Do I even like Fairyloot and Illumicrate books? Do I even read???
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- Опубліковано 20 гру 2024
- We have reached day 5 of the 12 days of Christmas, and thank you so much to my lovely Instagram friend who gave me this suggestion for a video topic. I was asked what I thought of the books that I had read for Illumicrate and Fairyloot, and thought it would be interesting to look back at the books that I have read in these special edition boxes.
I was beyond shocked when I realised that actually I had read so few Fairyloot and Illumicrate books, and at how many I had got rid of [not really a bad thing!].
As promised in the video, I did make a spreadsheet so you can follow along throughout the year with my reading for Illumicrate and Fairyloot and so you can look back over the ones I've skipped. If you do have any suggestions for additional column info you would like to see please let me know, this is a work in progress! docs.google.co...
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Book lover by day, Booktuber by night. I'm always reading some kind of YA/Fantasy/Sci-Fi book. I live in the North East of England, have a useless archaeology degree (thanks Tomb Raider for the inspo), and when my nose is not in a book you can guarantee I'm off travelling. I have over 200 unread books, so come join the reading journey, it's likely to last a lifetime!
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As promised in the video, I did make a spreadsheet so you can follow along throughout the year with my reading for Illumicrate and Fairyloot and so you can look back over the ones I've skipped. If you do have any suggestions for additional column info you would like to see please let me know, this is a work in progress! docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16v1AL7463MMnRG6VRJGyFZGhxP4TCR-z5lTc_IKyXYE/edit?usp=sharing
I love the idea of the spreadsheet! And please don't be so harsh on yourself, collecting books is a hobby on its own, and if they give you so much joy on their own, it's completely valid. All that pressure to stay on top of your reading is just unnecessary. And while I do *try* to stay on top of my reading, I only read half of the special editions I purchased / received in subscriptions (and I started only a year ago...). And while it's easy to make yourself feel guilty about it, it's just about perspective - think of how much joy those books already gave you and how much joy they can still give you if you read them in the future 🤗
Would you like to be my therapist for all my worries because this was really helpful 🤣
♥
I totally feel you on the excitement that comes from having a book you think you're going to love vs. actually reading it and being disappointed when you don't. That one gets me a lot, too.
Loved this video, I am here for this content. Hard truth that I read maybe 1/3rd of the books I've received this year and this made me think hard as well. I've decided to cut back on my subscriptions quite a bit. I am keeping most of my IC ones as the skipping policy and customer service is top notch. Also Evernight is by far my fav when it comes to customisation. I also do like Afterlight when I do not skip it. The biggest plus for me is the quality of the books though, I very rarely have issues with the IC books, may it be damage by shipping or just overall production quality.
The hard one is FL. I am now subscribed to the Adult and the Romantasy. I have actually been a subscriber of Fairyloot since 2017 (yes I am old) I've decided to cancel the latter, because even though I was happy with the customisations, most books were not in any way new releases and they don't seem to be doing the sequels to match. I usually like the adult book pics as well. My biggest issue with them is quality and customer service which slowly but surely been declining. The quality of these otherwise absolutely gorgeous books is just awful. They also def do not stand the test of reading, which makes me sad. I had numerous books from them where the foiling and or print has rubbed off. I understand that these are customised books, but WS has been killing it too and their foiling stays put....
I know this is a very long rambling already but also one of the biggest issues is FOMO for me. I think the past two years I had this urge to keep the subscriptions because what if I miss out. To add to your question about anticipating something then being afraid to read it. I am the same way with sequels especially with the final books in a series. It sometimes takes me years to read them because I love the first book and I do not want to ruin that.
