"Think not of the books you've bought as a 'to be read' pile. Instead, think of your bookcase as a wine cellar. You collect books to be read at the right time, the right place, and the right mood." --Luc van Donkersgoed. Great video as always, Leonie, have a wonderful week!
That is the perfect image for how I build both my book and game libraries. I normally keep at least one book for each "mood" in stock so that I can always pick the right book for that moment. After I finish something, I take a day or so to digest what I read and to reflect on what feels right to read next. The only time planning comes in is when I try to make the most of a school break or of a specific time (e.g. spooky books around Halloween).
I’ve never heard this quote before but it sums up my views on reading perfectly! I really think books are often meant to be read at certain times of year so I’ll buy a book in February but not read it till October :)
i'm determined to get through most of my physical tbr this year - there's about 60 books on there (yikes) - but one thing i'm trying to focus on is still enjoying what i'm reading and not just reading things for the sake of reading them / saying i've read them. i definitely need to get better at unhauling, taking inspiration from these videos to think about my reading this year more for enjoyment rather than hitting numbers :) thanks for another amazing video, they really are my sunday comfort watches
Its about a month and a half into this year and Im already reading more than I did last year. I don't count the books I read as much as I want to add reading a bit on a daily basis. SO, I am reading more this year. I also review some of my favourite books on my channel.
Poetry is a tough one to read more of if you’re not well versed (hehe) in it. I’ve solved this by getting the Norton Anthology, and every day the random number generator picks a poem for me to read. I’m about 4 months = 120 poems in. Highly recommend!
i use notion for my reading organization as well! it has so many functions and i love using it. its so interesting to see how others use it for their reading organization!
I started using notion because hers looks so nice but what you have at the start looks nothing like it. currently trying to get a picture existing next to a to do list this is word level pain of trying to embed a picture. haha I dont know if I have the patience left in me to learn this 😂
every time i see people doing tbr lists and plan reading this thouroughly i am amazed-- i am neurodivergent and i literally just read and buy books as i go so i cannot fathom this but i love to see it!!!!!!!!!
Yeey for Notion. I also use it for everything, as well as keeping records of library visits, notes, and logging books. I use the gallery view, because I upload the covers. It looks so cool
I just finished Slewfoot and I really enjoyed it!! It starts a little slow but ends strong. I think it would be the perfect October read if you like to plan for ~seasonal~ vibes.
whenever i look at my notion book reading list i get the feeling, that it looks like a journal from a game where my quests are listed. i love it. thanks for showing us notion.
left hand of darkness is my absolute favourite book i read last year ❤️ my partner encouraged me to read it (he also said i could try „the dispossessed”, but that it’s very different and i would probably not like it as much, so maybe „left hand” could also be more up your alley). i can’t remember the last time a book made me cry so much, it was very emotional and the relationship between the two main characters was explored beautifully. the gender aspect of the book was very interesting but for me the story was also about different aspects of patriotism and xenophobia, it also has a great political intrigue. but i should also warn that for me it was a slow book, so don’t expect rapid twists and turns, in my opinion Ursula LeGuin’s writing is slow but steady, beautiful and flowing. I also highly recommend The Earthsea series by her, it’s just pure literary magic.
I'm so excited to see you prioritizing The Starless Sea and Strange the Dreamer! I hope you love them as much as I do; they're some of my all time favs❄️
This year, for the first time, I made a list of book from my unread pile that I wish to read. And for the first time ever I got right into it; so far I finished reading 2 from that list and third is ongoing. The happiness I felt after crossing those books from the list encouraged me like no other to read more
not only an entertaining watch, but very helpful too! i will certainly look into using notion for reading lists and a school to-dos +what ever else i need to organize outside of my chaotic brain. Excited for this year of reading, thank you Leonie!
I'm so bad with sticking to the TBRs. I'm very rarely buying physical books, instead I have a kindle list, a library, and a shelf on Storytel. With library and Storytel it is very easy to add stuff, but not so easy to actually prioritise, and remembering what I even wanted to read. I've a lot of mediocre books recently, so maybe it is my call to get the notion, cute frog thumbnails, and get down to planning!
Left hand of darkness is soooo good in my opinion. I have read it as a teen, it really opened up my mind on the topic of gender and how it could not affect our lives as much as it does
Downloaded Notion with your link. I had already planned my reading for the first few months. I had paper lists that I had to cross-reference with Goodreads. Within Notion, I set up a database with information about the book (name, author, genre), what platform I had it on (audible, print, kindle, library), and the planned reading month. I was then able to generate some dashboards that showed how many of my January books I have completed and how many are left. Cool tool!
I have a lots of unread books. So what I did is use this spin wheel thing and put all the title of the books I have. I don’t do TBR because the pressure of wanting to finish it is stressful. Just enjoy reading. That’s all that matters.
I use google sheets for organizing my reading plans. It is great because I can set up functions to calculate for me how many pages I "should" read per day / per week in order to "be on track". For it to work I need to increment the week number, and when I finish a book I change its page number to 0, so the function recalculates the recommended weekly and daily reading dosage. It makes me so happy!
i have a huge physical TBR (80ish books. yikes) that i bought years ago and i am just starting to get back into reading again after a long time of not reading. the way i encourage myself is not buying books until i remove a decent amount of books off my shelf. the only "planning" i do is take 1-3 books and out it on my side table and rotate through those. i hope one day i have a bookshelf full of books i truly enjoy only.
Can't wait for your review of The Starless Sea! I read it twice (and I NEVER re-read) and it still feels like there's enough undiscovered beauty and unnoticed connections to read the third time. Be ready to get your mind blown though.
