sorry about the lighting and subsequent focus issues. the sun set earlier than I was expecting lol. socials instagram / booksandlala twitter / booksandlala goodreads / booksandlala
“House of Leaves” made my best and surprising video of 2021 cause holy sh*t did it surprise me, and on a totally different ballpark I DNFed “My Heart is a Chainsaw” but only because my brain wasn’t allowing me to process what was happening on the page, so I plan on getting back to it at some point from the beginning to see if it was just a wrong place wrong time kind of deal.
As a Canadian, 21 things you may not know about the Indian Act SHOCKED me, and I knew at least 50% of what was in the book. Eveyrone should truly read it !
Kayla, I just wanted to say how much I appreciate you and your videos!! I truly feel like I am watching a friend when I watch your videos. I love how creative your videos always are and appreciate how much work you always put into them! Thank you for everything you do on here and happy new year!
Happy New Year! I'll be adding most all of these to by 2022 TBR. Thank you so much for all of the work you've put into your videos this year. Your passion for reading and your videos have really opened up my reading world so much. I look forward to all of your videos and am excited to see all the books you read and recommend in 2022.
You've sold me on "Biased"!! I recently watched a video where someone else mentioned it as well. I have a hard time finishing non-fiction books, but I want to read more of them. This one sounds like the perfect one to purchase. You described it wonderfully. I loved this video!
Okay, I really loved this video. I religiously follow everything you post (gotta renew my membership, oops), so none of it was really a surprise, but I think it is evident how much you loved these books through how eloquently you talked through them and how much care went into explaning what you loved and appreciated about them.
House of Leaves was also my favorite book of the year ! I've known about it for a decade, but your bookclub was the push I needed to actually read it. It's such an experience to read that I wish I could read it for the first time again !
House of Leaves and My Heart is A Chainsaw is on my list to read this year. Your eyes light up when you talk about these books ( and Dune but I'm not a fan of that). Been watching you for 3 years now and I don't know what it is with you and Gabby both who help me relax when my brain is going a mile a minute with anxiety. Thank you for a wonderful 2021. Looking forward to 2022.
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife is also in my top reads of the year, and that title alone gets like 10 stars. I also loved the little passing comment near the end of the book that's a callback to the title, when I read that line I was like AAAHHHHHHHHH I LOVE IT.
Tinfoil butterfly was one I just picked up on a whim earlier this year too and I was shocked how much I loved it. It’s definitely one of my top few for the year!
love how passionate you are about your favourite books! my top books were: the weight of the stars, follow me to ground, piranesi, the death of vivek oji, hamnet, one last stop, ace of spades, lolly willowes, and the disordered cosmos! 🌟
Happy New Year! My top ten favorites: The House in the Cerulean Sea, A History of Wild Places, The Lost Village, Migrations, Every Last Fear, The Guest List, The Last Thing He Told Me, The Push, Twisted by Andrew E. Kaufman, and the entire Wayward Children series ❤️
Also I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on how My Heart is a Chainsaw compares to Night of the Mannequins with the way it's written. Night of the Mannequins is one of my favorites of the year and it seems like they could be somewhat similar with the way he writes it compared to The Only Good Indians
I can’t wait to check out the books that I haven’t already read on here! My top ten Of 2021 are: 1. Bunny (thank you for this one!!! Now an all-time favourite) 2. In My Dreams I Hold A Knife 3. The Black Flamingo 4. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo 5. The House in The Cerulean Sea 6. Miracle Creek 7. The Silent Patient 8. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue 9. No Exit 10. The Midnight Library
What a great reading year! You’ve got a bunch of tippy-top/all-time favs on this list 🤗 I’m actively reading HoL with a group-it’s a book to pick up when you need a break from conventional reading.
I wanted to mention that you have really evolved as a content presenter. I have found that a lot of book tubers flog the same books and when I initially viewed your channel, a few years ago, I perceived you were one of that same group. Over the last while your videos have popped up on my feed and I have found them both interesting and entertaining. I really enjoy that you discuss a diverse selection of books, and include Canadian elements (my budget doesn't though because I ended up purchasing several books you discussed 😁). I have subscribed and am looking forward to other videos.
Tinfoil Butterfly and This Thing Between Us are both published by MCD (x FSG Originals) Books - which has become one of my favorite publishers for their releases. (Currently have an ARC for Devil House by John Darnielle) And they always have the most creative cover designs for their novels.
One of the things I love the most about your channel is that our reading tastes are so different, but sometimes they line up in weird and wonderful ways. Two of the books in my top five were books I picked up because of you! My top ten books are: 1) Piranesi 2) This Thing Between Us 3) The First Law Trilogy 4) Neverwhere 5) House of Leaves 6) Red Dragon 7) Under the Whispering Door 8) The Sandman (volumes 1-3) 9) Senlin Ascends 10) Foundryside * A lot of my favorites have a labyrinth theme, and I don't know what that says about me.
