LIST OF THE ALTERNATIVE RECS! Handmaids Tale and the Power - the memory librarian - girls of paper and fire Serpent and Dove - year of the witching The Secret History - Babel - Real Life - A Lesson in Vengeance - Bitter - Disorientation Ender's Game - Do You Dream of Terra Two? The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Siren Queen Twilight - Lead Me Astray - Daughter of the Moon Goddess Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow - Just By Looking At Him A Little Life - Punch me Up to the Gods - Here Comes the Sun Game of Thrones - Upon A Burning Throne Thank you for your support, everyone! Hope these help :)
"my favorite form of dark academia is bipoc authors writing about the darknesses they experience in academic institutions." I absolutely adore that statement and wholeheartedly agree! i feel the same about dystopian too. a lot of times white authors have to make this whole dark story in those genres - yet bipoc stories are so raw because they are our current reality and its a deeper real look at the darkness within those societal structures/ institutions.
It’s always so disappointing to see Donna Tartt constantly recommended by booktubers who otherwise seem so aware of racism/homophobia/transphobia. It’s not the end of the world to enjoy a “problematic” book, but it is really troubling to be completely unaware of the problems. Thank you for all the great recs!
For Twilight these days there are now an increasing number of vampire books by bipoc authors like Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco, The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh, The Night Wanderer Drew Hayden Taylor... actually I would love love it if y'all feel like doing a black or bipoc vampire vlog someday. 😉
Great video! If you don't mind my adding some, I have some additional recs bc I was inspired by this video!: -Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich, a Handmaid's Tale-like reproductive dystopia by a well-known Ojibwe author -The Air You Breathe by Frances de Pontes Peebles, similar to Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, about a Carmen Miranda-type Brazilian Hollywood star, written by a Brazilian author. -Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak for Dark Academia, written by a Turkish author about the experience of being Muslim woman at Oxford University
ngl hearing "Jesse On TH-cam" made me irrationally happy for u! but i love all of these books, and many of them have been on my TBR for a long time! Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow i know is gonna wreck me emotionally in specific lol. thank u for all the hard work u do for these videos to give us good recommendations!
Omg wow. I am one of those girls that gave The Secret History 5 stars and must’ve put a blind eye toward its problems. I’m headed to y’all’s Instagram now. Thanks for putting it out there. Putting this entire video out there honestly
I loved this thank y’all for doing this. I am wondering if maybe y’all in the future can do one for House in the Cerulean Sea. I still see that one being recommended on booktube a lot. It is one of the books I loved but cannot ethically recommend
@@Angel.aaa109 The book itself does feel very wholesome when you're unaware of what inspired it. The author has said that he based the 'orphanage' and the way children are treated in this book on Residential Schools and the history surrounding them. Residential schools were schools/"orphanages", which popped up in the 1820s. At these schools indigenous children were forcibly taken away from their parents by the government (mostly in Canada but also in the US). In these schools they were taught how to act/be subservient to white people. At one point 30% of all Canadian Indigenous children was enrolled in a Residential school. This would be bad enough by itself, but these schools were also very abusive. The children were beaten or neglected leading to the disappearances and deaths of many Indigenous children. The last Residential school closed in 1996. Mass graves and unmarked graves are still being found (with a mass grave in Canada being found as recently as 2021) Needless to say, TJ Klune saying he wrote a happy cutesy story based on this part of (very recent) history, hit a sore spot for a lot of people. The book started a heavy debate within the book community, with some saying that Klune was appropriating Indigenous trauma. And profiting from it. Others stated that fantasy books based on tragedies have always been a thing. Even Lord of the Rings was based on the World Wars. I'm personally more on team Klune-profits-of-Indigenous-trauma. But I urge you to draw your own conclusions.
I love how ya’ll just keep answering my wishes. Context I’m black queer non-binary trans man and I only grew up in like a white environment. Cue me realizing that 1, the only queerness I can reference is white queerness 2, having an internal breakdown by realizing that I couldn’t find anything that represented me in any of my fiction and that lead me to stop reading books. So me finding your channel helped re spark my passion for books and reading again thanks to your black-a-thon and poc queer books rec. Like for once I can finally get lost in the world of fiction and feel like I deserve to exist in those worlds. I don’t know if I’m making sense but I really appreciate what y’all are doing on this channel and this community. Now to be less sappy does anyone have any niche recommendations for asexual stories that deal with ace folks who are like sex favorable. Cause I think that’s what I am (I’m definitely on the ace spectrum) and I have a lot of confusing emotions around that, and I’m curious if someone has already wrote about that yet?
city girl writes (Nkechi) on instagram has been posting amazing recs!!! she is a Black ace booktuber and bookstagramer:) thank you for sharing yourSelf. sending warmth and gratitude 🙏🏽
genuine question because i want to be educated since this is heavily debated: how can you be trans and nonbinary? how does it work? (not trying to be hateful i really want to learn 😭)
@@frog3630 simple. To be trans you have to not identify with your gender assigned at birth. Nonbinary is under the Trans umbrella because nonbinary folks don't identify with their birth gender.
These are great recs!! Very curious on those alternative recs to Twilight, A Little Life, and Game of Thrones. Also, y'all were making sense when y'all were talking about Babel not having a similar plot to The Secret History. Babel does more than The Secret History can ever do in critiquing academia. I cannot wait for y'all's video on alternative recs for popular dark academia books. I am definitely gonna add Real Life and Disorientation onto my future dark academia TBR. 🖤🕯✨
Thank y’all so much for reminding me that “Lead Me Astray” exists! Had picked it up from my library once but had to return it before I could start it. It’s sounds perfect. Will also definitely be getting “Upon A Burning Throne” in the near future as well.
I'm sometimes so behind on issues within the book community / industry, so this video was a double bliss. I can't unread/unlove the secret history but I ain't sad to not touch Tartt's other books. Not only are your recommendations brilliant, so are your thoughts and insights.❤️
I appreciate the conversation about recognizing the complexity and LEVELS to problematic books. MOST books are nuanced (esp from marginalized authors) and requires a deeper analysis before they are “banned”. Ashley’s take on this has completely fueled my opinion here. Since she’s a librarian, hearing her comment on the dangers of censorship is very fascinating!! Not recommending a book is one thing, but systems that allow/enforce censorship will only be used to disadvantage marginalized authors (i am sad to hear about THUG but I HEAR YALL. Looks like it may require a reread since 2017!! This is a great example of a book that shouldn’t be tossed, but used as a reference for deeper analysis to understand the criticism)
Honestly, your videos recommend so many awesome sounding books that are far outta my white, cis-het dudebro wheel-house, I feel somewhat overwhelmed as to where to begin. I think I'm gonna make it an personal policy to add at least one recommendation from videos like these to my TBR. For this video, I'm leaning towards "Babel," partially because the ENITRE booktube world has been raving about it nonstop, but also because I actually don't think I've ever read a "dark academia" book. Though, I will say "Moths" sounds pretty gnarly too...
