I totally agree that BookTube is "not made" for slow readers. Just as a reader I kinda feel bad sometimes that I can only read 2-3 books a month and not 10. I usually make seasonal wrap ups, because that way I can talk about more books in a video. I also feel that I want to put more creativity into my "basic" BookTube videos, but that is more of a personal preference, so I agree on that one as well. And BookTube do really make us buy more books. When I didn't watch that many book related videos, I rarely bought books, but as soon as I started watching them regularly...💸💸💸 I remember that I watched your videos back in the days and I am happy that I found your channel again.😊
I'm not a booktuber, but please, please, please do NOT feel bad for your reading pace. No one should ever feel bad about the pace they read at. If reading makes you happy, do it and make videos about it at whatever pace is comfortable for you. I totally understand why book tube gives people this vibe though. It can come off as very commercial and really snooty to people who can't keep up with that pace.
YES for non-native english speakers, booktubing and reviewing can be kind of stressful, especially if you're a perfectionist and don't want to use the same words over and over again to describe words. Or when you can't remember a certain word...
I had an idea about starting a booktube...but realized that it would be a hell of pressure and stress as I'm not native English speaker(although I am almost advanced) so now I need to figure out how to share with people about my book experience and etc
@@nigorathesufferer5613 I feel these comments in my soul. I suffered from the same issues, but now I will start a booktube channel anyway! FUCK MY ANXIETY AND PERFECTINALIST MIND!
I was thinking... for slow readers.. it might be a good idea to start a chanel with 3 other booktubers. That way they could post more often (youtube likes that) by taking turns. That could be a fun alternative.🤷🏼♀️
My critic about BookTube: all the Booktubera reads a million books a year, and as a slow reader- whose English is a second language- it always made me feel not good enough. in addition most booktubers (at least that how if feels) seem to talk only about YA novels- and i am way past that point in my life. Lastly- all the books in the background made me feel strange about not having my books on display- most of what i read now is digital, and i don't read the same book twice and although i have many many books they are safely stored in boxes (which are safely stored in my closets. Except for one box that was left in the garden until a mama bird decided to nest on it, which led to most of that box content to be thrown away). Oh- alao book hauls a boring and give you little to no information.
Hodaya yep I wondered if there’s a void in booktubers that discuss adult book more than YA. I’m 37 and read a lot of great books but not all of the stuff the booktubers read. First of all I’m male so I’m not into romance and I’m also not into fantasy. That wipes out quite a bit of what booktubers who happen to be mostly female are reading. Then you factor in that I don’t read much YA and that makes me different than the run of the mill booktubers. I like horror, thrillers, suspense, true crime and memoirs. I don’t ever hear anyone talk about Dan Brown and that blows my mind. Some of the booktubers are starting to try to get into Stephen King which is great except that most of them think a book 500 pages is big yet most King books are much larger. That’s another thing about books read measured in quantity but I rarely read books less than 700 pages and a lot of book they are reading are shorter so the number of books is higher. I read a 1200 page book and they read 5 300 page books and it’s 5 to 1 but really it’s not that much different in page count. There are so many great books out there and it should be about what you want to read. Not because you think you need to read more diverse books to be politically correct and all of that stuff. Who cares if a man or woman wrote the book? Just read what you like.
@@ramblinrussell I think you'd enjoy the channel paperbackdreams, she reads a lot of thrillers (also some YA, but she ads graphic novels, one or two memoirs and some contemporary), though I think she tends to read thrillers and suspense that's targeted for a younger audience. But maybe you could give it a try?
I honestly don't know you, this video got recommended to me and i clicked haha. But i really feel the same about not reading in college! I was always the biggest reader till i had to read too much for classes and i just could not read in my free time anymore. Now im starting to work AND starting to read again (also thank to public transport on my way you work).
I stopped watching youtube videos over a year ago. Everyone always recommends the same books. It's so obvious that booktubers are paid and work just like an influencer. They are just sales people and i doubt they read as much as they say they do. For a long time i kept buying books they were so thrilled with but they never worked for me. 98% of the time i ended up hating it. Also the really BIG youtubers started in their early 20s and now are in their 30s but still read the same teenage ,predictable books while acting like they are 15.
"I was sick of talking about the same books in every single video" yeeeeees! I don't think you ever got too bad for that but around that time period I could click on any "favourite series" video on booktube and guess at least 8 of the entries (9 if the person didn't exclude Harry Potter) it got THAT generic. I always really liked your videos and I'm glad your back trying something new 😊
I get frustrated when I can't finish a book fast enough and feel like I'm not getting traffic because I don't really read populars books when they come out due to my budget and lack of time on my hands in general
“why would anyone watch [your] channel?” the thing is I do follow Emma and Flick and others, but I never watch their videos, I don’t even know why. But I always watch yours because I really love them very much, mostly because of your personality and this video only confirms it again. P.S. love the sunflowers in the back 🌻
Your English is perfect, I didn't get any difference between a native speaker and you! English is my second language too, and though I read mostly English books I sometimes struggle a lot, especially when reading those hard-boiled classics. Honestly Booktube is about the competition and nothing else nowadays. It started as a comfort place on the internet, it was nice to see people lost in a book and discussing it afterwards but soon it became all about the drama. I don't feel like I'm missing something now that I stopped watching these videos.
Trust me, I'm an English speaker and I can barely get sentences out half the time. I can't really comprehend being able to speak multiple languages and having to switch between them. You're doing perfect!
Welcome back! I think it's interesting just seeing different personalities and their perspectives. I really enjoyed hearing what you had to say, as a new booktuber I definitely feel the pressure of conforming but I'm also a slow reader!
I’m a slow reader too! That’s why I listen to audiobooks. And oddly enough but I read faster on ereaders. Back then I think there were people (no one I followed so idk who) who didn’t consider ebooks and audiobooks as reading XD but anyways that’s no longer a problem anymore (I don’t think)
As a native English speaker, I would just like to say that your English is better than mine is some days so you definitely needn't feel self conscious (though I get that it may just seem that way thanks to editing). Also, years ago, there was a movement called "The Slow Food" movement to counter the Fast Food culture that was kind of ruining what was once a pleasurable and nourishing activity. I think it's time to start an analogous literary counterculture movement that focuses on the process and the savouring and enjoyment of reading and ideas rather than the pressure and achievement of simply finishing books (I think the podcast "3 Books" and Book Tube channel "Books are Better Than Food" are good examples of this)
As a small booktuber, I've run into a lot of these same problems. It's nice to know I'm not the only person who has felt bad for only ready 3 books in a month! Love this video
1) i don't care about watching tbr videos because i also don't make tbr lists for myself, and the videos don't tell me if the book is good or not. 2) same with book hauls, like you said, no opinion because you haven't read it yet! And i bought SO MANY books when i started watching booktube, and i regret a lot of the purchases now, but oh well! I now try to only buy books i know i'll like or that i've alresdy read. Great video!! Can't wait to see more in the future 😁 and i think your personality is comfortable to watch in videos, and videos like the one where you dress up are so cool!!
I don't have a booktube but i watch booktube videos. And i have so many books that i bought and now i'm not really interested in it. for example i bought all of the john green books i saw in a store without knowing what it's about, because of the hype of the fault in our stars, and funny thing is i only read turtles all the way down and that was my latest john green purchase.
Hello! I am aware this video was made about a year ago, still...I relate to what you said about not being willing to read in your spare time because of college. Fortunately, it gets better. In my case, I finished school this year, and I love having time and the desire to read again whenever I have a chance. I really missed it. Oh, and also, I remember the first of all your videos I ever watched, it was so funny, about how to annoy a reader. I do think you are a great actress, and as for English as you SL, I relate to that too, but honestly, I think you shouldn't worry, you are clear and very fluent.
I personally prefer your energetic, quirky, (*foute*) And frankly endearing way of expressing both your taste for, and vehement distaste of certain books to those dime a dozen “Hey y’all Here’s my totally unfiltered opinion on this one book I recently read, pls validate thx” kind of reviews. You may find it hard to draw a distinction between yourself and those other booktubers, but what your specialness really boils down to is that, In the case of watching your videos, I actually remember not just the book at hand, but the person behind the book reviews. PS: Full disclosure, I am Dutch so there may or may not be some patriotic bias at play here. 😼;) But alas, I stand by my point.
To be fair it’s only similar to tv if you’re only reading simple easy to read books. Reading books that are more difficult to understand or have difficult language is not the same. But even then it’s not quite the same. T.V you are passively accepting, while books (whatever kind)you are using brain power to make out the words and understand them, in some instances even imagination. There is an excellent book called what the internet is doing to our minds, and the book shows numerous studies that t.v and computer make us more impulsive. Worse than that, we use so much of our brain capabilities to understand the complex layouts in t.v and computer that there is little left for memorizing. Books on the other hand don’t have complex layout, you have a little blank part and written text that’s it. With all that said, I recommend you watch Black Sails, phenomenal show and most definitely my favorite by far.
