Okay, so today we are going to be looking
back at some of my old favorite books. I have been on youtube for four and a half
years now and in that time i have given you a "end of the year," "best books of the year,"
"my favorite books that i read this year" summary. What i like is different now from what it
was then. So we're gonna go back, well you're not gonna go back. Those videos are privated. Well
several of them are. I went back and collected my favorite books from the year, well most of my
favorite books from the years of 2016, 17, 18, and 19. Put them all in a tier list and we
are going to uh... we're going to rank them. So i don't have these split up by year. I
basically, um... it's starting out with 2016, moving on to 17, 18 and 19. But i don't
know where one year stops and the next year starts. They just kind of bleed into each
other... um, so sorry. But old favorites to recent favorites. Let's talk about if they hold
up and how i feel about them nowadays. Okay, so we have as categories, we have; "still a favorite,"
"still great," "i'm not embarrassed that i used to love this this much," "I AM embarrassed
that i used to love this this much," and "Why Merph? Why?" And we're going to start with:
I Love You More. So thrillers... thriller is a genre that i very much enjoy, but i really don't
read a ton. I Love You More was one of my very first thrillers and i really liked it. It was my
intro into "Wow! This is a genre that i love." Even though i don't read it constantly. I Love
You More. I remember i predicted the ending. I didn't find it very surprising, but
i was just really excited for the ride. So i don't know if i would still call it great,
but i actually remember quite a bit about it so i'm just gonna say i'm not embarrassed about
this. This was a great intro into thrillers. I still have it on my shelves, i think. Cinder. So
the Lunar Chronicles used to be one of my favorite series and i still look back on it fondly. I've
since passed on my copies of the Lunar Chronicles to my niece and she loves them. And, you know,
i don't.. if i reread the Lunar Chronicles i don't know that i would still love them, but
i think i would still like them in a nostalgic way because i do think that they're good
books. I really don't have anything negative to say about them, it's just they're not
really the type of books I read anymore, so i think i'm going to put... oh, i don't know. I
think i'm going to put it in "not embarrassed," leaning towards "still great." I don't know
that i would still call them great but i am going to pass them on to my kids once my niece
is done with them, if she gives them back to me. I'm going to give them to my kids so that
they can read them because i think that they're solid books. The Hunger Games. Honestly, i
still really enjoy the Hunger Games. They're not a favorite series of mine. Maybe a lot of
nostalgia is wrapped up in them. The hunger games is duo-logy, by the way. There is no third
book. But i don't know. I still really like them. Vampire Academy. Why, Merph? Why? I, you
know, okay... I never did finish the series. There're only six books. I never finished them.
They're not even long books, but i know that after book three they really started to go
downhill for my enjoyment and i ended up just giving up, but i do remember quite a few things
about Vampire Academy because i was really into them for a bit and some of the things in those
books that i enjoyed... i look back and i think, "why would this be in this book targeted towards
teens? Weird choice, man." Mini rant time! Skip to here if you don't want it. All i'm gonna
say is y'all know i don't like power imbalances, unhealthy relationships, i don't know...
pedophilia. Weird thing to have to have a stance on! Anyway, our main character (i don't remember
how old she is) her love interest is I think 27 if i'm remembering correctly. He's her teacher, or
not conventional teacher. He's like her trainer assigned by the school. He is her teacher for all
intents and purposes. They end up getting together and it's not cool, but also the first time that
they (i don't want to get demonetized again) the first time that they are "together" is also
in a really weird situation because she's just experienced some massive, huge trauma. And she's
like, grieving hardcore and then he's just like, "Now's probably the time!" And then
they're like, on school grounds. I don't know. I look back at that and i'm
just like, "Why is this in a teenager's book? Why are we putting teachers and kids
getting together and painting it as romantic in a book for teens?" Rant over. I also... i'll,
i will say... I haven't read these books in many years. Approximately four of them, but i...
maybe some of the smaller details are missing, but i do remember that. And even when
i was reading them i remember thinking, "Don't like this," but i still really liked the
books so i didn't worry about it. Now i'm worried! All right. A Shadow Bright And Burning.
I definitely don't still love this book, but because i reread it recently, because i
remember loving it and i did this series for like two minutes where i was rereading old favorites.
