I love that you mentioned the whole thing about plots getting lost due to the romance elements. I have been feeling this way for ages and I am so sick of not being able to pick up a modern book without a romance in it.
Yes, as someone who loves fantasy books, especially high/epic fantasy, I think it's such a shame when the plot takes a backseat to the romance. Not that I don't think there's a place for it, just that I wish there was less focus on it and more on the actual story
I so agree with the effect that trends and the shortened life span of content has on writing. It feels rarer to find a writer with a distinct style; spelling and grammar errors seem more common; and the length of many books seems overinflated at the expense of the pacing and plot.
Agreed, a lot of books seem copied and pasted with a few changes plot wise. Even a lot of the cover art seems to be the same for most of them. There is nothing wrong with drawing inspiration from another author, however it is wrong in my opinion to write a book that lacks character depth, has plot holes, and hits the nail on the head with too many similarities to the author you got inspiration from. Also some hype for books from online that I had read have sucked in my opinion. I started the ACOTAR series and only got through the first and half of the second book before I dropped it. I loved the first one and it felt well developed with good pacing, and plot points but the second one’s pacing and plot was just awful and the story was all over the place I kept forgetting a war was supposed to be coming. I feel like it would have been better if the healing, training, and romance development was in the first half and slowly transitioned towards the end of the first have to meets and information about a war coming. Still could hint at the possibility of war in the first half with little details but it felt forcibly smashed together. (Hope that make sense) 😅
The length of books is something that really gets to me. That and the fact many books that could've been standalones are somehow morphing into trilogies or longer series. I can easily sit down and read a 700+ page book and enjoy it when the plot is well written, the characters have depth and the world-building is well thought out. But pages for the sake of pages really grates on me
I agree to an extent, we can control who we follow but the algorithm often throws in the odd one or two it thinks you may like onto your fyp so in some ways it can feel inescapable
@@CocoBeansBooksI agree. You have to tell the algorithm what you want to and don’t want to see. The more you do that the less of those random mainstream videos will populate for you. Using tools like the “uninterested” button can help the algorithm know that.
I agree with all of what you've said! I've learned not to compare myself to people. If you read 100 book in a month (aka. Listening to books on 5x speed audio, counting all the books you DNFed etc.), good for you. If that's your style, great. If I read that much, I would neither enjoy it nor retain any information. I think, I will get to a certain amount of books in a month and enjoy it and that's fine 😊 Edit: also I try to not get my hopes up before reading a book. The last book I heard only praise for was 'The Crimson Moth' /'Heartless Hunter' and almost felt guilty that I didn't like it as much as I would. But then remembered, I love books that other people don't like and everyone has a different taste. And the smut/spice trend isn't really my thing, I feel like creating tension and chemistry is so much harder to achieve than having all-out-explicit s*x scenes and I don't need that in my life 😂 also, some books are strategically marketed to younger audiences that have s*xually explicit content. Just look at the cover design and the blurbs of books like 'Icebreaker' - it reads like a cute college romance and is a smutfest. I feel like these books should have an NSFW sticker for parent who buy these books unsuspectingly. I wouldn't have known, had I not been informed by one of my friends. These cartoonish covers were on books for children or early teens when I was younger.
Or, hear me out, parents need to be more conscious of what they’re kids are consuming. It’s no one’s fault except the adult in the child’s life. There is no unsuspecting when you don’t put in the effort to be up to date on what’s popular in your child’s age groups.
@ravyn2817 they absolutely need to but most kids that see book reviews anywhere and don't know what the book is about themselves, because it doesn't say so on the blurb. And smut/spicey books are more and more integrated into the YA sections, that targets an age-group from 12 years and upwards. Those books tend to become more and more s*xual because of BookTok and target younger and younger audiences, I've seen so many reviews on spicy books that I've seen in YA sections that never mentioned any spice. Parents need to be responsible, but so does the publishing/marketing industry.
I agree; books need an age-rating system printed where the description is just like how movies have one. In hs I picked a book out because it was based on beauty and the beast. It turned out to be spicy but had no mention of it in the book's description. Had to get home contacted because of it being inappropriate, my mom checked it over and thought it would have been fine too. Now I look up online to see if a book is spicy or not (not the biggest fan of spicy books) Also to me audiobooks is not reading. It is just listening to someone else read a book. If audiobooks count, what stops podcasts and videos from being included as reading?
