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My Controversial Books Opinions *yes, I think the booktube community can be worse*
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- Опубліковано 5 сер 2024
- I pinned this in the comments but wanted to put this here as well so it's not missed!
"Also I wish I said this in the video... *hindsight am I right?*... I LOVE THE BOOKTUBE COMMUNITY. I'm not AT ALL saying I don't feel welcome. I feel very much embraced and am super happy :) My comparison is talking purely about opinions on books vs. opinions on beauty products. I'm basically trying to explain why I feel more intimidated to share adverse opinions on books than I do beauty products. I still feel new to the booktube community so I'm still learning how to express myself. haha."
Well, I'm here today to share with you guys my controversial book opinions. What are your thoughts on these are do you have your own interesting book opinions?
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Also I wish I said this in the video... *hindsight am I right?*... I LOVE THE BOOKTUBE COMMUNITY. I'm not AT ALL saying I don't feel welcome. I feel very much embraced and am super happy :) My comparison is talking purely about opinions on books vs. opinions on beauty products. I'm basically trying to explain why I feel more intimidated to share adverse opinions on books than I do beauty products. I still feel new to the booktube community so I'm still learning how to express myself. haha.
Just found your channel. welcome fellow booktuber to the booktube community.
never fear sharing your opinions, i haven't really seen anyone come after others. just avoid book-twitter, lol.
I understand this! I’m glad you made this video. I have trepidation about starting a channel. Booktube just seems so cliquey
Opinion: A book slump is a bullsh!t concept perpetuated by Booktube to keep everyone consuming books all the time. You don't have to be reading books every second of your life to be a book lover, reading is a hobby and it's normal to float away from a hobby and come back to it. Perpetuating being in a "book slump" as a bad thing just puts uneeded stress and pressure on the book community and it makes everything less fun.
Damm I never thought of it that way. I kind of felt guilty for not reading as much books as all these booktubers read
@@dishadharmraj6986 It has always been unrealistic for me to read as many books as some of these UA-camrs, because I read nonfiction which I consider to be significantly slower reads than YA books. Does it only take me two days to read the 5th Harry Potter book? Yes. Does it take the same amount of time to read this 500 paged book about Nazi Doctors? Heck no. I'm lucky to get through 20 pages a day, and that's okay. It wasn't meant to be something to fly through.
Oh my God, I've never thought of it like that. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Lately, I have so much going on in my life and because I've been watching Booktube for sometime, I did feel guilty for not reading as much as I'm used to in the past two months. You are definitely right, we have been brainwashed, reading is a hobby like any other hobby, it doesn't have to be done on the daily.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Well said!!!!
I think a “book slump” can be summed up as a problem for people who read books for a living. If you don’t make your income reading books this concept shouldn’t exist at all. Reading should be fun and light, we don’t need to compete. Good comment!!
My husband has dyslexia. When we first started dating I mentioned my love of reading and I started reading books to him. This was way before audiobooks, and audible. We’ve been married 15 years, known each other for about 18. He’s now a bigger book enthusiast than I am. He predominantly listens to Audiobooks. I thinks whatever way you choose to enjoy books it should be respected. My husband shouldn’t have to come out with “I’m dyslexic” to justify his choosing to listen to books instead of read them just because someone is such a snob they don’t validate audiobooks.
My personal biggest problem on booktube is probably that american side of it is what sort of sets the rules for booktubers/readers from other countries. The paperback vs hardback discussion is a great example, because depending on where you live you don't even get to choose. In my country when you have a book released its usually one or the other, on rare occasions a publishing house decideds to release a book in both versions. Of course I could answer with what my preferred type of the cover is but in the end it doesnt matter, I just get whats avaliable. Overall, the whole judging and dissing someone over their preffered book type is showing some people don't realise how privileged they are - you get to pick, others don't...
Yeah, I feel the same. Here in Brazil is kinda 90% paperback and the 10% left is for special editions like Jane Austen's classics or photography - that type of book that looks great on a coffee table
Also, paperbacks are usually way cheaper here than hardcovers so you really don't have an option if you're on a budget - but we're going to have another kind of discussion on this other topic if I keep going... lol
I feel the same way about the physical book vs ebook debate. I used to prefer paper books, but as I got older and read more and more I found myself not re-reading enough of the books I owned, and feeling like I was taking up space in my home for no reason. Now I prefer to read on my kindle, if I end up loving a book and think I’ll re-read it THEN I’ll buy it physically.
@@zeldinhah even in the US paperback is cheaper, which probably plays into the narrative that hardcover is better anyway. I personally can’t hold a hardcover book up for that long because of arthritis at a very young age, which brings accessibility into the debate as well. I think anytime someone is saying “this is better” about something objective, it’s better to not engage anyway, it’s all personal preference!
This!! I generally cant stand hardbacks because of the dust jackets, which I despise with a passion, and I much prefer paperbacks because they are easier to hold/carry (i usually read in bed at night and I find paperbacks easier to hold) and they are cheaper. However I live in Italy and I read a lot of fantasy books and I swear 90% of them are hardbacks. So I just buy the English paperback, which I'd rather avoid because I'd like to support the Italian translations, but, cost wise, I can buy two English paperbacks instead of a single hardback. It's also important to note that some books, no matter how many years have passed from the year of publication, have not and will never receive a paperback version.
The opposite happens to classics. I think I've only ever seen them in paperback (unless it's a very old edition found in a library).
So true. In Switzerland, French published books are almost never available in hardback, except for special editions or anthologies. Moreover taxes are so high, a normal big paperback version is around 30-35$ (a version I'd pay 15$ for an English edition). We have to wait more than a month to get a cheaper small paperback version, so it's impossible to be up to date depending on your budget or the space you've in your bookshelf. For me, it really depends on the market and what you want to do with your books. Like having a perfect beautiful bookshelf or being comfortable reading.
