Booktube Talk aka Reacting to Your Unpopular Book Opinions || Books with Emily Fox
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- čas přidán 22. 07. 2024
- Hello Booktube! Today's video discussion is based on your unpopular opinions! Do you agree or disagree?
I read 400 books here are the best ones by genre: • I Read 400 Books on Bo...
Part 1: • Reacting to Your Unpop...
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Good news, I finally have a fridge and... probably only have a sinus infection XD
Do you agree with these unpopular opinions?
Glad you have the fridge and thanks for the open discussion. It certainly gives things/thought processes into a different light.
I'd like to have a word with your landlord; if you're renting, three weeks without a fridge is an outright violation! But then again, I think you're a lawyer? So you got it in hand...Anyway, get well soon!
Claritin helps a lot with a sinus infection if your having a lot of pain with it ! Hope you feel better soon!
I find it disheartening (but not surprising) that there are people who are trying to use a Strawman argument to say that if you don't want to support authors who are racist / homophobic / transphobic then how can you read a book by anyone who has any different opinions / politics / religion from yourself. Why is the desire for basic human rights and dignity for everyone even something to argue about? I'm in agreement with you: I can't separate an author from their work and I won't support an author that uses their megaphone to promote bigotry.
I can't stand bigotry on books, don't have the stomach for misogyny, racism and so on, not anymore, plenty of better books out there. If people want to have shelves of unread books so what, it's their money, they are happy looking at their many possibilities, so what? In a Booktube channel you'll probably find people who collect books. There are bigger problems in the world to be upset and angry about.
I dont know if this is actually unpopular: as an adult, it makes me really grossed out to read sex scenes between characters i know aren't adults. I know it happens, but once I hit that "feeling like an adult" mode I just cant do it anymore
I suggest you avoid "A Song of Ice and Fire" AT ALL COSTS.
I really get you but when I was still in the YA range I did not want to read about adults having sex at all. I wanted to read about what reflected my own life at the time... first crushes, first kisses and first times, and all that. So I do think it's valid and has its place. Though I think it would make me really uncomfortable now as well if I read something like that.
Damn if they are younger than 21 i feel iffy as hell cause i still think that they are basically still children
You should do a video “books I wish were stand alones” (aka, first book is good, rest of the series is meh or bad)
Divergent definitely lol
CARAVAL omg
The Daevabad Trilogy 😭
i’m okay with the consumerism as long as we keep pushing for the buy local/secondhand thing. i don’t like when booktubers buy a 100 books and they’re all from amazon
Understandable! Owning so many books brings me joy and my background is literally my living room haha
I agree, though I also have an issue when someone is constantly buying more books than they can read, and then does big unhauls where a large portion of the books are unread. We all make mistakes, so I don't expect people to be perfect, but for some this kind of behaviour is continuous and not just a slip every now and then. I don't like that kind of hyperconsumerism.
But just because you buy them on Amazon doesnt mean its amazon that creates them an ships them. With New it depends, but you can literally see where preowned books will come from, so you are still supporting small shops that you never would have heard of because they are on the other side of the country lol
... i’m going to defend buying books from amazon because no local/secondhand bookstore sells very specific or niche books. i.e., books in a foreign language. or say, if you want a particular but uncommon translation (a problem i’ve had a lot). if it’s a book you can find in a small bookstore, of course you should go for it... but some of us read very niche picks that we can’t easily get aside from amazon.
My stance on problematic authors is similar to problematic makeup brands. If you already own the book, you might as well read it and enjoy it. You've already spent your money on it and given them your money so there's no point trashing something you've already spent your money on (which i think is almost worse).
agreed, i still love HP but i will forever either pirate the Ebooks or movies. I did that for her new book as I wanted to see what everyone was talking about without giving her money. Id also consider borrowing it from the library? but then again that may cause the library to buy more copies if it's borrowed out enough.
I was looking for a similar comment. I personally can't understand why some people won't appreciate a bad person's work even if it is well done, but I guess they might have a similar feeling about me. However, I refuse to support some people/business, and I'll avoid their products if I can.
@Chesh I thought you were talking about HP Lovecraft, it made sense until you said "her" and it took me a moment to understand haha.
@@borja4015 I guess it depends on whats a "bad person" if it's an author that's known for being bitchy, or even ignore fans I don't find it that bad, but if it's someone that has completely messed up views of some subjects then no, I'm not supporting that person
This!! I finally caved in and bought the whole harry potter series a month before the Jk scandal came out. I spent a few months in moral dilemma about whether or not I should get rid of them. I ended up keeping and reading them since I spent all my money I got from Christmas on them. I still beat myself up about ever buying and enjoying them BUT I think it's ok to buy them used as long as you're not buying multiple copies of the whole series and all the (official) merch.
I think people who say that we overreact to sexism in books or that it doesn't mean the author is sexist underestimate how hard it is to write a book. Writing is an intentional activity, and to publish a book you have to edit your book through multiple drafts. When there are multiple lines that are sexist when they have no other reason to be there, it's reasonable to think that the author just didn't see anything wrong with including it.
Agreed! They chose EVERY. SINGLE. WORD.
