Sometimes just not stressing about it and doing something completely different helps. I struggle with slumps and I try and just accept them for a bit and eventually the urge to read kicks in. Also,. Audiobooks and my switch have helped a ton this year. Hope you get out of the slump soon. Always enjoy your content and your love for Middle Grade. 🙂
If you want idea for a video idea I have one maybe react to abroad books covers and for reading I recommend join reading sprints I will say it might or might not help
The Diviners series by Libba Bray is a recent read I absolutely lost myself in. The audio books are read by January LaVoy and she absolutely kills it, you honestly feel like 6 different people are reading it. The characters are so loveable, the paranormal aspects really keep you intrigued and overall it's a fantastic read/listen.
I love her channel!! Ask a Mortican is one of the few channels I insta click. Her book have me cracking up and I have gotten a few odd looks when explaining "what's so funny?"
books set in different timelines really hold my attention! I love it when there's a mystery/past element contrasting with the present (like in Home Before Dark and the Truly Devious series)!
most of my recs are super basic and everyone has probably already read them, but here they are anyway: unfamiliar worlds - Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (I am currently reading this and it's so good). books with short chapters - The Maze Runner by James Dashner set in a different time - Lovely War by Julie Berry familiar stories - Cinder by Marissa Meyer books with adaptations - Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng books that play with genre - More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera passionate nonfiction - Lord of the Butterflies by Andrea Gibson (it's a poetry collection about their life). books that play with time - Landline by Rainbow Rowell characters with a passion fueled hobby - If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin (this book is devastating) books with clearly defined structure - (couldn't think of one) books with multi-media - Attachment by Rainbow Rowell
Unfamiliar worlds - Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder Short Chapters - Mirrors by Edgardo Galeano Set in a different time - Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt Familiar stories (retellings) - Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor Books with Adaptation - The Man Who Fell to Earth by Walter Tevis Books that play with genre - Rooms by Lauren Oliver Books that play with time - Life After Life by Kate Atkinson Characters with a passion filled hobby - Skin Deep by E.M. Crane Clearly defined structure - The Night Diary by Veera Hirandani Multimedia format - Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall
Currently listening to Barack Obama's Promised Land which is amazing an an audiobook! I think it makes the political/economic systems and language so much more accessible and makes every antidote about his family more personal
I really appreciate how much variety you have in your recommendation videos. I love hearing people excited about hyped books, but it's so lovely to see you gas up some books that I rarely hear people talking about. So thank you for that, in addition to all of these great recs!
When you talked about being confused during the story, my immediate thought was Gideon the Ninth. I was confused the entire time, but in a good way. You’re thrown in with no info and have to try to figure it out as you go along. Sci-fi and murder mystery mixed with a challenge/quest type of thing. I have no idea if you’d love it or hate it.
I just finished Dig yesterday off of an old recommendation video of yours and I’m obsessed! It was my first A.S. King and it was exactly what I needed. I like weird, but weird with a purpose and once I caught onto this one, I couldn’t stop until I was done! Thank you for all of your recommendation videos. I added a few more to my goodreads while I was watching!
I will always recommend In Five Years. I read this in one sitting and the story plays with time and tells a story of friendship, love and destiny. A type A woman gets a very short glimpse of Five years into the future. She wakes up in a different apartment, with a different man. By the time she she wakes up again, she is back in present time and she has to make sense of what she saw.
Highly reccomend S. By jj abrams! The actual book itself is the ship of Theseus. The story, “S” is written in the margins of SOT, communication between two college students studying the book as they try to solve a mystery. There’s media elements but they aren’t printed on the page, they’re actual newspaper clippings, postcards, etc folded betwenn pages of the book that you can remove.
I'm not even halfway through the video and I've already had to add too many books to my TBR! also at the beginning of the video, I was thinking about Slaughterhouse-Five and when you mentioned it, I kinda screamed with excitement and happiness!
One other thing I’d recommend is books that are very atmospheric, where the setting plays a big part in the story. I just read The Guest List, which takes place on an island in Ireland. The Turn of the Key is another example, taking place in rural Scotland.