This perspective was necessary. When watching television your brainwaves go from beta waves, which have to do with active thinking, to alpha waves, which put the viewer in a relaxed/passive state. When reading you are in the beta state, therefore reading books is more engaging. I just recently got back into reading & I can see how much more imagination & brainpower it takes. The way I like to look at it is: Watching television is like having someone drive you somewhere, while reading a book is like driving a manual transmission vehicle yourself. It may not be perfect but it sort of gets the point across.
I feel you on TBR videos, I'm also a mood reader but I never understood it. Talking about books in a TBR video and then talking about those exact same books in the wrap up, I just never thought that people would want to see two videos of me talking about the exact same list of books so I've never made them! I'm a few months late lol, but lovely to have you back! Looking forward to seeing more of your videos!
I read pretty fast, but i end up completely stuck if I set a TBR and i might not read a thing for a week until I realize why. I'm like rebelling towards myself. I'm too old for this 🤣
I know this video is old, but I've been watching booktube for many years now, and I have never found a booktuber more relatable than you. It's really hard to relate to people who read like 80+ books a year and that have a giant bookshelf, when you only have a few and you only read like 30 books a year lol
You were the reason I discovered BookTube in May 2017 and started my own channel, So I will always be very thankful for you. So I am glad I never de-subscribed. I get it. I can be really excited but I am not overly enthusiastic outwardly. You get all the Oscars. Whether you read 1 book or 30 books a month. You are valid. haha you are very eloquent, I legitimately went back and watched all your videos when I discovered your channel. I think I have and we all grow in as we make videos. I use to be insecure about reviewing as well, but the more consistency and time the more I get at explaining my thoughts and nuances. At any rate, welcome back I look forward to seeing you grow as well as adventure with unique content
I relate so much with you even though I don’t have a booktube channel. I’m a busy law student that struggles to pick up books for fun after having to reads thousands and thousands of pages about law. I also wish I read more but time is not much and it’s hard to stick with a TBR. My advice is release yourself from all that pressure and do the content you enjoy. A lot of your viewers are also not native speakers, so we’re not as critical as you think.
You ask why anyone would watch your channel when there are so many other Booktube channels, but, the funny thing is, you’re the only Booktuber that I watch. Like, I really like that there is a whole community on TH-cam that makes videos solely on books, but apart from a video every now and then, it never really interested me. You were (and still are) somehow an exception 😄 I can totally relate to you on being a slow reader and the fact that even if you are really excited and happy about something on the inside, it doesn’t show on the outside. I’m like that when receiving birthday presents, haha. Also, that guy just singing outside your window at 14:01 😆 Always good to have another video from you, Leonie. Regardless of how long it has been 💙
I'm new to your channel and I'm looking back at some of your old videos and this one resonates with me. A big reason I subscribe to a channel is if I feel the person's personality/vibe/demeanour is compatible with mine. Age is not a factor, most youtuber's are younger than me. I'm middle-aged and I prefer a style that's more chill, relaxed, calm etc. Regarding your point about exaggerated enthusiasm that's something I don't like. I'm turned off by channels that are super enthusiastic, over the top, energy cranked up to 11 all the time. Anyway to wrap this up I really enjoying your channel. I like seeing the artwork you do and in general watching a variety of topics that are book related or book adjacent. Looking forward to more videos.
Loved hearing your perspective on booktube - I just started my channel and want to use it to motivate myself to read more (instead of turning to netflix, lol, though I also appreciate your comments on watching movies/tv!) and connect with other folks who just love reading. Good reminder to just be myself, talk about what I want to talk about, and have fun. :)
My favorite type of booktube videos is vlogs. Theyre peaceful, and I like to watch them while im doing daily life things too. Im so glad you returned, and created your own style. Im skimming your older videos, and you’ve really come into your own! Thank you for all you do! 😊
This video is book haul therapy for me! I try to do intensive single book reviews lasting 10 mins, but man oh man do I wish I had rapid reading speed and infinite money to do book hauls 24/7
First up, I love the singer! Make him a regular feature. I'm brand new to booktubing but I'm not much into TBR or hauls myself. English *is* my first language and it takes me 10 attempts at a sentence too! Looking forward to your stuff!
Hey! Good video, I totally understand why you felt like you had to take time off of booktube! I find it funny that the reasons you left sync up so much with my preferences and personal experiences as a reader. I stopped watching many generic booktubers because they always make the same video. I don't get any enjoyment from book hauls or wrap-ups, because it's always the same formula. I much prefer watching a booktuber that let's their personality shine through! I always enjoyed that in your video's: you being yourself made me like your video's so much more, independent of what you were actually talking about. Also, it's actually good to have booktubers here who don't read 10 books each month. We as readers feel like we should do that too, seeing them raving about sooo many books each month. It's simply something I cannot keep up with! I have work, friends, I need to cook, clean, workout, sleep. If I manage to read 10 pages in an evening, it's already a good day! So I would prefer having booktubers who read 2 or 3 (or 1 or no) books in a month, and tell us about them. Makes me feel understood! Maybe a nice video idea: just film while you're reading a book. Tell us when you've got a thought after a chapter, just talk to us about the book in a very non-official booktube way. A bit like vlogging while reading? But in the way that you like it. P.s. English is also my second language (Dutchie here!) and I struggled to find some of these words. Even though I studied physics in English haha.
i can relate so much, I'm just going to accept that i don't read as much as other booktubers and hopefully that will make other people who watch booktube realise that that's okay and that we don't have to feel pressure! also yay for dutch and thanks for the video recommendation :)
I never know what I'm going to read. Whenever I go to the library they are like "can I help you find anything," and I'm like... no I'm just going to wander around and round up a bunch of books that look good and try to winnow them down to a reasonable amount to check out."
I think it’s great that you have chosen to do only what you personally enjoyed doing instead of what you thought you “Had” to be doing. I think there are many more people who see many of these very similar booktuber videos which flood TH-cam and in which these BookTubers follow the same formula. Most people wonder why Booktubers do this and they don’t actually like it. So, as a result for example in this video where you explain what you felt it feels very honest and real and I prefer this much much more to watching any booktuber make their cheesy book haul video.
Thank you, Leo, for continuing to post videos. Many Booktubers seem to adopt personas that are unnaturally perky, quirky or jerk-y and that become wearisome over time. You, however, come across as very genuine.
You were fresh, definitely not in any way generic, very creative, funny, your English is fluent, keep doing you and you will do just fine. I like the way you pointed out that you need to explain more other than just giving the synopsis - that is rare in booktube community :D Just read at your on pace, people come for the content and you and your personality, regardless of the number of books you read. When I came across your channel I binged through it, and I'll continue watching every video you put up. Thank you for all the hard work. xx
Omg I so agree with the fake enthusiasm thing. I'm like dead silent and stone faced for the majority of the time when I'm alone, so I can see how faking it would be awkward AF
So im late to the video and im not a booktuber but i can relate to so much of this. I read 2-3 books a month and consider that a good number, but compared to booktubers, im still a slow reader. The enthusiasm thing is really relatable too. If its getting a great gift or passing a dance audition or anything, im always really happy on the inside but don't know how to show that enthusiasm on the outside and so people assume that i dont care, that im in a bad mood or that im just ungrateful. I found your channel a few months ago and really enjoy your personality and the way you talk about books!
This is my first video of yours but you are so funny and enjoyable to watch. I’m so happy I found this video, and I can’t wait to watch more of your videos
Regarding your English, I was about halfway through the first video of yours that I saw before I even had a suspicion that you were not a native speaker.
Old video and I think I even commented on this at the time with my old account, but coming back a year later: I'm so glad you came back and are making these unique videos!
ok, i got to the end... 1) do nit punish your younger self for perceived m8stakes! same as writing books, you can't expect the first draft to be as good as the final product! but it is necessary to get there! your english is amazing and i'd rather watch someone stumble honestly than bullshit eloquently! having said that, if you ever need the right word for stuff my twitter handle is the same as my youtube handle! always happy to help! i personally love rave and rant reviews... i skip all the hashtag BS and go looking for reviews! i love shredding racist books, misogynist books, misandrist books especially as so much joy can be found in watching them! * not seen anyone shred homophobic books but i'd like that too... but also gushing about their favourite books with enthusiasm and stumbling over their words and whatever... personally speaking now: i had a mental breakdown and i only read romance heavy fluffy books... everytime i try and return to fantasy they kill iff my favourite character sofor fantasy i only read shira glassmen now! i recommend romances for that and am happy to recommend authors eho nake me happy/uplifted... and after you mentioned your unboxing face... i would love for you to dryly/unenthusiastically/deadpan review super fluffy romances... i feel yhat could be super funny! twitter is the best place to reach me usually but feel free to message me here! i think you're awesome! i'm glad you came back!