I think in fantasy there can be sexism based on the history of that world.... N as long as the character decide for themselves what is wrong and what is right, it can work... You can have a sexist person and show how it is wrong and make that person a villain or you can make a person good but have some conservative views based on that fantasy world... Making it as a flaw.... It adds to character and shows multiple layering of society and an individual
@@shubhamtiwari9472 I agree. If everyone in a book is an unproblematic queen/king who never says anything politically incorrect I simply cannot suspend my disbelief. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes sexism is apparent in the author (not just a character) and it bothers me, but people need to be able to tell the difference.
Lately I've been buying new books because I don't want bookstores to die in a time where almost everyone is broke.
Very true!
Yeah, I’ve been buying things in general for that same reason.
@@ark8tct I mean I would buy more books anyway, it's just less from used bookstores. The last books I bought was about diseases from mosquitoes and a book about catching a sexual predator. I'm not buying them because they're pretty, nor am I going to advertise that I bought them. I'm not keeping up with the Joneses, I just want to see how many people mosquitoes have killed, and someone getting their comeuppance.
I hate genre shaming. I love historical romance and some of my friends make fun of me without having read a single romance book. I think the problem is that romance books are generally associated with female readers and therefore seen as "less" than books centered on male readers. And I have read so many briliantly researched and beautifuly written histrom books.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I feel that people were super fast to cancel any author for anything, until it touched Harry Potter - now suddenly the same people swearing to never read Orson Scott Card are jumping on the "separating books from their authors" band wagon ...
On historical romances.... SAME
Like whenever I read them I always feel guilty?(yikes the internalized mysoginy) cause they aren't taken as seriously in the book world
But I'm learning to accept that I love them and other people's opinions don't really matter lol
I do love romance books but never buy it in paper. They usually have these ugly cheesey covers 🙈
I hate genre shaming as well. In my mind all genre fiction is of the same value. If they read "male" genre fiction and yap about "female" genre fiction, everything they say fits themselves. (Of course with some obvious correction, like "daddy porn" in stead of "mommy porn".)
"Not every character needs to be likeable."
Agree, but! I still need a reason to care about what the characters are doing, and unlikable characters who aren't compelling are frustrating.
For the comment where booktubers just buy books to haul, but don't seem like reading them, I totally agree with that comment, but certainly not directed at you! I know of at least 1 booktuber who consistently hauls books once a month, but yet never seems to finish A SINGLE BOOK in a month. :/ And yes, people can be in a slump, they can be busy at work, etc., but this person's JOB is booktube and whatever side gigs come with it. I guess it's just time to unfollow them if it irks me so much!
I LOOOVE my kindle. Don't get me wrong I love the feel of a physical book but the kindle is just so much more practical. It doesn't take up any space in my house, it's super light and you dont have to worry about catching the pages on a blanket when turning a page, you can read at night, highlight passages that you can reference in one place on goodreads, and you can STILL get library books. I absolutely love my kindle. I will say I agree an Ebook should be like 75% of the price or lower than the physical copy since you're obviously missing out on the physical book.
Totally agree. I love ebooks, and read them a ton. Here’s a thought though. I spend all this money on a thing I don’t physically get to own. I can’t sell it if I don’t like it, or trade it for something else. I’m paying for the privilege of reading a book. If I say, pay 30 dollars for the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy, and the author sells the rights to a publishing company, that publishing company has the right to take my books and make me repurchase them.
Now, this was a few years ago, so maybe things are different now, but I will never fully trust buying ebooks again.
@@bheartsbooks I only download books that are in public domain and thus free anyway or pirate books by problematic authors (or authors that are so popular that piracy wouldn't hurt them) and put them on my Ereader. I've never paid a single cent for an ebook.
I’m able to read so much more with my kindle than I can with physical books because I forget the number of pages I’m reading and just get into a flow. With a physical book, I can get discouraged seeing how much more I have left and it might unmotivate me. It’s so much easier for me to get lost in reading without the pressure.
People unhauling books without having read them trigger me. So much wasted money!
I can separate the author's beliefs and their works if the belief was expressed in the past or if the author does not live in the current time period, because I don't expect anyone to always be ahead of their times. I'm sure in 20 or 30 years later, we will realize that some of the beliefs we hold right now are wrong, or the future generations will after we are gone.
I mean, just look at consumerism, many people are just starting to come to terms with the fact that it is destructive after years and years of being conditioned by marketing, peer pressure to have new things, or poor financial habits taught by parents who didn't know any better.
There is nothing wrong with being capable of reading problematic scenarios and fully acknowledge that they are wrong. It's like you don't forget that violence is wrong after you play violent video games.
The most obvious female author that I can think of that has her books mis-categorized is Sarah J. Maas. She herself has said that her books *are not* YA books, regardless of the age of her characters. The publishers took it upon themselves to market ACOTAR and ToG as YA.
‘The lies of Locke Lamora’ has a great friendship. One of the best I’ve personally read!
I haven't read book two and three yet, but the first book is SOOO GOOD
My two biggest problems with romance in books is 1.) When I didn't sign up for it. I wanted to read Fantasy or Sci-Fi and suddenly a romance is a huge part of it. 😒 2.) Very often the two characters who end up together don't really fit together imo. There is zero chemistry between them but they find each other attractive so they end up together... 🙄
Hmm good points
I do agree with you in that it's hard to separate the book from the author, but, personally, I think it's not necessary to unhaul books after learning about the author's problematic opinions, because the book being on my shelf doesn't directly support the author and I can't take that money back either. As long as people don't recommend books or rave about books by those authors, I think keeping books after learning that the author is problematic shouldn't be a problem. I do support doing some research on authors before buying a book from them though.
