reading

[@matthews832]

Listen Charles, I just appreciate the cadence, the reflexive eye rolls, and you. You can check in with me about anything. Anything. Anything but what you don't actually read.

[@sergeirachmaninoff4632]

I like the shift in the channel. It seems that you stopped reading for the videos, and instead decided to update us on what’s up. In one of the videos you said something about how we are deprived of enjoyment out of reading a book (we are expected to enjoy a classic, so enjoying a non-classic comes across as “corny”, or differentiating “best” and “favourite” books - I’m overreading, but that’s how I processed your thought) and I believe you’re now prioritising enjoyment. Good. I just wanted to write that…

[@cs0p]

im glad youre liking the content too 😛

[@Turtlebochkinns]

i once went to the dentist and they put on the golden compass movie except they never pressed play so for an hour i was just listening to the dvd menu music repeat over and over again staring at the menu options never saying a word

[@fiddleleaffiction]

I like this story

[@cs0p]

i would take a root canal over that

[@5spells]

live laugh love war and peace by FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY 😭😭

[@slayden2k289]

Homie you are a legend for speaking your thruths. Stay original. It’s getting more rare nowadays for people to form their own opinions

[@5spells]

your thumbnail looks like what i save on my Pinterest board - love your book check ins :) some books im reading rn: little women, held, & 11/22/63

[@marite3609]

omg i absolutely love 22/11/63, hope u have a nice read

[@daisee12]

omg i wanna read little women next ! i just found an old copy in my house that was my grandmas from 1949 so i’m rly excited to read it 😁

[@5spells]

@@marite3609kinda been overwhelmed by its size but hearing this, i’ll definitely pick it up more often :0

[@5spells]

@@daisee12yess read it!! the author does an incredible job characterizing the characters. the sisters each have their own unique personalities that shines through different parts of the book. very cozy and homey read so far :))

[@cs0p]

112263 has been tempting me ever since i left it at goodwill ! i wanted to read little women so bad after i watched the movie but my passion has cooled

[@chaoscentralbooks]

the only state of the union address that matters 😤

[@cs0p]

i am cnn

[@ridingwilding760]

I read Rand’s book years ago (50+ years old) I loved them. I recently tried to listen to Atlas Shrugged, and I became frustrated. Ironically not so much with the book but with the unfortunate reality that our society, government etc has come to reflect what she portrays about the business men and government. In my 40’s I started paying attention to politics a little, and in pursuit to understand events in politics I started listening to economic leaders. I became annoyed with what I learned. So when I tried to listen to Atlas Shrugged recently and got to the back room deals I realized that even though our world has changed significantly with many fantastic innovations that have made our world better since the time of her writing the book, there persisted to be an element of people that cannot get beyond the most based drive. Those of greed and power of others. I think this is why those that read and disagree with Rand’s writing, because to agree with her is to see our own societal failures.

[@michaellemos6053]

Read this in high school 55 years ago and i totally agree with you. And it’s just getting worse because we’re allowing it.

[@NatalyaVins-blueflower775]

As someone who can read Russian, I can confirm that Tolstoy is very readable in the original. And I believe the Maude translation is the one Tolstoy himself approved.

[@cs0p]

this is reassuring to hear. for like a week i wanted to learn russian just to read tolstoy untranslated

[@irenerodriguez_12]

you’re my favourite American creator

[@cs0p]

btch tf? that wont do. im worldwide.

[@irenerodriguez_12]

@@cs0p read more international then babe.

[@sapodilla25]

I read this as actor and nodded.

[@d.7346]

obsessed with your channel

[@cs0p]

obsessed with YOU.

[@samibobami]

19:17 - if you haven't already, you have to read The Deeper the Water the Uglier the Fish! it's full with all sorts of retrospective comments (primarily from one of the characters) and it absolutely pays off. hopefully it's better than Asylum!

[@joelharris4399]

The thing about reading big tomes, like War and Peace is you have to keep going once you start perusing the pages, otherwise, you'll get lost in the wilderness. Good luck though 🧐

[@cs0p]

im probably going to get lost low key

[@joelharris4399]

@@cs0p Stick with it⛏️

[@DaphneMyles]

I hate war bits in novels too... BUT my GOSH! Does Tolstoy makes "war" even brilliant to READ. He relates war with characterization, I don't know how he does it, but my, I enjoyed the war bits in War And Peace too. His writing blows my mind! Hearing you talk about it makes me want to reread it. Henry Melville's Moby Dick reminds me of this book. Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant! George Elliot's Middlemarch is of the same ilk for me, though it's quite different. But similar level of literary genius.

