Shadowing Practice: I've read 23 books this year and HALF were 5 star reads... - Learn English Speaking with Video

Kies een oefenmodus

Elke modus opent een volledig scherm oefenruimte.

540 zinnen

Als zinnen te kort of te lang zijn, klik op Bewerken om ze aan te passen.

hi reader pops welcome back to my channel i'm gonna be telling you about the 23 books

that i've read so far in 2026 from january to july

and i have an insane statistic for you 11 of those

23 books were five star reads meaning over half of everything

i've read this year was a new favorite book it's actually insane

if you want to know my theory of how

that happened you can watch this video where after i had

read five five star books in a row i was like

okay i think i have a technique here i need to start a youtube video

and see if it's real that's what this is

but even the ones

that aren't five stars are four stars 4 .5 basically this

is gonna be a great recommendation video starting off with a bang in january i read one book

and that was half his age by jeanette mccurdy i read it on my kindle

so i don't have it physically

but this is her first fiction novel she had a humongous memoir

and i never read that but i was really excited to read this i saw

so many of the reels that she did promoting it i know from the interviews

that i watched that she wrote this story based on this predatory older man

that she dated in the novel it's about a girl named

waldo who is in a relationship with her teacher who's like in his 40s

or something probably but it also talks about fast fashion

and consumerism and beauty standards for young women and social media usage

and waldo's voice in the novel is supposed to be very brash

and it's supposed to be shocking and it definitely was

but i ended up giving this book one star which is

so crazy i feel like i don't think i've i don't

think i've ever given a book one star it's hard for me to do

that because i know

that writing books at least in my own experience writing a book it's a way to process some horrible things

that have happened to in your life and

that is very clearly obviously what Jeanette did she was not shy about

that she said that that's what she took inspiration from

but I feel like her take on such a serious topic

did not add anything the whole tone was extremely nihilistic

and I felt it was supposed to be shocking

or gross just to be shocking or gross it wasn't actually saying anything

which I guess it is trying to say something by just showing how gross

and shocking things are but on a technical level too i feel like her chapters were

so short and they never actually were scenes it just was her writing for a page

and a half and then it would stop

and then she was writing for a page and a half

and then it would stop

but we never like entered a scene like i never felt like i was like in dialogue

and i was in a room

that was january next up i read oh what's this you ask

if you guys don't know i created my own book sleeve a few years ago

and then when my debut novel just friends came out i wanted to create a book sleeve

that was inspired by it so this has a blue gingham pattern

which is kind of an easter egg for my next book

and then it has a letter and blue footed boobies

and the interior is like these lemonade colored stripes so

if you want one they are available on hayleyfam .com february

started with an author i had never read back after this

by linda holmes this is about cecily who is a podcast host

and i know that the author is an npr podcast host in real life

so i knew that she was going to know a lot about

that experience which was exciting for me to read

but in this book she has to create a podcast about her dating life

because the podcast network is kind of struggling for listeners

but the twist is that this influencer is going to help her with her dating life

and she has to take her advice

and i will say the influencer in this novel was about

as stereotypical as you would expect an influencer to be written about

and of course hey maybe i'm on the defense

because i'm kind of what you might call an influencer sometimes i've always felt like

because i was on youtube i was a youtuber

but that's besides the point she has to take her advice

and these women could not be more different she agrees to go on 20 blind dates

but in the process she gets obsessed with this one guy named Will who they are saving this dog together

which is complicated because now she's committed to a show where she has to keep going on dates but what

if she already fell for this other guy the writing was

superb character work I thought was great except for the influencer

but she still was entertaining to me

and still somewhat like I'm sure those people do exist even

though I'm calling it a stereotype probably a stereotype for a

reason i gave this four stars thoroughly enjoyed it would definitely read this author again like i've said

so many times on this channel i love romances

that are written with like a literary fiction pen if you will

and this is one of those books my only critique is

that the ending was very almost real life

and i like a little bit of pizzazz i'm reading a

romantic comedy like give me something that's a little bit out of this world

but it was very normal which she nailed that

and that's what she wanted to do and i thought

that was great and it's four stars and And then I read a short story collection, which I have not done since I tried to read Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory.

I can't remember the name, but this is called Show, Don't Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld.