A dowry of blood was very well written but it's kind of lyrically written and you can only read it when you have like a relaxed mindset to fully experience it.
This year I just shopped in my own physical/audio books! I set a goal of 26 (in the hopes I would average out a book every 2 weeks, which is quite realistic for me) - but I loved your process :D
I'm really happy to see house of leaves on your tbr, even though it's likely you won't get to it for a while, because it's one of my favorite books ever. I will say it is a tiring book to read, not because of the slowness (although sometimes) the suspense can keep you going, but the format makes it a little difficult at times. Definitely read something else that is more lighthearted at the same time.
I know this is a long time ago, but I wanted to say I love seeing how you planned your books for the year! This year is the first I've done any real planning, and it's a lot less specific. I'm theming my TBR around the US monthly observances (so like, May is Asian American Heritage Month). I'm saying at least half of the books I read each month have to be aligned to that month's observance by author and preferably also theme. I've been planning at least a few books a few months ahead, and discovering more along the way, and I'm really enjoying it and learning so much! I'm really excited about June, which is Pride Month!
I have been trying to get away from the quantitative aspects of reading these days, and I love your approach to creating your book list for the year. I've been thinking a lot about how I read when I was younger-- I never rated books with stars or set goals for the number of books I wanted to read each year. I just read went to the library, browsed books, and read. I'm trying to get back to that, and I think your planning approach is perfect for that :)
would highly highly recommend moving jade city up on your list i'm on the last book of the trilogy rn and it's one of the best things i've read in years
i think you'll whiz through VW. it is short & it's non-fiction. love your frog and toad aesthetic!! no planning at all for me. i just keep track of what i read on storygraph
I keep a list called "next", which I review each January and remove or add books that I want to read that year, try to limit it to 15 or so. Usually includes what I didn't get the change of reading during the "Guadalupe-Reinas" reading marathon, but I do want to read in the near future.
I started using Notion last year mostly for keeping track of my expenses and planning my daily routine, and some time ago, I thought it would be great to use it for organizing reading lists, too. Your video really inspired me to do so and helped me to come up with an image of how it can be done. Thank you ❤️
I apologise in advance for the length of this comment but I am very excited 🤣 My Notion 2023 TBR has 284 books on it and they're separated by month amongst many other things because of, you know, the neurodivergence. You are going to fall in love with the absolute ✨vibes✨ of The Starless Sea. It's a meta book about stories, so it's really ~no plot, no characters, just vibes~. A lot of people have beef with that but it's my favourite fiction book, so I can't wait to hear you talk about it. Also predicting you'll love The House in the Cerulean Sea and Legends & Lattes because they are so heartwarming they're like a hug in book form. Less intense atmospheric vibes than TSS but immersive nonetheless. Strange the Dreamer is FANTASTIC and very dreamy indeed. The sequel is just as good. I agree it's going to become a new favourite for you. I have the same issue with Le Guin: I love the premise but I am very bored by the execution. I really liked The Dispossessed but DNFd The Left Hand of Darkness. I would suggest you pick up her essay collection Dancing at the Edge of the World instead. You get her ideas without the boring sci-fi. A Dowry of blood was... fine, but it's a cheap imitation of Interview with the Vampire, so you may want to read it before Anne Rice. Rice is going to hurt all of your feelings, but like, in a good way. Rilke is as good as Marcus Aurelius, and you'll love it, but you seem to have very lighthearted expectations of this book and it's a lot more depressing than that. I tried to read The Wolf and the Huntsman and there was a surprising amount of mutilation in it, but the entire plot is there to serve an enemies to lovers romance, so you may actually like it. I thought it didn't have much else going for it and I DNFd it, but I don't usually enjoy YA romance, so take this with a grain of salt. Recommending literally everything T. Kingfisher has ever written to you, because her dark cottagecore vibes are off the chart.
I have 200 unread books on my physical tbr.... I'm trying to bring it down to 180 this year but we'll see. Ofc I'll want to buy new books as well and then that'll make it even harder to achieve but a girl can dream!
Just found this, you make a beautiful planning space. I just started and only use an excel really. I use it to both keep track of what I read as well as what I'm planning to read (and sometimes which music I plan to accompany a book). For the year I just plan 1 or 2 long series and then fill in the gaps. I plan about 2800-3000 pages per month (not that the number matters, but I've found I can consistently get around that number in). The basis each month is usually a chunker from one of the longer series (currently reading Malazan and stormlight archive). and then later I'll fill up the month(s) with smaller series, at least 2 ebooks, and I try to read a short story collection at least every other month this year. Of course the lists are completely flexible so if I get recommended something on youtube or by a friend I might just throw something of the lists and read that instead (This is how I threw everything off balance by suddenly starting a 900 page 'Lonesome Dove' read because of a friend; go read it, its awesome).
I would love to see you try StoryGraph instead of Goodreads, I think it will help with focusing a bit too much on the rating. Also, the recommendation algorithm is superior and helps you filter your tbr to books that you're in the book for right at that time. Would also make a fun video?
YES! I love the filters and the trigger warnings and moods on Storygraph so much - and the GRAPHS! Exactly what my little reader hard needed to motivate me to read again! And it just keeps getting better, because they're still improving it day by day! :)
Can you do a video that goes deeper into how you created your notion pages? I am trying to make a Board like you have for your TBR, Reading, and Completed and I can't change any of the titles and it's super frustrating. They updated it and there are NO videos explaining how to use the new boards. It's absolutely maddening that you can't just easily change the info.
