It's not that you're too old! I'm a teen and it really annoys me when 18-year-old characters in YA are so unbelievably immature! It feels soooo unrealistic...
Agree with you girl. I mean look at characters like Vin from Mistborn or any Six of Crows characters. If my world is in danger I want them in charge. 😂
I almost want to read The Infinity Courts just to see if it is as bad as you say…almost. 😂 Good luck with your move. It’s so exciting to move to a new area. I hope you have a wonderful experience.
The Empress of Salt and Fortune is written in a way that includes a lot of metaphors and hidden meanings. Beautifully written, but it definitely confused me from time to time. For a novella, it really packed a whole lot! Very curious to read more from Nghi Vo! I love that quote about angry mothers as well. Right now, I'm reading House of Styx! If you like Norse mythology, you MUST read The Witch's Heart. The audiobook is incredible!
My favorite books are Black sun by Rebecca Roanhorse, Written in the stars by Alexandria Bellefleur, Winter's orbit by Everina Maxwell, Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko and The one by John Marrs.
I have one semester left of college, and when I get my first job making the “big bucks” I cannot wait to support you on patreon and joint the book club! 🤩
I wish you all the best on the move. You provide us with so many relaxing videos, I won't mind if the June reading wrap up is a little shorter. For book recommendations, my "moving book" is Igraine the brave by Cornelia Funke. I got it as a gift from my old classmates when I moved as a child. It's a middle grade ( I'd say ages 10-12?) fantasy book with a light hearted story that has some heavier and more thoughtful elements and nice world building. It's definitely a childrens book, but it's also a very cosy and imaginative read for rough times.
Love your rants! And the best book I read lately was the first book in the Murderbot Diaries, I think you'd probably like it! It's a novella, but delightful!
Your rant was so funny and relatable! I'm 27 and also feeling like I've aged out of reading YA. Also, so glad you loved This Is How You Lose The Time War! Would recommend One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston for pride!
I have never heard of Empress of salt and fortune but added to my TBR now. Ohhh.... Your review for the infinity courts 😂😂😂. I think I saw smoke rising off of your head.
I felt the same way about The Little Paris Bookshop when I read it a couple years ago! Always super disappointing when something you think is going to be good is just...not. Great video, as per usual 🙂
I teach and I have multiple refugees in my class. I also loved Other Words for Home and Inside and Out and Back Again and I can’t wait to put them in my classroom library!
I only read manga in may but considering I didn’t read anything in April I’ll say that is still an improvement! Also I’ll listen to you rant about books I don’t even intend to read hahah I really trust your opinion on books!
I enjoyed your rant about books, that I had to pick some quiet time to watch this video without anyone interfering. I love how you present your reviews and thoughts 💖
Love love love your rants! I’m currently reading “This is How You Lose the Time War”, “How to Pronounce Knife” and “The Heroin Diaries”. I am looking forward to reading “The Empress of Salt and Fortune”. I saw Kayla talk about it and now you ! Even though I own at least 50+ unread books, I can’t stop myself from buying more. I, personally, feel like I’m too old for YA books, but can totally see myself reading middle grade books with my child. He picked out Poet X as one of his summer reading books and I skimmed through it. Good stuff. Good luck on your move.
Even if I can’t read as much as you it’s really interesting to hear your thoughts! And I needed the relaxation that comes from listening to your videos ✨🌺☺️ Also I appreciate you reading 2 books with Muslim characters, I will definitely be picking both up.
I’m reading The Cost of Knowing right now. It’s so intriguing, and the brother bonding is tugging at my heart strings. I love the history and supernatural aspect. My best May reads were Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson, Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield, and Legendborn by Tracy Deonn.
Love From A to Z was such a lovely contemporary young adult romance. I read it at a time when I really needed something to lift my heart, and it did the trick. I fully agree about Little Paris Bookshop. For the last quarter or so, I skipped ahead to dialogue because I found it boring and drawn out. 😴
It was interesting to se you split Asian authors to different categories... It definitely makes more sense, given how large and diverse even parts of Asia can be..
It is just interesting that we may be old for ya but not really for middle grade. Maybe it is not like that at all, just considering the ratings and listening to your thoughts it somehow evoked this feeling in me.
I still enjoy a lot of YA! I think it’s just the YA full of overdone tropes that I don’t have patience for anymore or the melodramatic teenage drama style story. 😂 Middle Grade tends to be more universal in its appeal for me. I guess the universality of the stories told for this age group and the nostalgia?
Hope all goes well with the move and it will be exciting to discover a new place. For April my favorite book was a middle grade which was Amari & the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston. For May my favorite book was an adult fantasy which was House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. I adored this and would love to have a sequel. I adored Theodore, I would adopt him, heck, I would adopt them all. I loved this book for many reasons. I do hope you're able to read something and you're not too old for YA or even middle grade, it's how it's written that can make or break a book.
