responding to your bookish HOT TAKES🔥🔥 and sharing unpopular opinions 📚
Vložit
- čas přidán 22. 07. 2023
- hello hello! i'm working on 2 fun videos that take a little bit more time than usual for you guys, so this week i have a simple discussion video: responding to your bookish hot takes and sharing my unpopular opinions!
🗝️ join my patreon for our book club + reader community: / thebookleo
🌼 s o c i a l m e d i a
• goodreads: / leonie-dams
• twitter: @thebookleo
• instagram: @thebookleo
• business enquiries: thebookleo.business@gmail.com
🌺 a b o u t m e
Hi! My name is Leonie and I am a 25 year old girl from the Netherlands who loves talking about books! From YA to non-fiction to classics, I read it all (although fantasy will always be my fave).
🌹 m u s i c
Music, art, and video by Jokabi
▸ / @jokabibeats
▸ / jokabibeats
▸ / jokabi.beats
▸open.spotify.com/artist/7F93s...
Download / Stream Lost Woods
▸ smarturl.it/LostWoodsJokabi
I dont know if its just me, but i enjoy reading physical books because of the interaction with paper, i feel like i dont focus when i read virtual
This is exactly my experience, but I have adhd, so I think the physical aspect of turning pages to keep my hands busy is what makes it easier for my focus
For me, I like having physical books to remind myself of the stories. If I read on the kindle I can see myself forgetting what I've read after I'd finished, since you'd have to physically scroll down to see, but on a bookshelf you can look at all your books and think "Oh yeah, that was a good book. This and this were my favourite parts."
@@flippantiesthis is me except w ebooks 😭😭 with ebooks you have to constantly scroll as you read and it keeps my hand busy the entire time. with a physical book you don’t have that constant interaction
It hurts my eyes if I read ebooks for too long
Definitely prefer physical books
Me too.
I really love the feeling of the paper, the smell of the book, that I can see how much I’ve already read…
It is just so calming to me
To me cracks on a spine are like lines on a face: inevitable over time and a sign of a lived in life.
I agree, especially since it’s going to happen eventually anyways with a book. My favorite books have the most cracks and creases, it makes them feel more special to me sentimental wise
@@screamingbean7509 it's why I love books with inscriptions... I collect copies of my favorite books that others have inscribed or annotated from used bookstores. They tell the strongest stories.
the way you say it is just so poetic !
Reminds me of the line, "To be loved is to be changed"
I agree. Also, not sure how you're supposed to read a book without leaving a trace on its spine.
My hot take would be this:
Not everything you like has to be a masterpiece and you don't have to like every masterpiece.
I feel like I see far too many people (both in the book sphere but also in the more general art(?) sphere) who feel the need to justify their enjoyment of something by saying it's perfect, that there are no flaws, and that it's way deeper than it actually is. I feel like there's far too much judgement nowadays about liking something that isn't flawless (and also pressure from fellow fans not to admit to any flaws) that people end up going a bit overboard trying to justify why they like something, why they are allowed to like something.
It's okay to like trash people, trash can be fun, trash can be exciting, trash can even have person meaning even if it doesn't particularly have a deeper message. Embrace liking trash (or even just mediocre things) and stop worrying what other people will say about your tastes.
Likewise with "classics" or books that have won literary prizes and acclaim. You can acknowledge that something is technically well executed/had a lot of impact without having to like it, in fact it's a health thing to do! Just because something is well done doesn't mean it's to your taste and there should be absolutely 0 shame in saying you didn't enjoy a literary darling. The fact that you didn't like it also doesn't have to mean that it's bad, it literally just doesn't have to be the book for you.
Honestly I have been reading a lot of "classic" literature and a lot of it has not met my expectations at all. These great authors often aren't THAT great with words or the topic is just boring or doesn't touch my heart. I really loved old man and the sea from Hemingway though.
Everyone needs to see this comment!
Very true! And its also important to know that it's totally ok to not completely fall in love with a book. Its ok if you think its average or mediocre but still enjoy it!
me absolutely hating Dracula because of the epistolary format 😂but respecting the genre significance.
So true! I recently read the "A Touch of Darkness" series and I loved them despite being aware that they aren't exactly Shakespeare...but that doesn't matter, I'm allowed to enjoy both Shakespeare and spicy light reading 🥰
sometimes being spoiled about a book makes me actually interested in it and leads to me reading something I wouldn't have otherwise!
Had that with wuthering heights!
Happened to me with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I wasn't interested at first, somehow got myself spoiled about the queer characters in it and it picked my interest. I ended up absolutely loving the story, and I still got shocked by the final reveal. I fully believe that spoilers can be helpful sometimes.
I feel like the only time spoilers ruin a book is if knowing it ahead of time ruins the impact of the moment. In Stephen King's intro to the Haunting of Hill House, he spoils the ending in a massive way and then rants about how spoilers aren't a thing, meanwhile I get to the end of the book and all the impact and tension of the moment has now evaporated because Stephen already told me how it ends. So, yeah, word to the wise, if you want to read Haunting of Hill House, don't get the edition with Stephen King's intro or at least read it afterwards.
Spoilerd a book for myself because the start was very slow and I needed something to keep me interested. It worked and I ended really enjoying the book!
YES. I find that I can't enjoy the journey if I don't know the ending. I get anxiety about will they/won't they, who dies, and how the story wraps up. When I know the ending, I can relax and enjoy the experience getting there.
My hot take: a lot of more recent books (especially romance books) are just fanfics, just without the background information of pre-made characters and the characters end up feeling shallow.
Literally a lot of recent romance books were originally fanfics that got taken down and converted with OCs for publishing. I’m in a big fanfic community and a lot of writers have taken down their fics to publish them with new characters
I felt this one! They write a lot of spice and then make the story around that. Blegh. Boring. Lol
@@so-fia idk if it's just me not knowing many of these examples but this feels targeted towards 50 shades
@@Isabelle-mp8rk i dont know real examples ut book tok description of a lot of them seems incredibly similar to all those fanfics i read ;-; it actually make me dont want to read cause i have all of this on ao3 for free and properly tagged
Exactly
Dr. Doofenshmirtz is one of the prime examples of morally gray characters and you cannot convince me otherwise-
OHMYGOD YESSSS
To add to the "morally gray characters" debate, I'm really tired of "neutral good" main characters killing people and feeling absolutely no remorse about it (usually in fantasy/sci-fi). Especially if the main character is a teen or in their 20s and has been living a pretty great and fulfilling life with no struggles. Like, they can kill a dozen of strangers and feel guilty only when their friends/family members are in trouble because of them.