@HUZZAH-4Life if audiobooks don't count then how would you count a reading goal for someone like me who reads one novel by switching between the audiobook and the physical book based on whether i have time to sit down and just read or if I'm doing other stuff? lol. i agree that it's not the exact same experience obviously but i think you're fundamentally getting basically the same thing out of it, i don't consider the goal of "reading" to be physically looking at words but rather to be absorbing the narrative of a novel
@@baticeer_ I never said, Audiobooks didn't count. I just find it hard to believe that people who listen to audiobooks on x5 speed actually retain any of the information or story, at least for me this kind of 'speeding through' an audiobook just to reach an (in my personal opinion) absurdly high reading goal isn't fun or anything I'd like to achieve. If someone chooses to do it this way, good for them. I've just seen the wildest stories on the Internet like 100 books a months because they counted every book they DNFed (even 2 pages in) as read or reading children's books to their kids over and over again. But if anyone would like to do it, good for them. It's their prerogative - what I was saying was that I try not to compare myself to anyone anymore and try not to pressure myself by reaching any goals. Edit: and because it's late I didn't realise you didn't misunderstand be but replied to someone else 🤭😂 I believe Audiobooks count as reading but I'm on the fence about the speed (if it just flies by and you can't understand the words anymore...I'm not sure this is actually reading or just skimming the page. I know some people don't want to recognise audiobooks as reading but what defines reading? If a blind person reads a Braille novel, would that not be reading because she is using her hands and not her eyes? And if this person listened to an audiobook, did she not follow the narrative?
@@CocoBeansBooks Maybe they skim read? I saw a video about it, someone said they only read the dialogue because all the rest isn't important and boring. 🤨🤨 My soul left my body after that for a while.
My reading goal almost never changes. 10-20 books a year, and I'm happy. Now I will admit, from about 2018 to 2022, I did manage to have a higher book count due to the number of books I borrowed/bought. The bulk of which was manga or light novels. Though I'm going to admit that I do count audio books on my list, and I have for many years. Especially as that was a way for me to block out the noise around me and calm my mind when internet/data wasn't an option for music.
I always count audiobooks towards my goal because it absolutely is reading in my opinion. Thats the sole reason i get through as many books in a year as i do. If it wasn't for audible i think I'd probably only get through about half the books I usually do
My goal is 12 books and even that seems big to me as I read and finished 9 books in 2024. As someone else said, my ADHD sometimes makes me allergic to reading for 2 months so I can't imagine being consistent enough to read 50+ ! Also I have a full time job and other hobbies apart from reading, and only 24hrs in a day 😅 For the romance in classics part there's quite a bit of eroticism in some french classics (even ones we were made to read in school in France like Les liaisons dangereuses by Laclos which is about libertinism) but definitely subtle and not the pornographic depictions of sex acts we have today in our romance books! I'm not against spice but I love romance books that are deep (in an existential and emotional way)
I agree, I like a slow burn romance. One that actually adds emotional depth to the story rather than just being spicy for the sake of it. I don't think there's anything wrong with liking those types of books at all but I do feel it's taking over a little bit
the reading goals are so annoying for me I have ADHD and i often don't have the focus to read a book but i still love reading sometimes I actually can finish a few books in a month when it's my focus but it can also happen that I don't read at all for month
I do the same, some months I get through loads of books (usually in the winter) then in the summer when I actually want to go out and socialise instead of being my usual hermit-self I barely read at all, and I always find myself feeling guilt for 'time wasted' that could've been spent reading. Then I usually have to remind myself it's pressure I'm putting on MYSELF and stop being so ridiculous 🤣
I read 111 books in 2023 and 63 in 2024 because I fell into a slump at the end of the year so I’ve been on both sides. I don’t know I just feel like the people that let themselves feel bad because someone read more books than them is giving too much power to someone else. I met a friend on bookstagram that read 400 books last year and I didn’t even bat an eye, if anything I was like dang thats wild but I love that for you and you can tell me what I should and shouldn’t read based off of that lol. I don’t know, I just don’t like how it’s almost flipped to people vilifying the people that read a lot and make it seem like they’re losers, liars or weirdos for reading that much in a year and it ironically feels like bullying all over again.
I totally hear what you're saying, I could only dream of reading 100+ books a year, but just because I personally can't do it, doesn't mean it's impossible. People read at different speeds and that's ok, I don't think anyone should be vilified for the number of books they read in a year, we're all on our own journey. It's the (very small) minority of people who say those who read a handful of books a year shouldn't be counted as readers that I don't agree with. Equally, the point I was trying to make is that you shouldn't compare yourself to others regardless of which end of the spectrum you fall on, the reading community should be a safe space for all ❤️
@ I agree with you 100% it truly feels like some people really do do it for the ‘clout’ so I’m not denying that. I also feel like we’re in a stage in the world where people are just taking things to the extreme for shock value! Like 1000+ books is insane but hey if that’s how they want to hold their platform that’s on them and when that same extreme expectation bites them in the butt it’s on them too.
