The Worst Books of 2023 👀

[@merphynapierreviews]

Also the first kiss scene in K&C was the most “I have to insert the book title in this story so I’m going to make it happen weather you like it or not” I’ve ever read. Here’s an excerpt. Spoilers. I brush my nose against his and get another whiff of him, sunshine and cedar. I inhale deeply, trying to bottle it up in my memory. Everything about this moment feels right: the murmurs from the street around us, the warm air, the sweet taste of his breath. My heart can no longer handle the anticipation: I part my lips and close the tiny bit of space between us to go find his. I’m sure you’ve had croissants before. You can get them pretty much anywhere. They usually taste fine, a little bland, maybe. But when you come to Paris, the croissants are unlike anything else you’ve eaten before. They’re warm and soft, golden and buttery. Like baked clouds. Deliciously decadent clouds. They may look the same as the other croissants, but they are far superior in every single way. And why I am thinking about that right now? Because croissants are like kisses. You don’t fully “get” them until you’ve had them in Paris. And now I know this: French kisses taste a million times better in France.

[@notrixamoris3318]

Ugh...and it gets worst🙄. Mad respect for hanging in there and not getting lost in the haze😶‍🌫️

[@sofiaottoman]

Well. That was a struggle to get through - so well done for getting through the whole book - and I think I will be avoiding this book.

[@keravnos2231]

Welp....time to stop buying my deodorant that smells like cedar 😐

[@rkgrkg]

@@keravnos2231 lol right? It seems YA romances always have the guy smelling like something ABSTRACT and RANDOM, like here, 'sunshine and cedar'. I came across one where the guy randomly and always smelled like blueberries, lol!

[@keravnos2231]

@@rkgrkg I'm more dreading the fact that I smell like a love interest from a YA romance novel 😂

[@liligirl96]

“Then the incest started.” I don’t know what I was expecting to hear in this video, but this certainly wasn’t on my bingo card.

[@Iqnacio.]

Same haha I did a double take when I heard that cause definitely wasn't expecting that twist lol

[@goofiustroopceratops1800]

"then the incest started" caught me so off-guard I choked on my food.

[@luke-il5nr]

I don't know what i like better. Seeing you absolutely loving a book or absolutely hating it lol

[@christhewritingjester3164]

It's the passion behind both.

[@shadowofchaos7675]

Both

[@billyalarie929]

Yes.

[@gossamerabba]

The dichotomy is very entertaining. 😅

[@magicalgiantbooks5549]

I love the rants 😂

[@Recchi91]

"and then the incest started" lmao wut. That escalated quickly.

[@merphynapierreviews]

I promise you I was shocked too 😭

[@mikesbookreviews]

*Sees a Sanderson book in the thumbnail* **Grabs Popcorn & heads to the comments** *Note: I've not read it yet

[@Ruminations09]

It's not that controversial, to be honest. Most people agree that Frugal Wizard is one of the weakest books he's written. It's especially stark when compared against Tress, Yumi, and Sunlit Man - which were all released in the same year, and are three of the *best* books he's ever written.

[@KMort]

As much as I love gushes, there is something so engaging about a proper enraged rant.

[@NonAnonD]

“Then the incest started” is a fucking wild sentence

[@unavezms8167]

Honestly having character who's kinda a dick to everyone and NOBODY acknowledges it and they never apologize is 😠.

[@lucahahn8134]

It‘s usually a sign of the author/writer being similar and they never call the character out because they think it‘s okay how they act

[@mysticolin01]

​@@lucahahn8134 thought the same thing. It sounded like author decided to write a book depicting how she wished her friends and love interest had reacted to her selfish drama. I am really curious as to whether that last dramatic moment proves the theory lol

[@HurricaneDDragon]

Wow, not only is Merphy an amazing mom, but she’s also an amazing aunt for reading Kisses and Croissants 🤣

[@eismatt]

Man I really loved Frugal Wizard and literally every person I've seen online absolutely hated it. Maybe I got a different copy then everyone else?

[@namharper542]

I did loved it too. The Frugal Wizard was my second favorite after Yumi.

