I have discovered that for some titles my interest level diminishes over time. A new release that I don't read within the first few months of it's release will start to fade, whereas there are some titles I have been dying to read for years and still have a high interest in reading. It is very gratifying to read something you are interested in reading when your interest level is high.
I finally just started "The Beautiful." It's been in my stack forever... And yet I also keep getting distracted by stuff I've picked up at the library because that feels like it's on a deadline.
You cracked me up. I think your stressful work situation is taking its toll, since you swore more on this video than in all the others I have seen, combined. ( I don't mind at all.) Kudos to you for colorfully mixing up the swearing. My worst parenting fail moment occurred in 1992, after my boss gave me a pile of Michael Chrichton books. My then 11-year-old was a good reader. I told him he could read them. I had read Jurassic Park, so I assumed they would be OK. He finished a whole book before reporting to me, "Boy, there sure was a lot of bad language in that book!" He had been in Christian schools for 3 years. I was horrified at my neglect at screening his reading, but it was too late. So I said, "Oh, really, did you learn any new words?" The little stinker animatedly responded, "No, but I learned some new combinations!" Now he is 40, an engineer, and reads Japanese fantasy in Japanese. 😅
The ‘Pile of Shame’ is so relatable. An Indian Booktuber and I found that that since we had been disappointed a lot, we haven’t read the books we kept to read later.
I loved Catherine House! It really is just vibes though lol. I loved our weird, disassociating, unmotivated protagonist. I understood her so fully and, in many unfortunate ways, identified with her. I appreciate all the kitty footage 🥺 they're precious
I think of 3 stars as average. I don't regret reading them, but I probably won't read them again or think much more about them in the long term. I've stopped pre-ordering most things, sadly. I can't keep up!
Ugh it’s a bit of a bummer when that happens, but I’ve definitely noticed my excitement to read a book cool once a lot of mixed/negative reviews start cropping up depending on what the general criticisms are
I don’t read any romance but your comments reminded me of the general lit conversation on the filmification of books, and authors being driven to write more cinematic scenes in hope of adaption, especially in the reese Witherspoon production company / book club era, so perhaps that has transferred , maybe even subconsciously, into the romance genre too.
Just to say reading vlogs tend to be hit and miss for me with a lot of youtubers but I loved every single one I've watched from you so far, they are just the right blend of soothing, fun and informative.
I think we all have a pile of shame-- especially those of us who are mood readers. I HAD to have Lincoln Highway (Amor Towles) on the Release Date (early Oct). Yup, it is still sitting on my TBR. I will read it and enjoy it... but who knows when?
I'm so glad you mentioned the bug features in White Smoke because that was on my TBR but I have obsessive compulsive disorder and bugs are at the root of a lot of my obsessive thoughts and can trigger my compulsions. Since it's not really a "trigger" topic, I don't usually get warned about bug talk, but if I know it's going to be an issue, I'll respectfully skip the read.
Really loved this blog, Mara! And it was an interesting mix of titles too. I haven’t got to Catherine House yet but another youtuber compared it to Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill and I really enjoyed that one so hoping I’ll like it! If I do, I’ll pick up Madam. I hope work has calmed down a bit for you now!
Once again, really loving the vlogs. They make my book-loving heart so happy because I don't have a lot of people to discuss books with in my day to day life and these "chatty" videos are just the thing! I liked the theme of this vlog because this is something I've only just begun to deal with myself. Book buying bans are not my thing, but I've definitely decreased my preorders to allow myself to catch up because I wasn't reading what I was getting, lol. I really liked your insights into the value of 3 star reviews too. TFS!
love this video idea but honestly, I don't feel shame about pre-ordered books that I haven't read because the main reasons I pre-order books are 1) to get the best price (pre-order price guarantee) and 2) because hardcovers often go out of print, or the first printing has something special about it, so I don't want to miss out on that. I really enjoyed Pride and Premeditation and I'm the one who usually has such exacting standards for historical verisimilitude 😂
100% agree with everything you said about 3 stars. I'm really sorry to hear that work has been stressful! I hope things get better soon. Also, there is something that always melts my heart when a pet responds when you're talking about them. My dog does it all the time. I'll say his name and he'll like wake up from his nap like "ah, yes, time for Rico," It's the best. Kitty footage is always fantastic.
