Videos referenced TO PUBLISHERS, FROM READERS: PLEASE STOP 🛑 ruclips.net/video/xxxH3-fs6PE/видео.html TO WRITERS, FROM READERS: PLEASE STOP 🛑 ruclips.net/video/gWHgm8qu3Kw/видео.html Editions videos -Red Rising: ruclips.net/video/2A-vfXiYw9w/видео.html -Shades of Magic: ruclips.net/video/1irdR36fx2s/видео.html -Spinning Silver: ruclips.net/video/Hsf_9nixHns/видео.html Booktok Chat: ruclips.net/video/fj8U4-nOi9o/видео.html Social media and books ~ discussion: ruclips.net/video/UxYe3SrdwT8/видео.html *clarification: when I said "read in one sitting* I meant read back to back!
Personally I'd rather we go back to getting special editions for milestones like the 10th anniversary. Getting special editions for brand new books just feels like unnecessary consumerism 😕
Yes, i need special editions that i can actually buy, and not something that will sell out in pre-sale. (for popular books it's usually like that) And something that is way more affordable: the 10th anniversary i can get from blackwells for example, but for let's say illumicrate i have to pay shipping, or fairyloot doesn't even ship to my country!
That's where I'm at. I'm all for special edition/limited runs. I would even love alternate dust jackets or some kind of paperback book wrap. But the whole book/series is too much.
Agreed with special editions. But when it comes to normal editions just being revamped (such as i have seen for Percy Jackson), its just to keep up with modern trends and keep the book popular. I have no issues with that
I don't mind cozy fantasy, but part of my issue is that a lot of "cozy" stories are just "some strangers meet up, immediately call each other 'family' then wander about for a bit, the end." Like it's inoffensive, so I guess that's part of the appeal for both writing and reading it, but a lot of cozy fantasy has nothing to say either.
I feel when people call things cozy, it is not the actual book they are talking about, but how it makes them feel. I feel they are misusing the word when talking about “a cozy read”. There is a difference between the author’s intention and how we interpret something as cozy depending on our moods.
A cozy fantasy should be renamed to Lighthearted fantasy. Because that's what it is. Also cozy fantasies def should have something to say, otherwise it's just fluff and filler.
I read Legends & Lattes, and I think I wanted it to be Dianna Wynne Jones or Terry Pratchett. It wasn’t and I felt….bored. Like someone was describing their OC’s to me. Could have been a cute slice-of-life manga.
Big agree on the romance covers! I personally I'm not a fan of "spice" focused romance and it's disappointing when the cover suggests sweet and wholesome romcom, but the book itself is basically erot1ca.
Yes. Agree. I want to know what I am getting into. I don’t want to read a book that has a gazillion sex scenes, but still love reading romance. I just want a healthy balance and books should be more clear of that on their covers.
I've seen a lot of large book hauls but when you watch them there's often a reason. Some BookTubers only do hauls very infrequently so they're showing several months' worth of acquisitions in one go. Some get a lot of free books from publishers, including unsolicited ones. Some hauls are specifically books gifted for birthdays or other occasions. It's not always an indication that the BookTuber has bought 50 books in the past week (not that I personally object if someone does have the cash to buy 50 books at once tbh, I would if I could!).
I've never had a lot of money so walking around the library and picking up everything that seems interesting is so much fun! I've noticed more booktokers I follow are starting to do library hauls so hopefully it becomes more normal.
Book hauls - it is one thing if they haul, and then also review the books they hauled. What I sometimes observe is that only haul videos are posted and no review videos. Makes me wonder if they are even reading the books.
I think you are one of the best booktubers when it comes to talking about your privilege and how it's amazing to utilize the library to access free books. I also appreciate you don't always show when you have a special edition of a book but rather often show the mainstream cover image when discussing your thoughts. It's so easy to get wrapped up in spending a lot of money on books when on YT and IG without even knowing if you will like the book.
8:30 I think part of the solution would be giving the writer the time to write the first book and also the first draft of the second. So when the first book comes out the author has a draft to work with and also look at feedback to improve second draft. I know publishing right now wants more quantity than quality, I really hope that changes though. As someone who might try publishing my book the thought of quick deadlines terrifies me. I don’t do well under pressure at all.
I feel the comments about crazy book hauls, and it's also why I stopped following certain book tubers (one in particular who started doing like 20+ book hauls once a month at minimum). Book hauls can be fun, but I like them more when it's for a special reason. Like, last year, I went used bookstore hopping for my birthday and I came home with Too Many books, but that was also a "once a year at most" sort of deal. I think those are fine, because we all deserve a special treat once in a while, but when it's constant hauls, it can be difficult to watch. Can we please leave "enemies to lovers, but they're actually just two people who have a mild disagreement at the very beginning of the story" trope in 2023? I love a good enemies-to-lovers (emphasis on good), but tagging every. Single. Romance. As enemies to lovers is getting old. If I see that tag, I want people on opposite sides of a war, people trying to unalive each other, things like that. Not mild spats that belong in a middle school hallway. I don't even trust the tag anymore, because it's just so overused.
So about huge book hauls. It does matter how many books a person reads in a year. If you read 24 books/yr but buy 200, that’s one thing. If you read 300 books in a year and buy 200, that’s something else. People are different. Let’s be generous enough to let that be.
Here's another thing about Greek retellings I've noticed - 99.9% is badly written erotica. Mostly of Hades and Persephone. I think people are tired because there is no reason for them to exist. I think Song of Achilles and Circe are actually books of substance, but as far as I know they're not retellings.
Read a Neon Gods and it wasn’t good imo. The whole Hades and Persephone thing was there and made no sense to me, completely unnecessary. They could have used the premise without adding the Greek names in the story itself because it was kinda pointless
I think there is a distinction. Greek retellings that use actual mythos such as Circe and SoA ARE true retellings. They take established characters and established environments (in SoA it was the Trojan War) and retell it from a different POV. I agree Hades abd Persephone is over done and more erotica. I think that's what people are tired of. But true retellings are actually under done. It's not a big genre when you take out H&P.
As much as I love watching BookTube and getting inspiration for new books online (including some hauls) - it is not the same as going to a book store/library. Online, I control the videos I consume, what topics I search for etc. My library is completely different, in the sense that someone else chooses the books. Maybe it was a middle aged librarian, maybe a retired grandma requested the book or a child donated it. I have little influence and that is great! One of my favourite books from the past few years is a small russian science fiction novel from the 70s, The Dead Mountaineer's Hotel (detective story, gangsters & aliens). I found it when I was browsing my library's sci-fi shelf. I love it! Never would have found out about it online, it is not well known in my country. I also like to buy used books to save money. And my favourite book store sells books with "flaws" (small errors in printing, damaged in the shipping process...) for a lower price :) I don't know if other countries/cities have stores like that, but it is a great alternative. There is still a danger of overconsumption, but it is at least a little bit better for your wallet and better for the planet
I'm an old lady who requests books. It's not my fault if other people don't get involved and request books that interest them. Usually the librarians are very open to suggestions within whatever budget they have.
@4:26 It sounds like you're worried that what happened to cozy gaming will happen to cozy fantasy. They found a market for it, but then we got oversaturated with cozy games and it's daunting to sift through the ones that are just pasting things like farming and relationships on something with little or no substance.
I would love to see the book world change from english-centered to world-wide. As a Polish speaker it’s sad that we get really bad english book translated but no really good book from other countries. I know that English is so basic that we have many translators etc. but there are so many good books in other languages about other cultures and we simply don’t get them until they won meaningful competition or describe war struggles. I would love to learn about different cultures in their words and not “asian inspired” “Russian inspired” book written by American (which is completely ok with me! I’m not trying to say that you shouldn’t write about other cultures or anything) I just would love to see more culture not as a “trope” but from actual places around the world. I live in Japan and saw many American novels from TikTok or booktube being translated but there are no books from different countries unless they were translated to English :(
yeah the biggest problem also is that when non-english books gets translated to english most of them are just fiction. which i like, but i want more variety too. i know there are a lot of chinese fantasy novels out there for example but besides those i dont see much
As an addition: as someone who's first language is English, I'd love more variety in what gets translated, I'm not a lit fic fan and would love to see fantasy/sci-fi/horror from other cultures using their own voices.
With regards to the re-releasing in new covers it depends. As long as the covers dont change mid series I think its fine for the most part because book cover trends change and a cover that would draw audiences 5 years ago wont necessarily draw audiences now so it helps grab the attention of audiences that mightve been disinterested originally because the previous covers werent to their liking so they didnt even bother to look at the synopsis. So to me if a series is older I don't see it as a cash grab but more as a want to attetract attention from new readers.
The pricing thing is so crazy. It really hit me this week because I got my copy of The Vampires of El Norte through BOTM for $16 or whatever, but then my friend and I went to Barnes and Noble to do a Christmas book swap and she choose the same book. Had to pay $30 for it!
Softcovers are like $18 now, and I remember when hardcovers used to be that much. I looked at the hardcover I still have of Sabriel and it was $15.95 when my mom bought it for me years ago. ;-;
Yes, yes, YES to getting rid of blurbs from other authors (and sometimes even for different books than the one you’re buying) on the back, and leaving that to synopses. Also, no ugly stickers on the front covering the artwork. Put that on the back or the inside flap. As long as readers know where to find it, they’ll check books for it when they’re browsing, but hiding cover art makes me so mad. In the same vein… the title and author’s name should not detract from the cover art, and the title should always be larger than the author’s name. Readers are not so stupid that they can’t find the author’s name if it isn’t in 975 point font on the top half of the cover.