I agree 100%.
I feel like the people that say that just because a book has LGBT rep it's not necessarily good are reacting to people that are recommending books based solely on how many "rep points" it has and not whenever the book is actually good or not
Definitely agree that male characters in female empowerment stories tend to be really lackluster. Just because women are being written better doesn't mean that men should be boring, I want to see more equality in character writing.
Yeeeeees Emily, pleease!!! Do a best stand alone books video!! That would be so so so so highly appreciated!!!!
I have no problem with LGBT characters or representation in books but I do when it's contrived or seems like virtue signalling.
I think it's not a good idea to start setting social quotas for authors.
Pierce Brown did a fantastic job of believable representation in the Red Rising series.
I also don't think we have to 100% reject works by people with problematic views. Especially when it comes to the classics, as long as we acknowledge them.
Agree!
Unfortunately genre bashing happens a lot and not just for romance and YA. I've seen it for sci-fi and fantasy (or even subgenres within them such as hard sf fans looking down on soft sf), for popular "women's fiction", and occasionally even for crime & mystery.
RosLanta Yessss, as someone who was a rabid reader of YA as a teen and then transitioned to adult scifi/fantasy, it’s so frustrating to have conversations with other adult readers. Genre is still real literature, it’s still influential and important. YA was decently respected for a little bit when HP was at its peak and there were more YA books targeted to boys, but before and after that, it’s been girl/women dominated and that apparently makes it a less valid or interesting genre. 🙄
It’s absurd. Science fiction and fantasy as overarching genres have been mainstream in movies for YEARS, decades even, but genre novels or comic books are somehow a weird niche “not real literature” category. And soft or just not super dark scifi, or *anything* inclusive, is considered by some to be even less valid.
@@tiakivla The only thing I would disagree with you on is the point about movies - sci-fi and fantasy movies are definitely looked down on by some, despite often being hugely popular blockbusters. Just look at how few of them win any major awards that aren't to do with special effects or costumes etc.
@@tiakivla The "not real literature" thing annoys me, but what is even more annoying is the way that when someone who thinks that way realises that they actually like a genre book, in their mind it therefore doesn't actually qualify as genre, it's just literary fiction! I've heard arguments like "it's not fantasy/scifi, it's just using allegory to make commentary on modern society". 😒 Yes, of course, just like tons of other fantasy/scifi that the speaker has undoubtedly never bothered to read...
Your comment on homophobes: “I think I’ve made it clear... I don’t want these kinds of people on my channel.” I am LIVING for this comment, Emily!! Thanks for putting homophobes in their place 🌈🌈🌈
I've already blocked 3 people that left transphobic comments and lost many followers... what a good way to start my day! :D
BookswithEmilyFox keep up the good work sis 🙌🙌🙌
@@BookswithEmilyFox I just do not understand how people can be transphobic. First, it is not their life, why do they take issue with someone else's? They are not hurting the transphobic person or anyone else personally. Secondly, it's been apparent for MANY MANY MANY MANY months/?years that you lean a certain way in terms of social justice, political, etc---so why were they following to begin with?!
I don't get it either!
I think newer followers might not be aware... which is why a little spring cleaning once in a while (aka videos like this one!) is good XD
The consumerism thing is complicated... I like using my library and buying used books because its better for the environment in the same way I mostly buy used clothing but I also know buying new books can support indie bookstores and authors, especially preordering an author's new book.
About buying several copies of the same book or better editions it’s like I feel like I’m supporting an author that I like. And I never keep two physical copies. If I really like a book I might buy a collectors edition and donate my original copy. But most of my reading is done on my kindle anyways I tend to mostly buy physical very nice expensive copies of books that I’ve already read and know I love because to me my book collection is a collection something I like to look at and showcase. Otherwise I would just read everything on kindle and not clutter my house with books.
But it brings me joy and I don’t collect nothing else so whatever some people spend to much money on shoes or clothes or makeup I spend on books and there’s nothing wrong with spending your money however you see fit
Totally agree, I earn my money, you shut up.
Pleaaase make a video about good standalones. I basically only read standalones cause I think one book is enough lol (with exceptions). If I have to choose any amount its basically always 1 or 3. Not 2, not 4, not 55. If a standalone randomly get a sequel I just wont read it. Probably very unpopular?
I feel like most duologies end up having a "surprise third book" XD
@@BookswithEmilyFox DUDE thats so true. I also feel like the reason for it is for money only and not because they intended for it in the beginning
I also leave the dust jacket on when I read a hardcover book. I like the messy, mismatched look for bookshelves and I am a monster that will break up a set/collection because I sort my books alphabetically by author surname. And I love me some mass market paperbacks, especially horror and sci-fi. The cover art is either really good or laughably bad.
Oh my God Holly! I need several trips to a therapist to get over what I just read. And it's only your comments about cover art that stopped me calling the police 😉
I honestly could never get rid of my HP books, they’re too big a part of my life growing up. I’ve never given a damn about J.K. or her opinions, so it would be weird to allow her ignorance to affect whether I kept my books or not.
I don’t really get why people don’t just keep their books but stop talking about HP on their channels, if they really grew up loving HP, but then again, I don’t know the pressure of being a booktube channel, as you say.