And I had read her book, Romantic Comedy, but this book absolutely shocked me to my core.

I just could never have guessed that I would give a short story collection five stars, but that's what I did with this.

For that to happen, every short story has to be something that I loved.

And every short story has different characters, different plot it's like starting a new book over

and over and over again and every single short story was hilarious

and the character work was insane like it was just i feel like it was

so fair like it feels like she was writing real people

and there were things from these short stories

that stuck in my memory for months after

which it's only been months after

but yeah i think this is one of the most impressive things i've read all year

if you're really interested in good writing i would highly recommend this

100

or if you're in the mood to pick something up where you only have to read one short story

101

and then feel like you've accomplished something then this would also

102

be great we're on my streak of five star reads

103

so this is basically just a recommendation video right now i read into the blue by emma brody

104

and i begged on my hands and knees for the arc

105

because one of my favorite instagrammers gave it five stars i trust her taste so much

106

that i was like i need to read this this is a romance written with more literary vibes

107

but also like someone who is an a03 fanfic writer

108

which is just the perfect combination to me it's a love that spans over decades.

109

AJ Graves, our main girl, is obsessed with sci -fi shows from the past that like don't even stream anymore.

110

It's super niche but she's obsessed with it

111

and then we've got this guy named Noah whose aunt is one of the actresses on the show

112

that AJ is obsessed with.

113

So he kind of comes from this Hollywood royalty.

114

They meet in high school working at a video store together and then they start going to the aunt's house, Eudora, and she leads them through improv class

115

and it teaches them to have a bond and connection

116

that is so intense that they can look at each other

117

and know what the other person is thinking who knew improv class could be

118

so great for a romance novel but

119

that is just the start you follow them through decades like

120

I said where she's in LA maybe she's in a sci

121

-fi show maybe he gets put in the sci -fi show

122

too maybe their lines in the show are starting to mirror their real life

123

if you like yearning this is the book for you like you just have to read it.

124

It is spicy.

125

I will say that this is a spicy book.

126

You have to skip like, I would say four or five chapters if you want to skip it, but this book made me realize that specificity is key.

127

We want all the specifics.

128

Then I read Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash.

129

This is kind of the literary fiction golden child of the year, or at least one of them in my opinion.

130

Describing this book feels like a fever dream, but you're following the Flynn family and they are very dysfunctional.

131

I'm pretty sure you get everyone's POV, the dad, the mom, and the three sisters.

132

The writing is absurd and hilarious

133

and it was one of those things where it was

134

so voicey at the start that i didn't know

135

if i could keep reading like i couldn't tell

136

if i was annoyed or not and then i kept going

137

and then suddenly i was obsessed it's so different

138

that it just feels jarring

139

and you feel like you have your guard up at first at least i did

140

and then once you give into it you're like okay this

141

is just hilarious i can't even say some of the things

142

that are in this book without my video getting flagged probably

143

but let's just say

144

that these sisters get into a lot of trouble they're trying to take down billionaires

145

and the conspiracy theories of the town it kind of does become a mystery halfway through the book

146

but if you love literary fiction and you want something really different

147

and really funny and really bingeable i recommend this i ended up giving it five stars

148

which was crazy wasn't expecting that and then i read a thriller because

149

that same instagram told me to this story might save your

150

life by tiffany crumb this is about two best friends benny

151

and joy who have a podcast together where every week they share stories of survival

152

or near -death experiences

153

and then they have one of their own i'm sure this would have been a great audiobook

154

which i did not do

155

but it was really fun to read the transcript of their

156

podcast one day benny shows up to joy's house to record the podcast

157

and her and her husband are missing

158

so he has to you know figure out what where they are

159

and also kind of prove that he's not guilty

160

and joy was writing a memoir

161

so to help him figure out where she is he starts reading the memoir

162

which means we get to start reading the memoir and that was juicy it was everything i wanted in a thriller.

163

It's so fast -paced.

164

Loved the characters.

165

I feel like I loved the characters more than I would a typical thriller

166

because usually it just feels like you know someone and they're serviceable to get you through to the mystery plot.

167

I think I also wanted the ending of this one to be a little bit more grandiose.

168

Not in terms of the mystery but in terms of other emotions

169

and that's my only critique really but it's still five stars.

