There are 52 weeks in a year. I can read a 370 page book in a few days. One Hundred four books isn't that far fetched, it's two books a week. Attainable IF you're not a student or a parent. I aim for one book a week. I am happy with that. My TBR shrank from WAY too much to way more manageable. I rarely buy books now, I just go through the ones I already paid for. You are right, though, they are buying way too much. Why not get used books?
@@jenniferanderson7010 Yeah, if you naturally read fast and/or have enough free time, 100 books a year is very manageable. It only becomes an issue when you read for the sake of putting it on your goodreads and telling everybody that you crossed it off. My husband and I actually live near a used bookstore, and it’s such a gem! There are so many interesting books there that I wasn’t able to find in a regular bookstore. We also have this quest of collecting Harry Potter books in the hard cover edition, but we are only buying from used bookstores/library fairs. We’ve found three books out of 7 so far, and it’s been so much fun!
But that still doesn’t account for the previous unread books. If I decided to become a book blogger and started doing book hauls next year, I would still be starting out with tons of unread books from before I became a blogger, so even if I read as much as I hauled l would never catch up.
It saddens me to see this fast fashion of literature, especially those romance "spice" novels that turn into series. There are literal crimes being written as romance for young girls to see as ultimate romance. I miss the days where reading was a soul touching element, when I felt alive or wanted to change me or the world, nowadays we're stuck qith the same copy and paste writing plot for fan fiction being sold as ultimate literature. Sure, I read ro entertain myself and put the world on pause sometimes too, but no, thank you, this booktok thing is really not it, it doesn't feel like a book. That being said, I will be following to see your book recs sinfe you mentioned classical literature. Have a good day/night ❤ x
@@ceanabherd thank you so much! It really means a lot :) I, obviously, like anybody else, have moments when I just want to read a mystery novel or an easy romance, especially closer to holidays when I want to feel the atmosphere better, but I usually try to read something more meaningful that I will remember for a long time. I’ve had about a month long period of reading Agatha Christie’s mysteries (which I’m in love with! She is such a great writer), and I now feel like I can get back to reading something more serious. My next classical book plan is Brothers Karamazov. I’ve wanted to read the novel for quite some time now
@Merryreads on my list to read I have The Count of Monte Cristo as well as War and Peace, I have heard these are great books 📚. One of my favourite classics is Les miserables and the original three musketeers 😊
@@crimsonwhispersva2498 Les Miserables was great! I loved it! And I loved the original Three Musketeers. I have just finished reading The Man in the Iron Mask, which is the last book in the series about three musketeers, and I liked that much much less unfortunately. And War and Peace is definitely great! I want to reread it some time soon. Dostoevsky’s on my list first :)
100 books can be read depending on your life and reading speed. But not every book you read needs to be owned. I saw a video of someone showing 300 books she read that year. That's scary to me 😂 so much room and money and the sheer volume. Imagine doing that every year. They probably get rid of a lot. I'm somewhere in between. Mostly read 60 to 80 books a year. Most are ebooks but also some new books because I do love having books. But I keep them for very long and I also want to buy less instead of more. Booktok books give romance a bad name, love stories CAN be impactful and comforting. Some of the best stories are love stories.
I agree! I think it’s fine to read 100 books a year, as you said, it depends on how much time you have and how fast you read. The problem is that a lot of bloggers do it just “to cross the book out”. Not because it’s impactful or important for them. And yeah, romance can absolutely be beautiful! Love is one of the most important topics in literature and has been for centuries. And ebooks changed my life! Not only they are often cheaper (especially classics), they are also so easy to carry and don’t take up space.
I’m tired of overconsumption leaking into every single hobby. But especially books. I love my local library and wish more people would use theirs. I’ve found so many books I’d never pick up at a store that I enjoyed so much at my library. And I just can’t afford the amount of books I read in a year. Like 30 books at $20 each is $600. And that’s lowballing the price of new books. I do tend to buy nonfiction books about my special interests (I’m autistic) but those I always buy used if I can. And I keep them for reference. Not all book buying is bad but buying just to fill space?? That’s rough
@@SkyeSoleil I agree! I buy new books too, but I only choose something I really want in my library. Because, as you said, it IS very expensive plus, I don’t have enough space for all of the books I want to read. I’ve recently gone to one of the newer and buster branches of Brooklyn Public Library, so they get a lot of book requests and try to stay on top of things, and they had so many books that only came out about a couple of months ago! I was very pleasantly surprised because these were the books I wanted to read, but wasn’t sure I wanted to buy. What topics do you read about, if you’re willing to share? I don’t read nonfiction often, but want to read more of it, so I’m always looking for good nonfiction book recommendations :)
9:43 Just a reminder, enjoyment of books/reading in general (plain characters and mediocre plot included) is subjective; there is no ‘right’ way to choose or consume words on paper!