As a fat person, I really enjoyed Spoiler Alert. I found her constant assumptions believable because when it happens to you all the time, it's easy to become pessimistic about all your interactions, even with people you thought were safe. All of the fanfic references really made me laugh out loud and I didn't mind the GoT parallels. That said, I'm very good at suspending my critical judgment when I'm reading something fun and just going along with the ride, so I'm sure the book has issues too! Btw, I finally just read Song of Achilles from your recommendation and it might be my new favourite book! Thanks for your entertaining reviews, they are such a font of inspiration :)
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Oh, yes, definitely believable. I think the issue was more my expectations of what her character was going to be like from reviews and that those didn’t line up with the reality. I’m so glad you loved Song of Achilles! Such an amazing book ❤️
I read Akemi Dawn Bowman's latest book (HARLEY IN THE SKY), and all of your rant works for that book too. I love YA and have lots of patience for YA troupes and annoying characters, but STILL. It was so bad, made worse because the premise really made me want to read the book. In conclusion, I love your reading rants.
'A darker shade of magic' by V.E. Schwab was my best read of May. The worldbuilding was particularly interesting to me. I didn't have any 5 star ratings for any of the 4 books I've read though.
The best book I've read recently is Concrete Rose by Amgie Thomas, which is the prequel to The Hate U Give (which I loved so much!!). It tells the story of Starr's father Maverick as a 17 year old, having to deal with being a teen dad and staying out of gang activities at the same time. I just love Thomas' writing style so so much.
i've been in such a reading slump lately and definitely not reading as much as i would like, but i'm nearly 3/4 through Loveless by Alice Oseman and really enjoying it. I actually stayed up until 1am reading the other night which...it's been so long since i've read anything thats made me WANT to do that. It does keep making me cry but I think that's probably more to do with me being aromantic and reading a story with an aro/ace main character than anything else lmao
One of my favourite books of this month was Parachutes by Kelly Yang! It is a YA contemporary that tells the story of two Asian girls in America, it deals with a lot of heavy topics, like sexual assault in a great way. A must read!
Have you read The Squire’s Tale by Gerald Morris? It’s an Arthurian retelling set in the world of Camelot with a touch of modern sensibility. Its listed as YA, but I’d put it solidly in Middle Grade. It’s the first in a series and I adore this book and the rest. What this series lacks in world building, it makes up for in surprisingly funny, grounded characters and often surprisingly dark or heavy adventures. I love them and my dyslexic brain can read them instead of listening to audio so 5 stars from me. I thought it might be a fun lil escape during your moving month. Also you could probably read it in one sitting. 🤷🏻♀️📚
I also enjoy the way women are written in this series. Usually clever and frustrated with the men around them and finding ways to build a life out of the social hierarchy confining them.
Thank you for these videos, Elizabeth. I really enjoy them. 🙏 Btw, I have a tag with your name in The Storygraph for all the wonderful recommendations I get from your bookish videos. 😳😉
39:20 Bisexual finger guns. Also, I am *so glad* that you liked This Is How You Lose the Time War. My book club did it as a buddy read during quarantine and I *LOVED* it so much. I read it twice. In a row. (I never do that.) If you're up for rereading it next month, the audiobook is great, too. (Also, I was so nervous you wouldn't like it that I paused the video and checked GR to see how you rated it before playing again.) I love your rants on books you dislike, so...please don't apologize for them. I love it when you mention on GR that you hated a book because I'm like "YES RANT TIME" for the reading recap.
I think you should read something by Mariana Zapata. For example From Lukov with Love, Wait for it or The Wall of Winnipeg and Me. Zapata is a favorite in the romance community and I think it would be interesting to get your perspective s someone who is not primarily a romance reader. I also think you should read When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain (the continuation of the Singing Hills Cycle) by Nghi Vo if you hadn’t planned to. It is just as wonderful as The Empress of Salt and Fortune. Now my favorite book…. I can’t really pick just one. It feels like choosing a favorite child. I don’t have children, so what do I know. Anyways, a few of my favs were And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman (my heart 💔😭), The Sword of Kaigen by ML Wang, Beach Read by Emily Henry and Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. Also, please continue the rants. I need more of that in my life.
Ooh well I just added a bunch of books to my TBR...thanks! ;P This is the first of your book review videos I've watched so maybe you've read a few of these already, but here are some books I've loved in the last few months! -Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price -Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir -Know My Name by Chanel Miller -The Murderbot series -The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas
Disappointing to hear that about Spoiler Alert. I had hopes for it...I have so much trouble with romance as a genre. If I don't like both characters, I have a hard time finishing if the romance is central to the book. I'll prbably skip this book. OTOH, The Inifinity Court review makes me want to see it for myself. Maybe make it a drinking game with spritzers? :D
My top reads of May were Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings 📖 🌟, Lirael by Garth Nix 📖 🌟 Poison Study by Maria V Snyder (e) 🌟 (but not so much the second book) The Autumn Castle by Kim Wilkins 📖 🌟and A Conjuring of Ravens: A Practical Guide to Sorcery Bk 1 by Azalea Ellis (e) 🌟
Inside out and back again sounds interesting. I wonder if my Vietnamese friend has read this. I’ll have to ask her. She has two daughters who might like it. I love fantasy too. Have you read Brandon Sanderson yet?
