Laura Tien - Invidious

Seeing R.F. Kuang speak in real life felt genuinely surreal. The way she thinks and the precision of her language is kind of unbelievable. I left wishing I could’ve written down every sentence she said. 😩

She spoke about the personal experiences and ideas that led to each of her books, including the inspiration behind her upcoming novel, Taipei Story. 👀

There was so much I couldn’t fit into the carousel, so here are more things I wanted to share:

One thing she said that’s really stayed with me was that great fiction requires “the obliteration of the ego", i.e. decentering yourself, looking beyond your own privileges, and paying attention to how systems affect other people.

When speaking about the professor-student relationship in Katabasis, she referenced Amia Srinivasan’s essay On (Not) Sleeping With Your Students. As a student, it's easy to misplace the infatuation for the material, the knowledge, for the person giving it to you. Validation from someone in power can quickly become a tool for manipulation.

Finally, she talked about her love for Bleach and described its mix of rock aesthetics and traditional samurai imagery as an “irreverent hybridisation of aesthetics,” which honestly sounds cool enough to belong in one of her books. 😂

3 days ago | [YT] | 69

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Laura Tien

I did a brutal audit of all 31 series I'm currently in the middle of and it was a bloodbath. 😂

Of the 31, I've put 13 into the bin (only metaphorically) and deciding once and for all that I won't be continuing them.

For more context on why I made every decision, I have a long-form video up on my channel!

❓There are only 4 series that I'm on the fence about continuing and could be convinced both ways (Red Rising, The Blade Itself, Paladin's Grace and Mort).

📚 All the series mentioned:
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
The Empyrean by Rebecca Yarros
Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
White Sand by Brandon Sanderson
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
The First Law by Joe Abercrombie
Elements of Cadence by Rebecca Ross
Chaotic Orbits by Beth Revis
Between Earth and Sky by Rebecca Roanhorse
The Captive’s War by James S.A. Corey
The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson
Shadow of the Leviathan by Robert Jackson Bennett
The Saint of Steel by T. Kingfisher
Alex Stern by Leigh Bardugo
Queens of Elben by Holly Race
The Library Trilogy by Mark Lawrence
The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb
The Roots of Chaos by Samantha Shannon
Hierarchy by James Islington
The Licanius Trilogy by James Islington
The Sun Eater by Christopher Ruocchio
The New Alchemists by Marie Lu
The Band by Nicholas Eames
Eternal Path Trilogy by Antonia Hodgson
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin
Discworld (Death subseries) by Terry Pratchett
Imperial Radch by Ann Leckie
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

1 week ago | [YT] | 67

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Laura Tien

As a girly who has had incredible success pretty much every time I've read a long book, I remain terribly afraid of reading more. The investment just feels too big, you know? 😅

📚 Books mentioned:
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff
A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
A Time of Dragons by Philip C. Quaintrell

❓Are any of these on your TBR too? Do you have any other chonky books on your shelves that you've been scared to read?

#booktube #fantasybooks #scifibooks #tbrlist #tbr

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 51

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Laura Tien

✨ April Reading Wrap Up ✨

It used to feel like I needed to read more books to make more content but I'm realising that it really doesn't matter.

And on top of feeling less pressure to read, I’m also genuinely excited to be on my way to becoming a true fantasy fan. 😂

Every time I've talked about how much I love fantasy for the past few years, I've actually been a fraud. BUT, I'm happy to announce that I'm loving The Lord of the Rings so far and can't wait to finish the trilogy!

❓How did your reading month go?

Finished:
📖 The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R Tolkein

Currently reading:
📖 The Two Towers by J.R.R Tolkein

#booktube #fantasybooks #scifibooks #bookrecommendations #readingwrapup

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 52

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Laura Tien

I'd like to think that I don't have the worst problem ever in terms of the amount of unread books on my shelves but it's definitely getting a bit out of hand, especially considering that I don't get through books super quickly.

I also keep buying the first book in new series when I have a bunch of series I still need to finish. In fact, I have sequels to series that I haven't started at all (not included in the picture) which probably isn't the smartest choice.

But at the same time, having all these unread books feels like the best thing ever? I'm a happy girl with a full shelf and endless opportunity to find a new favourite book. That's all I really care about. 👉👈

❓Which of these should I read first? Are any on your TBR too?