[@ankithg3101]

I also liked it more than Tress of the emerald sea

[@rad4924]

I also loved it. I'm so sick of seeing people bash it. My impression is that people don't like it because it was a different genre to what they're used to.

[@thefantasynerd93]

I loved it too ❤ I'm confused about the hate, it was so much fun to read

[@FrancoPalladino]

I really liked it too lol, super fun

[@justjuanreader]

👋🏻 Fellow DuMaurier fan here! I actually wrote a paper about her and her work in order to become a psychoanalyst, which was incredibly interesting since I had to read a lot about her life and inner conflicts. Her work is sort of mixed, given that she was quite prolific, but still there’s always something in her writing that I find haunting, repressed, but on the verge of bursting with emotion. I personally didn’t like “Jamaica Inn” that much, it was one of my disappointments of last year, but I know you really liked it. I will probably be reading “The Scapegoat” by her next month, I’ve heard nothing but good things. In my top 10 books of 2023 I included Josephine Tey, a new to me author who gave me DuMaurier vibes, maybe you would enjoy her stuff 😊 Happy reading Merphy!

[@thewatchfemme4051]

Hello! Do you have a biography of DuMaurier you would recommend? I love Brat Farrer, and The Daughter of Time is quite good as well.

[@mrfrancyofficial]

Welcome back ranting Merphy! You have been missed!!!! Hahaha. On a serious note, I just LOVE how passionate you get when talking about books you love or books you really really DON'T. Great to see the passion again!.

[@helenFX]

Mum just walked past the computer: "Oh I've read that. its a fantastic book". Me: "She has it as her worst book of the year" *miffed* "well what kind of books does she like" "Books that I like" Mum: "Well she shouldn't have been reviewing it than" lol

[@Lynn-CA]

Aw, your poor Mum 😂I'm assuming it's In Loving Spirit? Give your Mum a bone and tell her that Maurier is one of Merphy's favourite authors

[@helenFX]

Oh I forgot the title "kisses and croissants" the last book in the list @@Lynn-CA

[@Lynn-CA]

@@helenFX Oh well, I have no sympathy for your Mum now! 🤣

[@billyalarie929]

@@helenFXOH NO LOL

[@stardroplet9499]

😅

[@IndiaTides]

You always begin your new year with thinking about the worst so the graph would be ascending. Great idea!

[@ja-qi3dv]

ah, my favorite time of the year, not New Year, not Christmnas, but the time when rant Merphy is unleashed🎉❤

[@SamusStories]

"Then the incest started..." 😵

[@emmal7510]

My first encounter with Eye of Argon was someone's MSTing* of it. *Basically, adding a commentary track, ala Mystery Science Theater 3000, to a written work. (Doesn't always involve the MST3K cast, but this one did.)

[@wandering-bard]

372 pages is amazing. It is also how I discovered the book.

[@CallumRickard]

Merph starting 2024 with an epic rant. Aaaaaaah. This will be a good year! 😂🎉

[@Evil__Morty]

" Louie find someone else to date. this one's bad, throw her back " 😂😂😂

[@rissaallen6298]

I actually quite loved K&C (it’s very much in my reading niche) but I was giggling over your review of it because all your points are so valid and that 90% mark really was something 😂

[@badfaith4u]

Happy new year 🎊. I love it when you are passionately defending or metaphorically ripping a book.

[@norspider5449]

"Then the incest started." has ruined many stories for me, too.

[@OffKiraDeux]

"And then there was the incest", and I jumped in place. What, what. If ever there was a phrase I did not expect you to say lol

[@aliyachamberlain9786]

Love how Murph is an extremely wholesome nice youtuber who avoids doing negative videos yet a YA romance she buddy read for her niece was enough to send her over the edge and post a hate video.

[@aliyachamberlain9786]

(hate is to strong a word but its all I got sorry)

[@primarybufferpanel9939]

"...and then the incest started." Sorry, what?

[@tiantuatara]

I hate books/movies where the story comes 90% from miscommunication.