I think a lot of the issues we all are seeing with Bookish communities (see: HYPER-consumerism, feeling horrible for not reading 30+ books a month, having problems understanding that different people will inevitably have different opinions about the same books) is rooted in the social media industry of the Bookish community. Social media inherently has this inherent pressure to do more, buy more, pump out content. Unless one is very conscious about it, one unwittingly becomes a marketing agent as opposed to an average person who just enjoys reading. Also, there’s the subtle conflation of loving BOOKS with loving READING, which are actually two distinct things. Neither of them is wrong at all, but the capitalist industry side of Bookish communities takes advantage of people’s conflation of these things. Thus, people who actually enjoy reading for reading sake are pressured to collect and buy more and more, and it becomes more about pushing a book to sell than it is about merely enjoying a book for its own sake. I find this all very interesting. Thank you soo much for this video!
this was so well-said!
Love this! Loving books v loving to read.
Aesthetically hardcover books look great on shelves, but they take up a lot of room and I hate the dust jackets on them, and yes they weigh more so holding them in your hand can be an issue. I prefer softcover or mass markets.
This is true! I didn't even think of that!! Great point :)
I don't know where this came from, but I feel really guilty taking off dust jackets. Even though I dislike them.
My books are pretty mixed because I usually don't care if it's a hard or a soft cover. The only exception for that is books that I absolutely love.
I recently went out of my way to look for the Bartimaeus series in second hand places because the hardcover editions aren't sold at stores here anymore.
Also, the whole audiobook argument is kinda silly to me. Didn’t we all grow up having our parents read to us? Did that not count? To me, story-telling is so strongly linked to oral traditions (I mean historically too this holds true) that I frankly don’t understand the nay-sayers💁🏻♀️
Beautifully said.
For me personally I don't like when people call it's reading simply because you're listening to a book not reading it, I don't think it matters how you consume books. It does bother me a tad, it's listening and that's completely fine I hope they enjoy the book however they choose to consume it.
And no not everyone grew up with parents reading to them, mine couldn't be bothered so...
Oh yes! I never thought of this point... good argument!
@@Bear_the_shepherd I have an honest question. Do you consider Braille books reading, or touching/feeling?
We have many similar opinions. I love two types of books: either brand new, pristine, mint condition books; or beat-to-death, floppy, well-loved, used books. There is no in-between. :) And while I love the look of beautiful hardcover books with pretty dust jackets, I adore soft, floppy paperbacks that I can throw in my bag and go. And I hate this idea that you have to read 300 books per year to be a "real" reader. If you read only one book the entire year, you are a reader.
The only new books I have are newer releases that I was too impatient to get a used copy of. I LOVE used books :)
if i accidentally crease a spine, i just go all the way lol
Who has actually said you *have to* read so many books to be a reader? If you generalize anything in general you would have to claim that most booktubers have said this and they obviously have not.
When I tell people my favorite job was while I ran a Waldenbooks for 13 years, so many people seem proud to tell me they don’t read. 🤦🏻♀️ like, what am I supposed to say to that? So, yes, people who read just one book a year are readers, because they’re still way ahead of the majority of people…….sadly
I agree with your opinion on messy shelves with old books. I think it gives shelves more character. And rainbow order just seems like the most illogical way to organize books. I would have to separate series that have different color covers, and that would bug me to no end!
I love the rainbow shelves because they look aesthetically pleasing but recently my self is messy and all over the place and I actually like it better like that now
I really don’t understand why people have to get soooo outrageously upset when people don’t do/think the same way they do. It will forever baffle me.
I agree with everything you said.
I think it's because people personally identify with books more than they do beauty products... which makes total sense. It also makes it harder to share adverse opinions. This has been so interesting to discuss and see the opinions of others!
Unpopular opinion: I prefer ebooks over hardback/paperback 😆
I feel like almost all the booktubers I watch listen to audiobooks for like 50% or more of their reading so I do feel like that opinion has become more mainstream in the last couple years! I personally struggle with audiobooks. I am someone who has a very difficult time with listening comprehension so audiobooks are something I do wish I could do more of but my brain just doesn't work that way 🥴
literally me hahaha. i much prefer reading on my kindle, and i'm incapable of paying attention to audiobooks
Yes to ebooks! An ereader is so lightweight, it has its own light, etc. It's just an overall better reading experience for me. I do love audiobooks though!
I had the same problem with audiobooks so I started following along in the physical book as the audiobook was going. I think that really helped me ease into it. Eventually I didn’t have to follow along anymore, I was just interested enough to listen!
I much prefer books over eReader BUT I strongly agree on audiobooks. I have almost no listening comprehension skills - I scored a 0 on the "listening" portion of a state standardized test once. We had to listen to stories and answer questions and I got a 0 😂.
@@bookishmillennial5297 YES!!!! Literally sucked at those it was embarrassing. It just doesn't click on my brain. And I'm a really good listener when I'm having a conversation with someone but something about listening to someone read something scripted, my brain just drifts away
Can we talk about the rush to cancel authors? Listen I understand that some of them mess up but I'm not going to stop loving their books and the experience I had reading them. If they publish new books which intrigue me, I will buy them. I should not be guiltripped for finding happiness in their work. Life is short and depressing enough as it is.
I agree and I feel bad that I agree. Sometimes I want a hobby that I don’t have to think about politics. It’s exhausting and depressing and heartbreaking when it’s an author you love. I’m a big liberal “snowflake” SJW but I just want to enjoy the books I like. There are a very few authors I refuse to buy from, for example; JKR. But there are some authors that are controversial that I still buy from because I love their books; like SJM. I feel so bad for this too.
its never the fault of the consumer/fan that the creator of that work happens to be problematic. (under the assumption the work itself does not share those views or ideals with said creator.) This a huge topic over in the black metal community too. im not ashamed to agree because its not my fault that someone else has trash views. i will even go out of my way to make sure I'm not putting money in their pockets either.