Hiya beauty coming to you from Internet Cafe as ISP/LAN still down almost 2months. Stupid Spectrum major jerks and destroyed SIgnal Relay stations. Hate them hard. OK--so appreciate the Eve Dallas challenge. Life saver because ereader down. ALso working my way thru Invisible Library. Picked up NF Stolen Focus which looks great. PS super disappointed with John Greene book. Really brief essays and appreciate his transparency about his emotional health etc but really needed more content. Have a great weekend. Looking at wall2wall yerd werk AND planning super bowl snack menu.
I really love your channel and whole vibe! I just recently discovered you. I relate so much with work being really stressful and reading being such a comfort! I also like your criticisms of books because they're fair and honest and help me pick out good ones. :)
oof yes, I am very familiar with the Preorder Pile of Shame 😅 really liked your discussion of 3 stars! I feel like for me 3 star books can be either of those things - I tend to most often think of 3 stars as being books that if I could go back and use that reading time for a different book, I would, but that's not always the case! And I've found as I read more there's more and more variation in what a 3 star can mean - it used to be exclusively a disappointing book, but now I feel like I have more kinds of 3 stars / more examples of books that aren't the disappointing kind really hoping work calms down for you at least a little! 💕
You really sum up a 3 for me as well. Three is something I like, enjoyed, and am not sorry I picked up. Four is something I really liked and am so glad it came into my life. Only books that I would read more than once, would recommend to most of the people I know, or are seminal do I give a 5. I also don't give a lot of ones. One is for things I DNF'ed or I found distasteful in a fundamental way. Two is for something I feel "meh" about. LOL Hope this makes sense.
I am loving all the vlogs you’ve been doing recently. Vlogs are very relaxing to watch, so it’s fun for me to see more on my feed! I think you’re also very on point when it comes to 3-star books being kind of maligned. For me to even get through a book, it usually needs to be good enough to get at least a solid 3-star from me, as I will often DNF something that I find poorly executed, super boring, and/or problematic. This can make it seem like 3 is a low rating, but it actually means you wrote a book that I was engaged with enough to read the whole thing, haha.
I'm so glad you talked about The Boyfriend Project. I saw it at my local bookstore and almost bought it. After your review, I felt vindicated for not buying it. ☺
Yes, three star reviews and three star books are valuable. I enjoy the way you vlog. Sorry work has been so stressful. Hope it improves. If not, at least you have good books to escape into. Take care. And scritches for Marple and Hastings.
I really want to know what you think of Gods of Jade and Shadow and The Beautiful when you get to them! I really enjoyed The Beautiful as YA romance that isn’t toxic for once (this genre and I are gonna fight I swear), but Gods of Jade and Shadow…oh, that book is so good. Better than Mexican Gothic imo.
I find a lot of those "this would make more sense in a movie" scenes in thrillers. It's almost like the writing shifts from an actual narrative to a script without proper formatting and it just feels clunky
Oh my gosh I’m so embarrassed!! I swear I usually check my spelling! Obviously I meant to say pile not puke.😂 Also, I just got a kitty of my own😊. I re-homed him. His name is Wesley and he’s my baby🥰 But Marple and Hastings- double the adorableness!
Hello! Would you think the same of the 3 stars reads if instead of invested 1 day was a week? I usually read 1 book per week, and i dont read everything thinking is going to be 5 stars, but that i'm going to enjoy it. So, for me 3 stars can be memorable or forgetable. I mean, haven't you read some 3 star book that you keep thinking of? I think either way that a 3 stars book is at least entertaining, so, not waste of time! This video was very satisfactory to watch! Have a nice day, Mara, E.
