Love your Booktube thoughts :) Agree that this is such a great space for booklovers and thank you for the gratitude reminder to reflect on how great this space is! Love this video - great list of books ( I'll need to watch your Beartown video once I finally get around to reading that one!)
Yesss, Beartown is a book that I just have not been able to stop thinking about ever since I read it. I'm almost done with the third (and final) book. Thanks for your kind words and comment!
I'm fully here for the stats!! Now that I've been mixing up my formats, I might have to add combo in as well, that's pretty smart to add! I also really like to compare your stats with mine while I'm watching your video 😂 The biggest difference in a similar category is our length, most of mine were 200's but I blame the fact that I'm a manga/manhwa readers -- they're usually 100-200 per book (or less than 300). I think I will also have to add thrift/secondhand books to my sheet as well since I've started doing that. And here I thought I was done updating my sheet LOL. I also love seeing how much money you saved for 2024 too -- that's an AMAZING AMOUNT. I wish we had more people doing stats on that because it'll really show how accessible reading is as a hobby 😍 This year has been amazing as well, really do love meeting everyone and chatting with everyone 🥹 This End of Year Tag is a little bit different, and I haven't seen this mix variation you made!! Especially with specific books that highlights different categories/genres. I definitely was able to predict all of your top 4 (not top 5 because I wasn't prepared!! 😂😂) Is Fourth Wing YA???? WITH THE SMUT? I'm always shook with there's smut in YA 😳 LOL, "prefer not to have orange/red flags in MC"... meanwhile I'm a RED FLAG lover 😭But only in fiction. 100% also agree with Benji. His character was amazing, and even while people try to label him negatively, he's still a great person. I think 2024 was an awesome year for you after hearing everything. Happy New Year, Bonnie and here's to 2025 for both of us 🥰
I have still never read a manga!! I need to try one! I do think it's quite interesting to track the combo reads, although this is the first year I've really tracked that. Same for the secondhand books. Although I think this is the first year I've actually bought books at a thrift store!! I love saving money with reading. Books are SO expensive and it's so nice to have more affordable options. Hahaha had to keep you on your toes by throwing in that 5th top read. 🤣 Love that you predicted the other 4! I can't even with smut books being marketed as YA! I understand that technically YA is 12-18 and I know some 18 year olds might want to read it. But 12? Being in the same category? Some of it is just too much for that age!! Hahaha the red flags! I have to admit the first time I heard someone say "I love a red flag in fiction but not in real life" I was stunned. But you know I have listened and learned 😂 and I understand that there is a big difference. I think there's always just that part of me that's thinking about the person who picks it up and thinks that's ok to translate to real life. I know part of that is my own baggage from my upbringing, reacting to those relationships being normalized. So when I take a step back and remember that there are adults with fully capable brains and intuitions who read these books and can separate fantasy from reality....I can calm down some. 😂 It's still not for me, but not everything is for everybody.
I love the sentimental thoughts haha, and totally agree! So cool to be able to connect with so many different people from all over the world and have internet friends to talk about books with, love it. Fourth Wing was one of my top books of 2023 and Beartown was for 2022 and this year too since e it was a re-read! Funny Story and Just For the Summer were some faves from this year too, and I also liked JFTS slightly more 😊 I liked Divine Rivals and Stone Blind but I totally get your reasons for feeling like they were overhyped, those things kept me from rating them higher than I did. Benji has my heart forever ❤️ So glad you found lots of new favorites this year! And 90 feels like a good reading goal number if you want to take more time with your reading, I think I’ll keep mine at 75 so I can guarantee that I’ll succeed, haha that always feels good.
It's so amazing to me! Life and the world can be crazy sometimes, but also there is so much beauty and I love that some of the beauty of these times is that the internet and social media can connect people! Ahhh love that you loved so many of the same ones and, of course, Benji!! I just started The Winners (literally only a few pages in) and I'm here for Benji! 75 is a great number! I think it's great having goals sometimes that push you...but also I love a goal that is attainable. And especially for reading..don't we want goals we know we can succeed at?? 😂 Way more fun that way!!
Totally agree that we don’t have to have the same opinions about books! I absolutely loved Stone blind, but you don’t have to! 😊 Expectations play such a big role, and one person’s pleasant surprise is another’s confused disappointment 😂 That is just as it should be! Loved watching this! Happy New Year! 🎆 💜 I’m so happy to have connected with you on here!