I agree just give a nice cover with just three things on it. Title, writer (ilustrator an colourist in case of a comic) and in case of a series the series named is allowed on it. All the stickers and marketing lines should stay from the cover. I still have not bought Fonda Lee's series due to the nebula award sticker on it.
I'm not a psychologist, but the youtube channel/podcast Psychology in Seattle did an episode about why some people like pseudo or just full on inc*st plots and basically he said it's a transference, where you want to be taken care of by your partner or do the caretaking of your partner and the only relationship you've seen where that happens is familial. I'd also be interested in a deep dive on why some people like certain things in books lol i think that'd be interesting.
Nah, they need to go get help if they like that. There's no explanation for it and it does not need to be normalized. Incest is messed up and a mental illness. If they enjoy reading about it, something is wrong. It's not an act that is "enjoyable reading." Go to couples therapy if your spouse is not paying attention to you, don't escape in incestual relationships. 🤦♀️
I'm listening to this video almost a year later, but I can say that I like a good (aka well-written) bully/enemies-to-lovers/redemption arch/others because I know that in real life, we rarely have people who go through actual large monumental change for the better. Most will disappoint you, and while I believe that redemption and change is possible, most aren't willing or able to actually work to do it. I love immersing myself in a world where I can believe that change is possible and where people can change for the better. My fantasy is that the good guys always win, the people you love can change and that things always work out. This is not reality, and I know this, but I would like to believe it, if only for a single story.
15:32 Rachel reads has a video titled something like "Authors this is why your book doesn't sell" where she ran multiple polls and many people don't read or choose books even if their favorite author has their recommendation. I don't as well because they are generic most of the time anyway. Give me the synopsis/summary goddammit.
I probably say this once a year but I love this channel so much. Im very much a seasonal reader and come back to reading in the fall and winter. That being said i come back to this channel every year around the same time and binge watch everything ive missed through out the spring and summer to catch up. Love it love it love it!
I love the retellings especially when they flip the perspective. I took Latin for years with the original versions of Greek & Roman myths being a large part of the course work. When I get the ‘villain’ perspective or a woman’s POV of a male centered story I typically enjoy them. Some of the original stories are slow & boring so they won’t all be good but that is true of all genres. I will say I would love to see books specifically stating where you can find the source material since I think knowing the source adds richness to the reading of a retelling. I try to look it up when I am aware I am reading one but am not always familiar with the stories. That is especially true if I get it based on a gorgeous cover & I do find that myth retellings tend to be very appealing to my eye in a store.
As far as popular trends, when something seems to strike gold, like romantasy or cozy fantasy, you can expect publishers to all want to make money from it while it lasts. That will bring both good and bad examples. Authors too, many will want to try to take advantage of a trend or may even really believe in the trend and will jump in while it's hot, once again bringing both good and bad. For special editions, I think it is good for something that is proving to be a "classic", even if it hits that reputation fast, but agree that special editions for books that have yet to be released is very risky for the publishers. In both cases, publishers are only giving readers what it seems the readers want. It isn't about art, it's business.
For the people who whine about overconsumption, keep in mind that that's partly what feeds the shelves of secondhand bookstores and/or public libraries.
honestly i don't have a problem with the consumerism aspect, what i take issue with is when people become an extension of publisher influence and encourage you to buy books that they got for free. i trust the reviews of people that buy their own books more than i do of those that get them from publishers/authors. i want reviews that don't hold back, not ones that try to tip toe around their honest opinions.
the city of dreaming books is sooo great...I mean idk how it translates but in german it was super magical and walter moers is one of my favorite authors!
I like people who are not hypercritical about their consumerism. They acknowledge that many people including themselves are collectors of something or like shopping. I like the people who do try to give back by, for example, thrifting their clothes if they are getting rid of them. For book creators/influencers, they donate to their local libraries. They find organizations to support and recommend to their followers. I think this is the healthy side of this topic.
I'm probably in the minority when i say I'm not fond of the sprayed edges. They're pretty, but I'm never gonna display books without the title showing. More importantly, i don't like how they feel on my hands. Gold or silver edges are ok because they're smooth.The black edged ones remind me of when we used to use a marker on textbooks in grade school
This is a pipe dream but I wish that publishers would stop using young adult as a synonym for teenagers. 18-25 year olds are young adults and while they overlap with being considered ‘teens’, the vast majority of what is considered YA is for the middle of 13-19 age range. As a librarian it’s a linguistic tick that I’ve got to deal with daily. It drives me bonkers trying to figure out new titles for those older/spicer books when we have a perfectly good one for them.
I feel the opposite. I feel like YA has always meant 13-19 age group (aka teenagers) not literally legal adults that are young. This is kind of similar to how you could address a teenager as "young man" or "young woman/young lady" but it would be weird/paternalistic to do that to a 20-25 year old. This might be due to differences in language in where we live though. I also think it's probably better to market those older/spicer books as a subgenre rather than an age category. It's not like the target audience of those books is just 20-25 year olds (a large portion of the readership is much older than that, and both the publishers and the authors know that). It feels like those books are better defined by the traits that they have (like a subgenre) rather than the age of the target audience (like an age category like YA or Middle Grade). Honestly, I think the easiest thing to do is market them as an adult book (20-25 year olds are adults) with certain characteristics (easy to digest prose, spiciness, trope-y at times, prominent romance, etc).
@@Bear_the_shepherd I honestly think that new adult doesn't work and hasn't been working (at least for sci fi and fantasy books, I don't read other genres much). They've always been written for a general adult audience who like certain YA tropes, not for 20-25 year olds in my experience, so trying to put them in a special New Adult age range doesn't really make sense. What does seem to be working is labeling those types of books as being in certain sub genres (like romantasy for example) and putting them in the adult section.
@@ohmage_resistance Many YA books are waaaaay to spicy for that big age group tho. I feel it's super important to have some kind of notice what age the targeted audience is supposed to be. Books with (graphic) sex scenes or similar stuff should come with a clear warnings for book sellers, librarians but also the general public. A 13-14 year old shouldn't read ACOTAR imo, but many people don't know how graphic and spicy this book series gets. Especially then when a clueless parent or grandparents wants to buy a present and they buy a YA book because it sounds interesting with ZERO indication if it's better suited for 12 or 16 year olds. Unless you've read the book yourself, you have no clue unless you actively do research for every YA book you have in store.
@@19Rena96 I should clarify, I picked ages pretty arbitrarily based off what the OP was saying. I'm really using it to approximate maturity level/readiness to read adult books. If someone is 15 and feels ready to read adult books, they can move out of YA. Alternatively, you can have a 19 year old who really doesn't want to risk that for a variety of reasons. Yeah, I agree that people shouldn't give ACOTAR/spicy books with sex scenes clearly written to entertain adults to young teens without warning. I don't think those books should be in the YA section at all, I think they should be in the adult section. I think ACOTAR is getting a rebrand so that it's placed in the adult romantasy section, which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. (If a teen feels ready to read spicy adult books, I'm not going to advocate for stopping them. But they can go look in the adult section for those so that teens who don't feel ready for them don't get surprised by them.) "Books with (graphic) sex scenes or similar stuff should come with a clear warnings" I think this is a good idea in theory, but unfortunately it would be difficult to have in practice. There's definitely books with sex scenes that I think should absolutely be in the YA section, ie ones that educate teens that are coming into their sexuality. Right now, content warnings are really bad a distinguishing the purpose behind the warning (so for example, a book with a content warning for racism could have that because the book itself is racist or because it depicts racism in order to address it), and this would absolutely limit the effectiveness of content warnings for sex scenes. More importantly, you would also have book banners abusing those content warnings.
The popularity of special editions did make it to France but in the scenario you talked about. We’re getting lots of books with pretty edges and « collector editions », directly in the stores, put out by traditional publishers for everyone to buy directly. We do not have special boxes like in US/UK (though we do have access to them of course) so it looks like they opted for making pretty editions for the masses! It makes for really cool displays in bookstores. Now it’s mostly YA and/or fantasy books. Some of the same popular books we see everywhere in the English speaking world (so translated works) but so was also happy to see some French authors benefiting of this trend to have pretty editions of their books, not only big names authors. Now I personally don’t buy them, because if a book has been translated from English I’d rather have the English text and special edition but I do love browsing bookshops and see which books were selected for pretty editions. The exception is that I did buy the Year of Sanderson books in French, as the pretty editions were straight on the shelves, accessible to everyone. Wasn’t planning on picking them up, but seeing it in the bookstore really decided me.
I did the same as you ! I bought the french special editions of the Sanderson secrets projects ! (I don't mind reading a translation of Sanderson since his prose is far for being exceptional). I am so happy that the french publishers made the secret projects in pretty edition available to everyone. I'm really glad that the French publishing industry went "special editions for everyone in stores !". What is even better is that the french special editions are of a good quality. French only do hardbacks for special editions but there are very solid when they do so you get your money worth. I am often very disappointed by the weakness of some english special editions (the spine being very fragile for example).