170

This is I think the only thriller I've read all year and I would highly recommend it.

171

Also didn't make me feel too dark

172

because that's why I don't like reading thrillers that much is I don't like feeling creeped out or sad.

173

So if you don't like that this one was great.

174

This is another arc that I absolutely begged for.

175

Bad Words by Rionok Robinson.

176

Emily Henry went on a podcast and said

177

that this was the best book that she's read in a really long time

178

and her blurb up here says a once in a lifetime read.

179

High praises from Emily Henry usually leads me to a five -star book and this instance was no different.

180

The concept alone is amazing.

181

This is dual POV

182

so we're following Parker whose debut novel was smashed into smithereens by literary critic selena chan

183

and that review of it made his debut novel flop he thought his life was over

184

but then he's coming out with his second book

185

and i think his second book has like a million dollar advance

186

or something one of them has a million dollar advance like

187

yet again selena chan hates his book gives it a horrible

188

review they see each other at a party they start screaming at each other

189

and someone films it and posts it online

190

and then it's this conversation about like selena chan

191

and has she gone too far as a critic

192

and obviously their enemies and this is a romance book

193

so it becomes enemies to lovers

194

and it is the best enemies to lovers i have read

195

in i don't know how long these people are real enemies

196

where you're like this is not going to work out how the author managed

197

that is so impressive to me it's also making commentary about a lot of different things

198

that i found really interesting i think authors in general will find

199

that discussion around criticism interesting

200

and her writing on a sentence level was just breathtaking to be honest whatever

201

that means actually it literally does take my breath away

202

so that's what it means i didn't move from my chair for a really long time

203

when i was reading this i remember that

204

and then i finally read project hail mary by andy weir

205

because the movie was coming out i mostly listened to this actually

206

and i would say the audiobook was a five -star read

207

while the book was a four -star read

208

because i can't really imagine reading the science it was still super accessible

209

but there was a lot of science and the movie was

210

so great so

211

that made for a fun week then i read how to write a love story by catherine walsh

212

which i was super excited for because i read some of holiday romance

213

because during christmas her books go i feel like kind of viral on social media

214

because i think they're free on kindle unlimited

215

and they are genuinely good i never finished the one

216

that i was reading because then christmas happened

217

and then i was like well now i don't really want to read this anymore

218

so it wasn't

219

because it was bad her writing is witty i feel like

220

you can feel her personality through the characters this one i had such high hopes for

221

because it's ireland in the summer it's about Keira Sheridan whose father passed away

222

and she has to take over the extremely famous series

223

that he was writing but she is experiencing a lot of writer's block

224

because of the grief and she just feels like the pressure to impress those fans is too much.

225

The book editor Sam Avery gets sent from New York City

226

to her house in Ireland to motivate her to get the book done.

227

Looking back I feel like I do have fond memories of this.

228

I just wanted more specificity out of it

229

and I kept thinking of Into the Blue

230

and how specific the world within the world was

231

because this one similarly has the book series that's famous within this book

232

but you never really get to see that much detail about it which I think still worked.

233

I just was craving a little bit more

234

and maybe Into the Blue is what set my expectations to see more of the fiction within the fiction.

235

So I ended up giving this three stars.

236

I thought it was a great rom -com especially for the summer

237

so if it sounds interesting I think it'd be a fun time

238

and then I went out on a limb and read The Will of the many by James Eilington.

239

The first few chapters of this book have such great imagery.

240

I feel like I could picture the world so well

241

which is shocking for me because I don't really read fantasy books like this

242

that often but what really sucked me into reading this is The Academy.

243

I love anything that resembles like a Red Rising type of story at all

244

if they have to go into a really rigorous academy.

245

The politics are crazy and the trials are crazy.

246

I just eat that up every time and this did not disappoint.

247

I really should read the second book before I forget everything

248

that happen in this one because I remember the ending was insane.

249

It was kind of like Indiana Jones

250

which I loved those movies as a kid so if you also did I would highly recommend this.

251

I gave this 4 .5 stars.

252

Also before that I actually forgot because I read it on Kindle.

253

I read the memoir Strangers by Belle Burden.

254

I have never read a memoir so fast in my entire life.

255

It is the real life story about how her husband of 20 years up and leaves her.

