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A review by bookslovejenna
Sea of the Unknown by Richard Bilkey, Jay Swanson
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
Five things about Sea of the Unknown by Jay Swanson 3/5⭐️s
1. I stumbled upon Swanson’s Youtube Channel (self-named) while looking for footage of Montmartre Cemetery fir a personal writing project. One of his many videos popped up in the list of recommendations. I had no idea who this fast talking, whirlwinds d of a person was. Watching that video (which did include a pass by of the cemetery…so not exactly helpful for my purposes) felt like walking into a conversation that had already started. It was kind of confusing but also intriguing. I watch YouTube mostly for books, journaling, old hone restoration, research, and old movies. This was something I knew was out there but had never been interested in - people documenting their existence. I subscribed.
2. I soon realized this guy was a posting machine. So. Many. Videos. Videos of Paris, jogging, apartments, coffee, bikes (has anyone ever had more trouble keeping a viable bike?), meals with friends. Videos of editing videos? I still do not understand the existence of that phenomenon but okay. I definitely didn’t watch it all…but some.
3. After a few months I realized he’d held my attention without actually doing much. I mean…the man is always moving and talking and doing but the videos aren’t generally more than like a visual diary entry - of a stranger’s life. Why was I still watching?
4. Eventually, I realized he’d self-published some books. One of which is this memoir. I thought it might clue me I. To the start of this monologue he is speaking to the world. And it DOES.
5. It’s a well-written prequel to the prolific vlog he keeps up and provided so much context. It’s wise and funny and a little narcissistic but many memoirs are. Overall, it was interesting to read about how he’s gone about trying to pursue his dreams. Personally, I think he chooses the hard way most of the time and that gets a little frustrating to “watch” but humans do that. No stones through from my direction.
1. I stumbled upon Swanson’s Youtube Channel (self-named) while looking for footage of Montmartre Cemetery fir a personal writing project. One of his many videos popped up in the list of recommendations. I had no idea who this fast talking, whirlwinds d of a person was. Watching that video (which did include a pass by of the cemetery…so not exactly helpful for my purposes) felt like walking into a conversation that had already started. It was kind of confusing but also intriguing. I watch YouTube mostly for books, journaling, old hone restoration, research, and old movies. This was something I knew was out there but had never been interested in - people documenting their existence. I subscribed.
2. I soon realized this guy was a posting machine. So. Many. Videos. Videos of Paris, jogging, apartments, coffee, bikes (has anyone ever had more trouble keeping a viable bike?), meals with friends. Videos of editing videos? I still do not understand the existence of that phenomenon but okay. I definitely didn’t watch it all…but some.
3. After a few months I realized he’d held my attention without actually doing much. I mean…the man is always moving and talking and doing but the videos aren’t generally more than like a visual diary entry - of a stranger’s life. Why was I still watching?
4. Eventually, I realized he’d self-published some books. One of which is this memoir. I thought it might clue me I. To the start of this monologue he is speaking to the world. And it DOES.
5. It’s a well-written prequel to the prolific vlog he keeps up and provided so much context. It’s wise and funny and a little narcissistic but many memoirs are. Overall, it was interesting to read about how he’s gone about trying to pursue his dreams. Personally, I think he chooses the hard way most of the time and that gets a little frustrating to “watch” but humans do that. No stones through from my direction.