Woww, you actually pointed out all the things of booktube that unnerves me. Like watching book haul or wrap up videos really make me anxious. Being a student I can only afford 2-3books/month & read them along with all the textbooks 🤦 :(
This was such a helpful video! I just started a channel and feel all of those pressures as well. And I'm also a non-native speaker! For me a realistic wrap-up is between 3-5 books and there is definitely no way I could do one of those "I read 5 books a day" videos. This reminded me that I just need to stay true to myself and do the type of videos I like to make 😊
Even us native English speakers stumble and have trouble with our own language. Also, eloquency is definitely a word, so don't doubt yourself. I am still a fast reader, but I never in my life read 10 books in a month unless you count childrens books, but today I have to find time because of two active little boys. My other problem is I love to write and when I am writing I don't read because my imagination can only do so much before she overloads and then there's the inner gamer who doesn't want to read or write, but wants to play because I want to act out the adventure instead of reading or creating it, if that makes sense to anyone. Basically, giving my muse a vacation. I think any booktube channel should be how that booktuber wants it to be and you should give yourself a break to reassess if necessary. Personally, read a book when you have time then make a video with your review. If it's once a month that's fine or once every two weeks also fine, my thing would be to try and let your subscribers know the planned schedule. You don't have to always stick with it, but I have noticed in all communities people either worry or get angry if there's no consistency, most people generally worry. Me, I am patient and will worry if it's been at least three months because I know life can be chaotic and uncertain. Keep up the good work and don't stress over the language or if you feel you are a slow reader, what's important is that you enjoy what you do.
I know this video came out nearly 18 months ago but I just wanted to say you and Daniel Greene are my absolute favourite booktubers. Keep up the great work!!!
Didn't see u before, but super happy I watched ur video. watching it feels so real and we can relate 2 most of it. ( It feels so refreshing and nice too btw ) I always kept feeling bad about myself 4 not being able 2 stick with all the "standards" of a good reader like buying bunch of books or reading 5 to 10 books monthly etc... I'm a fan already , good to have u back! ❤️
I can relate to soooo many of the things you're saying!! I definitely make generic content & I find it very difficult to come up with super creative and unique ideas which sucks. But at least I enjoy making the videos that I do make. Still so glad to have you back girl! :)
Honestly, I watch hauls only from my favourite booktubers, because it's otherwise very repetitive. Like i'll just be hearing different people give the exact same synopsis about the same books. I also really don't like bookshelf tours, they're too boring. I was also never fond of "Most Anticipated Books of [Insert Year]", because again, they're all the same. What I really like in booktubers is their personality, and their sense of humour. I like your skits, and your general vibe. Honestly, your videos feel like a chat with a friend over a cup of tea.
I really am tempted to make a book tube. You're an inspiration to be honest and I really like your sense of humor. I'll watch any video you make, however long it takes you to make one, haha
I went through (still going through I guess) something similar you describe in this video. I am not saying I felt pressured to do the book hauls, tbrs or wrap ups on my channel(English not my first language either, and I have a channel in my mother tounge, I do plan an English one, fingers crossed for that one), but after 2-3 years I got tired of the structure of these videos. I felt I was doing nothing special, and it did not give me the booktube vibe i felt at the beginning. I stopped doing videos for a half year, and even before that I started to upload less and less videos. I do see a pattern here :D Now, I am trying to get back and I am trying to do it differently. I am discovering again the love for recording and editing and uploading the videos. At the moment, I am making longer videos, without that many cuts, and I will try and launch another challenge kind of formatum on the channel, and now that makes me super excited. Love your channel, and the recent videos, I would love to see you do more and more of the creative and more discussion based videos.
As a slow reader myself I can agree the tbr and wrap ups don’t work for me either and I don’t usually linger on one book if I happen to take forever to get through it as I try to avoid reading slumps as much as possible and I find that helps me read more in the long run #slowandsteadywinstherace
Omg I just got recommended your unhaul and was like WHY DID I NOT SEE THAT WHY AM I NOT SUBSCRIBED ANYMORE??? So in other words I’m so happy your back and that I found you again 🥰🥰
It is good you are back and I totally understand why you needed to take a break. Glad to see you back. I subscribed to your channel as I love to read only about 3books/month as I am an author
Haha, loved seeing this. I agree so much with lots of what you're saying. It's a big part of what I've been feeling as well. The obligation to make TBRs etc. got too much for me, plus I was honestly just looking at the views and engagement too much for me to really enjoy it as a hobby. By the way, sweet to see Bookly Bird make a cameo! I remember watching it when it came out; really appreciated you putting it up at that time. I do greatly understand that in general your reaction is always a bit bigger than what it really is. I'm the same really when I receive a package and that's being an extraverted person. Also: Book of Lost Things! For me, I'm still trying to figure out what format to put TH-cam/BookTube/AuthorTube in and have figured it's just blogging and writing for me for now. Great to see you back and hope you'll enjoy Booktube more from here on out and put up what you feel like putting up!
From watching too many booktubes, I jumped on the Classics bandwagon eventhough English is not my primary language. I wanted to like it but the traditional English put me into a reading slump. The influence made me guilty. Now I know better and will not force anything. I'll slowly work my way there 😉
I totally agree with a lot of the things you've said. I don't mind the traditional booktube videos but my favourite videos are the ones that are different or discussing things book-related but not necessarily a wrap-up or review (like bookish pet peeves etc.). Also, my only problem with the traditional type of videos are that they feel very repetitive to make and to watch (a reading vlog and wrap up are kind of the same content). I do still enjoy these videos though (and as a newbie, they help you start out) but not as much as other types of videos. Sorry for the long comment 😂
I discovered your channel a month ago (that's why I'm watching this old video now) and I just wanted to say I love your channel because it's different. Yes, you read few books each month, but your reviews are always so on point! I have a really different taste, but even when you loved a book I didn't like, I agree with your review. And the same when I loved the book and you didn't like it. I don't think you'll read this comment because it's an old video. But your channel is great!! Also, I don't like hauls videos either, most booktubers have hundreds of books in their shelves they don't read and I hate that because they are promoving to buy and buy and buy things they won't use. I love that you only have a few books in your TBR and that you go to the library :)
I came across your channel and something that stuck out for me was this idea that you "need to do what everyone else is doing." If that was the case, we would literally be watching the same things over and over. What makes your videos unique IMO, is YOU. Being different is a thing on youtube. Just kidding, it's a thing everywhere. My point is that being different can sometimes be better than being the best. Also, folks like me, don't have a need to read 20-30 books a month...
We basically have the exact same story and reasoning behind stopping booktube 😬 We should be proud of doing videos in English and non native speakers!!! (I’m learning Dutch right now btw 😂) I started hating book hauls and still tried to make them for such a long time because they got many views 🙃
Listen. Technically English isn't my first language either, but I speak in it the most, and YET, every single video of mine takes a billion years to edit because a 10 minute video has 40 minutes worth of footage! You got this! I love watching you :)
I just want to say that I follow some TH-camrs that read 2 or 3 books per month. I watch them because I like their book analysis. In terms of your style to talk about books, well it is your style and it seems that 16,000 persons liked it. I have seen some TH-camr who have improved in their videos overtime. There is always room to improve but I watch some very creative TH-camrs and other that are more conservative. In my case, what I look and follow is the way a book is going to be analyzed. I love book hauls because I'm not a person who used to navigate in social media, so in book hauls I can see what are the new releases. There are TH-camrs with fantastic book taste, different, unique and they used to mentioned books I never heard of. But we have to respect other decisions. Wish you luck in this stage of your life.
I have another problem with wrap-ups. I noticed that when I do them I include books I don't want to review or don't really have something to say about and somehow I can still manage to have 30 minutes of raw footage where I barely need to cut anything out. Then, on the other hand, some of my singular reviews are over 15 minutes long. I like analyzing the books and I've discovered this can turn into theorizing about the book/characters. I also discovered that after a while I get bored of just talking to the camera. Now I'm stuck because I have ideas but I'm kinda scared to actually make the videos and put them up. Fear of rejection/not being good enough. I don't even really know if what I made before was good (and I definitely did private some of the stuff because that ranty/negative vibe has no place in my life...). I've been on hiatus several times and try to start again this month, but I've already decided art is going to be the overarching part of my vids (no clue in which shape, but I want to try it) and I will give myself the option of making the vids about what I feel like and probably mostly related to books in some way shape or form. On the non-native speaker thing. I'm not a native either and I do have an accent, but I think my problem didn't really arise from lack of vocab. I think it's because I can't always speak easily in general (autism) and get a block if I feel nervous and my head just blanks. In any case, I can relate to your issues and I kinda stopped making vids partly for those reasons as well. It just didn't feel authentic to make bubbly book hauls and unboxings when I knew I'm way more of a calm person who likes a decent amount of depth in what she says. That's why I still like some of my first vids best, even if I was even more awkward on-screen back then.
