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For the recommendation question::: I LOVE saying “I won’t get to that book. But I really want to hear about what YOU loved about it and you can tell me all the spoilers.”
What this does is that it allows the person to share their experience and get that connection with you without the time and energy input from you. It puts the focus back on their reading experience too.
And honestly on the off chance I DO end up reading it, I don’t care about spoilers. I’m here for the vibes. 😅
Clever. I like it.
I once made the colossal mistake of telling a colleague that I’d never read any of Sophie Kinsella’s “Shopaholic” books. The next day, “Confessions of a Shopaholic” was on my desk. I dutifully read it, and although it wasn’t my kind of book, I could see why it was popular. However, one Shopaholic book was enough for me for a lifetime, and I didn’t want to continue with the series. When I returned the book to my colleague, she gave me the next three Shopaholic books in the series. Gah! From then on, I made it a firm rule to let people know that I don’t want their unsolicited books. Ask me first, please!
OMG, same here. A coworker forced a Danielle Steele book on me, so I slogged through that thing. Then you feel guilty about saying it was awful, when they were saying how good it was, so I lied, but then you’re in danger of receiving another one! Now, that I am older, I would stand my ground.
I feel your pain.😆 @@irhonda31
the goodreads rating thing is insane to me bc if a book has a 4.5+ average on goodreads it’s usually either an undisputed masterpiece or an absolute piece of garbage so i could never take it seriously
Just in case the person from Portugal reads this: I'm from Spain and buy regularly from World of Books, they ship to Spain for an extra 1,50£ per book, I imagine it would be a similar amount for Portugal, and the prizes are usually ridiculously low, so it's an affordable option. BUT they ship the book in a little plastic envelope with no extra protection. I haven't had any bad experiences, but be aware that they could get damage during the trip (maybe buy one to see how things go). And, I've never bought from the US site Raeleen mentioned, but be aware that in Europe we pay taxes from books from the US, so there's a chance you'll have to pay extra when the package arrive to your home 😬
I ordered from them multiple times before to Hungary, but nowadays they put some extra taxes on deliveries, so it is not worth it, in my opinion. (One or two years ago the delivery was free of charge too, no matter the order amount.) The packaging is not environmentally friendly, nor protective enough so I would not recommend them. Last time I ordered a book called Secret Garden from them, the website said that it was in a good condition, but it was quite dog earred so I haven't ordered from them ever since. There are other options I heard others ordered from to Hungary such as: wordery, Kennys and Blackwell's, but I haven't had the chance to order from them yet, so I'm not sure if they are good, but I think it is worth a try. :)
@@boglarkasmith maybe it's because of brexit? I'm from germany and since brexit everything you order from the uk goes through customs and the amount you sometimes have to pay extra on top of shipping and innitial price doesnt make it worth anymore :/
A couple fun ideas for the unsolicited book recs:
• Use it as a way to clarify what type of reader you are: tell them honestly that you prefer books in these other genres, and maybe they will start to rec books that are already on your list!
• Kind of a weird one- make a tbr jar on your desk. Gives them a little extra work to give a rec. Maybe once a year, if you want to try one of them, draw one and let the colleague know you finally took them up on their rec, whether you read the whole thing, and your honest thoughts. This way they can kinda visibly see how they might be giving you too many ideas.
I felt the goodreads rating conversation! I have found a lot of my favorites sit in the 3.5 range. The way I see it, this means the book was really loved or really hated but either way, it evoked a strong emotion which means it can be a super interesting read.
I absolutely love World of Books it's the thing that's helped me stop using Amazon. They have 3 for 2 on second hand books all the time and their delivery is quick too!
I LOVE WOB and have found the most random obscure books on there for super cheap! I probable order from them at least once a month. Absolute gems of the book world 🙌🏻
Sometimes when I am in a slump, I reach for a graphic novel. The visuals make it easier for me to feel like it's entertaining and lets my brain have a small break from making the scene of the book in my mind. They are also usually shorter in length, which helps me feel accomplished. ☺ I wouldn't have read as many graphic novels as I have, if it wasn't for my library's great selection of books. Never forget the library.