I agree with you on rating something a three star. I feel like people will think I didn't enjoy the book, but typically for me a three star means it was a nice, cozy read that I enjoyed. But it didn't necessarily rock my world and I may pretty much forget the majority of the story in another week, but while I was "there", I had a good time.
This was a fun vlog! I've read Catherine House three times; after the first read I knew I loved the book even though I couldn't say why. After the next two reads, still couldn't tell you why I love it lol! I guess maybe it's the vibes for me? It's not a thriller, not much of a horror (I think Madame was more disturbing), there really isn't much action, and I don't relate to any of the characters, but I Iove being in that world and know I'm going to read it again soon. I am in the house and the house is definitely in me lol!
The bed bugs in White Smoke made me itch sooo much, I hated it. Didn’t enjoy that book or Catherine House 😂. This has inspired me to get to books that have been on my shelf for a long time 👀🥴
I've not seen anyone else compare Catherine House to Madam, but that's exactly how I felt! I read Catherine House first (hated it) and then Madam (also hated it) and while my problems with them were not exactly the same, my reading experience was! I even made a note about Madam reminding me of Catherine House and what my angry brain called "emotionless nonsense"! 🤣 I also thought I was getting two thrillers... which... just... no.
I also don't get the "3 stars means a bad book" thing. Officially 3 stars on Goodreads means "I liked it". I have no idea how people are translating that to "This book was bad".
Maybe the authors who do the "it would be better in a movie" thing are thinking ahead and hoping some bigwig will see it and think it'd make a great movie.
No I'm sorry, and I'm 100% confident Jess Owens will back me up, but there was literally no point in Catherine House like 💀😭 Mexican Gothic is so much better, simply because there was something 😂😭 Edit: Omg not White Smoke too! 😅 I'd actually be interested in your thoughts about "Mexican Gothic" just to see if you think it's an effective story if that makes sense? 🙈
I have discovered that for some titles my interest level diminishes over time. A new release that I don't read within the first few months of it's release will start to fade, whereas there are some titles I have been dying to read for years and still have a high interest in reading. It is very gratifying to read something you are interested in reading when your interest level is high.
I finally just started "The Beautiful." It's been in my stack forever... And yet I also keep getting distracted by stuff I've picked up at the library because that feels like it's on a deadline.
Absolutely me. At least Library FOMO is free, but my owned TBR has been giving me the stink eye for quite a while. 😅
Haha same!!
You cracked me up. I think your stressful work situation is taking its toll, since you swore more on this video than in all the others I have seen, combined. ( I don't mind at all.) Kudos to you for colorfully mixing up the swearing. My worst parenting fail moment occurred in 1992, after my boss gave me a pile of Michael Chrichton books. My then 11-year-old was a good reader. I told him he could read them. I had read Jurassic Park, so I assumed they would be OK. He finished a whole book before reporting to me, "Boy, there sure was a lot of bad language in that book!" He had been in Christian schools for 3 years. I was horrified at my neglect at screening his reading, but it was too late. So I said, "Oh, really, did you learn any new words?" The little stinker animatedly responded, "No, but I learned some new combinations!" Now he is 40, an engineer, and reads Japanese fantasy in Japanese. 😅
It’s very satisfying to watch someone clearing out book that have been hanging around the physical TBR for a long time. Well done!
It really is!
I was between a 3 and a 4 for White Smoke. Mostly because of what you mentioned.
The ‘Pile of Shame’ is so relatable. An Indian Booktuber and I found that that since we had been disappointed a lot, we haven’t read the books we kept to read later.
I loved Catherine House! It really is just vibes though lol. I loved our weird, disassociating, unmotivated protagonist. I understood her so fully and, in many unfortunate ways, identified with her.