@@PlantBasedBride never too late! He’s on book 5 of 10 of his magnum opus the Stormtlight archive. Also as an artist you might appreciate Patricia a Mckillip. She’s the best Fantasy writer I’ve come across especially when it comes to prose. If you have the time, look up Kinuko Y Craft, the illustrator of many of Mckillip’s book covers. Her works are just gorgeous.
Currently reading "A constellation of vital phenomena" by Anthony Marra, an amazing book, beautifully written and both heart warming and heart breaking. For your move you cold listen to old time favourite books (i.e. Harry potter or lord of the rings) 🦉
That’s fair! Most people said they liked them at the beginning so I’ll likely keep them there, but you can always skip to the first book with chapters and go back to watch the stats at the end if you prefer! ❤️
I'm right there with you for not reading YA after that book. I'm 26 and can't handle characters that act younger than they really are. I read one YA this year and was like "I'm done."
Yeah, it can be rough. It's funny because I don't mind reading about a 9 year old protagonist, but if an 18 year old is acting 15 I have no patience for it lol
@@PlantBasedBride or just the inner dialog with some characters. Makes me rolls my eyes and if you do it long enough I stop reading. Shadow and Bone was the book I read this year and don't know why it got so much hype.
Currently reading Wuhan Diary: Dispatches from a Quarantined City by Fang Fang - I highly recommend. You turned me on to Stacey Lee - I loved The Downstairs Girl and Under a Painted Sky. Currently reading The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (also recommended by you). Have a safe and productive and, if possible, stress-less move!
I’ll check Wuhan Diary out! I haven’t read anything else by Stacey Lee but I would love to. I’m so glad you’re finding books you enjoy from my recommendations! ❤️
I haven't read Spoiler Alert, but the way you talk about it makes it sounds like self insert Real Person fan fiction with the serial numbers filed off which is disappointing because the premise had so much potential!
Have you read Outlawed? It would definitely be fitting for Pride month. It takes place in the 1800s so TW for violence against queer characters, but overall I think the story is beautifully written and hopeful at the end, and the characters are all incredible to me. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I definitely DNF sometimes! Not often, though. I’m a It of a completionist and it can definitely be to my detriment when I’m not enjoying a book but stubbornly want to finish 😅
I highly recommend The Magic Fish!! It’s a graphic novel and is super easy to get through. I absolutely loved it and I think it’d be perfect for a nice fluffy LGBTQ+ book for pride month! Especially since your life seems super hectic right now, I think it would be a great escape from reality and a nice book to get through. The best book I read in May was that book, and it is probably one of my favorites for the entire year so far!!
Giving my two cents on Spoiler Alert as a fat reader. First of all, I do want to thank you for reading the text critically, even as someone who isn't fat, and keeping aware of aspects of the fat representation that might be harmful. And you're certainly right that there isn't one unifying Fat Opinion. Everyone's mileage is going to vary, so there will absolutely be fat people for whom this fat rep didn't work. Personally, I gave Spoiler Alert 4 stars based almost entirely on the fat rep. I agree that the self-insert, fanfic writer/actor, blatant GOT callout aspects were quite uncomfortable, and the romance did have a lot of one-sided groveling. But I did appreciate Spoiler Alert as a character study for April, and about how growing up fat and existing in a fat body definitely colours your experience of the world and how you react to things. I loved the conflict between April and her mother, that April had that frank discussion with her about how it's toxic for her mental health to always be talking about her weight. The correlation between people always commenting on your weight and your own obsession and negative thoughts about it can't be undersold. I think that any good fat rep is almost certainly going to have characters who struggle with always feeling confident and body-positive, especially in a story like Spoiler Alert that thrusts April into the spotlight. And while the miscommunication was frustrating, it was also very believable to me. April may be almost 40, but she experienced the trauma of growing up fat. Not only that, but she grew up at a time where the body-positive movement just did not exist the way it does today. I think to expect a fully healed, emotionally mature character in April would be unrealistic. And when April assumes Marcus is reacting negatively to her weight but refuses to communicate about it, it's because her trauma is being triggered. To walk around in a fat body is to constantly be walking through a world that triggers your trauma. And especially where Marcus is a conventionally attractive mega actor, and so many eyes are on her, scrutinizing her, those triggers become hair triggers. I consider myself a very body-positive person. I was born in the 90s, so I had the privilege of coming into my adulthood when the body-positive movement really started gaining traction. But even then, I remember the era of low-rise jeans, and "heroin chic", and "yo mama's so fat." I grew up in that trauma and to this day, it affects me. So while I can certainly appreciate the value of stories where fat characters never feel bad about their weight, as an aspirational way of looking at the world, I don't think it's realistic, and I don't think it's what this book was trying to do. So, yes, definitely a hot mess in terms of the actor/fanfic writer aspects of the story, but it really spoke to me in terms of its fat rep.
That makes a lot of sense! Thank you for sharing your perspective with me ❤️ I definitely understand the rep wasn’t meant for me which is why I wanted to encourage anyone considering reading it to check out own voices reviewers there! I found the content a bit triggering for my ED and I definitely think that (along with my issues with the GoT stuff) really clouded my opinion of the novel as a whole. I also think the way it was talked about by several reviewers on booktube skewed my expectations on that front, unfortunately. I’m so glad the book provided representation that worked for you!