[@cs0p]

good good good. i just got to some war and im not minding it

[@aadamtx]

Instead of the Classical Guide, get a copy of Aaron Copland's What To Listen For In Music. It's a basic guide for understanding both newer and older trends and whatnot. Also try Leonard Bernstein's The Joy of Music, which is basic on the series of popular tv shows he did before you were born.

[@cs0p]

ok ok ok i will

[@janehex]

I read so much Stephen King when I was a kid, like in middle school. My favorites were probably "It" and "The Stand" but honestly everything he did in the 70s and 80s is great. Really good short stories too, and I'm not a "short story" reader typically.

[@cs0p]

the length of those 2 intimidates me!! maybe ill try his short stories

[@michaellemos6053]

@@cs0pthe stand is worth it

[@AnonymousAnonposter]

"It" is the only book of his that I DNF'd so many years ago, and I have only DNF'd five books in my entire life... "The Stand" was one of my favorites of his, but the book is full of flaws. The more the book progresses, the worse it gets; however, I must admit that I need to reread it. I would say that his short stories from the 70s to the 90s are some of the best things he wrote. The only book he's written that I truly consider to be literature worth reading by those who dislike or despise him is "The Long Walk." Even his books with more than 900 pages do not have the same density and subtext. And it's a good story, much better than some of the more hyped books.

[@theSupercasa]

You loving Bret E. Ellis is making me wanna dabble in his work again...maybe I'll pick Glamorama back up again and finish it.

[@cs0p]

his books are so well-crafted and he doesnt pssyfoot what more can you ask for.. and theyre fun

[@AgricultureSpecialists]

I love War and Peace! The book definitely does get too War-y, but the characters and the peace sections are good enough that you'll force yourself to get through any boring war sections just to get back to the peace sections. (Although a lot of the "war" parts are still good in their own right).

[@cs0p]

ugh im all war'd out i think ill just reread Anna K

[@thelefthandedreader6632]

The copy of The Shining for 25cents. What!?! When I was in my late 20s, I somehow discovered Ayn Rand through Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead and had never read strong women characters and dialogue like that. I was floored. I then became a Rand obsessive, read some biographies….so fun to discover an author like that. War and Peace didn’t become too “war” for me. I don’t want to read war fiction. Tolstoy…🥰🥰🥰

[@cs0p]

ok good to hear about war and peace. the strong women characters are refreshing and inspiring. maybe ill pick up a biography after atlas shrugged

[@winkieblink7625]

Fountainhead…..wonderful book. LOVED IT.

[@cs0p]

so good

[@eveningprimrose3088]

I first read War and Peace in the Ann Dunnigan translation. I like it much better than the Maude 🤷‍♀️. One of my all-time favorite books. Very satisfying with a happy ending.

[@cs0p]

you gotta read AK if you havent!!

[@eveningprimrose3088]

@cs0p **AK spoiler alert, people.** I really want to, in a way, because I love Tolstoy's writing, but I have been afraid that the tragic end of Anna's life would bum me out too much. Suicide? Too horrible.

[@cs0p]

​@@eveningprimrose3088 it is sad (not entirely tho--levin balances), but sad books tend to be the ones that encourage you to seize the day per say

[@lozinthestacks]

I don’t want to be dramatic but these videos are giving me the will to live

[@cs0p]

HAHAH there there

[@rw1370]

I think I would actually die for those editions of His Dark Materials, quite frankly.

[@cs0p]

no i know

[@LeaReads]

thank you!! Ayn Rand does know romance!! all three of her novels have probably my favorite romance drama plots

[@cs0p]

no theyre so good...

[@rosaesu]

YOURE BACKKKKK OMG

[@cs0p]

BACK BACK BACK BABY BACK BACK BACK ATTACK

[@laurasalo6160]

I love ayn rand cuz she believes in man. I know the culture at large cant stand any positivity for man, or mankind for that matter, but he is a gorgeous creature, and i am in love!

