[@penultimateh766]

I like Mean Emma because she has the same intelligence, incisiveness, soft voice, and cute haircut as Nice Emma.

[@jelliclesongs]

lmao

[@Melpomium]

I'm cryyyying with laughter over how you described the Alchemist as "live, laugh, love"

[@valerierapsonzuniga8796]

that's perfect description for all Paulo Coelho's books imo😭

[@lezeltunbridge7509]

Even though I love words and languages, I absolutely hate those motivational word posters/decals, etc. So ja, I won't be reading The Alchemist then. Thanks for the heads up.

[@M1ntt806]

Love, laugh, live

[@IonelaCh]

@@lezeltunbridge7509 oh yeah, The Alchemist is motivational trash. A lazy rehash of oriental philosophy. a tropy ridiculous cash grab.

[@tatianasaugar9246]

I hate it, too. It’s the cheapest philosophy you can find out there!

[@safe-keeper1042]

0:00 preface 1:37 tea 1:42 #10: Resurrection by Tolstoy 4:16 #9: A Conjuring of Light by V. E. Schwab 6:08 #8: a hilarious summary of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelcho 9:07 #7: Music of the Night by Angela J. Ford 13:00 spooky sounds 13:23 #6 Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco #pancakes 15:55 #5 The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren 18:57 #4 The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman 22:01 #3 The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson 23:57 #2 The Maidens by Alex Michaelides 25:47 #1 The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

[@MyAliasAndNoOneElses]

Thank you!!!!

[@indigoimouto3703]

That tea part is very important to me thank you

[@safe-keeper1042]

@@indigoimouto3703 I was going to include every tea moment and a couple other random bookmarks and notes, but I figured it'd get too spammy, when the point of lists like this one is just for people to easily find a reference and timestamp to the books in the vid :p .

[@alittlelife8650]

thank you bestie happy new year💜

[@Kristin-35]

Thanks 😊

[@gabrielavillaboim9701]

The way you described the alchemist, i laughed out loud

[@fijianalaska]

i loved it😭 it’s one of those books you either love or hate, but i don’t think it read pinterest-y? at least for me when i read it. i’m big on spirituality though

[@hikikomori_3708]

did you live and love as well

[@alexcolin2066]

Where is the lie, tho?

[@elinehijlkema]

@@fijianalaska a friend of mine also loved it and gifted it to me, so i will probably atill read it as well

[@Brutishandshort]

I found the whole of the Alchemist strange and cringe and awful, but the supposed ‘love story’ with the girl in the oasis made me want to throw it out of the window. ‘Your destiny is to wait patiently for your man and support him’… honestly Paulo get te feck

[@andrea-lalectoraviajera593]

I absolutely loved “The Alchemist” but I do see why many people don’t like it, in my case I enjoyed it because of what was going on in my life when I read it, it was the perfect book for that moment. I find it funny to know that so many people said you are wrong for not enjoying the book 😅 it makes no sense to me because that’s actually part of the magic of reading, there are books for everyone! Love your honest opinions 🙌🏼

[@safe-keeper1042]

Saying someone is wrong for not liking something is so weird to begin with. It's a book that tells a fictional story, everyone's going to have their own subjective opinion about it. I guess there are fanboys in the book world, too ;).

[@vera2352]

The Alchemist is trash

[@Shreshtharoy02]

I loved the Alchemist and I started my reading journey with this book. It's the first novel I read and loved it 🤧

[@mauricioguimaraes6798]

As Brazilian i can say Paulo Coelho for us is just about cheaper self-help

[@lilianasloan5322]

I personally LOVED the goldfinch and found myself completely absorbed throughout the entirety of the book except at the very very end where I thought Tartt could have wrapped it up a little faster and made the action scenes less... boring? I have found after reading online reviews that people either love it or hate it which is interesting. I agree that it was frustrating to watch Theo repeatedly make bad decisions and disregard opportunities at bettering his circumstances. I think what I loved about it was it's prose and rich imagery.

[@harriet572]

I’m so surprised that people were frustrated with Theo’s bad decisions. I felt like everything was always completely out of his control when he was younger and he never got to consider his trauma

[@cosmo588]

@@harriet572 i relate to it so so much

[@harriet572]

@@cosmo588 I hope you are doing well though 💕

[@CaptivateCatherine]

I feel so validated about the Alchemist!! I thought I was alone in my distaste and always felt bad about it, but I thought it was annoyingly cliche and the lessons/analogies/whatever were inconsistent.

[@hikomoron4991]

Hi, Emma! I also just finished The Goldfinch this year and I absolutely adored it. Although, yes, I do agree that the writing itself dragged on for way too long, I think Donna's prose was the one thing that kept me going, craving for more. I even felt the suffocating despairs of Theo's on a personal level. Maybe this is a completely biased opinion because I chose this book as my very first read after years of not reading anything, but it was very enjoyable and emotional for me!

[@kellyjohanna6105]

You should also give The Secret History by Donna too, very excellent and emotional for readers too, right up there with The Goldfinch for me!

[@hikomoron4991]

@@kellyjohanna6105 oh yes! I picked it up weeks after finishing The Goldfinch and I have to say I still think about those two books a lot. Definitely on top of the list for me 😊

[@GlaauAguiar]

Brazilian here to say we pretend Paulo Coelho doesn’t exist. He is terrible 😂 only ones who like him are foreigners and as a translator I think it must be his translators are writers and elevate his work when translating it, that is the only explanation. Stick to names like Clarice Lispector, Lygia Fagundes Telles, Carlos Drummond de Andrade for Brazilian writers 🥰

[@PhreakPhantom]

Sim!!!!!

[@denisefreitas6727]

Glaucia, i'm happy i've never read any book he wrote!

[@luanllluan]

lol é um mistério!

[@nonchi5113]

Siiiiiim!!!

[@rosanaamira274]

True, I am also a Brazilian and his books are not good.