Finally someone on booktube who won't make a lot of book hauls ... I started my channel in September and I'll probably never make a book haul on my channel.. I mean I'll do wrap ups but not book hauls because 1. It's to get books where I live which is Jamaica 2. I really can't afford it So I just basically read a lot of books online
I know I'm super late to this video but thank you so much for all of this. It reflects exactly how I feel. I was concerned for a while that I wouldn't be taken seriously because I don't have a bookcase full of unread books behind me in my videos but yes, that's so silly.
I just found your channel, so I’m a new subscriber! I really enjoy videos that are out of the ‘normal’ format. I just started a booktube channel myself recently, but I will most likely fall into the generic type videos. The reason for this is I am just not very creative! I love the ‘regular’ videos, but it is fun to see the ones that are not like everyone else’s and I’m always slightly jealous of people who can come up with cool ideas for their videos. So go for it! Make the videos you want to make. Your sub count will grow with people who like you for you and not because you’re doing the same videos as everybody else.
Girl PREACH 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 reading is supposed to be fun and enjoyable, so to hell with anyone who thinks you’re not a valid book lover or book tuner because you don’t read a gagillion books a month.
As an non-native English speaker I too really struggle with filming Booktube video’s. It takes me a long time to film just 1 video, especially if it’s a review. So I totally get your point. Dus ja, het kost mij niet normaal veel moeite om Engelstalige video’s te posten. Ik blijf het nog wel proberen. Hopelijk zal het met de tijd makkelijker gaan 😅.
I found your channel recently so I didn't even know you had left once (but still I was nosy enough to watch this video 😂). I kind of see your point as another way of consumerism almost, where if you don't buy/read/own/talk about a determined amount of books then you do not feel validated to want to upload talking about them. I personally don't mind about the amount of videos a person uploads if I feel excited every time they do, I appreciate a lot that what the creator is saying feels true and engaging. And yes, it is always good to try and improve but sometimes we are way too harsh on ourselves and don't see the nice things we also do! I really enjoy your videos and it somehow makes me feel good that you don't have a huge tbr and a hundred haul videos because it aligns better with my perspective on the tendencies of having too many things (everyone of course can do what they want with their money and space, but I just mean that I would feel overwhelmed). Just keep doing what you love, there is always going to be people you will conect with 🤗
I read one book per week and do reviews on them, but then I got stuck when I don't read 😅 So I don't what the best solution is...But thanks for showing it's possible to have a booktube channel without doing "traditional book videos"
There was something you said that I felt really identified with, and it is that every booktuber has these big bookshelves on the background, and I don't have them (mainly because I cannot have all the books I have collected throughout my life in my tiny rented apartment) and I've had a few people already telling me "but you don't have books on the background, you are supposed to have them" and it's like… well… I can't, haha. Anyways, I just found your channel and so far I'm loving it, so even though I didn't "suffer" you being away from booktube, I'm happy that you are back, so I can watch you :D
the booktube struggle is read; we're attempting to enter the community. I often struggle with what content would be enjoyable for people; we do 1 book a month and discuss our thoughts, what do people think of this method for booktube. Engagement is the purpose we're doing this but it's hard to find people who want to chat about books!
I just one review per book. But my channel is mainly movie videos and reviews. I just started doing wrap up videos but only for the year, not per month.
Hey, just wanted you to know that i also left booktube for some time for different reasons and was thinking of coming back and this video gave me that last push i needed so thank you for sharing❣️
Oh boy do I feel your problem with English! I'm also not an English speaking area person haha (obvious), and it takes me forever to say something that sounds smart. >.< I love your video because it was really honest! I hope I manage to create videos for a long time no matter what, I really have a problem with sticking with something and get discouraged quickly. But your video really cheered me up, you are soo creative. I hope you continue with your videos and expressing yourself through video creation as well!
I was in a massive reading slump but then the percy Jackson films came onto Disney plus so I watched them and then I wanted to read them. It was like I fell in love with reading all over again. So I think watching films doss help to get back into reading
7.37 - oki will watch to the end but j am a new subscriber... i found and devoured your videos because fucking finally i found a booktuber who reviewed books... there's only about four of you, i swear and everyone else is just justifying their shopping and reading synopses! really hoping this video doesn't become "so i'm gonna try and be like everyone else" because i may just be one randomer but i think you're funny, insightful, and worthy of dollops of respect for bring more than hashtags and lootcrates!
There are so many amazing comments here and I just wanted to say you made me feel like I want to be your friends hahaha Glad to have found your channel!
I've been considering starting a channel that is book/reading oriented and just wanted to get a healthy perspective so I kinda of knew what I was getting into. This is so helpful! Thank you!
I take my time reading books or manga. To me books are to be enjoyed page by page chapter by chapter and word for word. I just like sharing my thoughts on what I've recently read on my channel I mainly lean to the horror genre types of stories. I dont skim books but I do like to take my time with a book take notes on points I find interesting and at the end of the day I'm happy and that's what matters most to me as a manga and book review channel. I just review books and manga for the joy of the stories written. 😊❤📚
Reading is not a competitive sport, I see some booktubers like Mara at Bookslikewhoa, who reads something around 300 books a year and think wow, but I could never do that. In my first month on Booktube I failed to finish a single book. The quality is more important to the quantity and some books are best read slowly.
I'm not interested in YA, yet it still seems to be the dominant thing on booktube. It also bothers me how consumeristic booktube can be, there is nothing wrong with going to the library or having used books. I'm hoping that there will be more variety in booktube in the future where I can be recommended older: fiction books, science fiction, classic literature, psychology, history, science, etc. Also, it strikes me as funny when a booktuber does a video about their all time favorite books and half of them are books that they were forced to read in school.
English is also not my first language despite my being very fluent in it. I lived in an English speaking country longer than in the country where I was born. So, basically I am still afraid to make videos of myself because either I stutter or people will be biased against me because of my accent.
I cant understand how most booktubers afford so many books, or read them so fast to move on to newer ones in a week or 3 days when it takes me half a year to finish 1 book series like Harry Potter, or Hunger Games. (Still procrastinating on Mockingjay and Halfblood Prince)
I always kinda wanted to start a booktube channel but I feel like I don’t read enough for it... so I wouldn’t make that many videos in a month and these days the algotithm favors youtubers that post often. But I’ve read 19 books this year so far, after not reading for a year, so I’m quite happy with myself :) ((Also editing scares me TT ))
![I was misdiagnosed [CC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xzBynfWHUMY/mqdefault.jpg)
I totally agree that BookTube is "not made" for slow readers. Just as a reader I kinda feel bad sometimes that I can only read 2-3 books a month and not 10. I usually make seasonal wrap ups, because that way I can talk about more books in a video.
I also feel that I want to put more creativity into my "basic" BookTube videos, but that is more of a personal preference, so I agree on that one as well.
And BookTube do really make us buy more books. When I didn't watch that many book related videos, I rarely bought books, but as soon as I started watching them regularly...💸💸💸
I remember that I watched your videos back in the days and I am happy that I found your channel again.😊
it's good to know i'm not the only one who feels this way!
I feel the same
I'm not a booktuber, but please, please, please do NOT feel bad for your reading pace. No one should ever feel bad about the pace they read at. If reading makes you happy, do it and make videos about it at whatever pace is comfortable for you. I totally understand why book tube gives people this vibe though. It can come off as very commercial and really snooty to people who can't keep up with that pace.
2 to 3 books is fine. If people like what you like and how you explain it they will want to watch your reviews no matter how few books it contains.
Ariel Bissett reads about 25 books a year and some of them are graphic novels and she's pretty big on booktube so I really don't think it's important
YES for non-native english speakers, booktubing and reviewing can be kind of stressful, especially if you're a perfectionist and don't want to use the same words over and over again to describe words. Or when you can't remember a certain word...
I had an idea about starting a booktube...but realized that it would be a hell of pressure and stress as I'm not native English speaker(although I am almost advanced) so now I need to figure out how to share with people about my book experience and etc
@@nigorathesufferer5613 I feel these comments in my soul. I suffered from the same issues, but now I will start a booktube channel anyway! FUCK MY ANXIETY AND PERFECTINALIST MIND!