256

Well first she gets a phone call from someone else's husband

257

saying hey my wife is having an affair with your husband

258

and then she confronts her husband and he just up

259

and leaves her and the kids

260

but she grew up extremely wealthy in New York City she

261

was living on her house on Martha's Vineyard during the pandemic

262

and she just takes you through how her life completely changed overnight from this event with her husband

263

and also the backstory on her life and some of her family's life

264

and just like the insanely elite of New York City getting to see a glimpse of

265

that I was like this feels illegal

266

that she wrote this memoir like she doesn't have to be telling us any of this

267

and she is and for that I'm grateful

268

and I don't wanna critique anything because thank you for sharing that story and giving us all those details.

269

I thought it was insane.

270

I read it in one day and then I wanted to talk about it with other people.

271

I wanted to watch YouTube videos about it.

272

The redeeming point of it is to help people heal from something

273

that you would never expect to happen to you

274

and how she had to learn to share her grief with the people around her.

275

The way people responded was so confusing.

276

Some people in response to her saying, hey, my husband had an affair and left me

277

and the kids would talk about all of her husband's greatest qualities all of

278

that stuff was just

279

so interesting to me five stars we're in April now this

280

was an entertaining read the night we met by Abby Jimenez

281

one of the most exciting releases for the romance world

282

and this did not disappoint in the excitement factor I'm laughing

283

because the plot is just

284

so insane she's basically in love with her boyfriend's best friend the entire book like the romances between two characters

285

that should not like each other

286

but I'm getting ahead of myself I actually listened to a lot of this book on a random day

287

that I had off where I decided to walk seven miles

288

because I wanted to see what actually oh my gosh I did

289

that because I read the memoir strangers and in

290

that book she walks for like seven miles ten miles I

291

don't know how many I never connected those two things in my head

292

but I guess subconsciously I wanted to understand what it would feel like to walk

293

that far because I don't think I've ever done that

294

so I walked seven miles and I listened to a majority of this book

295

and I think that was a good choice

296

because this book is just insane at one point at one point larissa

297

and chris rescue a dog together and they call each other mommy

298

and daddy of the dog meanwhile larissa is in a full relationship with chris's best friend

299

but you're calling yourself mommy

300

and daddy with another guy like it that's what i mean by insane was it entertaining absolutely

301

and i think that's what you want sometimes in a romance book

302

so was it something i was rooting for no no

303

but was i entertained yes and will i buy probably every book that she writes because the hype is so real

304

yes and i'm gonna have a good day doing it three stars i just love books like even

305

if they're crazy it's like this was such a fun time

306

i did a reread of the bodyguard by katherine center i

307

recommend this book probably the most out of any romance book

308

that i recommend to people because i know it's quick it's fast paced her sentences are

309

so easy and bingeable so if you're like not

310

that big of a reader you're kind of new to it

311

this is great there's no spice she's funny it's becoming a movie it's just such a perfect recommendation

312

so i wanted to reread it to also just have a good time

313

because i have such fond memories of the first time i

314

read this i was at an airport it was my first catherine center book i'd ever read

315

and it just felt like that moment when you were stumbling upon gold

316

and you were like whoa what is this i love this i'm eating this up the sun is setting

317

so we're shifting over here

318

but then i read a new release dolly all the time

319

by annabelle monahan i've been reading her summer books every year for almost four years i think now

320

and they're always so sweet and delicate and simple

321

but heartwarming in great settings which is just everything i could ever want actually now

322

that i'm talking about it this one is set in rhode island

323

which if you have been keeping up with me i've been going there a lot

324

because i may or may not be writing a novel

325

that is set there and i've personally just fallen in love

326

so much with newport rhode island which the town in here is fictionalized

327

but newport rhode island is near it i think dolly is

328

such a lovable character she is a single mom she works at her dad's fish store

329

and she's just kind of helping around with his house

330

and she just doesn't really expect things to go her way

331

because she's taking care of a lot

332

and then one day she delivers fish cakes to the Whitfield household

333

which are the richest people in the town it's what the entire town is named after