I usually make a plan of the books that I want to prioritise every month, though I don’t always get to all of them because it’s nice to have a list of books you’re already hyped about ready for every time you finish a book (or when you want to start a new one 😂). For this year I have made a custom reading challenge with prompts that fit with books that I had on my list for a while and want to prioritise and this way I will hopefully get to them. It’s not really necessary for it to be a reading challenge but I love the accomplishment I feel when I see the overall percentage raise 😅 It’s going to be hard not having my list of books that I want to read reach unrealistic numbers though with all the great recommendations that I’m finding on book tube (and your channel is especially good at predicting books that I will like)
Ahhhh, I really think you'll love Strange the Dreamer! Honestly the blurb didn't really set me up for much, I was surprised by how much I liked it. Also, the person who recommended it to me highly suggested I get both books, which normally isn't a good idea because you don't know if you'll like it, but most people do and the second book starts right where the first one ended so it's very much worth it. You should also definitely read Laini Taylor's other series (if you haven't already), I loved that one too (although it's a bit different in vibe).
I started planning my reading a couple of years ago when I decided I would read Harry Potter for the first time. I also started trying to prioritize reading books that I had owned for a very long time without reading them (some were on the shelf for over a decade like House of Leaves). This year I'm focusing on closing the very large gap in that I've read very few Stephen King books (which dovetails nicely with reading books I've owned for a long time, embarrassingly). Also I'm trying to branch out into some genres outside of my comfort zone with some traditional classics and maybe some westerns.
Laini Taylor's Strange the Dreamer is a duology with Muse of Nightmares. When you start reading Strange the Dreamer, if you find yourself really enjoying it within the first 50 pages, then go ahead and get the sequel. I liked Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy much more.
extremely late to this, but I read A Room of One's Own in one single sitting when I was in college and it really made me think a lot about life in general. defo recommend, very accessible with very universal ideas.
I did something similar last year. I made a list of around 20 books that I really wanted to read. I only got to half of them, but I liked most of them and even found some favourites! and bc I was enjoying my reading I ended up reading more than previous years! I plan to do this this year again, I think prioritising your reading is a great idea and it really works lol
I love Notion too, but just a note for people who want to use it to organize your life: I'm pretty sure they still don't have end-to-end encryption. So I would not store sensitive information like passwords or finance data on my Notion.
I've only seen the movie and was a little disappointed. It was quite good, but I was expecting it to be a bit stranger. And inside of the Shimmer it looked so... glossy and blurred, the cinematography there could've been better. They could've gone for a better look. I did like the whole last part at the lighthouse and how freaky the movie gets, would've liked more of that vibe. Pretty good movie, but I can imagine that the book is better
I love your process, and so many of the books you mentioned have been favorites I've already read (and some are books that I am hoping to read soonish). I do make a priority list, and I make priority stacks of the actual books that I might want to read in a particular month or season. It helps me not forget a title that I had perhaps saved for that specific time of year. But this year I'm, so far anyway, consciously choosing to be more spontaneous in my book choices, but also aiming to read more books I already own (or can get for free at the library) instead of adding new books to my already overflowing shelves. We shall see how that all goes.
This video comes at a perfect time! I just started a reading journal to keep track of what I read every month and to write mini reviews, thoughts, doodles, and even new words I learn. I love journaling and fountain pens, so I went the analog route haha! Btw!! I started reading the folk of the air books by Holly Black because of your recommendations and omg! It is THE Holly Black who has published with Cassandra Clare! Every time I see your videos I think of how much you would enjoy the fantasy world created by Cassandra Clare. She has written a TON, but I've been reading her books for like 10 years and I truly think that a great starting point is her Infernal Devices trilogy. It's set in the 1800s, has the BEST love triangle ever written, and definitely has a bit of a dark academia tint to it. Cassandra Clare also includes the fae in her fantasy world, in a similar vibe to Holly Black, but she focuses more on fae characters and storylines in other series (in case you feel inspired after the infernal devices haha!). I thought I would recommend it since they have a very similar vibe if you are in the lookout for even more books to add to your tbr lol
I plan my reading, but not once a year, I do so at the beginning of each month :) I choose 9 books to read for the following month and I try to put in my list books that I already own as much as possible :) I rarely read 9 books a month, I think it happened once, I'm mostly around 4-5 books a month.
I like your way of organizing in Notion. I wish I can make a tbr but I'm more of a mood reader so what I do is a list of prompts that I want to read this year and try to mach my books with those prompts.
I'm happy to be here! I think I'll copy you with the 20 books to really prioritize because looking at my general TBR can get a little overwhelming. I saw Rebecca in your general TBR. I think that would be up your alley too.
I really enjoy looking at physical/virtual planners like notion, bullet journals etc. but I feel like designing it would take so much time that I wouldn’t have time to actually do the things I plan.
I use Microsoft OneNote to plan in a similar style. The notes are arranged in notebooks which roughly correspond to projects I am working on. Each notebook as a list of items that are To-Dos. The To-Dos may have bullet points indented below with steps needed to complete them. As they are completed they get strike throughs. I like doing that rather than deleting them because it keeps the record of what I have done. Usually, near the start of a new year, I take my current set of completed To-Dos and move them to a 'Previous Years To-Dos', which should all be stuck through. I may also remove items I am not going to do and put them in a 'did not accomplish' archive. Finally, in day-to-day use, I try to choose three items from whatever I am working on and do those three things. If I finish one, I may choose another to add that day depending on the complexity of the other two. Occasionally, if things get stuck, I might stop focusing on my top three and start working on a few easy To-Dos that I know will take 15 - 30 minutes or less each to start getting a sense of forward momentum. On a different note, Changeling: The Dreaming and Changeling: The Lost might be of interest for their lore. They can be fun to play too, but that might impact reading goals. ruclips.net/video/Az1yUcv5KWA/видео.html ruclips.net/video/T1_44PmYS_Y/видео.html
I had similar goals - to read books I already own, and if not to read books I can get from the library. I use Notion to track my physical TBR and prioritized 12 books I want to read I also looked through my library list tag on goodreads and picked 9 books I'd like to read from there. Of course, plans change with book clubs and new releases but I'm happy with my list (and yours!) so far! :)
I plan my entire TBR for the next year months in advanced lol. I update it periodically until I am finally happy with what I decided. I also plan what order I will read the books 3 months ahead. I just made a list from March-May. Sometimes things do not go as planned though haha
Thank you for the motivation to make a reading goals notion page ❤Personally, A Dowry of Blood was one of my top reads of 2022, and is my favorite vampire book (and that's saying something believe me). As for Annihilation, it is not like the movie in a lot of ways so beware when you read it, they have pretty different vibes.