[@thJune-ze7dn]

You're sooooo right about The Alchemist, that's a very good way to put it. I've unfortunately never understood how some people fail to be insulted by Paulo Coelho's asinine disrespect for his readership's intelligence. At least we got an emmie review out of it.

[@drianak8175]

I completely understand your point of view. However consider when was this book written and by who… For someone in their (now) mid 70s (I’m 20) so this is someone with the age of my grandpa let’s say writing this book 30 years ago. I get the cliche phrases and the cheesy expressions and all Yet he just wants to make sure that his audience of all ages and backgrounds are able to understand what he speaks about. Yes, it may sound dumb now in 2022 but the concepts he introduced through metaphors of a very easily readable fairytale really were an “innovation” 30 years ago There is no “universal conspiracy” to make things go ur way in life as he says in the book - it’s just how he describes the law of attraction Treasure/pyramids = the purpose The thieves = the obstacles The ride through the Sahara desert = our way in navigating life to reach our goal The co-passengers on the journey = People we meet and accompany us in life All of these are similes let’s say, parallel metaphorical use of words to help someone of the age of 12 get the meaning of the story just like an old person in their mid 60s that never went to school would…. He’s not underestimating anyone’s intelligence, he just writes in the easiest way possible I think

[@drianak8175]

Plus he used to be a success and people were thrilled to read it when it first became a thing because it was more or less an introduction to this “new age” type of spirituality Now all the gurus and spiritual teachers talk about the same concepts over and over again(law of attraction, soulmates, manifesting, meditation), repeating nonstop all the things that have already been said million times by others… sooo…. Yea, in 2022 all he speaks about in his books is absolutely nothing new under the sun, but in the late 80s it may have been something newly introduced and exciting to read

[@thJune-ze7dn]

@@drianak8175 Thank you for taking time out of your day to reply! I certainly see the appeal of the book, but unfortunately I didn't see anything new or innovative in it by '80s standards either; these story beats and ideas were tired and cliché even when the book first came out. I read it years ago when I was a kid, so it's not like I wasn't the right age for it. I can forgive clichés in a book with more redeeming features, or even enjoy them freshly and recognise their universal appeal, but if an author is simply trotting out a tired, old story and doing NOTHING to make it shine anew, then the only appeal it can really lay claim to is a bland nostalgia.

[@manwithnoname8229]

I enjoyed reading it

[@savannahgonzales5596]

I didn’t enjoy this book :/

[@jdschannel01]

I love that you disliked "The Alchemist." That "motivational plaques and crochet set" analogy was perfection.

[@mumuberry]

honestly, that’s what paulo coelho’s work is. in latin america he got very famous, naturally, but i’ve always thought his work is not great. furthermore, the alchemist has been accused several times of being a bad copy of a short story by borges.

[@abrilayalaherrera5625]

Most of people in Latin America don’t love him tho; he’s even turned into a meme. I’ve seen more people in English speaking countries who hype it up, though naturally it has its readers in Latin America too.

[@serino_a]

Yeah, people in Latin America don't take his work seriously lol it's a meme among readers.

[@monica_.]

Which one if you don't mind? I'm curious, I want to read that! Thank you so much!

[@linabrhd3773]

It also came from the one thousand night and one night tale, a man from Bagdad and a weird voice in his dream telling his to go to cairo to find wealth. The title of this tale changes in traductions so i can’t tell you it exact name

[@1917yee]

We don't really like him in Brazil haha, all of my american friends ask me about him though

[@adyaaa]

FINALLY someone else who dislikes The Alchemist, like it's literally a basic self-help book full of platitudes marketed as life-changing "literature". It was a really disappointing snoozefest, and I find it very hard to find people who agree with me 😭

[@martasgreatlibrary]

everyone i've met in real life hates coelho's books and specially the alchemist lmao

[@itsi4778]

I first loved it. Then after reading his book Eleven Minutes I started hating the Alchemist and Paulo Coelho himself. He made me a fool by feeding me lies. 😑 He says in Eleven Minutes that he is writing this book to tell the world what the truth is and not what the world wants to hear. So that means the Alchemist is a compilation of "what the world wants to hear" but not the truth????? After those two books I gave up reading Paulo Coelho. ☹️

[@nxreu]

i DNFed it 90% through because i couldn't stand it anymore 😭 it was so boring

[@ttoharr]

I agree but I loved it as a fiction the ending made me SO mad tho I was like what was the whole point?!? Like 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@artemisx7434]

Everyone you've met is* 🙄

[@Oaxara]

So happy to find someone who feels the same way as I do about The Alchemist! I was excited to read it because of all the hype around it, but then when the book was such an unsatisfying meh of a book. You're not alone in thinking the book was three bad cliches in a trench-coat.

[@hfollman98]

I really liked the Unhoneymooners...up until the third act 🤦I hated that no one believed Olive, esp the main love interest. It turned me off of their relationship; I thought she forgave him way too easily.

[@thetravellingteacher844]

I despised The Goldfinch so much that I refused to dnf it through sheer stubbornness because I couldn't let it beat me. You explained exactly how I feel about it better than I've ever been able to put into words, thank you!

[@galerights8983]

what is dnf?

[@zorosearrings6511]

@@galerights8983 did not finish

[@safe-keeper1042]

That was Blindness by Saramago for me xD. Felt like an abusive relationship because the book was so tough to read.

[@lindaleehall]

Actually, I enjoyed the first quarter or so of the book, but then it didn’t go anywhere I expected it to. It dragged and dragged and then just ended, out of exhaustion and boredom I think. It may be Donna Tarrt and me because I absolutely hated The Secret History. Not one of the characters was worth the ink they were printed with. I wanted them all to fall off a cliff.

[@athenageislinger6081]

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is one of my favourite books of all time, so it was interesting to hear a different opinion about it!

