Tag Archives: booktube

Top 5 Wednesday: Books You’ve Read Because of Social Media

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Hey beautiful people, welcome to another Top 5 Wednesday as hosted by the lovely Sam @ Thoughts on Tomes. I always love talking about this kind of topic because 98% of what I read and buy is from seeing people haul them or recommend them on some form of social media. Here’s the topic:

September 27th: Books You’ve Read Because of Booktube/Blogging/etc. 
–Discuss the books you’ve picked up because you’ve heard of them in the online book community or platform you use.

I’m pretty sure we can all say at least five books that we’ve read because of people we watch/follow on YouTube, a blog, twitter, etc., so here are my picks for books (novels) and comics (because this is my blog and I do what I want).

Books

adsom

5. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Considering I just finished and reviewed this, this book is definitely on my mind. This was a hugely hyped book when it first came out, and subsequently the sequels were also super hyped, and I’ve gotta say: I get it now. It was such a great, fast-paced read, and I’m very excited to read the next two books soon. I don’t know exactly who I would’ve seen recommend this, but I know a lot of people did.

daughterofsmokeandbone

4. Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

I remember watch Kat @ Katytastic one day (or several days) and how in a lot of videos she would talk about this book series. Well, I read it, fell in love with it, and this trilogy is in one of the top five spots of favorite series ever. So yeah, I’m super glad that I found this series when I did through Kat.

annaandthefrenchkiss

3. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

EVERYONE AND THEIR MOTHER WAS RECOMMENDING THIS BOOK AT ONE POINT. Actually, the whole companion trilogy was being recommended because they were such cute romance YA novels that everyone was reading and loving and so I had to jump on board. And I agree: very cute. I still haven’t read the other two, but I’ll get there eventually.

myheartandotherblackholes

2. My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

I remember Jesse @ Jessethereader talking about this book in several of his videos, and when I watched his review I knew that I would really like it. The subject matter is intense (trigger warning for suicide and depression), but those are also topics that are just near to my heart. I remember enjoying the read, though it was a tough one for me to get through emotionally.

shadowandbones

1. Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Okay, I’m pretty sure I saw a huge rise in this book series everywhere, but I definitely think I picked up this series finally after watching Sam @ Thoughts on Tomes recommend it all the time. It’s one of her favorite series and as I’ve read the first two books in the trilogy, I’ve gotta say that I’m hooked (and love Nikolai <3). It’s a beautiful world with lots of danger and I love it.

Comics

youjin

5. You Jin by Fujoking

I spend a lot of time on Instagram (like… way too much time lol) and this popped up in the explore section several times when I was just browsing photos. So when I read it (not on Lezhin’s website), I really enjoyed it. It’s a boy’s love (BL) story and though I can’t really remember everything that happened I do remember that I read it all and liked it and wanted a bit more.

ratqueen1

4. Rat Queens by Kurtis Wiebe

This was probably one of the comics I picked up when a lot of people on YouTube were reading it and recommending it. It wasn’t necessarily my cup on tea from what I remember, but it wasn’t bad either.

royalservant

3. Royal Servant by Master Gin

This was another one of those reads that popped up a lot on Instagram and so when I read it (again, not on Lezhin until later chapters when I actually discovered Lezhin), I was hooked. The content can be sensitive sometimes, but the plot is getting better the farther along it goes and I’m actually really invested in it now.

sirenslament

2. Siren’s Lament by quimchee

This one wasn’t actually recommended to me via social media (but Rayna, this T5W is about–) SHH, I KNOW! It was actually recommend to me in person by my best friend, and since reading it I’ve been reading it faithfully every week since (or when there’s a new update because sometimes authors have to take breaks, too, you know?). It’s a really cute and beautiful series. (Not all cute, some of it is funny or intense or mysterious.)

sagavol1

1. Saga by Brian K. Vaughan

Okay, this comic was recommended everywhere on YouTube and it’s actually one of my favorite comic series I’ve read. It’s very intense and violent and sexually explicit, but it’s still a good story. Also, I’ve owned the 7th volume for months now and haven’t read it yet. Like… what am I doing with my life?

