new favourite books, love triangles & gothic fantasy 🌹books I recently read 

13:19 "the only tenant I care about is David Tennant" I loved that part

Leonie's videos are my main source of serotonin

I have a page in my journal called "what was good about today", and I was struggling to find something good about today, and then I remembered I watched this video in the morning, and I remembered the good and comfort feeling I had while watching it. So that was it. And it got me thinking that Leonie is just there living her life, not even imagining that there is a girl in Brazil that just wrote in her journal "today I watched Leonie's new video", and that was the only good thing about my day. So thank you.

“the only tenant i care about is david tennant” she is so real for that one

About the narration in Wuthering Heights: we read the book last year in my book club and also talked about this. My view on it was that it was quite clever to tell the story through the maid because she represented the perspective of us / the reader. We are only watching what is unfolding and are pretty powerless to do anything about it or really help anyone. So she kind of mirrors our position, if that makes sense.

So, about Wuthering Heights... I think that if it was told from the perspective of one of the main characters, we would have had the "romantic/dramatical aura" that we had in Twilight. The reason why the story was told from some outsider perspective is the fact that when we are in an abusive relationship, we often don't realise that. 😅

Erl king is probably a reference to the German song, Erlkönig by Franz Schubert and written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe! My music teacher in middle school sang this to us, and I loved it - it was super creepy. It was about the king of the elves who steals children. From google: The name translates literally from the German as “Alder King” rather than its common English translation, “Elf King” (which would be rendered as Elfenkönig in German). It has often been suggested that Erlkönig is a mistranslation from the original Danish elverkonge, which does mean “king of the elves.”

Yay!!! You officially have 500,000 subscribers! Congrats, Leonie! 🥳🎉🎈

Wuthering Heights is one of my all time favourite books but I get what you're saying about the narrative style. I think a lot of people have an idea of what they think WH is about, an epic romance basically, and when you read it it's definitely not that. I was pleasantly surprised by that the first time I read it, and how it does actually address the ideas of generational trauma and cycles of abuse, long before they would have had names for that kind of stuff.

Having just read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Anne Bronte) - I feel compelled to recommend it to you because I think it addresses what you didn't like about Wuthering Heights (not getting a POV from the people in the relationship), while still maintaining a super similar gothic vibe and telling a story of abuse and its impact.

I would love to see your thoughts on Anna Karenina if you liked a classic like Jane Eyre, it’s a comment on Russian society, love, passion and obsession. Unlike what you said about Wuthering Heights, you get very close into the minds of all the characters and their layered plots even though it’s in third person.

The funny thing for me is I love „Wuthering Heights“ but „Jane Eyre“ was just ok for me. I despise Mr. Rochester more than Heathcliff. For me Catherine and Heathcliff fell in love because they were the only people who could understand the darkest parts of their souls, while their „partners“ only liked the ideas of them. Their relationship just makes sense, because you see them in their most wicked moments still swooning for the other, while everyone else would try to run away. The story feels like a family drama instead of dramatic romance. I rooted for almost everyone except for Heathcliff‘s son (satan‘s copy). They all do gross stuff to each other through the story, but seeing the next generation followed by Nellie finally overcoming all the trauma caused by the ones before them, makes this story so sweet. And Heathcliff dying after he knew that they turned out to be strong enough to put up with him is so funny. I also have some strange idea for a modern retelling of it since I read it. „Wuthering Heights“ but in the style of „the Kardashians“. I think it would be insane and funny at the same time. Heathcliff complaining about everything in a white box would be gold. ( Ah I almost forgot. I‘m also glad that it‘s from Nellie‘s perspective I love her and sharing a head with Catherine and Heathcliff is only tolerable in snippets)

One dark window is SO GOOD. and the second book is even better!! (Shocker!)

the bronte sisters didn't have money and charlotte and anne both worked as governesses, so that is kind of their window onto the rich people they worked for. it's typical for them to narrate their stories through servant perspectives. it kind of tells you about them as authors, the separation that they felt. I can see how you as a modern reader in a more class flattened society would want that more direct connection. I need to reread wuthering heights but I have a big physical TBR shelf I'm trying to get to. wuthering heights is kind of the origin of that tall dark handsome bad boy romantic hero - worth reading just to get that history.