@@veagrace that is a very good point. What I meant was that it feels like now many authors try to write fast to produce more books, but they forget to do their research or they don’t think the plot through. And even though the story could turn out beautiful, it ends up being meh. But yes, it is always subjective and I don’t think there ever was a book that is loved by every single person who reads it
Interesting topic for sure. For me, I follow a ton of booktubers (utube only..no other social media platform) and I only watch wrap up videos for reviews and recommendations. I’m not interested in hauls, reading vlogs, etc. I love learning about books and I only check them out from my library or get them on KU. I never purchase a book as it’s not in my budget nor do I have the space.
@@karenmiller1105 I enjoy wrap ups as well! I always find interesting recommendations there. And I use the library a lot too, especially now that I work in one. It’s a great resource and I’m always surprised with the books they have. A lot of those that just recently came out! And as for buying books, my husband and I try to limit our book purchases because yeah, books are definitely expensive now, plus, our apartment is too small to buy every book we are interested in reading. One thing I do though is swap books with my neighbors. We have a table in the lobby where people can take books to read. Some of them I keep in my library, and others I bring back after I finish them :)
I read manga. I notice I haven’t read most of my manga in my library. I stopped buying manga and I asked people to not buy me manga unless I ask. That way I can catch up on the manga I have. However it’s been overwhelming to read different series all at once. So I store most of my manga collection and kept the ones I know I’m planning to read, or manga I know I’m going to reread. I’m not going to buy a new manga series unless it’s something that really interests me or if I read most of my manga library. I’m trying to cut back on overconsumption with clothes. So I’m doing the same thing with my hobbies too.
@@Msoxcookie Yeah, having a lot of unread books, or being in the middle of multiple series is definitely overwhelming! I tried reading multiple books at once, but I just can’t concentrate well this way. I need to stay in one story, otherwise I start forgetting details/characters etc. I’m trying to buy less clothes too! I’ve just recently bought a couple of things I was missing, and donated everything I wasn’t happy with anymore, and I’ve never felt better! My wardrobe now has only the clothes I like and that match with each other well.
What you're getting at: the participatory dumbification of culture accelerated by fashionable social media trends, personal branding and a race to the bottom mindset to see who can read the most books during a given time, never mind the titles being mediocre or subpar, which is besides the point 🤓
tbh my problem isnt the overconsumption part since most of the people making those huge book hauls and read so many books make all of their money by making book content, my problem is the fact that most of them still buy their books at big corporations with bad working circomstances etc. they could at least buy them second hand of from a small local bookshop imo
i did think your points about the quality of some of the new books and "reading books just to say you've read it" are completely valid and worth pointing out (also my apologies for the spelling mistakes, english is not my first language)
So, I'm reading my 106th and 107th book of the year (both of which I'll be finishing today), I have purchased over 80 books. I dont read many popular books and don't use good reads or tiktok. I have no folowers anywhere. For me the large amount is like gathering threads for a taoastry, individually most books add very little but the larger whole is valuable. I read pretty much every genre and age of books, true crime is the only thing I have almost 0 interest in. I'm willing to post my entire personal document if you want to look at my full reading year. Or I'll answer any questions.
@@zachreads it’s not bad to read a hundred of books a year if you actually understand them and remember. And I’m fine with buying them, especially if you reread these books/give them to others to read. I personally think that it’s better to take from a library first and then, if you really like the book, add it to your personal collection. That way you save money, space and the environment. The problem with book blogging in particular is that there are multiple book hauls with 30+ books in each, and then half of these books are not even read. That, I think, is when it becomes a problem
@@Merryreads I did a quick not 100% accurate count, 71 of the 107 were from the library, the only ones I bought instead of getting them from the library later were preorders I was excited for (about 10) and specific translations of The Iliad and The Odyssey
@@zachreads Yeah that definitely makes sense. I buy books I’m very excited about too. I recently bought Atonement after reading a half of the library copy of it. And Iliad and Odyssey are definitely the books to have on the shelves!