I was thinking... for slow readers.. it might be a good idea to start a chanel with 3 other booktubers. That way they could post more often (youtube likes that) by taking turns. That could be a fun alternative.🤷🏼♀️
Glad to see you back. Your English is actually really, really good. I’d never know you were unsure about it.
thank you! but of course you only see my smooth edited talking haha
@@TheBookLeo True, but that also applies to people that have english as the first language :P
The Book Leo I don’t believe there was a script or edits at all. Just your natural skills.
My critic about BookTube: all the Booktubera reads a million books a year, and as a slow reader- whose English is a second language- it always made me feel not good enough. in addition most booktubers (at least that how if feels) seem to talk only about YA novels- and i am way past that point in my life. Lastly- all the books in the background made me feel strange about not having my books on display- most of what i read now is digital, and i don't read the same book twice and although i have many many books they are safely stored in boxes (which are safely stored in my closets. Except for one box that was left in the garden until a mama bird decided to nest on it, which led to most of that box content to be thrown away). Oh- alao book hauls a boring and give you little to no information.
Hodaya yep I wondered if there’s a void in booktubers that discuss adult book more than YA. I’m 37 and read a lot of great books but not all of the stuff the booktubers read. First of all I’m male so I’m not into romance and I’m also not into fantasy. That wipes out quite a bit of what booktubers who happen to be mostly female are reading. Then you factor in that I don’t read much YA and that makes me different than the run of the mill booktubers. I like horror, thrillers, suspense, true crime and memoirs. I don’t ever hear anyone talk about Dan Brown and that blows my mind. Some of the booktubers are starting to try to get into Stephen King which is great except that most of them think a book 500 pages is big yet most King books are much larger. That’s another thing about books read measured in quantity but I rarely read books less than 700 pages and a lot of book they are reading are shorter so the number of books is higher. I read a 1200 page book and they read 5 300 page books and it’s 5 to 1 but really it’s not that much different in page count. There are so many great books out there and it should be about what you want to read. Not because you think you need to read more diverse books to be politically correct and all of that stuff. Who cares if a man or woman wrote the book? Just read what you like.
@@ramblinrussell I think you'd enjoy the channel paperbackdreams, she reads a lot of thrillers (also some YA, but she ads graphic novels, one or two memoirs and some contemporary), though I think she tends to read thrillers and suspense that's targeted for a younger audience. But maybe you could give it a try?
Anna Sánchez well I’m definitely not opposed to giving it a shot. Thanks
Russ D you should definitely check Better Than Food channel. I like his reviews and choice of books (i.e JM Coetzee, Bolano, Goethe etc)
cita mutiara Firdausy never heard of that one. I’ll check it out THANKS 🙏
I honestly don't know you, this video got recommended to me and i clicked haha. But i really feel the same about not reading in college! I was always the biggest reader till i had to read too much for classes and i just could not read in my free time anymore. Now im starting to work AND starting to read again (also thank to public transport on my way you work).
reading on public transport also reaaally helped me to read more again!
hated reading while in university, now that we're finished we started the book buzz :D
I stopped watching youtube videos over a year ago. Everyone always recommends the same books. It's so obvious that booktubers are paid and work just like an influencer. They are just sales people and i doubt they read as much as they say they do. For a long time i kept buying books they were so thrilled with but they never worked for me. 98% of the time i ended up hating it. Also the really BIG youtubers started in their early 20s and now are in their 30s but still read the same teenage ,predictable books while acting like they are 15.
"I was sick of talking about the same books in every single video" yeeeeees! I don't think you ever got too bad for that but around that time period I could click on any "favourite series" video on booktube and guess at least 8 of the entries (9 if the person didn't exclude Harry Potter) it got THAT generic.
I always really liked your videos and I'm glad your back trying something new 😊
haha good to know i'm not the only one
I get frustrated when I can't finish a book fast enough and feel like I'm not getting traffic because I don't really read populars books when they come out due to my budget and lack of time on my hands in general
we will follow; I love genuine reactions to people talking about their favourite books even if they're not popular books!
“why would anyone watch [your] channel?” the thing is I do follow Emma and Flick and others, but I never watch their videos, I don’t even know why. But I always watch yours because I really love them very much, mostly because of your personality and this video only confirms it again.
P.S. love the sunflowers in the back 🌻
thank you so much! and yesss to the sunflowers
Your English is perfect, I didn't get any difference between a native speaker and you! English is my second language too, and though I read mostly English books I sometimes struggle a lot, especially when reading those hard-boiled classics. Honestly Booktube is about the competition and nothing else nowadays. It started as a comfort place on the internet, it was nice to see people lost in a book and discussing it afterwards but soon it became all about the drama. I don't feel like I'm missing something now that I stopped watching these videos.
Trust me, I'm an English speaker and I can barely get sentences out half the time. I can't really comprehend being able to speak multiple languages and having to switch between them. You're doing perfect!
Welcome back! I think it's interesting just seeing different personalities and their perspectives. I really enjoyed hearing what you had to say, as a new booktuber I definitely feel the pressure of conforming but I'm also a slow reader!
don't worry, there is definitely space for slow readers on booktube nowadays! :D
I’m a slow reader too! That’s why I listen to audiobooks. And oddly enough but I read faster on ereaders. Back then I think there were people (no one I followed so idk who) who didn’t consider ebooks and audiobooks as reading XD but anyways that’s no longer a problem anymore (I don’t think)
As a native English speaker, I would just like to say that your English is better than mine is some days so you definitely needn't feel self conscious (though I get that it may just seem that way thanks to editing). Also, years ago, there was a movement called "The Slow Food" movement to counter the Fast Food culture that was kind of ruining what was once a pleasurable and nourishing activity. I think it's time to start an analogous literary counterculture movement that focuses on the process and the savouring and enjoyment of reading and ideas rather than the pressure and achievement of simply finishing books (I think the podcast "3 Books" and Book Tube channel "Books are Better Than Food" are good examples of this)
As a small booktuber, I've run into a lot of these same problems. It's nice to know I'm not the only person who has felt bad for only ready 3 books in a month! Love this video
clairebear lol don’t feel bad, as much as I love reading I dont have have time to read more than 2-3 books a month
i sometimes read a book and a half in a month so don't feel bad.
@@Just-Like-Lisa I feel that and I'll try!
@@texasbelle333 Aww I feel that!
1) i don't care about watching tbr videos because i also don't make tbr lists for myself, and the videos don't tell me if the book is good or not. 2) same with book hauls, like you said, no opinion because you haven't read it yet! And i bought SO MANY books when i started watching booktube, and i regret a lot of the purchases now, but oh well! I now try to only buy books i know i'll like or that i've alresdy read.
Great video!! Can't wait to see more in the future 😁 and i think your personality is comfortable to watch in videos, and videos like the one where you dress up are so cool!!
Also damn the outfit in this video! Sleek and elegant and inspiring. I'm going to steal that idea for tomorrow 😎
good to hear you're being more mindful about the books you buy now :) and thank you!
I don't have a booktube but i watch booktube videos. And i have so many books that i bought and now i'm not really interested in it. for example i bought all of the john green books i saw in a store without knowing what it's about, because of the hype of the fault in our stars, and funny thing is i only read turtles all the way down and that was my latest john green purchase.
Hello! I am aware this video was made about a year ago, still...I relate to what you said about not being willing to read in your spare time because of college. Fortunately, it gets better. In my case, I finished school this year, and I love having time and the desire to read again whenever I have a chance. I really missed it. Oh, and also, I remember the first of all your videos I ever watched, it was so funny, about how to annoy a reader. I do think you are a great actress, and as for English as you SL, I relate to that too, but honestly, I think you shouldn't worry, you are clear and very fluent.
I personally prefer your energetic, quirky, (*foute*) And frankly endearing way of expressing both your taste for, and vehement distaste of certain books to those dime a dozen
“Hey y’all Here’s my totally unfiltered opinion on this one book I recently read, pls validate thx” kind of reviews.
You may find it hard to draw a distinction between yourself and those other booktubers, but what your specialness really boils down to is that,
In the case of watching your videos, I actually remember not just the book at hand, but the person behind the book reviews.
PS: Full disclosure, I am Dutch so there may or may not be some patriotic bias at play here. 😼;)
But alas, I stand by my point.
thank you so much! also yay for dutch :D
To be fair it’s only similar to tv if you’re only reading simple easy to read books. Reading books that are more difficult to understand or have difficult language is not the same. But even then it’s not quite the same. T.V you are passively accepting, while books (whatever kind)you are using brain power to make out the words and understand them, in some instances even imagination. There is an excellent book called what the internet is doing to our minds, and the book shows numerous studies that t.v and computer make us more impulsive. Worse than that, we use so much of our brain capabilities to understand the complex layouts in t.v and computer that there is little left for memorizing. Books on the other hand don’t have complex layout, you have a little blank part and written text that’s it.