[@cs0p]

amen

[@Courtney6]

Ahhh loved the state of the union. I have a book recommendation I think you’d really like. It’s called Year of Wonder by Clemency Burton Hill and it has a classical song suggestion for every day of the year along with info on the composers and other bits of relevance. There’s a second one (Another Year of Wonder) if you’re really into it.

[@cs0p]

this sounds like just what i need and has been screenshot for later reference 👀

[@nicholasjohnson5944]

What a magnificent Birthday present 🎁🎉 for me!?! You are ever so thoughtful and super!!! Thank you for the informative, fun content, as always, and until next time, delightful Mr. Charles!!!!! 🦄🎊🌌

[@nathansnook]

thrift king, loveee how you always manage to get books at such a steal. THE SHINING?? for how much?! it's one of my favorite Kings. if you ever get a chance, It is wild! would love to know what you think of the end ;0 and so glad you're enjoying The Sluts! love your note about how form can sometimes distract or detract from content, and though i think sometimes it can get a bit carried away, this is best remedied by trying to finish it in few sittings as possible just to rush through the brutal momentum. also love that you're doing Bret! honestly, i feel a lot of people have ideas about him, without actually really looking at where he's writing from and the touch points he has on culture. i've been feeling the same way about David Foster Wallace and perhaps should revisit his work at some point. have you done any DFW?

[@cs0p]

i think ill sit down and binge the rest of slts this week.. agreed it seems best consumed not piecemeal. True re: Bret, I had a teacher who called the American Psycho movie a feminist satire of the misogynistic book. ive read a couple of essays from consider the lobster and i liked his writing a bunch. I dont feel any pull to reading infinite jest, but the pale king is sitting on my shelf and i have high hopes. what have u read of dfw?

[@haleyhart9373]

@@cs0pWhat doesn’t interest you about Infinite Jest? I’m loving it so far ☁️☁️☁️

[@nathansnook]

@@cs0p curious to know what you think of it by the end! re: DFW -- i've only done The Broom of the System, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, and Consider the Lobster. i've tried to do Infinite Jest a few times, but. i was too young and dumb and it's just...not fun to flip back and forth for footnotes with such a heavy book...lol

[@markolepotan]

I literally screamed at the end of the video!!! Was that beautiful first edition of the shining also just a dollar??? Because it cost like a 100 dollars on ebay!! So jealous!! (Even though I liked the movie more than the book!) Saloms lot is perfect for fall/ halloween season. Ps: so happy to see you back on youtube. I’ve been missing you and coming back to your channel and when you came back I wanted to leave a comment about how happy I am and how much I missed you but I was sure it would get lost in all your fan mail… ❤️

[@cs0p]

it was actually just 25 cents 😏 im glad to see you back too!

[@LeaReads]

currently reading war and peace too! I’m reading the P&V translation and I’m enjoying it as well.

[@cs0p]

balls ill race you to the finish line

[@MariaMercedesBerriosVazquez]

Off topic but I love listening to you while I knit idk I just sit back and start going Bananas on my needles,great video btw :]

[@cs0p]

im glad you enjoy ;) id love to learn how to knit one day 🫣

[@casskrug]

you have me eyeing the copy of bad behavior that’s been sitting on my tbr shelf forever 🤨

[@cs0p]

CASS YOU GOTTA. It feels kindred to Writers and Lovers to me

[@AnonymousAnonposter]

10:01 very mature of you to say that, the kind of trait that is in short supply these days.

[@dayledotcom]

Im currently listening to the Salem's Lot audio book which im enjoying! So far the pacing is great and the atmosphere really scratches an itch in my brain but I would definitely say save it for fall! Also in the middle of Life of Pi and Paradise Lost which I havent gotten too into so im contemplating finally picking up every book after My Brilliant Friend but I loved the first one so much I kinda want to save the rest for later? I have copies of Atlas Shrugged AND The Fountainhead and was thinking of going for one of those instead 🤨

[@cs0p]

ok ok ill save salems lot for when it's crisp outside. pick up the fountainhead...