[@leticiamaranhao412]

I love your videos talking about your favorite reads and always come back to them when I want book recs, but there's something very entertaining about the passionate rants 😂❤

[@briananderson7181]

Wow, the dialogue on the eye of Argon is.... Yeah 😂 and I love that the book cover has a picture of a pool from Yellowstone national Park 😁

[@GoldenKaos]

Instaclicked when I recognised Eye of Argon in the thumbnail, stayed for the very enjoyable Kisses and Croissants roast

[@josiahbravo1649]

I just started reading manga about middle last year. I’m 25 and feel like I was trapped in the social media life for so long. I’ve been reading vagabond/Tokyo ghoul & berserk and these have changed my life honestly. I’m was such a selfish person not to long ago and these books have helped me grow as a person and really appreciate life around me and most importantly people. I have become so open minded & happy and it shows in the universe around me. Thank you for creating a safe space for people like me trying to just hear different perspective. I’ve been following up with you & Phillip on your vagabond reviews after I read each volume & you guys give me so much more perspective and point out things wouldn’t have thought of. Thank you again

[@NAOT4R]

I was really surprised when Last Final Girls was your next SGJ book actually. I enjoyed it as I'm about as into slashers as Jones is, but it's not very high in my rankings of his work. I hope you get to Mongrels at some point, I think you would enjoy it a lot.

[@Lynn-CA]

Go find a better girlfriend Louis! HEAR HEAR!

[@YoYakuman]

I read Kisses And Croissants, I haven't finished the video yet, but I hope Merphy talks about the ending, because oh my goodness. just spoil it Merphy! Do it! edit: Finished video. "90% through I wanted to throw my kindle" yes, YES.

[@ghostdreamer7272]

I’m curious to learn what this is lol😂

[@cabarnone]

What were your niece thoughts on K&C? Did she have similar views, or think it was ok? Curious how this generation think.

[@captnsquashypant82]

I absolutely loved frugal wizards handbook. I thought it was hilarious. You are spot on about the excerpts being the best part. As a Nebraskan and knowing that Sanderson is from Nebraska that excerpt had me rolling in particular

[@andrewberenson5717]

I wish Merphy videoed her discussion with her niece about the Kisses book

[@angelacanedit]

"then the incest started" is truly a one sentence horror story 😅

[@LordJazzly]

Gaps! Thou hast readened The Eye Of Argon? It is great though; I remember reading it (a version of it which had been "erroneously" published to a fan-group as 'author unknown, public domain' because even in the 2000s people were still treating the book that way) on a recommendation from other fantasy fans who thought it was dumb, and the thing is, apart from the bizarre language choices, there's actually an entertaining read in it. It's total chaos, but I think a large part of the harsh treatment it got was because it became popularly known at a time when a large and quite vocal group of fantasy fans had fallen out of love with the pulp side of the genre and were actively trying to bury anything Conan-shaped. _Eye Of Argon_ had visible enough structural issues that it provided a sort of easy target for people to hold up and decry 'This is everything wrong with what genre fiction used to be, and we should demand something more refined now'. And that's sad, because it is, as noted, the guy's first ever published story, and for a first attempt it's far from the worst. At the least, it's certainly not _boring_ - and that's more than I can say for some of my _own_ work, let alone other people's. Which, incidentally, goes to show - the phenomenon of people tearing a thing to shreds because it provides a more accessible devolute [I can't remember the actual word I wanted to use here, it is frustratingly close to the tip of my tongue - but devolute is close enough] to express their frustrations upon than the primary object of their ire, is not a new one in the fantasy/sci-fi fandom. If you can't destroy an established author, why not destroy a teenager whose work reminds you of them?

[@thepoetesskhansaa]

The backstory of this book honestly made me feel so sorry for the author 😔

[@TomOrange]

Great video! This one is full of lines that would be hilarious on a out of context soundboard lol

[@saschabittner8155]

One of my favorite series, Heartstopper, is SO not in what would normally be in my comfort zone, it has none of the tendencies of YA authors to create unnecessary drama (There are plenty of real to life situations, but they make sense) and the fact that there is little of the miscommunication trope, really uplifts the series. Kissing and Croissants souds like a book I would have read as a teen but hated.