@@unscmistressgaming1132 With JKR books i find second hand copys so im not funding her hate
@@gabriellebelcourt5487 wouldn't say it's bullshit often times its just people being held accountable for there action, can it go to far yes
@@gabriellebelcourt5487 it is
The UA-cam world takes everything to the extreme and it’s so incredibly toxic.
This video was so interesting. Ive been delaying putting myself out "there" on booktube because I'm afraid of the gatekeeping I suspect happens. I'm a secondhand book buyer sometimes it's all I can afford and I'm not embarrassed by the condition of the books I have at all. Messy bookshelves are a sign of book love! I'm glad you were brave enough to bring the controversy to light and I hope it doesn't stop you making book content because I enjoy watching your videos
Never be embarrassed for buying secondhand! Well read books just shows that it’s loved. Why pay $20+ for a book when you can pay a few bucks?
I'm definitely learning how to "put myself out there" myself and I would be lying if I said it wasn't intimidating. It's still a fun experience though and I'm testing and challenging myself which is good! Also yay for used books. There is no better thrill than to find a used book that's on your TBR! haha.
Buying secondhand is fantastic! No shame
Buying second hand is the best! That's how I usually get my books as well. I recently also started using my library. There is no shame in either ! We don't have to succumb to the consumerism .
80% of my books are second hand. you are in good company.
I love old books too..they hold so much more character compared to a pristine copy!
Especially, when there's a birthday message or a train ticket that was used as a bookmark inside..it's rather endearing :)
I LOVE THOSE! OR LIKE AN OLD RECEIPT! I'm weird and like to see when it was bought/where it was bought/who the cashier was...lol.
@@morganalisonstewart omg same! Curiosity :)
I got a really sweet note from the person that sold me her old copy of Inkheart, I kept it in the book as well :)
Yes I love that! My favorite is when i find notes or a longer writing inside.. It feels like treasure
People who say audiobooks don't count as reading are clearly forgetting about people with disabilities, people who can't read, elderly/children.. or people who simply prefer audiobooks. It's still reading just in a different format
It's not 'reading' it's listening and it doesn't matter how someone consumes a book they still get the same out come.
@@Bear_the_shepherd it's still reading.
@@Bear_the_shepherd it's still a book. Regardless of it being listening/reading as opposed to physically reading, it's still a book. That's just being nitpick when it doesn't matter. It's a book and you can only consume it by reading it or listening to it. But what you call it doesn't matter. If you want to say listen then do so but if someone else says reading then let them.
@@lindsey1412 Its consuming... You can't read the sound, you listen to it. I don't care if someone said they've read a book or mark a book of on Goodreads that's not my problem it's the words that people use that bothers me. If I'm having a conversation with someone and they say reading when they're listening that bothers me, it's just words that's all.
@@sweekley92 i don't care how someone consumes books, I'm just saying it's listening, they're listening to audio. I don't care what others call it, it's just wrong when they say they've read audio. It doesn't bother me enough to argue with you so... 🤷🏻♀️ Good day!
The best thing I have to say about aging for me is that I don’t care about fitting in. I don’t waste time validating myself. Live more and worry less about why you’re controversial or different. Enjoy your lovely books however you want.
Paperbacks are far superior! I will say, though, that I prefer the larger paperback sizes that have gotten popular in recent years, especially if they have a good floppy element to them. I'm that person who takes pristine care of my books and a bent spine from trying to read a small paperback just breaks my heart. But I've also reread some of my favorites so many times that the wear on them is endearing - my copy of Ender's Game that I've had for 20 years looks like it's been through a battle itself.
Paperbacks are cooler, but I discover one advantage to hardcovers this year. If you like a cover, you can take the jacket off and keep it, even if the book behind the cover is awful. The book I found this out with is She Drives Me Crazy which somehow got nominated for Goodreads Choice Awards in that category, general Youing Adult as in non-spec stories, even though a Sapphic romance that works better came out this year, Cool For the Summer by Dahlia Adler. Which ironically the title (and a major plot point) was inspired by a terrible Demi Lovato song...that I only heard after reading that novel.
The idea of this "read 50 books this year" , at least for me, is that it can push me a little to read. Not that I don't like to read, I love it! To enter in a history, feel the characters, fall in love, be deeply in rage or be so sad, I love it a lot. It is just that Im in that phase of life that I procrastinate even in the things I like, I let myself to sleep all day instead of studying or having fun. But of course, I dont take the number so seriously, if I havent read 50 books, its totes ok, at least I've done smtg I love by challenging myself to try. Now, guys, my situation is just one, don't force yourself so much,you might end up hating it more than feeling comfortable with it.
Honestly I never understood the argument between new pristine hardbacks vs. old second hand paperbacks. I'm a broke student so anything that's affordable is good for me, as long as I can read my book 😃📚❤️
Yes! I love the used books especially the ones from the library with the card still in it. I've bought so many used books and I've always found interesting little things left behind like little notes, newspaper cut-outs, photos and bookmarks. It's kind of cool it's kind of like meeting new people but through books.
I think most people are cool with people who read books slower, and can only read a certain number of books a month. However, I think there is some implicit pressures, such as the gargantuan number of books some other people can read, that make you feel less secure about how much you are reading. Again, I don't think most people actually care how much you read, but you might think some people do.
Also, used books are cool 👍👍
Opinion: Disclaimers are not needed and I get frustrated when every single time someone talks about a book they didn't like they're concerned they're going to get hate from people who actually did like that book. Doesn't make sense. People have opinions??? Literally there's a tag on booktube that's titled the 'no disclaimer' tag because so many times booktubers have to do disclaimers for their unpopular opinions. Let's do away with that.