[@lucashedges1234]

mr csop, pleaasssee do a live slightly earlier for the poor unfortunate european souls for whom this book channel is a favorite. sincerely, long time subscriber, first time commenter

[@cs0p]

ok ok ok idk when but there will be one

[@DimitrisLian]

That copy of War and Peace you're reading is INSANE! How many pages? Wonderful Shining and Agatha vintage copies as well! Evil under the Sun is fantastic and a perfect 1982 film. I love Ayn Rand. She was very popular here in the 80s and 90s before the left took over culturally.

[@cs0p]

maybe 1200 ish? ive never watched an agatha film adaptation, maybe i need to get on that

[@yenasung]

Ilysm everything about this yes ❤

[@cs0p]

ily more.

[@cenotaphe]

I'm reading a different book / series called Asylum. I think it's YA, but it's been surprisingly good so far. Kids in a haunted asylum, blah blah blah. It's spooky seasion-ish - give me GHOSTS.

[@cs0p]

it's prob definitely better than waht i was reading

[@bookofdust]

They just announced a new audiobook recording of His Dark Materials read by actress Ruth Wilson, who played Mrs. Coulter on the HBO series. I love the full cast audio version, but I’m completely primed to listen to her do the series. Golden Compass is the book I’ve read the most times. But Subtle Knife is my favorite. Almost to default I always love the middle book of a trilogy. I’m confused by your great scores of books at Goodwill/Salvation Army. I can’t ever remember anything good, but I may need to revisit. We have such excellent used book stores and library sales around me that it seems the good stuff goes there & not to those types of donation centers. Are the used book stores around you good or not?

[@cs0p]

ooo i'll keep my eyes peeled for the new ones. I might watch the hbo series first. thrift stores are usually pretty hit or miss and a lot of them have almost no books. i jus be gettin lucky. my library sales are so busy and stressful. the used bookstores aren't really great. there's like one ok one, but the thrifts are so much cheaper and more fun

[@bookofdust]

@@cs0p Those library booksales can be brutal, especially when used book store scouts descend upon them like vampires. One local library has a bookstore that takes up the original 1899 library building that is excellent. And our big indie bookstore does a huge circus tent book sale over a weekend in October along with a literary festival.

[@IrishMist640]

Since you love music and you recently watched The Shining, you may want to check out actor and musician, Scatman Crothers who played Dick Hollorann. He was a wonderful scatter - jazz improvisational singer (also played guitar and drums). I agree that Shelley Duvall who played Wendy Torrance was brilliant. Stanley Kubrick made her life a living hell on the set, but what can one expect from an unapologetic misogynist.

[@cs0p]

ok ok looking into the dubiously named Mr. Crothers

[@endhymn]

I bought that same edition of the shining for my friend for a secret Santa last year, I wanted to keep it so bad :/

[@charlieiscorrect2856]

Steal it back 🙄🙂‍↔️

[@kristen7623]

Newer listener here. Where are you from? I love how you lean heavier into you accent when you’re joking. As an uncultured western person from CO I would say Mass? Rhode Island?

[@cs0p]

yes...

[@babooning]

thumbnail is soo pretty :3

[@cs0p]

[@saldamontee5459]

I liked Fountainhead, but I feel like the problem with Ayn Rands writing is that the charecters are almost always written poorly, because there only purpose is to be stand ins for her beliefs, which doesnt allow them to grow, or be emotionally dynamic. The charecters that are suppose to represent what she hates, are always written for the sole purpose of being hateable with no redeeming qualities, and the ones who do follow her beliefs have as much depth as Goku from Dbz. I feel like if her books where written to subtly inspire people with her beliefs, rather then be self indulgent and preachy, they'd be more enjoyable, but then again, that'd probably go against her beliefs.. John Galts 60 page speech was torturous to read through, and lets be honest, Howard Roarks speech would never work in court, no matter how much I can respect his artistic pride, as an artist myelf.

[@cs0p]

there's no character growth for the wicked or perfect ;) but also watching the archetypes play out against each other is fun

[@saldamontee5459]

@@cs0p Maybe I'm just too weak to handle the battle of a hunkalicious piece of beef mass vs a world of mustache twirling villains. Even the women have mustaches 😔

[@cs0p]

@@saldamontee5459 HAHAHAH

[@horafantastica]

I like how you start talking with big ang accent all of the sudden

[@f.arah_.a]

You need to read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. Probably the best war book ive ever read and overall in my top books ever

[@cs0p]

sht ive heard great things about it 👀

[@f.arah_.a]

@@cs0p u will not regret it.