334

which in Newport Rhode Island that's basically the case with the Vanderbilts

335

and I kind of wonder if she took inspiration from that

336

but she meets Stuart Whitfield

337

and he is like kind of an heir to a billion dollar company

338

and they have to start fake dating

339

because it would look good for him to inherit the company

340

or become CEO

341

or one of those things the details to me don't really matter all I care is

342

that they're fake dating and it was really enjoyable I gave this book 4 .5 stars

343

which is almost always what I give her books so it's

344

so exciting every summer when they come out

345

and then I reread book lovers by Emily Henry

346

because I was going to New York City

347

and some of this book takes place there

348

but it's also just one of the only Emily Henry books

349

that I have never reread

350

and I feel like I probably saw a few too many

351

videos where people said this was their favorite Emily Henry book

352

so I had to give it another shot

353

and I've got to say I really did enjoy it way

354

more the second time i like the sister dynamic i like the setting of course as normal

355

and i really liked charlie lastra i gave this one four stars though

356

which i think is it's one of the only emily henry books

357

that i give four stars a reread never hurts

358

and then i continued with our perfect storm by carly fortune this was her new release of this year

359

which i always get insanely excited for her books because

360

if there's one thing carly fortune does right it is setting an atmosphere

361

and this one is set in Tofino in Canada and the characters names are Frankie and George.

362

I think those are some of the best names I've read all year.

363

Frankie's fiance leaves a note on her pillow and just disappears I think the day before they get married or after.

364

So she's devastated obviously and she has this honeymoon that she can't go on anymore but George, her childhood best friend, steps in and says we're going on your honeymoon

365

and we're gonna help you heal and he plans this whole itinerary and the book format kind of follows that itinerary.

366

Tofino sounds like a place

367

that i want to go to one day in my life i feel like it's also really cool

368

that she is a canadian author and has just introduced

369

so many beautiful canadian landscapes to little americans like me

370

that have no idea

371

and it honestly just feels like such a privilege to be able to sit down

372

and feel like you are being transported to a completely different place

373

and this book really did that

374

and i gave it three stars this was the most exciting week for me

375

because i also read katherine center's new release the shippers she's

376

another one of those authors who i get insanely excited about i thought this cover was just gorgeous

377

and so fun this follows

378

jojo burton

379

which the name jojo of course i'm thinking of jojo seawall

380

like i'm sorry i actually never did during the book

381

but now i am i i don't know i just thought

382

it was a funny name her sister is getting married on a cruise

383

and she decides this is her time to get over her intimacy problems

384

and get a boyfriend

385

and who does she enlist to help her be her wingman

386

other than her childhood bestie cooper something i actually have grown to love about a catherine center book is

387

that you know the third act is going to be insane

388

something you never expected it almost turns into an action book

389

and i have grown to love that

390

because i don't see anyone else doing it like

391

that in the romance genre like i would not feel the confidence to do

392

that and she's going for it

393

and i kind of eat it up it makes me stressed out

394

because there are stressful scenes

395

but i'm learning to eat it up i won't lie though

396

the name pork pie also threw me off names are important you know they really set the mood

397

and I feel like I could have used some better names.

398

All that being said, loved the main guy in this.

399

He was so fun and playful and lovable.

400

And I gave it 4 .5 stars.

401

Highly recommend.

402

As per usual, these are no spice.

403

And then for my most recent video where I let my guy friends who never read choose the books that I read, they chose the next three books that I read.

404

One of them being Save the Date by Mallory Cass.

405

I loved this book.

406

I don't know why but I just had a feeling from looking at it.

407

Actually I do know why.

408

I read the first chapter and it was in third person

409

and I thought oh maybe this is gonna be a romance book written more like literary fiction, my favorite thing ever.

410

And that's what it ended up being and I did end up absolutely loving it.

411

You're following three girls at a wedding in Maine with a rich family

412

and absolute chaos is breaking out the entire time which just makes you want to turn the pages.

413

You're following the bride, the maid of honor, and the sister and all three of them have a lot to deal with.

414

It was so entertaining and delightful.