I do most of my reading via ebook or audiobook, but I still try and buy the physical of ones I love or am excited about. It doesn’t really make sense if you think about it for more than a few seconds, but it makes me happy
hahahaha this made me actual laugh out loud
Absolutely fantastic video. I don't see a problem with collecting books even if you only read a little, as long as they makes you happy for the most part. Who cares what anyone thinks! Also you do want to read them, you just happen not to for many reasons 😆❤❤ super normal for most book owners so don't feel bad. Honestly, better this happen with collector's editions like yours than normal editions
I'm a mood reader so I'm always buying more books than I can read. So I started looking at cheaper options like paperbacks, eBooks, audiobooks, and second hand books. I have started giving away books I didn't enjoy.
I have audiobooks as part of my Spotify premium account but honestly I just can't get away with them which is a shame because I would read so much more
I don’t think it’s a huge problem that you haven’t read a lot of these books, there’s so much other value - I know I love the surprise and the artwork so so much it’s almost worth it just for that (where I live is quite isolated with no bookstore so it’s extra special lol).
anyways, don’t get down on yourself, it’s so fun watching your unboxings - like you obviously get so much enjoyment from that! 💕📚💕 but also I’m excited to hear your opinion on some of these… I’ve been loving almost all of them just because of the whole package experience 😅
Thank you I needed to read this 😂💕 I've skipped quite a lot of Q1 in 2025 and I'll be focusing a lot on picking these books specifically to read next year in my TBRs :)
I feel this video 💯 I have 52 Fairyloot/ Illumicrate books, and out of those I have read 18. Out of those 18 I really only liked 10! It was very eye opening.
What you could also maybe do is a review video of the box and its items after you've read the book to see if the box was worth it in hindsight
I've never thought of this!! To be honest my thoughts on items usually changes over time too, so might be interesting to do this
I did a similar exercise at the beginning of the year and realized I wasn’t reading as many of my special editions either! It helped motive me to catch up on the ones I want and cancel a subscription that wasn’t working for me. You are not alone!
I also understand about the hardbacks being hard on your hands. I wear my compression gloves and they help some.
I, too panic when I have anticipated a book and continue to push them away out of fear of not liking it! You're definitely not alone on that front.
I've had them both for 8 months and I've read 4. Books are on my no-buy list next year except for my sub boxes because I need to do something about this.
That's better that I managed 😂
I have a lot of unread FairyLoot books. The majority of them are “Not Yet” books. I had to cancel my Illumicrate subscription because I didn’t like many of the picks. The editions were beautiful but I didn’t pay that much money for them to be pretty!😂😂😂
Because of ICs skip policy I've already gone in and skipped Feb and March, and will only be getting boxes where I 100% want the book next year, just to clear a bit of "backlog". I'm also open to skipping some FL but honestly I almost always want the adult subscription
This video just made me go through my list of books I read this year. Only a third of them was special editions I get from boxes. And I’m only keeping half of them. My resolution for next year is to read more of them and declutter if I don’t absolutely love them
Feel free to use my spreadsheet if you want, filter it on the subscriptions and make a copy so you have a reference :)
I don’t think this is necessarily what you meant but I keep an eye out for cheap kindle versions of the special edition handbooks I have and read them on kindle instead
I only just got a kindle last week because I refused to buy one 🤣 I will be keeping an eye out for 99p deals on these titles though 🙂
@ hahaha I totally understand that! But they’re life changing honestly 🤣
I do the same thing with anticipated reads. I still have Carrie Soto is Back on my shelf that I pre ordered. Plus many more including The Book Eaters
Please try the book eaters!! I don't usually pre-order, or buy new books ever really outside of these subscriptions, but I've still ended up with all these and I don't know how 🤣
I defo need to do this! I know I’m bad for never getting around to reading sub books. But it’s so hard to miss out on stand outs & special edition access 😫
I’ve got a LOT better the last 18 months. I started actively skipping any books I wouldn’t buy normally, and then cancelled May subs if I ran out of skips. Great to see where your tastes lie too 💖 it will be interesting to see how long on average readers stay subbed…and if they read the books
I just have the hardback resting in my lap without holding it, and I have my legs bent upward so I’m not bending my neck too much to look down. Or if I’m sitting in my arm chair I’ll have the book half resting on the arm section and half holding it. I’ve also seen book stands that hold the book open so you can read with it on the stand! Hopefully this helps 😊
I don’t read my collector’s editions, I get the books and ebooks from my library or kindle, but I don’t handle or read the special editions. I keep them on the shelves out of direct daylight and with a dehumidifier box in the room. They are for display and I cycle the ones I showcase. To read hardbacks, I use a thumb key and also a lap pillow. I don’t travel with hardbacks, paperback or ebook only.