I totally agree with the rising trend of reading as many books as possible just for the sake of having something to brag about. I think anything from fifty to a hundred is an insane amount to read in a year, especially as someone who has numerous hobbies and would like to treat them somewhat equally after the work day is over. And when I worked a physically and mentally taxing job last year, I read even less due to my constant exhaustion. It also feels like for those people the content of the book doesn't even matter, and it does make me wonder if they even remember something from those books. I used to cram novels in uni to try and keep up with the insane workload, half of which was reading, reading, reading, and I genuinely don't remember much from the novels I simply rushed through just to get them over with. It just feels so much better to take your time with a book, and if I do feel productive I can read a lot in a day. But each day is different and our energy levels are just not the same, and somehow we end up feeling bad if we are 'running behind' on our reading goals.
Yes this whole concept that you're a 'failure' just because you haven't reached some arbitrary number of books seems crazy to me. There are some months I can read 10+ books comfortably then others when I'm so exhausted from work or have other things I'd rather do that I don't read anything. I'm not saying that just because I can't do it doesn't mean it can't be done, but hearing people say they've read multiple hundreds of books a year is disheartening and often frustrating. Comparison really is the thief of joy.
@ I totally get what you’re saying! I’m sure if I would put my mind to it, I would read so, so much more. But it’s an unrealistic expectation. Life doesn’t always offer us the time and energy, and since I have hobbies that also take time (art, movies, learning languages etc), I would feel pretty miserable forcing myself to read and read, even when I’m not feeling it. Reading less doesn’t equal lack of intellect. I could spend my time reading hundreds of mangas and comics to amp up the number but I wouldn’t gain much knowledge in doing so (not that there is anything wrong with comics, I love reading them but I cannot compare them to a novel by any means).
@ Totally agree, this is another thing that I considered talking about but I didn't want the video to feel too long. I think a lot of people get wrapped up in the idea of 'being a reader' until it consumes them and becomes their entire personality. Sometimes it feels like if you're doing something other than reading then you can't consider yourself a reader, but i don't think it's healthy to forsake all else you enjoy just to be the person on Goodreads who's read the most books at the end of the year, life is about balance and would be no fun otherwise!
50 books a year or even up to 100 really isn't crazy at all if you have a higher reading speed and a reasonable amount of free time...? 50 is about a book a week, i work a job where i can listen to audiobooks at work throughout some of the day and i also read fast, so i switch btwn physical and audio books and can easily hit 1/week without particularly making an effort for it, it also depends on how long or dense the books you enjoy are. i definitely don't think people should try to artificially inflate their reading goal by focusing on speed and numbers over everything but assuming 50+ books is an unrealistic yearly reading amount is a little much (i would agree that something well over 100 is pushing it)
@ I think fifty is unrealistic for people with very busy lives and lots of hobbies. When I worked at a bookshop I was so exhausted from pulling through 8-12h shifts on my own to manage the whole shop that I couldn’t even pick up a book most months. I definitely have more time to read now that I have a home office job but even then I feel like I need to stretch myself between house chores and all the hobbies I have
Is good and bad. Good because people are reading instead watching TV or being a lot on social media. But bad because I always wonder do people actually read the book and not doing this just cuz they want to get more views so that way they dont have to work at a real life job? Would you still read if there was no social media?.... I will definitely read with or without social media. I enjoy reading since I was in elementary. However, I dont have TikTok it doesn't interest me as much. But for those who read over 200 + books per year for me seems either they dont have a job and have a lot of time on their hands or they are fakers lol. Thanks for the video !
I definitely think you're right, the people who read 100s of books per year are often full time content creates who have the luxury of time on their hands. And as much as I'd love to be able to dedicate all my time to reading, for us mere mortals who have a 9-5, it's just not realistic
I started this video a little skeptical but you won me over and hit some topics that resonated especially the book goals/read. For my reading goal for 2025, I don't have a number, I just want to read books that I am giving full attention to instead of speed reading to get the 'read' number. And I hear you on the romance. I'm old so I thought it was just me. Good to know it isn't.