@@inem58 To add onto the discussion, I think a big reason for this is that the characters' moral viewpoints haven't fully been fleshed out. What is your mc's philosophy in life? Sooo many scifi/fantasy books will tell us repeatedly that their mc is virtuous and believes in some broad idea of justice, but where does that break. If they can go on and kill people of varying importance (be it to the plot or the society of the book) without any remorse, what does that mean for their worldview?
and thats aelin galathynius for you in a nutshell 😍
I kind of wonder how morally grey can even exist, very few people see themselves as “bad”, usually the opposite, it’s just that one person’s good or not an issue is another’s bad. Just thinking about the Seanchan from Wheel of Time, they enslave magic users, which to most of the cultures is pretty bad, but to them, and even the magic users from Seanchan it’s good because it controls that power.
Victor Vale
It’s unrealistic but I love it because I hate reading paragraphs about how guilty they feel every two pages 😭
“All reading positions are uncomfortable” YES. Truer words have never been spoken. I also move around a lot when I sit down or lie in bed. When I was still in school, everyone was sittning perfectly still and at the same time you could here my chair creak when I switched position😂😂 I like your bookish opinions! They feel healthy, somehow
One of my hot take is that I don’t really read to see myself in books. If I relate to a character or if the author puts into words something I’m very familiar with, that’s cool and great but I don’t seek it out. I mostly like to read about people that have have had experiences that I’ve never had and are very different from me, I want to go to new places. I find that much more interesting. The amazing thing about reading for me is the fact that I can get inside someone else’s head and understand them even if they’re the polar opposite of me. I thinks that also why I rarely find characters annoying. As long as the character is well fleshed out I feel like I understand them.
me too!!! i love reading about people with very different experiences from mine
It surprised me to learn that people seek out people "like them" when consuming fiction
@@hanabishavenSo true ! I never thought about liking a character in a book before a friend told me she didn't like to read specific books because she didn't find characters she could relate to, and asked me how I could relate to a character in all the books I read. 😅 Well I like Fantasy and Sci Fi for one and I don't think I'm a mage or an assassin or an extraterrestrial being 😆
I just like the journey and enjoy the different worlds that the authors can build 😌 It's like travelling and seeing wonders to me 😊
Perfect, this is how it's always been with people honestly. People look for experiences not superficial stuff. This shouldn't be a hot take.
Same! I look for an interesting premise and go into characters I don’t see in myself 😊
Leonie out of context:
"I just break spines sometimes"
My hot take is that most romance books are extremely cringey 😭 but maybe i just havent read any good ones
“Romance” is more like a stepping stone for readers that can’t enjoy books without feeling a spark of love and/or spice.
So if you don’t NEED to read them your most likely just advanced LOL.
I began with romance too (not spicy) but that’s what brought the enjoyment of a fun easy read. I can DEFINITELY see myself abandoning the genre in the future
Fair enough if it's not your genre. Maybe you don't enjoy the idea of romance in general, but perhaps you just haven't found a trope/plot you enjoy. As a hopeless romantic, the genre of romance is so broad, ie enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, star crossed lovers, lovers who aren't endgame and (my fav) love stories with complicated ethics. There are certainly some romances i find hard to read because I don't like the trope/ship or like you stated the writing style is too cliched/forced/undeveloped. Ultimately though I just love contemplating the depths of human emotions. You may also enjoy books that aren't romance focused but include romance as a sub-plot. That said, here are some of my favs
- Wuthering heights (non-traditional/star crossed vibe, controversial )
- Jane Eyre (complicated ethics, i won't spoil anything)
- Far from the madding crowd (very non-conventional lol, personally wasn't too much of a fan)
- North and South (more feminist and focuses on industrialisation v pastoralism as a core theme, not rlly a romance)
- Pride and Prejudice of course
- All the Bright Places (grumpy with grumpy, connection over shared experience)
@@creativesparks2164same. I used to read romance books once but the genre has become predictable and cliche for me now. I actively avoid romance books now.
Omg I feel this! So many popular ones (e.g., The Love Hypothesis & The Hating Game) are so cringe and I can’t push past it. Even though I can in movies, which is weird lol.
That is why I much prefer the romantic comedies because the cringe makes it funnier. If that makes sense. 😂 i guess hating game is a comedy but I didn’t laugh lol
I would suggest authors like Emily Henry & Christina Lauren. But for me romance is very hit or miss. 😅
I don’t particularly enjoy romance on its own but I LOVE and I mean LOVE when it’s a (big-ish, where it’s like a main part of the story without taking away from the main plot) sub-plot. i’m talking fantasy romance, dystopian romance, sci-fi romance, etc.
a tip for everyone who misses going to the bookstore not knowing what books are popular: go to a library and pick books that seem interesting to you! most of the time (at least where i live) libraries have larger selections of less popular books/authors, and if you don’t like a book, you haven’t lost any money.
some books i’ve found this way have been a frisian book about floods and ghost horses, a book of a ufo sighting in rural China, and a translated mongolian poetry collection. none of them i would’ve bought, but i am happy to have read them.
I am such a big library advocate! I second this!
What's the title of the book about China?
@@julajezupe it’s called ’UFO in her eyes’ by Xiaolu Guo. It’s not very sci-fi-y but really interesting, as it’s written partly as government reports and other things :)
@@alma3468 Thanks!
what's the title of the Mongolian poetry collection?
I dislike rainbow shelves because it usually means that series, authors, genres, etc are all mixed together with no rhyme or reason beyond the color of the spine. I have to have certain things grouped together in a way that is logical. That being said, it would be totally awesome if an author (or even multiple authors) deliberately released their books in a way for rainbow shelves to work while maintaining some kind of logic. There's a romance author that occasionally shows up in my reels feed on instagram that has a covert edition of her books that are color coded based on the type of story it contains. Her shelves look so pretty like that.