[@d.masson7828]

Same! Maybe it's cause I'm biased but I didn't really understand her opinion or I was expecting worse 😂

[@itsi4778]

I was feeling my depression creeping back again and was watching one of your older videos to cheer myself up. And this popped up 🥺♥️ Thank you so much Emmie for making me so happy 🥺♥️

[@emmiereads]

Hey lovely, so happy if these can cheer you up a tiny bit, sending you the biggest hug you are amazing💙

[@itsi4778]

@@emmiereads You always do 🥺♥ You are the most amazing 💙💙💙💙💙

[@BooksandSympathy]

I loved an ocean at the end of the lane, I’m sorry the audio book was such an awful experience! It sounds pretty insufferable so I’m not surprised you didn’t enjoy it. I think this book worked for me because it’s an honest depiction of the way that trauma and early childhood experiences can shape us even when we don’t fully remember them. I also really felt the books depiction of yearning for a time when things were different and where the narrator felt connected to others. Often trauma fractures the ability to recall things accurately, and leaves people feeling like they were robbed of a childhood. It’s definitely a very on the nose reading for a book where the protagonist is literally robbed of his childhood, and of the people who made him feel the magic of childhood, but it worked for me nonetheless.

[@Artemis-xx2hh]

This is one of my favorite books for the same reasons! It is so simple, yet really stuck with me. The idea that our childhood memories and traumas exist between the real world and the magical world is such a cool concept

[@mundodelectura8785]

I've always found interesting how English speakers really love the alchemist, I haven't read it yet because in my country (we speak Spanish) everyone says Coelho's books are so bad 🤣

[@Ισαβέλα-ψ7τ]

qué país eres de

[@sarahferguson5478]

Omg I absolutely despise The Alchemist. I was expecting so much more from such a highly praised book. Your description is spot on. For such a short book, I could barely make it half way.

[@alenanela1743]

I decided to put it on my TBR list because it (apparently) speaks to ENFPs, and I am an ENFP. I hope I’ll make it through but I’ll likely despise it

[@Lmab-qs1kr]

SAME

[@theelegantcouplesbookrevie8734]

Hearing you read from your list actually makes my heart ache for you! We know the dissappointment of slogging through a book and yet being determined to finish it. As James Joyce so famously says “Life is too short to read a bad book"... ohh but when you get a page turner the joy🎉!

[@kathy2539]

Joyce said that! Hmm pity he didn't listen to himself when he wrote all those horrible pages.!

[@theelegantcouplesbookrevie8734]

@@kathy2539 haha Ulysses is a painful read! Like observing a person's inner monologue for 24 hours! Genius play on language but definitely not enjoyable!

[@ninac.5921]

For the goldfinch: I think the book imo manages perfectly what it‘s supposed to: to depict theo‘s despair and hardship. I could feel how he felt. Hopeless and trapped in a spiral. Especiall the first 3/4 of the book really was great at it, the last bit seemed a bit unrealistic.. I loved how it captured and transmitted the pain. I don‘t think the books is supposed to make you feel happy. It is supposed to make you uncomfortable. And I think the aspect of boringness you mentioned is supposed to depict the misery of being trapped in everyday live But maybe I am reaching too far. It isn‘t my favorite of Tartt‘s books but I had to add my comment haha

[@therogueeducator8452]

I’m reading The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, and in it, a character is reading The Secret History. And another character totally throws shade on The Goldfinch 😂

[@alexandrat698]

This video automatically popped up after I watched one of your new ones, and I couldn’t stop watching. The most incredible thing is that I absolutely adored “The Goldfinch”, and while you hated it you are the only person I’ve seen online who managed to describe the main motives of the book the same way I perceived them. Like the ways people connect with art, etc. I think the reason why I loved it and some people don’t is Donna Tartt’s writing, with all the details and the repetitions. I think it actually made me care a lot about Theo, and I soaked last pages of the book with tears. So it was really interesting to know your opinion on the book! It is still on my ‘best books of 2021’ list though 😅

[@matylda5789]

I hated The Alchemist, this book was so shallow and i felt like the author thought that reader is stupid. It was like all those popular "how to fix your life and be succesful in 5 easy steps" books, so toxic, so meaningless, created to exploit it's reader and their time. Because I was in awe when I was reading it, halfway through I was like, "Paulo Cohelo understands me", but I took a break from the book, started "Zahir", instant DNF, I couldnt stand it and then I thought about "Alchemist" a little bit, came back and just couldn't stand the audacity of a person to write such a manipulative and unimaginative garbage and have it sold in millions of copies, when actual heartfelt and honest books are just forgotten or never discovered by wider audience. This book preaches at you, instead of feeeling things with you

[@safe-keeper1042]

After reading all these comments, now I just have to read the Alchemist. Even if it's to laugh at how ridiculous it is.

[@ANA-il6js85]

I decided this year to read more of hyped or classic ( best ever) books. One of them was The Alchemist, didnt like it ( understand why some people do), my friend told me i need to be in the right mood to read it 🤷🏼‍♀️. Another book was GG Marquez 100 years of solitude, and that became my favorite book ever ❤️

[@GabrielLopes-dz6xr]

I readed "One Hundred Years of Solitude" this year as well. Because of Emma hahah It is one of my favourite books today.

[@YodasPapa]

For people who like Marquez and magic realism, I think Jose Saramago is a great writer who doesn't get mentioned enough. He did win a nobel prize so he's not unknown or anything. I liked "All The Names" quite a bit, but "The Gospel According to Jesus Christ" I found truly amazing. It's basically what it sounds like, but imagines Jesus as a normal man who is unwillingly used by God, among other things. I can also recommend "Death with Interruptions", in which death ceases throughout the country.

[@GabrielLopes-dz6xr]

@@YodasPapa i have read "Blindness" and "The Double". Really strange, in a really good way. And the strangness is in the structure of the text, it is in the writing, in the punctuation; and in the plots, of course. It reminded me a little of Kafka, in the absurdity placed in the realm of reality; and the author's use of the absurdity itself for his discussions of the real, the human nature. I NEED to read more from him. He got such a especial way to tell a story.