With all that said, I recommend you watch Black Sails, phenomenal show and most definitely my favorite by far.
oh thanks, i'll check it out!
This perspective was necessary. When watching television your brainwaves go from beta waves, which have to do with active thinking, to alpha waves, which put the viewer in a relaxed/passive state. When reading you are in the beta state, therefore reading books is more engaging. I just recently got back into reading & I can see how much more imagination & brainpower it takes. The way I like to look at it is: Watching television is like having someone drive you somewhere, while reading a book is like driving a manual transmission vehicle yourself. It may not be perfect but it sort of gets the point across.
I feel you on TBR videos, I'm also a mood reader but I never understood it. Talking about books in a TBR video and then talking about those exact same books in the wrap up, I just never thought that people would want to see two videos of me talking about the exact same list of books so I've never made them! I'm a few months late lol, but lovely to have you back! Looking forward to seeing more of your videos!
Same with the TBR videos. I cannot stick to a scheduled TBR
i know right, it's too hard
I'm not a booktuber. But i never stick to my tbr, i'm such a moodreader and a slow reader that it sometimes takes me a month to finish a book.
@@Just-Like-Lisa yeah my reading is unpredictable so i never set a TBR
@@devonmunn5728 i only made one tbr and i couldn't stick with it. So i'm not gonna make an another one.
I read pretty fast, but i end up completely stuck if I set a TBR and i might not read a thing for a week until I realize why. I'm like rebelling towards myself. I'm too old for this 🤣
I know this video is old, but
I've been watching booktube for many years now, and I have never found a booktuber more relatable than you. It's really hard to relate to people who read like 80+ books a year and that have a giant bookshelf, when you only have a few and you only read like 30 books a year lol
You were the reason I discovered BookTube in May 2017 and started my own channel, So I will always be very thankful for you. So I am glad I never de-subscribed. I get it. I can be really excited but I am not overly enthusiastic outwardly. You get all the Oscars.
Whether you read 1 book or 30 books a month. You are valid. haha you are very eloquent, I legitimately went back and watched all your videos when I discovered your channel. I think I have and we all grow in as we make videos. I use to be insecure about reviewing as well, but the more consistency and time the more I get at explaining my thoughts and nuances.
At any rate, welcome back I look forward to seeing you grow as well as adventure with unique content
I relate so much with you even though I don’t have a booktube channel. I’m a busy law student that struggles to pick up books for fun after having to reads thousands and thousands of pages about law. I also wish I read more but time is not much and it’s hard to stick with a TBR. My advice is release yourself from all that pressure and do the content you enjoy. A lot of your viewers are also not native speakers, so we’re not as critical as you think.
You ask why anyone would watch your channel when there are so many other Booktube channels, but, the funny thing is, you’re the only Booktuber that I watch. Like, I really like that there is a whole community on TH-cam that makes videos solely on books, but apart from a video every now and then, it never really interested me. You were (and still are) somehow an exception 😄
I can totally relate to you on being a slow reader and the fact that even if you are really excited and happy about something on the inside, it doesn’t show on the outside. I’m like that when receiving birthday presents, haha.
Also, that guy just singing outside your window at 14:01 😆
Always good to have another video from you, Leonie. Regardless of how long it has been 💙
thank you so much
I'm new to your channel and I'm looking back at some of your old videos and this one resonates with me. A big reason I subscribe to a channel is if I feel the person's personality/vibe/demeanour is compatible with mine. Age is not a factor, most youtuber's are younger than me. I'm middle-aged and I prefer a style that's more chill, relaxed, calm etc. Regarding your point about exaggerated enthusiasm that's something I don't like. I'm turned off by channels that are super enthusiastic, over the top, energy cranked up to 11 all the time. Anyway to wrap this up I really enjoying your channel. I like seeing the artwork you do and in general watching a variety of topics that are book related or book adjacent. Looking forward to more videos.
Loved hearing your perspective on booktube - I just started my channel and want to use it to motivate myself to read more (instead of turning to netflix, lol, though I also appreciate your comments on watching movies/tv!) and connect with other folks who just love reading. Good reminder to just be myself, talk about what I want to talk about, and have fun. :)
My favorite type of booktube videos is vlogs. Theyre peaceful, and I like to watch them while im doing daily life things too. Im so glad you returned, and created your own style. Im skimming your older videos, and you’ve really come into your own! Thank you for all you do! 😊
How to use the resurrection trope right: The Book Leo's channel reviving for the new decade 😁👌
So happy to see you're back!
This video is book haul therapy for me! I try to do intensive single book reviews lasting 10 mins, but man oh man do I wish I had rapid reading speed and infinite money to do book hauls 24/7
I can relate
First up, I love the singer! Make him a regular feature.
I'm brand new to booktubing but I'm not much into TBR or hauls myself.
English *is* my first language and it takes me 10 attempts at a sentence too!
Looking forward to your stuff!
Hey! Good video, I totally understand why you felt like you had to take time off of booktube! I find it funny that the reasons you left sync up so much with my preferences and personal experiences as a reader. I stopped watching many generic booktubers because they always make the same video. I don't get any enjoyment from book hauls or wrap-ups, because it's always the same formula. I much prefer watching a booktuber that let's their personality shine through! I always enjoyed that in your video's: you being yourself made me like your video's so much more, independent of what you were actually talking about.
Also, it's actually good to have booktubers here who don't read 10 books each month. We as readers feel like we should do that too, seeing them raving about sooo many books each month. It's simply something I cannot keep up with! I have work, friends, I need to cook, clean, workout, sleep. If I manage to read 10 pages in an evening, it's already a good day! So I would prefer having booktubers who read 2 or 3 (or 1 or no) books in a month, and tell us about them. Makes me feel understood!
Maybe a nice video idea: just film while you're reading a book. Tell us when you've got a thought after a chapter, just talk to us about the book in a very non-official booktube way. A bit like vlogging while reading? But in the way that you like it.
P.s. English is also my second language (Dutchie here!) and I struggled to find some of these words. Even though I studied physics in English haha.
i can relate so much, I'm just going to accept that i don't read as much as other booktubers and hopefully that will make other people who watch booktube realise that that's okay and that we don't have to feel pressure! also yay for dutch and thanks for the video recommendation :)
I never know what I'm going to read. Whenever I go to the library they are like "can I help you find anything," and I'm like... no I'm just going to wander around and round up a bunch of books that look good and try to winnow them down to a reasonable amount to check out."
I think it’s great that you have chosen to do only what you personally enjoyed doing instead of what you thought you “Had” to be doing. I think there are many more people who see many of these very similar booktuber videos which flood TH-cam and in which these BookTubers follow the same formula. Most people wonder why Booktubers do this and they don’t actually like it. So, as a result for example in this video where you explain what you felt it feels very honest and real and I prefer this much much more to watching any booktuber make their cheesy book haul video.
Thank you, Leo, for continuing to post videos. Many Booktubers seem to adopt personas that are unnaturally perky, quirky or jerk-y and that become wearisome over time. You, however, come across as very genuine.
You were fresh, definitely not in any way generic, very creative, funny, your English is fluent, keep doing you and you will do just fine. I like the way you pointed out that you need to explain more other than just giving the synopsis - that is rare in booktube community :D Just read at your on pace, people come for the content and you and your personality, regardless of the number of books you read. When I came across your channel I binged through it, and I'll continue watching every video you put up.
Thank you for all the hard work. xx
Omg I so agree with the fake enthusiasm thing. I'm like dead silent and stone faced for the majority of the time when I'm alone, so I can see how faking it would be awkward AF
So im late to the video and im not a booktuber but i can relate to so much of this. I read 2-3 books a month and consider that a good number, but compared to booktubers, im still a slow reader. The enthusiasm thing is really relatable too. If its getting a great gift or passing a dance audition or anything, im always really happy on the inside but don't know how to show that enthusiasm on the outside and so people assume that i dont care, that im in a bad mood or that im just ungrateful.
I found your channel a few months ago and really enjoy your personality and the way you talk about books!
This is my first video of yours but you are so funny and enjoyable to watch. I’m so happy I found this video, and I can’t wait to watch more of your videos
Regarding your English, I was about halfway through the first video of yours that I saw before I even had a suspicion that you were not a native speaker.
I left booktube a few years ago and your video somehow appeared on my recommendations. I MISSED WATCHING YOU!
Old video and I think I even commented on this at the time with my old account, but coming back a year later: I'm so glad you came back and are making these unique videos!
ok, i got to the end...