Im so SO happy This Thing Between Us made your top 10! I never hear anyone talk about it and its such a great book, I really hope that more people give it a shot and love it. You have definitely inspired me to finally take on House of Leaves. I had it years ago and unhauled it because I just was too intimidated to ever read it. It recently was gifted to me over Christmas so now that its back in my life AND made your number 1 spot, I just have to read it! My top 10: Anxious People, Final Girl Support Group, Hex, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, Bunny, This Thing Between Us, Black Sun, The First Girl Child, War (laura thalassa), & Desperate Measures.
you re definitely making me read my heart is a chainsaw and I’m getting excited!! This year I finally read dress codes for small towns and I read it back in January to start my year good (damn it wasn’t reading wise lol) and it was the best book I’ve read all year!!
You are the reason I like to read again . I ordered the death book . Excited to read it and I got the audio for it on my phone thank you for explaining each book you like. You make books interesting that I have to read all of them that you recommend or liked
I'm currently reading This Thing Between Us since it was part the 'readers also enjoyed' tab on goodreads for Reprieve which was my favourite book of 2021. Really enjoying it so far, I can see why it made it into your faves :)
My favourites of the year: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Severance, Dark Matter, Beautiful World Where Are You, The Echo Wife, Such A Fun Age, Legendborn. I think you would like Severance!
my number one is the year of the witching. so surprised at how much i loved that book and i probably wouldn’t have picked it up if you hadn’t liked it so much. also, i listened to the audio. loved it!
Oh wow I didn't know thrillers don't often make your favorites list!! I still need to read In My Dreams I Hold A Knife. I always get a bit worried about picking such hyped up books up.
After putting it off for so long, I'm finally picking up House of Leaves in January (my best friend will also reading it and he's an English teacher so he's gonna get a lot of texted questions lol).
I’m so excited by how much you also enjoyed In My Dreams I Hold a Knife!! That book is so great 🙌 Also, I’m definitely going to read House of Leaves and Biased this year because of you 🥰 I’m also super intrigued by Tinfoil Butterfly now 👀
Did I buy four of the books on the list this past year because of you and planning on buying another three of them? Y E S. I'll never thank enough crossing paths with your channel because of the amount of happy reading hours.
i was waiting on tenterhooks for this video to come out even though i KNEW that my heart is a chainsaw and house of leaves were gonna be your top 2 since like november. i also anticipated mrs death misses death (desperately need to read that). i plan to pick up biased as my first nonfiction of 2022!!
What a good year!! 🖤 I don’t have a top 10 but my top books I read in 2021 were: - The House in the Cerulean Sea - Under the Whispering Door - Black Sun - a Dowry of Blood - Down Among the Sticks and Bones - House of Earth and Blood
Thank you Kayla - your recommended books sound great - I can't wait to read House of Leaves! I did read In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and wasn't that knocked out by it --- I didn't like any of the characters much. I LOVED Mexican Gothic, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, Cackle, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Looking forward to your recomendations including the nonfiction ones.
I really need to read House of Leaves huh? Adding it to my 2022 reading goals! my top 10 of 2021: 1. Under The Whispering Door 2. House in the Cerulean Sea 3. Six of Crows 4. Malibu Rising 5. The Lost Apothecary 6. Darius the Great Deserves Better 7. Shadow & Bone 8. Trials of Morrigan Crow 9. My best friend’s exorcism 10. One Last Stop
I'd love to see a video where you go back through and watch your top 10 videos from previous years and look through the list of all the books you read that year to see if those are still the ones that have stuck with you the longest!
Really think you're actually such a good reviewer and it really shines in these kinds of videos! My top 10 (some of which I think you'll love!!): (normally I wouldn't include rereads but if there's any chance at all you'll see this and decide to read Pale Fire I definitely SO want to make that happen) 1. The Murder of Halland - Pia Juul (this one!!) 2. The Testaments - Margaret Atwood 3. Pale Fire - Vladimir Nabokov (reread) (this one you'll definitely love - big house of leaves vibes in its uniqueness and SO well-done!) 4. The Sandman - E.T.A. Hoffman (and this one!!) 5. The Magic Mountain - Hermann Hesse 6. Naked Lunch - William S. Burroughs 7. Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn 8. The Invisible Man - H.G. Wells 9. Out of Body - Jeffrey Ford 10. Convenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata (reread)
Love the fact that Mrs Death Misses Death made it to the top 10, because it just excites even more to read it myself! We don't have similar reading tastes, except maybe in non-fiction, but I'll give it to you anyway, in case you care xD 10. Parable of the Sower 9. The Thursday Murder Club 8. The Atlas Six 7. Record of a Spaceborn Few 6. Another Brooklyn 5. Wundersmith 4. Beautiful World, Where Are You 3. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone 2. In the Dream House 1. Girl, Woman, Other
This is the third time I've seen you talk about My Heart is a Chainsaw with such passion and now I'm convinced I want to read it. And I was also curious about Mrs Death Misses Death.
I will also also say that House of Leaves was not only one of my top 10 of this year but of my all time. It was such an emersive experience. I agree you do have to be patient, and it is exhausting but it is all a part of the experience, which is a part of the story itself. I am still deciding on my top 10, but House in the Cerulean Sea is also there. Surprisingly, House of Earth & Blood also made my top 10 list. I don't really care for romance. Empire of the Vampire, Razorblade Tears, Nevernight, Red Rising trilogy, & Year of the Witching. I guess I did decide 😆 every single one now these authors were new to me this year. So very awesome!