Leonie says "let's brush past the shadow tentacles" but this was a selling point for me ngl

The first thing you need to know about Wuthering Heights is: it is NOT a love story. It has been marketed as a love story, but it is not. It is a dark tale with protagonists you are meant to hate, seen from the point of view of a person of a lower class, commenting on the habits and thoughts of her wealthier employers, criticising them and exposing them. Nelly works as a sort of self-insert for Emily herself, since she also worked, if briefly, at households similar to Wuthering Heights and observed the frivolity and indolence of the upper strata, depicted in Catherine. She mixed that with another almost self-insert character and a homage to her literary hero, Lord Byron, in Heathcliff. But Heatcliff is never meant to be sympathetic, Heathcliff is the perversion of the romantic ideal when inserted into Brontë's realist narrative, he is also a fear of what is "other", a fear of the foreign or the exterior that evolved into the Dracula type narrative. Now the voice of Longwood was there for two reasons: first, he is a well to do male narrator, and therefore, liable to be taken more seriously than the voice of a maid, at least in mid 19th century. Secondly, his arrival offers a queue for the start of the narrative, without him, there is no reason or purpose for the narrative to start thirldy, something that has been lost in later years is the need of the author to justify their book "in universe" so to speak, Emily needed a fictional reason for the manuscript that was Wuthering Heights to exist, and that reason is Longwood's letters to his brother. It is like Jonathan Harker's journal entries or Doctor Watson's work for the Strand. The only other way for her to achieve this while using one of the main characters as first person narrators was if the story was written as a confesion by Heathcliff or Linton or Cathy, and still, for her to bring across the whole story as she intended she would have needed someone who compiled it, who couldn't be Nelly, because of her gender and class. Maybe one of the kids could have done it. But anyway, I don't mean to be pedantic with this obnoxiously long comment, I myself didn't love Wuthering Heights the first time I read it because I was expecting something else. But after studying the Brontë's in depth, I consider Emily to be the best writer out of the three and honestly love to hate her marvellous book and her cast of detestable characters.

i absolutely ADORE your sweater in this vid oh my god

This video is literally the highlight of my day. I'm sick and I need to write an essay for college even though it's hard to concentrate. And I was so happy when I saw the post of a new video. I really needed this cozy calm atmosphere 💜

I love Wuthering Heights, but I agree with your opinion about the POV. It would have been much better if we could actually glimpse the real feelings of the characters. I had the same issue with The Phantom of the Opera since the narrator is some unknown guy who discovers this story thirty years later. I am so happy that you are enjoying One Dark Window! It was one of the best reads for me last year

Congratulations on 500k, Leonie! Just saw it and kind of freaked out, this is amazing! You so deserve it

happy 500k leonie!! your opinions exactly are on point with mine, defo comfort youtuber

your videos are literally so comforting i love them sm

Yess another video! Love everybody doing their January wrap-ups right now (I’m doing one as well so it’s giving a lot of inspiration)

yay so excited for this video ❤ i finished the dead romantics today and i loved it so much i think you are going to love it too because it's very cozy and it's a small town romance with some spooky elements

I loved hearing you talk about Belladonna. It reminded me why I loved it so much and makes me want to pick up the sequel!

One Dark Window and its sequel have been my favorite books of the year so far, so glad you’re picking them up!

i just finished reading the bloody chamber for my literature class and i got so excited seeing that you read it and hearing your thoughts on it!!

Im so happy you're reading (and loving) One Dark Window! I just read that and its sequel around the end of last year/start of this year and loved them! They are both amazing books with such good vibes!

once again a very cosy and interesting books reviews, thank you

Thank you for this dose of humour and good books❤ To answer your question, the traditional fairy tale that inspired "The Bloody Chamber" is very famous in France. It is called "Barbe Bleue" (meaning Blue Beard) and it was standardised by Charles Perrault in the 17th century like Cinderella or Little Red Riding Hood. The original version is already pretty gothic but Angela Carter's retelling is gold✨✨✨

Hope you're feeling better soon! I suggest curling up with a nice cup of tea and the book you're reading now.

happy 500,000k subs!!!!! love your videos

The Brontes are so great at taking a romance and turning it into a more cynical cautionary tale. Angela Carter is always interesting. Hope you've been well Leonie!