I could go on and on about books and comics I’ve read because of social media, but these are the first five that came to mind. Honestly, would I even have read any of these books without being a blogger and being on social media as much as I am? Probably not. I’m so thankful for the ones I have read and so glad others like them as well.

Honorary Mentions

shatterme redqueen fallingkingdoms darkfever

 

Am I A Reader?

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amiareader

Recently there was a lot of drama going around the book community, mostly on the Booktube community, where a content creator made a video belittling Booktubers because they “wear makeup” and that they go to events like Book Expo America (BEA) and Bookcon, and that they don’t read certain kinds of books or book titles, or that all of them only go to get the same eight books. I’ve seen a lot of rebuttle going around, as well as some positive vibe hashtags floating around Twitter, but I watched a video by JBookLover who touched on this topic of am I a reader?

So, let’s start with the basics of what makes a reader:

  • You read books.

That’s it. Quite simply put in the very basic scope of things, this is what makes you a reader. You read books. Many of us in the book community are extremely passionate about books and, yes, it can and often does become more than just a hobby for some of us.

Some people get it in their minds that you have to read a certain amount of books to be declared a reader, or that you have to have read all of the great classics, or that you have to own a certain number of books, or only read a certain genre, or any number of things.

But really, you don’t. You can do whatever you want when it comes to being a reader.

You only like to read mystery books because you love the thrill and trying to figure out who did what on your own? Awesome!

You like to organize your shelves by color and even double stack because, let’s be honest, you don’t have shelf space and you need to fit them somehow? Do it!

You prefer to read eBooks and listen to audiobooks over reading physical books because of the ease of space and the convenience of carrying around a device that can hold thousands of books? Super!

You enjoy going to book signings, book events, wearing makeup (or not), doing Booktube, Bookstagram, Booklr, tweet about books, AND you have a book blog? Great!

All of these things do make you a reader, but also so, so, SO many other things make you a reader. It doesn’t matter if you’re male, female, or however you identify yourself. It doesn’t matter if you like wearing makeup or not or whether or not you read a lot or a little.

The fact that you read is enough to call yourself a reader.

I know that sometimes you may feel pressured to read certain books because everyone seems to be reading the same books, or to read a certain number of books to keep up with everything being published that you’re interested in, or that you need to have already read and liked every classic ever, but really?

What you read is enough.

So am I a reader? Hell yeah I am. I’ve always loved to read. I love Young Adult, adult, fantasy, sci-fi, contemporary, first person perspective and third person perspective, and more, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I meant to discuss this earlier this week, but I’ve been crazy busy, so I apologize that this post is so late and that I’ve barely posted all week. But I thought that this topic was important to discuss, so here we are!

Let’s Chat! ≧◡≦

What do you think about this topic? Did you ever assume that you needed to read certain books or have certain requirements in order to call yourself a reader? Have you ever been to BEA or BookCon or any kind of book event? How were they?

Love-a-thon Bookshelf Challenge

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loveathon-1

Hey peeps! More fun things are happening with Love-a-thon, including a Bookshelf Challenge! This challenge was a super fun one and it was mainly for those who have their own Booktube channels. As I have one, I decided to do this challenge!

Check out my challenge below because I found it pretty awesome and hilarious:

The challenges for this were:

Apart from that, we’re doing a BookTube tag challenge called the Love-A-Thon Bookshelf Challenge! You’ll need to pick books based on the color of their spines as listed below, and then follow the prompts – all in your video. Don’t forget to use the #LoveAThon hashtag!

RED: Flip to page 119, and find the first line of the third paragraph. This line is the first sentence of a book about you.

ORANGE: Flip to page 3. The first name you see when you crack open the book is your book BFF.