Ahh love this! I literally just finished organising my books so this is so fun to watch! Also i brought the stolen heir the other day as it was on sale and i still need to read the queen of nothing so definately want to start that! Xx
I've just been going to the library. I take a screenshot of the book on the library's website so I have the call number ready. I have a priority folder for the ones I want to read the most.
i love thisssss! congrats on the sponser Leonie! Also, how did you do that up and down arrow to track how many books you've read this year? It looks so cool!
I actually just finished listening to the audiobook of The House in the Cerulean Sea and teared up multiple times at work because of how sweet and lovely it was. Can only recommend it to anyone who might be on the fence about it.
I discovered Notion from your old videos and I love it so much!! I use it more for goals and my online shop stuff. Don't know if I'll do it for books but is definitely a game changer. Thank you!
I love notion. I use it too. I was so excited to hear that you will be using it for your book planning because I can really geek out over it. I think having your list on notion will make it fun to check off the list.
The only way I plan my reading (or more specifically, the books I buy) is to have a 10 book wishlist. I try to leave them here for at least two weeks before buying so that way I don't impulse buy. If I hear about a book that I want to be on the list I just replace it for one of the pre-existing ones. I did this last year and it was such a good reading year for me, I only read books that really tapped into concepts or ideas that really interested me and I had almost no DNFs. You can also do this with clothes, videogames, etc So, yeah. That's my advice. Good day, everyone
How do you use Notion boards?? You should do a full tutorial on Notion if you can get it sponsored again because Notion is extremely confusing and online tutorials I have found do not work on my board pages.....
I have around 300 unread books 😭 and during a year I read about 50 😬 and of course I buy new ones. And a lot of them. I should stop doing it and start prioritizing. I wil try your method. Thank you for the video
I started really seriously reading again in March, which means I didn't do any of that traditional Late December Early January planning. I AM keeping track of what I've read so I can make graphs about it at the end of the year, though
I've already seen a bunch of people rave about the starless sea but im gonna add my thoughts to the mix as well because why the hell not- it is absolutely EXQUISITE imo but i do get why it's a hit or miss for most people. for instance I've recommended it to a few people but they all weren't fans of it (much to my despair and delight). i think you need to like a very SPECIFIC genre to actually adore this book. it's the only hardcopy i own and no regrets because can we talk about the absolutely gorgeous cover-
i demand you to read vita nostra!! it is one of my favourites and yet barely anyone has read it! it has (imo) wonderful atmosphere and writing and is so wonderfully strange ! i would love to hear your take on it :)
I read the Southern Reach trilogy (annihilation is the first book) when I was in a really bad place. These are not "good vibes" books. At all. But it's a literary miracle. It's powerful. The movie was good. There is so much more in the books. SO MUCH MORE. I read the three books twice. It helped me a lot. Made me think differently. It crawled under my skin. I was thinking about a tattoo of one specific quote.
![ARGENTINA vs. PERÚ [1-0] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 12](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xtI25ENDDSY/mqdefault.jpg)
"Think not of the books you've bought as a 'to be read' pile. Instead, think of your bookcase as a wine cellar. You collect books to be read at the right time, the right place, and the right mood." --Luc van Donkersgoed. Great video as always, Leonie, have a wonderful week!
That is the perfect image for how I build both my book and game libraries. I normally keep at least one book for each "mood" in stock so that I can always pick the right book for that moment. After I finish something, I take a day or so to digest what I read and to reflect on what feels right to read next. The only time planning comes in is when I try to make the most of a school break or of a specific time (e.g. spooky books around Halloween).
I’ve never heard this quote before but it sums up my views on reading perfectly! I really think books are often meant to be read at certain times of year so I’ll buy a book in February but not read it till October :)
This quote just changed my life, thank you!
Me justifying my spending habits on books 😅
This is so lovely and makes me feel less guilty of my current pile of books in my nightstand 😬
Do I ever actually stick to my reading plans? Not really. Do I still love planning my reading in minute detail? Yes, so much.
i'm determined to get through most of my physical tbr this year - there's about 60 books on there (yikes) - but one thing i'm trying to focus on is still enjoying what i'm reading and not just reading things for the sake of reading them / saying i've read them. i definitely need to get better at unhauling, taking inspiration from these videos to think about my reading this year more for enjoyment rather than hitting numbers :) thanks for another amazing video, they really are my sunday comfort watches
You and me both honestly. Best of luck
i have 70+ books on my physical tbr i wish to try cut down a bit this year. But my more realistic goal is minimum two series. 😅
So excited to start reading more this year! Who’s with me?
same
Meeeeeeee
Its about a month and a half into this year and Im already reading more than I did last year. I don't count the books I read as much as I want to add reading a bit on a daily basis. SO, I am reading more this year. I also review some of my favourite books on my channel.
