Pratique du Shadowing: Books I Wish I Read In 2021!! - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo

Hi guys, it's Regan and welcome back to another video.

And a portion of this video is sponsored by IMDbTV and their series Alex Rider.

So we are approaching the end of the year and do not get me wrong, I am a huge fan of many of the books I was able to read throughout the year of 2021.

But with most things, it's kind of like too many books, too little time, and there are definitely a few reads

that kind of escaped my TBR for the year that I regret not being able to get to.

going to be centering those books I wish I read in the year 2021.

So without further ado, let's go ahead and dive right in

and chat about the first book slash series that was actually the inspiration of this video, Alex Ryder.

I'm so excited to say I'm partnering up with IMDb TV to chat about a very beloved series, Alex Ryder, that has also been adapted into a fantastic TV show.

And yes, this portion of the video is sponsored by IMDb.

The Alex Rider book series was one of my faves as a young adult reader and I do recall the intense

competition to be able to check out one of these books from the library first.

This series made my list as I have been loving checking out past favorite reads throughout this year.

So I'm definitely sad I was not able to get to it.

But if you're not familiar, it follows our main character Alex Rider as he joins the SAS and becomes a spy.

Basically follow him as he becomes versed in espionage and gets wrapped up in global conspiracy.

But while I was not able to get to my reread, I did become very addicted to the adaptation,

which is available to stream for It is a fantastic interpretation of the books themselves.

You can access IMDB TV for free on Fire TV, Roku, or anywhere Prime Video is available.

Check the link in my description to check it out.

The first season perfectly blends the first two books in the series.

It was action -packed from episode one.

I loved following Alex as he was searching for answers about his uncle and also infiltrating the iconic and terrifying Point Blanc.

While the show has a few differences from the series, for example, it is aged up a bit and a bit darker, so many many of my favorite moments remain,

specifically one scene involving an ironing board and a mountain.

I absolutely binged the first season of the show and it left me with so many questions.

What is the history surrounding Alex's parents and when will Alex find out?

How will Tom and Jack be involved in season two?

And honestly, how does Alex have any time to study?

I feel like the action is just getting started

and I can't wait to hopefully learn more about the mystery surrounding this

second season eight episodes is available to watch now for free and I personally cannot wait to dive in.

Thanks again to IMDB TV

and their series Alex Rider for sponsoring this portion of this video

but let's go ahead and dive into the rest of the books I wish I read in 2021.

It's truly just a matter of too many books too little time I feel like I started

so many fantastic series throughout this past year

and I honestly just wasn't able to catch up on as many as I would like.

The first book is definitely an example from a series I started in

which I got a bit further in and that is The Hod King by Josiah Bancroft.

I read the first two books in the Sen Lin Sen series earlier this year

and fell in love from the writing style to the plot and setting to just the dark fantastical atmosphere.

So much about this series just

and I really wish I caught up in time

and read The Hot King to be able to just read the entirety of the series in 2021.

Unfortunately, I did fail on that front, but I do hopefully plan to read this in the beginning parts of 2022.

But if you're not familiar, Senlin Ascends is a whimsical and very dark adult fantasy story.

We follow our main character Senlin, and in the first one, he's traveling to this very mythical place called the Tower of Babel.

This is a very large tower full and kind of has its own machinations and politics kind of present throughout it.

It is a place that Sendlin has always dreamed of visiting and he's finally doing it with his new wife.

They're traveling there on their honeymoon.

Unfortunately, basically upon their arrival, they get separated and this is a series following Sendlin.

He navigates the treacherous floors of this tower trying to locate his lost wife.

This story really expands in ways that you truly could not even anticipate.

Just the complex level of politics throughout these that are also oddly whimsical.

It's just truly an experience I love so much.

The writing has a literary flair which I also really appreciate and I just love the rich prose present throughout the story.

It's just a really unique book.

I wish I read it.

I'm not going to get to it in the year 2021 unfortunately but maybe 2022.

The next book is another book within a series I was not able to get to

and that is Akata Warrior by Nenendia Korofor.

I'm so disappointed that I didn't get "A Cat a Witch" so much.

I read it in 2020 and just again, it was another story I flew through.

It was imaginative and transportive

and just a wonderful coming of age sort of magic sword school young girl coming upon her own power

and there's actually been an announcement for a third book that's finally coming out within this series and I truly cannot wait.