1) do nit punish your younger self for perceived m8stakes! same as writing books, you can't expect the first draft to be as good as the final product! but it is necessary to get there!
your english is amazing and i'd rather watch someone stumble honestly than bullshit eloquently! having said that, if you ever need the right word for stuff my twitter handle is the same as my youtube handle! always happy to help!
i personally love rave and rant reviews... i skip all the hashtag BS and go looking for reviews! i love shredding racist books, misogynist books, misandrist books especially as so much joy can be found in watching them! * not seen anyone shred homophobic books but i'd like that too...
but also gushing about their favourite books with enthusiasm and stumbling over their words and whatever...
personally speaking now: i had a mental breakdown and i only read romance heavy fluffy books... everytime i try and return to fantasy they kill iff my favourite character sofor fantasy i only read shira glassmen now!
i recommend romances for that and am happy to recommend authors eho nake me happy/uplifted...
and after you mentioned your unboxing face... i would love for you to dryly/unenthusiastically/deadpan review super fluffy romances... i feel yhat could be super funny!
twitter is the best place to reach me usually but feel free to message me here!
i think you're awesome! i'm glad you came back!
thank you! and yes I also looove rant reviews!
I loved watching your old videos, don't be too harsh on yourself! But I really like that you are back!!
thank you :D
Woww, you actually pointed out all the things of booktube that unnerves me. Like watching book haul or wrap up videos really make me anxious. Being a student I can only afford 2-3books/month & read them along with all the textbooks 🤦 :(
This was such a helpful video! I just started a channel and feel all of those pressures as well. And I'm also a non-native speaker! For me a realistic wrap-up is between 3-5 books and there is definitely no way I could do one of those "I read 5 books a day" videos. This reminded me that I just need to stay true to myself and do the type of videos I like to make 😊
Even us native English speakers stumble and have trouble with our own language. Also, eloquency is definitely a word, so don't doubt yourself.
I am still a fast reader, but I never in my life read 10 books in a month unless you count childrens books, but today I have to find time because of two active little boys.
My other problem is I love to write and when I am writing I don't read because my imagination can only do so much before she overloads and then there's the inner gamer who doesn't want to read or write, but wants to play because I want to act out the adventure instead of reading or creating it, if that makes sense to anyone. Basically, giving my muse a vacation.
I think any booktube channel should be how that booktuber wants it to be and you should give yourself a break to reassess if necessary. Personally, read a book when you have time then make a video with your review. If it's once a month that's fine or once every two weeks also fine, my thing would be to try and let your subscribers know the planned schedule. You don't have to always stick with it, but I have noticed in all communities people either worry or get angry if there's no consistency, most people generally worry. Me, I am patient and will worry if it's been at least three months because I know life can be chaotic and uncertain.
Keep up the good work and don't stress over the language or if you feel you are a slow reader, what's important is that you enjoy what you do.
I know this video came out nearly 18 months ago but I just wanted to say you and Daniel Greene are my absolute favourite booktubers. Keep up the great work!!!
I love your personality.
thank you :)
I found your channel way after you had stopped making new videos, so I’m glad to see you are back!
thank you!!
Didn't see u before, but super happy I watched ur video.
watching it feels so real and we can relate 2 most of it. ( It feels so refreshing and nice too btw )
I always kept feeling bad about myself 4 not being able 2 stick with all the "standards" of a good reader like buying bunch of books or reading 5 to 10 books monthly etc...
I'm a fan already , good to have u back! ❤️
I can relate to soooo many of the things you're saying!! I definitely make generic content & I find it very difficult to come up with super creative and unique ideas which sucks. But at least I enjoy making the videos that I do make.
Still so glad to have you back girl! :)
doing what you enjoy is the most important! And your videos are great, keep doing you!
Your fake enthusiasm in your old video that you showed had me laughing on the floor 😂😂😂
Honestly, I watch hauls only from my favourite booktubers, because it's otherwise very repetitive. Like i'll just be hearing different people give the exact same synopsis about the same books.
I also really don't like bookshelf tours, they're too boring. I was also never fond of "Most Anticipated Books of [Insert Year]", because again, they're all the same.
What I really like in booktubers is their personality, and their sense of humour. I like your skits, and your general vibe. Honestly, your videos feel like a chat with a friend over a cup of tea.
I really am tempted to make a book tube. You're an inspiration to be honest and I really like your sense of humor. I'll watch any video you make, however long it takes you to make one, haha
Mouzly same!!
I went through (still going through I guess) something similar you describe in this video. I am not saying I felt pressured to do the book hauls, tbrs or wrap ups on my channel(English not my first language either, and I have a channel in my mother tounge, I do plan an English one, fingers crossed for that one), but after 2-3 years I got tired of the structure of these videos. I felt I was doing nothing special, and it did not give me the booktube vibe i felt at the beginning. I stopped doing videos for a half year, and even before that I started to upload less and less videos. I do see a pattern here :D Now, I am trying to get back and I am trying to do it differently. I am discovering again the love for recording and editing and uploading the videos. At the moment, I am making longer videos, without that many cuts, and I will try and launch another challenge kind of formatum on the channel, and now that makes me super excited.
Love your channel, and the recent videos, I would love to see you do more and more of the creative and more discussion based videos.
As a slow reader myself I can agree the tbr and wrap ups don’t work for me either and I don’t usually linger on one book if I happen to take forever to get through it as I try to avoid reading slumps as much as possible and I find that helps me read more in the long run #slowandsteadywinstherace
Omg I just got recommended your unhaul and was like WHY DID I NOT SEE THAT WHY AM I NOT SUBSCRIBED ANYMORE??? So in other words I’m so happy your back and that I found you again 🥰🥰
It is good you are back and I totally understand why you needed to take a break. Glad to see you back. I subscribed to your channel as I love to read only about 3books/month as I am an author
Haha, loved seeing this. I agree so much with lots of what you're saying. It's a big part of what I've been feeling as well. The obligation to make TBRs etc. got too much for me, plus I was honestly just looking at the views and engagement too much for me to really enjoy it as a hobby. By the way, sweet to see Bookly Bird make a cameo! I remember watching it when it came out; really appreciated you putting it up at that time. I do greatly understand that in general your reaction is always a bit bigger than what it really is. I'm the same really when I receive a package and that's being an extraverted person. Also: Book of Lost Things! For me, I'm still trying to figure out what format to put TH-cam/BookTube/AuthorTube in and have figured it's just blogging and writing for me for now. Great to see you back and hope you'll enjoy Booktube more from here on out and put up what you feel like putting up!
From watching too many booktubes, I jumped on the Classics bandwagon eventhough English is not my primary language. I wanted to like it but the traditional English put me into a reading slump. The influence made me guilty. Now I know better and will not force anything. I'll slowly work my way there 😉
I always love the uniqueness you bring to your videos, it's one of my favorite things about you :)
I totally agree with a lot of the things you've said. I don't mind the traditional booktube videos but my favourite videos are the ones that are different or discussing things book-related but not necessarily a wrap-up or review (like bookish pet peeves etc.). Also, my only problem with the traditional type of videos are that they feel very repetitive to make and to watch (a reading vlog and wrap up are kind of the same content). I do still enjoy these videos though (and as a newbie, they help you start out) but not as much as other types of videos. Sorry for the long comment 😂
I discovered your channel a month ago (that's why I'm watching this old video now) and I just wanted to say I love your channel because it's different. Yes, you read few books each month, but your reviews are always so on point! I have a really different taste, but even when you loved a book I didn't like, I agree with your review. And the same when I loved the book and you didn't like it. I don't think you'll read this comment because it's an old video. But your channel is great!! Also, I don't like hauls videos either, most booktubers have hundreds of books in their shelves they don't read and I hate that because they are promoving to buy and buy and buy things they won't use. I love that you only have a few books in your TBR and that you go to the library :)
I came across your channel and something that stuck out for me was this idea that you "need to do what everyone else is doing." If that was the case, we would literally be watching the same things over and over. What makes your videos unique IMO, is YOU.
Being different is a thing on youtube. Just kidding, it's a thing everywhere. My point is that being different can sometimes be better than being the best. Also, folks like me, don't have a need to read 20-30 books a month...
We basically have the exact same story and reasoning behind stopping booktube 😬 We should be proud of doing videos in English and non native speakers!!! (I’m learning Dutch right now btw 😂)
I started hating book hauls and still tried to make them for such a long time because they got many views 🙃
Listen. Technically English isn't my first language either, but I speak in it the most, and YET, every single video of mine takes a billion years to edit because a 10 minute video has 40 minutes worth of footage!
You got this! I love watching you :)
haha that's so relatable
I just want to say that I follow some TH-camrs that read 2 or 3 books per month. I watch them because I like their book analysis. In terms of your style to talk about books, well it is your style and it seems that 16,000 persons liked it. I have seen some TH-camr who have improved in their videos overtime. There is always room to improve but I watch some very creative TH-camrs and other that are more conservative. In my case, what I look and follow is the way a book is going to be analyzed. I love book hauls because I'm not a person who used to navigate in social media, so in book hauls I can see what are the new releases. There are TH-camrs with fantastic book taste, different, unique and they used to mentioned books I never heard of. But we have to respect other decisions. Wish you luck in this stage of your life.