[@figthegiant4065]

I wanna rant about my least favourite book of the year rq: _the Book of Form and Emptiness_ by Ruth Ozeki. It’s about this 12/13 year old boy Benny who starts being able to hear the voices of inanimate objects after his father dies, he also has a strained relationship with his mother Annabelle who is unhealthily dealing with her own grief by hoarding, binge-eating and just not dealing at all bc she needs to work all day to provide for them. The whole thing is narrated by this Book which Benny meets and it helps him process everything that’s happened to him ig (all the voices all the time obviously put pressure on his emotional state), I wouldn’t know because I DNF’ed it two thirds of the way in. The main reasons I hated it are as follows: - Benny was a selfish brat who actively rejected any attempt from Annabelle to connect with him because she was worried about his mental health after his father’s death (HER HUSBAND DIED TOO YOU LITTLE SH-) - Two thirds of the way in and not once did we actually MEET this marvellous and all-knowing Book who’s apparently so central to the plot - This isn’t really a fault of the book, but it’s a very philosophical story which at some points seemed pretentious and at others far too existential for me to handle (I wasn’t really doing my best when I read this so it was a little too heavy) - The only reason I subjected myself to over 400 pages of this book was because the premise seemed really interesting and I kept thinking “surely it’ll get better soon, right? Right??” and it never did☺️ Instead it followed the cycle of Benny lies to his already-concerned mother and skips school to hang out with a cool edgy (and hot, of course) street artist and her homeless philosopher friend, Benny gets in some sort of trouble which the artist and philosopher get him out of, Benny returns home in the evening just in time to treat his mother horribly when she’s only trying to bridge the gap between them and repeat - Naively forcing myself to continue with this book for as long as I did led to me experiencing a 6 month reading slump - There were some really weird sexual moments (because authors seem to just adore those😀) like when Benny dreamt that he was _ahem_ fondled by a girl who also a ghost who was also a balloon? It didn’t make much sense to me either Anyways, last week I finally gave the cursed book away and I’ve been thriving ever since❤️✨

[@ProgressingImperfectly]

I’m probably going to DNF “It. Goes. So. Fast.” … don’t usually read memoirs and this one isn’t doing it for me. Loved Wizard’s book of ridiculously long and convoluted title… probably second favorite of the secret projects (even if no one, myself included, can remember the title). Almost DNFed Empire of Silence but Daniel gushed about it so much that I powered through. The ending redeemed it enough I started book 2 but I still found the middle way too painful to read.

[@KnowledgeandChill2]

Didn't think I'll be adding to my tbr after this but the eye of argon and a few drinks sounds like a pretty good night

[@BooksWithBenghisKahn]

These kinds of vids can be cathartic to make! Right with you on Frugal Wizard being a disappointment, and I'm unlikely to come across the others here and thankfully so!

[@benhillman1673]

Just found your channel, and I just gotta say I love how much your personality and obvious love of reading comes through! A lot of booktubers come across as a little flat, and you definitely stand out

[@LEOrgill]

I would be interested to know the books you dnf last year. It could be helpful to know what to avoid or maybe your reasons could be something someone would actually want to read.

[@litlbucky]

Love a Merphy rant! 🤣

[@nazimelmardi]

Hm... We need a 4th Wing rant from Merpthy just for the fun... 🤣 (No, we don't...)

[@billyalarie929]

Yes, actually, we do!

[@nazimelmardi]

@@billyalarie929 it would be a torture for her. A literal nightmare for her taste. 😂

[@lindiemoon]

Super enjoyed watching this 😊 I am now curious to see what my lowest rated books are from last year

[@kateofvioletvale]

OMG! K&C was on my list last year but I didn't get to pick it up. I feel like I dodged a bullet there haha good thing I didn't read it. 😂

[@involunteer]

But did anything... undulate... In The Eye of Argon?

[@bethloubet4650]

Love it. The Eye of Argon was passed around in the 90s on paper and in email. So bad. So very bad.

[@esteban280889]

Frugal was the only secret project I could read, as im not caught up enough to read the others.