@@PlantBasedBride For sure! I think it's super important to engage in open dialogue about media, especially when it comes to representation. I also think that unfortunately, we live in a culture that has so little fat rep, it's almost impossible to say what's "good" rep versus what's "bad." Because we don't have that big of a bank of fat characters to draw a wide, nuanced, complex breadth of stories from, the fat rep that works for one person is almost certainly going to be harmful and triggering to someone else. And we're just at a point right now where finding the fat story that's right for you is really difficult because the pickings are slim. It reminds me a lot of what the landscape used to look like for queer representation when I was growing up, where it wasn't even a question of what rep was doing right or wrong. It just mattered that it existed and you felt like you were being seen at all.
I love your rants and I love your videos, but I felt uncomfortable when you mentioned the 'fat' rep in 'spoiler alert' just personally as a plus-size person I don't like using the word 'fat' to explain larger people. Still love you!! just wanted to mention it... Also, you are definitely not too old lmao, some books just don't work like characters and all lol
I’m sorry ❤️ Most reviewers I watch prefer that terminology, but I understand the same words can feel very different to every individual. I never want to make anyone feel uncomfortable so I truly am sorry!
So when do you get to tell us about the books written about immigrants from 3rd world countries that don’t hate America and the freedoms it offers, even though they never would have had that in their own home countries?
Are you implying that immigrants should just take the xenophobia they experience and not raise awareness for the discrimination they face? Because that’s an incredibly privileged point of view. The US _isn’t_ perfect and no one deserves to face discrimination, no matter where they come from. Raising awareness of xenophobia is incredibly important because it allows people to change others’ experiences for the better. We should be trying to make life better, not accepting mistreatments as parts of it.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
your rants are my favorite, never apologize for a rant i live for them
hahaha I'm glad you enjoy them 😂 I was so extra mad about this one because I thought I was going to love it 😭
Me: knows your necklace is a moon
Also me: c r o i s s a n t
😂🥐❤️
It's not that you're too old! I'm a teen and it really annoys me when 18-year-old characters in YA are so unbelievably immature! It feels soooo unrealistic...
Thank you! 😅 I was going to say… 😂
@@PlantBasedBride Officially young adult can include people up to 30 years old as a demographic. Though almost all protagonists are teens.
Agree with you girl. I mean look at characters like Vin from Mistborn or any Six of Crows characters. If my world is in danger I want them in charge. 😂
I almost want to read The Infinity Courts just to see if it is as bad as you say…almost. 😂 Good luck with your move. It’s so exciting to move to a new area. I hope you have a wonderful experience.
LOL remember I warned you! 😂 thank you 🤗
The Empress of Salt and Fortune is written in a way that includes a lot of metaphors and hidden meanings. Beautifully written, but it definitely confused me from time to time. For a novella, it really packed a whole lot! Very curious to read more from Nghi Vo! I love that quote about angry mothers as well. Right now, I'm reading House of Styx! If you like Norse mythology, you MUST read The Witch's Heart. The audiobook is incredible!
So true! Oh, how are you liking it? I loved House of Styx! And I’ll look that one up, thank you for the rec ❤️
I was impressed with The Empress of Salt and Fortune, glad you liked it. I listened to it - I may read it now.
@@PlantBasedBride I'm reading it because you recommended it! Really enjoying it so far. 🙂
yayy i was so excited for this one! i love hearing you talk about books 🥰
I’m so glad you enjoy these bookish videos! ❤️
Your rants are my favorite! And I appreciate how thorough you are with your stats, ratings, etc on each book. Love love love 😊😍
Haha thank you! Glad you enjoy them ❤️
My favorite books are Black sun by Rebecca Roanhorse, Written in the stars by Alexandria Bellefleur, Winter's orbit by Everina Maxwell, Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko and The one by John Marrs.
Ok, two of those are absolute favourites a d two I really enjoyed so you know I have to read the last one! ❤️
I have one semester left of college, and when I get my first job making the “big bucks” I cannot wait to support you on patreon and joint the book club! 🤩
Aw we would love to have you! The book club is full of amazing humans ❤️
I wish you all the best on the move. You provide us with so many relaxing videos, I won't mind if the June reading wrap up is a little shorter.
For book recommendations, my "moving book" is Igraine the brave by Cornelia Funke. I got it as a gift from my old classmates when I moved as a child. It's a middle grade ( I'd say ages 10-12?) fantasy book with a light hearted story that has some heavier and more thoughtful elements and nice world building. It's definitely a childrens book, but it's also a very cosy and imaginative read for rough times.
Aw thank you! I appreciate that ❤️ I’ll have to check that one out!
@@PlantBasedBride It's cool, of you do, but don't feel pressured to like it, just because I do.
Love your rants! And the best book I read lately was the first book in the Murderbot Diaries, I think you'd probably like it! It's a novella, but delightful!
I read it last year! I need to continue on in the series ❤️
@@PlantBasedBride oh whoops! Still catching up on your bookish vids! The first is the best in my opinion, but the others are still very good!! 💖
Your rant was so funny and relatable! I'm 27 and also feeling like I've aged out of reading YA.