Ooooh the siren queen is so good! Y'all are a genius because this rec could not be more perfect. Nghi Vo is such a talented but underrated author, everyone should get to experience her books at least once in their lives
How did I not put together that Donna Tart wrote both Goldfinch and Secret History?! It’s allllll coming together lmao thank y’all for this video Looking at a bunch of the popular options had me nodding along because like y’all said; there’s something in all of them that had me seeing the vision but the areas of neglect or straight up racism, transphobia, etc we’re so blatant that I just couldn’t touch the books. Having the alternatives that not only don’t include the problematic elements but go above and beyond with the content and commentary is really exciting and important to acknowledge!
I love videos like this! Thanks for taking the time to put it together. I definitely added a few books to my TBR. I also want to ditto your rec for Do You Dream of Terra-Two. I was really impressed by that story.
Y’all THIS is the type of video we need more of! So many people stop at critiquing something without suggesting an alternative, and y’all hit every note! Thank you so, so much!!!🖤✨🖤✨🖤✨
Thank you for this life raft, Sis. I was drowning in what's Popular right now. I love your awareness to you fur babies in this video and dad jokes. I love it here! All the love to you and thank you.
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger (Not an exact swap for Twilight. Instead of a love triangle, the main character is ace.) Imagine an America very similar to our own. It's got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream. There are some differences. This America has been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day. Elatsoe lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family.
wow as a disabled person I was soo excited to add this to my tbr when i found out there was disabled rep since its rare. Now I won't be picking this up and won't get triggered unnecessarily. Thank y'all for that. OMG cerebral palsy author? ahh that's what I have. Oh my inner child book lover will be so grateful for this.
really loved this video! and i must say, i watch a lot of people on booktube, but i think y'all's recommendations are the ones i trust the most. the thoughtfulness and care y'all put into your recs and these videos does not go unnoticed! i've read so many great books thanks to y'all! excited to get to these ones! also the editing in this video? 10/10 i finished do you dream of terra-two? a couple days ago and have not stopped thinking about it. it is absolutely a new all-time favorite. and i just saw temi oh has another sci-fi book coming out this year!
Okay the recs are amazing but I want to give y’all props for your visual humor, like the screen flashes red when you say read at the beginning and the parking lot at the end 😂😂
I would like a Harry Potter alternative, and I don't mean all the "specifics", but just a great middle-grade/ya magic book where our underdog is dealing with school. Really, I guess what I'm saying is that I want recommendations for books like Amari and the Night Brothers! :) To me, that is a good alternative to HP, but I've already read that, so I'm really looking for more like that. :)
the akata witch trilogy is perfect for this ngl also there’s another black girl witchy academy series but can’t remember the name or author it’s middle grade and possibly by J Elle?? the author behind wings of ebony? …maybe?
Thank you for this video!💜 If it's ok, for Ender Games alternatives I would also recommend Machineries of Empire trilogy by Yoon Ha Lee and if we remove space, there are also Sidekick Squad by C.B. Lee and Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta.
All I can say is that your father needs help if he doesn’t want you in his life as I am a 50 year old white male and would be proud to say that you are my amazing daughter love this video and your amazing channel and thank you for adding to my tbr list prayers and thoughts for you and your amazing mother love your family friend John ❤❤❤❤ I am feeling better too so thank you for your prayers means a lot to me from the bottom of my heart ❣
I'm white but I'm a Masters Creative Writing student and I was talking the other day in class about the feelings I had growing up in a gypsy camp while going to a school where like 50% of the kids had super rich parents and the rest were very comfortably middle class. I felt like an alien every day. I got invited to a birthday party once and I went in jeans and a nice shirt but when I got to the place I swear to god it was almost a manor house and everyone I went to school with was in suits and ball gowns and I just told my mum to turn around and take me home.
I love these videos! I always get new and great recommendations from y'all! I'd love to see recs for problematic classics, I think there's a lot of great discussion to be had regarding some classic works that are even still taught in schools but that could be replaced or complemented with different classics or more modern works.
I love your recommendations and the way you explain your reasoning. It's refreshing and makes deciding what books get to live on TBR mountain so so easy. Thanks!
I love that y'all made this video, and I'm excited to see what other replacement recs y'all put out there!!! I'm heavily interested in reading these alternatives--I already own quite a few of them, they'll have to go on the TBR
So excited for this video! i thought The Power was an interesting book, I thought the framing device was interesting, but was very aware of its shortcomings as i read it--it definitely felt like it was not fully exploring the implications of its own world also excited to check out the memory librarian! ive been curious about it but was hesitant just bc im always a little wary of books written by celebrities. glad for such a strong rec! also also what a good DOG 😭
the power had SO many cool elements!!!! very interesting indeed. honestly totally get ur worry about the memory librarian but its well thought out, poetically written, and gorgeous. was so impressed
Maybe Elatsoe by Darcy Little Badger instead of Twilight? Indigenous author and MC, ace protag, vampires. Ghosts instead of werewolves, but there are other mythical beings IIRC? Magic is all out in the open tho.
ugh thank you SO MUCH for this video and for these alternatives! i did not like reading the power at all but you're the only person i've found online (so far) who's criticised it for its racism and other problems. it's really frustrating bc there's so much to say about the way gender intersects with race and the entire binary-ness of gender as a construct
I'm not a fairly avid reader of epic fantasy because it's very dense, but three recommendations I have are The Broken Earth Trilogy by N K Jemisin, The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee and The Poppy War by R F Kuang. All three are by authors of colour.
Thank you for this video! Y'all really shared your fire for BIPOC authors. I'm so excited about the books I added to my TBR. Edit: I would love to have alternative recommandations for Bridgerton, the First Law trilogy and The Expanse!
Thanks so much for these recommendations! I’ve found it immensely frustrating over the years how hard it can be to find alternative approaches to genres and narratives that are so overwhelmingly white/cis/hetero, especially because the stories that push back against genre norms are usually so much more interesting and fulfilling to read. (Especially in subgenres like steampunk, where the retrofuturism should make it ripe for all sorts of cool shenanigans, but for every Gunpowder Chronicles or Master of Djinn or Everfair there’s so much more generic urban fantasy romance that barely tries to question social and historical norms.) I really appreciate this video! If folks are looking for other Twilight response novels, the best one I’ve read is Trust Me by Malorie Blackman, which is a YA vampire book that actually examines issues of consent and coercion and connects them to racism as well. It is NOT a romance, more like a gritty urban fantasy! Pretty dark in places, but well worth the read. The protagonist and the author are black, too!