I reread it. I think i gave it three stars so i'm not embarrassed that i used to like it. I think,
I think it was still fine. It's just not really my style anymore. Ah! Kiss of Deception. Okay, so
the Remnant Chronicles is a series that i still love. I haven't reread it recently, but i loved
it for so long and so many people have read it on my recommendation and not liked it, so i
don't know man. Maybe i have bad taste, but i still, i still have so many good
memories about this trilogy. And, i... it's still great. Hunted is a Beauty And The Beast
retelling and i really loved it when i read it. I did re-read it like, a year or two ago and i
didn't love it as much, but i still think it's solid. I'm gonna go with "not embarrassed" because
i don't know that i would still call it great. But again, pass this one on to my niece and she
loved it. It's wonderful. Now we're at Obsidian and i'm just gonna chuck it in the "Why?" category
real fast. I don't know. I don't know what was wrong with me. Why did i like this book? It was
so bad. It was basically a Twilight remake and i hate Edward and i even hated Edward the first time
i read Twilight. I could see that he was abusive and manipulative and horrible, but then i read
obsidian and Damon is Edward. He is abusive and manipulative and mean and horrible and i was just
like, "i love this." I don't know. I don't know. I am embarrassed, but i'm putting it in "why"
because it's a step further from embarrassed. It's: "What were you thinking?" Finding Audrey.
Um... i, okay. I don't know how i would feel about it now. I really did love it. It was basically
my intro into hard-hitting contemporaries and i don't know if i'd still call it great,
but i i guess i'll put it in "not embarrassed" because i don't know how i'd feel about it
now, but i do remember loving it a lot. And it was like my gateway into one of my favorite
genres. Legend. I'm not embarrassed about you. I used to like that. It's not really my style
anymore. Passed this trilogy on to my niece. She currently loves it. It's solid. I'm not
embarrassed about Wait For Me either. That was, i think my first historical fiction, or at least
one of my first historical fictions. I remember not liking my main character at all, but i did
really enjoy the story, so there you go. Dangerous Girls. Again, we're talking about; i hadn't read
very many thrillers. Again, i did predict the ending for Dangerous Girls. I knew where it was
going. I knew how it would, how it would end up. But it was my first time experiencing an ending
like that and i liked it a whole lot. Since then i've read several thrillers with the same
basic plot line and the same reveal and the same ending. And i don't think that Dangerous Girls
did it best, but i did really like reading it. I'm not embarrassed. Duel of Fire. Are we in?
This must be 2017? Or even maybe 18 by now. I'm going to put, oh... is it still great? I think i'm
going to put it in "still great." Duel of Fire is one of those series that isn't really... it's
it's a young adult fantasy and it's not really the type of fantasy that i usually am
drawn to, but i just really liked it, you know? It was really easy to latch on to.
It was a really fun story and it took a lot of typical YA fantasy tropes and did them a little
bit different and i really liked the differences in this, so i don't know. I still love it. Luna.
Easily still great. I love On Luna Time. I love this trilogy. Nightingale. Still great. Historical
fiction; not one of my genres that i reach for very often. Not one of my genres that i love very
often, but The Nightingale was a great story. Red Seas Under Red Skies. My first "still
favorite." Oh wow! I guess i'm not gonna have anything in the "i'm embarrassed" category because
now we just have great books coming up. That's all we have left. Red Seas Under Red Skies is book two
of the Lies of, The Lies of Locke Lamora, which is book two in my favorite series of all time. At the
moment. It's unfinished. It could go downhill, but i hope it doesn't. Red Seas Under Red Skies
is... oof. Such a great story. It's definitely kind of mixed. I think Lies of Locke Lamora is
generally well received. Red Seas Under Red Skies, some people love it, some people don't. And then
book three is a lot more mixed. A lot of people don't care for book three as much, but book two
i thought was just as good as book one. I enjoyed it so much. One of my favorite scenes in the
whole trilogy is in Red Seas Under Red Skies so actually, probably my favorite scene in the whole
trilogy. Anyway, i love it. Mistborn is still one of my favorites. I think it would definitely, i
don't think it would make my top five series list, but definitely make my top ten favorite series
list. So still a favorite. Mistborn is a great trilogy, it's a great entry point for Sanderson.
If you're looking for a place to start with Sanderson, Mistborn is fantastic. Korey i think,
actually likes Mistborn better than Stormlight so, that's a great series. The Ocean At The End
of The Lane. Is it still a favorite? I still love it. I don't think so. I think i would put it
under "still great." There are other Gaiman books that i love more now, but it's still great. Salt
To The Sea. I think i would i would put in "still great." Again, historical fiction. You know, i
haven't read enough of Ruta Sepety's books. I have heard people say that Salt To The Sea, even though
it's her most popular book, is one of her weakest. So, i own two more of her books. I really should
try more of her stuff, but it's still great! The Fifth Season. Still great! The Fifth Season,
uh actually i really want to reread it because i loved book one so much that i was sure that this
trilogy was going to make it to my top list, but i did think that books two and three were weaker and
it ended up not being one of my favorite series, but i'm still glad i read it. I still enjoyed
myself. I don't know. I kind of want to try it again and give books two and three more of
a chance. So that'll happen someday. Into The Drowning Deep. I'm gonna say "still great."