@@ellyra412ahah yeah I figured I wasn’t loosing much in translation for Sanderson and when I saw Tress in the the store, I was quite impressed with the quality of the « special » edition, that for a few euros more than the paperback… I just wonder who was going to chose the paperback in that case lol At first I was really surprised to see all those hardback in the bookstores, as from my experience hardback aren’t really a thing in France in general. But I’m not mad about it! I’m glad French readers also have access to those kind of editions, and being able to check them out in the store before buying them are really a plus! I’m sure a lot of French teens and young adults are going to be happy this Xmas! As they make obvious good gift for a reader compared to the regular French paperback! I do find them quite heavy when I pick them up, as you say the quality seems to be there, which is good because they are still a budget but not outrageous for the quality either ;) That’s the thing with buying special edition from abroad, you cannot be sure of the quality beforehand I think it’s really neat to have them in stores. I think it was the only way to do it in the French market though, because the box books similar to fairyloot/illumicrate & co don’t exist in the same capacity.
Same as you, I actually enjoy the re-release of a serie 5 times with new covers as long as the serie is over and there is no mismatching colletion. That way you can pick your favorite covers for your favorite serie
If authors don’t push themselves on social media they will get ignored. Booktube and booktok will take crap books and turn them into best sellers because followers just buy no matter how crappy the book is. It has made the best seller lists just a popularity contest based on influencer popularity and not book quality. This is the trend that needs to go.
On the subject of multiple releases of Riordan's books, a lot of books get a limited release, maybe 10,000 copies printed, and only once they sell out do they decide whether it's worth it to print another run. As part of the process, they are likely to commission a new artist rather than negotiate a new contract with the existing artist. I can't say for sure that's the case with Percy Jackson, but this is more of a general explanation of the phenomenon. Your point on pop vs classical doesn't quite fit the polished book vs the rushed trope book because you know what you are getting when you pick a classical channel. At the point where you buy a book (particularly if you try to avoid spoilers), you've already paid your money and didn't know you were getting crap.
1. Special editions reminds me of alternate covers on comic books. Lots of people don't like them, but they sell. If you don't like them (that's me), don't buy them. If most readers don't want them, they'll go away. If they stick around, somebody must want them, and those people deserve to buy things that they like as much as anybody else. 2. As someone who's dealt with bad mental health for a long time, I strongly concur that finding the positive or the cozy is not a silly, shallow, simplistic thing. It can be hard work sometimes. Themes that make you feel good are 100% artistically valid. "Ode to Joy" is good. Shakespeare's comedies are just as smart as his tragedies.
I've stopped watching most of BookTube in the last 2 months, and it's hard to pinpoint why. However, I think a large part of it is due to hearing about the same books over and over. I appreciate someone talking about their 3-4 most recent reads and reviewing them in 15 minutes or less, but I am bogged down by all the book hauls. I don't get anything out of them (or unhauling videos for that matter).
Yes, completely agree. I gave up on all RUclips book chanels and watch only Eliot as she is only one l found that have same taste like me so l know l will like book she recommends. She also got me in fantasy.❤
Re: negative reviews or criticism of our favorite things I had to cut off someone negative for other reasons, but whew did they comment to me, who loved the things and shared the things with them, about how anyone who likes said thing is a horrible person. I sometimes avoid negative reviews for things still, because that still burns me to this day, years later. I've started to say "it wasn't for me" or similar when I don't like something, and I think that's something more people should embrace.
Special editions will proliferate as long as audiobooks and ebooks grow market share. The danger is ending up where comics are now with dozens of self consciously collectible variants that aren’t actually collectible.
I don't love special editions being made for new releases - all unique to different stores, Waterstones, Barnes & Noble, book boxes, etc. But I think it's particularly insidious when these separate special editions have bonus or exclusive content. That's just a waste of everyone's time and it makes me lose respect for the author.
Regarding the letting people have opinions on books point, I feel that in a lot of spaces there’s a heavy moral judgment implied when certain people say they dislike certain books. I truly don’t care if someone hates a book I love, it just rubs me the wrong way when people passively aggressively imply that liking the book makes you somehow a bad person, or an idiot who doesn’t think critically.
A magic of words. A magic of true speaking. - Neil Gaiman to Earthsea saga. Maybe usually these are nothing. But when he writes these it’s something I listen to. Also he wrote some introductions to books. That is awesome.
There's only a small handful of booktubers I still watch, and most of them dont do big / frequent hauls anymore. Beyond their recs, I mostly let my pinterest algorithm bring stuff to my attention lol. If its available at my library, I'll add it to my TBR there. If it's not at the library, I'll add it to my Better World books wishlist. Even at such noteable discounts, I only get 4 or 5 at once per quarter-ish. Yeah, giant hauls, multiple special editions, etc seems excessive. I justify it by thinking that I'm saving those books from ending up in a dumpster lol. The ones I don't like enough to keep will be donated to my local library.
I know that is not the case but the first thing I thought of with the stop rereleasing popular series like 5 times with new covers, is the tip I heard from youtubers that it is best to change the tumbnail a few hours after release of the vid so it attrackts viewers that wouldn't have clicked on the first thumbnail xD but yeah I don't think that is the reasoning behind those rereleases maybe they just take the chance to change the cover when the last edition is sold out and they use it for the new reprint? I mean it makes sense to me...
I don't mind consumerism. With consumerism, people are working. They have jobs that can help feed and house families. What I don't like is the flaunting of wealth and preying on the "fear of missing out".
Hi Elliot! Loved the video! But regarding your Classical vs Pop music analogy, I think that it's a bit of a false equivalency. I totally agree that Pop music has never, nor likely will ever, equate to the complexity of most Classical music, however I don't think that complexity and quality are the same measure. I think that it's possible for a book to be quite simple and straightforward, dealing with fairly basic and easy-to-understand themes (or include popular tropes), yet high-quality due to thorough editing, a logical plot, and well-developed characters. On the flip-side, it's possible for a very complex, layered book that deals with more intricate topics to be rushed, sloppy, poorly-planned etc. So while I agree with you that we should still be allowed to have and enjoy the trope-heavy books that you equate to Pop music, without them needing to be as sophisticated as other literature, I think that what Gracie was trying to say is that publishers should still demand those other tenants of quality and not just rely on tropes. And yes, I still acknowledge that quality is largely subjective, but I've still read so many books that I've been rewriting in my mind as I read them because the clunky writing is just so bad (IMO). Hope that ramble made sense. Can't wait for your next video!
This was such a lovely video! I agree on so many points and feel that anything that gets anyone picking up a book is a high bonus for me, regardless if it’s a special edition/cosy/hyped..etc. If you pick up a book and love it you are winning in my ‘book’ … enjoy your best reading life ❤
This isn't necessarily tied to this video topic itself (or I guess it kind of is around the 7:21 mark), but it almost doesn't seem like there's much avenue for authors who want to write standalone works in fantasy anymore. Am I just missing something or does that seem to be the case to others, too?
As a Greek i will personally say that Greek retellings need to stop. The original myths and epics had already strong female characters. Also the old scripts are still amazing and unforgettable because they are relevant in showing the complexities of human nature both in men and women. Humans makes mistakes that's who we are and what makes these stories fascinating. Also it shows how my ancestors from 3.000 years lived and acted. The retellings can't simply "fix" societal norms with modern labels. It's amazing how inspiring my culture has become BUT when authors just put modern ideologies exploiting the myths for profit that's a no from me :/
Re bully romance or taboo stuff in general: I think fiction gives people a safe space to be immoral about things that they would or could never do in reality without the fear of judgment and some people need to scratch that itch via books
9:48 I don’t think it’s a cash grab in the sense that they want people to buy multiple editions. I think they simply redesign them to grab the attention of kids today. Make them look more modern. Cover designs go in and out of fashion like everything else.
I’d like to see more realistic FMC that are bad ass but not Mary Sue’s. I feel like the majority of the FMCs I have read lately are A) Beyond powerful.., the most powerful person in all of existence B) Every single male in the story is in love with her, oogles her, wants her C) yet she’s constantly wanting to punch everyone in the face and hates men but still always ends up with a guy and needs his help to save the world even though she’s so amazing and powerful. It’s beyond me how that in anyway is realistic. Why can’t a female character be bad ass AND nice AND have flaws AND not be drop dead gorgeous? Like a normal woman lol.
My book hauls are usually 30-50 books every 3 months or so, but I read 8-14 books a month (usually closer to 11-12), so I'm still mostly keeping up with my reading pace. And I've read more of my BOTM books vs. have not, so for me the hauls are reasonable. I also lost a lot of my books some years ago, so I've been trying to recoup some of that. I couldn't imagine frequently doing a 200 book haul though... I'd have zero space left in my room for me lol .. not to mention feeling overwhelmed with so many choices at once if I can't read that many in a reasonable time.. I still have to work 😅
I always enjoy these discussion videos, I do think the special editions are getting a bit out of hand, especially with some having extra content you can't find elsewhere.
lol, as a classical singer, I have always struggled to understand the attraction of pop music. I myself can't listen to it, but my family disagree and I am learning all about some pop performers that my sons think are important.
To address my point about multiple different cover art versions. I love art. I am absolutely in favor of the artists and them getting work and their art being seen. But reselling the entire book seems excessive. I would prefer new/updated dust jackets or official prints like small posters or something.
Most of my books are mythology retellings 😬 My personal favorite is Greek but I also love Egyptian, Chinese, Native American, Norse, Indian….I love them all 😂
Can we “over consume” books? Book hauls don’t bother me at all. If you’ve got the money, if you’re supporting local bookstores, or small businesses, or indie authors, etc, and it brings you joy…buy the darn books and don’t be ashamed. How is buying books hurting anyone?