I've only read some of the books on this list but re: A Little Life, I've only read the plot and honestly, hate how much it's popular and recommended because the plot outright sounds like trauma porn featuring a gay man. I'm not saying gay men can't have awful or traumatizing experiences by other gay men but given how from what I know, the author isn't lgbt+ and her works focus extensively on gay men and them having non-stop traumatic experiences.........it's weird. So I appreciate your anti-recs for that book.
May I ask what's a blackathon? I haven't heard of it before and can't find anything on google. Is it a readathon where you read specifically books from black authors or with black protagonists? Or is it black people hosting a readathon?
Hi friend! It’s a readathon I created about 5 years ago. It runs every February and also there’s a queer Blackathon in June. Here’s a playlist of Blackathon content :) it’ll also help w informing on the history/movements that continue to inspire each round of Blackathon. th-cam.com/play/PLXf-4SMJLLeWQ4f9w6aKR6Mnjl4y70MOz.html
There are so many books listed here that I haven't read yet, but I look forward to getting to eventually. However, I have read the Nicole Dennis-Benn and that is certainly one that everybody ought to read.
LOVED this video! immediately added real life to my TBR, and also i NEED to read disorientation as well - buddy read?? 👀 oh i cannot WAIT for y'alls video about tomorrowx3 because i need some vindication in how i felt about it
The fact that I gave 4-5 stars to a lot of books that are recommended in the video makes me want to pick up the others ASAP. Thank y'all so much for this video! So happy for Jesse on TH-cam wishing y'all all the best in the future :)
I loved The Year of The Witching!! The atmosphere was phenomenal but we weren't a fan of the ending either. Bitter is on my tbr! Another amazing video!!
I just added over half of these to my TBR, y'all give the best recommendations!! I just finished Sankofa and I know y'all DNFed it, but I LOVED it, so thank y'all for introducing it 🥰
Thank you for these!! I have many books to add to my various lists. I hope you include Siren Queen in a video when you read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts
Thank you for this video! I would love recommendations for alternatives to popular books coworkers/relatives always bring up (The Help, Where the Crawdads Sing, Colleen Hoover, etc.) I’m heading to your playlists now to see if you’ve already covered any of these. If so, disregard my comment and know I appreciate the work and voice you bring to this space!
Thank your for this video, recommendations and education. As a white sis hetero woman I sometimes fail to see problematic aspects as this is "all I know" so I fail to see that there is a problem - so thank you.
Amazing video, thank y’all so much for the recommendations. I love The Memory Librarian, I originally found it through searching afro-futerism when using your TBR cards. Honestly, I was blown away!
I asked for Sire Queen from netgalley because the cover looked great, and then I read it and fell in love. Such a wonderful book, and I can't speak to any of the representation, but I loved it.
"I don't like love to begin with. I'm already prepared and accepting the fact that I'm going to die alone" mood. also I'm reading Daughter of the Moon Goddess right now! Gorgeous cover, gorgeous prose! I'm also taking note of my favorite quotes within the book. I'm loving the plot and the characters. fantastic video! thank you for creating and sharing it with the world. I want to make sure all my friends see it too.
Okay but the concept of moths is so cool?? going to check that out online now! I LOVE JANELLE MONAE SO MUCH. Afrofuturism music perfection in Monae's sound and visuals. Lol I didn't like anything in serpent and dove at all really. Ooh disorientation is on my shelf and i am ready for more POC dark academia pls and thank you. Do you dream of terra two is the perrrrfect orson scott card replacement!! (I say, having it on my shelf and having yet to read it). I am still a twilight stan but absolutely understand how toxic it is and will always talk against it and never defend it at the same time. I do want to read the siren queen as well. Had to dnf GOT this year because couldn't see past the problems to the words on the page anymore ;.;
Hi, I’m new to your channel and loving what I’m hearing and seeing. I didn’t like Donna Tartt or tomorrow and tomorrow but didn’t know why. I’m going to check out those videos. Most of all, thank you for the recs!
I’ve been looking for dark academia but the only one that comes to mind is Naomi Novik’s Scholomance series. Her prior book, Uprooted was pro.blem.atic so I can understand if she’s a hard No for people.
I’ve been looking for dark academia but the only one that comes to mind is Naomi Novik’s Scholomance series. Her prior book, Uprooted was pro.blem.atic so I can understand if she’s a hard No for people.
I think my favorite book I can't ethically recommend is House in The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. It felt like the perfect queer, cozy, found family book and I was crushed when I found out it was inspired by the Sixties Scoop and the author saw zero things wrong with it.
So many exciting recs! One that’s a great GoT alternative that I feel doesn’t get talked about enough is The Jasmine Throne (first of The Burning Kingdoms Series). It’s so good, steeped in hidden magic, told from multiple POVs, and all from people vying for the metaphorical throne or trying to overthrow it. There’s great world building and a wlw love story. Haven’t read the second book yet but the first was addicting & immersive! Also eww forever OSC, so glad I dodged getting into Ender’s Game.
Awesome recs and commentary as always! And excited to see y'all stepping into a new era of Jesse with the channel name 💕💕💕 I'm personally wanting to see alternative recs for House of Night (and have a few in mind myself) because I still see people recommending it on TikTok and gunning for a TV adoption to get picked up and I'm 💀 Or, for that matter, alt recs for literally anything PC Cast has ever touched. 20+ years of yikes in publishing and still going strong 🙃
Your edits are a blast and I love the dogs participating. I'm learning, I know my privilege and still is amazing how blind you can be to it in a book. I've never been to the States so I haven't experienced how day to day reality is for BIPOC/Latin/immigrants, but I know I wouldn't experience the same unless I clarify where I come from, just by the way I look (it happened to me at an airport, I was absolutely invisible and it shook me). And that's plain stupid because I could be the worse and get away with it so easily.
It has been a LONG time since I read Enders Game, but the Nyxia series by Scott Reintgen is one of my new favorites and your buzzwords reminded me a bit of that
Thanks for the review on Siren Queen! I really like Nghi Vo's Singing Hills cycle, but was wondering if I'd like their more realistic fiction. Gotta check it out now!