I used to absolutely love going to the library and reading those well-loved books with yellowed pages, until the pandemic and now I’m too aware about germs, but now I’m obsessed with the Libby app. I worked at Waldenbooks for 13 years, and we used to be allowed to borrow books as long as we returned them looking brand new, so when I own books, they have to remain looking brand new. I like hardcovers and trade paperbacks, but I hate mass market paperbacks-they’re just too hard to hold and read, especially because I just can’t get myself to crack the spine of a book. I don’t like how it seems like you aren’t allowed to not like a popular book, like Song of Achilles-I thought it was fine, but I never got to the sobbing others did (and I like cry a lot over books/movies). I just couldn’t get invested in it when you literally had a character popping up every 50 pages telling you what was going to happen. I also don’t like the consumerism of book tube, it’s all about shopping and buying, you never see people strolling the library or borrowing books from friends or reading their free amazon ebooks, it’s all book hauls and book shopping. Lastly, I don’t feel audiobooks is “reading,” don’t come at me. Why I feel this way is that the act of reading a physical book is a different type of mental workout than listening to a book. I feel like both ways are beneficial, but I liken it to one way being cardio and one way being strength training. Like, if all you do is one, the other becomes less toned, if that makes sense.
I totally agree with you on the audiobooks! & yes hard backs are not the greatest sometimes :(( I’m here for the used books too! Budget friendly 🥰
Hardbacks are pretty... but not the most practical!
Iv seen people buy books IN DIFFERENT LANGAUGES literally just for the pretty book cover, books they have already read on kindles purchased in a physical form for the collection aspect and owning multiple copies of the sane books because of the different covers. The consumerism in the book community is crazy. Theres nothing wrong with collecting books but do it thoughtfully and with purpose.
i do all of these out of pure love for my books. none of it was impacted by bookternet or consumerism. i understand where youre coming from, but some of us get genuine enjoyment out of it. i do these things because they make me happy.
Having a book on kindle does not feel like owning the book too me. If its a book I loved I am definitely purchasing the physical form.
As a multilingual i sometimes chose which one to read only based on the cover hahaha sorry. BUT I don't buy 2 copies bc they are expensive here, so...idk
I get why it doesn’t make sense to you, but this comes off as super judgy. If someone is able to buy multiple copies of a book, and it makes them happy, they should do it. It affects your life none.
I really like those small mass market paperbacks. In fact, I like them so much I made a video about it years ago (when it was still a debate, don't ask me why people started it, it seems so weird). That was before I discovered my Kobo though and now I kinda prefer that together with audiobooks. It takes way less space and weighs a lot less to take a lot of stories with you on a trip. Which was a reason to like those small mass market paperbacks too (relatively cheap, small, light, and I couldn't really find it in me to care a lot about damages with those books).
The idea that hardbacks automatically last longer than paperbacks is also strange. I remember having a new hardback with me on a road trip to Norway and it came back in horrendous shape even though I treated it very kindly. Worse is the fact that I'm certain the book wouldn't be falling apart if it had been a paperback. Somehow hardbacks almost always seem to get more damage during travels. It's probably the hard backs. It makes them less flexible...
In my experience: hardbacks can lose covers surprisingly easily, but old mass market paperbacks drop pages like crazy as the glue becomes brittle.
I like them both. I have old hard cover books that are 100 years old and a whole bunch of pulp paperbacks from the mid 20th century, some in better shape than others. Most of my books tend to be trade paperbacks, though. Easier to hold and fairly affordable :)
Mass market paperbacks are so cute and I really enjoy them.
I LOVEEEE OLD AND USED BOOKS last week I was going through a box of my childhood books (I’m only 15 but have always had matured taste in books so we’re going through the ones from when I was 4-9) and I found a copy of ‘The Wishing Chair from 1954!! the pages were all orange and the cover art was the cutest old books really are so amazing!
i love what you said about used books!!! i’m the same way!! if i can find a decent used copy, i will pick that over a fresh copy that costs way more (plus used books are better for the environment). and if someone has their own highlights/notes in the books it feels like i’m having a conversation with the person who owned it before me, or it at least gives me a different perspective
yesss I’m always buying the used books options on Amazon, they’re always like new they never have many flaws other than on the outside but who cares about that as long as the reading is eligible
I absolutely adore old books too, and like you said with the library check out card, I love when they also have names, a year or a birthday message in them! It gives you a brief look into the history of the book itself, and as a book lover and history student that is like finding gold! I have one that has a sticker in it, that states the book was awarded to a student by the name of 'Irene Clark' at a school for being top of their class in the 1920s! Which is just so cool to me 😍
Your point on feeling like you need to prove yourself as a reader rang true for me. I am all for embracing the enjoyment of books! 💕
I'm a booktuber and I agree that people get extra passionate and make people feel guilty about not liking their favorite book.
Haha guilty is a good way to put it.. I want to like it because everyone else did... but I can't haha.