I work part time at a bookstore and I cringe a little inwardly when very young girls buy books that I know are dark romance/have taboo topics or their parents buy them for them and in most cases I‘m sure the parents don’t even realize it, because there is no sticker or anything on the cover of some of these that informs readers of content that should be 18+ in my opinion. And then they’re also displayed next to your cute small town romance. I really just wish they had their own sections maybe with general information on what dark romance is, displayed in the section itself and stickers for sensitive content matter or something on the books.
I’ve seen some manga collectors/RUclipsrs do hauls where they’ve bought 200/300 books. Mainly it’s around 70/80 (which is still a lot and excessive!), but if they’ve bought box sets or bought a lot in a sale that number tends to be on the higher end. Having said that, I’ve not seen any RUclipsrs that I follow haul that many books.
Well I think the thing with taboo romance can come down to people's public perspective and then what they actually want and or think. Because they will say one thing about what type of man they want to be with but anytime a female author write a heavy romance book he's a giant muscular good-looking tough guy that is dominant.
Really like your videos! Just found you the other day. So I'm writing a romance cozy mystery book with a piano player from 1946. Since you studied music, what would you want to see in this book if you read it?
Not necessary just from 2023 but I hate trilogies which could have been 2 books. The middle book feels like a filler and add nothing to the story but trilogies make money so they publish it. A good example of this was the Carry On series by Rainbow Rowell, the first and last book were good but the middle one was a cash grab.
A trend that I’ve noticed in Fantasy that I really wish would die is author’s who want the allure and appeal of a magical academy but don’t actually put in the work to come up with curriculum, staff, assignments. Examples of this are in Forth Wing, Gideon the Ninth, Deadly Education, and Novice Dragoneer by EE Knight to name a few. I understand that in many contemporary books where the MC is in school classes and school life often aren’t the point, but magical academies are different in that they help distinguish the world the character is inhabiting.
Haven't read the others so I don't have any opinions on those, but I thought Deadly Education did a fairly good job on cementing the whole magical academy thing. A large part of the interactions and events of the first and second book revolve around assignments, classes, how they learn their magic and why there aren't any teachers, etc. There's even a sports day that's just about as terrible as you would expect from that school. To be fair, what we see is usually events in and around those school things, but we get a lot of interesting worldbuilding on how everything works. Anyways, that's my opinion. It's fine if it didn't give you the same school vibes as it did for me.
@@ViridianForests I made it about halfway through the first book before I had to return it to the library, and it sounds like things pick up and keep building. Thanks for the heads up.
@@ourabouras I'm probably very biased because I love the series, but if what you saw halfway sounded kind of interesting I can promise you it does pick up and shit hits the fan pretty fast after that. Was there anything you remember distinctly not liking about the book? I might be able to warn you if there's more of it, if you want.
Re: authors doing their own marketing/publicity I was a gofer for an author who was published by Little,Brown and she never settled for the publicity provided by the publisher. She always did some marketing herself but she made a living from her writing. Maybe it's different for authors who write on the side and do something else for a living.
Maybe I'm not seeing the huge book hauls in comments, but I've seen a couple of booktubers that deal more in classic sci-fi get these large book hauls of miscellanous books for cheap that they turn around and sell individually or keep. They often find little gems that they wouldn't otherwise come across. A book haul of new books like that would be insane.
The only reason I like the illustrated covers for adult romances is because I can read them in my classroom and (most of) my students don’t know anything
At this point, it’s better to be self published. An author can put all the work in their draft to make it perfect. Or they can do like a publisher and release it less than perfect and make more money than they would being trad published.
I see people doing 200 books haul all the time!! Not exaggerating!! I see a lot of the same RUclipsrs do monthly or bi monthly hauls of at least 50 books a go and it’s just ridiculous
A trend that I hate: A special edition being unique to a certain book event (when it's for sale at an event with a limited number of tickets). And by this, I mean - events like RARE and ApollyCon often have authors or vendors who will sell special editions only at said event. I have nothing against JLA's exclusives, because they're part of the ticket. But why are folks selling special editions that can only be had by those who are FORTUNATE enough to attend? Alternatively, a trend that I love: authors / vendors selling a seasonal special edition that you can get at any of those events in that season. It encourages you to go to events both big and small! And it makes it so that anybody has the opportunity to preorder and pick up at the event closest/most convenient for them.
I just want more stand alone fantasy books with a solid ending!!! I am broke!!! I'm not trying to invest in a 13 books series where 10 of the books are trash!!!
I’m not finished with the video yet so my comment may come up, but my comment is related to bully romance in a way. I see that if there’s a place to explore that subject then a book is the perfect place for it, rather than in real life. It can raise a lot of moral questions and get the reader thinking etc. But other than that reason, I don’t understand it either. I’m pretty sure most people that read that sort of book aren’t looking for big brain questions to think on either, but escapism? Very confusing 😂 but at least in a book, when done correctly, it’s safe
I'm a bit late, sorry. I just wanted to say I agree with what you're saying about my comment on "mediocre" books. I guess I didn't phrase my thoughts properly. I don't mind these books existing, people have the right to write and enjoy these books of course. I'm happy that people find joy in them. But just because something brings happiness to people doesn't mean it's not bad. We all have our comfort book series or shows that don't have the best writing or characters. I just feel frustrated for authors who spend time developing their worlds and characters only to see their book go under the radar because some random half baked fantasy about fae or dragons (no hate on dragons, I love dragons, yes I am talking about Fourth Wing) is trending on tiktok for whatever reason.
Usually I don't mind negative reviews for my favorite books, and I will never understand being angry at the reviewer, but sometimes and this is really stupid, a negative review makes me think worse about my favorite books and like why though, I should still love them regardless
Wow, I'm shocked - been watching your videos off & on for a couple years now, and NEVER KNEW YOU WENT TO SCHOOL FOR MUSIC...! I've never heard you mention anything musical until this video - I'm surprised it never comes up. Do you also have videos regarding music?
I don’t know if this is just happening with the company I get special editions from, but can’t stand a) how long they take to get to people and b) how the company looks like they don’t care about solving the issue. If you preorder or spend a lot of money on something, you shouldn’t be getting crappy service. Is it just me or are other people experiencing this with different companies as well? If so, this a trend I want to leave in 2023.
Not related but: was Elle on a podcast or RUclips video recently talking about the book and movie of Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes? If yes, i can't find it😫
But I love buying books! and I also need to stop. 🤷♀️ I love having home library, I always wanted one, my own magic similar to when you enter a bookshop or library. But also only the books that I really like -what I can't now befor I buy it and read it. [So I do more e-books nowdays to know which are going to go on shelfs after] but I also need to stop as I don't want 165 books TBR because it looses any logic. There is always going to be more books that I can read! Only because I like the blurb on book does not mean I need to have it collect dust. Aaand at one time I will not have space...so can I afford a 2x bigger space🤔 To unhall even if I know I will not reread is not easy for me. I really love my bools Maybe it will become easyer with time and practice.
I honestly don’t understand your logic regarding bully romance ? You said it’s the same thing than people reading fantasy and enjoying the violence in the story. Somehow we won’t try to understand why people read dark fantasy. But dark romance it’s a different matter. People don’t need to read fiction to become toxic. Books are a form of escapism and we shouldn’t act preachy about the fact that some people enjoy dark romance. You don’t ? Then good for you but like trying to banish a genre that has a public is not the way to go. We need to let people read and enjoy what they read as long as it doesn’t harm somebody in the process. So far it’s not the case 🤷🏻♀️ Game of Thrones has a lot of “problematic” content but somehow we won’t judge the people liking it because the series had some recognition …
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Videos referenced
TO PUBLISHERS, FROM READERS: PLEASE STOP 🛑 ruclips.net/video/xxxH3-fs6PE/видео.html
TO WRITERS, FROM READERS: PLEASE STOP 🛑 ruclips.net/video/gWHgm8qu3Kw/видео.html
Editions videos
-Red Rising: ruclips.net/video/2A-vfXiYw9w/видео.html
-Shades of Magic: ruclips.net/video/1irdR36fx2s/видео.html
-Spinning Silver: ruclips.net/video/Hsf_9nixHns/видео.html
Booktok Chat: ruclips.net/video/fj8U4-nOi9o/видео.html
Social media and books ~ discussion: ruclips.net/video/UxYe3SrdwT8/видео.html
*clarification: when I said "read in one sitting* I meant read back to back!
Personally I'd rather we go back to getting special editions for milestones like the 10th anniversary. Getting special editions for brand new books just feels like unnecessary consumerism 😕
Yes, i need special editions that i can actually buy, and not something that will sell out in pre-sale. (for popular books it's usually like that) And something that is way more affordable: the 10th anniversary i can get from blackwells for example, but for let's say illumicrate i have to pay shipping, or fairyloot doesn't even ship to my country!
It 100% is and I’ve had to check myself on falling into the trap of buying them all. I’m holding on to my money tight next year.
That's where I'm at. I'm all for special edition/limited runs. I would even love alternate dust jackets or some kind of paperback book wrap. But the whole book/series is too much.
@@universalcitizen5275 yeah exactly. When everything's special, nothing is special... ☹️
Agreed with special editions. But when it comes to normal editions just being revamped (such as i have seen for Percy Jackson), its just to keep up with modern trends and keep the book popular. I have no issues with that
I don't mind cozy fantasy, but part of my issue is that a lot of "cozy" stories are just "some strangers meet up, immediately call each other 'family' then wander about for a bit, the end." Like it's inoffensive, so I guess that's part of the appeal for both writing and reading it, but a lot of cozy fantasy has nothing to say either.
I agree. I love cozy, but anything that is distilled and reduced to surface level tropes is not for me.