📚 In the order that they're pictured:
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff
Innamorata by Ava Reid
The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan
A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
Green Rider by Kristin Britain
The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Gideon the Ninth by Tasmyn Muir
Grave Empire by Richard Swan
Slow Gods by Claire North
A Time of Dragons by Phillip C. Quaintrell
Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson
Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Of Blood and Fire by Ryan Cahill
The Fall by Ryan Cahill
Blackveil by Kristin Britain
The High King's Tomb by Kristin Britain
First Rider's Call by Kristin Britain
Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher
Voidverse by Damien Ober

#booktube #fantasybooks #scifibooks #tbr #tbrlist

1 month ago | [YT] | 53

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Laura Tien

I really believe there's a sci-fi book for every kind of reader, even if you think you don't like sci-fi. It's such a vast genre and at the core of it, these stories just ask "what if?"

I've done a similar kind of post in the past but I now have even more recommendations! Hoping at least one of these will work for you.

I also have a full-length video discussing every single one of these books up on my YouTube channel if you want to hear more!

❓Have you read any of these? Any on your priority TBR?

🌱 Cosy / Hopeful / Warm
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

⚡ Fast-Paced Thrillers
Recursion by Blake Crouch
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Summer Frost by Blake Crouch

🌒 Somber / Literary Sci-Fi
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

😂 Funny / Snarky / Satirical
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

🌀 Subversive / Intellectual / Genre-Bending
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Cronus by P. Djèlí Clark
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

🌌 Space Operas with Big Ideas
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey
Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

📚 TBR List
The Faith of Beasts by James S.A. Corey
The Expanse by James S.A. Corey
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
The Blighted Stars by Megan E. O'Keefe
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin

#booktube #scifibooks #bookrecommendations #favoritebooks #sciencefiction

1 month ago | [YT] | 65

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Laura Tien

✨ March Reading Wrap Up ✨

This month, I chose my TBR by reading the first sentence of every unread book on my shelf and it was a super fun way to narrow it down!

As usual, I didn't get to reading as much as I would've liked to (was on jam-packed trip and then got sick) but I loved what I did get to. Quality over quantity right?

❓How did your reading month go?

Finished:
📖 Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
📖 A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
🎧 Mort by Terry Pratchett
📖 Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

Didn't get to:
📖 The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
📖 Innamorata by Ava Reid

#booktube #fantasybooks #scifibooks #bookrecommendations #readingwrapup

2 months ago | [YT] | 44

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Laura Tien

These are the books that take up 80% of my brain space on a day-to-day basis. 🧠

Red City by Marie Lu
The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee
The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Babel by R.F. Kuang

❓What books live in your head rent-free?

#booktube #fantasybooks #scifibooks #bookrecommendations #bestbooks

2 months ago | [YT] | 91

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Laura Tien

Just because it's rated highly on Goodreads, doesn’t mean it’s a 5-star for me. 👀

I took 42 of the highest-rated books on my shelf (all 4.3+ stars) and tier-ranked them based on my actual thoughts. Some lived up to the hype, while others… not for me.

Featuring your favourite authors: Brandon Sanderson, Rebecca Yarros, James Islington, Fonda Lee, Matt Dinniman and more.

If you're interested in my full thoughts for every book, I have a 23-minute video up. 📹

❓Which of these books do you think are actually overrated? Let’s fight about it in the comments! 😂

#booktube #fantasybooks #scifibooks #bookrecommendations #overratedbooks

2 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 56

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Laura Tien

✨ February Reading Wrap Up ✨

For the first time, I let a TBR prompt jar choose my reads for the month and let's just say, it didn't go as well as I hoped. February ended up being full of DNFs for me but at least I'm getting through my TBR. 😅

The only book on my TBR that I didn't get to at all was Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I also started Mort by Terry Pratchett (my first Discworld book!) which wasn't on the list.

❓Did your reading month go a little better than mine?

Finished:
📖 Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman

(Soft) DNF:
📖 Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
📖 The Light of All That Falls by James Islington
🎧 The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman

Currently reading:
📖 Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
🎧 Mort by Terry Pratchett

#booktube #fantasybooks #scifibooks #bookrecommendations #readingwrapup

3 months ago | [YT] | 47

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