Very excellent points. Imagine if these book tokers promoted the use of libraries and second hand books. It is very possible to download too many free ebooks. I signed up for two free kindle ebook newsletters and ended up downloading over 1000 over the course of two years 😩
It would be a game changer! I think some bloggers are starting to talk about using libraries and going to used bookstores slowly. It’s like how now some fashion bloggers go to second hand stores to make an outfit from used clothes instead of buying new ones. And oh, I agree. I downloaded a bunch of free books thinking that I might read them later, and I almost never do
I totally agree..! I used to aim to become a writer, up to the point of working in literary journals and getting my own works out there in indie mags, all the while being a bibliophile with a love for the classics specifically; I also kept tabs on booktok and booktube, and the gap between what I thought literature was to me and the actual book market as maintained by book influencers kind of jaded me. I could never find an agent, let alone an audience, because everyone consumes YA and romance without the author's heart in it en masse--everyone wastes both their shelf space whilst living off of shallow, cheap "spicy" novels devoid of creativity that sell well. And the thing is, many spicy novels like that are often very beautifully written, with alluring characters and simple yet enticing plotlines. There would be 0 issue if they weren't mass produced to fit a certain mould like they're toys. From the standpoint of a bookworm, it hurt even more: there was no love for literature in mass consumption, and there, as such, remains none... there's naught but bookmakers treating books like they ARE TikToks, bite-sized pieces of media that never fit together to form a message much like social media, discarding them left and right without treating books with the proper affection they deserve, without ever rationalising what they read or reading between the lines (literally lolol) It's such a shame. Overconsumption defeats love; consumerist culture, when leaking into the arts, sucks the soul out of them.
@@melanchoartie It’s so interesting to hear about it from the standpoint of a writer! It does often feel like books are treated like TikToks. And I’m not against romance or YA, I find some of the books very interesting, and they help me relax, but I do wish book market was more “colorful” and offered more than just that more frequently.
@@Merryreads same here! I enjoy some romance and YA myself, and when a writer knows how to write what they want to get across or when they’re so passionate about their project it leaks into their writing, the work is beautiful regardless of genre. Romance and YA have always been important genres and niches to fill in the literary market. It’s just sad they get mass produced with no love to them these days, and it’s sad this mass production dominates the market. It’s like there’s artificial scarcity of books beyond these genres, all just because people treat books like collectibles or TikToks or short form content and the market adjusts accordingly…
I'm not subscribed nor watch booktubers that make book haul videos often. There is a correlation between buying many books and showing them off and not saying anything interesting about the books they have read. They are on booktube less to talk about books with other like minded people than being booktubers. Regarding tik tok and those venues, people I personally know use them for reading recommendations. Their reading is mystery, thriller, and romance, and something new, romanfantasy. They don't have any interest in literary fiction in any genre. Like some have told me, they want to escape from reality and don't want to be depressed by what they read. Or it reminds them of school.
@@LibroParadiso-ep4zt I agree a lot with the point that a lot of book bloggers show books rather than talk about them. One problem I noticed I have though is that I don’t feel confident enough to make a review of a single book. I always feel like there is so much to cover that I will not be able to do it well. So it’s easier to make a video about books I recently got on my shelves. But I’m trying to work on it because there are a bunch of books I would like to review in separate videos. And I agree that often books are used to escape reality, and I myself love a good thriller or a mystery. I think the problem emerges when this is all you read AND you are a person who recommends it to others. If the division between genres was more or less even, and book bloggers talked about different books, that would not be a problem at all. But now this is all that they seem to read and recommend to others. And that, I think, becomes a huge issue.
I'm so glad I'm not in the book community online and just enjoy reading a vacuum. Why does EVERY SINGLE interest and hobby need a plethora of drama and controversy and infighting and TAKES?
I agree with you on everything you said in this video This year I have read so far 210 books but that's because I am unemployed, and dealing with mental and physical health issues I wanted something to focus on so I chose books. Now do I believe I read like this next year Oh Hell No but this year I needed something positive to focus on, I normally don't read more than 85 books a year. Going back 4 years ago I did an unhaul and got rid of over 650 books I had no intention of reading, and then looked back thinking I only brought these books because I was told they were great books to get, seeing the money I had wasted woke me up a lot and I made myself ground rules from that moment. My book rules 1. I buy a book through Kindle or audible to read if I cannot find it on Kindle Unlimited or through Everrand. 2. A physical brought book has to be read in 6 months or it's unhauled. 3. A book does not go on my bookshelves unless it's a 4-star read and above as well as being a book I plan to re-read. 4. I only buy special or limited-edition versions of my very favourite books. So far this has worked for me a lot. I also have been reading a lot more nonfiction this year as well as self-help books... I will admit though I love my sci-fi, fantasy and horror books
Those are great rules! I very much agree with the rule that only 4 star + books go on the shelf. That way you build your perfect library and know for sure that you will enjoy every book you have. I have also started using the library more because it turns out my local library has a lot of new releases. So I would take the book from the library first, and then, if I really enjoy it and think I will be rereading it, I can buy my own copy. Also, wow, 210 books is a lot! You are a fast reader! Books really are a great way to relax and think about something else. 2022 and 2023 were very stressful years for me for multiple different reasons, and reading helped me get through a lot!