My goodreads goal is at a very high number because I count all types of books that I read, including children’s picture books. I like being able to contribute to a rating (don’t always feel like I can put together a well-worded review) to those picture books as well. I work at a library so I come across all kinds of books when I check them in and I will check out anything that seems interesting. It helps when patrons ask for recommendations, too. I also read manga & graphic novels and some older coworkers have expressed that they don’t see that as reading. That really frustrated me. Although I didn’t take that personally, I don’t like that other people might feel like they are not truly bookworms if they are not reading certain kinds of books. Same goes for audiobooks. My brain can be very loud sometimes so I never felt I was well-suited enough for audiobooks but I still saw them as books. Thankfully this year I finally got into audiobooks, mainly non-fiction, and I have been loving them! I hope everyone feels comfortable enough to share the books that they love no matter what format they may come in!
i love reading on kindle as well, definitely the most comfortable option, i agree that even though people always say 'oh everybodys so nice on booktube' im not sure thats always the case lol
Really interesting! I’m all for mixing in used books. Most of the booktubers I tend to talk with have no problem having very different opinions on books, we might even hate each other’s faves in some cases! Don’t feel bad about what seems like a dissenting opinion because someone probably agrees with you. And yeah, I’m very over this “audiobooks aren’t reading” thing 🙄
I admittedly have a hard time when people don’t love a book that I do~ but I like to ask WHY. The magic of reading is that we all read the same words but experience them differently! It is only really bad when the supporting opinion is careless or based on a misunderstanding of the book. For example one booktuber didn’t like Carrie because it was “unbelievable” and she thought it was stupid high school girls would not know what a period was and throw things at another experiencing it…. I’m like “that’s not what they were doing!!”
I also agree with the used books and sense of community. Used books have SOUL
I was an English major in college, and I would see my classmates read so many books throughout the semester. I would see them and think “ wow. I’m not reading as many as they are. I can’t consider myself as a reader.”
I also worked during college, so I struggled with reading for class and for fun. But, I really should have compared myself to everyone else.
I agree with everything you said! My husband was telling people how I’m a reader and I found myself saying “well…kinda…” simply because I didn’t feel like I read enough (or the right kinds of books) to be considered a “real” reader. And I habitually listen to audiobooks which made me feel like it didn’t count even more! At the end of the day if it brings you happiness, you’re only responsible for making yourself happy! 🥰
Great way to look at it.. whatever makes you happy! If it makes you feel better, I have those same thoughts.. like what qualifies me as a reader haha
What, a reader is a reader. For instance, one thing I am not is a gamer. I play Pokemon/Yugioh games occasionally, but that doesn't make me a gamer. However, someone is a reader if they read, just because Booktube treats reading like a sport doesn't mean you have to. (I will say there are three books i need to finish by the end of the year solely because I don't want to carry the two awful stories with me into the new year, the third one is all right so far and written by my favorite author so...)
Love your thoughts on this, especially as it pertains to just liking books that we like! The books are meant to be enjoyed, and we all connect differently to what we read! 🖤 appreciate your thoughts on this so much! I’m just starting to dip my toes in the booktube community, and I’m really loving it so far! 🥰
The reason I love reading on Kindle is because I can prop it up horizontally on my bed and read it lying on my side, where my hands are only used to flip ebook pages and not holding the book 😂.
Only missing thing on Kindle is the smell of the books to reach God level 😇
I agree with everything you said! I haven’t had any one come for me for things like writing in my books. I thought I really liked hard backs but your right it’s really hard to lay back in bed and read especially large tombs.
I totally get what you were saying in the beginning! I was unfollowed by someone I was previously getting along well with because I didn't like their favourite book of the year and I didn't think it was well written 🤣😪 So odd.
OOf! Well to each their own I guess! What book was it?
You made some great points in this video. I just appreciate that you share your love of reading with us.
Good topic. I'm about to put myself out there in the book tube community so it was nice to have a heads up.
I ran relate to your esthetic of a personal library. Beautiful books are nice, but I also very much like a book that looks like it's been through a revolution. I had that take when I picked up a used copy of 'Les Miserables'. It was quite raggedy. 😆 Old library books are always fun too, or getting a book that was annotated by someone before.
OMG You nailed it with this video! Every point you made, I was like YES! Reading is very subjective and everyone has their own personal likes and preferences that influences their opinion on how good a book is. Some booktubers give off the vibe that you should be reading all of the latest and greatest hardbacks, who has the time or money for that?! I honestly don't know how so many can afford every single book they own as hardback, they are literally double or triple the cost of a paperback, I have bills to pay man! My book collection combines new and thrifted books. I wouldn't own them otherwise. I work two jobs, I have knitting and reading as my hobby and I'm lucky if I can finish ONE book in 3-4 weeks, I don't know how booktubers can finish 5-6+ books in a month. I gave up trying to keep up with others, that is not why I'm reading! And audiobooks are valid! I enjoy audiobooks as much if not more than other book formats and I wouldn't be able to enjoy as many books without audiobooks.
To be honest, audiobooks help me "read" more. I wouldn't get through as many books as I do if I didn't have that as an option. Also, I LOVE saving money on used books. It's the thrill of the hunt for me!
Very interesting video! Please do share your honest opinions about books despite argumentative people online. I only follow Booktubers who seem relaxed and authentic, and I get a lot of joy out of hearing their honest opinions about books. But there are loads of channels out there who seem to be just tormented with virtue signaling with their channel. They can't make a video without "cancelling" an author or agonizing for ever having dared to like a book that is now unpopular. It's painful to watch. We should be allowed to enjoy or not enjoy a book just because we do, and not be punished for it.
ALSO I love my Kindle too 😃
i loved this video! im studied literature at uni and i just graduated so im still struggling to not over-analyse everything i read. im trying to just enjoy reading for the sake of reading
also the used/shared books!! yesss!! i love sharing my books with my friends and seeing what they underline and buying from charity shops
It’s interesting to watch and read comments that people actually feel like that in the booktube community 🥺. I’ve never felt that way but I do definitely agree that sometimes I don’t review or give a complete honest opinion bc I’m afraid people will think I’m crazy😂
But honestly…even if our opinions are unpopular, there’s always someone that thinks exactly like you. Gather with the ones you feel comfortable with and also sharing with people that thinks differently helps you grow💕
Yes i love paper back!! But also, I’m pretty sure you just gave me permission to finally buy a kindle, thanks Morgan 😌🤗
p.s. your makeup looks so pretty in this video!
My kindle is my comfort item! I take it with me everywhere, sleep with it, etc. I’ve completely stopped buying physical books and just read ebooks now.