415

Like I feel like I just haven't read a book like this really ever

416

and it was just fun and happy

417

and there were still deeper topics in it

418

but i feel like they were handled so well

419

and gave a sweetness to the book

420

and the romance was making me swoon there's a few different romances actually

421

but i want more people to read this book i think it's amazing i think the cover is amazing it's

422

so like rom -com movie five stars then i read passion

423

project by london sperry i give such an in -depth review in this video

424

if you want to watch that

425

but ultimately i ended up giving this book three stars

426

and i really liked that it set in new york city

427

and then i read one and only by maureen goo

428

which is one of those magical realism romance books

429

which i feel like i've seen a lot of those this year

430

which is exciting i really like

431

that genre i loved seeing an asian family in this one there was a love triangle

432

which was a little bit stressful but ultimately good

433

and i ended up giving this one four stars

434

and then i read whistler by ann patchett she's one of those authors who has won the pen faulkner award

435

which means critically acclaimed she wins literary awards she writes amazing literary fiction i've listened to tom lake by her

436

because meryl streep does the audiobook of that one

437

and i thought it was good but sometimes with audiobooks i just cannot tell

438

if a book is good or bad i really can

439

but i read this one

440

and from page one it just feels like your grandpa is telling you a story

441

that you are like locked in the whole time

442

and hanging on his every word and the dialogue was amazing i'm just

443

so impressed that you can write a story about such a random moment in a person's life

444

but make it so intriguing to where i'm turning the pages as

445

if it's a thriller book someone's dialogue would just be like

446

oh have you heard about the time i blank it's like oh let me tell you about it

447

and then she would just tell a story through dialogue

448

and it was so captivating it opens with daphne

449

and her husband who is like 20 years older than her i think

450

so she's 50 something he's 70 something they're walking around at the met the museum in new york city

451

and jonathan her husband notices this other elderly man who keeps looking at his wife

452

and so he thinks oh

453

that guy is hitting on you turns out it's her long -lost stepdad who she's had like three

454

stepdads in her life but this one really made an impact on her when she was nine years old.

455

But yeah that's all I'll really say.

456

It's such a random synopsis.

457

I could not understand what this book was about before I picked it up

458

and bought it but I'm so glad I just went in blind and read it and it was so great.

459

It just felt like a little hug and it was just heartwarming and I absolutely recommend this book.

460

Five stars.

461

Now we're talking about books I read like last week so they're very fresh.

462

Every Version of You by Natalie Messier.

463

This is also a magical realism romance and it was

464

so great we're following joey who is 32 and she's a lawyer

465

and she's going to this party where she's in love with a guy who is married to a different girl

466

and then she dies

467

and she opens her eyes to a weird 70s style office with a caseworker

468

and the caseworker looks at her file

469

and says you have enough regrets here to be allowed a second chance at life

470

so when in your life do you want to go back to you can't go below five years old

471

so then she goes back to her college days to the day

472

that she met the love of her life who is now married to a different girl

473

and she's gonna try to stop him from ever marrying someone else

474

and to make him fall in love with her doesn't

475

that just sound so good I feel like the implications of

476

that in the world I wanted to be I wanted to have like ripple effects in the world

477

and it did like everything

478

that I thought should have happened all of those things she covered

479

and then especially at the end whenever we get some of the family dynamics I thought

480

that was so interesting and well -written dynamic between her sister

481

and her mom and her parents expectations of her to be a lawyer

482

and the conversation about if people can change

483

or not especially in this world where they get a second chance

484

and the writing was great

485

so can you guess what i gave i give it five stars

486

and listen i'm not just giving these books five stars

487

because i'm nice genuinely i am giving these books five stars

488

because i think they are worth that and my scale for

489

that has not changed if anything i feel like i've gotten harsher on books since writing

490

but i think i've just been better about what to choose

491

and i have been filming less which you might have been seeing

492

because i've been posting less frequently on here because i've been writing

493

and so with the time that i can spend really vetting a book to see

494

if i want to read it has helped me choose books

495

that i just really love so

496

if i say it's five stars i mean it i think

497

that you should read it this one is spicy though kind

498

of like way more spicy than i was expecting actually

499

so just a heads up and lastly i read daddy issues by kate goldbeck i

500

loved you again by this author one of my favorite romance

501

books ever thought the sentences were great thought the characters were insufferable

502

which i love now this one was interesting

503

because at this point it feels like i'm just reading her books

504

because i like her as an author and i didn't necessarily like the characters

505

or the setting or the trope of this book

506

which i read the author's note at the back

507

and she didn't know that single father trope was a trope before she wrote it but that's what this is.