Ohhh, at least half of these alternatives are already on my tbr list! I'm a bit behind with reading atm, but hopefully I can read them at some point. Thanks for all these recommendations ✨️
For an alternative Twilight (or maybe Dracula) recommendation, for someone who likes classics I'd add Carmilla, I haven't read it yet but I have heard that it is a sapphic vampire romance novel! I'm not sure if it is problematic or not, but I have heard great things about it. (edit: I looked into it, and based on reviews there is minor racism in the novel, I'm not sure though if it would be possible to find a classic, which is not racist at least a bit)
For another dystopian pick about pregnancy, control, and surveillance, but from an Indigenous perspective, I’d highly recommend Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich. It’s a bit messy and disjointed, but I thought it was so much more compelling and thought-provoking than The Power.
6:41 I just finished the last book in the series recently. Love that y’all are recommending them. 11:43 I took DT’s books off of my TBR after watching one of y’all’s videos about her. She sounds awful. 20:18 Absolutely!!! Thanks for another great video.
Great idea for a video! Thanks for the recs. Tomorrow x3 seemed a little off to me, but as an able-bodied white person it was hard to put my finger on it. I had a similar problem with Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez, and watching y'alls channel has helped me pick up on problematic representation and trust my gut instead of brushing it off.
This is an incredible list! Thank y’all! So many of these alternatives are on my TBR or going to be added. Siren Queen is amazing can’t wait for y’all to enjoy Nghi Vo’s lush writing. One of my faves of last year.
I used to love dystopians but got so tired of seeing the same handmaids tale type books, so I am definitely reading yall's recommendations! Janelle Monae is incredible and I don't know why I haven't read The Memory Librarian yet when Dirty Computer had me so hooked.
Jesse, did y'all just make me wanna read Babel with the comments about friendship? I need that! Also, I need to read Siren Queen. It was one of my most anticipated books and I still haven't gotten to it.
I would love an alternative recommendation for The Name of the Wind. I personally didn't like the way women were portrayed in this story, and there was also little to no representation of queer characters. However, I loved how immersive the worldbuilding was and that we were following a character through their day to day life, but in a fantasy setting.
Thanks for these recommendations. Not all of them interested me, because I'm also not interested in the ones, that they are alternatives for. But thanks to you I now have three new books on my reading list. 🥰
The way the moment y’all mentioned Game of Thrones I knew the alternative would be Upon a Burning Throne. Y’all have loved that book and mentioned it on the channel many times 🔥
appreciate ya’lls recs so much!! I love Brandon Taylor and will be picking up anything he puts out, I cannot wait for the late Americans this year. I picked up just by looking at him recently and cant wait to read it soon!!
Hello Jesse, I Want to Thank Y'all So Much for Getting Me Back Into Reading 📚 I Have Been Following for A While and Now You Have My TBR Over Flowing!!😂😂I Absolutely Love Y'all Appreciate All Reviews and Trust Y'alls Opinions to Each and Every Book. Keep Up The Beautiful Work!!!!🥰
Thank you so much for making this video. I'm going to be getting some of these books tomorrow! Y'all sold me easily on Disorientation and Real Life! Thank you :)
For the first prompt I really recommend Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin, the only gender apocalypse book I've read that was any good, probably because it was written by a trans woman
LIST OF THE ALTERNATIVE RECS!
Handmaids Tale and the Power
- the memory librarian
- girls of paper and fire
Serpent and Dove
- year of the witching
The Secret History
- Babel
- Real Life
- A Lesson in Vengeance
- Bitter
- Disorientation
Ender's Game
- Do You Dream of Terra Two?
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
- Siren Queen
Twilight
- Lead Me Astray
- Daughter of the Moon Goddess
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
- Just By Looking At Him
A Little Life
- Punch me Up to the Gods
- Here Comes the Sun
Game of Thrones
- Upon A Burning Throne
Thank you for your support, everyone! Hope these help :)
These are great recs! Since you don't have a pinned comment, and chance you can pin this one so it doesn't get lost?
They do!
"my favorite form of dark academia is bipoc authors writing about the darknesses they experience in academic institutions." I absolutely adore that statement and wholeheartedly agree! i feel the same about dystopian too. a lot of times white authors have to make this whole dark story in those genres - yet bipoc stories are so raw because they are our current reality and its a deeper real look at the darkness within those societal structures/ institutions.
😭💓 omg you 💓😭
It’s always so disappointing to see Donna Tartt constantly recommended by booktubers who otherwise seem so aware of racism/homophobia/transphobia. It’s not the end of the world to enjoy a “problematic” book, but it is really troubling to be completely unaware of the problems. Thank you for all the great recs!
thank you Kala💓
For Twilight these days there are now an increasing number of vampire books by bipoc authors like Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco, The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh, The Night Wanderer
Drew Hayden Taylor... actually I would love love it if y'all feel like doing a black or bipoc vampire vlog someday. 😉
we have one in the works hehe but it might not be released until summerween or october
I keep hearing good things about Silver Under Nightfall - I definitely have to pick it up soon
The thought, the care, the TIME put into this video. I mean, wow. I want EVERY freaking book you’ve recommended. Thank you so much
🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 this comment means so much because it took me so many hours to edit 💓✨🙏🏽 feeling seen
this is more coming of age horror but Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones is an incredible werewolf story by an indigenous author!
I loved it. It was an excellent deconstruction on the urban fantasy genre.
Great video!
If you don't mind my adding some, I have some additional recs bc I was inspired by this video!:
-Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich, a Handmaid's Tale-like reproductive dystopia by a well-known Ojibwe author
-The Air You Breathe by Frances de Pontes Peebles, similar to Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, about a Carmen Miranda-type Brazilian Hollywood star, written by a Brazilian author.
-Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak for Dark Academia, written by a Turkish author about the experience of being Muslim woman at Oxford University
I am literally 3 minutes into this video and I’m already so happy.
I 👏🏽 Have 👏🏽Been 👏🏽Saying 👏🏽This👏🏽 About The Handmaids take for YEARS.
ngl hearing "Jesse On TH-cam" made me irrationally happy for u! but i love all of these books, and many of them have been on my TBR for a long time! Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow i know is gonna wreck me emotionally in specific lol. thank u for all the hard work u do for these videos to give us good recommendations!
thank you!!!!!!
Omg wow. I am one of those girls that gave The Secret History 5 stars and must’ve put a blind eye toward its problems. I’m headed to y’all’s Instagram now. Thanks for putting it out there. Putting this entire video out there honestly
love u much, let’s chat about it in the dms 💓
I loved this thank y’all for doing this. I am wondering if maybe y’all in the future can do one for House in the Cerulean Sea. I still see that one being recommended on booktube a lot. It is one of the books I loved but cannot ethically recommend
honestly think we have the perfect alternative rec for this!