I feel when people call things cozy, it is not the actual book they are talking about, but how it makes them feel.
I feel they are misusing the word when talking about “a cozy read”. There is a difference between the author’s intention and how we interpret something as cozy depending on our moods.
A cozy fantasy should be renamed to Lighthearted fantasy. Because that's what it is. Also cozy fantasies def should have something to say, otherwise it's just fluff and filler.
I read Legends & Lattes, and I think I wanted it to be Dianna Wynne Jones or Terry Pratchett. It wasn’t and I felt….bored. Like someone was describing their OC’s to me. Could have been a cute slice-of-life manga.
Big agree on the romance covers! I personally I'm not a fan of "spice" focused romance and it's disappointing when the cover suggests sweet and wholesome romcom, but the book itself is basically erot1ca.
Yes. Agree.
I want to know what I am getting into.
I don’t want to read a book that has a gazillion sex scenes, but still love reading romance. I just want a healthy balance and books should be more clear of that on their covers.
I've seen a lot of large book hauls but when you watch them there's often a reason. Some BookTubers only do hauls very infrequently so they're showing several months' worth of acquisitions in one go. Some get a lot of free books from publishers, including unsolicited ones. Some hauls are specifically books gifted for birthdays or other occasions. It's not always an indication that the BookTuber has bought 50 books in the past week (not that I personally object if someone does have the cash to buy 50 books at once tbh, I would if I could!).
Some do thrift hauls too! I have no issue with large book hauls because it's often a mixture of all that you said.
@@mintyxx1 this! I thrift a lot of my books and quite often can get 20-30 books for about £30 from thrift stores/second hand book places
I've never had a lot of money so walking around the library and picking up everything that seems interesting is so much fun! I've noticed more booktokers I follow are starting to do library hauls so hopefully it becomes more normal.
Same! Love libraries. And, with my limited pocket money, I go for used books, or new books I've already read and love.
I love doing that too! I call it shelf shopping.
Book hauls - it is one thing if they haul, and then also review the books they hauled. What I sometimes observe is that only haul videos are posted and no review videos. Makes me wonder if they are even reading the books.
I think you are one of the best booktubers when it comes to talking about your privilege and how it's amazing to utilize the library to access free books. I also appreciate you don't always show when you have a special edition of a book but rather often show the mainstream cover image when discussing your thoughts. It's so easy to get wrapped up in spending a lot of money on books when on YT and IG without even knowing if you will like the book.
8:30 I think part of the solution would be giving the writer the time to write the first book and also the first draft of the second.
So when the first book comes out the author has a draft to work with and also look at feedback to improve second draft.
I know publishing right now wants more quantity than quality, I really hope that changes though.
As someone who might try publishing my book the thought of quick deadlines terrifies me. I don’t do well under pressure at all.
My thought was, “How can you put out something that you’re proud of if you’re being rushed?”
True❤😢
I feel the comments about crazy book hauls, and it's also why I stopped following certain book tubers (one in particular who started doing like 20+ book hauls once a month at minimum). Book hauls can be fun, but I like them more when it's for a special reason. Like, last year, I went used bookstore hopping for my birthday and I came home with Too Many books, but that was also a "once a year at most" sort of deal. I think those are fine, because we all deserve a special treat once in a while, but when it's constant hauls, it can be difficult to watch.
Can we please leave "enemies to lovers, but they're actually just two people who have a mild disagreement at the very beginning of the story" trope in 2023? I love a good enemies-to-lovers (emphasis on good), but tagging every. Single. Romance. As enemies to lovers is getting old. If I see that tag, I want people on opposite sides of a war, people trying to unalive each other, things like that. Not mild spats that belong in a middle school hallway. I don't even trust the tag anymore, because it's just so overused.
I think Tomi Adéyemí did it well in children of blood and bones
Something I want to become a trend is fantasy books where dragons/dinjos/gryphons are the protagonists. It's sad that they're so rare.
Check out a book called Dragon Champion by E. E. Knight. It's from the p.o.v. of a dragon. It's pretty decent.
Gryphon in light by Mercedes’ lackey is the first book in a new series. One of the POVs is the Gryphon. It’s series in a big series though,
So about huge book hauls. It does matter how many books a person reads in a year. If you read 24 books/yr but buy 200, that’s one thing. If you read 300 books in a year and buy 200, that’s something else. People are different. Let’s be generous enough to let that be.
Here's another thing about Greek retellings I've noticed - 99.9% is badly written erotica. Mostly of Hades and Persephone.
I think people are tired because there is no reason for them to exist. I think Song of Achilles and Circe are actually books of substance, but as far as I know they're not retellings.
I agree, but I found the series from Rachel Alexander a wonderful retelling of the myth, I would suggest to take a look at it!
Read a Neon Gods and it wasn’t good imo. The whole Hades and Persephone thing was there and made no sense to me, completely unnecessary. They could have used the premise without adding the Greek names in the story itself because it was kinda pointless
I think there is a distinction. Greek retellings that use actual mythos such as Circe and SoA ARE true retellings. They take established characters and established environments (in SoA it was the Trojan War) and retell it from a different POV. I agree Hades abd Persephone is over done and more erotica. I think that's what people are tired of. But true retellings are actually under done. It's not a big genre when you take out H&P.
SoA read like bad Greek myth fanfiction to me 😅
this haha, i wasn't a fan of it ^^@@missallisnow
As much as I love watching BookTube and getting inspiration for new books online (including some hauls) - it is not the same as going to a book store/library. Online, I control the videos I consume, what topics I search for etc. My library is completely different, in the sense that someone else chooses the books. Maybe it was a middle aged librarian, maybe a retired grandma requested the book or a child donated it. I have little influence and that is great! One of my favourite books from the past few years is a small russian science fiction novel from the 70s, The Dead Mountaineer's Hotel (detective story, gangsters & aliens). I found it when I was browsing my library's sci-fi shelf. I love it! Never would have found out about it online, it is not well known in my country.
I also like to buy used books to save money. And my favourite book store sells books with "flaws" (small errors in printing, damaged in the shipping process...) for a lower price :) I don't know if other countries/cities have stores like that, but it is a great alternative. There is still a danger of overconsumption, but it is at least a little bit better for your wallet and better for the planet
I'm an old lady who requests books. It's not my fault if other people don't get involved and request books that interest them. Usually the librarians are very open to suggestions within whatever budget they have.
@4:26 It sounds like you're worried that what happened to cozy gaming will happen to cozy fantasy. They found a market for it, but then we got oversaturated with cozy games and it's daunting to sift through the ones that are just pasting things like farming and relationships on something with little or no substance.
We got cozy FARMING games and other cozy games were left in the dust..
I would love to see the book world change from english-centered to world-wide. As a Polish speaker it’s sad that we get really bad english book translated but no really good book from other countries. I know that English is so basic that we have many translators etc. but there are so many good books in other languages about other cultures and we simply don’t get them until they won meaningful competition or describe war struggles.
I would love to learn about different cultures in their words and not “asian inspired” “Russian inspired” book written by American (which is completely ok with me! I’m not trying to say that you shouldn’t write about other cultures or anything) I just would love to see more culture not as a “trope” but from actual places around the world.
I live in Japan and saw many American novels from TikTok or booktube being translated but there are no books from different countries unless they were translated to English :(
yeah the biggest problem also is that when non-english books gets translated to english most of them are just fiction. which i like, but i want more variety too. i know there are a lot of chinese fantasy novels out there for example but besides those i dont see much
As an addition: as someone who's first language is English, I'd love more variety in what gets translated, I'm not a lit fic fan and would love to see fantasy/sci-fi/horror from other cultures using their own voices.
With regards to the re-releasing in new covers it depends. As long as the covers dont change mid series I think its fine for the most part because book cover trends change and a cover that would draw audiences 5 years ago wont necessarily draw audiences now so it helps grab the attention of audiences that mightve been disinterested originally because the previous covers werent to their liking so they didnt even bother to look at the synopsis. So to me if a series is older I don't see it as a cash grab but more as a want to attetract attention from new readers.
The pricing thing is so crazy. It really hit me this week because I got my copy of The Vampires of El Norte through BOTM for $16 or whatever, but then my friend and I went to Barnes and Noble to do a Christmas book swap and she choose the same book. Had to pay $30 for it!
Softcovers are like $18 now, and I remember when hardcovers used to be that much. I looked at the hardcover I still have of Sabriel and it was $15.95 when my mom bought it for me years ago. ;-;
Yes, yes, YES to getting rid of blurbs from other authors (and sometimes even for different books than the one you’re buying) on the back, and leaving that to synopses. Also, no ugly stickers on the front covering the artwork. Put that on the back or the inside flap. As long as readers know where to find it, they’ll check books for it when they’re browsing, but hiding cover art makes me so mad. In the same vein… the title and author’s name should not detract from the cover art, and the title should always be larger than the author’s name. Readers are not so stupid that they can’t find the author’s name if it isn’t in 975 point font on the top half of the cover.
The permanent stickers make me so angry 😂
I agree just give a nice cover with just three things on it. Title, writer (ilustrator an colourist in case of a comic) and in case of a series the series named is allowed on it. All the stickers and marketing lines should stay from the cover.
I still have not bought Fonda Lee's series due to the nebula award sticker on it.
I'm not a psychologist, but the youtube channel/podcast Psychology in Seattle did an episode about why some people like pseudo or just full on inc*st plots and basically he said it's a transference, where you want to be taken care of by your partner or do the caretaking of your partner and the only relationship you've seen where that happens is familial. I'd also be interested in a deep dive on why some people like certain things in books lol i think that'd be interesting.