Poetry is a tough one to read more of if you’re not well versed (hehe) in it. I’ve solved this by getting the Norton Anthology, and every day the random number generator picks a poem for me to read. I’m about 4 months = 120 poems in. Highly recommend!
"Am I living the way these frogs are? If no, I need to change something." Loved that 👏
OMG CONGRATS FOR BEING SPONSORED BY NOTION! I started using it in 2022 for college and everything life related and it saved me fr
I'm playing Zelda: Breath of the Wild as I listen, and I recognized the Kakariko Village tune in the background, so pleased ✨💖
i use notion for my reading organization as well! it has so many functions and i love using it. its so interesting to see how others use it for their reading organization!
I started using notion because hers looks so nice but what you have at the start looks nothing like it.
currently trying to get a picture existing next to a to do list this is word level pain of trying to embed a picture. haha
I dont know if I have the patience left in me to learn this 😂
It's fun that the notion sponsorship isn't skippable and is a key part of the video. Makes ad watching more comfortable
every time i see people doing tbr lists and plan reading this thouroughly i am amazed-- i am neurodivergent and i literally just read and buy books as i go so i cannot fathom this but i love to see it!!!!!!!!!
between the frog and toad pics and planning and notion and the sofa full of books + talk about books this video was perfect
Yeey for Notion. I also use it for everything, as well as keeping records of library visits, notes, and logging books. I use the gallery view, because I upload the covers. It looks so cool
Is Notion really free? Or do I have to pay at some point in the future to keep my lists? Sounds to good to be true haha.
I just finished Slewfoot and I really enjoyed it!! It starts a little slow but ends strong. I think it would be the perfect October read if you like to plan for ~seasonal~ vibes.
whenever i look at my notion book reading list i get the feeling, that it looks like a journal from a game where my quests are listed. i love it. thanks for showing us notion.
left hand of darkness is my absolute favourite book i read last year ❤️ my partner encouraged me to read it (he also said i could try „the dispossessed”, but that it’s very different and i would probably not like it as much, so maybe „left hand” could also be more up your alley). i can’t remember the last time a book made me cry so much, it was very emotional and the relationship between the two main characters was explored beautifully. the gender aspect of the book was very interesting but for me the story was also about different aspects of patriotism and xenophobia, it also has a great political intrigue. but i should also warn that for me it was a slow book, so don’t expect rapid twists and turns, in my opinion Ursula LeGuin’s writing is slow but steady, beautiful and flowing. I also highly recommend The Earthsea series by her, it’s just pure literary magic.
I'm so excited to see you prioritizing The Starless Sea and Strange the Dreamer! I hope you love them as much as I do; they're some of my all time favs❄️
I agree must read The Starless Sea. I loved The Night Circus. Listened to TSS on audiobook and it was great. Eventually I'll read it in paperback.
This year, for the first time, I made a list of book from my unread pile that I wish to read. And for the first time ever I got right into it; so far I finished reading 2 from that list and third is ongoing. The happiness I felt after crossing those books from the list encouraged me like no other to read more
not only an entertaining watch, but very helpful too! i will certainly look into using notion for reading lists and a school to-dos +what ever else i need to organize outside of my chaotic brain. Excited for this year of reading, thank you Leonie!
I'm so bad with sticking to the TBRs. I'm very rarely buying physical books, instead I have a kindle list, a library, and a shelf on Storytel. With library and Storytel it is very easy to add stuff, but not so easy to actually prioritise, and remembering what I even wanted to read.
I've a lot of mediocre books recently, so maybe it is my call to get the notion, cute frog thumbnails, and get down to planning!
Left hand of darkness is soooo good in my opinion. I have read it as a teen, it really opened up my mind on the topic of gender and how it could not affect our lives as much as it does
I just finished organizing my books for this year in Notion as well, it literally took me a week but it was SO worth it 😭
Downloaded Notion with your link. I had already planned my reading for the first few months. I had paper lists that I had to cross-reference with Goodreads. Within Notion, I set up a database with information about the book (name, author, genre), what platform I had it on (audible, print, kindle, library), and the planned reading month. I was then able to generate some dashboards that showed how many of my January books I have completed and how many are left. Cool tool!
I have a lots of unread books. So what I did is use this spin wheel thing and put all the title of the books I have. I don’t do TBR because the pressure of wanting to finish it is stressful. Just enjoy reading. That’s all that matters.
I use google sheets for organizing my reading plans.
It is great because I can set up functions to calculate for me how many pages I "should" read per day / per week in order to "be on track". For it to work I need to increment the week number, and when I finish a book I change its page number to 0, so the function recalculates the recommended weekly and daily reading dosage. It makes me so happy!
i have a huge physical TBR (80ish books. yikes) that i bought years ago and i am just starting to get back into reading again after a long time of not reading. the way i encourage myself is not buying books until i remove a decent amount of books off my shelf. the only "planning" i do is take 1-3 books and out it on my side table and rotate through those. i hope one day i have a bookshelf full of books i truly enjoy only.
Can't wait for your review of The Starless Sea! I read it twice (and I NEVER re-read) and it still feels like there's enough undiscovered beauty and unnoticed connections to read the third time. Be ready to get your mind blown though.
A dowry of blood was very well written but it's kind of lyrically written and you can only read it when you have like a relaxed mindset to fully experience it.
The switch was a 5* for me, I really enjoyed it. I read it in 2 days and devoured it.
Do you think you could do a video showing us how you set up your notion? I absolutely love how it's laid out and I can't quite figure it out.