Thank you, I'm really glad you ended up enjoying it! Honestly me too, I thought I was just being cynical but I definitely have noticed a growing trend in other genres having a romantic subplot that feels a bit misplaced at times. As for the reading goals, I often find that I have to stop and remind myself I read because it's my hobby and I enjoy it, and I don't "have to read 100 pages today to stay on track". I used to get so wrapped up in trying to beat last years number and read the same amount of books as everyone else I stopped enjoying it for a long time
I don’t keep close track of my reading but I know it’s a lot probably between 500 and 1000. I’m unable to work so I have loads of time to read even with other obligations. Tbf this includes shorter romances (under 350 pages),YA, fanfiction and novellas. Someone who works full comparing their reading to mine wouldn’t make sense. Booktok books are a strange beast. I’m not currently reading fantasy so that cuts out a sizable amount. I’m primarily reading romance,cozies and trillers at the moment but I’m such a mood reader that can change easily. Romance is my only stable genre. I’m one of the women who use trigger/content warnings as a shopping list. I only have on page surrogacy/IVF as triggers so not much bothers me. I like drama,like soap opera style drama,so darker books can scratch that itch. Even in the DR community we are getting tired of having pages of trigger warnings but the book isn’t as dark,by our standards,as it seems.
I agree and kind of disagree with some things you say. I do agree that there is more romance books out there but I think it is less because now romance is in every single book but because epic fantasy novels like we had with Lord of the Rings and so on, become less common and less promoted. I think this is especially because of trends and thinks like social media, because you do always see similar books being promoted online instead of the small hidden ones and people tend to stop standing in a book store, reading the back and randomly deciding what they want to read based of what they see, rather than what they do now: "Oh I want more of this author" "I saw someone recommend this" "This is supposed to be so good". But this might be because recently I picked up some random books that were promoted as epic fantasy and they actually were and are from after 2020. But I never heard anyone talk about them or even recommend them to me. So I think the problem is that only romantasy is being suggested on social media so any kind of books that someone might have heard about, are romance. I do also agree though, if there is romance in there, promote it as a romantic fantasy. Don't start making it an epic fantasy, if it isn't.
It doesn’t bother me for books to be crazy hyped. I look at and research books that I never hear anyone talk about. When I look back at every book I read in 2024, every book that was so amazing it put me in a slump spiral was a book that I’ve heard no one review. Oddly, I say that a good thing.
@livijohnson4087I can tell you the ones I liked. The Nightmare Man is a thriller/horror by J. H. Markert. I’d been eyeing it for at least a year and I read it in September and it delivered. Wreck My Plans by Jillian Meadows is a Christmas romance that I read the first page just to see and finished the entire book before I looked up again. Bride of the Fae Prince by Anastasia Blythe is a fantasy romance that caught my eye and I ordered it then realized it was also a clean romance. I’d never purposefully read a clean romance but the angst was perfection. I’m dying waiting for the next book in the series. They’re standalone stories though. The Temptation of Magic by Megan Scott is a fantasy romance that had such a unique lore to me. It was unlike any other fantasy world and magic that I’ve ever read. Shiver by Allie Reynolds I started on Christmas Eve in 2023 and I still think about it once a day. It’s a snowy thriller. The books that I had seen around are Heartless Hunter/The Crimson Moth and it did not disappoint. So excited for the conclusion in February. And I’ve already bunched through Defy the Night/Defend the Dawn/Destroy the Day in the first week of this year. Maybe there’s something in there that sounds good to you too. ❤
I also hate the whole “treat every book as if it was the most precious thing in the world and NEVER damage it” some people I have seen online have. The amount of hostility some people give online towards people who write and highlight the book they bought with their own money is crazy to me. I personally highlight and write in my books. It has helped me with comprehension because I am dyslexic and helped me read more because it takes me way less time to read now cause I don’t have to reread every page or so 2+ times. Also it is convenient to go and find a quote or details I like easily and fun to see how my thought process changes throughout the book, especially ones with mystery. Some people have been so mean when explaining why I write in them. At the end of the day let a person enjoy their book in whatever way they want.
I've never understood the obsession with what people do with their books. Personally, I don't annotate my books because I prefer to write my thoughts down in my reading journal where there's more space. But I can honestly say I couldn't care less if someone else decides to highlight every line and write in every margin of their books, I just don't understand the hate at all
I personally don’t write or annotate my books, but those people that freak out over a speck of dirt being on the page would not want to see the spines of my books
Hi I'm them. 😅 I'll change my copie if I read it and its damaged. So mostly now I get the physical and never open it but I buy either/or both the audio and ebook to read it then. It works for me. Im a freak for keeping my belongings clean and neat :) Also yeah do absolutely whatever you want with your books just dont come near me and i will raise my eyebrows in silent judgment 😊 All love from a book freak ❤
I love that you mentioned the whole thing about plots getting lost due to the romance elements. I have been feeling this way for ages and I am so sick of not being able to pick up a modern book without a romance in it.
Yes, as someone who loves fantasy books, especially high/epic fantasy, I think it's such a shame when the plot takes a backseat to the romance. Not that I don't think there's a place for it, just that I wish there was less focus on it and more on the actual story
I so agree with the effect that trends and the shortened life span of content has on writing. It feels rarer to find a writer with a distinct style; spelling and grammar errors seem more common; and the length of many books seems overinflated at the expense of the pacing and plot.