I appreciate all the kitty footage 🥺 they're precious
They are unironically the lights of my life
I think of 3 stars as average. I don't regret reading them, but I probably won't read them again or think much more about them in the long term. I've stopped pre-ordering most things, sadly. I can't keep up!
Hey, sending you hugs. I hope things get easier at work 🧡
Ugh it’s a bit of a bummer when that happens, but I’ve definitely noticed my excitement to read a book cool once a lot of mixed/negative reviews start cropping up depending on what the general criticisms are
I don’t read any romance but your comments reminded me of the general lit conversation on the filmification of books, and authors being driven to write more cinematic scenes in hope of adaption, especially in the reese Witherspoon production company / book club era, so perhaps that has transferred , maybe even subconsciously, into the romance genre too.
I'm so glad you read a good chunk of these. I actually liked all the books you read haha that I've also read.
I'm so glad!
Just to say reading vlogs tend to be hit and miss for me with a lot of youtubers but I loved every single one I've watched from you so far, they are just the right blend of soothing, fun and informative.
Yay, so glad you are enjoying!
I think we all have a pile of shame-- especially those of us who are mood readers. I HAD to have Lincoln Highway (Amor Towles) on the Release Date (early Oct). Yup, it is still sitting on my TBR. I will read it and enjoy it... but who knows when?
I looooooved Catherine House and feel bad for everyone who didn’t love it😂😂 still super excited to get to Pride and Premeditation!
It is a super fun book! I think you will like it so long as you are not married to historical verisimilitude 😅
This was GREAT and encouraged me to start on my own stack of shame!
omg I have that same lil kitty cubby hole for mine! haha! The beige/tan one from Targetttt woot woot!
God bless Target!! :D
Piranesi, best book of last year. Go on, read it. Magical
It will definitely happen!
I'm so glad you mentioned the bug features in White Smoke because that was on my TBR but I have obsessive compulsive disorder and bugs are at the root of a lot of my obsessive thoughts and can trigger my compulsions. Since it's not really a "trigger" topic, I don't usually get warned about bug talk, but if I know it's going to be an issue, I'll respectfully skip the read.
Really loved this blog, Mara! And it was an interesting mix of titles too. I haven’t got to Catherine House yet but another youtuber compared it to Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill and I really enjoyed that one so hoping I’ll like it! If I do, I’ll pick up Madam. I hope work has calmed down a bit for you now!
Oh interesting, haven't even heard of that one! I hope you enjoy both CH and Madam if you get to them :)
@@bookslikewhoa Thank you!
Once again, really loving the vlogs. They make my book-loving heart so happy because I don't have a lot of people to discuss books with in my day to day life and these "chatty" videos are just the thing! I liked the theme of this vlog because this is something I've only just begun to deal with myself. Book buying bans are not my thing, but I've definitely decreased my preorders to allow myself to catch up because I wasn't reading what I was getting, lol. I really liked your insights into the value of 3 star reviews too. TFS!
Aw, yay, I'm so glad you are enjoying! I am enjoying making them so... wins all around
love this video idea but honestly, I don't feel shame about pre-ordered books that I haven't read because the main reasons I pre-order books are 1) to get the best price (pre-order price guarantee) and 2) because hardcovers often go out of print, or the first printing has something special about it, so I don't want to miss out on that.
I really enjoyed Pride and Premeditation and I'm the one who usually has such exacting standards for historical verisimilitude 😂
Considering I keep preordering... my shame is clearly not running too deep... :D :D
100% agree with everything you said about 3 stars. I'm really sorry to hear that work has been stressful! I hope things get better soon. Also, there is something that always melts my heart when a pet responds when you're talking about them. My dog does it all the time. I'll say his name and he'll like wake up from his nap like "ah, yes, time for Rico," It's the best. Kitty footage is always fantastic.