When putting the unsolicited book rec back on the desk put a sticky note on it that says "sorry, i'm washing my hair that day", or "sorry but i'm already in a commited relationship with my TBR".
little personal experience in the field of lending books: i am the reader who dog-ears and annotated ALL my books so buying a new one is never a good option for. because of this, i only lend books to people i see regularly (so i can ask them about it every single time we meet :D ) and if someone (my mum) looses or destroys a borrowed book once, that means they have lost their book borrowing priviledges. i also tell each person i lend a book that there a two rules which are 1) give it back 2)do not remove the dog-ears (learned that one the hard way) and even after all of this there are also still some holy grail book ins my collection that are just completely untouchable for anybody but me bc i would be completely heartbroken if anything happened to them. this all may seem a lot to some people but my book collection is genuinly my most prized possesion so i think it's completely justified to protect it this way.
on the other hand, because i am the person who personalizes my books, people are sometimes scared to lend me books but i am so so so careful with other people's books, i've never so much as scratched them. just bc i do something with my own book, doesn't mean i get to do that with somebody elses.:D
It’s so funny that you mention the thing about Japanese translations. I just finished reading Before Your Memory Fades and What you are looking for is in the library. I wanted to love them, but there’s definitely a cultural barrier that comes through the writing style. The very simplistic, tell rather than show style isn’t doing it for me. I did like Convenience Store Woman and the first two BTCGC books!
Another great way to read the first few pages is to get an ebook sample. I know Amazon offers that, and maybe other ebook libraries do that as well.
My library ebook/audiobook app lets you listen to/read samples first and it's so useful!!
This might be my favorite episode 😂😂😂❤ Such good advice! You guys really hit the nail with this one, while making it super fun!
I used to just go to book stores, pick random books that intrigued me, read them right away and enjoy them even when they turned out to be not great but just okay. I guess it was because I was a kid who didn’t have to worry about money (or life in general lol) since it was my parents buying the books 😂😂
I could be mistaken but I think better world books has a buy one give one program where they donate a book to a library in need whenever you purchase a book
My personal rule for buying a book i dont have any information of or if it's a classic literature book i think i may not want to finish, is to read at list the first page. If it doesnt makes me want to keep reading or if its unconfortable to read (size of the font or wtvr), i dont buy it. With online shopping is more than 1 or 2 reviews on youtube. Mostly, WE need to develop the selfknolegde of what do we like to read, what makes us abandon a book and etc. Enjoying reading is bigger than the number of readings you have in a month or a year.
I use world of books for almost every book I buy so can vouch for them being safe to buy from!! I'm UK based myself, so hopefully their international shipping is just as reliable, but I've never had an issue before and I've used them for years :) it is for sure a used books site, so I wouldn't expect a brand new one, but I've never received a book I'm not happy with the condition of 😊
I'm from Australia and I also buy many of my books from World of Books! In my experience the books arrive safely and in the condition stated on the website (I usually buy good or very good condition) but it is quite slow, usually taking about a month for books to get to me (which is about as long as Book Depository used to take anyway). But their prices are very good and I love that free shipping!
My french ass was so happy hearing another french listen to Books Unbounded. ❤
And is in a reading slump 😂 C'est la même chose ici
I am the slump!!
i really related to a lot of these confessions - the goodreads rating is SO relatable to me, and i also struggle reading for entertainment because it is such an active media instead of passive media!
thanks again for the recommendations with online bookshopping and finding more book variety ❤
“Thanks for thinking of me. I’m actually not interested in recommendations at this time.” Boom. Boundary set
I find that my sweet spot on Goodreads average is between 3.1 and 3.6 hahaha. I distrust anything too high lol.
I'm a new listener, btw. Binging your old episodes and I'm currently on ep 67! 🍃
The algorithm brought me here (yay!) And I am very grateful. However, it was very hard to finish this episode due to the amount of times Ariel cut Rae off. Y'all are filming this so the need for the "yes", "mhmm", and general interjections SHOULD be reduced. Girl, just nod! It's very hard to follow two people talking over one another, and poor Rae couldn't finish a sentence without Ariel chiming in the whole episode.
With that said, great advice to all the problems mentioned. Loved the topic. ❤️
The only way I decide to read a book is by reading a few pages; the first page and a couple sample middle pages. But I'm a style reader. I cannot handle reading anything that I start mentally editing or re-writing. Prizes, awards, and ratings are meaningless to me as a reader - they for marketing & egos.
I don't recommend World of Books if you care about the condition of your book. They mostly sell used books and the books I've ordered from them have arrived in bad condition.