Nah, they need to go get help if they like that. There's no explanation for it and it does not need to be normalized. Incest is messed up and a mental illness. If they enjoy reading about it, something is wrong. It's not an act that is "enjoyable reading." Go to couples therapy if your spouse is not paying attention to you, don't escape in incestual relationships. 🤦♀️
I hope she sees this
I'm listening to this video almost a year later, but I can say that I like a good (aka well-written) bully/enemies-to-lovers/redemption arch/others because I know that in real life, we rarely have people who go through actual large monumental change for the better. Most will disappoint you, and while I believe that redemption and change is possible, most aren't willing or able to actually work to do it. I love immersing myself in a world where I can believe that change is possible and where people can change for the better. My fantasy is that the good guys always win, the people you love can change and that things always work out. This is not reality, and I know this, but I would like to believe it, if only for a single story.
@ thank you for sharing!
15:32 Rachel reads has a video titled something like "Authors this is why your book doesn't sell" where she ran multiple polls and many people don't read or choose books even if their favorite author has their recommendation.
I don't as well because they are generic most of the time anyway. Give me the synopsis/summary goddammit.
I probably say this once a year but I love this channel so much. Im very much a seasonal reader and come back to reading in the fall and winter. That being said i come back to this channel every year around the same time and binge watch everything ive missed through out the spring and summer to catch up. Love it love it love it!
I love the retellings especially when they flip the perspective. I took Latin for years with the original versions of Greek & Roman myths being a large part of the course work. When I get the ‘villain’ perspective or a woman’s POV of a male centered story I typically enjoy them. Some of the original stories are slow & boring so they won’t all be good but that is true of all genres. I will say I would love to see books specifically stating where you can find the source material since I think knowing the source adds richness to the reading of a retelling. I try to look it up when I am aware I am reading one but am not always familiar with the stories. That is especially true if I get it based on a gorgeous cover & I do find that myth retellings tend to be very appealing to my eye in a store.
As far as popular trends, when something seems to strike gold, like romantasy or cozy fantasy, you can expect publishers to all want to make money from it while it lasts. That will bring both good and bad examples. Authors too, many will want to try to take advantage of a trend or may even really believe in the trend and will jump in while it's hot, once again bringing both good and bad. For special editions, I think it is good for something that is proving to be a "classic", even if it hits that reputation fast, but agree that special editions for books that have yet to be released is very risky for the publishers. In both cases, publishers are only giving readers what it seems the readers want. It isn't about art, it's business.
For the people who whine about overconsumption, keep in mind that that's partly what feeds the shelves of secondhand bookstores and/or public libraries.
This. I must say, If my over consumption of books is what’s keeping my local small bookstore alive, so be it. 🤷♀️
Really enjoying the Gaelic/Irish mythology series by Shauna Lawless: Gael Song. Fast reads that are quite enjoyable.
honestly i don't have a problem with the consumerism aspect, what i take issue with is when people become an extension of publisher influence and encourage you to buy books that they got for free. i trust the reviews of people that buy their own books more than i do of those that get them from publishers/authors. i want reviews that don't hold back, not ones that try to tip toe around their honest opinions.
the city of dreaming books is sooo great...I mean idk how it translates but in german it was super magical and walter moers is one of my favorite authors!
I like people who are not hypercritical about their consumerism. They acknowledge that many people including themselves are collectors of something or like shopping.
I like the people who do try to give back by, for example, thrifting their clothes if they are getting rid of them. For book creators/influencers, they donate to their local libraries. They find organizations to support and recommend to their followers. I think this is the healthy side of this topic.
I'm tired of the SJM version of fae stories because as far as mythology goes, they aren't fae they're just elves or elves with wings.
I'm probably in the minority when i say I'm not fond of the sprayed edges. They're pretty, but I'm never gonna display books without the title showing. More importantly, i don't like how they feel on my hands. Gold or silver edges are ok because they're smooth.The black edged ones remind me of when we used to use a marker on textbooks in grade school
I'm fine with book hauls, if people got the money for it, they can buy all the books they want in a certain time frame.
This is a pipe dream but I wish that publishers would stop using young adult as a synonym for teenagers. 18-25 year olds are young adults and while they overlap with being considered ‘teens’, the vast majority of what is considered YA is for the middle of 13-19 age range.
As a librarian it’s a linguistic tick that I’ve got to deal with daily. It drives me bonkers trying to figure out new titles for those older/spicer books when we have a perfectly good one for them.
I feel the opposite. I feel like YA has always meant 13-19 age group (aka teenagers) not literally legal adults that are young. This is kind of similar to how you could address a teenager as "young man" or "young woman/young lady" but it would be weird/paternalistic to do that to a 20-25 year old. This might be due to differences in language in where we live though.
I also think it's probably better to market those older/spicer books as a subgenre rather than an age category. It's not like the target audience of those books is just 20-25 year olds (a large portion of the readership is much older than that, and both the publishers and the authors know that). It feels like those books are better defined by the traits that they have (like a subgenre) rather than the age of the target audience (like an age category like YA or Middle Grade). Honestly, I think the easiest thing to do is market them as an adult book (20-25 year olds are adults) with certain characteristics (easy to digest prose, spiciness, trope-y at times, prominent romance, etc).
Where does new adult go?
@@Bear_the_shepherd I honestly think that new adult doesn't work and hasn't been working (at least for sci fi and fantasy books, I don't read other genres much). They've always been written for a general adult audience who like certain YA tropes, not for 20-25 year olds in my experience, so trying to put them in a special New Adult age range doesn't really make sense. What does seem to be working is labeling those types of books as being in certain sub genres (like romantasy for example) and putting them in the adult section.
@@ohmage_resistance Many YA books are waaaaay to spicy for that big age group tho. I feel it's super important to have some kind of notice what age the targeted audience is supposed to be.
Books with (graphic) sex scenes or similar stuff should come with a clear warnings for book sellers, librarians but also the general public. A 13-14 year old shouldn't read ACOTAR imo, but many people don't know how graphic and spicy this book series gets.
Especially then when a clueless parent or grandparents wants to buy a present and they buy a YA book because it sounds interesting with ZERO indication if it's better suited for 12 or 16 year olds. Unless you've read the book yourself, you have no clue unless you actively do research for every YA book you have in store.
@@19Rena96 I should clarify, I picked ages pretty arbitrarily based off what the OP was saying. I'm really using it to approximate maturity level/readiness to read adult books. If someone is 15 and feels ready to read adult books, they can move out of YA. Alternatively, you can have a 19 year old who really doesn't want to risk that for a variety of reasons.
Yeah, I agree that people shouldn't give ACOTAR/spicy books with sex scenes clearly written to entertain adults to young teens without warning. I don't think those books should be in the YA section at all, I think they should be in the adult section. I think ACOTAR is getting a rebrand so that it's placed in the adult romantasy section, which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. (If a teen feels ready to read spicy adult books, I'm not going to advocate for stopping them. But they can go look in the adult section for those so that teens who don't feel ready for them don't get surprised by them.)
"Books with (graphic) sex scenes or similar stuff should come with a clear warnings" I think this is a good idea in theory, but unfortunately it would be difficult to have in practice. There's definitely books with sex scenes that I think should absolutely be in the YA section, ie ones that educate teens that are coming into their sexuality. Right now, content warnings are really bad a distinguishing the purpose behind the warning (so for example, a book with a content warning for racism could have that because the book itself is racist or because it depicts racism in order to address it), and this would absolutely limit the effectiveness of content warnings for sex scenes. More importantly, you would also have book banners abusing those content warnings.
The popularity of special editions did make it to France but in the scenario you talked about. We’re getting lots of books with pretty edges and « collector editions », directly in the stores, put out by traditional publishers for everyone to buy directly.
We do not have special boxes like in US/UK (though we do have access to them of course) so it looks like they opted for making pretty editions for the masses! It makes for really cool displays in bookstores.
Now it’s mostly YA and/or fantasy books. Some of the same popular books we see everywhere in the English speaking world (so translated works) but so was also happy to see some French authors benefiting of this trend to have pretty editions of their books, not only big names authors.
Now I personally don’t buy them, because if a book has been translated from English I’d rather have the English text and special edition but I do love browsing bookshops and see which books were selected for pretty editions.
The exception is that I did buy the Year of Sanderson books in French, as the pretty editions were straight on the shelves, accessible to everyone. Wasn’t planning on picking them up, but seeing it in the bookstore really decided me.
I did the same as you ! I bought the french special editions of the Sanderson secrets projects ! (I don't mind reading a translation of Sanderson since his prose is far for being exceptional). I am so happy that the french publishers made the secret projects in pretty edition available to everyone.
I'm really glad that the French publishing industry went "special editions for everyone in stores !".
What is even better is that the french special editions are of a good quality. French only do hardbacks for special editions but there are very solid when they do so you get your money worth. I am often very disappointed by the weakness of some english special editions (the spine being very fragile for example).
@@ellyra412ahah yeah I figured I wasn’t loosing much in translation for Sanderson and when I saw Tress in the the store, I was quite impressed with the quality of the « special » edition, that for a few euros more than the paperback…
I just wonder who was going to chose the paperback in that case lol
At first I was really surprised to see all those hardback in the bookstores, as from my experience hardback aren’t really a thing in France in general. But I’m not mad about it!
I’m glad French readers also have access to those kind of editions, and being able to check them out in the store before buying them are really a plus!