It is definitely interesting to note how much my expectations can affect a book, one way or the other. I try to generally go in with no expectations, but sometimes I don't even realize I have expectations until I'm partway through. 😂 I love how you worded that about one person's pleasant surprise being another's confused disappointment. it's so true and I love it!
I loved this video! You really took a lot of prep for this video and it shows. Thank you for sharing your thoughts as well as some insights. I agree - Booktube has opened up many friendships for me as well! :)
Happy New Year! Have you Frederick Backman's 'Anxious People'? That was a great book. Also, the TV show was just as good. Have you read 'The People We Meet On Vacation,' or Beach Read,' by Emily Henry? I loved them too. I think her writing is very sweet.
Yes, I have read Anxious People! I did really enjoy it. I haven't seen the TV show, though! I'll have to check where it's streaming. I have read all of Emily Henry's books so far. I wasn't a huge fan personally of People We Meet, but Beach Read is one of my favorites by her!!
95 books is amazing!! I love hearing stats they’re so interesting to me 🤣 you read such a variety of genres!! I’ve been hearing so many good things about bear town, hoping to get to it in 2025!! So interesting I loved divine rivals so much more than fourth wing, although I did also like fourth wing, but divine rivals I read as a combo with the audiobook and I think that really helped!
Reading stats are SO fun to me! I hope that you enjoy Beartown when you get to it. It's such a good read, although heavy as well. I can definitely see how a combo read would be helpful for Divine Rivals!
Love your top 3 reads of the year! I also loved Fourth Wing, Beartown, and Funny Story! (I’m sure the other 2 you mentioned are great - I just haven’t read them!) Also, Onyx Storm comes out in a few weeks! I hope you’re excited!
I'm so glad you enjoyed those 3 as well! They were such good reads this year! I am definitely excited for Onyx Storm, but I have to admit that the closer it gets, the more nervous I become! What will Rebecca do to us now?? 🤣
Thank you for inspiring me to read and write more!
Thank YOU for inspiring ME!!
Great video as always, I’m going to have to read Beartown soon, it’s been bothering my TBR for a while now. Have a happy new year 😊
Yesss it's well worth the read in my opinion! I hope you enjoy it whenever you get to it.
Love your Booktube thoughts :) Agree that this is such a great space for booklovers and thank you for the gratitude reminder to reflect on how great this space is! Love this video - great list of books ( I'll need to watch your Beartown video once I finally get around to reading that one!)
Yesss, Beartown is a book that I just have not been able to stop thinking about ever since I read it. I'm almost done with the third (and final) book. Thanks for your kind words and comment!
I'm fully here for the stats!! Now that I've been mixing up my formats, I might have to add combo in as well, that's pretty smart to add! I also really like to compare your stats with mine while I'm watching your video 😂 The biggest difference in a similar category is our length, most of mine were 200's but I blame the fact that I'm a manga/manhwa readers -- they're usually 100-200 per book (or less than 300). I think I will also have to add thrift/secondhand books to my sheet as well since I've started doing that. And here I thought I was done updating my sheet LOL. I also love seeing how much money you saved for 2024 too -- that's an AMAZING AMOUNT. I wish we had more people doing stats on that because it'll really show how accessible reading is as a hobby 😍 This year has been amazing as well, really do love meeting everyone and chatting with everyone 🥹
This End of Year Tag is a little bit different, and I haven't seen this mix variation you made!! Especially with specific books that highlights different categories/genres. I definitely was able to predict all of your top 4 (not top 5 because I wasn't prepared!! 😂😂) Is Fourth Wing YA???? WITH THE SMUT? I'm always shook with there's smut in YA 😳 LOL, "prefer not to have orange/red flags in MC"... meanwhile I'm a RED FLAG lover 😭But only in fiction. 100% also agree with Benji. His character was amazing, and even while people try to label him negatively, he's still a great person.
I think 2024 was an awesome year for you after hearing everything. Happy New Year, Bonnie and here's to 2025 for both of us 🥰
I have still never read a manga!! I need to try one! I do think it's quite interesting to track the combo reads, although this is the first year I've really tracked that. Same for the secondhand books. Although I think this is the first year I've actually bought books at a thrift store!! I love saving money with reading. Books are SO expensive and it's so nice to have more affordable options.
Hahaha had to keep you on your toes by throwing in that 5th top read. 🤣 Love that you predicted the other 4! I can't even with smut books being marketed as YA! I understand that technically YA is 12-18 and I know some 18 year olds might want to read it. But 12? Being in the same category? Some of it is just too much for that age!!