508

So there is little kid in it who i thought was really funny

509

and well written

510

but you're following a girl named sam who is 26 living

511

with her mom in ohio doesn't have a career necessarily

512

that she thought she would have and then the single dad moves in next door

513

and it's a romance between them so there is nothing glamorous about this book like

514

if you read books for escapism and larger than life stuff

515

and beautiful settings this is not

516

that this is kind of slice of life realistic funny writing maybe it would be cathartic

517

if you're in a place where you just feel like I'm

518

in my 20s I do not know what I'm doing I

519

feel like a mess this is not where I thought my life would be I think

520

that this book would be really comforting

521

because there was something about the small scope of this book

522

that just felt sort of cozy

523

and like intimate he's the manager of a Chili's I love Chili's

524

so I loved that and she also loves graphic novels

525

which is why the cover looks like one

526

and sometimes she'll write her life within a graphic novel

527

which I thought was a really cool little thing in there to make it different

528

so I gave this four stars I really liked some of

529

the arguments towards the end I listened to some of those last chapters on audio

530

and hearing them fight back

531

and forth was really entertaining it felt like I was watching a movie

532

and I will probably read whatever this author writes next

533

because I love her writing so much that is everything

534

that I've read this year 11 books that were five stars

535

so I hope you got a recommendation from this

536

if you have not read my debut novel I highly recommend

537

it she is five stars the beach town absolutely superb childhood friends to lovers absolutely delightful.

538

And if you want a book sleeve, I'll have that link down below.

539

And in the meantime, I'm going to try to go write a book that hopefully you love one day.

540

Bye!

App downloaden

Alles wat je nodig hebt om vloeiend te spreken

AI UitspraakScoor elke zin

IPA OefeningBeheers elk geluid

WoordenschatBouw je woordenschat op

WoordenspelLeren terwijl je speelt

Scan QR

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

Zelfde Kanaal

ULTIMATE BOOK VIDEO: big book haul, September tbr, 5 star reads, & reading journal

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

FOR YOU

Aanbevolen Video

199 zinnen

Best Books I've Read in 2026 (so far!) | Reviews & Recommendations

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

458 zinnen

She Read 1,200 Pages in ONE Sitting… Has “Intellectual Consumerism” Taken Over BookTok?

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

317 zinnen

I hated reading because of school, then I read one on my own, my life has changed

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

198 zinnen

Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les

Deze video bevat 540 zinnen en 6363 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 26:44. De spreker praat snel, ongeveer 238 woorden per minuut, dus reken op verbonden en ingeslikte klanken. 82% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden; de rest kun je beter vooraf bekijken.

Belangrijke woorden in deze video

15 minder gangbare woorden uit de video, met uitspraak en betekenis:

insane /ɪnˈseɪn/ (bijvoeglijk naamwoord) — gestoord, waanzinnig. Exhibiting unsoundness or disorder of mind; not sane; utterly mad.
fiction /ˈfɪkʃən/ (zelfstandig naamwoord) — fictie. Literary type using invented or imaginative writing, instead of real facts, usually written as prose.
literary /ˈlɪt.(ə.)ɹə.ɹi/ (bijvoeglijk naamwoord) — literair. Relating to literature.
podcast /ˈpɑdˌkæst/ (zelfstandig naamwoord) — podcast. A program, especially an audio program, produced on a regular basis, delivered over the Internet in a compressed digital format and designed for playback on…
memoir /ˈmɛmˌwɑː/ (zelfstandig naamwoord) — memoires, gedenkschriften. An autobiography; a book describing the personal experiences of an author.
shock /ʃɔk/ (zelfstandig naamwoord) — schok, shock. A sudden, heavy impact.
critic /ˈkɹɪt.ɪk/ (zelfstandig naamwoord) — criticus. A person who appraises the works of others.
thriller /ˈθɹɪ.lə/ (zelfstandig naamwoord) — thriller. Something that thrills.
entertain /ˌɛntəˈteɪn/ (werkwoord) — vermaken, amuseren. To amuse (someone); to engage the attention of agreeably.
dialogue /ˈdaɪəˌlɑɡ/ (zelfstandig naamwoord) — dialoog, gesprek. A conversation or other form of discourse between two or more individuals.
lover /ˈlʌvɚ/ (zelfstandig naamwoord) — minnaar, minnares. One who loves and cares for another person in a romantic way; a sweetheart, love, soulmate, boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse.
recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/ (zelfstandig naamwoord) — aanbeveling, recommandatie. An act of recommending.
spicy /ˈspaɪsi/ (bijvoeglijk naamwoord) — scherp, pikant. Of, pertaining to, or containing spice.
gross /ɡɹoʊs/ (bijvoeglijk naamwoord) — bruto. remarkably great, big, vast in an often unpleasant way; (of behaviour) Highly or conspicuously offensive.
mystery /ˈmɪs.t(ə.)ɹi/ (zelfstandig naamwoord) — mysterie. Something secret or unexplainable; an unknown.