I knoooowwww, their little ears perk up when they can tell I'm talking to them and it melts me every time
Hiya beauty coming to you from Internet Cafe as ISP/LAN still down almost 2months. Stupid Spectrum major jerks and destroyed SIgnal Relay stations. Hate them hard. OK--so appreciate the Eve Dallas challenge. Life saver because ereader down. ALso working my way thru Invisible Library. Picked up NF Stolen Focus which looks great. PS super disappointed with John Greene book. Really brief essays and appreciate his transparency about his emotional health etc but really needed more content. Have a great weekend. Looking at wall2wall yerd werk AND planning super bowl snack menu.
I really love your channel and whole vibe! I just recently discovered you. I relate so much with work being really stressful and reading being such a comfort! I also like your criticisms of books because they're fair and honest and help me pick out good ones. :)
Welcome!!
I agree that Catherine House is ✨art✨
I'm so glad you had fun with Pride and Premeditation. I thought it was perfect for what it was! I cannot wait for the next book.
oof yes, I am very familiar with the Preorder Pile of Shame 😅
really liked your discussion of 3 stars! I feel like for me 3 star books can be either of those things - I tend to most often think of 3 stars as being books that if I could go back and use that reading time for a different book, I would, but that's not always the case! And I've found as I read more there's more and more variation in what a 3 star can mean - it used to be exclusively a disappointing book, but now I feel like I have more kinds of 3 stars / more examples of books that aren't the disappointing kind
really hoping work calms down for you at least a little! 💕
Yeah, I agree - 3 stars ends up being pretty much a catch all for me
You really sum up a 3 for me as well. Three is something I like, enjoyed, and am not sorry I picked up. Four is something I really liked and am so glad it came into my life. Only books that I would read more than once, would recommend to most of the people I know, or are seminal do I give a 5. I also don't give a lot of ones. One is for things I DNF'ed or I found distasteful in a fundamental way. Two is for something I feel "meh" about. LOL Hope this makes sense.
I am loving all the vlogs you’ve been doing recently. Vlogs are very relaxing to watch, so it’s fun for me to see more on my feed! I think you’re also very on point when it comes to 3-star books being kind of maligned. For me to even get through a book, it usually needs to be good enough to get at least a solid 3-star from me, as I will often DNF something that I find poorly executed, super boring, and/or problematic. This can make it seem like 3 is a low rating, but it actually means you wrote a book that I was engaged with enough to read the whole thing, haha.
I'm glad you are enjoying them! I'm enjoying making them so... more to come :D
I'm so glad you talked about The Boyfriend Project. I saw it at my local bookstore and almost bought it. After your review, I felt vindicated for not buying it. ☺
"Wickham... Wickham -ing." I died....a true OG Love to hate character.
God, do I love hating him!
I've been enjoying your reading blogs! Such fun. I'm looking forward to more.
Glad you like them!
5 books for the week is super! Love your videos! Thank you for making them!
You are so welcome!
Yes, three star reviews and three star books are valuable. I enjoy the way you vlog. Sorry work has been so stressful. Hope it improves. If not, at least you have good books to escape into. Take care. And scritches for Marple and Hastings.
I hope so too!
I really want to know what you think of Gods of Jade and Shadow and The Beautiful when you get to them! I really enjoyed The Beautiful as YA romance that isn’t toxic for once (this genre and I are gonna fight I swear), but Gods of Jade and Shadow…oh, that book is so good. Better than Mexican Gothic imo.
I will definitely get there... someday!
I find a lot of those "this would make more sense in a movie" scenes in thrillers. It's almost like the writing shifts from an actual narrative to a script without proper formatting and it just feels clunky
Really loved the music in this vlog and the theme!
Glad you liked it!!
Watched while wearing my Hastings and Marple sweatshirt 😊. Great job getting that puke down!
Love it!!
Oh my gosh I’m so embarrassed!! I swear I usually check my spelling! Obviously I meant to say pile not puke.😂
Also, I just got a kitty of my own😊. I re-homed him. His name is Wesley and he’s my baby🥰
But Marple and Hastings- double the adorableness!