Whats problematic about it? I've seen people say it was wholesome 😭😭
Yeah, do tell!! 😢
@@Angel.aaa109 The book itself does feel very wholesome when you're unaware of what inspired it.
The author has said that he based the 'orphanage' and the way children are treated in this book on Residential Schools and the history surrounding them.
Residential schools were schools/"orphanages", which popped up in the 1820s.
At these schools indigenous children were forcibly taken away from their parents by the government (mostly in Canada but also in the US).
In these schools they were taught how to act/be subservient to white people. At one point 30% of all Canadian Indigenous children was enrolled in a Residential school.
This would be bad enough by itself, but these schools were also very abusive. The children were beaten or neglected leading to the disappearances and deaths of many Indigenous children.
The last Residential school closed in 1996. Mass graves and unmarked graves are still being found (with a mass grave in Canada being found as recently as 2021)
Needless to say, TJ Klune saying he wrote a happy cutesy story based on this part of (very recent) history, hit a sore spot for a lot of people.
The book started a heavy debate within the book community, with some saying that Klune was appropriating Indigenous trauma. And profiting from it.
Others stated that fantasy books based on tragedies have always been a thing. Even Lord of the Rings was based on the World Wars.
I'm personally more on team Klune-profits-of-Indigenous-trauma. But I urge you to draw your own conclusions.
@@taleforquill oh I see, wow I had no idea. Thank you for answering!!
THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR THIS!!! Watching this now and also saving it for later so I can keep referencing back to it!
Same here! ☺️
I love how ya’ll just keep answering my wishes. Context I’m black queer non-binary trans man and I only grew up in like a white environment. Cue me realizing that 1, the only queerness I can reference is white queerness 2, having an internal breakdown by realizing that I couldn’t find anything that represented me in any of my fiction and that lead me to stop reading books. So me finding your channel helped re spark my passion for books and reading again thanks to your black-a-thon and poc queer books rec. Like for once I can finally get lost in the world of fiction and feel like I deserve to exist in those worlds. I don’t know if I’m making sense but I really appreciate what y’all are doing on this channel and this community.
Now to be less sappy does anyone have any niche recommendations for asexual stories that deal with ace folks who are like sex favorable. Cause I think that’s what I am (I’m definitely on the ace spectrum) and I have a lot of confusing emotions around that, and I’m curious if someone has already wrote about that yet?
city girl writes (Nkechi) on instagram has been posting amazing recs!!! she is a Black ace booktuber and bookstagramer:)
thank you for sharing yourSelf. sending warmth and gratitude 🙏🏽
@@JesseOnTH-cam thank you so much! ☺️
genuine question because i want to be educated since this is heavily debated: how can you be trans and nonbinary? how does it work? (not trying to be hateful i really want to learn 😭)
@@frog3630 simple. To be trans you have to not identify with your gender assigned at birth. Nonbinary is under the Trans umbrella because nonbinary folks don't identify with their birth gender.
These are great recs!! Very curious on those alternative recs to Twilight, A Little Life, and Game of Thrones. Also, y'all were making sense when y'all were talking about Babel not having a similar plot to The Secret History. Babel does more than The Secret History can ever do in critiquing academia. I cannot wait for y'all's video on alternative recs for popular dark academia books. I am definitely gonna add Real Life and Disorientation onto my future dark academia TBR. 🖤🕯✨
Thank y’all so much for reminding me that “Lead Me Astray” exists! Had picked it up from my library once but had to return it before I could start it. It’s sounds perfect. Will also definitely be getting “Upon A Burning Throne” in the near future as well.
I'm sometimes so behind on issues within the book community / industry, so this video was a double bliss. I can't unread/unlove the secret history but I ain't sad to not touch Tartt's other books. Not only are your recommendations brilliant, so are your thoughts and insights.❤️
I appreciate the conversation about recognizing the complexity and LEVELS to problematic books. MOST books are nuanced (esp from marginalized authors) and requires a deeper analysis before they are “banned”. Ashley’s take on this has completely fueled my opinion here. Since she’s a librarian, hearing her comment on the dangers of censorship is very fascinating!!
Not recommending a book is one thing, but systems that allow/enforce censorship will only be used to disadvantage marginalized authors (i am sad to hear about THUG but I HEAR YALL. Looks like it may require a reread since 2017!! This is a great example of a book that shouldn’t be tossed, but used as a reference for deeper analysis to understand the criticism)
awww tysm!!!!!!!
Honestly, your videos recommend so many awesome sounding books that are far outta my white, cis-het dudebro wheel-house, I feel somewhat overwhelmed as to where to begin. I think I'm gonna make it an personal policy to add at least one recommendation from videos like these to my TBR. For this video, I'm leaning towards "Babel," partially because the ENITRE booktube world has been raving about it nonstop, but also because I actually don't think I've ever read a "dark academia" book. Though, I will say "Moths" sounds pretty gnarly too...
Ooooh the siren queen is so good! Y'all are a genius because this rec could not be more perfect. Nghi Vo is such a talented but underrated author, everyone should get to experience her books at least once in their lives
How did I not put together that Donna Tart wrote both Goldfinch and Secret History?! It’s allllll coming together lmao thank y’all for this video
Looking at a bunch of the popular options had me nodding along because like y’all said; there’s something in all of them that had me seeing the vision but the areas of neglect or straight up racism, transphobia, etc we’re so blatant that I just couldn’t touch the books. Having the alternatives that not only don’t include the problematic elements but go above and beyond with the content and commentary is really exciting and important to acknowledge!
I love videos like this! Thanks for taking the time to put it together. I definitely added a few books to my TBR. I also want to ditto your rec for Do You Dream of Terra-Two. I was really impressed by that story.
Y’all THIS is the type of video we need more of! So many people stop at critiquing something without suggesting an alternative, and y’all hit every note! Thank you so, so much!!!🖤✨🖤✨🖤✨
Thank you for this life raft, Sis. I was drowning in what's Popular right now. I love your awareness to you fur babies in this video and dad jokes. I love it here! All the love to you and thank you.
gender neutral lingo for this one pretty pleaseeee. also hiiii loving ur icon (wow) and this energy. did u design it??
@@JesseOnTH-cam my deepest apologies. The icon image is from a video game. Thank you for this safe space.
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger (Not an exact swap for Twilight. Instead of a love triangle, the main character is ace.)
Imagine an America very similar to our own. It's got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream.