@Merryreads reading has helped me this year with keeping me centred while working on my mental health and also other things, I am excited to build a library of books I look at with love and joy 😊. I listen to a lot of audiobooks as well as e-books, but I am sorry 2022 and 2023 were bad years for you and I am hoping things are getting better for you each day. My local library is a hit or miss with books a lot of the time but I do try when I can
@@crimsonwhispersva2498 Audiobooks are great, though I sometimes find it hard to concentrate. I feel like I miss details. But I think this is something I can work on. And libraries can definitely be a hit or miss. I live in New York, so I go to one of New York’s Public Libraries. It has like 60 branches, and you can “order” a book from any one of them. So they have a huge selection and they will deliver a book to any branch you want. But where I lived before, the library was much smaller and it was harder to find the newest books.
@Merryreads With how busy I am with writing and also learning to do digital art, Audiobooks are a great way of keeping my ADHD brain 🧠 centred and not wondering as much because I concentrate on the story as well as what I am doing & I get so lost into it. I can understand how audiobooks can be hard to get into or to concentrate on for some especially if ur like me and can listen at 2.5x the speed, but it did take me over a year to build up from 1.5x to 2.5x and get used to it. I live in the UK and the library I have near me is the biggest in a 40-mile radius with 6 floors... the top floor though is like a little museum of history to do with my Brough and area, so it surprises me when I don't see all the fastest books out in my library since it's so so big... I think that's great that ur library has over 60 branches linked to be able to have a huge collection available just by ordering to ur library branch.
@@crimsonwhispersva2498 Yeah I definitely think you can train your brain to understand audiobooks better/listening to them with a higher speed. And wow, a 6 floor library sounds like a dream! It’s also very cool that it has a small museum. I think New York Public Library has a small museum part as well. If I’m not mistaken, they have the original Winnie-the- Pooh toys displayed there.
i wish that some book hauls creators bought used books. almost all the books i own are preowned they read the same as a new copy. There could be a few bumps and scratches but it reads the same as a new copy and it lowers book overconsumption because a new book doesn't need to be printed.
@@aether2002 yes, I’ve been trying to do the same. I got a used book for one of my english classes, and it was completely fine! I do like to do my book shopping in person though, and used bookstores often don’t have the book I’m looking for. And ordering them doesn’t feel the same. That’s my only issue
saving our book market and `not buying dumb books` contradict each other. publishers and bookstores and authors are reliant on lots of dumb books being sold so they have the money to take a chance on publishing the better literature that you obviously want to read. and please dont liink mysteries in with `dumb books`.my guess is high iq readers gravitate to mysteries.
I see what you mean, but I don’t necessarily agree. Publishing business is not doing well right now, even though they are publishing a lot of those “dumb” books. Instead of spending their money on printing weird romances, wouldn’t it be better to select higher quality books and spend money on those? The thing here I think is that not every book has to be a classical book, or not every book has to be intellectual. Easy to read romance/mystery/thriller etc novels are very much necessary. They help you relax, decompress and just have a good time. Just make those books good. Think the plot through, make the characters believable, and just take your time writing this book if you are the author and reading it if you are a publisher. Make sure everything makes sense and the story is strong. In the end of the day, it represents you/publisher/bookstore.
@@Merryreads the thing is without the "dumb" commercial books there wouldnt be any budget for the "higher quality" books, since there is a smaller target audience for those, they could possibly lose a lot financial stability and publish even less of the "high quality" books
I would agree that mainstream, daft books need to exist because they allow publishers to exist. And small book shops, those suffer the most. It is sadly a fact that making a good and interesting story that has an actual point takes time while basically anyone can write the next Court of Thorns and Roses if they had the time and the trust of the publishers. And books of similarly nonexistent standards can be made as swiftly as if they were entrusted to a factory line, making them good sources of income for the publishers and shops. Of course, writing like G.R.R. Martin is a bit of an extreme, even more so Tolkien, but a good story still takes time.
Ugh thank you for verbalizing this! I've stayed away from the over consumption of reading topic because I don't want to sound pretentious like "omg are you even ReAdInG it?" but you nailed it: what's the point if you don't even get to enjoy *remembering* having read it?