[@bestvibepeeps]

I spied a VC Andrews behind you Charles! Did you ever read her Flowers in the Attic? I read that as a grown 🍑woman, and was never the same person after 🏰

[@cs0p]

i havent read it yet but i want to this fall 👀

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I wanna know what foul words you had to google in the slu t s. Also, Frisk was even wilder, if you can believe it.

[@cs0p]

googling felching was humbling

[@cs0p]

i need to read frisk now i cant imagine

[@Slowdive52]

Dennis Cooper is my Hero

[@cs0p]

that's kind of crazy i like that

[@tannerv259]

Have you read anthem by ayn rand? It’s the only book I’ve read of hers and i REALLY like it, I’ve read it twice so far. If any of her other books are similar to anthem then recommend them to me and I’ll read them 🏃🏻

[@tannerv259]

Also i LOVED the shining book, but it is really long and a little slow but i liked that tbh

[@cs0p]

i read anthem in middle school and all i barely remember anything besides feeling like it was a bit on the nose. I need to give it a reread to see what i think. you might like we the living? (i havent read it). Atlas and Fountainhead are probably fairly different from anthem if for no other reason than the crazy length disparity. if you pick up we the living, report back with thoughts

[@tannerv259]

@@cs0p Last night I decided I’m gonna start the fountainhead because when I read the description I saw that their last name is roarke, and I just watched a movie that had a boy with that name in it so I felt like it was meant to be 🤷🏻 I’ll let you know what I think :)

[@baukjeh]

War and Peace is not Dostoevsky darling

[@saml.1886]

Doggies demand more vlogs.

[@cs0p]

sht give me the video concept what's the title

[@saml.1886]

@@cs0p a day WITHOUT reading. :) you can do anything but reading.

[@nyahreads]

you're posting so much lately blink twice if you're being held hostage

[@cs0p]

👁️.👁️.

[@katesto9841]

you have the most interesting cadence and mannerisms I've seen in a real person. Natural or rehearsed?

[@cs0p]

omg like do i sit in the mirror and practice my personality?

[@katesto9841]

@@cs0p yes, like you're method acting through life or something

[@leahwedaman5204]

this is awesome

[@cs0p]

youre awesome.

[@polyphonicvisions]

i read war and peace last month so i feel like i beat you on this

[@joelharris4399]

[@ririschannelx]

Do you want a cookie?

[@cs0p]

i wish you wouldnt show off in front of my fans 🙄

[@joelharris4399]

@@cs0p well, that's kinda the point of BookTube, isn't it😂

[@polyphonicvisions]

@@cs0p that’s literally my only goal in life though 😫

[@SortaEverything_]

What happened to ur hair? Just my personal opinion, but your hair a year heretofore were so good, I don't mean to be offensive though, gen z is too sensitive.

[@sydneyd2144]

where are you from? you have an accent i can’t place

[@cs0p]

here and there...

[@isolated_raven2821]

Hey how are you ? :) Love your videos

[@cs0p]

good good i hvent ! i need to pick it up

[@fleshrags]

Look, I'm just now getting into Marxist literary criticism. I haven't actually read any Ayn Rand yet but I swear to god when I do I will have a full essay typed here in your comments section. Give me a year.

[@cs0p]

I WILL BE WAITING ;)

[@kiranreader]

CSOP'S STATE OF THE UNION!!!!!!!!!!!

[@cs0p]

where is your july reading wrap up you lazy bum 🙄

[@kiranreader]

@@cs0p filming it tomorrow!!!!

[@cs0p]

@@kiranreader good.

[@lindylouwho550]

WOW! That Agatha Christie book.....❤

[@cs0p]

so hot

[@brandedfishball]

i love a show and tell

[@cs0p]

i knew you would.