[@wolfwood770]

I loved The Eye of Argon. Probably my favorite book I read all year

[@JavadVF]

17:33 I love it when Murphy goes on a rant. Omg😂😍

[@keravnos2231]

Soo many hands thrown in kisses and croissants rant hahahaha. Love it ! 😂

[@merlinsclaw]

1:30 Even when you slowed down, you still couldn't get the title right. 🤣🤣

[@christhewritingjester3164]

A book should still be written well, regardless of whether or not you are the target audience.

[@motherapollonia]

Happy new year

[@KeriJo12]

lol your review of The Eye of Argon reminded me of the Kama Sutra. Hear me out, the descriptions of who a man is supposed to be attracted to, how a woman is supposed to behave, which men pair best with which women. OMG, my sister and I were ROLLING we were laughing so hard. Highly recommend, it's not the smut-fest or detailed instruction manual everyone claims. Not really.

[@vesch5083]

Thanks for the warning about the Loving Spirit book.

[@tinagarcia3571]

I have such a hard time DNFing books because of a very specific book tuber DNFed Beartown because of the sexism/homophobia before she got the point of the book, I have to get over that . I often think people write about their own experienced trauma or recovery from their prejudices through story. I often love the books and movies everyone hates lol . HAPPY NEW YEAR!

[@emmanarotzky6565]

I think it’s fair to DNF like that. I’ve DNFed books because of bad things in the plot when it was obvious that the author and the theme of the book were against the bad things. I just wasn’t brave enough to READ about it at that particular moment. Like, a disturbing Holocaust novel is not pro-Nazi but I still don’t want to read that unless I’m really prepared for it.

[@tinagarcia3571]

@@emmanarotzky6565 I'm afraid I'll miss something great because I feel cringe. I have subjects that bother me but again I could miss something great.

[@weirdbeard2244]

I knew about The Eye of Argon, but not about the plagiarism. Apparently there’s drinking games involving it, and an early example of a Try Not To Laugh challenge involving reading it out loud.

[@gabriellabatel]

I loved watching you get so furious at Kisses and Croissants, I feel that!

[@billyalarie929]

23:00 who else thought of Donnie Darko here?

[@richardhood1868]

Do you think you might do spoiler reviews of the Vorkosigan saga books once you are sufficiently into the series?

[@BingoRSA]

"This one made me mad" 🤣😂 and provided so much entertainment for us 😂

[@hanzquejano7112]

Though I agree with your take on The Frugal Wizard's, I did enjoy the art and the small infos. It's one of my most priced books.

[@TheMedicinMannen]

"then .. the incest started" I'm sold

[@barbarasusej]

Noooooooo, I just started The Frugal Wizard and I'm liking it so much!

[@kdherr01]

Go off, queen.

[@ryanskeff]

Hell yes, I'm not on the list. ...for now.

[@crazybiogeek]

Merphy's niece- wants a cute book to read with her aunt Merphy- teaches the niece a lot of lessons about relationships that can be learned from the book Well, I'm sure that's not what she expected, but it does sound like you both have a really nice relationship and you can mentor her.

[@AntoineBandele]

Calling a Sanderson book the worst!? Brave!

[@MichaelSmith-zx5lw]

I think he's ridiculously overrated

[@notrixamoris3318]

Merphy will you the books in the goodreads fiasco??? And if you ever read THE SANDMAN and/or SAGA will it be on this channel or on the manga channel???

[@KakoriGames]

Now I really want to see Murphy review Emily in Paris for some reason 🤣

[@chandlerrenteria9043]

no offense but merphy reading smut is something I didn't know I never wanted to experience lmao actually had me dying

[@hush9185]

Happy New Year Merphy :D

[@CudiBuddy4Life]

I liked Frugal Wizard….honestly liked it more than Tress haha. I know that’s blasphemy….but, I predicted the Tress twist almost right away, liked the magic and experimentation tho. It’s just, I’ve heard Tress-esque fairy tale often I feel, and I found the random 2nd secret story refreshing, especially if it leads to Titanic 2: Sink Harder

[@GoldenKaos]

I didn’t click with Tress because I genuinely don’t think that type of book is Sanderson’s style and I’ve seen it done better so many times, but also those whimsical books tend to operate better on fairy tale logic, not hard magic logic. And Sanderson can’t help but stick to hard magic.