So, Into The Drowning Deep is about mermaids and i think that the beginning was weak and the
ending was weak, but the middle was so good that it remained a favorite of mine for a long time and
with some distance i still think it's fantastic. I still recommend it, but man i just wish the ending
was better. I don't even care that the beginning is so slow i just wish the ending was better, but
it's still great. The Outsiders. I think i would, i think i would put that in "still a
favorite." The Outsiders is phenomenal. Um, yeah. I don't really have anything negative to say
about it. Beartown. Easily still a favorite. Every Way The Home, Every Day The Way Home Give... Every
Morning The Way Home Gets Longer And Longer. Still a favorite. Beauty And The Beast. Still great.
I don't think i'd put it in a favorite status anymore. The Name of The Wind. Still great. Not
a favorite anymore. Book two knocked this series down a peg for me. Um... have you ever had that
before? Where you love a book so much that you're like, "oh my goodness this is one of my favorites"
and then you read the sequel and then the sequel kind of messes up the first book a little bit
for you? I don't hate book two in the Kingkiller Chronicles, but i didn't like it nearly as much as
book three. And then all the things about book one where i was thinking everything is intentional and
everything is so well done and and everything is so important to the plot, but there's a few things
that i was just like: "why are we doing this? what what are we doing here?" Anyway, it's still a
great book. I still love The Name of The Wind, but if we ever do get book three, i don't have
as much faith in it after reading book two as i would have had after reading book one. An
Unkindness of Magicians is still great. It's not really a favorite of mine anymore because
again, um the ending was a little bit weak and i've just read fantasy series that i've loved
so much more since then, but it's still a great book. I still recommend it. Rebecca is easily
still a favorite. I absolutely love Daphne... oh i'm gonna do this. Daphne Du Maurier? Did i do it
right this time? I absolutely love her books. I'm currently reading My Cousin Rachel. I think that
she is easily becoming one of my favorite authors. Please, My Cousin Rachel, don't disappoint
me! Lord of The Rings. Easily still one of my favorites. It's in my top two list of favorite
fantasy series. I absolutely adore The Lord of The Rings. Warbreaker. Oh is it still a favorite or is
it "just great?" I've just had too much distance from it. I don't remember. I think i'm gonna put
it in "still great" because there are other books on this list that i've read a long time ago that
have stuck with me better than Warbreaker did, so i'm putting Warbreaker under "still great." Pride
And Prejudice. Still a favorite. Pet Cemetery. Oh. Is it "still favorite" or is it "still great?"
Hmm... i think i'm gonna put it under "still great." I absolutely adore the exploration
of grief that Pet Cemetery took me through, especially shortly after i had, was dealing
with grief. It was so helpful. It was wonderful, but i think it's just "still great." Still highly
recommend Things My Son Needs To Know About The World. Still a favorite. Oh! Tess of Duberville. I
still probably don't say that right. I'm going to put that under "still great." I want to reread it
though. It's a tragedy and it's a great one. Count of Monte Cristo is easily still a favorite. Wow,
this list is getting too big. It's not fitting on the screen anymore. The Count of Monte Cristo is
easily still a favorite. I recently talked about it in a video "10 books you should read before you
die" (actually, probably a few of these books were in there) but Count of Monte Cristo... incredible.
Still favorite. Easily. Best revenge story ever. Wuthering Heights. I think it's still a favorite.
Yeah, it was also in that video 10 things "10 books you should read" um yeah. I
would say it's still a favorite. Yeah, i absolutely adore that book. I want to reread
that one too. So there you go. There's my list of the last four years of favorites (not counting
2020 obviously because 2020 isn't over yet), but 2016 through 2019. Those are some
of my favorite books and um, you know? Basically everything from 18 to 19 i still,
they're just still wonderful. And then 17 and 16, you know? It's a little bit more deluded.
My tastes have changed quite a bit, but even the books that i used to
love that i don't love anymore; i still think that they're solid books (mostly).
I still think that they're solid books, they just uh, aren't really for me anymore. So there you go.
Those are, oh let me quit this screen recording. So there you go. Those are my feelings about the
books that i once loved. Still a lot of them. The most recent ones i recommend a lot. Be sure to
chat with me more about this in the comments. I post videos every Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday
and Saturday. I'll see you guys again soon, bye.