I have another problem with wrap-ups. I noticed that when I do them I include books I don't want to review or don't really have something to say about and somehow I can still manage to have 30 minutes of raw footage where I barely need to cut anything out.
Then, on the other hand, some of my singular reviews are over 15 minutes long. I like analyzing the books and I've discovered this can turn into theorizing about the book/characters. I also discovered that after a while I get bored of just talking to the camera. Now I'm stuck because I have ideas but I'm kinda scared to actually make the videos and put them up. Fear of rejection/not being good enough.
I don't even really know if what I made before was good (and I definitely did private some of the stuff because that ranty/negative vibe has no place in my life...). I've been on hiatus several times and try to start again this month, but I've already decided art is going to be the overarching part of my vids (no clue in which shape, but I want to try it) and I will give myself the option of making the vids about what I feel like and probably mostly related to books in some way shape or form.
On the non-native speaker thing. I'm not a native either and I do have an accent, but I think my problem didn't really arise from lack of vocab. I think it's because I can't always speak easily in general (autism) and get a block if I feel nervous and my head just blanks.
In any case, I can relate to your issues and I kinda stopped making vids partly for those reasons as well. It just didn't feel authentic to make bubbly book hauls and unboxings when I knew I'm way more of a calm person who likes a decent amount of depth in what she says. That's why I still like some of my first vids best, even if I was even more awkward on-screen back then.
so happy you're back!! your videos are always my favorite :)
thank you so much!
Finally someone on booktube who won't make a lot of book hauls ... I started my channel in September and I'll probably never make a book haul on my channel.. I mean I'll do wrap ups but not book hauls because
1. It's to get books where I live which is Jamaica
2. I really can't afford it
So I just basically read a lot of books online
I know I'm super late to this video but thank you so much for all of this. It reflects exactly how I feel. I was concerned for a while that I wouldn't be taken seriously because I don't have a bookcase full of unread books behind me in my videos but yes, that's so silly.
I’ve always loved everything you upload (especially your creative videos 😉) I’m so so happy you’re back! 💖
thank youu :D
I just found your channel, so I’m a new subscriber! I really enjoy videos that are out of the ‘normal’ format. I just started a booktube channel myself recently, but I will most likely fall into the generic type videos. The reason for this is I am just not very creative! I love the ‘regular’ videos, but it is fun to see the ones that are not like everyone else’s and I’m always slightly jealous of people who can come up with cool ideas for their videos. So go for it! Make the videos you want to make. Your sub count will grow with people who like you for you and not because you’re doing the same videos as everybody else.
Girl PREACH 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 reading is supposed to be fun and enjoyable, so to hell with anyone who thinks you’re not a valid book lover or book tuner because you don’t read a gagillion books a month.
As an non-native English speaker I too really struggle with filming Booktube video’s. It takes me a long time to film just 1 video, especially if it’s a review. So I totally get your point. Dus ja, het kost mij niet normaal veel moeite om Engelstalige video’s te posten. Ik blijf het nog wel proberen. Hopelijk zal het met de tijd makkelijker gaan 😅.
I read slow too. Thanks so much for talking about this!!
I found your channel recently so I didn't even know you had left once (but still I was nosy enough to watch this video 😂). I kind of see your point as another way of consumerism almost, where if you don't buy/read/own/talk about a determined amount of books then you do not feel validated to want to upload talking about them. I personally don't mind about the amount of videos a person uploads if I feel excited every time they do, I appreciate a lot that what the creator is saying feels true and engaging. And yes, it is always good to try and improve but sometimes we are way too harsh on ourselves and don't see the nice things we also do! I really enjoy your videos and it somehow makes me feel good that you don't have a huge tbr and a hundred haul videos because it aligns better with my perspective on the tendencies of having too many things (everyone of course can do what they want with their money and space, but I just mean that I would feel overwhelmed). Just keep doing what you love, there is always going to be people you will conect with 🤗
thank you so much! it's great to hear you can relate to me not buying as many books :)
I love your videos, I like finding out about different types of books and seeing your opinions, and you're really funny and energetic
I read one book per week and do reviews on them, but then I got stuck when I don't read 😅 So I don't what the best solution is...But thanks for showing it's possible to have a booktube channel without doing "traditional book videos"
There was something you said that I felt really identified with, and it is that every booktuber has these big bookshelves on the background, and I don't have them (mainly because I cannot have all the books I have collected throughout my life in my tiny rented apartment) and I've had a few people already telling me "but you don't have books on the background, you are supposed to have them" and it's like… well… I can't, haha.
Anyways, I just found your channel and so far I'm loving it, so even though I didn't "suffer" you being away from booktube, I'm happy that you are back, so I can watch you :D
the booktube struggle is read; we're attempting to enter the community. I often struggle with what content would be enjoyable for people; we do 1 book a month and discuss our thoughts, what do people think of this method for booktube. Engagement is the purpose we're doing this but it's hard to find people who want to chat about books!
I just one review per book. But my channel is mainly movie videos and reviews. I just started doing wrap up videos but only for the year, not per month.
Hey, just wanted you to know that i also left booktube for some time for different reasons and was thinking of coming back and this video gave me that last push i needed so thank you for sharing❣️
Tbh when u blew on that kazoo, like, mood,
Oh boy do I feel your problem with English! I'm also not an English speaking area person haha (obvious), and it takes me forever to say something that sounds smart. >.< I love your video because it was really honest! I hope I manage to create videos for a long time no matter what, I really have a problem with sticking with something and get discouraged quickly. But your video really cheered me up, you are soo creative. I hope you continue with your videos and expressing yourself through video creation as well!
I was in a massive reading slump but then the percy Jackson films came onto Disney plus so I watched them and then I wanted to read them. It was like I fell in love with reading all over again. So I think watching films doss help to get back into reading
7.37 - oki will watch to the end but j am a new subscriber... i found and devoured your videos because fucking finally i found a booktuber who reviewed books... there's only about four of you, i swear and everyone else is just justifying their shopping and reading synopses!
really hoping this video doesn't become "so i'm gonna try and be like everyone else" because i may just be one randomer but i think you're funny, insightful, and worthy of dollops of respect for bring more than hashtags and lootcrates!
There are so many amazing comments here and I just wanted to say you made me feel like I want to be your friends hahaha Glad to have found your channel!
I choked during the "sad music"! LMAOOOOO!
I've been considering starting a channel that is book/reading oriented and just wanted to get a healthy perspective so I kinda of knew what I was getting into. This is so helpful! Thank you!
I take my time reading books or manga. To me books are to be enjoyed page by page chapter by chapter and word for word. I just like sharing my thoughts on what I've recently read on my channel I mainly lean to the horror genre types of stories. I dont skim books but I do like to take my time with a book take notes on points I find interesting and at the end of the day I'm happy and that's what matters most to me as a manga and book review channel. I just review books and manga for the joy of the stories written. 😊❤📚
Reading vlogs (like what peruse project does) are awesome. You could try those
Reading is not a competitive sport, I see some booktubers like Mara at Bookslikewhoa, who reads something around 300 books a year and think wow, but I could never do that. In my first month on Booktube I failed to finish a single book. The quality is more important to the quantity and some books are best read slowly.
I'm not interested in YA, yet it still seems to be the dominant thing on booktube. It also bothers me how consumeristic booktube can be, there is nothing wrong with going to the library or having used books. I'm hoping that there will be more variety in booktube in the future where I can be recommended older: fiction books, science fiction, classic literature, psychology, history, science, etc. Also, it strikes me as funny when a booktuber does a video about their all time favorite books and half of them are books that they were forced to read in school.
English is also not my first language despite my being very fluent in it. I lived in an English speaking country longer than in the country where I was born. So, basically I am still afraid to make videos of myself because either I stutter or people will be biased against me because of my accent.
Book tube puts me off because there is no way on gods earth that I am getting through 10 books a month AND try to have a life.
I cant understand how most booktubers afford so many books, or read them so fast to move on to newer ones in a week or 3 days when it takes me half a year to finish 1 book series like Harry Potter, or Hunger Games. (Still procrastinating on Mockingjay and Halfblood Prince)
I always kinda wanted to start a booktube channel but I feel like I don’t read enough for it... so I wouldn’t make that many videos in a month and these days the algotithm favors youtubers that post often. But I’ve read 19 books this year so far, after not reading for a year, so I’m quite happy with myself :) ((Also editing scares me TT ))
we produce 1 discussion per month; content grows with time
Your honesty was nice to hear, thank you