reading vlog - 5 star read and almost a DNF

reading vlog - 5 star read and almost a DNF
#booktube #readingvlog #berserk
We are back to some Kazuo Ishiguro with Klara and the Sun. ALSO! Ash A Secret History by Mary Gentle which I am almost certain is influenced in some way by Berserk,.
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[@shadowoflugia]

“There’s a cat in the back,” as if it was just a random cat that decided to drop by 😆

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@shadowoflugia hahahaha I keep my doors open 😂

[@rammelbroadcasting]

I'm so glad people are reading Klara and the sun! I haven't been able to shut up about it since I read it it sits firmly in my top 10 SciFi of all time. Ishiguro is amazing. If you want a different feeling book from him, check out the buried giant.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@rammelbroadcasting it’s an amazing book

[@Fianna1775]

I just put the audiobook on hold through Libby. I have only read The Buried Giant and The Artist of the Floating World. Both were wonderful in my opinion so I am eager to read more.

[@dalejones100]

Both of these books sound intriguing. Knowing that Ash has similar vibes to Berserk makes me want to read it. Great vlog.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

You should!

[@KFoxtheGreat]

That's a very good cat in the background

[@thefantasynuttwork]

I agree, he’s the real MVP

[@emroyka]

Klara And The Sun was curiously my first Ishiguro book and it was perfect in all its little (intentional) flaws and glitches. I can't forgive some characters for some things, but Klara was impeccably written.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@emroyka Klara was such an amazing character

[@jannarosereads4805]

Thank you Jimmy for discussing the triggers in Book of Ash. If I didn't know about those beforehand I wouldn't be able to read it. Now I will at least try it and be prepared when those come up. Appreciate you ❤

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@jannarosereads4805 happy to help!

[@TheBeardedBookBeast]

Awesome vlog! You always bring the heat and introduce me to new books Ive never heard of but am now hyped for!!!

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@TheBeardedBookBeast thanks so much, happy reading!

[@gayanegasparyan4137]

Just ordered Klara and the Sun!!! Love your Captain Levi shirt haha

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@gayanegasparyan4137 hahah I love that shirt and Levi!

[@Nico-lk5hb]

Klara and the sun got me sooo scared hahaha and I loved it for that

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@Nico-lk5hb which part!?

[@Nico-lk5hb]

@@thefantasynuttwork just the idea in general (an IA doll observing human behavior, learning about us through kids… is it happening now?)

[@AndreDeSimone-dy1cz]

Awesome video as always! Loving the vlogs

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Glad you like them!

[@TheBeeesKnees]

great timing king 👑 gonna put this on while i work

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@TheBeeesKnees have a wonderful weekend my friend

[@Snally38]

Thanks for the video Jimmy! I just finished klara and the sun and really enjoyed it. I loved the writing, so I am happy you said his other work has a similar style. I think ill pick up remains of the day next based on your recommendation

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Please let me know how you like it!

[@C.S.Brulevent]

Great vlog, once again, always a pleasure. I find it fascinating how you manage to push through books you feel at times (very) uncomfortable reading, and then come share your experience with us. Would you say it's something you'd have done anyway, or, is it for the sake of the channel, or a skill you developed since starting the channel ? I mean, I know there's always something interesting to get from a finished book (even when you ultimately dislike it), but sometimes the things one has to push through can be quite the ordeal, and you've had your fare share of disturbing (parts in) books the last couple of years.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@C.S.Brulevent I’d likely push through even just for myself because there’s a lot in this book that was enjoyable

[@BooksWithBenghisKahn]

Wow that premise and execution is wild-it doesn’t exactly seem like my cup of tea but it was fascinating tracking your reactions. Klara and the Sun sounds like a slam dunk for me though with how much I love reading non-human POVs

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@BooksWithBenghisKahn you should try Klara!