I need to do this with my Fairyloot books as well, and I know I haven’t read hardly any. It’s making me question if I should keep the subscription. I think I’m going to move to the adult only box and decide from there within the next year.
I understand not wanting to read the books you are really excited about. In my case, it's usually because it's the first book in the series and I figure if I read it.I want to read the whole series. I know you said you don't like the shadow hunters, but I enjoy it.And I've started reading and it's like I'm impressed with myself that I'm 11 books in.But then I realize I still have eleven to go. 😅
I’m sure we’re all in a very similar situation to you! I put all my owned unread (including audio and ebooks) and I’ve only read about 37% which shocked me. I currently don’t have any subscriptions but have collected around 50 from them and have read about 2.
Don’t be so harsh on yourself, life gets in the way and having books to look forward to is always a good thing ❤
This makes me feel better because I think mines about the same. I'm going to add a tab to my spreadsheet with my non special editions, just to keep track and avoid buying duplicates
@ that helped me a lot! I also started planning ahead books that I might want to get based on what I already have/what I’ve enjoyed.
I’ve also found having an e-reader is really nice for reading big books as I get pain in my hands too, but I know not everyone like e-readers.
Good luck for the new year and I’m sure you’ll have success with your spreadsheet. ❤️☺️
I enjoyed the Last Tale of the Flower Bride as well. I got the Litjoy crate special edition of it. If it makes you feel better, I know another booktuber who is going through all her books by subscription and trying to weed them out. She also found that she didn't like a large majority of Illumicrates books vs other book subscriptions. To help her decide to keep or get rid of the books she is reading a bit of them and if she doesn't jive with the story and or style of writing it's getting unhauled. I need to go through my books and sort them. I should catalog them as I go so I know what I have and track them better. Maybe a good project for 2025.
I need to do that for 2025, which booktuber is it? Would like to watch their videos 😀
I generally lay the hardcover on my lap. If the book is over 1000 pages then I usually read them on my e reader. I know there are lap pillows for hardcover books as well. You may wish to google book holders and pillows. You might find something that can help you with the heavy books
I've actually never physically read any of my special editions 😂 i feel so nervous about messing them up. Sometimes that's because I know if I don't like it I'll want to sell it, but I can't even bring myself to read the ones I know I'm keeping. I get the books from the library or kindle and read those instead lol. The most I read in any special edition is the bonus content.
I definitely agree about Fairyloot having better book picks. But I've had my FL adult sub for 15 months (not including the 3 months I've skipped) and I've read 7 of those 15 (but most of the other ones are Haven't Read Yets) whereas my IC sub I've had for 8 months total. I've skipped 2 boxes and haven't read a single one of the books I've received lol, one of which I already sold.
