Shadowing Practice: Books I Wish I Read In 2021!! - Learn English Speaking with Video

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.

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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.

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

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Element to it

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that is in this world different magic users can harness the

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spectrum of light Depending on the color you personally can see

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and harness it manifests itself in different ways The more colors

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you can see in control the more powerful you are the

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

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

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

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

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

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I really enjoyed my reread of book one.

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

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Lynch.

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I feel a little less bad about this

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

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because I thought the fourth book was coming out this year

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but I was very wrong about that

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so I do feel like I got a bit more time

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

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

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

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

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And I feel like Scott Lynch is consistently able to deliver

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that but in this series we follow our main character Locke

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

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

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

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

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

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and basically make the entire town around them hate them.

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Locke Lamora is a eel type of character.

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

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And his confidence is also unparalleled.

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

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

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

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And the last book actually had quite an emotional moment.

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

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But I'm really excited to read this.

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I wish I got to it earlier.

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

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

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

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I love it so much.

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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

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

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

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I just love his style.

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

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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.

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

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

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She is a voracious reader.

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in the town of Constantinople.

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

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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.

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

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

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

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

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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.

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

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for so long.

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I just could not wait for his new release.

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

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

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I even had this on my winter TBR.

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

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And I'm sad about it.

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

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

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

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This story is set in 1922 in Russia

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

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

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This man now lives in the attic room in a hotel

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

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

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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.

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And I really love Russian history.

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

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I've heard such good things about this.

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

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But nonetheless, and made this video.

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

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and that is Harald the Ninth by Tom Zemmure.

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

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

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I was hoping to read this book during the fall season

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

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But nonetheless this is a sci -fi story that also

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

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

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

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

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

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Basically Haro has been given an opportunity to

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

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

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

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It's a really unique book.

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I also found it to be really, really funny.

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I enjoyed Gideon's narration.

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

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It's just a lot of fun.

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

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

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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

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

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

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This is a story set in modern day Seoul

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

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

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I believe this is just a story of four different women

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

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

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

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

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

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

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The next book is The Raven Tower by Anne Leckie.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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So this was one I did not get to.

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

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I but only time will tell.

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

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

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I read and loved this series in middle school.

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

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

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I started it, I actually was doing pretty good.

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

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

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

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

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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.

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

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

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

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The first book was fantastic.

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

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

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but I failed.

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But I did start.

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So it was like a partial failure.

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

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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.

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But yeah, I just love revisiting middle school faves.

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

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

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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.

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

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

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

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing Practice: Books I Wish I Read In 2021!! - Learn English Speaking with Video

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What is the Shadowing Technique?