There are some differences. This America has been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day.
Elatsoe lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family.
really enjoyed this one. LOVED A Snake Falls to Earth🌎
i love both books by darcie little badger! i'm so excited to see if she puts out more books because i will read all of them
wow as a disabled person I was soo excited to add this to my tbr when i found out there was disabled rep since its rare. Now I won't be picking this up and won't get triggered unnecessarily. Thank y'all for that.
OMG cerebral palsy author? ahh that's what I have. Oh my inner child book lover will be so grateful for this.
really loved this video! and i must say, i watch a lot of people on booktube, but i think y'all's recommendations are the ones i trust the most. the thoughtfulness and care y'all put into your recs and these videos does not go unnoticed! i've read so many great books thanks to y'all! excited to get to these ones! also the editing in this video? 10/10
i finished do you dream of terra-two? a couple days ago and have not stopped thinking about it. it is absolutely a new all-time favorite. and i just saw temi oh has another sci-fi book coming out this year!
ahhh ty and tysm for letting us know she has a new book this year??? adding to cart 😂😂 again, tysm for the kind words✨❤️❤️
Okay the recs are amazing but I want to give y’all props for your visual humor, like the screen flashes red when you say read at the beginning and the parking lot at the end 😂😂
😂😂😂ty we think we are so much funnier than we are
that sentence was fucking monstrous but hopefully u get it hehe
I would like a Harry Potter alternative, and I don't mean all the "specifics", but just a great middle-grade/ya magic book where our underdog is dealing with school. Really, I guess what I'm saying is that I want recommendations for books like Amari and the Night Brothers! :) To me, that is a good alternative to HP, but I've already read that, so I'm really looking for more like that. :)
the akata witch trilogy is perfect for this ngl
also there’s another black girl witchy academy series but can’t remember the name or author
it’s middle grade and possibly by J Elle?? the author behind wings of ebony? …maybe?
@@JesseOnTH-cam I’ll check it out and Akata is already on my list, so thanks!!
@@JesseOnTH-cam you’re right… J. Elle wrote a series called Park Row Magic Academy! I’m adding it!! Thanks so much!
Thank you for this video!💜
If it's ok, for Ender Games alternatives I would also recommend Machineries of Empire trilogy by Yoon Ha Lee and if we remove space, there are also Sidekick Squad by C.B. Lee and Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta.
UM TYSM FOR THESE RECS
All I can say is that your father needs help if he doesn’t want you in his life as I am a 50 year old white male and would be proud to say that you are my amazing daughter love this video and your amazing channel and thank you for adding to my tbr list prayers and thoughts for you and your amazing mother love your family friend John ❤❤❤❤ I am feeling better too so thank you for your prayers means a lot to me from the bottom of my heart ❣
💓💓💓💓
@@JesseOnTH-cam 💙💙
I'm white but I'm a Masters Creative Writing student and I was talking the other day in class about the feelings I had growing up in a gypsy camp while going to a school where like 50% of the kids had super rich parents and the rest were very comfortably middle class. I felt like an alien every day.
I got invited to a birthday party once and I went in jeans and a nice shirt but when I got to the place I swear to god it was almost a manor house and everyone I went to school with was in suits and ball gowns and I just told my mum to turn around and take me home.
I love these videos! I always get new and great recommendations from y'all! I'd love to see recs for problematic classics, I think there's a lot of great discussion to be had regarding some classic works that are even still taught in schools but that could be replaced or complemented with different classics or more modern works.
I love your recommendations and the way you explain your reasoning. It's refreshing and makes deciding what books get to live on TBR mountain so so easy. Thanks!
I love that y'all made this video, and I'm excited to see what other replacement recs y'all put out there!!! I'm heavily interested in reading these alternatives--I already own quite a few of them, they'll have to go on the TBR
So excited for this video! i thought The Power was an interesting book, I thought the framing device was interesting, but was very aware of its shortcomings as i read it--it definitely felt like it was not fully exploring the implications of its own world
also excited to check out the memory librarian! ive been curious about it but was hesitant just bc im always a little wary of books written by celebrities. glad for such a strong rec!
also also what a good DOG 😭
the power had SO many cool elements!!!! very interesting indeed. honestly totally get ur worry about the memory librarian but its well thought out, poetically written, and gorgeous. was so impressed
This was a great video!! I'm also loving the channel name change. Also, that serpent and Dove video was over 2(?) years ago? Time flies.
Maybe Elatsoe by Darcy Little Badger instead of Twilight? Indigenous author and MC, ace protag, vampires. Ghosts instead of werewolves, but there are other mythical beings IIRC? Magic is all out in the open tho.
omg brilliant
ugh thank you SO MUCH for this video and for these alternatives! i did not like reading the power at all but you're the only person i've found online (so far) who's criticised it for its racism and other problems. it's really frustrating bc there's so much to say about the way gender intersects with race and the entire binary-ness of gender as a construct
Some ppl will go to hell and return with flyers defending that book and it will never make sense
I'm not a fairly avid reader of epic fantasy because it's very dense, but three recommendations I have are The Broken Earth Trilogy by N K Jemisin, The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee and The Poppy War by R F Kuang. All three are by authors of colour.
Thank you for this video! Y'all really shared your fire for BIPOC authors. I'm so excited about the books I added to my TBR.
Edit: I would love to have alternative recommandations for Bridgerton, the First Law trilogy and The Expanse!
we havent read any of those lmaoooo BUT we can do some digging hehe
Thanks so much for these recommendations! I’ve found it immensely frustrating over the years how hard it can be to find alternative approaches to genres and narratives that are so overwhelmingly white/cis/hetero, especially because the stories that push back against genre norms are usually so much more interesting and fulfilling to read. (Especially in subgenres like steampunk, where the retrofuturism should make it ripe for all sorts of cool shenanigans, but for every Gunpowder Chronicles or Master of Djinn or Everfair there’s so much more generic urban fantasy romance that barely tries to question social and historical norms.) I really appreciate this video!
If folks are looking for other Twilight response novels, the best one I’ve read is Trust Me by Malorie Blackman, which is a YA vampire book that actually examines issues of consent and coercion and connects them to racism as well. It is NOT a romance, more like a gritty urban fantasy! Pretty dark in places, but well worth the read. The protagonist and the author are black, too!
Subscribed :) Thanks for the time you put into this
Thanks for the sub! i’m so glad you loved the video!!! thank you 🙏🏽
I've only read some of the books on this list but re: A Little Life, I've only read the plot and honestly, hate how much it's popular and recommended because the plot outright sounds like trauma porn featuring a gay man. I'm not saying gay men can't have awful or traumatizing experiences by other gay men but given how from what I know, the author isn't lgbt+ and her works focus extensively on gay men and them having non-stop traumatic experiences.........it's weird. So I appreciate your anti-recs for that book.