This was really nice to watch. I also am looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the new Rebecca Roanhorse!
It's so good!
Hastings and Marple look they are questioning the camera when you get a close up.
Ok so this reminded me that I own Unequal Affections and now I need to read it!😅
LOL it's really fun! Hope you enjoy
Bed bugs definitely makes White Smoke horror .
I’ve heard great things about ‘Pride and Premeditation’. Happy to see it!
What do you do the books you don’t like
Hello! Would you think the same of the 3 stars reads if instead of invested 1 day was a week? I usually read 1 book per week, and i dont read everything thinking is going to be 5 stars, but that i'm going to enjoy it.
So, for me 3 stars can be memorable or forgetable. I mean, haven't you read some 3 star book that you keep thinking of? I think either way that a 3 stars book is at least entertaining, so, not waste of time!
This video was very satisfactory to watch!
Have a nice day, Mara,
E.
I certainly agree - I'm FAR more disappointed in a tome that is three stars that a book I can get through in a day or two
I agree with you on rating something a three star. I feel like people will think I didn't enjoy the book, but typically for me a three star means it was a nice, cozy read that I enjoyed. But it didn't necessarily rock my world and I may pretty much forget the majority of the story in another week, but while I was "there", I had a good time.
I totally agree!
This was a fun vlog! I've read Catherine House three times; after the first read I knew I loved the book even though I couldn't say why. After the next two reads, still couldn't tell you why I love it lol! I guess maybe it's the vibes for me? It's not a thriller, not much of a horror (I think Madame was more disturbing), there really isn't much action, and I don't relate to any of the characters, but I Iove being in that world and know I'm going to read it again soon. I am in the house and the house is definitely in me lol!
It definitely have vibes in spades!
Love your book reviews!
Glad you like them!
You are giving me some inspiration to get to my shelves of shame. Mary (Not Kurt)
The bed bugs in White Smoke made me itch sooo much, I hated it. Didn’t enjoy that book or Catherine House 😂. This has inspired me to get to books that have been on my shelf for a long time 👀🥴
The bed bug thing for me was proof that her writing is great because it ICKED ME OUT so if that was her goal, mission accomplished
I've not seen anyone else compare Catherine House to Madam, but that's exactly how I felt! I read Catherine House first (hated it) and then Madam (also hated it) and while my problems with them were not exactly the same, my reading experience was! I even made a note about Madam reminding me of Catherine House and what my angry brain called "emotionless nonsense"! 🤣 I also thought I was getting two thrillers... which... just... no.
LOL glad I'm not the only one who see the parallels!!
I was disappointed with White Smoke as well. I loved it until the end and then the ending ruined it for me. I wanted much more from the ending.
So here for all of Mara vlogging
Can you do a review of the 2022 Death on the Nile movie adaptation ?
It will be up on Tuesday! :)
I also don't get the "3 stars means a bad book" thing. Officially 3 stars on Goodreads means "I liked it". I have no idea how people are translating that to "This book was bad".
At least something interesting happens with Mr. Hurst😂
It's okay if you have not read a book, in your collection. I think reading can be moody thing. Buy what you want, read when want.
Maybe the authors who do the "it would be better in a movie" thing are thinking ahead and hoping some bigwig will see it and think it'd make a great movie.
If I give a book a three-star rating, that usually means it's neither good or bad. It's just "meh."
No I'm sorry, and I'm 100% confident Jess Owens will back me up, but there was literally no point in Catherine House like 💀😭 Mexican Gothic is so much better, simply because there was something 😂😭
Edit: Omg not White Smoke too! 😅 I'd actually be interested in your thoughts about "Mexican Gothic" just to see if you think it's an effective story if that makes sense? 🙈
If the comparisons are White Smoke & Catherine House... odds are low at this point... :D
The flip side is horrible, such an awful guy