[@usedtobehere02]

I feel so bad for not liking the goldfinch and dnf-ing it because I feel like the premise is very good and promising but it’s just SO BORING and it drags on for SO LONG that it hurts 😭

[@ttoharr]

I feel like she does it with all her books bc she did it w “the little friend” and ig ppl love it bc ppl adore it and it has good ratings on gr🤷🏻‍♀️

[@georgie6537]

yess it could’ve been so good and it just felt so flat

[@soph3373]

excited to listen to you tastefully roast books

[@claraperley5586]

For me, reading The Alchemist was like eating air scented by hand-sanitizer; I expected anything of substance, and got instead a coughing fit that just made me hungrier instead of filling me with ANYTHING that matters. Also, love your review of it, and now that I think about it, yeah, it is the book version of a crochet pillow, and has about as much fluff as one too.

[@markjohnston1714]

He did this. And then he went here. And then he met this person who told him things. And then he realized something. And then... Plot of The Alchemist.

[@tovabergman7101]

The Goldfinch was the book that got me in to reading after not reading a book freely on my free time in my entire life:) It's kinda absurd when I'm now thinking about it due to the fact that I was 15 years old when reading it... I could simply just not put it down, Donna Tartt is my favorite author!

[@marin8700]

I had to read and annotate The Alchemist for school, and I wrote whole essays in the margins about how dumb and inapplicable to real life it was. I hated the "romance" too, it was sooo sexist. Easily my worst book of the year.

[@leestewart6719]

“The Maidens” was my worst read of this year. 😂 I loved “The Goldfinch” when I read it a few years ago. I think of it as one of my favorite books of all time. I found Theo’s relationships with the various people in his life really relatable. Very curious to see what I think of it on a re-read though, which probably won’t happen for a while. Much gratitude for your wonderful videos, and cheers to 2022!

[@joylynn0620]

Ditto. This book had the dumbest protagonist. Nothing she did made sense. It was the worst book I read in 2021.

[@scflds]

my worst books of the year were a good girl’s guide to murder & it ends with us. just awful... never taking recs from booktok again 😭

[@adyaaa]

Omg why didn't you like agggtm?

[@megan-te2bu]

i hated it ends with us, it was SO wattpad😭😭 i have no idea why is so hyped

[@safe-keeper1042]

There's no way to say this without sounding condescending and superior and whatnot, but TikTok is a weird place. It has its good sides and good content like any other social media account, but I'm not going back.

[@TheKruz-ox6fo]

The Alchemist is just awful. Among many failings of the book it is just insulting to the reader. It demonstrates a platitude in its story, then feels the need to immediately and directly restate it, often several times, just in case we "didn't get it."

[@skylarandrei9203]

hi emma! just curious, when you don't like a book, like you literally cannot stand it, do you always push through to finish it? or just DNF it?

[@rosesonarainyday6556]

How is it not literally? And I sincerely mean this as serious question; I often see people get their knickers in a twist over the “incorrect” use of literally, and to be honest, I don’t really understand why. How is this useage not appropriate, and perhaps more importantly, what word should be used instead (ie, what word is “correct”)?

[@futoijosei]

@@rosesonarainyday6556 I agree. I feel like literally is used correctly in this context. I would like to know why it would not be literally.

[@emmiereads]

I think I used to push through because I don’t love not finishing something but now unless it’s for a project or book club I’ll 100% put it down!

[@luhsea]

​@@rosesonarainyday6556 If you literally cannot stand something it implies that you would be unable to continue reading because of how much you dislike it, so the question about pushing through then wouldn't make sense. Honestly though I don't understand why people get so upset about people using 'literally' - I think it is used so much for emphasis these days that the original meaning has kind of shifted anyway.

[@Doremiefaso]

@@futoijosei and even when it's used in the modern sense I feel like it's still used correctly. Language isn't this set in stone type thing, and it changes over time. We use lots of the same words as the past meaning a slightly, or even completely diffrent thing. That's fine, and that's correct. It keeps language alive like that! (Not that you explicitely said that, but a lot of people seem to think so!)

[@GabrielLopes-dz6xr]

Emma, i never read "The Alchemist", and i never felt like reading it. One day i may end up reading. But listening to your description, it's something that i expected to find in him; and i don't like that kind of book hahhaha In Brazil, we had an author who many consider the best after Machado de Assis, who is João Guimarães Rosa. Rosa (Rose 🌹) was born the same year that Machado died; one of those coincidences. It's wonderful, but it's a work that i imagine is difficult to translate. The style is inventive, it is an incomparable use of the Portuguese language, including inventions of words. It is also a representation of a specific way of speaking in the interior of Brazil, but with all the references of the author, who spoke many languages, and who loved to study different language mechanisms. Oh, and he was a contemporary of Clarice Lispector. Big Hug, have a wonderful passage to next year ✌🏾

[@moonflower1616]

"She had the personality of a pancake. And it wasn't even a fluffy pancake, and there was no syrup, and I hated it." Hahahaha, oh my god, I love you. 😂😂😂😂

[@siyamarwaha8323]

NO I LOVED THE GOLDFINCH!! i really felt the the detail worked to establish a connection between theo and the reader. it made me care for him more just cause he was so fleshed out and so human-but i totally get why it would be boring :)

[@affanshikoh5069]

YES I LOVE NEGATIVE REVIEWS!

[@kerlygerl]

😆you are funny. It was a good video🥰

[@jimmycryz]

If its a classic, people already start to believe that it is going to good. So its a really bold move to not like a classic. This is especially the case with Dickens.

[@safe-keeper1042]

It's the same with Nobel prizes, I think. I just read a book from a Nobel prize-winning author and despised it, and was left wondering what I missed or didn't understand :p. I ended up deciding it was simply a bad book xD. Maybe their other works are better.