So this is another book I wish I read obviously

that is the point of this video

but in the first one we follow our main character Sunny who born in New York City

but her family has since moved back to Nigeria.

Sunny herself has Nigerian features but she also has albinism.

She's a fantastic athlete but unfortunately due to her skin sensitivity she can't spend too much outside in the Sun.

Given that she doesn't really know where she fits in at school

and among her friends but at the beginning of book one she finds out

that she's a free agent meaning that she has latent magical abilities and from there she's so much storytelling and just imagination.

And we follow Sunny

and her new friends as they basically have to try to

track down a well -known criminal with this magical organization she's just been introduced to.

It's very much a classic chosen one magical trope.

We follow Sunny as she confronts so much newness in this magical place.

And she's just such a wonderful character to root for.

The friendship, the adventure, the magic just makes the story absolutely delightful.

And I also just these characters as well.

They're just really impressive characters that I love to read about.

Just the magic of the story is truly delightful.

Another book I hope to read hopefully soon, but we shall see.

I can't wait for the third book which is coming out sometime next year.

Next book on my list is The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks.

This would actually be another reread for me.

I'm not kidding when I said there was a lot of series I tried to start rereading this year.

We read the first book, The Black Prism, again in 2020 after I realized in trying to read the final book in

that I had forgotten pretty much everything and I could not finish out the series without basically rereading the entire thing.

The Lightbringer series has been one of my favorite fantasy works out there.

So I was really excited to re -encounter this world kind of with fresh eyes

and fresh perspective as I have forgotten so much.

So obviously my disappointment continues when I wasn't able to read book two, but I feel like hopefully I'll be able to continue on with my reread of this series.

eventually.

I really enjoy this world for a variety of reasons.

100

It's multi POV, very plot forward with lots of intense plot twists, but my favorite thing about this particular fantasy series is definitely the magic system.

101

It's just so unique and also has a very interesting

102

Element to it

103

that is in this world different magic users can harness the

104

spectrum of light Depending on the color you personally can see

105

and harness it manifests itself in different ways The more colors

106

you can see in control the more powerful you are the

107

most powerful magic wielder in this world is called the prism and they can control all colors on the spectrum,

108

but there is a very clear downside to wielding magic and that is a The more you use, the quicker you die.

109

And in fact, many of the most powerful warriors in this world die in their 20s.

110

So obviously making the decision to go to war is one that has huge consequences politically and socially speaking.

111

And at the beginning of this series, basically a bunch of political intrigue begins to happen and war seems to be on the horizon.

112

I really enjoyed my reread of book one.

113

I'm looking forward to continuing to make my way through this entire series and hopefully finally finishing it.

114

Lynch.

115

I feel a little less bad about this

116

because I was really determined to read this third book in this series

117

because I thought the fourth book was coming out this year

118

but I was very wrong about that

119

so I do feel like I got a bit more time

120

in my hands to be able to pick this book up ahead of the fourth book releasing.

121

Nonetheless the Gentleman Bastard series is one of my favorite fantasy series out there.

122

It's just witty and I love a heist story.

123

It has very lovable characters and in general I love plots that trick me and make me feel dumb.

124

And I feel like Scott Lynch is consistently able to deliver

125

that but in this series we follow our main character Locke

126

and in the first one You're basically kind of following a

127

dual narrative first following him as a young child Basically following his training

128

and how he was able to get into the thieving world in the first place

129

And then that narrative is kind of paralleled with present day as you follow him

130

and his merry group of men as they're basically Trying to pull off the most impossible heist

131

and basically make the entire town around them hate them.

132

Locke Lamora is a eel type of character.

133

He's maybe not the strongest, he might not be the fastest, but he is smart.

134

And his confidence is also unparalleled.

135

He will attempt basically anything he thinks might be possible for him to pull off.

136

And seeing all of his schemes throughout the first two books has been an absolute joy.

137

And also the political escalation that you experience within the first two books I found to be very impressive.

138

And the last book actually had quite an emotional moment.

139

So I'm a little nervous for like my heart to pick up this third novel.

140

But I'm really excited to read this.

141

I wish I got to it earlier.

142

Obviously it's included in this video, but unfortunately I did not make time for this

143

But I do feel with the delay of the fourth book like who knows

144

when that's coming out I have a bit more time to get to this but nonetheless.