I've never done a fall re-read of harry potter like many others have done, and last christmas I thought '2020 will be the year I do a re-read!'. Oops. I might wait another year or two..
Dom Dee I get that, if it doesn’t feel like the right time, given the social climate online. I’ve never actually bothered to reread HP during a certain season. I’ve only reread each book as it’s illustrated edition comes out.
I agree, as long as you aren’t buying new books from the author you’ve stopped supporting them. If an author is problematic but I still want to read their books I just buy them second hand then I am not giving them any of my money
@Megan VR I have a book tube channel and I talk about Harry Potter all of the time! I agree with everything you said and I am NOT going to give up my love for the series because J. K. Rowling sucks. I understand if you can't support her, and while I am trying to stop buying as much Harry Potter official merch, I do not support her just because I love her books... The honest truth is half of the people who love reading would not if not for Harry Potter, myself included.
@@Audrey610 Yeah, the series is amazing, and she also wrote in another time of her life
"I dont want these kind of people feeling comfortable on my channel" Yas queen !
We Stan💪🏻
I can't believe you read my comment haha the one about consumerism. I just want to say that I wasn't talking about you! I absolutely adore your channel and like you say, you read tons of books so you're actually reading most of what you buy, and you don't only buy paper books, you read ebooks and listen to audiobooks, I love that! Your channel, paperbackdreams, readwithcindy, and Noelle Gallagher's channels are the only ones I'm subscribed to because I just love your and their content. I used to be subscribed to other channels but I got annoyed at them just making hauls all the time and talking shit about ebooks and audiobooks :/ I can't buy tons of books because they're pretty expensive in my country, so I just read ebooks and listen to audiobooks instead! That's why I like to watch readers who read in all formats and don't focus too much on the aesthethic that paper books have! And about buying books, OF COURSE I LOVE BUYING BOOKS!!! When I buy them I usually buy them in English (because surprisingly they're cheaper than the ones in my native language) and I'm happy for daaays!! If i know I'm going to a bookstore, the night before I can't sleep because I'm too happy and can't wait haha I think I just would like for booktubers to say "hey, if you can't afford books and don't have any second-hand bookstore near you, it's totally cool for you to read ebooks and listening to audiobooks if that's only available to you".
But anyways, I love your channel and I loved all your reactions!
Without consumerism (in regards to book buying) we would not have as many fabulous books, not to mention physical bookstores.
There is a difference between buying some books you like versus buying so many books you never read and never will read. It’s an addiction, albeit more benign than the typical, and we should not support it. Capitalism has completely destroyed our sense of self, our sense of belonging, our connection to other people, and our sense of doing that all we have are mass distractions everywhere.
There’s a difference between consumption and consumerism though. We obviously need to consume to stay healthy in mind and body. Consumerism is the dark twist of that, where we consume to fill emotional voids with physical items, which not only doesn’t work but hurts our actual physical health in the process.
Humans can, and will always destroy things. Capitalism, or the free market system just means owning the means of your own production. You own your own work, or content. Humans come along and exploit when they can. It’s like saying money is the root of all evil. It’s super misquoted. It is the Love of money is the root of all evil.
@@alb0zfinest at the end of the day it supports the authors, so long as you don't purchase from places like amazon. Either way it's not my business to judge how people spend their money
I always love how honest you are !
I am SO EXCITED for the new Schwab book, looking forward to seeing what you liked about it!
I like your voice(calming) and the way you talk, Emily.
yes please do a video on standalone books!! I really have issues committing to long series now and i've been enjoying just standalone books.
yes! standalone! i would love a video on the best standalone books!
Yes, I’m really liking duologies too, not everything needs to be a trilogy publishers
Would love love love a video of standalone recommendations. So often I get overwhelmed by having so many series to finish! X
Honestly, the topic of separating books from their author is very tricky indeed. I think that with classics it´s easier because you can "blame" the time period and the author is dead anyway . But I agree that it is more complicated with more modern books and authors that are still writing. However, I tend to dissociate the author from their work, because I don´t think that just because you like a book by that author necessarily means that you support them personally.
But buying, reading, or promoting the book-does support them personally. I am neither advocating or not advocating "boycotting" an author. BUT if you like a book, you're most likely going to recommend it to others and therefore, give the author support.
It is definitely a catch-22. I do not and will not judge readers for dumping their books or keeping their books. I definitely, agree, you can keep the book without agreeing with the author.
It's almost like having family and friends...not all family or friends agree with your viewpoints-does that mean you blacklist them? More than likely not.
I agree with you, and I think it depends on what's the problem with the author. If the author Idk supports financially terrorism or something like that you can say that you can't support them. But if it's just about their political opinions, specially if there's only posts in social media I don't think we should kill their carreer or anything. I know some things are not accepted anymore but it's not the worst thing that happens. But that's just my opinion. Just read what you like
And I'm saying this as an example. I am a Michael Jackson fan. Many people are not. Many people who choose not to read the actual court transcripts believe certain things. That's okay. We can agree to disagree personally. I will buy MJ items and support his estate (ie his children, mother, and charities). Because certain people (my family included) believe certain things about MJ-does that mean that I should not listen to his music? Does that mean I should cut off my family for not agreeing with me on the subject?
All of us do not agree. All of us have choices. But regardless the options should be there--including JK vocing her belief, including a person's right to buy or not buy a book, including a person's right to go through the physical change of being who they are, including the right to abortion....we can disagree with the subject matter, but your opinion/belief shouldn't impede on someone else's choice/life/right to do XYZ.