[@lu-yp3uu]

the un honeymooners really doesn’t do Christina Lauren’s writing any justice… but you should give her another try and read love and other words!

[@skyhideaway]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who hates The Alchemist. I've never been a fan of motivational quotes and such, but if it's delivered in the right way, I think it can work. But with The Alchemist, the writer just sounded so pretentious. It read somewhat like the "phone bad, book good" fake woke culture that boomers adopt on the internet. The romance was very forgettable, the main character had no personality and the whole sand magic thing in the end seemed like a fever dream because of how out of the blue it was. In fact, I had to go back and check the Wikipedia article because I was almost sure my mind just made up that part. It's like the writer realized how bad the book was and thought "oh I'll sprinkle in some magic, everyone likes that". About The Conjuring Of Light, I don't hate the book but I agree that it was disappointing. The thing I hated about the book was how it absolutely ruined Lila's character. In the first book, she was this cool androgynous thief lady, who was rebellious and impulsive, but really likeable. She was badass, she was sassy and had some unexpected tricks up her sleeve. In the second book, we see her character getting more fleshed out and we learn more about her backstory and her viewpoint. But the third book? It just turned Lila into a rude, borderline abusive, bitchy girl. Any signs of empathy or human emotion she had in the first two books was replaced with "ooh I'm a hardcore character because I'm a woman and everyone should fear me". I can't count the number of times I eyerolled at her parts, when she acted as if she was this hardcore savage.

[@lindseyganey584]

your description of the alchemist is actually why i like the book bc i can’t stand live laugh love or self help books but this puts it into a personal journey of self discovery

[@AnnieSantos15]

You are absolutely right about The Alchemist and don't let anyone tell you otherwise

[@katerina9159]

@@iknowexactlywhoyouare8701 not for everyone

[@CHACHAwithBONES]

I also read The Alchemist for the first time this year! Your description of it was spot on, but I’m one of the people who loved it. I can’t even put it into words. It might be simplicity, or some sort of weird undeserved nostalgia. But I’ve told everyone “I should hate this book. It’s everything I hate. Overly poetic, religious, preachy…but it just works.”

[@kristiannaabril6770]

emmie i love you so much! I found your channel like a month ago and watched tons of your videos and they cured my reading slump. You’re so cozy and soft and sweet and always motivating me to go study and love life 🥰✨💕 It’s not just me, but a thousand of us!

[@alondrajuarez10]

Totally agree with every single comment on The Honeymooners. I could not understand the hype on TikTok over this novel. It made me not want to read another BookTok ever again. What a waste of time!

[@maismaikhemprai9312]

ugh same. the same thing happened with The Spanish Love Deception for me. Decided to read it (and The Unhoneymooners) because of BookTok and now I don’t trust BookTok anymore.

[@SyakiraAzam]

@@maismaikhemprai9312 I feel the same way for The Midnight Library - Matt Haig after seeing it being hyped up that much 😭😭

[@linabrhd3773]

Can we all agree that TikTok has nothing for us. I feel like every book i’ve read because of it was a bad read. Specifically they both Die at the end and the song of achilles. Can’t understand the hype of the first one and don’t see what the second one brought to the original myth.

[@denisefreitas6727]

Darling Emma, after you talk about all these worst books, i'm going to tell you a wonderful thing: i'm currently reading The Phantom of the Opera, and i'm enjoying it so much! Happy 2022!! 💖📚✨🥂

[@emmiereads]

amazing!!!!!!!!!!

[@denisefreitas6727]

@@emmiereads 😍

[@shroomylala]

I read two of those books this year, The Maidens and The Goldfinch. The Maidens sucked so much for me because I just didn’t like the main character at all. However if you read The Silent Patient I’ll recommend that ppl read The Maidens because there’s a connecting factor and I find it really interesting. Also what we found out in the end was a bit of a shock and puts a huge twist in the story. I really enjoyed The Goldfinch up until Theo became an adult. I was rooting so much for him and them drugs, forgery, toxic behaviors. It died there for me and I kept reading because I wanted to know about the painting. Emmie I appreciate your videos so much. You were one of my favorite things discovered last year. Keep it up, you’re doing amazing things.

[@bleuereen]

Super agree with The Alchemist!! My friend said this was his favorite book of all time so I was intrigued. I really got disappointed-the self-help was overboard. I compare this to Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being because they are both philosophical. However, I adored this book so much because it taught me a lot about life-and not once did I feel that Kundera was being pushy. Love your videos!! Silent subscriber here from the PH. I'm an English Literature major too and I absolutely adore your library! I am securing a copy of the Broken Wings by Gibran just bc I loved how you praised it in so many of your videos. I would love to hear your thoughts on Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See. Please take care! 🥰

[@heyitsadiya]

I watched the play of 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane' at the beginning of 2020 (I think it's in the West End in London atm) and I loved it. I wanna read the book because a) I want to see how it was adapted from page of stage and b) I've seen mixed reactions for the book so i want to see how I feel about it

[@dreamer7770]

I've read about six or seven books by Neil Gaiman and some of them were a genuine waste of my time. But The Ocean at the End of the Lane is one of the most beautiful things I've ever read. It's one of those books that hold childhood in its pages, similar to Peter Pan and The Thief Lord. Edit : It's interesting that Emma found it feeling fake, because I thought Ocean and Coraline were the only two books I've read by him that felt genuine. The rest had that that fake feeling exactly as she describes it. I guess it's very much up to you which way you tend to lean towards in the end.

[@heyitsadiya]

That's why I also want to read the book since it is one of his most well known works, as well as the fact that I enjoyed watching it being performed live. I want to see if I get that same feeling while reading the book

[@anthipaganou3727]

Incidentally I just started reading “The Ocean at the End of the Lane” today and I am 115 pages in and I absolutely love it so far. Haven’t read anything else by Gaiman but I’ve watched Coraline a thousand times and it definitely has this whimsicality of it too. Do give it a chance!