I plan from month to month because what type of book I want to read it changes a lot during one year
This year I just shopped in my own physical/audio books! I set a goal of 26 (in the hopes I would average out a book every 2 weeks, which is quite realistic for me) - but I loved your process :D
I'm really happy to see house of leaves on your tbr, even though it's likely you won't get to it for a while, because it's one of my favorite books ever. I will say it is a tiring book to read, not because of the slowness (although sometimes) the suspense can keep you going, but the format makes it a little difficult at times. Definitely read something else that is more lighthearted at the same time.
I know this is a long time ago, but I wanted to say I love seeing how you planned your books for the year! This year is the first I've done any real planning, and it's a lot less specific. I'm theming my TBR around the US monthly observances (so like, May is Asian American Heritage Month). I'm saying at least half of the books I read each month have to be aligned to that month's observance by author and preferably also theme. I've been planning at least a few books a few months ahead, and discovering more along the way, and I'm really enjoying it and learning so much! I'm really excited about June, which is Pride Month!
Please do a video on your bookish trend predictions for 2023! I'm very curious now☺
I have been trying to get away from the quantitative aspects of reading these days, and I love your approach to creating your book list for the year. I've been thinking a lot about how I read when I was younger-- I never rated books with stars or set goals for the number of books I wanted to read each year. I just read went to the library, browsed books, and read. I'm trying to get back to that, and I think your planning approach is perfect for that :)
would highly highly recommend moving jade city up on your list
i'm on the last book of the trilogy rn and it's one of the best things i've read in years
i think you'll whiz through VW. it is short & it's non-fiction.
love your frog and toad aesthetic!!
no planning at all for me. i just keep track of what i read on storygraph
I keep a list called "next", which I review each January and remove or add books that I want to read that year, try to limit it to 15 or so. Usually includes what I didn't get the change of reading during the "Guadalupe-Reinas" reading marathon, but I do want to read in the near future.
I started using Notion last year mostly for keeping track of my expenses and planning my daily routine, and some time ago, I thought it would be great to use it for organizing reading lists, too. Your video really inspired me to do so and helped me to come up with an image of how it can be done. Thank you ❤️
I apologise in advance for the length of this comment but I am very excited 🤣 My Notion 2023 TBR has 284 books on it and they're separated by month amongst many other things because of, you know, the neurodivergence.
You are going to fall in love with the absolute ✨vibes✨ of The Starless Sea. It's a meta book about stories, so it's really ~no plot, no characters, just vibes~. A lot of people have beef with that but it's my favourite fiction book, so I can't wait to hear you talk about it. Also predicting you'll love The House in the Cerulean Sea and Legends & Lattes because they are so heartwarming they're like a hug in book form. Less intense atmospheric vibes than TSS but immersive nonetheless. Strange the Dreamer is FANTASTIC and very dreamy indeed. The sequel is just as good. I agree it's going to become a new favourite for you.
I have the same issue with Le Guin: I love the premise but I am very bored by the execution. I really liked The Dispossessed but DNFd The Left Hand of Darkness. I would suggest you pick up her essay collection
Dancing at the Edge of the World instead. You get her ideas without the boring sci-fi.
A Dowry of blood was... fine, but it's a cheap imitation of Interview with the Vampire, so you may want to read it before Anne Rice. Rice is going to hurt all of your feelings, but like, in a good way. Rilke is as good as Marcus Aurelius, and you'll love it, but you seem to have very lighthearted expectations of this book and it's a lot more depressing than that.
I tried to read The Wolf and the Huntsman and there was a surprising amount of mutilation in it, but the entire plot is there to serve an enemies to lovers romance, so you may actually like it. I thought it didn't have much else going for it and I DNFd it, but I don't usually enjoy YA romance, so take this with a grain of salt.
Recommending literally everything T. Kingfisher has ever written to you, because her dark cottagecore vibes are off the chart.
I have 200 unread books on my physical tbr.... I'm trying to bring it down to 180 this year but we'll see. Ofc I'll want to buy new books as well and then that'll make it even harder to achieve but a girl can dream!
Just found this, you make a beautiful planning space. I just started and only use an excel really. I use it to both keep track of what I read as well as what I'm planning to read (and sometimes which music I plan to accompany a book). For the year I just plan 1 or 2 long series and then fill in the gaps.
I plan about 2800-3000 pages per month (not that the number matters, but I've found I can consistently get around that number in). The basis each month is usually a chunker from one of the longer series (currently reading Malazan and stormlight archive). and then later I'll fill up the month(s) with smaller series, at least 2 ebooks, and I try to read a short story collection at least every other month this year.
Of course the lists are completely flexible so if I get recommended something on youtube or by a friend I might just throw something of the lists and read that instead (This is how I threw everything off balance by suddenly starting a 900 page 'Lonesome Dove' read because of a friend; go read it, its awesome).
I would love to see you try StoryGraph instead of Goodreads, I think it will help with focusing a bit too much on the rating. Also, the recommendation algorithm is superior and helps you filter your tbr to books that you're in the book for right at that time. Would also make a fun video?
YES! I love the filters and the trigger warnings and moods on Storygraph so much - and the GRAPHS! Exactly what my little reader hard needed to motivate me to read again! And it just keeps getting better, because they're still improving it day by day! :)
Can you do a video that goes deeper into how you created your notion pages? I am trying to make a Board like you have for your TBR, Reading, and Completed and I can't change any of the titles and it's super frustrating. They updated it and there are NO videos explaining how to use the new boards. It's absolutely maddening that you can't just easily change the info.
Pleaseee attach the book notion template aaaaaa I would love to use it on my notion! I’m still so lost in using it
can you please please please share all your notion templates you showed here??? Please!!