145

I love it so much.

146

I wish I read it next up We have a relatively new release, but I am so sad I just wasn't able to fit it on my TBR

147

and hopefully will be a book I read in early 2022 and that is cloud cuckoo land by Anthony door.

148

I love Anthony doors writing read many short story collections by this author.

149

I just love his style.

150

He writes these really intimate vignettes in his historical settings just absolutely shine throughout each book and story I have read.

151

This new release I've heard fantastic things about and just seems like a new historical epic that also expands into present day, which really calls out to me.

152

This book is set partially in 15th century Constantinople and partially in present day.

153

And in this story, we first follow Anna, who is an orphan living within the walls of Constantinople.

154

She is a voracious reader.

155

in the town of Constantinople.

156

This is set again in 15th century, which basically centers around the siege of this particular city.

157

And the other main character we follow is Oemir, who is basically forced into conscription into the army that is going to be sieging the city itself.

158

Anthony Dorr is known for his beautiful writing, his sort of

159

separate points of views with their individual vignettes and kind of watching as they slowly come together in unexpected ways.

160

The element of this book that specifically calls out to me is we actually jump 500 years in the future in Idaho.

161

We follow a young boy in the library and somehow his storyline is going to intersect with Anna and Omir.

162

I'm not sure how, I don't want to be spoiled, but I just feel like this book is going to be beautiful, emotional, and just all the things that I love about this author's writing.

163

I'm so sad I was not able to get to it this year, especially because I've been waiting for this book.

164

for so long.

165

I just could not wait for his new release.

166

So hopefully, hopefully I'll read this soon, but I'm so sad I did not get to it.

167

Another historical fiction book that I did not get to, I'm so sad about, is A Gentleman in Moscow by Amora Taos.

168

I even had this on my winter TBR.

169

Like, I was so certain I was going to be able to get to this, but I am just failing in this regard.

170

And I'm sad about it.

171

But this book has so many different plot elements that I know I feel like I'm going to personally love.

172

First and foremost, this author is known for - Yeah.

173

fiction, one that you get very attached to everyone and again kind of coming together in unexpected ways.

174

This story is set in 1922 in Russia

175

and we follow our main character who has been deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by the Bolshevik government

176

and therefore he has been sentenced to a lifelong house arrest within this hotel near the tribunal.

177

This man now lives in the attic room in a hotel

178

and he basically watches some of the most tumultuous years in Russian history unfold before him

179

and I believe he himself is documenting in some way with his own personal point of view.

180

From there, I also believe we follow different members who also live within this hotel, each of them coming from different backgrounds, but again, coming together due to these unexpected circumstances.

181

And I really love Russian history.

182

I love that this is a character led story set during such a well known time in history.

183

I've heard such good things about this.

184

I wanted to read this book and embarrassed I didn't get to read this book in time.

185

But nonetheless, and made this video.

186

Next is another book within a series I just was not able to catch up on

187

and that is Harald the Ninth by Tom Zemmure.

188

I read Gideon the Ninth last year and really really enjoyed it.

189

I found it to be the perfect sort of creepy sci -fi story for the fall season.

190

I was hoping to read this book during the fall season

191

and when I kind of missed that window I basically automatically just moved it to next year's fall TBR.

192

But nonetheless this is a sci -fi story that also

193

but it primarily follows our main character Gideon lives on a planet called ninth house.

194

In this sort of solar system, there are different planets with different necromantic abilities.

195

And ninth house is considered to be the weakest She's been trying to escape this planet her entire life.

196

Each time it has been foiled by her arch nemesis Haro.

197

At the beginning of this book, these two women come to an agreement.

198

Basically Haro has been given an opportunity to

199

possibly elevate her family status by participating in this political competition to become like an important council member.

200

They travel to this faraway planet, they meet all these different necromancers from all the other planets.

201

And so begins like a bizarre competition, but also who done it murder mystery where everyone's trapped in this remote and desolate place.

202

It's a really unique book.

203

I also found it to be really, really funny.

204

I enjoyed Gideon's narration.

205

It also has a queer romance, which I thought was great.

206

It's just a lot of fun.

207

I didn't get to it, but I feel like next fall, will be my year.

208

Next up I have a literary fiction option I was not able to get to.