I don't mind it when they're all random books from random authors. And some authors have been amazing, giving spines that make a rainbow. Emily Henry has given us Blue, Green, Orange, and Pink spines (at least in the US)... so I'm hoping her next two books have a yellow and a purple respectively... because then, her books alone will make a complete CYN rainbow.
I think it depends on how many books are on the shelves. If just a few hundres, you can find them pretty easily no matter how they are arranged. If there are a few thousand, then they need to be more logically organized.
@@michaelsommers2356 and if they’re books you’ve read or refer to frequently, you’ll know them by their spine color. Organizing apps by color on your phone or tablet is actually growing popularity because your brain is more likely to remember the color of the app and not necessarily the name of the app… especially apps whose names are inconsequential or infrequently used.
So, if it’s books you’ve already read and you know them… it’s no big deal.
@@Chaotic_Pixie That's assuming one remembers correctly the color and even title of the book. I find it much better, in that the books are easier to find, to sort fiction by the author's last name, and non-fiction by subject.
Agree. I have mine organised by genre, and then rainbow. Haha
Can we take a minute to appreciate Leonie's shirt? Chef's kiss.
She's always on point whether it's book reviews or fashion.
it's sooo pretty
she always looks stunning
No. That black tank top underneath ruins it.
@@akale2620You're entitled to be wrong
🗣️sometimes I like spoilers because I enjoy seeing how we get from point A to point B 🗣️
Yessss its like books that give you a flash forward at the start and then explore how the characters/world got to this point, its so fun
this is very true and a big reason rereading books is so fun, i do prefer reading them the first time without spoilers though because not knowing what happens can lead to a different form of enjoyment.
There is a german publishing house that puts the content warnings in the back of the book. The first page has a sentence that tells you that the book contains potentially triggering contents but if you want/need to go through that list you need to go to the back of the book. So people that don't need trigger warnings can go on reading without accidentally "spoiling" themselves
this is such a wonderful idea!
Wait which one is it?
@@l.o.3214 LYX
I'm so surprised books don't have this in general. I'm not the kind of person who needs trigger warnings usually, but I got reading one of V E Schwabs books with blood magic and I almost DNF'd it because of how graphic it was and uncomfortable it made me, and that's as someone whose never had issues with that in my life personally. You get warnings in movies, TV shows, YT videos but not books??
@@l.o.3214 i know lyx does it but there are many publishers that do that. pretty sure carlsen and blanvalet as well :)
I truly love libraries because they give vibes of not knowing the books and just simply getting the books your eyes lead on (probably it's cause our library doesn't have a lot of popular or newly published books)
There’s also less pressure to pick a “safe” option since you don’t have to spend money for library books so you can take a chance on things you’ve never heard of :)
Yup, haven't been to the library in a while, and was reminded of how much I love them when I went in the other day and just grabbed a few books I liked the look of and would never have heard about otherwise! Best way to expand your reading imo because the risks are less scary too
I just got my membership at my nearest library. Apparently the knowing of popular books affected how I felt about the options on the shelf. I definitely have to go back with a new mindset.
I do think hardbacks can be overall prettier IF the cover is inlaid and there is no dust jacket. Dust jackets are my arch nemesis!! Overall paperbacks are more comfortable to hold, so I am a paperback girlie💜
YES YES... screw this dust jackets, I hate them
YES. DUST JACKETS SUCK SO MUCH
the great thing about durst jackets is that u cant take them off 🤷♀️
@@blah914 Then you have a collection of laminated paper that either sits around doing nothing or you have to commit to throwing it away..? Not to mention the book is always UGLY without its dust jacket. So no, there is no "great thing" about dust jackets whether sarcastic or not.
@@TinyGhosty I mean, you can always just take the jacket off while reading it and put it back on afterwards. And I disagree about hardcovers being ugly without the jacket; they usually look more old-fashioned because it’s usually a plain cover, which I actually kind of like.
The way i used social media as a reader is I would search for a certain book after I have read it, I would look for fanart, reviews, people gushing, etc. That way I dont feel overwhelmed by 1000 other books.
I used to do this but I stupidly searched for fan art and info about one of my favourite characters and then had his death and the plot twist that came with it spoiled seven books early. Never doing it again
I annotate books on my second read because it means that I loved it so much that I reread it and so I just want to put my thoughts and feelings down and information now that I know the plot and lore behind it... its also just very satisfying to flick through a book and see little notes idk why
Totally agree. I personally wouldnt be able to annotate a book on my first read. I feel like I wouldn't be able to concentrate on the actual book, while stopping and starting to highlight and underline.
Agree with you. However when reading a catchy phrase for the first time, I do sometimes copy it to my notebook, so I don’t loose it. :)
(W : I'M NOT AN ENGLISH NATIVE SPEAKER)
I noticed that the most unpopular opinions of people were about the big book community on the internet. I totally agree with them, I was overwhelmed by it and I took a break. Now, I'm just doing what I like, it's been more than 1 month that I'm reading 1 book and it's ok even if people on the internet said that it's "bad" or make you feel bad to read only one book in this time but idc anymore. I take my time and I read for myself only. Nice video 👍
Agreed
Yes, as a high school student, I’m busy a lot of the time with school and don’t get time to read and there are months where I read only a single book or less so I completely agree.
Yes! I think distancing yourself from the internet in general every now and then is good policy.
I agree! I get into reading slumps at times, and I'm also just naturally not a super fast reader, so I can definitely feel down about not having read as many books as others in a year. But really, reading is about your own enjoyment and enlightenment, and for some people, reading five books a year is just as much enjoyment and enlightenment as reading a hundred books a year is for someone else
I feel guilty about not being a fast reader and that I don't read more than one or two books in a months because on social medias, if you don't read a lot you have less content to do...so I don't see people like me on internet
I never DNF books, like ever, and apparently that‘s a hot take 😅 I just can‘t stand the thought of leaving a book unfinished and even when I don‘t like the plot or the writing I just make it a study of why I don‘t like it. I genuinely feel like that helps me with my own writing 🙃
Especially if I spent money on that book, I don't care if the mc sprouts chicken wings and does the nay-nay throughout.