Slewfoot is absolutely AMAZING you'll love it i think
THE STARLESS SEA. YES. 100% a NECESSARY read... it's beautiful in so many ways.
I usually make a plan of the books that I want to prioritise every month, though I don’t always get to all of them because it’s nice to have a list of books you’re already hyped about ready for every time you finish a book (or when you want to start a new one 😂).
For this year I have made a custom reading challenge with prompts that fit with books that I had on my list for a while and want to prioritise and this way I will hopefully get to them. It’s not really necessary for it to be a reading challenge but I love the accomplishment I feel when I see the overall percentage raise 😅
It’s going to be hard not having my list of books that I want to read reach unrealistic numbers though with all the great recommendations that I’m finding on book tube (and your channel is especially good at predicting books that I will like)
Ahhhh, I really think you'll love Strange the Dreamer! Honestly the blurb didn't really set me up for much, I was surprised by how much I liked it. Also, the person who recommended it to me highly suggested I get both books, which normally isn't a good idea because you don't know if you'll like it, but most people do and the second book starts right where the first one ended so it's very much worth it.
You should also definitely read Laini Taylor's other series (if you haven't already), I loved that one too (although it's a bit different in vibe).
I started planning my reading a couple of years ago when I decided I would read Harry Potter for the first time. I also started trying to prioritize reading books that I had owned for a very long time without reading them (some were on the shelf for over a decade like House of Leaves). This year I'm focusing on closing the very large gap in that I've read very few Stephen King books (which dovetails nicely with reading books I've owned for a long time, embarrassingly). Also I'm trying to branch out into some genres outside of my comfort zone with some traditional classics and maybe some westerns.
Thank you for introducing me to Notion! I can finally feel organized lol. It's a good feeling!
Laini Taylor's Strange the Dreamer is a duology with Muse of Nightmares. When you start reading Strange the Dreamer, if you find yourself really enjoying it within the first 50 pages, then go ahead and get the sequel. I liked Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy much more.
I agree with Daughter of no Worlds
Strange The Dreamer is such a good book and I hope you get to it this year!
extremely late to this, but I read A Room of One's Own in one single sitting when I was in college and it really made me think a lot about life in general. defo recommend, very accessible with very universal ideas.
I did something similar last year. I made a list of around 20 books that I really wanted to read. I only got to half of them, but I liked most of them and even found some favourites! and bc I was enjoying my reading I ended up reading more than previous years! I plan to do this this year again, I think prioritising your reading is a great idea and it really works lol
I love Notion too, but just a note for people who want to use it to organize your life: I'm pretty sure they still don't have end-to-end encryption. So I would not store sensitive information like passwords or finance data on my Notion.
Nettle and Bone is so good. It was one of my favourites from last year. I think you would like it.
Annihilation was sooo good i liked the book more than the movie!! + the book was creepier which makes it ten times better ^^
I've only seen the movie and was a little disappointed. It was quite good, but I was expecting it to be a bit stranger. And inside of the Shimmer it looked so... glossy and blurred, the cinematography there could've been better. They could've gone for a better look. I did like the whole last part at the lighthouse and how freaky the movie gets, would've liked more of that vibe. Pretty good movie, but I can imagine that the book is better
I love you leonie❤
Legends and Lattes was very cute and can be read in an afternoon. So cozy and fun.
you are such a comfort creator
I love your process, and so many of the books you mentioned have been favorites I've already read (and some are books that I am hoping to read soonish). I do make a priority list, and I make priority stacks of the actual books that I might want to read in a particular month or season. It helps me not forget a title that I had perhaps saved for that specific time of year. But this year I'm, so far anyway, consciously choosing to be more spontaneous in my book choices, but also aiming to read more books I already own (or can get for free at the library) instead of adding new books to my already overflowing shelves. We shall see how that all goes.
This video comes at a perfect time! I just started a reading journal to keep track of what I read every month and to write mini reviews, thoughts, doodles, and even new words I learn. I love journaling and fountain pens, so I went the analog route haha!
Btw!! I started reading the folk of the air books by Holly Black because of your recommendations and omg! It is THE Holly Black who has published with Cassandra Clare! Every time I see your videos I think of how much you would enjoy the fantasy world created by Cassandra Clare. She has written a TON, but I've been reading her books for like 10 years and I truly think that a great starting point is her Infernal Devices trilogy. It's set in the 1800s, has the BEST love triangle ever written, and definitely has a bit of a dark academia tint to it. Cassandra Clare also includes the fae in her fantasy world, in a similar vibe to Holly Black, but she focuses more on fae characters and storylines in other series (in case you feel inspired after the infernal devices haha!). I thought I would recommend it since they have a very similar vibe if you are in the lookout for even more books to add to your tbr lol
I plan my reading, but not once a year, I do so at the beginning of each month :) I choose 9 books to read for the following month and I try to put in my list books that I already own as much as possible :) I rarely read 9 books a month, I think it happened once, I'm mostly around 4-5 books a month.
I like your way of organizing in Notion. I wish I can make a tbr but I'm more of a mood reader so what I do is a list of prompts that I want to read this year and try to mach my books with those prompts.
I'm happy to be here! I think I'll copy you with the 20 books to really prioritize because looking at my general TBR can get a little overwhelming.
I saw Rebecca in your general TBR. I think that would be up your alley too.
The House in the Cerulean Sea is my favorite book! I hope you enjoy it
A room of one’s own is really good and still really interesting
I really enjoy looking at physical/virtual planners like notion, bullet journals etc. but I feel like designing it would take so much time that I wouldn’t have time to actually do the things I plan.