I agree that bookish people can get very passionate about their favorite books or authors and take it personally when other people don't love them too. Certain fandoms can be more extra about it than others. I mostly follow and watch booktubers who take a more, "we all have our own tastes and preferences" approach. There are many types of readers and people read for different reasons. There should be no shame about that.
I understand, I think you've made some valid points about the Booktube Community. I know when I first joined it almost ten years ago it was vastly different and much more accepting of a lot of these things you mentioned. Unfortunately, time does change things and I know I left the community for awhile for different personal reasons not really connected with the community and when I came back I started a new channel somewhat connected with those same personal reasons. One thing I always try to consciously do on my videos (but sometimes I do forget) is say something like if someone liked or didn't like it let me know. I like hearing opinions similar but also really appreciate hearing opinions different to my own too. I find that when you no longer want to hear opinions that are different from your own all of a sudden that is when you change yourself as a reader. We read because we want to be in someone else's shoes even for a little bit. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. ❤️
I found your channel through this video and I’m a new subscriber! I agree with you on a lot of these! I read books I enjoy and gladly don’t feel the need to keep up, but as a small booktuber I feel the only thing I have to offer is my jot of reading! and I can’t organize my shelves aesthetically! I’m boring. But it needs to make sense to me!
Just do you. That’s what I think. My money, my life, my journey. Everyone will always have an opinion and it’s just that. Their opinion.
My library is over a thousand books from libraries in multiple states, thrift stores, used books, and donations from friends who are done with them. It's used and has names and library markers on them. It's a beautiful thing and I love it.
All these opinions yes!! I read a lot of books on my iPad or even my phone even if I own them physically just because I prefer it (I love seeing the page count left in a chapter and being able to read in the dark at night). I’m usually more inclined to do that if the book is a hardcover as well because my weak wrists really can’t deal with holding them up at all.
Also audiobooks are definitely reading! They help me when I’m having a particularly bad day with my attention issues I can have a book in hand and have the audio playing so I can’t get distracted from reading as easily and don’t miss anything, the same way subtitles work for me on media. People who think audiobooks aren’t reading are weird to me…
One of the things that really gets me the most in book or reading communities across any platform is that hyped books get so overhyped and then everything is compared to those books even if there's no legitimate justification for it. I routinely see people saying that a book is a rip off acotar or ve schwab even if it really isn't.
Also, I've never read acotar or any ve schwab books and I never will but its so hard to find book recs that don't include these or books that fall in the same category bc they are the hyped genres/books and apparently no one reads not trendy books??
And, If you aren't reading the super trendy books, people tend to look down/criticize you.
BINGO! Thanks for this. In the end, it doesn’t matter what you read as long as you read. Everyone has different life experiences and these will impact how we feel about books and the content that we find therein. That is what makes reading and books (audio or otherwise) such great things.
Love this! Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
omg had NO clue that you made a book tube channel! I'm not really a 'part' of book tube the way I am the beauty community, but I'm happy to have found you here too!
I started watching the booktube community back in 2011, it was small, personal and very open and welcoming but now....it's definitely changed
How was it different? I’m curious!
@@wattamayo6529 There seems to be a want to "outread" each other and get competitive. Most of it is very friendly but there are a few that are rather katty out there
I’ve been able to get some great deals buying used books. I got the complete Faithful and the Fallen series in paperback (trade, not mass) for $4 total and they look brand new! I found a signed copy of Name of the Wind (mass market paperback) for $1.
the used books is so right, my bookshelves look all tattered and old but it makes it seem like the books have received lots of love and it gives the bookshelf more personality
I think it's so fascinating the way that when we were younger and in class, our teachers forced us to psychoanalyze and analyze every moment of a book which turned off a LOT of readers and potential readers. And while I do think that reading with an analytical eye CAN be enlightening and provide a sense of further understanding it's also an eXTREME form of elitism to assume everyone can do that with every book they read.
To assume that every book deserves or requires a further analysis and if you're not doing the same then you're just "not getting it" and it's inherently so dismissive of people (like you said) who read to just simply read! Booktok makes it so that reading books is a different form of consumerism because they fall into the "I did it before its cool" mentality and force people to feel guilty over the lack of analysis (if it even warrants one) or even the AMOUNT of books read. If you read ONE book a year, is more than enough!
There is no limit or under limit! It's also an extreme form of eliticism/ableism to say that listening to an audiobook doesn't stimulate the brain the way reading does! Some people have difficulty reading, have reading issues, concentration issues or simply don't have the time and to dismiss audiobooks as a form of reading is just simply wRONG. Let people do what they goddamn want to and if that encourages more people to adventure out into books they like then SO be it.
Omg, I've been talking about this with my friends and my husband!! I absolutely agree with you with every single thing you said.
I completely agree lol. I have never had a desire to put myself on youtube in such a way, but especially not booktube, much as I love watching videos, some of my favorite books are hated and some of my least favorite books are so well beloved, I'd be genuinely too afraid to voice my actual opinions on them. I almost exclusively buy secondhand books and do not mind writing in my books at all, and I love seeing someone else who buys books from thrift stores.
Yes, it's been a good exercise for me to voice my opinions of books online. I'm definitely still learning!
I'm in love with my kindle as well and also like paperbacks more. I don't think audiobooks is reading but you've still experienced the story. You're reaching the same goal but in a different way.
I am new to the “booktube” community but always loved reading. I’ll be posting my first booktube video this Sunday. Sounds to me like it is really no different than any other niche on UA-cam. You will have those that love you and those the don’t for whatever reason. I appreciate you sticking to it and just being yourself.