As long as the money was spent, I will swallow that bitter pill.
I’ve got the opposite problem, I have such a problem with finishing books and series even if I love them. This applies to tv and video games too, like I’ll complete every single quest in a game except the last main one.
i’m the same, but i did actually DNF a book for the first time the other day because it was just plain horrendous and I couldn’t even face trying lmao
Same, i Also document on Goodreads and I don’t like having books that I haven’t finished
God I wish this was me. I’m so bad about never going back to a book and just forget about it on the bookshelf. Especially after college. Like I’ve probably finished 5 new books since.
I love how you always discuss both sides of the argument. It reminds me of my English teacher who always says to think of a counter-argument 😊
@@MarlonMorenoPayesI agreed with this and then made a counter argument for it in my head...
@@MarlonMorenoPayesyeah I've been told I have a very creatively sprawling mind which is a really fun description. Do you like writing?
Yeah same. My teacher used to say that any issue or topic is too complex to just look at it from one pov
The thing about fanfiction is that the more you are into ff the better you are in finding the best stories that were ever written and there really are ffs that are so fucking good omg
A book is not poorly written if it's entertaining! The writing successfully entertained the reader!
Actually, I think a book can be poorly written and still entertaining, in my opinion. The story in itself (or the vibes, the characters...) sometimes is enough to disregard (but still acknowledge) the bad writing.
Nah. I might not be objectively if it’s entertaining/you found some worth in it, but can easily still be poorly written.
stop coping, you can like mid/cringe/cheesy/garbage stuff. It's not ilegal. But I'm not going to pretend it's good tho
Shatter me series, need I say more lol. So bad it’s good, and it depends on what the authors goal was when writing the book as well. If they were trying to JUST entertain the reader your opinion can stand, but if their intention was to write a deeply moving story and you’re just laughing and enjoying its more of a task failed successfully situation
Hey guys I am here because I am looking for help for an exam which is coming up in a week which is based on a novel that we (the students do not know). However, my university professor spilled some information on the novel, mainly that the novel or a certain chapter of the novel is set to play in a house/appartment on 89/Lamberton (street), which seems to be a very specific type of information if you ask me. If anyone out there happens to have read a novel which included this address I would be thankful if you could leave a short reply under this comment, stating the title and author of the novel. Thanks a lot in advance and have a nice weekend 😊 and to those who are also in the midst of writing exams: Good luck 👍
Rainbow shelves are the epitome of looks over functionality
I don't really think that's the case for everyone. I obviously know what you mean but I think there are a lot of people who can remember the cover better than the author or maybe even the title. I have rainbow shelves for my penguin clothbound classics because I know how each cover looks. Of course I could sort them by alphabet like I did with all of the other books but sorting by color didn't subtract from functionality.
I think this would only matter if it’s placed in a public place for people to peruse through. If I want rainbow shelves in my own home because I like how it looks and I’m the one who organized and arranged them that way, it’s both functional and looks good because it’s catered to me. Who cares?
i understand this in a library with thousands of books, but when you have only one or two shelves of books in your own house it’s really not that hard to find a book. also i’m not CONSTANTLY looking for books in my book shelves. maybe it’s just because of the books i read but it’s not like i’m using them for reference material every day that i would need a quick and easy way to find each book. a lot of my books just sit there most of the time lol
I just don't think they impress me at all in terms of looks. I like looking at a bookshelf with the colors all mixed in, it looks more natural that way. Rainbow shelves are too staged for me.
@@hanehu that’s understandable! Everyone has different tastes. While I have had rainbow in the past, I don’t right now, but I might in the future!
I also miss the feeling of walking into a bookstore and not knowing anything about the new releases / popular books. I always love finding a book that I've never heard of ^^
I love annotating my books in just silly, dumb, colourful ways, and then sending it off to one of my friends for them to read, and etc until I have a dumb romance book with margins filled with doodles comments like "ew" "this girl is so dumb" "can't believe this was Star Wars fan fiction" and "and OMG they were roommates" it makes me feel connected to the people I love, and if really wanted a pristine re-read, I could get the book out from the library or something. I also love highlighting/underlining in a different color every time I re-read a book, so I can see what was meaningful to me 2 years ago, five years ago, or to my sister when she read it. My copy of tsoa is so beat up with highlighter and pen ink and tears, and I wouldn't have it any other way!
That is such a fun idea!
Anotating brings you more into the story, literally.
thank GOD you have that take on fanfiction. it drives me wild to see "Fanfic is better than published works" because it's NOT true. it's just familiarity. fanfic authors don't have to take the time to explain the world to you.
Well, fanfiction is not limited to the original lore. Sometimes, it explores the idea of a character in a completely different world, new stakes, and a new personality. There is just more creativity in the fanfiction department where, in published works, it feels like there are still a lot of character blanks that limit the story potential, IMO
For the opinion in book shopping being more fun when it was about exploration and discovery, I think it is also impacted by the economy. At least in the US, book prices have increased a lot and wages have stayed stagnant amidst rising cost of living. Reading physical books as a hobby is a luxury. So going into the bookstore I want to know the limited funds I have are going towards a book that so know I have a high likelihood to enjoy. That’s why I have taken some of that joy of discovery out of my book shopping practices. At a used bookstore though…I feel more freedom to pick up things I wouldn’t have otherwise tried.
Perfect reading position: on a Couch, back and neck supported by pillows. Legs forward, supported by a pillows under the knees. Another pillow on the lap. Book on top. 😂
I can stay in that position for Hours 😅
only bad if you need to go to the toilet or to get a drink and you have to rearrange the pillows
I only annotate non-fiction books because there's usually no real "story" to be taken out of. And I do annotate quite a bit for those books, because I'm afraid I'll forget my first impressions & thoughts on the new information I'm reading. It's also fun to go back and just decorate what I've done.
6:56 can we just take a moment for the nostalgia that is seeping into the readers who loved reading before booktok became a thing? i loved the feeling of going into the bookstore or maybe on amazon and find books that matched my interest by reading their synopsis or something :)
That feeling of walking through a bookstore, eyes and fingers skimming through, reading the synopsis, grinning when you find something worth your time, or shaking your head in indecisiveness.