I use Microsoft OneNote to plan in a similar style. The notes are arranged in notebooks which roughly correspond to projects I am working on. Each notebook as a list of items that are To-Dos. The To-Dos may have bullet points indented below with steps needed to complete them. As they are completed they get strike throughs. I like doing that rather than deleting them because it keeps the record of what I have done. Usually, near the start of a new year, I take my current set of completed To-Dos and move them to a 'Previous Years To-Dos', which should all be stuck through. I may also remove items I am not going to do and put them in a 'did not accomplish' archive. Finally, in day-to-day use, I try to choose three items from whatever I am working on and do those three things. If I finish one, I may choose another to add that day depending on the complexity of the other two. Occasionally, if things get stuck, I might stop focusing on my top three and start working on a few easy To-Dos that I know will take 15 - 30 minutes or less each to start getting a sense of forward momentum.
On a different note, Changeling: The Dreaming and Changeling: The Lost might be of interest for their lore. They can be fun to play too, but that might impact reading goals.
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would love to see your bookish trend predictions!!
wow this was so helpful, i’ve been trying to figure out notion and have been overwhelmed
I had similar goals - to read books I already own, and if not to read books I can get from the library.
I use Notion to track my physical TBR and prioritized 12 books I want to read
I also looked through my library list tag on goodreads and picked 9 books I'd like to read from there.
Of course, plans change with book clubs and new releases but I'm happy with my list (and yours!) so far! :)
I plan my entire TBR for the next year months in advanced lol. I update it periodically until I am finally happy with what I decided. I also plan what order I will read the books 3 months ahead. I just made a list from March-May. Sometimes things do not go as planned though haha
Thank you for the motivation to make a reading goals notion page ❤Personally, A Dowry of Blood was one of my top reads of 2022, and is my favorite vampire book (and that's saying something believe me). As for Annihilation, it is not like the movie in a lot of ways so beware when you read it, they have pretty different vibes.
Never been this early to your videos omg! Happy new year, Leonie ☺️✨
Ahh love this! I literally just finished organising my books so this is so fun to watch! Also i brought the stolen heir the other day as it was on sale and i still need to read the queen of nothing so definately want to start that! Xx
I've just been going to the library. I take a screenshot of the book on the library's website so I have the call number ready. I have a priority folder for the ones I want to read the most.
i love thisssss! congrats on the sponser Leonie! Also, how did you do that up and down arrow to track how many books you've read this year? It looks so cool!
i have a book rec for you! stalking jack the ripper, it’s really good and very atmospheric. with a perfect for a rainy dark autumn day in london vibe
That cover of Legends & Lattes is gorgeous I've never seen that version before!
I actually just finished listening to the audiobook of The House in the Cerulean Sea and teared up multiple times at work because of how sweet and lovely it was. Can only recommend it to anyone who might be on the fence about it.
The audiobook is also very fun because the dialogue has this British tinge to it but is read with the most neutral American accent.
I discovered Notion from your old videos and I love it so much!! I use it more for goals and my online shop stuff. Don't know if I'll do it for books but is definitely a game changer. Thank you!
I love notion. I use it too. I was so excited to hear that you will be using it for your book planning because I can really geek out over it. I think having your list on notion will make it fun to check off the list.
The Starless Sea is one of my all time favorite books. I just reread it at the beginning of the year and annotated a copy of it for my bff
The only way I plan my reading (or more specifically, the books I buy) is to have a 10 book wishlist. I try to leave them here for at least two weeks before buying so that way I don't impulse buy. If I hear about a book that I want to be on the list I just replace it for one of the pre-existing ones. I did this last year and it was such a good reading year for me, I only read books that really tapped into concepts or ideas that really interested me and I had almost no DNFs.
You can also do this with clothes, videogames, etc
So, yeah. That's my advice. Good day, everyone
How do you use Notion boards?? You should do a full tutorial on Notion if you can get it sponsored again because Notion is extremely confusing and online tutorials I have found do not work on my board pages.....
Ok, looks I'm off to make some cute lists and plans for 2023. I definitely need to tackle down my physical tbr.
I have around 300 unread books 😭 and during a year I read about 50 😬 and of course I buy new ones. And a lot of them. I should stop doing it and start prioritizing. I wil try your method. Thank you for the video
Please read the Left Hand of Darkness! I adore it. I fortunately got to study it way back in highschool. It's on my re-read list!
Leonie: curates a perfect reading list for 2023
Me: gives up and reads fan-fiction for 6 months straight
that was so inspiring, creative and helpful🫶🏼
i just absolutely love ur videos!
I started really seriously reading again in March, which means I didn't do any of that traditional Late December Early January planning. I AM keeping track of what I've read so I can make graphs about it at the end of the year, though
Love it, I'm a recently Notion user, this is a new option for me, thank you for the tour.
I've already seen a bunch of people rave about the starless sea but im gonna add my thoughts to the mix as well because why the hell not- it is absolutely EXQUISITE imo but i do get why it's a hit or miss for most people. for instance I've recommended it to a few people but they all weren't fans of it (much to my despair and delight). i think you need to like a very SPECIFIC genre to actually adore this book. it's the only hardcopy i own and no regrets because can we talk about the absolutely gorgeous cover-
i demand you to read vita nostra!! it is one of my favourites and yet barely anyone has read it! it has (imo) wonderful atmosphere and writing and is so wonderfully strange ! i would love to hear your take on it :)
I read the Southern Reach trilogy (annihilation is the first book) when I was in a really bad place. These are not "good vibes" books. At all. But it's a literary miracle. It's powerful. The movie was good. There is so much more in the books. SO MUCH MORE. I read the three books twice. It helped me a lot. Made me think differently. It crawled under my skin. I was thinking about a tattoo of one specific quote.