[@aliasmjm]

I first read The Alchemist at 14 and then again a few years later and it meant something different for me each time. Though I also read it the first time not knowing anything about it, or being aware of any of the hype, so I wasn’t particularly looking for anything while I read. It can be pretty deep, but I realize I gravitate toward the spiritual aspect of it. I can see why there are those who don’t connect with it though.

[@Tm09876]

I found your channel this year and this was the best thing that happened to me this year ! Happy new year!🎊

[@XxunforgottenxXxlove]

I read tThe Alchemist last year and thought it was meh. Truly don’t understand why everyone ‘likes’ it as much as they do. Maybe if I read it when I was younger it would’ve impacted me differently.

[@katerina9159]

@@iknowexactlywhoyouare8701 popularity doesn’t equal good

[@macy5040]

The Maidens made me so angry and just watching this is bringing all my anger back. 😂 Also, since we’re sharing, my worst book of the year was The Midnight Library. Similarly to how you described The Alchemist, I found it incredibly cheesy and cringy and I can’t understand why so many people love it. Feel free to enlighten me lol.

[@Maria-fo1si]

i hated the Alchemist because of the writing style, because basically nothing happened,we saw no evolution to the character and all the moralising lines were soo lame. But i loved The Midnight library and i think the only thing these two have in common is the authors' wish for edifying the readers. But omg, Matt Haig wrote it all in such a simplistic way,like hey well this is life, watch Nora's hypothetical lives and judge for yourself. It could be you instead of her. I felt like he just wanted to raise awareness of the beauty of life and not impose on us any moralty. Basically, i admired the accuracy of the writing and the plot. It is no masterpiece,but it warmed my heart and i think this is what matters after all,maybe. Whereas the Alchemist was just an utter waste of time for me.

[@ilyanac.tertzanlis6545]

@@Maria-fo1si I think the midnight library displayed depression in the same way it's always portrayed: Like it just goes away once you're cured. It's an illness, it's never gonna go away, certainly not by showing the person how they made the right choices or how their life is actually good in comparison to other ways it could've gone. The message is beautiful and the writing is as well but I have to agree that the praise for this book is crazy.

[@Maria-fo1si]

@@ilyanac.tertzanlis6545 you would be surprised how many people get cured from depression by understanding its root cause. Speaking from persona experience.

[@kato9449]

Yesss, as someone who studying a little medicine, reading deppression and suicide potrayed like a misunderstood view about the world or life always boils my blood. It is a severe diease which is far more complicated than that ,especially when the patients’d tried to kill themself. Magical trips to other depression lives hardly fix anything. And its quotes are so plaint and useless, making the whole story unreal and inrelevant to me. Cannot even finish the last 30 pages

[@ilyanac.tertzanlis6545]

@@kato9449 The last 30 pages were actually the worst part of the book for me hahaha

[@alexrasmussen7370]

I audibly gasped when you revealed The Goldfinch as your worst book, as this is my favorite book!

[@kimb884]

I adored it. I agree the Las Vegas section was too long but other than that complaint, the writing was gorgeous.

[@hobbiesofamuslimgirl]

I really enjoy your videos, not only because of the content, but also your simplicity, soothing voice and non exaggerated expressions makes me feel at ease. I love your haircut btw! It suits you a lot ♥

[@vampirebuckley]

I loved The Goldfinch so much because it feels so real that someone who is always getting the worst out of life keeps making the worst decisions. I lost a parent at around the same age as Theo does and I think that makes the book a lot more relatable and almost cathartic, to see where my life could’ve gone with just a few wrong decisions.

[@brooke7541]

I'm glad you felt the same way about the alchemist. I was waiting for an enlightening or mind blowing wisdom to be dropped the entire book and it didn't happen. Glad I'm not the only one and totally agree it kinda had a cult following

[@adillaafiani6921]

Hi Emma, happy the end of the year! I dislike The Alchemist too (and also picked it up this year).

[@louismuhikwa4145]

7:09 not me literally listening to this whilst I crochet 🤣🤣

[@piranesi8767]

Can you do a video similar to that one you made for the favorites but for the worst books the viewers have ever read? That would be entertaining.

[@cmreader]

Countdown of subscribers worst books! I’m here for it!

[@safe-keeper1042]

I agree it'd probably be highly entertaining, but personally a "worst book of the year" vid is all I really need. I'm here for the wholesome, cozy content :p. But that's just me, your mileage may vary.

[@aa_yoshi501]

"The alchemist" is a book that you have to read in a certain time which is if you not used to reading, my sister hates reading but she could read this one, but if you read it after you read good amount of books you see its flaws so clearly that you can't yourself to read anything else of the author

[@juleslefumiste9204]

Yeah, the right time to read 'The Alchemist' is just after dementia kicks in and you salivate uncontrollably. Or else perhaps when you just got brain damage? :/

[@erwingpastrana9183]

It was my second book, and I actually like it. So, I think you might be right. But can you tell me where the flaws are. I really want to understand your statement.

[@juleslefumiste9204]

@@erwingpastrana9183 Dude I want to give you a hug

[@erwingpastrana9183]

@@juleslefumiste9204 whyy bro???

[@safe-keeper1042]

Inspired by another comment, I wanna share some good book news. Joined a book club recently with my brother and a family friend, and I've read (okay, listened to) a whooping 12-13 books this year. I discovered some great titles along the way that I'd never have read otherwise -- House in the Cerulean Sea, Klara and the Sun, Oliver Twist, Under the Whispering Door. The regular book club meetings over Discord allowed us to connect with each other even though we lived in different places, and we had some great discussions about the books we read and about the themes they explored. Really looking forward for another year of reading, even though real life keeps getting in the way. Happy new year, everyone!