May I ask what's a blackathon? I haven't heard of it before and can't find anything on google. Is it a readathon where you read specifically books from black authors or with black protagonists? Or is it black people hosting a readathon?
Hi friend! It’s a readathon I created about 5 years ago. It runs every February and also there’s a queer Blackathon in June. Here’s a playlist of Blackathon content :) it’ll also help w informing on the history/movements that continue to inspire each round of Blackathon.
th-cam.com/play/PLXf-4SMJLLeWQ4f9w6aKR6Mnjl4y70MOz.html
There are so many books listed here that I haven't read yet, but I look forward to getting to eventually. However, I have read the Nicole Dennis-Benn and that is certainly one that everybody ought to read.
thank you. a lot. I am new to this booktube thing and I m so glad I ve found you. Great vid. Those who care, care. love
thank you!!! this is extremely kind :)
LOVED this video! immediately added real life to my TBR, and also i NEED to read disorientation as well - buddy read?? 👀
oh i cannot WAIT for y'alls video about tomorrowx3 because i need some vindication in how i felt about it
buddy read it for sure 💚🙏🏽🥹🥹 we have to make up for art of prophecy lmao
@@JesseOnTH-cam looooool I'll try not to fail this time 🥲
@@tammietriestoread dming u about it today but if we forget pls remind us. Do you want to BR it in March or May?
The fact that I gave 4-5 stars to a lot of books that are recommended in the video makes me want to pick up the others ASAP. Thank y'all so much for this video!
So happy for Jesse on TH-cam wishing y'all all the best in the future :)
thank you🥹🥹🥹
I loved The Year of The Witching!! The atmosphere was phenomenal but we weren't a fan of the ending either. Bitter is on my tbr! Another amazing video!!
I just added over half of these to my TBR, y'all give the best recommendations!! I just finished Sankofa and I know y'all DNFed it, but I LOVED it, so thank y'all for introducing it 🥰
love seeing people love books we dnfd. 🙏🏽
Thank you for these!! I have many books to add to my various lists. I hope you include Siren Queen in a video when you read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts
Thank you for this video! I would love recommendations for alternatives to popular books coworkers/relatives always bring up (The Help, Where the Crawdads Sing, Colleen Hoover, etc.)
I’m heading to your playlists now to see if you’ve already covered any of these. If so, disregard my comment and know I appreciate the work and voice you bring to this space!
So many amazing recs!!! I’m typing so fast into my Notes App TBR note!!!
Also, the climax and end of Here Comes the Sun absolutely DESTROYED me! 😢
SO GOOD RIGHT?! HERE COMES THE SUN IS DEVASTATING!!! are you planning on reading Broughtupsy? has a similar vibe but we haven't read it yet
@@JesseOnTH-cam well now I am! ✊🏽
Thank your for this video, recommendations and education. As a white sis hetero woman I sometimes fail to see problematic aspects as this is "all I know" so I fail to see that there is a problem - so thank you.
great vid! thanks so much for SOOOOOO many recommendations (my tbr list overfloweth!)
ahhh thank u!
Where's the link for the black magical murder mysteries? 😍😍 I tried searching it but couldn't find it. Thanks!!
i got you!!! solving mysteries while reading mysteries│reading experiment #4
th-cam.com/video/5vPRtd3XfJo/w-d-xo.html
Amazing video, thank y’all so much for the recommendations. I love The Memory Librarian, I originally found it through searching afro-futerism when using your TBR cards. Honestly, I was blown away!
I asked for Sire Queen from netgalley because the cover looked great, and then I read it and fell in love. Such a wonderful book, and I can't speak to any of the representation, but I loved it.
"I don't like love to begin with. I'm already prepared and accepting the fact that I'm going to die alone" mood.
also I'm reading Daughter of the Moon Goddess right now! Gorgeous cover, gorgeous prose! I'm also taking note of my favorite quotes within the book. I'm loving the plot and the characters.
fantastic video! thank you for creating and sharing it with the world. I want to make sure all my friends see it too.
omg yesssss DOTMG is amazing!!!!! makes me so happy to hear you’re enjoying it. thank you for this comment and your support 🥺🥺💓💓🥺🥺
I Absolutely Love Your Recommendations! Thank You!!!!!
Okay but the concept of moths is so cool?? going to check that out online now! I LOVE JANELLE MONAE SO MUCH. Afrofuturism music perfection in Monae's sound and visuals. Lol I didn't like anything in serpent and dove at all really. Ooh disorientation is on my shelf and i am ready for more POC dark academia pls and thank you. Do you dream of terra two is the perrrrfect orson scott card replacement!! (I say, having it on my shelf and having yet to read it). I am still a twilight stan but absolutely understand how toxic it is and will always talk against it and never defend it at the same time. I do want to read the siren queen as well. Had to dnf GOT this year because couldn't see past the problems to the words on the page anymore ;.;
let’s buddy read disorientation
and siren queen
Unfortunately can’t do buddy reads alongside my job 😭 but otherwise would’ve loved to!!
Hi, I’m new to your channel and loving what I’m hearing and seeing. I didn’t like Donna Tartt or tomorrow and tomorrow but didn’t know why. I’m going to check out those videos. Most of all, thank you for the recs!
laura!!! thank u for being present here! any dark academia books you think i should try? big hugs!
I’ve been looking for dark academia but the only one that comes to mind is Naomi Novik’s Scholomance series. Her prior book, Uprooted was pro.blem.atic so I can understand if she’s a hard No for people.
I’ve been looking for dark academia but the only one that comes to mind is Naomi Novik’s Scholomance series. Her prior book, Uprooted was pro.blem.atic so I can understand if she’s a hard No for people.
I think my favorite book I can't ethically recommend is House in The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. It felt like the perfect queer, cozy, found family book and I was crushed when I found out it was inspired by the Sixties Scoop and the author saw zero things wrong with it.
YEAH that was GROSSSS
So many exciting recs! One that’s a great GoT alternative that I feel doesn’t get talked about enough is The Jasmine Throne (first of The Burning Kingdoms Series). It’s so good, steeped in hidden magic, told from multiple POVs, and all from people vying for the metaphorical throne or trying to overthrow it. There’s great world building and a wlw love story. Haven’t read the second book yet but the first was addicting & immersive! Also eww forever OSC, so glad I dodged getting into Ender’s Game.
i just finished doing some work with lofi girl in the background (as always) to come and watch ya'll's video and here is lofi girl again
Also y'all's editing never fails to crack me up, y'all are doing the most!!
we need our computer taken away
Thanks for the information on
Do You Dream of Terra-Two?