I'll definitely be more picky about which boxes I skip this year. Unfortunately though, even though I've historically liked FLs picks better, the guesses I've seen for the beginning of 2025 might make me run out of skips and have to cancel 🫣 and for illumicrate I think I'll really be putting the unlimited skip policy to the test too 😂
Great video! I’m in a similar situation! Ahah don’t be harsh on yourself! We are book collectors and that’s not terrible at all ❤
Omg girl! I also can't read hardbacks! I borrrow the ebooks from my library for free and then i own the hardbacks - i figure i love the story and i want to own it in a beautiful format - how i actually consume the story is unimportant to me! Im a librarian so i spend all day with books and reading and i promise you dont need to feel any shame about your reading habits ❤️
Omg a librarian I'm so jealous! Love my job but this is the dream
I'm finishing my final one now bit i also skip all of the time and have a zero TBR project that is finsihing off. I had the intention to do a video combining unboxing with review. The plan was to read them the moment they arrived. My april video is about to go live today 😅😂so yeah that didn't really end up happening
Subscribed, would 100% watch 🍿
Do'nt feel bad, i have Fl YA and Adult and illumicrate and i am also reading more of my 2023 bookbox books this year then the new ones. However, im noticing im starting to read the 2023 books when they anounce the release of the special edition of the sequel. I don't want to spend money on a matching special edition if i don't know if i like the first so i read them before the sequal is out😂. Also i do read the extra special edition i order from them i orderd the solomance series and read them, and the bone witch series, and the silver under nightfall and the fourth wing editions and howls moving castle also the monsters of variety by ve schwab, so the extras i order i somehow read sooner🤔. But yeah i also need to prioritice these books more.
With illumicrate I only get the box if the pick is what I want, or if there is a bookpot in the box because those resell prices are abominable. I really recognize your anticipation struggles. I don't have it with new books, but with the last book in a series. I am really afraid what might happen and don't want it to end because I love the stories so much.. So the struggle to start those is real😅
I have a growing collection of HB. Mostly Fantasy so mostly doorstops. I simply use kindle and buy the kindle version of the book to read it. So Convenient and I do not destroy my books. (There's plenty of places to get the kindle books for free ;) )
I realised that I mostly wasn't enjoying the actual stories. There were a couple I really liked. But, it wasn't worth the money to keep buying stories I generally wasn't enjoying and stopped. As pretty as the books are, it just wasn't worth the time and money for me in the end. I've also noticed there is something about all the books that seem to cater towards a particular audience. I can't put my finger on what it is. Perhaps the target audience is younger than I am? Either way, I still enjoy watching the unboxing videos. There is something very satisfying about that, and the mystery of what the book will be.
Yeah i most most of the fun comes from the surprise because there isn't much about life now that can give you anticipation 😂 It's Illumicrate I'm struggling with most at the moment, getting January but then I'll probably skip until about August
as a data person, I always try to keep on top of my stats and that lead me to cancel both FL and IC this year and only keeping my Broken Binding subs. It sucks to not receive those beautiful editions, but in my case it would suck even more to pay for those books and just leave them unread forever. Specially with how expensive international shipping is
PS: You probably need to change the sharing permissions in the spreadsheet to "everyone with the link" or "everyone" can view. I clicked on it and it said "access denied"
Thank you so much for letting me know about the permissions! I've changed it now so I hope it's fixed 😃
I did create a TBR spreadsheet last year but having this subscriptions specific one has made me really think about the I buy books. I feel so bad for anyone who pays international shipping :(
there’s no hate here, I can 100% relate. my book bestie and I wanna be more mindful going into 2025. I have tons of subscription books laying around here and I have barely read any of them. 😭 but then again as some comments rightfully pointed out: collecting books and reading books are two seperate hobbies. and opening a box feels a bit like christmas to me, something I am looking forward to. 🥺
I mainly keep my IC sub for the rosie mugs (contemplating if I might want to switch to book only next year though) - their skip policy is a godsend, only got 2 boxes this year.
I have FL Romantasy: skipped 2, read 2 (only liked one), sold 2, 3 unread (may consider just straight out getting rid of Nectar of the wicked 😅)
FL Adult: started Aug and only got 2 books - one for my book bestie, one for me. think this one might be the first one I drop once my skips are out
I have tons of books that are laying around for 2+ years rn. 🙃 reselling isn’t even getting me my initial money spent back, that’s why I need to resist the FL FOMO of _potential_ sales in the future and really skip books I am not interested in.
I am really behind with reading my Fairyloot subscription too.