Exactly!!!!
@@mspaula0509 If I am not a fan of an author personally, I don't buy their books new. So I just support the person/library/whatever selling it financially and not the authors themselves. Plus I would never recommend it without telling people that the writer is problematic
Thank you for not judging me for buying books during quarantine, haha. From the start of quarantine until now I have probably bought 25ish books and I have felt really bad about it but that's how I made myself happy! And to be fair I have read more than half of the books that I have bought so not too bad, haha!!
I love it when Emily waves at the camera to remind it not to focus on snow globe Emily!
When it comes to separating the book from the author I agree with you. I can't. There is certainly a scope of how someone can be problematic in their personal lives and also how someone could write in transphobia or sexism into a book. For me, if you buy the book you're giving money to and financially supporting someone problematic and 2. It's often people with privilege who can "overlook" problematic authors (i.e. people who aren't having their identities threatened and rights challenged/removed).
Yup we can see it in this comment section! So far I've blocked 4 people... all men. One of them stating he wanted to discuss why he wasn't transphobic since "he has a trans friend" but then deleting my reply XD
It says it all!
So my question is...mind you I support the trans community. I live in the US, I'm heartbroken over the loss of RBG and really question the protection of certain aspects of our "free" country....including women's reproductive rights, LBGTQ, etc.
My question is...I'd imagine not all of your friends and family agree with everything you agree with. Some probably may have even said some questionable things....you certainly call them out on it but do you cut ties with that person?
This is what and where I'm conflicted. If we do not do it in the real world, do we do it in the literary world?
I've only read 1.5 books of HP. So I'm not really a hardcore fan of JK Rowling like a lot of people were....and perhaps this is why her comment/belief if not affecting me? I don't know.
Personally I have absolutely cut ties with people like that.
No regrets!
@@mspaula0509 I don't financially support any of my friends/family's careers. Authors aren't my friends or family either. Who I support via reading is a choice. I'm personally not cool with supporting people and work that promote the degradation of rights. Books and the people who write them contribute to our culture including things like rape culture for example or maintaining hierarchies of power that shouldn't be there.
@@BookswithEmilyFox yep!
Yes please to stand alone recommendations video! I’m in the middle of way too many series and am afraid to start any more until I finish some I’ve already started.
I agreed with almost everything you said. On the consumer issue I have maybe too much to say. Suddenly just want to be a booktuber and talk about it. Do not feel that you need to read all of this. A girl just kept typing.
I think people fail to realize when it comes to getting books that a lot of Booktubers don't buy them or do the same things you do when it comes to Library use. I watch a lot of BookTubers and many get arcs, do sponsored unboxings, buy from places like thriftbooks or get as gifts. This is ignoring those who buy for challenges, like BooksandLala. It looks like they are buying a lot of new books when many aren't paying as much as you think they are. We also need to realize that books are their passion. If you are into art you buy journal after journal when you haven't filled up one. If hair supplies is your thing you buy a ton to try. If its your passion, you are going to consume a lot of it. This is also, for some, their job. So of course they are going to get more books than you (business write off). I just don't understand this complaint.
There's also deep reasons why some consume more or less. ReadwithCindy has a past of financial trauma and thus can't see herself diving into buying a bunch of books even if she loves it. I have similar financial issues, always have, and I get caught up buying it because it is an escape that is accessible and I love it. I hate the "you'd have more money if you stopped investing in what you enjoy" that is often said poor people because it's not true. Also hyperfixation is a thing. This is such a passionate conversation to me and I didn't even know lmao. The idea of being mad at people for indulging a lot into their passion, when it isn't harmful in the least bit to anyone, especially us, is silly.
And yes...I too read with covers on. It's hard for me to mess it up, so its fine. And due to my autism I hyperfixate on a series and buy multiple additions of Rick Riordan books. I used to judge others on this but then I was like "Oh its me." People would be shocked at how being neurodivergent or some disabilities effects reading. From textures, format, consumption, etc. It's a lot.
Why I write all of this?
I liked that you wrote a lot! It really explained where you came from 😊.
Also a someone with ADHD I buy multiple formats of books. Part of it is because I want to know if I love a book before I buy the more expensive hardcover. But part of it is that I read different formats depending on where and what I'm doing... My brain has no problems keeping up with that.
"you'd have more money if you stopped investing in what you enjoy" is the perfect way of encapsulating why having a lot of books is not on its own a promotion of consumerism!! And you're right that you can't look at someone's shelf and just know how much money they spent on the books there.
I feel like dominant, oppressive culture tries to infantilize women, so as a result books get marketed as YA because they know women of all ages will read them.. I also think it's an easy trap for female readers themselves to fall into, which is why there's so much YA on BookTube. not that I hold that against anyone, of course; clearly people are enjoying both making and watching videos about YA books! I'd just like to see publishing as an industry try and expand beyond that role for the thousands, prob millions, of women writers with something to say
I think YA is popular on booktube because it is the generation that uses social media and gets the most sponsorship from publishers. I also know that many readers (any gender or non gender) drift to YA for representation and/or avoiding triggering topics.
I agree that YA tends to have far better representation and it's definitely the kind of content that provides the most sponsorships!