Also, so glad you loved This Is How You Lose The Time War! Would recommend One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston for pride!
That’s so funny, I’m literally listening to One Last Stop while I answer your comment! 😂
I have never heard of Empress of salt and fortune but added to my TBR now.
Ohhh.... Your review for the infinity courts 😂😂😂. I think I saw smoke rising off of your head.
It’s so good! ❤️ LOL the tropes though 😂
I felt the same way about The Little Paris Bookshop when I read it a couple years ago! Always super disappointing when something you think is going to be good is just...not. Great video, as per usual 🙂
Right? It seemed right up my alley but… just no 😅 lol
I teach and I have multiple refugees in my class. I also loved Other Words for Home and Inside and Out and Back Again and I can’t wait to put them in my classroom library!
A wonderful idea! I hope your students resonated with Jude and Ha’s stories ❤️
I only read manga in may but considering I didn’t read anything in April I’ll say that is still an improvement! Also I’ll listen to you rant about books I don’t even intend to read hahah I really trust your opinion on books!
I enjoyed your rant about books, that I had to pick some quiet time to watch this video without anyone interfering. I love how you present your reviews and thoughts 💖
Aw thank you! I’m glad you enjoy the bookish content ❤️
Love love love your rants! I’m currently reading “This is How You Lose the Time War”, “How to Pronounce Knife” and “The Heroin Diaries”. I am looking forward to reading “The Empress of Salt and Fortune”. I saw Kayla talk about it and now you ! Even though I own at least 50+ unread books, I can’t stop myself from buying more. I, personally, feel like I’m too old for YA books, but can totally see myself reading middle grade books with my child. He picked out Poet X as one of his summer reading books and I skimmed through it. Good stuff. Good luck on your move.
Haha I can relate! Thank you so much ❤️
Even if I can’t read as much as you it’s really interesting to hear your thoughts! And I needed the relaxation that comes from listening to your videos ✨🌺☺️
Also I appreciate you reading 2 books with Muslim characters, I will definitely be picking both up.
I’m glad you enjoy these videos! I always love sharing book recs with you all ❤️ oh, I hope you enjoy them!
I live for your book rants!
haha well I hope you don't get to see too many because I want to read more books I actually enjoy 😅
I’m reading The Cost of Knowing right now. It’s so intriguing, and the brother bonding is tugging at my heart strings. I love the history and supernatural aspect.
My best May reads were Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson, Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield, and Legendborn by Tracy Deonn.
Their relationship is so special ❤️ I’ll check those books out!
Love From A to Z was such a lovely contemporary young adult romance. I read it at a time when I really needed something to lift my heart, and it did the trick.
I fully agree about Little Paris Bookshop. For the last quarter or so, I skipped ahead to dialogue because I found it boring and drawn out. 😴
It was! And lol yes that’s so relatable 😂
It was interesting to se you split Asian authors to different categories... It definitely makes more sense, given how large and diverse even parts of Asia can be..
There’s so much variation and diversity within the continent and the diaspora for sure! ❤️
It is just interesting that we may be old for ya but not really for middle grade. Maybe it is not like that at all, just considering the ratings and listening to your thoughts it somehow evoked this feeling in me.
I still enjoy a lot of YA! I think it’s just the YA full of overdone tropes that I don’t have patience for anymore or the melodramatic teenage drama style story. 😂
Middle Grade tends to be more universal in its appeal for me. I guess the universality of the stories told for this age group and the nostalgia?
So did you like the infinity court or no lmbo I love your book reviews and the passion you have for literature! It’s refreshing. 😂😂😂 rant away.
Hahaha thank you 😂
Hope all goes well with the move and it will be exciting to discover a new place.
For April my favorite book was a middle grade which was Amari & the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston.
For May my favorite book was an adult fantasy which was House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. I adored this and would love to have a sequel. I adored Theodore, I would adopt him, heck, I would adopt them all. I loved this book for many reasons.
I do hope you're able to read something and you're not too old for YA or even middle grade, it's how it's written that can make or break a book.
I’ve been wanting to read Amari! I hope I get it from my library soon ❤️
I recently finished reading The All You Can Dream Buffet, which was very cute, if a bit predictable.
The Lottery is so SO good. I definitely was expecting that, the first time I read it.
It’s incredible how much it does with so few pages!
I just finished Raybearer on your recommendation and WOW!! I think that goes to show you're not too old for good YA ;)
Right?? Exactly! That book was magic ❤️
Love your moon necklace.
Thank you! It’s from Ana Luisa ❤️ I’ve linked their website at the bottom of the description box 🤗
As a fat person, I really enjoyed Spoiler Alert. I found her constant assumptions believable because when it happens to you all the time, it's easy to become pessimistic about all your interactions, even with people you thought were safe. All of the fanfic references really made me laugh out loud and I didn't mind the GoT parallels. That said, I'm very good at suspending my critical judgment when I'm reading something fun and just going along with the ride, so I'm sure the book has issues too!