YELLOW: Flip to page 185. The first body part mentioned is where your superpower is.

GREEN: Flip to page 238. The first place mentioned is where your book is set.

BLUE: Flip to page 45. The first name you see when you crack open the book is your book boyfriend/girlfriend.

PURPLE: Flip to page 77. The first adjective used describes your book boyfriend.

PINK: Flip to page 94. The first name you see is your fictional nemesis.

BROWN: Flip to page 216. The first object you see is your weapon of choice.

BLACK: Flip to pages 198, 228 & 146, and find one name on each page. These people will be your apocalypse squad.

WHITE: Flip to page 28, and find the second sentence of the fifth paragraph. This is the last thing you will ever say in your book. (Or is it?)

Not only that, but there are also three hosts on YouTube to help out around that platform:

Go check out their videos and channels when you have the chance!

Who would your book boyfriend/girlfriend be? What about your apocalypse squad? Follow the rules above and let me know!

Hosts: Alexa, Cee, Hazel, Mel

Shoutouts (Part 2)

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Hey guys! I’m here with another round of shoutouts where I give some people that I follow on various platforms some recognition because, well, they’re awesome! Definitely check them out when you have a chance. Also check out my first round of shoutouts to see other awesome book people.

Blogger

AlexaLovesBooks – I recently started following her a few weeks ago and I love her content! She’s very thorough and concise when it comes to reviews and she talks about a lot of interesting topics. To top it off, she also cohosts various events, such as Love-a-thon and Flights of Fantasy. Definitely give her a look if you haven’t already!

Booklr

books-cupcakes – I’ve been following her for a while now and I love the content she puts out. She reblogs a lot of beautiful pictures, but she also has a lot of great original content, too, such as the Book Photo Challenge. It’s a fun event and she always keeps pretty positive whenever she talks about things. She also has a shop on Red Bubble, which I’ve purchased from before and I love her designs!

Booktube

ThoughtsonTomes – I’ve been following Sam for a while, probably a year now, and I love love love her content! She’s always so talkative and thorough in many of the subjects she talks about. She makes me laugh and smile and I think that’s really important when it comes to Booktube: connecting with the audience. Definitely check her out because she’s just a great person.

Bookstagram

Tris_has_a_nook – I recently (as in the last week) followed her and her content is so cute! I love seeing books on bookstagram and how people are so creative when it comes to pictures and she is no exception! She also has lot of pictures of her cat and her and her boyfriend, which are just as equally adorable. Check her out!

And there you go! Some awesome people who talk about books. Definitely check each of them out because each of their content is great.

As I’ve said before, I’ll try to do these shoutouts every now and then to recognize some awesome book people across the book community on multiple platforms.

If you have any suggestions for shoutouts, please let me know!

Booktube Bible-a-thon

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Hey peeps, I wanted to talk about the year long readathon I plan on participating in. It’s one that I’ve been wanting to do on my own for a while, but now I’ll have people to do it with so… Incentive!

That is the Booktube Bible-a-thon hosted my Maureen Keavey on YouTube! It’s going to be hosted as a year long readathon because, well, the bible is a long book to read and doing it in a year following a plan seems to be the best way to go about doing it.

Now, I am a Christian, and I’ve read a handful of the bible, so this is the perfect opportunity for my own personal growth in my relationship with God as well as a way to actually read through the whole bible.

The reading schedule is posted on the video’s description box, but if you have the Bible App by Lifechurch.tv just choose the Chronological reading plan with the Blue Letter Bible and that’ll be the plan that’s going to be used.

It’s running from October 4th to next October in 2016. A full year!

There’s also a Goodreads group up for discussion if you want to join in there.

If you want to join in, please do! I’ll make occasional updates or just post a wrap up at the end of the year. Just because it says Booktube doesn’t mean it’s only happening there – it’s just where the main host posts about it.