@@skullfullofbooks7398 totally! that's a great point beyond what I'd thought to say in my initial comment. I DO think the push for rep in YA is because it's so popular as a genre/subdivision of fiction; if, to use my own preference, horror were the big thing on BookTube I imagine you'd see a similar drive for representation. in the eyes of the publishers, it's to capture market segments. in my eyes as a reader, it's just cool to have more people to relate to. and because it's autumn 2020 I bet we're going to see a lot of diverse characters in our horror rn haha
@@RED-my9hl I don't think anyone's complaining! the point is more that it's like a super popular label that gets associated with women, and then the implied question is why? I also, frankly, think women read a lot more *in general*, and that's due to socialization--what's considered acceptable for people of any gender and how the boxes around those narrow gender IDs are constructed--rather than something inherent
@@skullfullofbooks7398 I agree with Kim. I think it's a generational thing and social media is/was geared towards a certain demographic. I have to look for other content that is not YA to be able to find it (ie Eric Anderson , (Russel) Ink & Paper Blog, (Jourdan) Left on Read, etc). Once you start looking, watching, and subbing to non YA YTers, more will come to light.
But social media is geared towards coming of age, and thus people read what they are going through and thus coming of age/YA is out there.
I do own two or more copies of some books, but then aside from being a book reader, I'm also a book collector - I love books that have beautiful covers (or illustrations), are old and rare, are first editions and/or are signed by the authors. So some of my very favourite books I do own multiple copies because, for example, I have the chance to get a signed or special edition of the book but don't want to get rid of the first edition. Occasionally I might also buy a kindle version to read in order to keep the print version in good condition. However I don't have either the money or the shelf space to buy multiple copies on a regular basis! Just a few absolute favourites.
This is such a great video, Emily. Well done! Btw, the talk about featuring beautiful bookshelves on video... I just realized that my booktube featured only my WALL; I might have to fix that in future videos! xD
One thing that I think I definitely agree with you. I used to think that I'm able to completely separate an author from their work, but it seems that, somehow, the more I read the harder it is to do that.
Definitely includes some books in the background! I love looking at what people have on their shelves while watching their videos!!
@@BookswithEmilyFox Will do! I'm going to look for some new setup so I can move location for my video ASAP, hopefully within next month.
Btw, I just finished The Girl and the Stars, and I'm disappointed. :/
Yes, I would love for you to do a stand alone video. Personally, sometimes I just don't want to commit to reading a series.
I see a lot of people saying that the whole problem with supporting problematic authors is a slippery slope, but I really don't think it is: as long as you're not financially supporting that author, or promoting them so that other people financially support them, then there really isn't a problem with continuing to consume their work. You're allowed to read any books of theirs that are already on your shelves, or you're allowed to obtain their work second-hand or through libraries. As long as you aren't adding to their bank account, and as long as you acknowledge any problematic aspects of the work itself, you shouldn't feel bad about reading it.
I'm never going to get rid of my Harry Potter collection. They're already on my shelf, me continuing to own them isn't causing any harm. I'm never going to buy any more books or merch brand new, and I don't have any social following so me re-reading them isn't promoting it to anyone, it's just for me. I collect editions of the books, and if I continue to do so I will be getting them second-hand. I'm never going to visit any of the parks or pay to watch any of the movies. While reading, I understand and acknowledge all of the problematic ideologies from JK Rowling that seeped into the HP universe, they don't go over my head. I can clearly see that "Cho Chang" is racist, that the goblins were written as anti-semitic caricatures, that the rhetoric surrounding slavery is extremely problematic, that the whole "Dumbledore is gay" was purely pandering and isn't actually part of his character. I see these things, and I discuss them, and I agree that those are valid reasons for other people to want to stay away from the books. You can absolutely still love a work whilst simultaneously criticizing the problems of said work. Just like people still love Colleen Hoover's books even though all the relationships in her books are extremely toxic and abusive. Just like people still love the Throne of Glass series even though it has piss poor diversity. Just like people still love Cassandra Clare's books even though she has a huge incest fetish and started her career through plagiarism. You can love what you love as long as you're calling out all the shitty parts.
I've been seeing sooooo much animosity going towards people who are choosing to still love Harry Potter (especially on twitter) and I think it's getting ridiculous and people are going way overboard. If someone is still going out and buying brand new editions of the books and going to the parks and seeing her movies in theaters? Absolutely criticize them for it. But the people (like me) who are simply choosing to continue owning the books they have and loving the story in private? Literally just leave them alone. The books are already bought, the damage was done a decade ago. If you choose to get rid of your HP books, good for you, pass them on so that someone else can read them without supporting Rowling. But no one can harass other people for not making that same choice. I'm seeing comments on youtube videos that say shit like "I see in your background that you still have the Harry Potter books on your shelf, why haven't you gotten rid of them yet??? So you support a transphobe??", I'm seeing people be straight up harassed and pressured into getting their HP tattoos removed or covered up, I'm seeing people be bullied for still wearing their HP merch (even if it's just in their own home??). I just.... I think it's gotten ridiculous. I'm a Harry Potter fan who also condemns JK Rowling, it is really that simple.
I really don't love the desperate need for romantic relationships in books.
Agreed. Would love to see more books just have platonic relationships. Not every novel need a romance subplot.
I get genre shamed for reading YA at 36yo. I mean, if it makes you happy to criticize someone for something that irrelevant...