Agreed, a lot of books seem copied and pasted with a few changes plot wise. Even a lot of the cover art seems to be the same for most of them. There is nothing wrong with drawing inspiration from another author, however it is wrong in my opinion to write a book that lacks character depth, has plot holes, and hits the nail on the head with too many similarities to the author you got inspiration from.
Also some hype for books from online that I had read have sucked in my opinion. I started the ACOTAR series and only got through the first and half of the second book before I dropped it. I loved the first one and it felt well developed with good pacing, and plot points but the second one’s pacing and plot was just awful and the story was all over the place I kept forgetting a war was supposed to be coming. I feel like it would have been better if the healing, training, and romance development was in the first half and slowly transitioned towards the end of the first have to meets and information about a war coming. Still could hint at the possibility of war in the first half with little details but it felt forcibly smashed together. (Hope that make sense) 😅
The length of books is something that really gets to me. That and the fact many books that could've been standalones are somehow morphing into trilogies or longer series. I can easily sit down and read a 700+ page book and enjoy it when the plot is well written, the characters have depth and the world-building is well thought out. But pages for the sake of pages really grates on me
I feel its only ruining reading if you follow certain people i simply do not follow these kind of people
I agree to an extent, we can control who we follow but the algorithm often throws in the odd one or two it thinks you may like onto your fyp so in some ways it can feel inescapable
@@CocoBeansBooksI agree. You have to tell the algorithm what you want to and don’t want to see. The more you do that the less of those random mainstream videos will populate for you. Using tools like the “uninterested” button can help the algorithm know that.
If I want good spice/smut I read fanfiction. 😊😊
Same. Better characters lmao
I agree with all of what you've said!
I've learned not to compare myself to people. If you read 100 book in a month (aka. Listening to books on 5x speed audio, counting all the books you DNFed etc.), good for you. If that's your style, great. If I read that much, I would neither enjoy it nor retain any information. I think, I will get to a certain amount of books in a month and enjoy it and that's fine 😊
Edit: also I try to not get my hopes up before reading a book. The last book I heard only praise for was 'The Crimson Moth' /'Heartless Hunter' and almost felt guilty that I didn't like it as much as I would. But then remembered, I love books that other people don't like and everyone has a different taste.
And the smut/spice trend isn't really my thing, I feel like creating tension and chemistry is so much harder to achieve than having all-out-explicit s*x scenes and I don't need that in my life 😂 also, some books are strategically marketed to younger audiences that have s*xually explicit content. Just look at the cover design and the blurbs of books like 'Icebreaker' - it reads like a cute college romance and is a smutfest. I feel like these books should have an NSFW sticker for parent who buy these books unsuspectingly. I wouldn't have known, had I not been informed by one of my friends. These cartoonish covers were on books for children or early teens when I was younger.
Or, hear me out, parents need to be more conscious of what they’re kids are consuming. It’s no one’s fault except the adult in the child’s life. There is no unsuspecting when you don’t put in the effort to be up to date on what’s popular in your child’s age groups.
@ravyn2817 they absolutely need to but most kids that see book reviews anywhere and don't know what the book is about themselves, because it doesn't say so on the blurb. And smut/spicey books are more and more integrated into the YA sections, that targets an age-group from 12 years and upwards. Those books tend to become more and more s*xual because of BookTok and target younger and younger audiences, I've seen so many reviews on spicy books that I've seen in YA sections that never mentioned any spice. Parents need to be responsible, but so does the publishing/marketing industry.
I agree; books need an age-rating system printed where the description is just like how movies have one. In hs I picked a book out because it was based on beauty and the beast. It turned out to be spicy but had no mention of it in the book's description. Had to get home contacted because of it being inappropriate, my mom checked it over and thought it would have been fine too. Now I look up online to see if a book is spicy or not (not the biggest fan of spicy books)
Also to me audiobooks is not reading. It is just listening to someone else read a book. If audiobooks count, what stops podcasts and videos from being included as reading?
@HUZZAH-4Life if audiobooks don't count then how would you count a reading goal for someone like me who reads one novel by switching between the audiobook and the physical book based on whether i have time to sit down and just read or if I'm doing other stuff? lol. i agree that it's not the exact same experience obviously but i think you're fundamentally getting basically the same thing out of it, i don't consider the goal of "reading" to be physically looking at words but rather to be absorbing the narrative of a novel
@@baticeer_ I never said, Audiobooks didn't count. I just find it hard to believe that people who listen to audiobooks on x5 speed actually retain any of the information or story, at least for me this kind of 'speeding through' an audiobook just to reach an (in my personal opinion) absurdly high reading goal isn't fun or anything I'd like to achieve. If someone chooses to do it this way, good for them. I've just seen the wildest stories on the Internet like 100 books a months because they counted every book they DNFed (even 2 pages in) as read or reading children's books to their kids over and over again. But if anyone would like to do it, good for them. It's their prerogative - what I was saying was that I try not to compare myself to anyone anymore and try not to pressure myself by reaching any goals.