@@The_Open_BookThank you! I just think there could be better ways of doing the hauls like going to the library or showing second hand books. And you don’t really need to show 30-50 new books, you can show 5 and tell about them after you finish. I think another thing is that these unread books are actually weighing on you in some way. You know you have to read them, but you don’t want to, but you promised you will read it, so it’s a vicious cycle.
I have terrible memory and forget what happened in the book a year or so later but it’s nice because I can reread it and it’s almost like I’m reading it for the first time again
Re: buying books to fill home library: There IS the idea of decorative books, purchased because they look good on the shelf and improve the room's decor. Heck, there's a market for faux books that have nice looking covers for display purposes but don't actually have anything inside them.
I keep a list of books I want to read digitally , I only buy new books when I'm done reading the ones I already have. I also buy some books on my kindle but I prefer physical copies. Plus it's more satisfactory to see your library grow over time...
@@mennamohamed2338 That’s very true. I definitely prefer physical copies, and I love seeing my library grow. It’s just a very slow process :) And I actually like your method: only buying new physical copies when you are done with the old ones. That makes a lot of sense!
Right? I just went to the used bookstore yesterday and got a bag of science fiction trade paperbacks. They’re genuinely the entertainment I prefer. Functionally very limited difference between that and maxing out your kindle unlimited shelf. There’s nothing new under the sun lol
Capitalism has nothing to do with this. People consuming popular, mainstream media they are told about and that they can easily understand and easily digest is a story older than the very invention of capitalism.
5:15 Not everyone has the same: reading speed, free time, enjoyed genre, average book length, reasons for reading. Please stop judging other people using yourself as a metric for normal. There are lots of different normals and many content creators are upfront that this is their full time job so their stats will look different than a student or someone working full time or someone with kids, etc. My personal best month when working full time was 40 in one month, but reading was my only hobby that month and I don't have kids and at least a good handful were graphic novels, etc. Unemployed my best was 50 in one month, but I took a week off reading entirely so I could spend time on other hobbies and not burn out. Sometimes books can be consumed like an episode of a TV show-- for the entertainment value they provide, short, sweet, and fleeting. And sometimes they're consumed like textbooks-- to learn something new and remember indefinitely. One way is not superior to the other and it's honestly so gatekeepy when people act like it matters. genre discrepancy example-- There are a lot of romance readers who top 500 books in a year, while epic fantasies readers are more likely to read tomes and be lucky to hit 100/year.
I agree with all your points :) It’s completely normal to read a 100 books per year if that’s your speed and you are actually interested in a genre. But unfortunately, I often see book bloggers reading certain books just to fill their goodreads TBR goal because if they don’t, they are not successful or competitive or whatever. And every genre is good and valid, it’s the representatives of each genre that I question.
@@Merryreads That is definitely not the vibe of your video. The whole tone is very judgmental, it seems like you look down on the Romance genre as a whole and I was honestly shocked to see you say you like Romance in your comment section because the video was kinda hateful toward them and belittling, tbh? The publishing industry has ALWAYS been supported by Romance and dime novels and wouldn't have the capital to publish the other literature without them. Let people like what they like and read at the pace they read. We're spoiled for so many options and choices in our current era and you can just put up your blinders and ignore those that don't appeal to you. It's just as valid to read a book because fulfilling a goal feels great as it is to re-read a favourite comfort novel when you had a bad day as it is to challenge yourself with a translated book outside of your wheelhouse. There's no right or better way to read or have a "genre representative."
like booktok existing isn’t going to stop people from publishing “deep books” nor did booktok really even make more authors put out mediocre books because that’s subjective anyways and some people read purely for escapism and that’s perfectly okay.
@@amayajiselle7096 omg that's exactly my frustration w these types of videos, it also feels like people forget that booktok isn't only talking about romance and romantasy. They're just the loudest ones on the app. +people act like u can't enjoy "real and deep literature" and the easy to read popular booktok books at the same time
Butt... Most of the readers who read booktok books aren't gonna be reading tolstoy/whatever literary fiction anyway. Easily digestible fiction was always gonna be more lucrative. I *really* don't think booktok is making people read less of the 'gud' pnes
It IS. Not because the people who watch it every single day would ever bother reading actually interesting books but because the platform itself is causing a lot of issues with its users' ability to focus and keep their attention on a single thing (have a look at Healthy Gamer GG if you need to hear it from an actual medical professional). Which is sort of required to read something like Tolstoy.
@@quantumvideoscz2052 Imo more important than the attention span thing is instilling kids with a love of reading. Most readers have what I call a brain movie screen? And that's pretty difficult to develop as an adult. If you love reading you'll fight through the attention problems. Because the projector keeps running, the outside world falls away as you enter a state of 'flow'.