Totally understand that! I still sometimes read classic children's books or just ones I liked as a kid. I think a truly good story is one an adult can enjoy just as much as a kid can.
I'm 51 and I still read everything, including children's picture books. If a book is well written and the story is good, it doesn't matter who is the target audience. And people should really mind their own reading.
I always remember the scene from Born Yesterday where the radio host shamed the main character for not knowing what some book was, and she went and got the book and read it, and it turned out the radio host hadn't read the book herself. "Adult fantasy" was considered equivalent to YA only 30 years ago. A Fantasy movie like LOTR would not have been even mentioned at Oscars, except perhaps for special effects, costumes and makeup.
The comment you made about the pressure on booktubers to have loads of books is so true. I just started a channel and I feel pressured to have pretty books everywhere when in truth I get most from my library or as ebooks these days as it’s cheaper and more convenient. I have older books as paperbacks and buy hard copies from authors I love but I have to budget for it. Most books I read I can’t hold up in videos or take arty photos of (not that I am any good at that anyway 😂)
Yes, please! I'd love to hear the best stand-alone books.
omg yes i LOVE vengeful, feel like most people prefer vicious but i loooved vengeful a lot more so thanks for validating me haha
I agree, for the most part about book series with matching covers. With a few of the series I own, the covers are all over the place and it doesn't really bother me. However, for some reason it does bug me when publishers change the look of the series while they are releasing it. So even if I wanted to, I couldn't buy matching covers. For example The Diviners series by Libba Bray. Every time a new book came out, the cover art/style was completely different. Like they couldn't just pick one and stick with it.
Edit: Also agree that books that are too open-ended are the super unsatisfying. Everything doesn't need to be answered or wrapped up in perfectly, but there needs to be some kind of conclusion to the story. Otherwise it's less of an ending and more like the book just stops.
Canada prices are shocking omg, in the uk a paperback is like 8 or 9 pounds average
I greatly enjoy standalones! With TV recently (and I've watched a lot of it in quarantine...), I've definitely felt like too many shows started as a miniseries and were extended and got less good. I'd be interested in seeing your take on best standalones/books that would have been better as standalones.
If anybody is from Melbourne, Australia (by any chance), do you know any good used bookstores i can go to after stage 4?
I did not finish Vengeful I have a problem with multiple timelines and multiple points of view in the same book. I did like several other Victoria Schwab books. I really enjoyed this video 📚❤️
Half bad is a really good young adult book where the love/friendships are done wel. Spinning silver is another I like in the love/friendship department.
My unhauls are the same as yours! Most of them are ones I’ve read and haven’t loved
it would be really hard to bring out interesting content like all the time, and we viewers need to respect and understand that. it must be so much pressure. cause you see booktubers jotting down cool ideas and sometimes you see them break down because of so much pressure. and the viewers are obviously on the receiving content by getting so much content and cool videos. so we really need to respect booktubers for the for the crazy effort that they put in
Yes!! Do the stand-alones video, please! I am SO lazy, I don’t wanna read three books at a time lmao
Yes I would love a video about standalones!
Oh dear, do I agree with the comment on Becky Chambers. I devoured the Wayfarer series, can't wait for the forth book to come out. The representation and her use of pronouns is just wonderful. So are the slow paced stories, the gorgeous characters and friendships. Those stories resonated with me so much, still thinking about them randomly in the middle of the night. And the novella "To be taught if fortunate" I found to be beyond amazing ❤️
A Video would about good stand alone books would be great, there are so many series I don´t have the time or head space to invest in a long series at the moment.
A best standalones vid would be great!
I would love to hear your opinions on death of the author and how that has affected your reading!! it's something i think about A LOT and would love to hear your thoughts esp in the sci fi field.
yessssss best standalones video
I don’t like what JK Rowling is for but I love HP series. It’s a part of my life. I will continue to go to Universal just for WWHP. HP was there to bring my family together therefore I will continue to love the series.
You can love the universe while not giving your money to someone who denies basic human rights to some people.
@@MlleBambi while I disagree with Rowling, you can't say she's denying basic human rights? Cause she's not
Book I love for friendships - The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor
I don't get judging reading tastes in general. People like what they like and sometimes reading a "fluff" book can be cleansing. I used to love reading 8-10 books a month but university destroyed that. I average about 2-4 books a year, if I push myself. This year, even with the quarantine, the only book I've finished in it's entirety is "You deserve each other" by Sarah Hogle. It's a romantic comedy and it's the only thing that could keep me interested. I'm really trying to get into Rage of Dragons but it's a struggle for me.
The LOTR trilogy may be one of my favorite book series that is more about friendship than romance (and an evil ring...)
Totally agree with your opinion on female authors being overly categorized as YA. Some YAs with great friendships are:
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson
The Nowhere Girls, Amy Reed
This Savage Song, VE Schwab (There is a small romantic moment in the sequel, but no real romantic relationship between the characters involved).
The Bone Houses, Emily Lloyd-Jones (This one does end with a pairing, but most of the story is just a great, supportive friendship between a girl and a boy-very believable, nontoxic development of the relationship and also fantastic disability rep)!
Also if you are into graphic novels at all and are okay with some titles leaning more middle grade, some of my favorites are:
The Prince and the Dressmaker
Seance Tea Party
Nat Enough
Short & Skinny
I’m a children’s bookseller, so I love to recommend titles!