[@taylordepuydt9480]

Great reading vlog Jimmy! Think you did well talking about your conflicting feelings on Ash

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@taylordepuydt9480 thank you so much, wasn’t easy to talk about all that 😅

[@esmayrosalyne]

So safe to say that Gentle was not exactly gentle in her storytelling... good to know 😅🤣 I loved hearing your thoughts on both of these books, and I am definitely going to have to prioritise Klara and the Sun now!

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@esmayrosalyne not gentle at alllllll

[@Kristenisfullybookd]

Based on the title of the vid I am nervous bc I don't want you to dislike Klara, but also the framing of the other book sounds so interesting and I don't want that to be bad either 🫣

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Hahaha, spoiler alert: I love Klara and Ash is a very very conflicting read, some greatness mixed with cringe

[@HabitualBlood]

Great vlog! Klara and the Sun is one of the few Ishiguro novels I haven't read but I'm looking forward to it. And I'm surprised Ash was released as four books in the US? Pretty sure in the UK or at least here in Australa it's only one book. So I got about 80 pages into that (which is like halfway through Part 1 with her forced marriage and stuff in my edition) before diving back into my Women in Translations reads for the month but I'm super excited to get back to it. I think it's interesting that it's mainly the sexual stuff that bothered you because I think the defining quality of Gentle's writing so far is that *everything* is disgustingly visceral. This is the first fantasy novel I've ever read where just battle scenes have filled me with such visceral horror and gut reactions to violence, and while her sexual stuff as a child in part one is definitely a tough pill to swallow, it felt very quickly glossed over and not "glorified" in comparison to that brutal cow slaughter scene, a scene of animal abuse so uncomfortable I've only ever been that discomfited once before in Laszlo Krasznahorkai's Satantango (the cat scene, if anybody wants to know what I'm talking about). So I've yet to get to the other scene you talked about, but my general reaction to this whole book so far is just the horrid, visceral, chilling detail of how Gentle's prose can bring you directly into every uncomfortable aspect of this world. Talk about immersive. It is skin-crawlingly powerful stuff. I think it's the mark of a truly brilliant writer to make what is typically glorified or banal violence in any other book feel so visceral, real, and off-putting.

[@HabitualBlood]

Maybe this is what it would be like if Bataille wrote a fantasy novel lol EDIT: actually now that I make that comparison this is making me interested in reading some of those books that delve into psychosexual and extremist eroticism and sexual taboos like Story of the Eye or Dennis Cooper's novels, or hell now that I think about it even McCarthy's Child of God does this to an extent, or Blood Meridian with its violence. And the book I'm reading now, The Piano Teacher, is doing it to an extent (but at least currently not to those extremes). There's something fascinating about these authors who are choosing to explore these sorts of ideas because in some ways like The Story of the Eye or de Sade's 120 Days of Sodom they're considered works which critique the idle rich (this feels especially more applicable to Salo), or I think in Dennis Cooper's oeuvre it's more specifically a queer exploration in the internet age of human lust and power... I don't know. There is something fascinating about these approaches that I think Gentle might be tapping into. Exploring the human condition through its most taboo and ugly facets. I also read Human Acts by Han Kang this month that explored the victim side of a brutal school massacre through decades, and it is likewise very uncomfortable to read but also very clearly trying to ask something about what it means to be human. Reminds me of that Clarice Lispector quote, "Who hasn't asked himself, am I a monster or is this what it means to be human?" Much to ponder...

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@HabitualBlood there’s no doubt Ash is extremely well written and effective with its intent

[@HabitualBlood]

​@@thefantasynuttwork super ambitious for a fantasy book. I'm really excited to see where it goes.

[@HenrikBrosveet]

Disturbing and Berserk-like? Sold! Thanks Jimmy, looking forward to the next video :)

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@HenrikBrosveet hahah thank you!