[@taniyaghosh9452]

I've never understood why The Alchemist got so much hype either. I didn't necessarily hate the book but I've also been told by people that maybe I didn't get it. Truth be told, I'm pretty sure I felt the way I did about the book because I probably just did not enjoy it. What works for one might not work for another and that's totally fine. But I DNF-ed it after reading about half of it. One thing I'm really trying to do is DNF books that I am not enjoying or don't have a good feeling about. I know a lot of us feel guilty about not finishing a book but if you're here reading this comment- this is a sign! DO NOT FINISH BOOKS THAT DON'T BRING YOU JOY. Reading isn't supposed to be a chore. It's supposed to be your magical escape. And with all of that being said; Happy Holidays everybody!

[@madscgreen]

i really liked the goldfinch at the beginning, especially since i lost a parent at 11. i hated the vegas stuff, idk why some people are so obsessed with boris. i wanted to keep going, though. i loved his relationship with hobie until he did him so wrong. i kept reading it... until i kinda stopped because i didn't feel like picking it back up. i think i stopped with like 50 pages left 😂😭 i don't even regret not finishing. three years later, i still don't know what happened to the damn painting or theo at the end.

[@myfirstnovel]

It always fascinates me (no pouting attached) when my favourite novels make someone’s worst list. 🤷‍♀️ Case in point, Ocean at and Goldfinch. Looking forward to the best of to see if the opposite also applies, ahem.

[@luanllluan]

sad to hear about your experience with ressurection. i really liked this book, in fact, i'd say it is one of that books that i can say that changed my life and (i like to believe) myself for better. there's one part, where a grown man cries, omg, that bit showed me how much a fool I was/am and how much I had/have to improve. but, every book will hit a person in different fashion. happy new year (:

[@zoelane9366]

I think I’m the only person who enjoyed The Unhoneymooners 😂 it’s obviously not a literary masterpiece but for me, taking it at face value as a tongue-in-cheek lighthearted summer read, it fit the bill.

[@ttoharr]

28:04 SHE DOES IT WITH “THE LITTLE FRIEND” TOO (I hate the book with passion) I guess it just her style.

[@stews9]

I'm old, so when I hit on a book that fails me, over my shoulder it goes and I move on to one that pleases me. There are far too many excellent books to waste time on bad ones. That you finish these perhaps speaks to youth, but consider simply ignoring crap. That way you'll get more of the best books read. / You're always worth listening to, and your vlogs are the best I've found discussing books in a concise, cogent way. Brava.

[@ulengrau6357]

What’s really interesting is your love of Gibran, but your dislike of Coelho. They’re obviously from different times, but, essentially, they both amount to different levels of “live, laugh, love.” Even Rumi and Khayyam eventually disappoint the more one reads, and the more one lives. Even Keats and Rilke do, as well.

[@SpecialK6077]

Oh thank you ! I was about to bring up Gibran too . I've read the Alchimist some ten years ago ( was a teen back then ) and I fell in love with it ! It's not about the plot and twists it's about the message and feelings it conveys Just like the little Prince . Funny enough all these books were quite popular on an INFJ subreddit , some people are just more sensitive to the overall message and wisdom . Would've loved to say something smarter but sadly I'm restricted with foreign language disabilities .

[@doroteaivankovic3134]

I want to know did you read The secret history by Donna Tartt and if you did what do you think about it, compared to The goldfinch?

[@dohabeshir9405]

girl i missed you ! i hope you had a cozy christmas holiday 💛 and this video is so funny actually 😂 for me i don't have so many bad books this year because if i didn't like a book i simply leave it i mean life is full of great books why i'm wasting my time with something boring

[@emmiereads]

thank you so much! I hope you did too

[@suzyanscombe8246]

The description of the Alchemist made me laugh so much; I actually really loved it and it made me cry, but looking back on it it is pretty cliche! I think it’s just a comfort read. However got to agree with the Goldfinch… that and the Little Friend are just sort of dull, especially after the dazzling strength of the Secret History!

[@shapedsilver3689]

What does Unhoneymooner even mean? Un- is used in adjectives, honeymooner is a noun. It’s like saying “the black uncat”

[@abbysands9510]

I have not read the GoldFinch but I can relate to a book that is also about despair. The book I read is part of three-part series. The first part is called the boy called it, The lost boy and the final book called A man named Dave. I just finished the second book after finishing the first book "a child called it" and it took me a long time to finish that because the book has so much despair and abuse that I found it really hard to read especially when that abuse is done on a child by their mother. The story is about Dave Pelzer who is between 4-10 at the start of the first book and chronicles one of the worse cases of child abuse in California during the 70s. Ever since Dave was six years old he has never known peace at home. His mother is an alcoholic who is emotionally unstable and who beats and starves him every day. Every day before he was allowed to eat she would play torturous games with him when his father and brothers are away not that it would do any good if his father was there because he is as weak as there come. It also turns out he knows about the torture but has chosen to do nothing. For example, she will play a game with him where she would torture him where he expected not to scream because if he does he lost the game and he would receive a severe beating and no food if he does not scream then and only then would he get a morsel of food or leftover scraps that is a day old from the table. Over time the mother no longer thinks of him as her son but as a slave and no longer considers him a boy but an "it" which is why she almost kills him. The only comfort the boy gets is when he is asleep because every day is hell. The only food he can get is at school or from the school bin which he steals but then has to throw it up before he gets home because his mother checks if his belly is full, his clothes are ragged, torn, and old, he is covered in bruises and he smells. He sleeps in the basement where it is cold and he needs glasses because he cannot see without them but, he is not allowed to wear his glasses when it is not a school night which he takes some comfort in because he does not see the punches coming from his mother. He learns to play his mother torturous games in order to survive but not stop hoping for a family.