Hahaha the red flags! I have to admit the first time I heard someone say "I love a red flag in fiction but not in real life" I was stunned. But you know I have listened and learned 😂 and I understand that there is a big difference. I think there's always just that part of me that's thinking about the person who picks it up and thinks that's ok to translate to real life. I know part of that is my own baggage from my upbringing, reacting to those relationships being normalized. So when I take a step back and remember that there are adults with fully capable brains and intuitions who read these books and can separate fantasy from reality....I can calm down some. 😂 It's still not for me, but not everything is for everybody.
I love the sentimental thoughts haha, and totally agree! So cool to be able to connect with so many different people from all over the world and have internet friends to talk about books with, love it. Fourth Wing was one of my top books of 2023 and Beartown was for 2022 and this year too since e it was a re-read! Funny Story and Just For the Summer were some faves from this year too, and I also liked JFTS slightly more 😊 I liked Divine Rivals and Stone Blind but I totally get your reasons for feeling like they were overhyped, those things kept me from rating them higher than I did. Benji has my heart forever ❤️ So glad you found lots of new favorites this year! And 90 feels like a good reading goal number if you want to take more time with your reading, I think I’ll keep mine at 75 so I can guarantee that I’ll succeed, haha that always feels good.
It's so amazing to me! Life and the world can be crazy sometimes, but also there is so much beauty and I love that some of the beauty of these times is that the internet and social media can connect people!
Ahhh love that you loved so many of the same ones and, of course, Benji!! I just started The Winners (literally only a few pages in) and I'm here for Benji!
75 is a great number! I think it's great having goals sometimes that push you...but also I love a goal that is attainable. And especially for reading..don't we want goals we know we can succeed at?? 😂 Way more fun that way!!
Totally agree that we don’t have to have the same opinions about books! I absolutely loved Stone blind, but you don’t have to! 😊 Expectations play such a big role, and one person’s pleasant surprise is another’s confused disappointment 😂 That is just as it should be! Loved watching this! Happy New Year! 🎆 💜 I’m so happy to have connected with you on here!
It is definitely interesting to note how much my expectations can affect a book, one way or the other. I try to generally go in with no expectations, but sometimes I don't even realize I have expectations until I'm partway through. 😂 I love how you worded that about one person's pleasant surprise being another's confused disappointment. it's so true and I love it!
Seems like you had quite a good reading year ^^ I really liked the variety of prompts! I hope you have a great 2025, reading-wise and in general!
Thank you so much!! I hope your 2025 is amazing as well!
I loved this video! You really took a lot of prep for this video and it shows. Thank you for sharing your thoughts as well as some insights. I agree - Booktube has opened up many friendships for me as well! :)
Thank you so much for your kind words! I appreciate it. I think that the friendships are one of the best parts of BookTube!
Happy New Year! Have you Frederick Backman's 'Anxious People'? That was a great book. Also, the TV show was just as good. Have you read 'The People We Meet On Vacation,' or Beach Read,' by Emily Henry? I loved them too. I think her writing is very sweet.
Yes, I have read Anxious People! I did really enjoy it. I haven't seen the TV show, though! I'll have to check where it's streaming. I have read all of Emily Henry's books so far. I wasn't a huge fan personally of People We Meet, but Beach Read is one of my favorites by her!!
95 books is amazing!! I love hearing stats they’re so interesting to me 🤣 you read such a variety of genres!! I’ve been hearing so many good things about bear town, hoping to get to it in 2025!! So interesting I loved divine rivals so much more than fourth wing, although I did also like fourth wing, but divine rivals I read as a combo with the audiobook and I think that really helped!
Reading stats are SO fun to me! I hope that you enjoy Beartown when you get to it. It's such a good read, although heavy as well. I can definitely see how a combo read would be helpful for Divine Rivals!
Love your top 3 reads of the year! I also loved Fourth Wing, Beartown, and Funny Story! (I’m sure the other 2 you mentioned are great - I just haven’t read them!)
Also, Onyx Storm comes out in a few weeks! I hope you’re excited!
I'm so glad you enjoyed those 3 as well! They were such good reads this year!
I am definitely excited for Onyx Storm, but I have to admit that the closer it gets, the more nervous I become! What will Rebecca do to us now?? 🤣
Sounds like you had a pretty good reading year! I hope 2025 goes well for you, and also that you enjoy Les Mis when you get to it!
Thank you so much!! I hope it is a wonderful year for you as well!