I’m sure a lot of French teens and young adults are going to be happy this Xmas! As they make obvious good gift for a reader compared to the regular French paperback!
I do find them quite heavy when I pick them up, as you say the quality seems to be there, which is good because they are still a budget but not outrageous for the quality either ;)
That’s the thing with buying special edition from abroad, you cannot be sure of the quality beforehand I think it’s really neat to have them in stores.
I think it was the only way to do it in the French market though, because the box books similar to fairyloot/illumicrate & co don’t exist in the same capacity.
I am also French and although I too prefer to read the original text, I love browsing bookstores just to see the pretty editions we have !
@@gracie9658yeah we do have great bookstores and it’s great to browse what made it here. It’s such a nice pass time!
would like to recommend Frieren: Beyond Journey's End if u want cozy fantasy
Same as you, I actually enjoy the re-release of a serie 5 times with new covers as long as the serie is over and there is no mismatching colletion. That way you can pick your favorite covers for your favorite serie
For this reason, I really like alternate dust covers.
Different Dust Jackets would be enough for me
@@19Rena96 I was thinking mostly of paperbacks
Looking forward to your take on State of Sanderson. I also have mixed feelings!
I love collecting the different covers of my favorite series. Especially PJO. I think it shows that it's a classic
If authors don’t push themselves on social media they will get ignored. Booktube and booktok will take crap books and turn them into best sellers because followers just buy no matter how crappy the book is. It has made the best seller lists just a popularity contest based on influencer popularity and not book quality.
This is the trend that needs to go.
On the subject of multiple releases of Riordan's books, a lot of books get a limited release, maybe 10,000 copies printed, and only once they sell out do they decide whether it's worth it to print another run. As part of the process, they are likely to commission a new artist rather than negotiate a new contract with the existing artist. I can't say for sure that's the case with Percy Jackson, but this is more of a general explanation of the phenomenon.
Your point on pop vs classical doesn't quite fit the polished book vs the rushed trope book because you know what you are getting when you pick a classical channel. At the point where you buy a book (particularly if you try to avoid spoilers), you've already paid your money and didn't know you were getting crap.
1. Special editions reminds me of alternate covers on comic books. Lots of people don't like them, but they sell. If you don't like them (that's me), don't buy them. If most readers don't want them, they'll go away. If they stick around, somebody must want them, and those people deserve to buy things that they like as much as anybody else. 2. As someone who's dealt with bad mental health for a long time, I strongly concur that finding the positive or the cozy is not a silly, shallow, simplistic thing. It can be hard work sometimes. Themes that make you feel good are 100% artistically valid. "Ode to Joy" is good. Shakespeare's comedies are just as smart as his tragedies.
I've stopped watching most of BookTube in the last 2 months, and it's hard to pinpoint why. However, I think a large part of it is due to hearing about the same books over and over. I appreciate someone talking about their 3-4 most recent reads and reviewing them in 15 minutes or less, but I am bogged down by all the book hauls. I don't get anything out of them (or unhauling videos for that matter).
Yes, completely agree. I gave up on all RUclips book chanels and watch only Eliot as she is only one l found that have same taste like me so l know l will like book she recommends. She also got me in fantasy.❤
Hey El, I would personally love if you made more videos about your own books and where to get them. I would love to support you
I'm fairly certain I got my copy of Peace & Turmoil on Amazon. I'm not a huge fan of shopping through them. But sometimes it's what I got. 🤷
Re: negative reviews or criticism of our favorite things
I had to cut off someone negative for other reasons, but whew did they comment to me, who loved the things and shared the things with them, about how anyone who likes said thing is a horrible person. I sometimes avoid negative reviews for things still, because that still burns me to this day, years later. I've started to say "it wasn't for me" or similar when I don't like something, and I think that's something more people should embrace.
Special editions will proliferate as long as audiobooks and ebooks grow market share. The danger is ending up where comics are now with dozens of self consciously collectible variants that aren’t actually collectible.
Very interesting sidetrack on publishing! Thx!😊
I don't love special editions being made for new releases - all unique to different stores, Waterstones, Barnes & Noble, book boxes, etc. But I think it's particularly insidious when these separate special editions have bonus or exclusive content. That's just a waste of everyone's time and it makes me lose respect for the author.
Regarding the letting people have opinions on books point, I feel that in a lot of spaces there’s a heavy moral judgment implied when certain people say they dislike certain books. I truly don’t care if someone hates a book I love, it just rubs me the wrong way when people passively aggressively imply that liking the book makes you somehow a bad person, or an idiot who doesn’t think critically.
A magic of words. A magic of true speaking. - Neil Gaiman to Earthsea saga. Maybe usually these are nothing. But when he writes these it’s something I listen to. Also he wrote some introductions to books. That is awesome.
There's only a small handful of booktubers I still watch, and most of them dont do big / frequent hauls anymore. Beyond their recs, I mostly let my pinterest algorithm bring stuff to my attention lol. If its available at my library, I'll add it to my TBR there. If it's not at the library, I'll add it to my Better World books wishlist. Even at such noteable discounts, I only get 4 or 5 at once per quarter-ish. Yeah, giant hauls, multiple special editions, etc seems excessive. I justify it by thinking that I'm saving those books from ending up in a dumpster lol. The ones I don't like enough to keep will be donated to my local library.
Thanks for the music tangent, you've represented us music majors well 🤣
Walter Moers (City of Dreaming Books) is really good.
I know that is not the case but the first thing I thought of with the stop rereleasing popular series like 5 times with new covers, is the tip I heard from youtubers that it is best to change the tumbnail a few hours after release of the vid so it attrackts viewers that wouldn't have clicked on the first thumbnail xD but yeah I don't think that is the reasoning behind those rereleases
maybe they just take the chance to change the cover when the last edition is sold out and they use it for the new reprint? I mean it makes sense to me...
I don't mind consumerism. With consumerism, people are working. They have jobs that can help feed and house families.
What I don't like is the flaunting of wealth and preying on the "fear of missing out".
Hi Elliot! Loved the video! But regarding your Classical vs Pop music analogy, I think that it's a bit of a false equivalency. I totally agree that Pop music has never, nor likely will ever, equate to the complexity of most Classical music, however I don't think that complexity and quality are the same measure. I think that it's possible for a book to be quite simple and straightforward, dealing with fairly basic and easy-to-understand themes (or include popular tropes), yet high-quality due to thorough editing, a logical plot, and well-developed characters. On the flip-side, it's possible for a very complex, layered book that deals with more intricate topics to be rushed, sloppy, poorly-planned etc. So while I agree with you that we should still be allowed to have and enjoy the trope-heavy books that you equate to Pop music, without them needing to be as sophisticated as other literature, I think that what Gracie was trying to say is that publishers should still demand those other tenants of quality and not just rely on tropes. And yes, I still acknowledge that quality is largely subjective, but I've still read so many books that I've been rewriting in my mind as I read them because the clunky writing is just so bad (IMO).
Hope that ramble made sense. Can't wait for your next video!
This was such a lovely video! I agree on so many points and feel that anything that gets anyone picking up a book is a high bonus for me, regardless if it’s a special edition/cosy/hyped..etc. If you pick up a book and love it you are winning in my ‘book’ … enjoy your best reading life ❤
Is it possible that the money from the Rick Riordan re-releases are for the Rick Riordan Presents lineup? I'd like to think so.
This isn't necessarily tied to this video topic itself (or I guess it kind of is around the 7:21 mark), but it almost doesn't seem like there's much avenue for authors who want to write standalone works in fantasy anymore. Am I just missing something or does that seem to be the case to others, too?
As a Greek i will personally say that Greek retellings need to stop. The original myths and epics had already strong female characters. Also the old scripts are still amazing and unforgettable because they are relevant in showing the complexities of human nature both in men and women. Humans makes mistakes that's who we are and what makes these stories fascinating.
Also it shows how my ancestors from 3.000 years lived and acted.
The retellings can't simply "fix" societal norms with modern labels.
It's amazing how inspiring my culture has become BUT when authors just put modern ideologies exploiting the myths for profit that's a no from me :/
Re bully romance or taboo stuff in general: I think fiction gives people a safe space to be immoral about things that they would or could never do in reality without the fear of judgment and some people need to scratch that itch via books
9:48 I don’t think it’s a cash grab in the sense that they want people to buy multiple editions. I think they simply redesign them to grab the attention of kids today. Make them look more modern. Cover designs go in and out of fashion like everything else.
I’d like to see more realistic FMC that are bad ass but not Mary Sue’s. I feel like the majority of the FMCs I have read lately are A) Beyond powerful.., the most powerful person in all of existence B) Every single male in the story is in love with her, oogles her, wants her C) yet she’s constantly wanting to punch everyone in the face and hates men but still always ends up with a guy and needs his help to save the world even though she’s so amazing and powerful. It’s beyond me how that in anyway is realistic. Why can’t a female character be bad ass AND nice AND have flaws AND not be drop dead gorgeous? Like a normal woman lol.
My book hauls are usually 30-50 books every 3 months or so, but I read 8-14 books a month (usually closer to 11-12), so I'm still mostly keeping up with my reading pace. And I've read more of my BOTM books vs. have not, so for me the hauls are reasonable. I also lost a lot of my books some years ago, so I've been trying to recoup some of that. I couldn't imagine frequently doing a 200 book haul though... I'd have zero space left in my room for me lol .. not to mention feeling overwhelmed with so many choices at once if I can't read that many in a reasonable time.. I still have to work 😅
I always enjoy these discussion videos, I do think the special editions are getting a bit out of hand, especially with some having extra content you can't find elsewhere.
lol, as a classical singer, I have always struggled to understand the attraction of pop music. I myself can't listen to it, but my family disagree and I am learning all about some pop performers that my sons think are important.