I wish I could just absorb them 😂
Someone already told you that collecting books and reading them are two different hobbies 😉 if those special editions bring you joy that's the most important thing. However, I personally unsubscribed from these companies after almost two years of being their customer because of the fact that I hadn't read them at all. Like literally I've read just 1 book and that started bothering me. To me personally the choice of the books in these boxes became very meh (if you compare 2021 and 2024 the difference is drastic). On top of that the items are all the same and seem to be of a very poor quality. But that's just me, maybe I got tired of them.
Buying books to collect is its own hobby! You dont need to read them to appreciate art!
I do take my hard backs out on the train to read though haha. I pop them in those illumicrate dust jackets and make sure i have a bag big enough for them to be segregated in their own pocket.
I've got some books I've never read... i mean to read them but i just hasn't gotten to them yet. I've been reading a lot of KU the last few months and ignoring my SEs.
Im planning to skip ic a lot next year. Its 120aud for a full box now is just to much. I love fairyloot ya, im definetly keeping that, but I'll sell the ones i don't love. I want the quarterly high Fantasy too. I buy adult off a friend. And you can take my broken binding sci fi out of my cold dead hands haha. I did skip 3pb due to money but the andy weir set was my fave for the entire year.
I am a mood reader there is a bunch fairyloot Illumicrate and the bookish box I haven’t read yet
Hihi! I'm in the US and also recently diagnosed with undifferentiated inflammatory arthritis (particularly affects the joints in my hands, but there's literally no joint in my body that's unaffected 😅)
...have you ever tried US books? I used to really love ordering UK books because I often find the covers more appealing, and the uniform heights really appeal to my autism. BUT yall have the stiffest most unpleasant binding imaginable. Absolutely no flop. Torture to open a book and keep it open. So I've basically stopped purchasing UK copies unless they're solely for display; anything I intend to read physically I buy the US version of (I like paperbacks best, but even a US HC might be better to hold than a UK pb)
Just something for you to think about!!
I think there's nothing wrong with having books as a nice object. I'm a fan of a certain band and I always buy their records, even if nowadays music is listened to online and not on a record. I just collect them and I'm not ashamed of it. Hardcover books are indeed heavy, especially those British editions. In Poland we have such books in a much smaller size (like owlcreate's size), which makes them lighter. Lol. But those British ones are real bricks! That's why I always read them on my desk. XD
for what it's worth, there's sort of been like a shift in booktube where booktubers go through their books and like do a bit of a purge. in these videos, a lot of the booktubers admit that they have a lot of unread fairyloot/illumicrate/owlcrate special editions in their home libraries. all this to say, you're far from the first OR last book lover to confess of not reading every single special edition they receive in the mail from these book box subscriptions👍
Honestly?? The sub books I’ve read the most of are from The Bookish Box. Then fairyloot. I’ve only read one illumicrate in the past year and have skipped or sold the rest 😅
I think the joy of collecting and owning is valid. I doubt every hobbyist can claim to have used everything they’ve bought x good video tho, I like the idea of the subscriptions but doubt the quality of the content
That's so true! Fairyloot Adult usually work with my fav publishers, so I typically enjoy their books, but I didn't realise how much I struggled with IC until this video
I know someone who actually collects physical books but has only listened to the audio books. They still love having the physical copy as a sort of trophy. So please don't feel like it doesn't make sense to keep these beautiful editions. They're admired like artwork in the home.
"Do I even read?" I ask myself that sometimes 😂
I prefer not to read my special editions too, I like to borrow the e-book version from the library and read it that way, especially since I have very little ones, it's just so much more convenient! The library doesn't always get the e-book right away, though I don't mind waiting because it's pretty rare that it doesn't eventually get IC & FL titles.
I made a point to get to, essentially, a zero TBR a few years ago, and I utlize my skips, so the only SE I own at the moment is Vilest Things (sequel to Immortal Longings). Fairyloot adult is the subscription I've had for the longest, and the only one I get pretty regularly though, just to put things more in perspective.