I think it's a great idea to reread favorites, unfortunately I am not a rereader 😂. There are very few books I reread. I usually keep track of my top ten from the beginning of the year, and when I find a new favorite I will replace one of the top 10.
I feel like I don't have the patience for House of Leaves, but I also REALLY want to experience it though! Hahaha. It just sounds like such an amazing & unique way to read through a story!
OMG House of Leave was one of the best books I've ever read. The woman in Barnes and Noble recommended it back in like 2019/2020. Maybe I am weird, but I had no issues getting through the book. Some parts I had to go back to as reference. But that part where he was going down the stairs and how the words were going round and round. It was like I was in the dark hole with him. "House of Leaves", "The Stand" by Steven King and "Carrion Comfort" by Dan Simmons is like my top 3. If you haven't read Carrion Comfort yet, please try it. I highly recommend.
Added a few of these to my TBR :) I read House of Leaves with you. I’ve been trying to get my husband to read it and I think I’m getting closer to convincing him. 🤪
I have had House of Leaves sitting on my shelves for a while now so maybe it’s finally time to take the plunge…maybe soon. We’ll see. I’m totally sold on My Heart is a Chainsaw now though! My Top Ten for this year: 1. Black Sun 2. The Poppy War series 3. Under the Whispering Door 4. Mexican Gothic 5. Thunderhead (sequel to Scythe) 6. Take a Hint, Dani Brown 7. Strange the Dreamer 8. The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina 9. How Moon Fuentez Fell In Love with the Universe 10. The Office of Historical Corrections
Would you say "Tinfoil Butterfly" has a similar vibe to "The Cabin at the End of the World"? The latter was an unexpected favorite of mine in 2020, and I've been looking for a book with a similar vibe ever since.
You talking about Dune made me think, did your mum love the box set you got her? Also, I'm adding The Wild Ones to my TBR, thanks! 🥰 Also, also I read Biased on your recommendation back on the spring and I thought it was great and totally agree with you about the audio
I’m sure you’d love Piranesi ! It won the Hugo award I think. But it’s more like magic realism than anything else. Very beautiful, enthralling story. Reminded me of Every heart has a doorway by Seannan McGuire and Middlegame. I highly recommend it !
wow, now i want to read house of leaves and i don't know if that's a good thing but i feel like i just need to read it because it seems sooo amazing but also really intimidating, ahhhh i don't know how to feel
I've been interrupted reading Dune twice..TBR for January. My girlfriend Barbara really liked them. She has been gone for quite a while. Miss her still.
I don't have a top 10 favourites of 2021, but I do have an all-time favourites list I uploaded like 2 weeks ago and it's a mix of basically every genre 😂
My top 3 books of 2021: 1. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong 2. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune 3. Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Wow. I think you are way way smarter than I am. I grasp the concepts you describe but I think I’m too lazy (tired?) at this late stage in my life to delve into them. I would just love to chew on Biased but in truth, I’d rather grab a glass of cab and listen to YOU! Thank you. 👍
What books are talked about in My Heart is a Chainsaw? I want to read all the books spoiled so I can fully understand the reference but I’m not sure what they are.
Great video, as always! I haven't read any of your top 10, but I added all of them to my TBR. 😊 Here are mine (in no particular order): 1. The House in the Cerulean Sea by: T.J. Klune 2. Sitting Pretty by: Rebekah Taussig 3. We are Displaced by: Malala Yousafzai 4. The Four Winds by: Kristin Hannah 5. Things You Save in a Fire by: Katherine Center 6. Skyward by: Brandon Sanderson 7. All Thirteen by: Christina Soontornvat 8. The War That Saved My Life by: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley 9. The Night Swim by: Megan Goldin 10. Concrete Rose by: Angie Thomas
I am currently reading S. by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst and I am very much enjoying it (it's also a story within a story within a story, with footnotes, puzzles, clues and multiple timelines on the same page, etc -- reading the book is an experience) so I think House of Leaves is definitely up my alley. And S. might be worth a try if you liked House of Leaves.
sometimes when I want to decide if a book is getting in the top 10 I look for the wrap up or review of that book, rereading seems like too much for me lol
My top 10 were (in no particular order and * for books I would recommend to Kayla): *The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie *How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates *Not So Different by Nathan H Lents *Wordslut by Amanda Montell House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland 7 and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hugo by Stuart Turton Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe
I never feel like I have enough favourites to make a Top 10, and I read 77 books this year, so it's not because I wasn't trying (* 78 if I finish my current read, which might make my Top 10). I can name you two books I really loved: - Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett - Every Tool's a Hammer, by Adam Savage But for the other 8, nothing springs to mind. Hopefully, next year will break the curse!
anticipating my heart is a chainsaw will end up in the top three as it deserves!! (edit: just got to the end and wanted to mention that i have some of the same books on my own best books of 2021 list which is in a video on my channel!)