209

I do feel like I expanded my reading in historical and literary fiction but not quite to the degree I hoped to, but nonetheless this is a book that I just have heard

210

so many fantastic things about and I'm really sad I wasn't able to get to it

211

and that is If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha.

212

This is a story set in modern day Seoul

213

and follows four women and their different lives and perspectives as all of beauty standards,

214

after -hour room salons, catering to wealthy men, and ruthless social hierarchy.

215

I believe this is just a story of four different women

216

that either live or live around each other in the same building.

217

All of them have disparate tales that are impacted by their own personal lives and

218

but all of them also tie back to these larger societal issues

219

that are kind of confronting all of these women at once in different ways.

220

I've heard this book is very moving, very poignant, and I picked it up because I was really excited to read it.

221

I was not able to get to it this year, but I hope to read this very soon.

222

The next book is The Raven Tower by Anne Leckie.

223

This is an author I've just been wanting to read for years.

224

She's mostly known for her sci -fi stories.

225

In fact, she has a few very, very famous and very beloved sci -fi stories.

226

But she released a fantasy series a few years ago or started releasing it.

227

And that one in particular really called out to me and felt like a good place to start with this author.

228

I had every intention of reading this book, but I did not get to it.

229

Just the concept and the setup I know is also something I would really enjoy.

230

I don't know the clear specifics of the story as this is book one.

231

I haven't even started this series, but I do believe it's an epic of humans and gods at war.

232

And that particular trope and concept is always one I tend to enjoy in fantasy stories.

233

dynamic of that, especially when the gods themselves are a little fickle and a little not so great.

234

So this was one I did not get to.

235

I feel like I would love this book if I did read it.

236

I but only time will tell.

237

The last book slash series I was not able to get to in 2021

238

that I am sad about is finishing up the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman.

239

I read and loved this series in middle school.

240

And again, I've just been loving revisiting like past favorites and seeing how I feel about them now.

241

And this was one of the series I hope to get a reread in.

242

I started it, I actually was doing pretty good.

243

I read the first one and got about 50 % way through the second one, listening to the audiobook, which is a full cast.

244

I just got distracted by other reads and ended up putting it down and just didn't get back to it.

245

But from my reread, I was just, I was loving it, honestly, quite a bit.

246

I honestly had forgotten a lot of this series before picking it back up again this year.

247

But I was really pleased with not only how magical it was, how ferocious our main character was, and how easy she was to root for.

248

But honestly, the world and setting was really as the story also has to deal with parallel worlds.

249

But more than that, I was honestly very surprised with how dark this middle grade series is.

250

I mean, some of the stuff our main characters who our children have to go through is absolutely harrowing.

251

The first book was fantastic.

252

The second book was gearing up to continue to be fantastic.

253

And I was hoping to get to the third book and completing my reread of the trilogy this year.

254

but I failed.

255

But I did start.

256

So it was like a partial failure.

257

You know, I started it, I didn't get to all of the books.

258

But again, this is one I really want to continue on and continue to listen to the audiobook specifically as I really, really enjoy them.

259

But yeah, I just love revisiting middle school faves.

260

I feel like it's just a lot of fun to see how your tastes change and how your perspectives change through time.

261

But some of the things that you love, even when you're a kid, continue to be consistent when you grow up, you know?

262

And I feel like that was really encapsulated in this reread for me, but this is the last book I wish I got to in 2021.

263

Alrighty guys, those are all the books I wish I got to in this past year.

264

Again, big shout out to IMDb TV and their series, Alex Writer for sponsoring a portion of this video.

265

Again, I'll have a link in my description for

Qu'est-ce que la technique du Shadowing ?

Le Shadowing est une technique d'apprentissage des langues fondée sur la science, développée à l'origine pour la formation des interprètes professionnels. Le principe est simple mais puissant : vous écoutez de l'anglais natif et le répétez immédiatement à voix haute — comme une ombre suivant le locuteur avec un décalage de 1 à 2 secondes. Les recherches montrent une amélioration significative de la précision de la prononciation, de l'intonation, du rythme, des liaisons, de la compréhension orale et de la fluidité.

Pratique du Shadowing: Books I Wish I Read In 2021!! - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo

About This Lesson

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

Practice Tips

Qu'est-ce que la technique du Shadowing ?