Edit: and because it's late I didn't realise you didn't misunderstand be but replied to someone else 🤭😂 I believe Audiobooks count as reading but I'm on the fence about the speed (if it just flies by and you can't understand the words anymore...I'm not sure this is actually reading or just skimming the page. I know some people don't want to recognise audiobooks as reading but what defines reading? If a blind person reads a Braille novel, would that not be reading because she is using her hands and not her eyes? And if this person listened to an audiobook, did she not follow the narrative?
A 1000 books?!!! That’s insane, I did fall for a trending twisted series and I had to make myself to read book one. It was so hollow and hated it.
I know, when I saw the video my head nearly exploded trying to figure out how on Earth someone could fit that many books in to a year!
@@CocoBeansBooks Maybe they skim read? I saw a video about it, someone said they only read the dialogue because all the rest isn't important and boring. 🤨🤨 My soul left my body after that for a while.
My reading goal almost never changes. 10-20 books a year, and I'm happy. Now I will admit, from about 2018 to 2022, I did manage to have a higher book count due to the number of books I borrowed/bought. The bulk of which was manga or light novels. Though I'm going to admit that I do count audio books on my list, and I have for many years. Especially as that was a way for me to block out the noise around me and calm my mind when internet/data wasn't an option for music.
I always count audiobooks towards my goal because it absolutely is reading in my opinion. Thats the sole reason i get through as many books in a year as i do. If it wasn't for audible i think I'd probably only get through about half the books I usually do
I came across your videos today and I’ve been really enjoying them! Keep up the good work!!💗
Thank you so much!
Yes. It is. They keep Reading same shit. No one wants read anything else beside romana and dark Romance. It’s annoying .
My goal is 12 books and even that seems big to me as I read and finished 9 books in 2024. As someone else said, my ADHD sometimes makes me allergic to reading for 2 months so I can't imagine being consistent enough to read 50+ ! Also I have a full time job and other hobbies apart from reading, and only 24hrs in a day 😅
For the romance in classics part there's quite a bit of eroticism in some french classics (even ones we were made to read in school in France like Les liaisons dangereuses by Laclos which is about libertinism) but definitely subtle and not the pornographic depictions of sex acts we have today in our romance books!
I'm not against spice but I love romance books that are deep (in an existential and emotional way)
I agree, I like a slow burn romance. One that actually adds emotional depth to the story rather than just being spicy for the sake of it. I don't think there's anything wrong with liking those types of books at all but I do feel it's taking over a little bit
the reading goals are so annoying for me
I have ADHD and i often don't have the focus to read a book but i still love reading
sometimes I actually can finish a few books in a month when it's my focus but it can also happen that I don't read at all for month
I do the same, some months I get through loads of books (usually in the winter) then in the summer when I actually want to go out and socialise instead of being my usual hermit-self I barely read at all, and I always find myself feeling guilt for 'time wasted' that could've been spent reading. Then I usually have to remind myself it's pressure I'm putting on MYSELF and stop being so ridiculous 🤣
I read 111 books in 2023 and 63 in 2024 because I fell into a slump at the end of the year so I’ve been on both sides. I don’t know I just feel like the people that let themselves feel bad because someone read more books than them is giving too much power to someone else. I met a friend on bookstagram that read 400 books last year and I didn’t even bat an eye, if anything I was like dang thats wild but I love that for you and you can tell me what I should and shouldn’t read based off of that lol. I don’t know, I just don’t like how it’s almost flipped to people vilifying the people that read a lot and make it seem like they’re losers, liars or weirdos for reading that much in a year and it ironically feels like bullying all over again.
I totally hear what you're saying, I could only dream of reading 100+ books a year, but just because I personally can't do it, doesn't mean it's impossible. People read at different speeds and that's ok, I don't think anyone should be vilified for the number of books they read in a year, we're all on our own journey. It's the (very small) minority of people who say those who read a handful of books a year shouldn't be counted as readers that I don't agree with. Equally, the point I was trying to make is that you shouldn't compare yourself to others regardless of which end of the spectrum you fall on, the reading community should be a safe space for all ❤️
@ I agree with you 100% it truly feels like some people really do do it for the ‘clout’ so I’m not denying that. I also feel like we’re in a stage in the world where people are just taking things to the extreme for shock value! Like 1000+ books is insane but hey if that’s how they want to hold their platform that’s on them and when that same extreme expectation bites them in the butt it’s on them too.