I really enjoyed this video! No judgement here, and I'm looking forward to seeing your progress next year 😊
I think that if i counted my read special editions it would probably be worst than your results. I also joined fairyloot in 2021 and i’m scared to know how many i’ve read😅😅 and i do read a lot and want to read so many of them. I don’t where i’m going wrong lol
loving hearing goose in the background 😂
I forget shes there sometimes hahaha
I was subscribed to Fairyloot and Illumicrate for over a year and I haven't read a single one of the books I got... Let's just assume that buying and reading books are two different hobbies, and it's ok.
They are absolutely two different hobbies, this is factual infomation 🤭
You can place a hardback on a pillow and put it on your lap so you don’t have to hold it up
*adds more pillows to shopping basket*
Tbh I don't think I've read that many books from FairyLoot either... I keep meaning to get through them but I don't know what's putting me off.
For me it's definitely that they are hardbacks, but then also the fear that I might hate some stunning books
@@Wanderness At the moment, physical books are difficult for me in general. But even the Fairyloot ones I want to read I'm not picking up.
Get a book pillow to see whether that helps with heavy HC books
I do not keep books I don't like and it sounds like you do that when needed
I have become willing to pass over books for ones I prefer - life is too short so read those anticipated books
I've tried reading The last tale of the Flower Bride several times (I also have the FL special edition) but I can't seem to get into it. It was how the main male char just let that bluejay get eaten alive really slow that was the last straw for me. I find the characters of this book utterly appalling.
I'm surprised you liked Atlas Six, I found it so awkwardly written. The story is basically told in dialogues between the characters where there is never more than 3 people interacting, making me feel like the author couldn't make them interact, it didn't feel smooth at all.
I really enjoyed the characters, thought they interesting :)
I had FL Adult from inception (but toward the end of my sub I skipped a lot and had a friend on the waitlist who saved me skips a bunch) and IC for only one month longer (Feb 2022) and then, briefly, OC Adult. I read all my books but found myself vibing less and less with the picks (especially starting at the beginning of 2023) and less and less with the art so...I made a spreadsheet!
Sub | Year/Month | Rating (or DNF or N/A) | Y/N Did I Like the Aesthetics
(I also got really into ARC reading last year, which helped me realize how few of the picks I liked enough to want to buy let alone spend SE money on, so I skipped them pre-emptively. And this year I cancelled all of my subs! I find I much prefer spending money on secondhand books knowing that I both like the contents and the design, rather than risking it with a subscription and then having to sell ones I don't like.)
FL stats--
DNF: 4
Unread/Skipped: 7
Read: 21
Avg Rating: 3.26
Highs: TA6, Dowry of Blood, Babel, Emily Wilde, City of Dusk (mostly the sequel!), Sorcery & Small Magic, Amina
Lows: Spells for Forgetting, The Curse of Saints, Shanghai Immortal, Immortal Longings, Sun of Blood and Ruin, Long Live Evil
IC stats--
DNF: 3
Unread/Skipped: 7
Read: 20
Avg Rating: 2.74
Highs: Babel, Godkiller, A River Enchanted
Lows: The Sun and the Void, Voyage of the Damned, The Book Eaters, Fathomfolk, To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods
Seeing that IC stat.... it looks _bad_ bad. So I feel I should clarify that, in fairness, this is monthly SEs only.
I absolutely adore several of the IC sets I've gotten (including Green Bone saga before I was a sub, and Locked Tomb my beloved, and I did love and pick up Little Thieves secondhand which isn't represented in the stats here)
Thanks for your candid video, I'm evaluating my subscriptions to see which ones to drop next year. 🫶🏻
I'm going to be using the skip function a lot next year!
@@Wanderness That is also a great option, ngl would like to keep the early access to sales. I'm only double subbing on FL so might consider dropping the Adult sub. 🤔
Evernight is also on the chopping block for me to be honest, but happy to utilise skips more next year for all subscriptions