I am not on Tiktok, so I only get book recommendations on CZcams, even with that knowledge I forget the titles and just go with the flow. 🤣🤣🤣
I agree with Leonie that it's nostalgia, and as a teen not so experienced in reading, it would be easier to find something that would surprise us.
technically, i’ve only gotten into reading after booktok, but i don’t use tiktok EVER and don’t use youtube for booktube. this helps me keep that feeling.
for me it's still real, im 22 but sometimes i go to bigger city to book sales, they don't have the 'pricy and poular' books so it's hard to be biased, i never meet a person who know any of my favs haha
@@calmandfree 💯❤️ and same
Hot take: JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER. People say not to, but the cover of the book is basically a window to the book. If your cover isn't good, that's usually a sign the book may not be something you'd like. However, you should also pick up books with bad covers, since some of my favorite books haven't had the most oustanding Leonardo DaVinci book cover.
Book covers are rather subjective too I'd say. I typically don't pick up covers that depicted actually 3D people, and lean more toward the artsy covers
@@lolitaku7229ya same here. Idk why but the artsy covers are SO underrated. Maybe that’s because I’m an art student but I’m personally more drawn to art looking covers than 3D or just font on a cover.
Sadly sometimes very good books get extremely bad covers. Like the disc world novels from Terry pratchett used to have great artwork on the cover, but the newest editions (at least in my country) have sloppy tasteless digital "art" on the cover and it makes the books look like absolute trash. Not the fantasy caricature classics they are
14:00 Completely agree, one great example imo is American Psycho, Bateman is like one of the worst people you could imagine to exist, but I think the book is amazing in almost every aspect. Sometimes a dislikable main character can enhance someone’s reading experience, the main thing I look for in characters is if they’re compelling/interesting more so than likeable.
Writing a good villain is a craft on its own ! Clockwork orange has a skillfully written villain and it's a great book!
Agreed! I once read a book called Selambs by Sigfrid Siwertz, which is about a group of siblings living in 19th century Sweden (Selambs is their family name); all absolutely terrible people. Ruthless, selfish, cruel - just bad in every way you can think of. It was a fascinating read, I was straight up devouring that book in order to know all the ways they would ruin the lives of themselves as well as others.
It’s so interesting because as a person who works in a library, the FoMo is huge and you learn to live with the fact that you will never read them all and take the pressure off your shoulders. To me the online book community, including your channel, actually helps me do my job . It offers me a good scope on the story line, tropes, genres, type of reader that enjoys or doesn’t enjoy. So thank you so much for not only providing entertainment and suggestions for my personal good, but for making my job that much easier ❤
I was the circulation manager of my Library for four years, and yea eventually you just learn to live with it. Especially because I had no time to read EVERRRR when I was working there.
I remember reading 'the murder of roger ackroyd' by agatha christie when I accidently came across a spoiler revealing the murderer, but I didn't let that ruin the book for me and gaslit myself into pretending to be clueless the whole time. I did it so well that I was actually shocked when the murderer was revealed. idk what this says about me lmao
ahhh i love that book
I did this to myself about a mystery novel video game! My sister was so excited to see me go thru the twists, so I just pretended the whole time and I even fooled her! I'm proud of that. I think it's an acting skill, to think like someone who doesn't know what you know, ya know?
Rainbow bookshelves look very very pretty, but like you said I wouldn't personally have one because of organization. But I do enjoy pictures of them, so to everyone with rainbow shelves: please never stop sharing them
Getting a kindle has helped me SO MUCH. I absolutely hate damaging books and get very real anxiety over any little scratch. That doesn't happen with the kindle and that small fact has increased my ability to immerse myself in the stories sooooo much!!! I used to think I'd never like ebooks because I love physical copies but I have 100% switched sides lol.
I get the ebook people because I’m a lawyer and a student, and I really prefer law e-books as opposed to the physical stuff - they’re usually too big, expensive and get out of date super quickly, becoming unreliable. however, that’s also the reason why I don’t like ebooks when I’m reading fiction for fun. I associate my physical books with me time, and I enjoy displaying them. there was a recent twitter spat about personal libraries and it being unnecessary, and to that I say, do what brings you joy in this short little life, cause if you really think about, hardly anything is necessary at all
I really don't get people that are bothered by content warnings, and you made such a fantastic point about it only being a spoiler if it's being used for shock value! Like TWs are literally there so people don't accidentally stumble onto something re-traumatizing, how can anyone be angry about that? Unless - it's a shocking thing that happens as a plot point! Such a brilliant observation.
I often buy books at charity shops and I have come across some really amazing stories that I would not have tried otherwise. That being said, I ended picking two books from the charity shop that were super popular and I had no idea at the time. For example I bought spinning silver at the charity shop and it’s so well known!! I definitely like both worlds of surprise and also recommend books
I remember when the elder sister of a classmate was selling part of her collection, and it was dirt cheap, she just wanted to make space rather than make a profit.
Unfortunately, I was just a broke secondary student, so I couldn't afford anything. They were all gone by the end of the day. I felt like crying that day🤣🤣🤣
@@calmandfree oh no!! I get that totally!! I would cry tooooo!! 🫶🏽
i never knew how much booktube content i could consume before i found leonie’s channel
I agree about ebooks, as much as I love physical copies, I read so much quicker on my kindle &’it’s so convenient 😩🥰
as a person who has VERY big problems with keeping attention, even on something I love, like a really good book, annotating helps me a lot with getting immersed in the story and focusing on it!
Oh, my God. You're reading AFTG. I'm obsessed. Are they poorly written? Yes. Do I love them? Yep. They are soo good, like so freaking entertaining. And the fanfictions, are so much better. I need your video of the foxes now. Hope you enjoy them.
these are my exact feelings omg 😭😭 like yes i acknowledge the series isn’t objectively good and i get why so many don’t like it, but i was soooo entertained by it despite all the ridiculous parts. i’m so obsessed w the characters and their dynamics. aftg fic is pretty much some of the only fanfic i read too like nothing compares to reading a good tender andreil fic
Oh my god i agree this and that ^^ 😭😭 I rlly enjoyed reading them the first around during when i had a sports phase in entertainments and still reread aftg to this day whenever i get the urge to relive the scenes, hahhh. I just love love how character-driven the writing was, and plenty of fanfics are just !!! ahhh a blessing rlly.