Btw, I finally just read Song of Achilles from your recommendation and it might be my new favourite book! Thanks for your entertaining reviews, they are such a font of inspiration :)
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Oh, yes, definitely believable. I think the issue was more my expectations of what her character was going to be like from reviews and that those didn’t line up with the reality. I’m so glad you loved Song of Achilles! Such an amazing book ❤️
Yes I loved this is how you lose the time war!!! One of my favorite books that i've read this year. It made me CRRRRYYYY omg
It was SO good!
I read Akemi Dawn Bowman's latest book (HARLEY IN THE SKY), and all of your rant works for that book too. I love YA and have lots of patience for YA troupes and annoying characters, but STILL. It was so bad, made worse because the premise really made me want to read the book. In conclusion, I love your reading rants.
'A darker shade of magic' by V.E. Schwab was my best read of May. The worldbuilding was particularly interesting to me. I didn't have any 5 star ratings for any of the 4 books I've read though.
I enjoy V.E. Schwab’s writing but that’s series didn’t work for me, sadly 😔
@@PlantBasedBride I saw your review on it on Goodreads. And I can definitely understand your reasons.
The best book I've read recently is Concrete Rose by Amgie Thomas, which is the prequel to The Hate U Give (which I loved so much!!). It tells the story of Starr's father Maverick as a 17 year old, having to deal with being a teen dad and staying out of gang activities at the same time. I just love Thomas' writing style so so much.
Oh yes! I’ve been meaning to read both of these ❤️
not me checking the past couple days waiting for this video
Haha voilà! 🤗
We stan our rant queen. Please continue whatever it is you're doing. I am absolutely loving it allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll :D
Haha thank you!
AMAZING. i struggle to get through one book a month
I read a nice romance novel last week, it was by Brenda Novak and it's apparently a series so I want to read more from her.
Nice! ❤️
i've been in such a reading slump lately and definitely not reading as much as i would like, but i'm nearly 3/4 through Loveless by Alice Oseman and really enjoying it. I actually stayed up until 1am reading the other night which...it's been so long since i've read anything thats made me WANT to do that. It does keep making me cry but I think that's probably more to do with me being aromantic and reading a story with an aro/ace main character than anything else lmao
Aw that’s lovely! I’m so glad you’ve found a book that’s engaging and has good rep ❤️ I’ll have to see if I can get it from my library!
One of my favourite books of this month was Parachutes by Kelly Yang! It is a YA contemporary that tells the story of two Asian girls in America, it deals with a lot of heavy topics, like sexual assault in a great way. A must read!
Oh, I have to look that one up!
@@PlantBasedBride Definitely do! I’ve also read great things about Kelly Yang’s middle grade books (I believe it’s a trilogy called Front Desk).
Have you read The Squire’s Tale by Gerald Morris? It’s an Arthurian retelling set in the world of Camelot with a touch of modern sensibility. Its listed as YA, but I’d put it solidly in Middle Grade. It’s the first in a series and I adore this book and the rest. What this series lacks in world building, it makes up for in surprisingly funny, grounded characters and often surprisingly dark or heavy adventures. I love them and my dyslexic brain can read them instead of listening to audio so 5 stars from me.
I thought it might be a fun lil escape during your moving month. Also you could probably read it in one sitting. 🤷🏻♀️📚
I also enjoy the way women are written in this series. Usually clever and frustrated with the men around them and finding ways to build a life out of the social hierarchy confining them.
I haven’t! I love the Arthurian legend and stories in that world so I’ll definitely check it out ❤️
Thank you for these videos, Elizabeth. I really enjoy them. 🙏 Btw, I have a tag with your name in The Storygraph for all the wonderful recommendations I get from your bookish videos. 😳😉
I love that! 🥺❤️
39:20 Bisexual finger guns.
Also, I am *so glad* that you liked This Is How You Lose the Time War. My book club did it as a buddy read during quarantine and I *LOVED* it so much. I read it twice. In a row. (I never do that.) If you're up for rereading it next month, the audiobook is great, too. (Also, I was so nervous you wouldn't like it that I paused the video and checked GR to see how you rated it before playing again.)
I love your rants on books you dislike, so...please don't apologize for them. I love it when you mention on GR that you hated a book because I'm like "YES RANT TIME" for the reading recap.
Think my fave book was me my dad and the end of the rainbow it’s middle grade but it filled my heart so much xx your rant I loved haha xx
Oh I'll have to look that one up! ❤️
I think you should read something by Mariana Zapata. For example From Lukov with Love, Wait for it or The Wall of Winnipeg and Me. Zapata is a favorite in the romance community and I think it would be interesting to get your perspective s someone who is not primarily a romance reader.
I also think you should read When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain (the continuation of the Singing Hills Cycle) by Nghi Vo if you hadn’t planned to. It is just as wonderful as The Empress of Salt and Fortune.
Now my favorite book…. I can’t really pick just one. It feels like choosing a favorite child. I don’t have children, so what do I know. Anyways, a few of my favs were And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman (my heart 💔😭), The Sword of Kaigen by ML Wang, Beach Read by Emily Henry and Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro.
Also, please continue the rants. I need more of that in my life.