Trying to cut my TBR list down to only books that I'm super excited about, just to avoid another reading slump... now I've ended up adding another 11 books on there! Thanks Kayla 🙄😂💖
Short chapters are saving me right now! I just started reading Elizabeth Acevedo who I know you love and she’s amazing! 😍 flying through everything of hers. The One is a great recommendation! I’m also going to check out Dig. Short chapters are perfect when you’re in a reading slump 🙌🏻
This is so helpful. Reading Historical Romance has been a breath of fresh air for me. A new genre and and a different time. Also something familiar because I love romance novels.
Unfamiliar worlds - The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett (Book 1 of 41 in the Discworld series) Set in a different time - The Ruby in the Smoke by Phillip Pullman (1st in the Sally Lockhart trilogy) Familiar stories - The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor (Alice in Wonderland reimagining, part of a series)
For non fiction I would definitely recommend They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kills Us by Hanif Abdurraqib which is a combination of essay and memoir that is entirely consuming fascinating and heart breaking. I would also recommend Do No Sell at Any Price by Amanda Petrusich, which is a deep dive look into the all consuming world of rare 78 collecting. Something I didn’t know I needed to learn about until I did. Amanda quickly becomes super passionate and all absorbed by these records. Great reads.
Thank you for taking the time to organize your recommendations. I really appreciate the effort you make for your content. I also am so curious how you keep them all straight in your brain?!?
I feel like the show „how to get away with murder“ takes the - when you know in the beginning, what will happen in the end- to a whole new level + super interesting topics being discussed... not that this comment will help anyone with reading at all😂
If you want a REALLY good passionate nonfiction memoir, Lab Girl. I listened to the audiobook and the narration just, wow. I have never been into science but that book I will never forget the heart in that one
Looking at the first half of your recommendations makes me think that you would enjoy some David Mitchell books, I particularly think you'd like The Bone Clocks by him! Speculative, mystery, slight sci-fi, and genre bending!
The intro is iconic! Really enjoyed the format of this! Especially appreciated the multi-media and books that play with genre! Okay, let me try to give a recommendation for each one! Multi-Media Format: All I can think of here is The Book Thief... Clearly defined structure: The Mistletoe Connection; for a non-christmas-y one I would recommend the short story collection Hungry Hearts A Passion-Fueled Hobby: Beach Read by Emily Henry (writing) This Adventure Ends and/or Foolish Hearts both by Emma Mills (fandom, writing, theatre, gaming, etc) Books that play with time: Plain Bad Heroines Passionate non-fiction/memoir: always, always, always going to recommend I'm telling the truth but I'm lying by Bassey Ikpi Books that play with genre: In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado; for fiction: The Secrets of Jin-Shei and Grief is the Thing with Feathers Books with adaptation: Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler Familiar stories: Queen of Hearts (and the whole series) by Colleen Oakes (Alice in Wonderland) Set in a different time: The Revolution of the Moon by Andrea Camilleri Books with Short Chapters: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinka Braithwaite Unfamiliar worlds: Deeplight by Frances Hardinge; The Blue Girl by Laurie Foos
14:25 that reminds me of If we were villains by M.L.Rio! it fits your description of a death and mysthery you know will happen from the beginning plus it's all about theater kids passionate for Shakespeare, so reading all those references might spark an interest in his work in you (in case it wasn't already there) which means you get to enjoy that after finishing the book as well. So I think this book fits your category for the video quite well!
With the Fire on High is great if you’re looking for short chapters and something happy as well as a passion fueled hobby. My Sister the Serial Killer is also great for short chapters.
May I recommend 'The last days of Jack Sparks'! It's a very engaging Horror book told through E-Mails and Interviews, a very unreliable narrator and some smaller P.O.V's of the people he meets.
The woman in the window is a fabulous book that fits into the “books w short chapters” category! Plus it’s a thriller w an unreliable narrator and has a huge twist towards the end that I did not see coming! One of my favorites!
I reread Illuminae today with the audiobook and I would highly recommend as it is so captivating to listen to as you are reading along. I’m going to continue with the series with the audiobooks!
i loved the martian so much, it kept me so hooked even though it is so unlike what i would usually expect to like! andy weir is releasing a new book this year and I can't wait for it! 🙌
I read the Illuminae Files series as a physical book + audiobook combo. All the voices and sounds. All the multimedia pages. AIDAN is my favourite "character" and voice.