To address my point about multiple different cover art versions. I love art. I am absolutely in favor of the artists and them getting work and their art being seen. But reselling the entire book seems excessive. I would prefer new/updated dust jackets or official prints like small posters or something.
Most of my books are mythology retellings 😬 My personal favorite is Greek but I also love Egyptian, Chinese, Native American, Norse, Indian….I love them all 😂
Hey, I would love to see you discuss the year of Sanderson
I will never start a new series from the George R. R Martin’s of this world. 😂
I know a lot of people didn’t like it but I miss deckled edges.
Can we “over consume” books? Book hauls don’t bother me at all. If you’ve got the money, if you’re supporting local bookstores, or small businesses, or indie authors, etc, and it brings you joy…buy the darn books and don’t be ashamed. How is buying books hurting anyone?
I work part time at a bookstore and I cringe a little inwardly when very young girls buy books that I know are dark romance/have taboo topics or their parents buy them for them and in most cases I‘m sure the parents don’t even realize it, because there is no sticker or anything on the cover of some of these that informs readers of content that should be 18+ in my opinion. And then they’re also displayed next to your cute small town romance. I really just wish they had their own sections maybe with general information on what dark romance is, displayed in the section itself and stickers for sensitive content matter or something on the books.
When I've seen bigger bookhauls, it's usually from people who only do a few a year.
I don't think I've seen 200, or anywhere close to that, from them.
I’ve seen some manga collectors/RUclipsrs do hauls where they’ve bought 200/300 books. Mainly it’s around 70/80 (which is still a lot and excessive!), but if they’ve bought box sets or bought a lot in a sale that number tends to be on the higher end. Having said that, I’ve not seen any RUclipsrs that I follow haul that many books.
Well I think the thing with taboo romance can come down to people's public perspective and then what they actually want and or think. Because they will say one thing about what type of man they want to be with but anytime a female author write a heavy romance book he's a giant muscular good-looking tough guy that is dominant.
Hadestown is the definitive Orpheus and Eurydice retelling now, and there are many musical retellings of Orpheus and Eurydice.
Really like your videos! Just found you the other day. So I'm writing a romance cozy mystery book with a piano player from 1946. Since you studied music, what would you want to see in this book if you read it?
Not necessary just from 2023 but I hate trilogies which could have been 2 books. The middle book feels like a filler and add nothing to the story but trilogies make money so they publish it. A good example of this was the Carry On series by Rainbow Rowell, the first and last book were good but the middle one was a cash grab.
I love "city of dreaming books" (and in fact almost anything by its author) did you ever get around to reading it?
Positive reviews are bought. This is why we don't give them the equal view as a negative. No one is buying a negative review
A trend that I’ve noticed in Fantasy that I really wish would die is author’s who want the allure and appeal of a magical academy but don’t actually put in the work to come up with curriculum, staff, assignments. Examples of this are in Forth Wing, Gideon the Ninth, Deadly Education, and Novice Dragoneer by EE Knight to name a few. I understand that in many contemporary books where the MC is in school classes and school life often aren’t the point, but magical academies are different in that they help distinguish the world the character is inhabiting.
Haven't read the others so I don't have any opinions on those, but I thought Deadly Education did a fairly good job on cementing the whole magical academy thing. A large part of the interactions and events of the first and second book revolve around assignments, classes, how they learn their magic and why there aren't any teachers, etc. There's even a sports day that's just about as terrible as you would expect from that school.
To be fair, what we see is usually events in and around those school things, but we get a lot of interesting worldbuilding on how everything works.
Anyways, that's my opinion. It's fine if it didn't give you the same school vibes as it did for me.
@@ViridianForests I made it about halfway through the first book before I had to return it to the library, and it sounds like things pick up and keep building. Thanks for the heads up.
@@ourabouras I'm probably very biased because I love the series, but if what you saw halfway sounded kind of interesting I can promise you it does pick up and shit hits the fan pretty fast after that.
Was there anything you remember distinctly not liking about the book? I might be able to warn you if there's more of it, if you want.
Re: authors doing their own marketing/publicity
I was a gofer for an author who was published by Little,Brown and she never settled for the publicity provided by the publisher. She always did some marketing herself but she made a living from her writing. Maybe it's different for authors who write on the side and do something else for a living.
Maybe I'm not seeing the huge book hauls in comments, but I've seen a couple of booktubers that deal more in classic sci-fi get these large book hauls of miscellanous books for cheap that they turn around and sell individually or keep. They often find little gems that they wouldn't otherwise come across. A book haul of new books like that would be insane.
honestly I'd love to hear your opinions on music. maybe some recs idk
The only reason I like the illustrated covers for adult romances is because I can read them in my classroom and (most of) my students don’t know anything
I think every sequel should have maybe one or two pages about the previous book, just to get back into the story.
At this point, it’s better to be self published. An author can put all the work in their draft to make it perfect. Or they can do like a publisher and release it less than perfect and make more money than they would being trad published.
I see people doing 200 books haul all the time!! Not exaggerating!! I see a lot of the same RUclipsrs do monthly or bi monthly hauls of at least 50 books a go and it’s just ridiculous
A trend that I hate: A special edition being unique to a certain book event (when it's for sale at an event with a limited number of tickets).
And by this, I mean - events like RARE and ApollyCon often have authors or vendors who will sell special editions only at said event. I have nothing against JLA's exclusives, because they're part of the ticket. But why are folks selling special editions that can only be had by those who are FORTUNATE enough to attend?
Alternatively, a trend that I love: authors / vendors selling a seasonal special edition that you can get at any of those events in that season. It encourages you to go to events both big and small! And it makes it so that anybody has the opportunity to preorder and pick up at the event closest/most convenient for them.
I just want more stand alone fantasy books with a solid ending!!! I am broke!!! I'm not trying to invest in a 13 books series where 10 of the books are trash!!!
I think stand alones aren't popular anymore because people always want more from a world. Plus... it brings authors and publishers more money.
I’m not finished with the video yet so my comment may come up, but my comment is related to bully romance in a way. I see that if there’s a place to explore that subject then a book is the perfect place for it, rather than in real life. It can raise a lot of moral questions and get the reader thinking etc. But other than that reason, I don’t understand it either. I’m pretty sure most people that read that sort of book aren’t looking for big brain questions to think on either, but escapism? Very confusing 😂 but at least in a book, when done correctly, it’s safe
I'm a bit late, sorry. I just wanted to say I agree with what you're saying about my comment on "mediocre" books. I guess I didn't phrase my thoughts properly.
I don't mind these books existing, people have the right to write and enjoy these books of course. I'm happy that people find joy in them. But just because something brings happiness to people doesn't mean it's not bad. We all have our comfort book series or shows that don't have the best writing or characters.
I just feel frustrated for authors who spend time developing their worlds and characters only to see their book go under the radar because some random half baked fantasy about fae or dragons (no hate on dragons, I love dragons, yes I am talking about Fourth Wing) is trending on tiktok for whatever reason.
Usually I don't mind negative reviews for my favorite books, and I will never understand being angry at the reviewer, but sometimes and this is really stupid, a negative review makes me think worse about my favorite books and like why though, I should still love them regardless
Wow, I'm shocked - been watching your videos off & on for a couple years now, and NEVER KNEW YOU WENT TO SCHOOL FOR MUSIC...! I've never heard you mention anything musical until this video - I'm surprised it never comes up. Do you also have videos regarding music?
I don’t know if this is just happening with the company I get special editions from, but can’t stand a) how long they take to get to people and b) how the company looks like they don’t care about solving the issue.
If you preorder or spend a lot of money on something, you shouldn’t be getting crappy service.
Is it just me or are other people experiencing this with different companies as well?
If so, this a trend I want to leave in 2023.
Not related but: was Elle on a podcast or RUclips video recently talking about the book and movie of Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes? If yes, i can't find it😫
The Book Leo did a video about it. Is that what you're thinking of?
But I love buying books! and I also need to stop. 🤷♀️ I love having home library, I always wanted one, my own magic similar to when you enter a bookshop or library. But also only the books that I really like -what I can't now befor I buy it and read it. [So I do more e-books nowdays to know which are going to go on shelfs after] but I also need to stop as I don't want 165 books TBR because it looses any logic. There is always going to be more books that I can read! Only because I like the blurb on book does not mean I need to have it collect dust. Aaand at one time I will not have space...so can I afford a 2x bigger space🤔
To unhall even if I know I will not reread is not easy for me. I really love my bools Maybe it will become easyer with time and practice.
I honestly don’t understand your logic regarding bully romance ? You said it’s the same thing than people reading fantasy and enjoying the violence in the story. Somehow we won’t try to understand why people read dark fantasy. But dark romance it’s a different matter. People don’t need to read fiction to become toxic. Books are a form of escapism and we shouldn’t act preachy about the fact that some people enjoy dark romance. You don’t ? Then good for you but like trying to banish a genre that has a public is not the way to go. We need to let people read and enjoy what they read as long as it doesn’t harm somebody in the process. So far it’s not the case 🤷🏻♀️
Game of Thrones has a lot of “problematic” content but somehow we won’t judge the people liking it because the series had some recognition …
I think I only really see Gavin with 100+ book hauls pretty regularly. But he’s hauling manga or kids books usually….