I def support using the library and buying second+ hand. I'm never worried about having full bookshelves. Doesn't mean you don't know what you're talking about or reading.
Personaly I hate having two editions of the same book because my OCD will drive me crazy. if I get a new edition I simply must unhaul the other one
I would love a stand-alone video! My biggest pet peeve is trilogies in YA. Stop, just give me one good book.
I wonder if we have the same concept of magical realism. Gabriel Garcia Marquez is by far my favorite writer. His books feed both my needs for social critique and for beauty.
Two thumbs way up! 👍🏻👍🏻🖤
I would love a video on standalones! 😀
Read what makes you happy people! That’s the whole point. 💜🖤💜🖤
Radio Silence is a great mental health contemporary with a great friendship as the focal point
Honestly for me when it comes to unlikeable characters it depends on where they stand in the novel. Because I’m all for characters you’re just supposed to hate and find horrible, but I’m also a reader who is very character and relationship driven. And if the main character or a character with a point to view is unlikeable either to me or written that way I just can’t get into it.
And that’s 100% a me thing, but it can affect my outlook on a book as a whole. Cause as I said I’m character and relationship driven. If those aren’t good or if I can’t get into it my interest is done.
ALSO, I totally own every edition of the Graceling series by Kristin Cashore haahaha and I will be ordering all the new covers of the series when the next book winterkeep comes out in the spring
best stand alone books!!!! I NEED IT PLEASE 🥺
If i find a cheap used hardcover copy of a book that I love/already have the paperback copy of I’ll usually buy it and put my paperback in the Little Free Library boxes in my neighborhood. Same if I read the ebook and loved it.
I have a ton of books too but I read over a hundred a year. So yes, I hoard but I also read a lot too. I give a lot to friends, family if I’ve read it and loved it. We do book swaps now and them.
I read Becky Chambers based on your recommendation. So happy I did. Binged first 3 books of Wayfarers. Can't wait for February! She writes as if all the different kinds of people and ways of being, loving, living ect. is just normal. I WISH this was how our world was.
I don’t get the hype around V. E. Schwab either. I couldn’t get through her darker shade of magic series, her characters felt two dementional to me. But then I devoured Vicious and it was really good and was like ”hey, maybe everyone was right about her!” but couldn’t then get through the sequel. I just feel like she’s an average writer at best, who can’t really do characters that well. But no hate for the people who love her work!
I feel the same way. I like her concepts and ideas but the execution doesn’t grip me. I read Vicious because everyone was giving it 5 stars and it left me so disappointed. It was just ok at best. Then I decided to try This Savage Song but on audiobook and found it a lot more pleasant. Still not a 5 stars but more like a 3.5, so now I’m thinking maybe audiobook is the way to go with her! I’ll try another one like that and form my definite opinion. So far I don’t the hype though
I AGREE with the opinion about the Grisha trilogy!!!!
I don't care about them matching either. I have a few series where there's couple that are in a differencing casing. I don't remove dust jackets unless there's a design on the naked hardback. I don't like when they kill a character who was barely in the series.
I did really love Vengeful, but Vicious was my favourite of the two :)
It does look like I have the unpopular opinion haha
does anyone know who the author Emily is referring to around 5:41?
Marion Zimmer Bradley, the author of Mists of Avalon
Getting coffee and ready to dive in😂
Talk about shaming I never tell anyone my favourite series is because if fear of being made fun of.
Salut Emily, je suis à la partie de ta vidéo où tu parles de séparer l'auteur de son oeuvre, et je voulais juste te demander si tu arrives à séparer The Book of the Ancestor de son auteur? Je sais que tu es vraiment fan de la série et moi perso j'ai pas accroché au premier livre, mais je ne veux pas non plus continuer à cause de l'auteur. S'il n'était pas problématique, j'aurais peut-être donné une chance au 2eme livre, mais j'ai bcp de mal. Je ne sais pas si tu vas pouvoir me répondre, mais je suis curieuse de savoir comment est-ce que tout ce qui a été "dévoilé" sur lui a affecté ton amour pour ses livres. Bisous
Salut, j’en ai parlé dans mon wrap up du mois de juin! Je n’ai pas l’intention de continuer à le supporter.
BookswithEmilyFox ah mince j’ai du retard dans toutes les vidéos désolée . Merci en tout cas ☺️
I wish there was more standalones and I am all for that vid!
I agree w/ the person - Vicious was way better than Vengeful.
I’d love an all stand alone recommendations video.
I think there are a lot of books about friendship, especially in fantasy, I just think we need more female (or male-female, nonbinary etc) friendships.
And ok: more friendship in general in YA.
There are beautiful friendships in books, but they're usually underrated. It's always the love story angle that gets all the hype.
Oh, it's an interesting thing you mentioned "Hyperion". The book kinda shows that a person needs to be a little crazy for writing such a thing. However, it was crazy in an appropriate way, like the whole shocking effect came from its madness. However, so-called romance wasn't enjoyable and while at some moments it was necessary to mention, it felt a little forced anyway. You basically feel that the author is not friends with relationships. The book can be an interesting read, but the impression mainly comes from some unexpected bits and as much as I was interested in knowing what comes next, having finished it, I felt no desire to pick up the second one. Having said so much about the characters, the author still created them in a way you don't care about their lives. I wish it were a massive stand-alone :):