[@mitch8948]

Very intricate use of Dutch angles to convey your uncertainty to the audience! (I presume… won’t be able to watch this for a minute )

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@mitch8948 😂😂😂

[@thariena]

I've read Klare and the Sun a few years ago and it really touched me. It's the only Ishiguro I've read. I should really get to some of his other books.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

He’s the GOAT

[@SuperPuddingcat]

Thanks for a great vlog, Ash sounds intriguing, I probably won’t pick it up but I am intrigued, would love to hear your thoughts on the next instalment. Klara and the Sund sounds like I should bump it up my tbr. Have you read Never Let Me Go?

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Idk when but I will continue for sure

[@callinicobo5991]

Great video. I've just started "The Buried Giant" by Ishiguro, and so far, it's really good.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

I wanna read that!

[@robertunijat8299]

I will repeat what I said to Merphy and Johanna: if you liked Klara then you really need to read Never Let Me Go! For me that one was even better than Klara.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

It’s next up!

[@skippen]

I have has Ash for decades. Still never read it, and never seen the other volumes.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

It’s something else lol

[@jaya5264]

I’ve never read an Ishiguro book but need to before the end of the year. What’s one your recommend starting with? I had no idea you’re in the dmv area. Local viewer of your channel here in Ashburn, VA.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@jaya5264 DMV! and yeah I’d say Klara or remains of the day

[@mitch8948]

Gentle went full R Kelly? Good God. 😬

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@mitch8948 sure did

[@mitch8948]

@@thefantasynuttwork putting this on the maybe list. If book 2 is good, light the beacons! 🕯️🗻

[@72mje]

Sounds like I need to make Klara and the Sun a priority read.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

I loved it

[@adamk42]

Is it bad that I want to read Ash more than Klara and the Sun now? I have a copy of it hanging around....

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@adamk42 go for it!

[@crzabjj]

Love it! 🤙🤙

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Thanks! 😁

[@Thecatladybooknook_PennyD]

I'm be reading Ishiguro's 4th book soon. The Unconsoled. I'll keep you posted.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@Thecatladybooknook_PennyD that’s the one I’m most stoked for

[@MacScarfield]

«Sweet Home Chicago» (Big «Blues Brothers» Fan)! Yup, “Ash” is great, but very bleak! I think the similarities between “Ash” and “Berserk” comes from being based on the much the same historical source material, such as Joan of Arc & the Hundred Years War (let’s just say the stories of Gilles de Rais, fellow companion of Joan of Arc, is quite Grimdark…) and the Italian Mercenary Wars (the stories from the Sack of Rome in 1527 is nightmare-fuel)!

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Absolutely!

[@Thecatladybooknook_PennyD]

🎉🎉🎉

[@Thecatladybooknook_PennyD]

I plan on reading Ishiguro's 4th book...The Unconsoled...soon. I'll keep you posted.

[@zeallygreen]

💚

[@thefantasynuttwork]

😀

[@shadowoflugia]

How many days did it take for you to finish Ash: A Secret History?

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@shadowoflugia like 15 lmao

[@JacobLHooper]

With Klara, the world does have the potential to be quite interesting. It felt to me as if there is a whole other story that could be told about the world itself. Unfortunately you never actually learn much more than these little tidbits you’ve already mentioned. I did find this book a bit underwhelming.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@JacobLHooper I really enjoyed thinking about the world and coming up with theories about it with friends.

[@SethPlato01]

7:28 its that the MF skull knight!!!!!!???

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Yep lmao

[@tyghe_bright]

Ash seems really problematic. It's possible to portray someone who is turned on by being the subject of violence without it being toxic--if there's clear consent. It sounds like she doesn't have a conversation or clearly consent... which makes it a portrayal of abuse, which is excused away because she got turned on. It's like an abuser's fantasy idea of the scenario. I think I'll skip that one, but am definitely interested in Klara and the Sun.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

@@tyghe_bright it was very conflicting for me

[@TheZrk2]

Don't make me watch anime Jimmy.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

😆😆😆