Yes, and they put extra fees on deliveries to some countries as well (like Hungary and Serbia). :/
Ariel: if Maggie decides to take you up on your book shopping whilst on vacation, you should lend your expertise and help her figure out how many books and snacks she can fit in her suitcase 😂
Sage advice from a colleague regarding unreturned books: "When books go missing, I like to imagine that the person who borrowed it loved it so much that they couldn't bear to return it. And that book lives on in someone else's hands, perhaps finding its way to more and more readers - more than it would ever reach on my shelf - as it gets passed along." Not that it doesn't sting to have cherished books go missing, but thinking this way has helped ease the pain for me. Regarding book recommendations, I use this handy phrase: "I'll add it to my list." Maybe I'll get to it, maybe I won't... and who will know! 😊
I think "idol, burning" has low ratings bc most people expect it to be about “oshikatsu (fangirling)” mainly but it turns out to be more about a girl struggling just to survive in the society. It is also categorized in the "純文学(pure literature)" genre here in Japan, which some people find difficult to understand, especially those who are familiar with entertainment based novels more 🤔
I love 純文学 novels but I sometimes find it tiring to read because it’s usually slow paced, makes me think A LOT and drains my energy (and it becomes a mashed potato book)… so yeah, it’s not for everyone 😂
I used to look at Goodreads ratings but now I don’t take them into consideration because I have given books 4 or 5 stars when the average is below 3.5 and I’ve given 2 stars to books with over 4 star ratings
These are some of my favorite episodes!
Great episode!! You both have excellent ideas about deciding on book ratings! And each of the other topics as well. I think we all related to each one!
Books unbound makes me so happy ❤
I would love to hear your tips for engaging with Japanese fiction in a better way. I always feel so frustrated because I am one of those people who repeatedly bounce off of translated Japanese books! I find the writing styles I've seen really hard to connect with and I don't know if I'm supposed to just power through until I get used to it.
Great episode!!
re:lending books. I never lend anything anymore. I either give it away or not. Saves on resentment🙂
I do the looking up on goodreads thing but I absolutely a few different reviews across the ratings regardless of whether it has a 4.5 or a 2.5! Leave the World Behind was maybe my favourite book I read last year and it currently has a 3.17 goodreads rating 😂😂 I think when I looked it up it was 2. something! BUT I read a couple of the low reviews and it was very obvious that what they hated (general uncertainty, a bit wierd but nothing really happens and an ambiguous ending) all usually work for me! 😅 I also have a good amount of 2* reads that are well into the 4. something rating on goodreads so you definitely can't always trust those numbers 😉
the last one i really felt deeply as a brazilian bc here in brazil you either get english books from amazon or you dont read them at all bc we pretty much dont have libraries, we dont have the libby app, e-reading and audiobooks here are only associated with amazon and buying a book on a bookstore youll only get them translated or this tiktok famous ones that i am not interested in. and even then, books if not sold on amazon are extremely expensive here like a 30 to 50 bucks difference from a bookstore book to buying on amazon. so i know its wrong to support this big corporation but if it wasnt for amazon i simply would not have access to reading and culture!
we absolutely do have libraries, but i get what you mean bc it's a different type of experience. i like reading in english and it's a struggle to find places to buy them. but really, go to your local library, you'll find interesting books.
world of books is great! the books are just sent in bags tho not the cardboard stuff so they're not super well protected, but ive never actually had an issue with it. not a major issue if ur just getting used paperbacks though, i don't mind any minor scuffing of the corners if im only paying a couple of quid :)
I also am guilty of not reading books that seem appealing to me, but have a low rating on Goodreads, but you’re right, this is kind of dumb so from now on if I want to read a book, I won’t consider it’s rating, and I will give it a try and see by myself 🤓
I stopped rating books a few years ago and it’s been so freeing.
Better World Books is great! I've purchased so many books from them over the years. Just something to note on the used books: many of them (at least the ones I've received) are old library books because many of the titles are donated by libraries. So if you're okay with all of that, then BWB is such a great resource.
Is it me or libraries aren't that great here in Europe? At least in Spain there are not many English titles you can get and I think it's probably similar in Portugal! Also we don't have Libby and it's complicated to have your library books on your ebook.
I think they are. Here where I currently live (Serbia) libraries have membership fees and usually they don't have ebooks or audiobooks, or at least it is the case in smaller towns.
For unsolicited book recs: I have a made up friend who would REALLY love the book you’re recommending and two weeks later has it on their top 5 favourites list! I don’t have to read it and they get the satisfaction of a successful recommendation😂 I think its an okay lie?
I'm sorry ladies but I just dont like the new series of 'book confessions' The content seems really dumb and i cant believe people have these 'problems'.
How do i avoid Tik Tok books? really?
How about you give up watching Tik Tok!
Problem solved.
seriously though go back to making fun and chatty videos please