[@wakejald2611]

This is not a critique of you or your video - The Shining rules I hope you enjoy it - But I'm just gonna bite on the Ayn Rand thing cause I'm bored. I can't speak to her writing cause, fairly enough, I haven't read any. But a little known fun fact is she is, in a sense, directly responsible for the 2008 financial crisis! Writing aside, she was very politically active, and was real-life close personal friends with Alan Greenspan who directly cites her and her works as one of the primary inspirations for his lifelong advocacy of *extreme* deregulation and laissez-faire economic policies, which created the conditions that led to the 2008 financial crisis (among many other things). There are about 100 other goblin-esque figures in American politics who openly revere Ayn Rand and her politics (Paul Ryan, Ron Paul, Ted Cruz, Peter Thiel, Mike Pompeo, Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck to name a few) so while it's completely fair to say I can't adequately critique her writing, I can understand why so many people are hesitant to giver her a chance given the... aura that surrounds her, so to speak.

[@cs0p]

giggling my as off rn thank u

[@pethomas]

Here for hodgepodge

[@user-ug1dt5vj5b]

Trust me, Tolstoy is readable because he is translated, he is a nightmare to read in Russian

[@cs0p]

sht....

[@Sultansekte]

"It's nice to believe that we have agency over ourselves. It's nice to believe that you can pick yourself up by your bootstraps and keep on moving regardless of the reality." Might sounds nice in theory, but that's not reality. There are power dynamics and the upper class will fight the lower class. Their freedom influences your freedom and restrict you enormously, more than the other way around. Cause that's the basis of our economic system. If you're on a banana plantage in Guatemala as a child and try to fight for your own autonomy, a western corporate private soldier will just shoot you in your head. That's reality. So her vision of "liberty and freedom" is just for the people in power. She even supported the private military dictatorship of chiquita (united fruit company) in Guatemala. Best example of her inconsistency: She was against any form of health insurance. If you can't afford it, you should die. Now the funny thing, she was very ill later and couldn't do or afford shit. What happend is in 1976, despite her own strong reservations she had her lawyer's social worker register her for benefits from the state social insurance and federal health insurance and medicare programme. So her own life disprove her beliefs about economics.

[@cs0p]

wait so where's your quote?

[@Sultansekte]

@@cs0p You're doing bad faith here. I talked about her views and your quote. Not about Atlas Shrugged.

[@Dansemacaron]

Salem's Lot was my favourite as a teen, am I your friend

[@cs0p]

you are my best friend.

[@Cyberslum1]

28:22 😂

[@shisharma]

How you are able to read this much!!!!!?

[@cs0p]

by lying ;)

[@-alittletoowildinthe70s-]

yip yippee! so excited for this state of the union address for us dumb doggies 🐕🐶

[@cs0p]

do not bark at me again.

[@-alittletoowildinthe70s-]

@@cs0p 🐕🗣️

[@beckduvall5389]

Union? I just came for the snacks

[@cs0p]

in second grade i got punished for accidentally pronouncing union as onion

[@beckduvall5389]

@@cs0p my friend pronounced ‘culinary’ as ‘colonary’

[@cs0p]

@@beckduvall5389 HAHAHA

[@MrNiceguyjin]

Nice haircut. 😉

[@katieh1752]

You really need to stop spoiling us like this, it isn't healthy.

[@cs0p]

that is so sweet

[@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293]

Oh, still to his day Ayn Rand is one of the most wilfully and embarrassingly misinterpreted writers and thinkers. Nobody seems to understand a single thing she's saying, it's unreal. I watch videos and read people share their opinions about her as a human and rail against her work and ideas but I remain gobsmacked at how little these hateful little motormouths actually understand her and what she's saying. It's truly wince inducing--- and they're so obnoxious and aggressive in sharing the interpretations and opinions of her, unaware of how immature and intellectually little they really are. Such aggression and sanctimony from people who are too dumb and immature to generate their own thinking, preferring instead to regurgitating received opinion and allowing themselves to constantly take the temperature of the 'cool smart people in academia'. Third party editorial influence is not a great thing and too many divisive, complicated thinkers and writers are seen through this prism rather than rigorously and boldly tackled as a stand alone figure. Thanks for talking about this brilliant mind whom so few have the guts to name check.

[@cs0p]

the third part editorial influence on people's opinions is so frustrating. i dont need a fancy smart regurgitated take i just want yoooour take you dig

[@UNSAMU3L]

I thought you were dead😭

[@cs0p]

my goodness!! im here dont cry

[@UNSAMU3L]

You didn't post for like four months back to back so I kinda forgot about your channel for the longest time😅

[@AllenFreemanMediaGuru]

The rumors were false. 😊