[@booksandtropes]

I also DNFed the final girls support group, I thought it had an interesting start but the writing style got old quick

[@SydBookWorrom]

i feel justified in putting frugal wizards on my worst list as well now bc same😅

[@leoniesliberi]

Why does The Eye of Argon sound like it was written by the headmaster in 10 Things I Hate about You? 😂

[@dixieAQHA]

Laughed so hard at the quotes from The Eye of Argon. 😂

[@tiananesbitt7156]

Hope you enjoyed your holidays 🎁 Do you love Becky Chambers? Paul Auster?❤

[@Thecatladybooknook_PennyD]

Which Du Maurier book are you reading in 2024? I'm reading The King's General currently.

[@BrebearMckae]

🤣🤣 we love Merphy rants 😝

[@just-cobb]

I appreciate the honorable mention for Oak Island. What a disappointment that was.

[@TrabensTomes]

I understand the disappointment with Frugal Wizard and it was easily the weakest of the Sanderson secret project books, but I feel if it's hit your list of the worst books for 2023, you had a pretty good year. I'm very curious about The Last Final Girls. Is there any video where you go more in depth with what you didn't like? I have a concept for a video in which I read a bunch of the titles with "final girl" that have come out in recent years.

[@isthisdom]

If anyone wants a book recommendation for a hilarious, grandiloquently bad book, read Overlook by Matt McCusker. I die laughing almost every page

[@niikolo_x]

Hey Merphy, you're probably not a gamer but I think you would do awesome analysis or reviews of game stories/lore. You don't have to play the games to learn about the stories/lore (that would be so funny and dope if you did play them tho). You could do Merpy Napier | Game Stories Lore channel.

[@natalianoce]

I have to agree with de 90% of kiss and croissants... didn't need that

[@emilyreads5207]

Wait- I that a Sanderson book on.ypur worst list? (Just noting from the thumbnail).

[@mcintyre0591]

What did your niece think of the book?

[@icarus212001]

I'm surprised we haven't been calling these "Worst of" videos the "Undulating Awards"

[@TheNutmegStitcher]

Wow. Did not see that coming. 😮 ick. I love both best and worst from Book tubers. At least they actually read the books. Your rant at the end reminds me of the one I had about the ostensibly YA novel, Graceling. The hatred I had for that stupid book was visceral. How it got so many fans will never, ever make sense. The garbage can was too good for it. Might be the worst book I've read to date, and I've read some stinkers. And love your sweater, by the way.

[@darkenguyen7374]

New viewer here! I always enjoy a rant on bad books - my gripe on badly written YA romance novels align with why you disliked Kisses and Croissants! My worst (completed) novel of the year was The Gravity of Us, which suffered from much of the same problems - a lot of thrown in drama from simple miscommunication and dumb shit, and the main character being unabashedly selfish and self centered, but at least he wasnt nearly as bad as K&C sounded. Sometimes when i read characters written like that with no acknowledgement of their faults in the text (from their pov via internal guilt or other characters) it makes me wonder if the authors themselves are much like that and relate so much to their MC that they can't see what we can all see. Makes me wonder.

[@sandeesandwich2180]

"Beady grey organs of sight" -- um, he means the eyes??? This author has a love affair with Roget's Thesaurus.

[@donkevinbrown9906]

I know now not to read these books.... Thank you.😆

[@stevenhanley5505]

Frugal Wizard is better than its reception. I can see the similarities between it and Sunlit Man, but I liked Sunlit Man less. It's more similar in tone to Sanderson's other novels, and it has connections to other books within the Cosmere, but that did more to highlight its deficiencies. Frugal Wizard is able to stand on its own as a charming, albeit disposable read. I enjoyed all of the Secret Projects to one extent or another, but I thought Yumi was the only one of them that could stand up to Sanderson's other work. Tress was a nice change of narrative style, but the prose did not play into his strengths.