Absolutely! I listened to the audiobooks on my way to and from classes last year. Not the best series in the world, but I cared enough about the characters and the plot kept me gripped enough for it to entertain me a lot on my travels!
I really love these kind of videos and I absolutely love your reasoning for why listening to audiobooks equals reading the book because I'm the opposite. for me, "reading a book" is exactly what you described: taking my eyeballs over the pages 😂 I do think that someone who listens to audiobooks is also a reader in the sense of someone who enjoys consuming and loving stories, but grabbing the book, getting comfortable and physically reading the pages is such a big part of "reading" for me personally 🤓
this is very interesting to me bcs i definitely enjoy “consuming” stories but it can be a chore to actually use my eyes and read. i didn’t know there were people who actually enjoy the act of reading itself. if anything, it’s what holds me back from reading more.
Meh, books are nice and all, i love the smell, but leonie is right, you have to use both hands and your eyes to physically read and sometimes i just get bored by it and want to do something else. Audiobooks in that sense are amazing to me because it frees my hands up so i can multitask and stave off the boredom longer, which lets me get through the book faster and more smoothly
For me, bookstagram (I don't have TikTok) has definitely make me lose my joy in reading. I think it goes together with the bookstore browsing argument. Yes, I discovered books (and through that even a whole genre) I wouldn't want to miss, but now I have this massive checklist in my head (and more than 7000 Screenshots on my phone) which is just overwhelming. Also, it makes me want to read a ton of books I probably wouldn't pick up normally, and that's not because I don't know about them
Personally, since I stopped interacting with bookish content, I not only read more, but also enjoy it more
Edit: I don't think you add to that too much, because of how you are recommending book. Yes, I do add books to my list because you recommend them, but the amount isn't to much and these are books I will probably enjoy
Also, as a trauma surviver, I f*cking needed TWs at some points in my life. I actually stopped reading for a time because I just couldn't know whether a story had triggering elements
I recommend StoryGraph.
First for all those screenshots. I don't know if you're someone who likes to have things organised but I personally have the hundreds of books I want to read in that app, it helps me to know what's on my To Be Read list and it's so easy to add tags, so I could add a tag to let me know who recommended it, and when you look to all those books there is a filter on the app with so many options so it can help you pick what you're in the mood for.
But if you're not interested on that (completely valid) I would still recommend it for the Trigger Warnings part. When you look for a book there you can check at the bottom all the TW submitted by the readers in different "scales" (graphic, Moderate, minor) so you get the idea if a TW is heavily mentioned or not.
@@theburrowofstories firstly, thank you for wanting to help, I really appreciate that :)
Unfortunately, seeing the moods and genres also hold me back because now I have this ideal version of what I should read in my mind. I think I am the problem 😅
My hot take is that I think a longer book (over 400-00 pages) can be harmful towards it’s story. Most books I’ve found myself enjoying have been around 400-500 long or under, and as a writer myself I think it’s a good exercise to trim down the length and really prioritize what matters most in a story.
Or making everything a duet or a trilogy
I love the pacing of a 350-450 page book.
I tried to read IT and I just couldn’t get through it. Even though I loved the movie duology and really wanted to love it, I was so frustrated with the book and it’s length that I was bored of the story by the end of it
You can stretch the spine without making it crease like that. If you open a few pages in the front then a handful in the back over and over until you reach the middle of the book you don’t get the spine cracks like that. (From my own experience idk if it works for every book I’m sure it depends how it was manufactured too).
Tip: be very careful, I ruined my book because the amount of of pages I took
You should only go from back to front when doing this. It hslps counteract the tendency of the spine to get an angle to it when only opened from the front, as with many library books.
i believe the technical term for this is relaxing the spine (?) please correct me if i’m wrong and i’m referring to smth else
@@ep9158 I didn’t know there was a name for it! My grandmother showed me the trick because she likes to have her bookshelves look “put together” as she would call it.
well nope :D I tried that on few of my books and ALL ended up cracked. Yes I went from back to front and yes I took small amounts of pages. Glad it works for you at least :D
i dont know if its just me, but when i annotate a book im more motivated to read it for some reason? and when i say annotate i mean just underline some quotes, tab some scenes and write my reactions
Sounds fun honestly. And your really engaging with the story and kinda participating in the process of the book.
90 percent of my reading is done using my Kindle. It's very convenient and I can have a lot of books with me and have them take up almost no space at all.
What most people get wrong about trigger warnings is that they are not for "normal" people who just don't want to read heavy stories. They are for people who experienced such things and get TRIGGERED by reading about it. They re-experience their own trauma when accidentally being confronted with the subject. So if you have the privilege of not getting flashbacks while reading heavy content, just don't read the trigger warnings if you think they are spoilers.
started "a little life" recently and i haven't annotated anything since high school. i didn't even annotate in college. but i tried with that one since i felt like "i should" and i'm about 25 pages in and i hate it. it's made the book messy looking and if i want to go back to re-read, my lines and markings look like a distracting mess. maybe others can annotate and do it well and it helps them take in what they read, but for me i just feel like i've ruined this book with my mess. if that makes sense.
I love annotating my books because it helps me express my emotions at the moment while reading a book, but while I read I use a regular pencil to underline, note the music I was listening to or write my thoughts. After I'm done I go back and make them pretty with highlighters & colored pens . So I know it can take you out of the story for some, but it actually helps me get engaged with the sorry cuz I'm easily distracted.
I also used to be a “dont break the spine” kinda person until I looked at my bookcase one day and realised i really liked how you could visually see which books I had loved because the spines were so cracked and the pages didnt lie flat anymore. From then on, I didn’t care about breaking the spines anymore. I try not to break them on purpose but if it happens while im reading or if the book is really tightly bound and I have to break the spine to make it lie flat, I don’t mind. Sometimes I just break the spine for funsies.