[@alohalozan]

I think it’s interesting how culture impacts a reader because as a moslem and half Arabian, I could relate towards several issues that the alchemist touched like wanting the pilgrim to be something important because we are expected to have a meaning about it and fear of actually being underwhelmed, and how the quote about “maktub” really hits different and made me almost coo. But i do acknowledge that the idea of how the woman is depicted AND THE ENGAGEMENT OF THE ALCHEMIST itself is kind of poorly developed like i want to know more about the alchemist himself and his backstory THEN the interaction. ALSO THE GRAND TREASURE WAS VERY VERY UNDERWHELMING like… thats it? THATS IT? I wish it was something more grand. However within it’s flaw , its actually perhaps within the list of top 5 books i read and will always recommend to people!

[@thealchemist299]

Ahh cmon! Really thought I had a chance…

[@shavonnelynch6508]

i laughed sm when you explained the alchemist. that's basically how it is. i enjoyed it as a fun book and just took away from it that sometimes the treasure we are running after can be with us already. but the hype isn't deserved IMO

[@ofgodzeus]

I couldn't agree more about the Alchemist, i didn't like it to the point where I thought it might be just me missing out on its genius because it's out of my league or understanding or sth XD then I was like hm, no. Sucks. xD I reaad the secret history this year and I'm soo obsessed with it and with Donna, I'm so sad the goldfinch is here :( I will, however, read it anyway and decide for myself tho, because I'm really surprised. Right now, that woman can do no wrong in my eyes xD Although, for books like unhoneymooners for instance, I would probably take your word for it haha I've been following your channel for a while now and I love that we have so much in common when it comes to our reading tastes according to the way you speak about books we've both read or when you mention your preferences in general. This is turning into an essay not a comment xD Love your channel, hope you're healthy and well ^^

[@zojajovanovic6405]

I never found a single person who hasn’t enjoyed the alchemist and I thought I was the only one. It’s so cheesy and cliche and of course has an important lesson but such an obvious and everyday one it just seemed pointless to write a book about it. And the writing? All in all it just didn’t click with me

[@halinahetman6407]

Nobody expressed my feelings towards The Alchemist in such a precise way before!

[@peanutmabel]

i audibly gasped when you got to Music of the Night. i haven’t read it or had any exposure to Phantom of the opera lmao but i have it on my tbr

[@mennatu-allahislam562]

i missed you so much! the only book i read from those books is "The Alchemist" and i actually loved it! but i don't know i feel like if i re-read it my thoughts about are gonna change!

[@CitizenOfTheWorld2025]

I love listening to your commentary- hilarious! “…a pancake, she had a pancake for a personality, and not even a fluffy one, and there was no syrup.” This is a meme worthy combination of words, I hope it catches on. Watching your other videos has reawakened my slumbering love for literature and I am very grateful for that. 📚❤️

[@kathy2539]

I so love your honesty. "The Alchemist", so good the way you told us you detested it! Who cares how others who loved it felt, if you don't like a book, you don't like it. This video was so fun! Love you, Emma.

[@reneeamani6756]

I totally understand why you disliked The Goldfinch but it's actually one my best books for 2021 and I really enjoyed it. I loved the way the adoration for art was expressed. And although the painting was barely mentioned, I think what kept me enjoying the book was the relationships that were developed between the characters and how you get to follow the growth of those relationships. (oh, and I love Hobie so much!) Also, I think just how human Theo was and how much despair he was going made me feel for him and made me want to follow him on his life journey while also carrying around this big secret. I do feel that the ending was dragged on for quite a bit, but aside from that, I really liked it.

[@LeaNezz]

this video inspired me to do a video rank the books i read in 2021! i haven't filmed it yet but im sure it will not be as insightful 😅 great job!!

[@SingingMagick]

Question: I started reading Ocean at the end of the lane via audiobook and didn’t like it and DNF’d it. Does anyone think I would enjoy it more reading the physical book? Because I totally agree with Emma about the arrogant tone of the audiobook.

[@Lele8851]

I do think you would enjoy more but I really like the book so maybe I'm biased lol

[@ScarletClarity]

THANK GOD someone else dislikes The Alchemist as much as I did. It's so so so preachy. I'm shocked Coelho wrote it because I LOVED his "Veronica decides to die" which he set in Slovenia's capital city (my home).

[@kangaroo9816]

You’ve actually nailed my own reservations about Gaiman. His books always seem very alluring to me with their covers and themes but when I actually bite into them, it’s just ashes and no fun at all. :( Really a shame because I pretty much grew up on the movie versions of Coraline and Stardust and loved them to pieces.

[@nicolev198]

Your description of The Alchemist is SO spot on. Not much of a fan of Coelho's work, but actually found that I really enjoyed Veronika Decides to Die when I read it ages ago. I do happen to love The Goldfinch though; an all-time favorite, but I can certainly understand why it's not everyone's cup of tea. I also loved Donna Tartt's The Little Friend so I think it's really just a personal taste thing!

[@enycha22]

I love The Goldfinch because I relate so much to the narrative about Theo's grief since I still grieve for my mother.

[@charlottejruthauthor]

I agree that the villain in ACOL sucks (could've been WAY more developed), but I liked it because I'm personally just obsessed with the dynamic between Kell, Lila, Alucard, and Rhy. Kell is grumpy, which always makes me laugh, Lila makes jokes about knives, which I thought was stupidly funny, Alucard is freaking HILARIOUS - he made me laugh out loud several times, and Rhy is just sweet. I'm really sorry that you didn't enjoy books 1 and 3! I am glad that you enjoyed the second, though. I thought that one dragged for the first 200 pages but absolutely LOVED the last 300. *I would definitely recommend Schwab's other books, though! You may like City of Ghosts or Vicious :) (first is a spooky middle grade, second is dark academia)

[@jeannellereads]

Ready for mean Emma 😡

[@lilkakow]

Emma have you read Carmilla by Joseph la fanu? It's a gothic novel that inspired Dracula!

[@sudesezin]

omg i agree 100% of what you said about the Alchemist. in the country i live in (Turkey) it is always on the bestsellers and when i read it i felt so stupid that i didn’t like it. i thought what i got from the book was just not right and there must be something else that everybody gets but apparently there wasn’t. i do not understand what people see in that book