I'll have to check it out.
Awesome recs and commentary as always! And excited to see y'all stepping into a new era of Jesse with the channel name 💕💕💕
I'm personally wanting to see alternative recs for House of Night (and have a few in mind myself) because I still see people recommending it on TikTok and gunning for a TV adoption to get picked up and I'm 💀
Or, for that matter, alt recs for literally anything PC Cast has ever touched. 20+ years of yikes in publishing and still going strong 🙃
Your edits are a blast and I love the dogs participating. I'm learning, I know my privilege and still is amazing how blind you can be to it in a book. I've never been to the States so I haven't experienced how day to day reality is for BIPOC/Latin/immigrants, but I know I wouldn't experience the same unless I clarify where I come from, just by the way I look (it happened to me at an airport, I was absolutely invisible and it shook me). And that's plain stupid because I could be the worse and get away with it so easily.
Loved the Jack visit and Lofi Girl in the background! Thank you for these recommendations.
It has been a LONG time since I read Enders Game, but the Nyxia series by Scott Reintgen is one of my new favorites and your buzzwords reminded me a bit of that
looking this up as we speakkkkk. thank you brittany
Thanks for the review on Siren Queen! I really like Nghi Vo's Singing Hills cycle, but was wondering if I'd like their more realistic fiction. Gotta check it out now!
Ohhh, at least half of these alternatives are already on my tbr list! I'm a bit behind with reading atm, but hopefully I can read them at some point. Thanks for all these recommendations ✨️
I love these videos! Thank you so much for taking the time to make these resources!!
For an alternative Twilight (or maybe Dracula) recommendation, for someone who likes classics I'd add Carmilla, I haven't read it yet but I have heard that it is a sapphic vampire romance novel! I'm not sure if it is problematic or not, but I have heard great things about it. (edit: I looked into it, and based on reviews there is minor racism in the novel, I'm not sure though if it would be possible to find a classic, which is not racist at least a bit)
Have you read "Yours for the taking"? Curious about your thoughts
where are the links to the recommended books? also what tabs do you use to mark your books?
under “relevant content” you’ll find links to discussions of the problematic books. the recommended alternatives are in this video!
For another dystopian pick about pregnancy, control, and surveillance, but from an Indigenous perspective, I’d highly recommend Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich. It’s a bit messy and disjointed, but I thought it was so much more compelling and thought-provoking than The Power.
adding!!!!
Hearing ya'll talk about Twilight in the same way I used to be OBESSSED with it and owned all four books....omg
Wow, I hadn't heard of most of your alternative recs and have now filled up my TBR! Thanks for listing so many!
6:41 I just finished the last book in the series recently. Love that y’all are recommending them. 11:43 I took DT’s books off of my TBR after watching one of y’all’s videos about her. She sounds awful. 20:18 Absolutely!!! Thanks for another great video.
🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺😭💓💓
Great idea for a video! Thanks for the recs. Tomorrow x3 seemed a little off to me, but as an able-bodied white person it was hard to put my finger on it. I had a similar problem with Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez, and watching y'alls channel has helped me pick up on problematic representation and trust my gut instead of brushing it off.
Oh I love your videos. I ❤️ Bitter. I added so many to my tbr. I couldn't get into Goldfinch and so glad I didn't.
This is an incredible list! Thank y’all! So many of these alternatives are on my TBR or going to be added. Siren Queen is amazing can’t wait for y’all to enjoy Nghi Vo’s lush writing. One of my faves of last year.
Thank you so much. This was very well though through and I'm excited to get to some of y'alls recommendations! 😃💛
I used to love dystopians but got so tired of seeing the same handmaids tale type books, so I am definitely reading yall's recommendations! Janelle Monae is incredible and I don't know why I haven't read The Memory Librarian yet when Dirty Computer had me so hooked.
will you do a video on the problems with a game of thrones book? idk what are the problems with it?
Jesse, did y'all just make me wanna read Babel with the comments about friendship? I need that! Also, I need to read Siren Queen. It was one of my most anticipated books and I still haven't gotten to it.
anytime we get someone to read Babel an angel gets their wings
I would love an alternative recommendation for The Name of the Wind. I personally didn't like the way women were portrayed in this story, and there was also little to no representation of queer characters. However, I loved how immersive the worldbuilding was and that we were following a character through their day to day life, but in a fantasy setting.
will get to work on this :)
Thanks for these recommendations. Not all of them interested me, because I'm also not interested in the ones, that they are alternatives for. But thanks to you I now have three new books on my reading list. 🥰
The way the moment y’all mentioned Game of Thrones I knew the alternative would be Upon a Burning Throne. Y’all have loved that book and mentioned it on the channel many times 🔥
😂😂😂 not this call out lmaooo ❤️💚✨🎊 you know us so well
appreciate ya’lls recs so much!! I love Brandon Taylor and will be picking up anything he puts out, I cannot wait for the late Americans this year. I picked up just by looking at him recently and cant wait to read it soon!!
Hello Jesse, I Want to Thank Y'all So Much for Getting Me Back Into Reading 📚 I Have Been Following for A While and Now You Have My TBR Over Flowing!!😂😂I Absolutely Love Y'all Appreciate All Reviews and Trust Y'alls Opinions to Each and Every Book. Keep Up The Beautiful Work!!!!🥰
🥺🥺🥺🥺
I love how you've started to mention your black mystery fantasy vlog in every video 😆
Well done, really impressive. Subscribed! This is exactly the type of channel I was looking for
Thank you so much for making this video. I'm going to be getting some of these books tomorrow! Y'all sold me easily on Disorientation and Real Life! Thank you :)
Our pleasure!
The work you put in! Honestly cannot thank you enough for these recommendations! Straight to the top of my reading list!
This type of content is my favorite on this channel, next to reading vlogs. Looking forward to more.
😍😍😍tysm!
I absolutely loved Just By Looking at Him! I don't see people talking about it enough. You convinced me to get Babel and Real Life.
omggg yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what was ur fav book of last year???
@@JesseOnTH-cam Memorial by Bryan Washington and If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha were some definite stand-outs to me! What about you?
For the first prompt I really recommend Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin, the only gender apocalypse book I've read that was any good, probably because it was written by a trans woman
it’s so high on my tbr!!!!!! can’t believe i forgot about it