I’ll check all of these out! Thank you for taking the time to leave me so many recommendations ❤️❤️
My favourite book this month was Toby Alone by Thimothée de Fombelle. It's was my favourite book as a kid but now i'm older it's still great
I don’t think I’ve heard of this one! I’ll have to look it up ❤️
Ooh well I just added a bunch of books to my TBR...thanks! ;P
This is the first of your book review videos I've watched so maybe you've read a few of these already, but here are some books I've loved in the last few months!
-Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price
-Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
-Know My Name by Chanel Miller
-The Murderbot series
-The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas
Disappointing to hear that about Spoiler Alert. I had hopes for it...I have so much trouble with romance as a genre. If I don't like both characters, I have a hard time finishing if the romance is central to the book. I'll prbably skip this book.
OTOH, The Inifinity Court review makes me want to see it for myself. Maybe make it a drinking game with spritzers? :D
My top reads of May were Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings 📖 🌟, Lirael by Garth Nix 📖 🌟 Poison Study by Maria V Snyder (e) 🌟 (but not so much the second book) The Autumn Castle by Kim Wilkins 📖 🌟and A Conjuring of Ravens: A Practical Guide to Sorcery Bk 1 by Azalea Ellis (e) 🌟
I’ll check them out! ❤️
Inside out and back again sounds interesting. I wonder if my Vietnamese friend has read this. I’ll have to ask her. She has two daughters who might like it.
I love fantasy too. Have you read Brandon Sanderson yet?
It was a lovely book! I haven’t actually, I know I’m very late to the Sanderson train haha
@@PlantBasedBride never too late! He’s on book 5 of 10 of his magnum opus the Stormtlight archive. Also as an artist you might appreciate Patricia a Mckillip. She’s the best Fantasy writer I’ve come across especially when it comes to prose. If you have the time, look up Kinuko Y Craft, the illustrator of many of Mckillip’s book covers. Her works are just gorgeous.
Currently reading "A constellation of vital phenomena" by Anthony Marra, an amazing book, beautifully written and both heart warming and heart breaking.
For your move you cold listen to old time favourite books (i.e. Harry potter or lord of the rings) 🦉
I’ll have to look that one up!
@@PlantBasedBride please do so, it is one of my all time favourites and I would love to hear your thoughts on it if you read it ☺️
Somehow I like the stats more to be at the end of the video, but of course it's your decision. Your videos are great nevertheless
That’s fair! Most people said they liked them at the beginning so I’ll likely keep them there, but you can always skip to the first book with chapters and go back to watch the stats at the end if you prefer! ❤️
I'm right there with you for not reading YA after that book. I'm 26 and can't handle characters that act younger than they really are. I read one YA this year and was like "I'm done."
Yeah, it can be rough. It's funny because I don't mind reading about a 9 year old protagonist, but if an 18 year old is acting 15 I have no patience for it lol
@@PlantBasedBride or just the inner dialog with some characters. Makes me rolls my eyes and if you do it long enough I stop reading. Shadow and Bone was the book I read this year and don't know why it got so much hype.
Currently reading Wuhan Diary: Dispatches from a Quarantined City by Fang Fang - I highly recommend. You turned me on to Stacey Lee - I loved The Downstairs Girl and Under a Painted Sky. Currently reading The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (also recommended by you). Have a safe and productive and, if possible, stress-less move!
I’ll check Wuhan Diary out! I haven’t read anything else by Stacey Lee but I would love to. I’m so glad you’re finding books you enjoy from my recommendations! ❤️
I haven't read Spoiler Alert, but the way you talk about it makes it sounds like self insert Real Person fan fiction with the serial numbers filed off which is disappointing because the premise had so much potential!
I read the sample of it... and it so is a Real Person Fanfic that was scrubbed and published.
I don’t know a lot about fan fiction but that name alone sounds 100% correct 😂
@@PlantBasedBride Real Person fic is a whole rabbit hole I don’t recommend if you value your brain cells 😆
37:18 I 100% agree with you!
Maybe someday we’ll get there ❤️
Have you read Outlawed? It would definitely be fitting for Pride month. It takes place in the 1800s so TW for violence against queer characters, but overall I think the story is beautifully written and hopeful at the end, and the characters are all incredible to me. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I haven’t! I’ll look it up ❤️
Lilies of the Field. Interesting.
Do you ever NOT finish a book when you don't like it? or do you always give it the benefit of the doubt up until the end?
I definitely DNF sometimes! Not often, though. I’m a It of a completionist and it can definitely be to my detriment when I’m not enjoying a book but stubbornly want to finish 😅
I highly recommend The Magic Fish!! It’s a graphic novel and is super easy to get through. I absolutely loved it and I think it’d be perfect for a nice fluffy LGBTQ+ book for pride month! Especially since your life seems super hectic right now, I think it would be a great escape from reality and a nice book to get through.
The best book I read in May was that book, and it is probably one of my favorites for the entire year so far!!
I had to read the lottery for an AP English class 😂
I love The Lottery
It was fantastic!