I totally agree with the rising trend of reading as many books as possible just for the sake of having something to brag about. I think anything from fifty to a hundred is an insane amount to read in a year, especially as someone who has numerous hobbies and would like to treat them somewhat equally after the work day is over. And when I worked a physically and mentally taxing job last year, I read even less due to my constant exhaustion. It also feels like for those people the content of the book doesn't even matter, and it does make me wonder if they even remember something from those books. I used to cram novels in uni to try and keep up with the insane workload, half of which was reading, reading, reading, and I genuinely don't remember much from the novels I simply rushed through just to get them over with. It just feels so much better to take your time with a book, and if I do feel productive I can read a lot in a day. But each day is different and our energy levels are just not the same, and somehow we end up feeling bad if we are 'running behind' on our reading goals.
Yes this whole concept that you're a 'failure' just because you haven't reached some arbitrary number of books seems crazy to me. There are some months I can read 10+ books comfortably then others when I'm so exhausted from work or have other things I'd rather do that I don't read anything. I'm not saying that just because I can't do it doesn't mean it can't be done, but hearing people say they've read multiple hundreds of books a year is disheartening and often frustrating. Comparison really is the thief of joy.
@ I totally get what you’re saying! I’m sure if I would put my mind to it, I would read so, so much more. But it’s an unrealistic expectation. Life doesn’t always offer us the time and energy, and since I have hobbies that also take time (art, movies, learning languages etc), I would feel pretty miserable forcing myself to read and read, even when I’m not feeling it. Reading less doesn’t equal lack of intellect. I could spend my time reading hundreds of mangas and comics to amp up the number but I wouldn’t gain much knowledge in doing so (not that there is anything wrong with comics, I love reading them but I cannot compare them to a novel by any means).
@ Totally agree, this is another thing that I considered talking about but I didn't want the video to feel too long. I think a lot of people get wrapped up in the idea of 'being a reader' until it consumes them and becomes their entire personality. Sometimes it feels like if you're doing something other than reading then you can't consider yourself a reader, but i don't think it's healthy to forsake all else you enjoy just to be the person on Goodreads who's read the most books at the end of the year, life is about balance and would be no fun otherwise!
50 books a year or even up to 100 really isn't crazy at all if you have a higher reading speed and a reasonable amount of free time...? 50 is about a book a week, i work a job where i can listen to audiobooks at work throughout some of the day and i also read fast, so i switch btwn physical and audio books and can easily hit 1/week without particularly making an effort for it, it also depends on how long or dense the books you enjoy are. i definitely don't think people should try to artificially inflate their reading goal by focusing on speed and numbers over everything but assuming 50+ books is an unrealistic yearly reading amount is a little much (i would agree that something well over 100 is pushing it)
@ I think fifty is unrealistic for people with very busy lives and lots of hobbies. When I worked at a bookshop I was so exhausted from pulling through 8-12h shifts on my own to manage the whole shop that I couldn’t even pick up a book most months. I definitely have more time to read now that I have a home office job but even then I feel like I need to stretch myself between house chores and all the hobbies I have
Is good and bad. Good because people are reading instead watching TV or being a lot on social media. But bad because I always wonder do people actually read the book and not doing this just cuz they want to get more views so that way they dont have to work at a real life job? Would you still read if there was no social media?.... I will definitely read with or without social media. I enjoy reading since I was in elementary. However, I dont have TikTok it doesn't interest me as much. But for those who read over 200 + books per year for me seems either they dont have a job and have a lot of time on their hands or they are fakers lol. Thanks for the video !
I definitely think you're right, the people who read 100s of books per year are often full time content creates who have the luxury of time on their hands. And as much as I'd love to be able to dedicate all my time to reading, for us mere mortals who have a 9-5, it's just not realistic
What's extremely frustrating is being an author who writes unique love stories and is ignored because of that---yes, I'm talking about myself 😂
I started this video a little skeptical but you won me over and hit some topics that resonated especially the book goals/read. For my reading goal for 2025, I don't have a number, I just want to read books that I am giving full attention to instead of speed reading to get the 'read' number. And I hear you on the romance. I'm old so I thought it was just me. Good to know it isn't.
Thank you, I'm really glad you ended up enjoying it! Honestly me too, I thought I was just being cynical but I definitely have noticed a growing trend in other genres having a romantic subplot that feels a bit misplaced at times.