Phrasal verbs die je zult horen

end up (werkwoord) — belanden, terechtkomen. To bring to a conclusion.
go on /ˈɡoʊˌɒn/ (werkwoord) — verder gaan. To continue in extent.
come out /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ (werkwoord) — uitkomen. To be discovered; to be revealed.
figure out (werkwoord) — uitvogelen, er achter komen. To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce.
deal with (werkwoord) — behandelen. To handle verbally or in some form of artistic expression; to address or discuss as a subject.
fall for (werkwoord) — intrappen, intuinen. To be fooled by; to walk into (a trap) or respond to (a scam or trick).
grow up (werkwoord) — opgroeien. To mature and become an adult.

Uitspraak om op te letten

De spreker gebruikt 129 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals I'm, I've, don't. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.

De “th”-klanken: thriller /ˈθɹɪ.lə/, wealthy /ˈwɛl.θi/, thoroughly /ˈθʌɹ.ə.li/
De klanken “sh” en “zh”: fiction /ˈfɪkʃən/, shock /ʃɔk/, recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/, inspiration /ˌɪn.spɪˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, genre /ˈ(d)ʒɑnɹə/
Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: literary /ˈlɪt.(ə.)ɹə.ɹi/, recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/, hilarious /hɪˈlɛə.ɹi.əs/, necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/, inspiration /ˌɪn.spɪˈɹeɪ.ʃən/

Zo oefen je met deze video

Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
Begin op 0,75× snelheid, spreek zin voor zin na en ga terug naar normale snelheid zodra het makkelijk gaat.
Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als insane, fiction, literary.

Grammatica in deze video

De structuren die de spreker het meest gebruikt, met de exacte woorden uit de video:

Structuur	In de video
Voorwaardelijke zinnen if + zin, will/would + werkwoord — een voorwaarde en het gevolg	if it sounds interesting I think it'd be · if you also did I would highly · if you want a book sleeve, I'll have
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — iets dat eerder begon en nog bezig is	i've been reading · have been keeping · have been filming
Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog telt	i've read · i've ever given · have happened
Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doet	was inspired · be written · are written

Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?

Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.

Shadowing-techniek: lees de volledige stap-voor-stap-gids →

Shadowing Practice: I've read 23 books this year and HALF were 5 star reads... - Learn English Speaking with Video

Kies een oefenmodus

App downloaden

ULTIMATE BOOK VIDEO: big book haul, September tbr, 5 star reads, & reading journal

Best Books I've Read in 2026 (so far!) | Reviews & Recommendations

She Read 1,200 Pages in ONE Sitting… Has “Intellectual Consumerism” Taken Over BookTok?

I hated reading because of school, then I read one on my own, my life has changed

Charli xcx On Her First Kiss & Grammys Plans | W Magazine

Olivia Rodrigo Breaks Down The 5 Films That Shaped Her | THR Cover Star

the last 17 books I’ve read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #booktube

My January Books

TikTok’s Cutest Relationship Was a Nightmare

i read 20 books in a month to cure my stupidity

BookTok and Gen Z - Are young people saving the book market? | DW Documentary

The worst movie I've ever seen **50 SHADES OF GREY**

Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les

Belangrijke woorden in deze video

Phrasal verbs die je zult horen

Uitspraak om op te letten

Zo oefen je met deze video

Grammatica in deze video

Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?

The worst movie I've ever seen 50 SHADES OF GREY