I agree with you about rainbow shelves. I find them so pretty, but I could never live in chaos of my series and genres not being together. I would never be able to find anything I need. I have over 2,000 books in my library and I can't bring this kind of chaos into my world. 🤣
I actually like the feeling of being overwhelmed by book recommendations a bit - it let's me know there's always more to read and to discover. And to me personally that's a good thing ❤
As an expat living in the Netherlands I wholeheartedly agree about internet ruining book shopping. When I go to a store/library to check out their (usually very limited) English section my brain immediately focuses on the ones I've seen online. It's sad because I'm probably missing out on some good books.
14:54 I have a mild trigger and so whenever I see that the author has included trigger warnings in the front of the book it makes me really happy and grateful, as I can then prepare myself. I love storygraph for this reason as I am able to check the content warnings of books and be able to prepare myself (as I only get triggered when it is something I wasn't expecting). I think these trigger warnings are important because they can help with the enjoyment of the book, I once got triggered by a scene which then rruined the entire book for me and made me dnf
Yeah, I feel like the people who complain about content warnings just don't have triggers that they need to worry about. No one's stopping them from skipping ahead to Chapter 1 🤷♀
@@looc_96 I also feel like genre might play a large role, as well. Like, I feel like most typical romances don't really need trigger warnings, but if I start a horror book and there's not a list of trigger warnings I'm going to be on edge the entire time, because there's a handful of authors (mostly male, I've noticed) who think horror means horrifically assaulting or violating someone, generally a woman, which I don't need to be caught off guard by. So, yeah, I can see how if someone generally reads a genre that is known for not being triggering then they wouldn't understand why other genres might NEED a list of trigger warnings.
@@raven_moonshine39 It doesn't really have anything to do with genre, I don't think. You could argue that horror is supposed to make you feel on edge all the time, that's the goal of the book. I still think content warnings would be useful for horror for people who do want avoid specific triggers, such as gendered violence. While a lot of romances wouldn't need content warnings, that's probably because they don't include commonly triggering topics/themes. But a romance very well could include SA or domestic violence (I don't really know, I don't read romance) and so I'd say that would need a content warning. I don't understand why someone who wasn't used to seeing content warnings for a particular genre would get confused that some people might still want a heads up if a particular book includes SA for example?
@@looc_96i actually dont have any triggers but i still like trigger warnings because i dont like to be taken by surprise by things like assault for example if i wasn’t expecting that to be in there. I want to be able to either make sure I’m in a headspace thats okay to deal with that or just not go into it at all idk. So many stories use traumaporn for shock factor or worse to explain away why poor character A did a bad thing and just no
My hot take is that "morally gray" is just a regular person. The only time it wouldn't be is if they were specifically wholly good/bad creatures like angels n demons or something. Like it's a very specific choice to have a character NOT be gray. And even then it's still YOUR idea of good and bad, which is subjective, so it's actually kinda impossible in a practical sense.
I tried having book journals but was always unsuccessful so I turned each book I read into a little book journal for that book. Full of notes, highlights, quotes, etc.
I switched to a Kindle e-reader (a long time ago) when I opened a rented school textbook for the first time and discovered a smooshed insect in the middle close to the spine. Being mildly OCD I've gained a new apprehension towards physical books from that day on...
new fear unlocked 😅
Computers have bugs in them, too.
This happened to me once except it was midnight and a mot FLEW OUT AT ME I'm very traumatized 👍
Yes to ebooks. I kind of hate that I love them so much since I end up ignoring my local book stores, but ebooks are just so much nicer to read. They are always with you, no need for just the right light, font size is never an issue, and they're so much lighter.
I literally don't understand why people say The folk of the air books are so bad, I understand not liking it everyone has different tastes, but saying that it's the worst piece of literature... I guess me and those people read total different books.
Hey Leonie, love your videos. I’ve been in a huge reading slump for some time now, you should make a video in how to get over one, it would be really helpful.
It’s also ableist to exclude audiobook listeners from ‘readers’ as that’s how many people consume the books for example blind people and people with dyslexia.
I annotate books I've already read and loved, or found interesting and want to study more. I can't do it the first time around cause it is pretty distracting for me. More power to the people that can or just don't like to at all :D
Omgg yesss!! Annotating is always for the reread!
With some books I really want to have my first impression in there but it really depends on the book. I like to just have a pencil and underline my favorite quotes and if I really care I'll highlight and tab later. If I want to sell it, I could still erase everything.
on the whole thing of enjoyment while book shopping: in my experience, thrifting books and going to second-hand shops really replicate that feeling of buying them only based on how much you like the synopsis and maybe the cover, since you probably won't find any "social media popular" titles there, at least in my area. it's pretty fun, especially because of the price, i feel way less guilty about just picking books at random to see if i will end up liking them or not!
Girl just what I needed, thanks for uploading!
Ur welcome
After being in a reading slump for 5 months I’m ready to come back! And this content is exactly what I need!!! Thank you!
I have become SUCH an audiobook girlie but as a sassy teenager I was guilty of claiming physical books are superior lol. to those who claim that listening to audiobooks isn't reading, I always make the point that it doesn't matter how you absorb the words (via your eyeballs or your ears) because your brain still has to process and make sense of them at the end of the day just like you said!
I can read very fast but I find that I absorb the story better when listening, bc I can't skim if a part is kinda boring lol. I also like that it takes the guesswork out of crazy fantasy names 😅
a definite downside of audiobooks is the potential to get a bad narrator 😬 I'm listening to a full cast audiobook now with a narrator that cannot do a British accent to save their life. it is so tragic that I crank the speed up to 1.45x just to get through their sections LOL you win some, you lose some.
About audiobooks: it is very ableist to assume everyone can read physical books. Or, you know, with your eyeballs. Listening to a book IS reading! Loved your take on this, you described what reading really is, about experiencing the story and characters. I think people forget it so often.