As for the reading goals, I often find that I have to stop and remind myself I read because it's my hobby and I enjoy it, and I don't "have to read 100 pages today to stay on track". I used to get so wrapped up in trying to beat last years number and read the same amount of books as everyone else I stopped enjoying it for a long time
I don’t keep close track of my reading but I know it’s a lot probably between 500 and 1000. I’m unable to work so I have loads of time to read even with other obligations. Tbf this includes shorter romances (under 350 pages),YA, fanfiction and novellas. Someone who works full comparing their reading to mine wouldn’t make sense.
Booktok books are a strange beast. I’m not currently reading fantasy so that cuts out a sizable amount. I’m primarily reading romance,cozies and trillers at the moment but I’m such a mood reader that can change easily. Romance is my only stable genre.
I’m one of the women who use trigger/content warnings as a shopping list. I only have on page surrogacy/IVF as triggers so not much bothers me. I like drama,like soap opera style drama,so darker books can scratch that itch. Even in the DR community we are getting tired of having pages of trigger warnings but the book isn’t as dark,by our standards,as it seems.
I agree and kind of disagree with some things you say. I do agree that there is more romance books out there but I think it is less because now romance is in every single book but because epic fantasy novels like we had with Lord of the Rings and so on, become less common and less promoted. I think this is especially because of trends and thinks like social media, because you do always see similar books being promoted online instead of the small hidden ones and people tend to stop standing in a book store, reading the back and randomly deciding what they want to read based of what they see, rather than what they do now: "Oh I want more of this author" "I saw someone recommend this" "This is supposed to be so good".
But this might be because recently I picked up some random books that were promoted as epic fantasy and they actually were and are from after 2020. But I never heard anyone talk about them or even recommend them to me. So I think the problem is that only romantasy is being suggested on social media so any kind of books that someone might have heard about, are romance.
I do also agree though, if there is romance in there, promote it as a romantic fantasy. Don't start making it an epic fantasy, if it isn't.
It doesn’t bother me for books to be crazy hyped. I look at and research books that I never hear anyone talk about. When I look back at every book I read in 2024, every book that was so amazing it put me in a slump spiral was a book that I’ve heard no one review. Oddly, I say that a good thing.
I agree! Do you have any recommendations?
@livijohnson4087I can tell you the ones I liked. The Nightmare Man is a thriller/horror by J. H. Markert. I’d been eyeing it for at least a year and I read it in September and it delivered. Wreck My Plans by Jillian Meadows is a Christmas romance that I read the first page just to see and finished the entire book before I looked up again. Bride of the Fae Prince by Anastasia Blythe is a fantasy romance that caught my eye and I ordered it then realized it was also a clean romance. I’d never purposefully read a clean romance but the angst was perfection. I’m dying waiting for the next book in the series. They’re standalone stories though. The Temptation of Magic by Megan Scott is a fantasy romance that had such a unique lore to me. It was unlike any other fantasy world and magic that I’ve ever read. Shiver by Allie Reynolds I started on Christmas Eve in 2023 and I still think about it once a day. It’s a snowy thriller. The books that I had seen around are Heartless Hunter/The Crimson Moth and it did not disappoint. So excited for the conclusion in February. And I’ve already bunched through Defy the Night/Defend the Dawn/Destroy the Day in the first week of this year. Maybe there’s something in there that sounds good to you too. ❤
I also hate the whole “treat every book as if it was the most precious thing in the world and NEVER damage it” some people I have seen online have. The amount of hostility some people give online towards people who write and highlight the book they bought with their own money is crazy to me.
I personally highlight and write in my books. It has helped me with comprehension because I am dyslexic and helped me read more because it takes me way less time to read now cause I don’t have to reread every page or so 2+ times. Also it is convenient to go and find a quote or details I like easily and fun to see how my thought process changes throughout the book, especially ones with mystery. Some people have been so mean when explaining why I write in them. At the end of the day let a person enjoy their book in whatever way they want.
I've never understood the obsession with what people do with their books. Personally, I don't annotate my books because I prefer to write my thoughts down in my reading journal where there's more space. But I can honestly say I couldn't care less if someone else decides to highlight every line and write in every margin of their books, I just don't understand the hate at all
I personally don’t write or annotate my books, but those people that freak out over a speck of dirt being on the page would not want to see the spines of my books
Hi I'm them. 😅 I'll change my copie if I read it and its damaged. So mostly now I get the physical and never open it but I buy either/or both the audio and ebook to read it then. It works for me. Im a freak for keeping my belongings clean and neat :)
Also yeah do absolutely whatever you want with your books just dont come near me and i will raise my eyebrows in silent judgment 😊
All love from a book freak ❤
“I read 200 books this year”
The books:
Ned went to the store
It didn’t have his chocolate milk
Ned was sad
He went to another store
✨the end✨