I always love discovering more new BookTubers, new subscriber! ❤️✨
Yay :)
So my hot take on this is that all of these opinions and feelings are very typical when you're new to the book community in general. I found booktube in 2017 and went through the familiar motions of thinking I needed to buy every book or overanalyze everything I read in order to be a reader. I was also introduced to do the idea of "rating" books on goodreads and found the gatekeeping aspect to be very aggressive, and also the back and forth fighting about stupid shit like audiobook validity. However, I also was way too entrenched in the drama and admit that I wasn't following the right people. I do think your experience in the book community calms down after a while, especially if you just do what you want and don't pay attention to the social media "aesthetic" aspect. Since 2017, I've found my group of booktubers that I really like that do their own thing and don't promote competitive reading, I've gotten rid of like 85% of the books I bought a few years ago out of just sheer FOMO, I mainly use my local library now bc I'm more concerned about reducing consumption and ease of access, and I don't even pay attention to my "reading goal" of the year. I'm also much more gentle with myself if I don't want to read or if nothing interests me because I'm a flaky human, not a single-minded machine. Lol I hope you enjoy the book community while you're here but just remember to not take it too seriously
I can see why booktube would be more toxic, but it is surprising. I think every community within UA-cam can be toxic, I’ve definitely seen the drama and hate everywhere. Houseplant youtuber, authortube, booktube, etc, even the gaming community. It’s insane. I don’t understand it, who cares if your opinion is different than mine, who cares if I hated this book even though you loved it. WHO CARES, WHY CARE?
The only reason i don't prefer audioreads because sometimes I like to reread certain passages repeated slowly in my head to ascertain the meaning behind it....the rush sometimes disturb the flow.
Dude. This is so perfect. Gatekeeping makes everything worse. Some of my favorite booktubers read one book and release one video a month and I love that. I also LOVE used books. Mine are all wrecked 🤣
I was always a paperback guy (thanks to the Star Wars EU) until a few years ago, now I will buy only hardcovers if possible. I also never liked the plastic covers on library books until recently and now I own a ton of them. They are easier for me to read. I have to be less careful to keep the dust jacket from slipping off and tearing.
Totally agree on the library books btw.
I don't know how I missed this video! I have a home library that is mainly made up of used books I buy at thrift shops and our local used book store. I buy books at the Salvation Army, Savers, Goodwill. I share you opinion in that I LOVE a used book and the story it might hold - how many people have turned its pages, enjoyed it, hated it, finished it, didn't finish it... Recently I purchased 11/22/63 (great condition hardback for $3!!). When I finished reading it (I loved it by the way), in the back cover, upside down, were initials, a date and 5 stars handwritten in pen. I ABSOLUTELY loved this!! It gave me a great feeling of camaraderie with someone I don't even know but do know that we shared that one thing. Pretty awesome. Also my library shelves are a hot mess and I think that hot mess is absolutely gorgeous. All my books are categorized by author's last name - not by genre, or color coordinated. There's hardcovers, paperbacks, leather bounds, new and used, you name it. I think that's why I love your channel. You read, you enjoy it, you share your joy and move on. You keep doing your thing and I'll keep watching. :-)
something that kind of tiks me off the most as you mentioned is how much booktubers read, hear me out lmao. sometimes, I cant believe someone read 20 big books in a month and isn't burnt out yk? maybe its just me but I feel like a lot of booktubers are just maybe faking it for content lol (surprise! people faking on the internet!) maybe I'm just actually a slower reader than I thought lmao
Hey!! I second your opinion about used book. The majority of books I have in my bookshelf are used books.
Yes for used books!!
I will always love paperbacks more. I don't find that they get damaged. I don't like how inflexible hardbacks are and tbh the fact that the cover is removable has ALWAYS annoyed me. When I was a kid if I had to buy a hardback, I would immediately throw the dust jacket away 🙈🤷♀️
I definitely think it kind of depends on which subset of Booktube you fall into, but yeah, readers can be elitist in the worst of ways. 💀🤣
Oh, I LOVE the aesthetic of used books. I love the plastic covering of old library books that keep the dust jackets on.
Please continue to share your reviews, even if they go against the grain. Booktube would be a very boring place if everyone had the same opinions.
Very much so! In fact, one of my favorite things to do is read the 1 star and 5 star reviews on goodreads after I've finished a book to see what the polarizing opinions are. Sometimes, I even have "ah HA!" moments and see things I didn't catch.
So I'm a bookstagrammer and i don't see where we are gatekeeping anything, actually when i post about a book that i didn't like we have amazing Convo about the book on why we don't or like about it, or where to find them old, use or new. I've seen people posted about their 25 books they read for the years and such.
I'm so happy to hear you've had that experience :)
I don’t like to “ruin” or like make my books look used until I’ve read it already. If I don’t like it I give it away and no one has to see my annotations and if I do love it I’ll keep it forever and annotate it until it gets ruined lol
Thank you! I was agreeing and 'yesing' with you the whole video. I agree with what you were saying, with this community being very 'clique-ish'. When I 1st joined (yrs ago) and tried to participate in the different conversation, there was a coldness experienced. Unfortunately, it's still there, I've just been fortunate enough to find a group of creators that I vibe with. It also APPEARS that if ur not in the majority of whatever .... ur (YOU) aren't welcome. I tend to gravitate to the ones who bookcases aren't so neat, books spilling all over the place, who may not have the greatest ascetics .. it just feels more welcoming to ME. It's unfortunate, cause I've always been ostracized, in real life, because of my love of books and reading, and to come on the internet and deal with the stuff that goes on .... Positively, I have met some really cool ppl and those are the ones I try to stay connected with. Good topic for a video.