Most thought provoking books I’ve read in last 12 months After The Silence by Louise O’Neill Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue The Erratics by Vicki Laveau Harvie 🇨🇦 Magalash by Joe Comeau 🇨🇦 Humankind by Rutger Bergman All That Remains by Professor Sue Black Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Mussolini’s Island by Susan Day House On Endless Waters by Emuna Elon Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton 📚☘️👋🫖☕️📖🦋
Ooooo okay for Books that Play with Time I really loved Neverworld Wake and The Midnight Library! Also YES for A Great and Terrible Beauty!! I named my dog Gemma Doyle from that book- it is top tier!
I’ll keep a few of these in mind 🙂 Some I would recommend for commiserating with the characters and being really structured is To Be Taught If Fortunate by Becky Chambers or We Are Wolves by Katrina Nannestad.
Thanks so much for all these recommendations!!!🌈✨I have been listening to a lot more audio books recently as I just can’t seem to focus on a physical book at the moment🙃 A book that I’ve read that was easy to read and engaging was Before The Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and I really enjoyed the audio book of The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper, super sweet and fun! Happy reading everybody 😺
More Than This was a brilliant book. Patrick Ness is a great author to read from if you're looking for an author. The Chaos Walking trilogy is my favorite from him. I'm not a big fan of sci-fi or book series but these books are my exception. If you're feeling slumpy or you want a welcome distraction that will keep you engaged, I would recommend these books. They're bigish books but you'll fly through them. Teri Terry is also a great author and I'd recommend all of the books. She writes YA dystopian/sci-fi(ish). Book Of Lies is her only stand alone book and it's great!
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn blew me away recently and Perfect Sound Whatever by James Acaster was a brilliant mix of humor and relatable mental health and relationship discussion and a ton of music.
I loved this video 🥺 all the categories are things I like in books :P here are my recs c: unfamiliar worlds: iskari - Kristen Ciccarelli; howl's moving castle - Diana Wynne Jones books with short chapters: in the dream house - Carmen Maria Machado set in a different time: navigating early - Clare Vanderpool familiar stories (retellings): the song of achilles - Madeline Miller books with adaptations: pride and prejudice - Jane Austen (I had to recommend, it's my favorite book); battle royale - Koushun Takami books that play with genre: good omens - Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett passionate non fiction: you never forget your first - Alexis Coe (I'm not even american and I still got somehow interested in this biography) books that play with time: this is how you lose the time war - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone characters with passion fueled hobby: the invisible library - Genevieve Cogman books with a clearly defined structure: any Agatha Christie book; truly devious - Maureen Johnson; all the sherlock holmes stories books with multimedia format: S. - J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst; asylum - Madeline Roux (I read this in middle school and loved it but don't remember much except how cool and creepy the multimedia was)
queen's gambit, literally have zero interest in chess but her laying out the chess battles was so SUSPENSEFUL! same with ready player one, lots of the 80s stuff went right over my head but I loved the passion for it.
ahh a book that really reminds me of these is one I'd definitely recommend to you! It's Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov (same author as Lolita but this one doesn't deal with paedophilia haha), and I know it's a classic and all that but it's INSANE. It's a poem with a preface, commentary, and index, but the preface, commentary and index are written by Kinbote, the neighbour of the poet, who inserts his entire weird life and a whole story about some king from a faraway land in these notes, and slowly you're starting to find out more and more about him and his relation to Shade (the poet). It is absolutely wild and beautifully written, and I really think you might love it! Kinbote is the most interesting unreliable and unlikeable narrator I've ever had the pleasure to encounter lol.
I was already destined to love The Martian because I'm particularly fond of sci-fi that focuses on Mars, but as someone who often struggles to want to survive, I found a lot of inspiration and will to live by experiencing Mark Watney's constant persistent survival.
Oh I'll definitely play along! Thanks Kayla for the great recs. Here's mine! Unfamiliar Worlds: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Adieh Short Chapters: Anything by Ruta Sepetys, though I think Salt to the Sea is her best work! Different Time: Black Beauty by Anna Sewell Familiar Stories (Retellings): The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer Books with Adaptations: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness OR The Sandman (Graphic Novels) by Neil Gaiman and the Audiobook (really more of an audio drama) by Audible. Passionate Non-Fiction: Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer Books that Play with Time: Sadie by Courtney Summers (flips between then and now) Characters with a Passion-Fueled Hobby: The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin Multi-Media Books: Habibi (Graphic Novel) by Craig Thompson uses words and the illustration of the words themselves in really amazing ways.