Giving my two cents on Spoiler Alert as a fat reader. First of all, I do want to thank you for reading the text critically, even as someone who isn't fat, and keeping aware of aspects of the fat representation that might be harmful. And you're certainly right that there isn't one unifying Fat Opinion. Everyone's mileage is going to vary, so there will absolutely be fat people for whom this fat rep didn't work. Personally, I gave Spoiler Alert 4 stars based almost entirely on the fat rep. I agree that the self-insert, fanfic writer/actor, blatant GOT callout aspects were quite uncomfortable, and the romance did have a lot of one-sided groveling. But I did appreciate Spoiler Alert as a character study for April, and about how growing up fat and existing in a fat body definitely colours your experience of the world and how you react to things. I loved the conflict between April and her mother, that April had that frank discussion with her about how it's toxic for her mental health to always be talking about her weight. The correlation between people always commenting on your weight and your own obsession and negative thoughts about it can't be undersold. I think that any good fat rep is almost certainly going to have characters who struggle with always feeling confident and body-positive, especially in a story like Spoiler Alert that thrusts April into the spotlight. And while the miscommunication was frustrating, it was also very believable to me. April may be almost 40, but she experienced the trauma of growing up fat. Not only that, but she grew up at a time where the body-positive movement just did not exist the way it does today. I think to expect a fully healed, emotionally mature character in April would be unrealistic. And when April assumes Marcus is reacting negatively to her weight but refuses to communicate about it, it's because her trauma is being triggered. To walk around in a fat body is to constantly be walking through a world that triggers your trauma. And especially where Marcus is a conventionally attractive mega actor, and so many eyes are on her, scrutinizing her, those triggers become hair triggers. I consider myself a very body-positive person. I was born in the 90s, so I had the privilege of coming into my adulthood when the body-positive movement really started gaining traction. But even then, I remember the era of low-rise jeans, and "heroin chic", and "yo mama's so fat." I grew up in that trauma and to this day, it affects me. So while I can certainly appreciate the value of stories where fat characters never feel bad about their weight, as an aspirational way of looking at the world, I don't think it's realistic, and I don't think it's what this book was trying to do. So, yes, definitely a hot mess in terms of the actor/fanfic writer aspects of the story, but it really spoke to me in terms of its fat rep.
That makes a lot of sense! Thank you for sharing your perspective with me ❤️ I definitely understand the rep wasn’t meant for me which is why I wanted to encourage anyone considering reading it to check out own voices reviewers there! I found the content a bit triggering for my ED and I definitely think that (along with my issues with the GoT stuff) really clouded my opinion of the novel as a whole. I also think the way it was talked about by several reviewers on booktube skewed my expectations on that front, unfortunately. I’m so glad the book provided representation that worked for you!
@@PlantBasedBride For sure! I think it's super important to engage in open dialogue about media, especially when it comes to representation. I also think that unfortunately, we live in a culture that has so little fat rep, it's almost impossible to say what's "good" rep versus what's "bad." Because we don't have that big of a bank of fat characters to draw a wide, nuanced, complex breadth of stories from, the fat rep that works for one person is almost certainly going to be harmful and triggering to someone else. And we're just at a point right now where finding the fat story that's right for you is really difficult because the pickings are slim. It reminds me a lot of what the landscape used to look like for queer representation when I was growing up, where it wasn't even a question of what rep was doing right or wrong. It just mattered that it existed and you felt like you were being seen at all.
Yes, so true! I couldn’t agree more. We can only hope we keep getting more and more rep for all kinds of lived experiences moving forward!
Hi! sorry i never really comment on your videos. I still love to watch them. I just cant think of things to say. love u!
That’s ok! I love to hear from y’all but I totally understand not always having something to say haha ❤️
Shirley Jackson is amazing!
I have friends who are 37/38 and no they sick at communicating and dating 😹 you would think adults would act like adults 🤦🏻♀️
Lol I guess there are always some in every age group 😂
A good book is a good book. In my opinion it has nothing to do with genre. There are some great YA-books ❤️ You were just unlucky ☺️
Oh and the best book I have read this month is called “Mary Jane”. I am having trouble coming up with a good synopsis but I loved it ❤️
I agree! There are so many incredible YA books out there ❤️
I love your rants and I love your videos, but I felt uncomfortable when you mentioned the 'fat' rep in 'spoiler alert' just personally as a plus-size person I don't like using the word 'fat' to explain larger people. Still love you!! just wanted to mention it...
Also, you are definitely not too old lmao, some books just don't work like characters and all lol
I’m sorry ❤️ Most reviewers I watch prefer that terminology, but I understand the same words can feel very different to every individual. I never want to make anyone feel uncomfortable so I truly am sorry!
@@PlantBasedBride No need to apologize I completely understand, I just wanted to mention it, Thank you ❤️❤️❤️
💕💕👍👍
So when do you get to tell us about the books written about immigrants from 3rd world countries that don’t hate America and the freedoms it offers, even though they never would have had that in their own home countries?
I don’t understand what you mean by this comment. Can you clarify?
Are you implying that immigrants should just take the xenophobia they experience and not raise awareness for the discrimination they face? Because that’s an incredibly privileged point of view. The US _isn’t_ perfect and no one deserves to face discrimination, no matter where they come from. Raising awareness of xenophobia is incredibly important because it allows people to change others’ experiences for the better. We should be trying to make life better, not accepting mistreatments as parts of it.