I agree with you on a lot of points. The bottom line is, as long as you are reading and enjoying what you read that is what matters. I feel like the drama and issues in the book community is completely unnecessary. We aren’t going to like the same books and it isn’t fair that people get attacked for having a different opinion on a popular book or author. There are a few books and authors that are beloved on booktube and I cannot stand them at all. And that is fine, there are some books that I loved that others have hated and I don’t get upset over it. It doesn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book. Also I like reading on my kindle more too and I have gotten used to audiobooks, even though that isn’t my preferred way to read. As long as I am reading it shouldn’t matter how I do it.You made some good points in here. Sorry for the long comment 😅
The gatekeeping thing in booktube sounds pretty understandable. The way I see it, it’s rooted in the cultural shift towards political correctness which has direct links to free speech and thought - and where else would this manifest as strongly as it would on booktube? The conversations around the social impact of ideas on minority groups has taken centre stage and art in general is expected to be something akin to a moralising force rather than an exploration of ideas. You see this with discussions surrounding punching up/down, representation, cultural appropriation which, don’t get me wrong ARE important conversations to have but, in my opinion, they’ve become more important than evaluating the art for itself. There are many ways to interpret an idea but it seems as though a feminist/Marxist interpretation is considered inherently better than others which is such a shame.
Another great comment! :) Another thought I had is the fact that people "bond" with books more than beauty products.. which is completely understandable. As you read, you grow with characters, identify with themes, etc. For me, I don't share that same experience with beauty products lol. So I can understand why people get defensive of their opinions, but speaking personally, it makes me hesitate more in booktube to "go against the grain" so to speak. I'm also still new to booktube so I'm trying to learn how to express myself and it's not an easy thing to learn online on a public platform. So I'm learning haha.
@@morganalisonstewart I see your point. We’ve also seen (or been) overly defensive about our beliefs and that’s definitely a reason why people read and get attached to books. Not everyone reads books the way you or I do and that’s okay. But not everyone thinks it’s okay. And that’s where things go south. Try saying you love Harry Potter now without mentioning the whole JK Rowling scandal - which, controversial, I personally didn’t find offensive in the least because I’ve tuned into conversations which speak to the problems in the trans community, and trans people within that community are equally under attack for speaking up
Here are some of my controversial opinions:
- Booktube promotes a very unhealthy form of consumerism, not only with the amount that is consumed but also with the way that the consumption is treated (people be like 'book haul because I have no self control' or 'retail therapy, I bought 20 books')
- Huge tbr's contribute to that, in order to maintain a big tbr you have to buy a lot of books, also I don't really think you can call it a tbr knowing that the majority of the books won't ever get read
- Pushing your books all the way to the back of the shelves is ugly...
- Cancelling authors is stupid and does not help solve any issues, I feel like most people only cancel authors because they feel like they're going to get a lot of backlash if they don't
- Reading is just a hobby
Nowadays a lot of book gatekeeping is all about this author did this and didn't do that in their personal lives. So you must not support them by reading their books. Huh?!
Most of my books are second-hand (Bücherschränke if anyone here is from germany :) ) or I've had them since childhood.
Others I got as a gift. The only books I've actually bought is my Murakami collection.
My mom's a librarian so I have easy access to library books :)
But even without all that getting books second hand or going to the library is possible🥰
I know that this is a while after this, but one thing I've noticed is that the whole special editions that it seems easy to get for others that are mostly able to afford book boxes (Fairyloot, owlcrate, etc) or if they are located over in England. I've noticed that it's easier to get those fancy editions over there (Waterstones for example). I have some that are special edition but they are books that I really like...and I've had problems with sinning up for a bookish box (Fairyloot), you have to sign up on a waiting list and when I did to see the book and see if wanting to get it... I never got told...so it makes it feel like it's only a thing that influencers can get. Don't get me started on the whole book giveaway thing I feel. I don't like audio books as I am not an auditory person, I'm visual and tactile person but if that person likes them it's fine, it's just not my taste.
Another thing....I don't get who likes to write in books... to me it ruins the book/ I feel bad for writing in the book, especially if it's a special edition.
My preffered way of reading is my kindle aswell , even if I own the book 😅 I buy my favorites as hardback but mostly cause I dream of having my own library
Here's my controversial opinion: people in the booktube community, whether it be creators or consumers, find a creator who they like and then make that person's taste in books and, often, their opinions on said books their entire personality. See the rise of dark academia, the "books for cool girls" aesthetic, etc.
I love floppy paperbacks! I do ebooks on mostly the romance genre, I try to go digital for everything but just doesn't work.
I agree with you. I like reading paperbacks but they synthetic of hardcovers are really pretty. I can't do ebooks because I have Irene syndrome but I do love audiobooks
I don't know this channel and only follow Daniel Greene in the BookTube world so I don't know much about the group but I've seen plenty of his video's to know he has agreed with almost everything you've said here. About paperbacks, audiobooks, openness, snobyness, writing notes in your books, etc. I think that's why he's so popular. It's all good, no one wants to hang out with bitter people anyway so they'll just stay alone and sad.
I don't like that people will judge you on the book you read for example I was labeled for reading Gone With The Wind. They couldn't accept that I don't agree with the treatment of POC of that time period but still read and enjoy the book.
Happy Thanksgiving from my fantasy universe to yours!!!
Omg about your over or under “Intellectualization” of books I’ve felt since twilight. Ppl would seriously look down on you if you read twilight like Omg I can like something bc I like it relax. Im loving your takes!
I’ve actually watched beauty UA-cam for yearsss and have just started booktube so I’ll have to see about that comparison HahHa but I can imagine that a more stereotypical respected hobby has potential to get elitist or something like that
I personally love listening to different opinions about books and ya the whole buying as many books as you can (kind of) is sometimes really annoying and I’m really glad that lately we’ve been showing books from the libraries or audiobooks or ebooks and that it doesn’t matter how many books you read because even If you read just one book per year you are still a reader. Although I still sometimes feel anxious about the fact that I only read one book this month u just gotta remember that doesn’t matter
Thank you for making this video!