Sally roony is an amazing writer but for some reason i always find my self super mad abt the character that i forgot to enjoy the book
whenever you said poorly written but entertaining, i immediately thought of the foxhole court. i recently reread it and i'm aware of its faults but oh my god it is unreal. it is genuinely so enjoying and the fact the first book is only 250 pages yet it hooks you immediately and makes neil josten and exy feel so real; it is just so gripping and fun, definitely a comfort series
The big thing I think with the disparity between hate on male/female romance authors is that women tend to read more romance in general than men, and typically, I think, modern romance is written more by women than by men. As such, with vastly more romance literature out there from women, most of the visible hate will be directed towards them.
I read in all formats (audiobooks, digital and physical), imho they each have their own moment and purpose. Adulting used to keep me from reading and audiobooks ended that. I love reading the book i forgot at home on my phone, or that i purposely left there because it would not fit my bag, or i just cant carry any more weight. Hope haters were more understanding of other people’s circumstances!
omg i read ebooks on my ipad and I highly recommend buying the paperlike screen protectors! they’re matte so there’s no glare on the screen! It’s helped my eyes a lot!
Leonie, I've been spending a lot of time alone at home during the very empty summer semester in my college town and feeling very down, but your videos have honestly really helped me to feel a little less alone :) i love listening to your opinions and reactions, thank you for being you!
I really appreciate the practicality of e-books, especially because they’re often the only option at my local library. But there is something sacred to paper-bound books- keeping them, using them, turning the pages, making them your own. + I have ADHD & Autism and have a whole stimming system tied to holding the physical book that I’ve employed since I learnt reading.
My hot take is that for me "paperback vs hardcover" depends on the language of the book. When I read in English I'm fine with paperback, but when I read in Russian I'd rather have a hardcover. Especially if it's fantasy.
That said, MacMillan Collector's Library editions are wonderful. They're small and easy to carry around and they're hardcover as well.
I think both hardbacks and paperbacks are pretty, it depends on the design which I find more beautiful. paperbacks are definitely easier to read unless the book is very long, then I prefer a hardback even tho it's heavier
for me, spoilers is acceptable if its a fantasy, romance books. but if its thriller or mystery books, i just feel so bummed out if i get spoiled :'D
oh im surprised you havent got a kindle or kobo yet, life changers
About fanfic being better than published books - for romance, I would agree that I am more likely to be satisfied with the story. Yes, there is terrible romance fanfic and tropetastic fanfic galore (love those accurate tags!), but there is a lot out there that doesn't fall into the traditional published romance trope traps I hate: tiny, weak MC with a big bruiser, hero/love interest is misogynistic but treats MC differently, MC is special, love interest is jealous and/or has uncontrollable drive to "mate", forced marriage, and love magically, instantly heals a rape victim. I just can't deal with YA romance as published currently. I find most romantic fantasy so problematic that I prefer the straight fantasy without any romance.
Booktube/bookstagram has helped me narrow down my reading tastes and exposed me to a lot of books I probably never would have found on my own! For most of my life I just knew I like fantasy, but ended up reading a lot that I didn't actually like because I didn't know about subgenres like political fantasy (which I don't like) and fairy tale feelings (which I do like)
The way my world stopped when you said you're reading the AFTG series!! It has early 2010's fanfiction vibes and yet I adore it! I don't think I've reread a series as much as this one haha. I first binged the series when I was at the peak of my teenage angst having just left foster care myself so AFTG was such a cathartic experience and I'm not even ashamed to say that it is my comfort series! I read it any time I'm transitioning to something new in life and it seriously helps me not stress as much XD
Leonie!! Sooo many good takes, and I love how passionate you were on most of the topics 😂
Also also, please Leonie please, read Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher, I think you’d really like it and I’d love to see the book get more recognition!
It's almost scary how much our opinions are the same. Especially the audio book part. I love to read and to listen to audio books and I call both "reading the book" because I know about the story.
Btw I love your outfit
Leo: I just break spines.
Me: out of context, that sounds terrifying 😂
I'm so happy when I see a newly uploaded video😭❤️
I agree with being influenced what to buy by recognizing 'popular books'. What helps me is going to free little library's. I have read so many books I would never have come across otherwise by visiting them. It's a fun way of reading more diverse books!
Hmm, I don't know. Audiobooks DO mean you have experienced the STORY, but I disagree that they qualify as having had the READING experience of the book. It's almost more akin to an adaptation than pure reading. Being confronted with the words on the page, the structure of them, the formatting decisions made for them, hearing the distinctive voices in your head and creating your own soundscape for the world of the book, are all things which the audiobook version takes away from you or takes over from you and those are gems which only exist in reading the text version of the book. Authors often put a lot of thought into the textual presentation and formatting for a reason and all of that is lost when it's only audio.
The above obviously does not apply to anyone who has a difficulty with reading text and needs audio instead. This is for when it's a choice/comparison.
Sometimes, I can overcome pressure to read tons of books by simply reading a few manga volumes. It usually takes up to 1 hour, but you can increase the number of read book significantly
oh, I'm so hyped about your upcoming video. I bought the whole series (All for the Game) for under two euros as ebooks and that already says a lot about the quality of the writing, or at least that sadly often is the case, but still I enjoyed the books so much. Due this day I'm not 100 percent sure why, but that is just the way it is sometimes. Anyhow, looking forward to it. 🙌
I found that annotating helped me connect more to the story! It actually pulls me more into the book.
Also. Writing stuff down helps me remember stuff a little better :)
I love the look, Leonie! Very princess in a cottage-like! 🙂
I do think that listening to audiobooks isn’t the same thing as reading. I get your argument but why not just say that you listened to it? I don’t think that it is a lesser experience but it is something different even though the plot is the same. I think people feel kind of ashamed to listen to audiobooks and they really don’t have to be.
I hate rainbow shelves because they are so ugly. I never seen a room that actually looks better with a rainbow shelf. It‘s just such an eyesore. I know this is completely subjective but I don’t really have a better explanation. :D
I also think the same, why call it "reading a book" why not say "I listened to the audiobook"?
One hundert percent agree with the audio book point
That video was so much fun. :D Agree with a lot of the mentioned things. Especially the comment about reading positions. I‘m so uncomfortable at this point, that I mostly sit at my desk when reading a book…. 😅
I just came across your video, read some comments and I need to say: such a wholesome community. ❤