GURL i’ve been waiting for you to talk about belladonna SO BAD i needed you opinion desperately hahshd a little late to the video but i lovedit, lov u leonie 💖

i LOVED slaying the vampire conqueror!!! i will read literally anything by carissa broadbent now. i also love the serpent and the wings of night and the sequel, six scorched roses.

It’s a good day when Leonie posts a video 😌🫶🏻

Get well soon~ love ur video as always❤

I loved the Bloody Chamber story collection and the Magic Toy shop by Angela Carter. Totally agree with you on Angela Carter's writing style.

for some reason the idea of one dark window reminds me of narnia voyage of the dawn treader and now i'm so much more excited to read it

it's fun to see you give same rating to Belladonna and Slaying the Vampire Conqueror. those books were definitely fun, but still a bit lacking, and it's nice to know someone else thinks so too!

This year I really want to read some of Angela Caters fairytales, your reviews have reignited that want ❤

Having a nice cup of tea while watching your video :) I've never been this early to a video before!

Love your earrings 🤩 and your book reccomendations. Had to add belladonna to my read list

Immediately picking up some Angela Carter books! They sound amazing! I love fairytale retellings!

I’m so glad I’m not the only one who was underwhelmed by withering heights. You explained it so well. I wasn’t sure why I was just not a big fan of it, but maybe it’s better if I reread it some day

I'm 14 and you're the best at inspiring me to pick up a book again. My sincere gratitude s to you

There’s a version of Bluebeards castle told by Anna Biller (the creator of The Love Witch) that you’d probably like! It also has a gorgeous cover

congrats on half a million!

She’s back when we needed her most 🩷🩷🩷

I love The Bloody Chamber collection! yess!! I feel the same about Angela Carter's writing

Van harte gefeliciteerd met je ongelofelijke resultaat van 500,000 abonnees! Translation: Congratulations on your incredible result of 500,000 subscribers!

Leonie, I just have to say I am so happy I discovered you and your channel, because we seem to have such a similar taste! Ever since I found out, you loved the book vicious by V.E. Schwab, the hunger games, the trilogy folk of the air *and* Zelda botw (and like me owns the Art Book of botw) I knew I can trust your recommendations! I always look forward to them 🥰

I have had belladonna on my TBR forever now 🥹

I absolutely love your videos! Im definitely adding One Dark Window to my tbr :3

Okay but before anything I’M SO HAPPY SO MANY OF MY FAVOURITE BOOK TUBERS HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH A FAIRYTALE RETELLING ARC AND ON THAT NOTE this is officially day one of asking you to read “Thorn” by Intisar Khanani, a retelling of the Goose Girl, and it is my favourite book, period. Managed to dethrone “A Man Called Ove” after seven years, but still. It’s a soft fantasy with a WONDERFUL female lead, a very soft neutered romance and one of the best exploration of its themes of class, responsibility, spirituality and abuse. It’s very character-driven, but I know you’ll love it

Fantastic earrings as always :)

“you are a product of your environment” THANK YOU! i feel the same way when i read all these historical fiction books where these women are perfect 21st century thinkers, it was my main criticism of “lesssons in chemistry”

Belladonna was great!! One Dark Window is my on list ❤️

I LOVED One Dark Window! But my hot take is that Two Twisted Crowns wasn't quite as good for me, I was disappointed 😭 I can't wait to hear your thoughts on both 💚

If you're interested in fairytales and retellings, definitely check out T. Kingfisher's work. I'd especially suggest checking out her book The Halcyon Fairy Book - it's lesser known, but it has the author examining some old folk tales, with her comments along the way, and it almost feels like reading the folk tale together with her and analysing it. Very fun and interesting read!

wuthering heights was an instant favorite for me ( it was also my first finished book in 2024 lol )

Congratz on the 500K suscribers Leo! 👍

I’m currently reading “daughter of no worlds” from the trilogy named “the war of hearts” by Carissa Broadbent and omg LOVE IT. It has a perfect balance of everything, I quite liked “the serpent and the wings of night” but I don’t understand why is more popular that this trilogy that I’m talking about. It feels more complex than the serpent books and at the same time it’s still is so much fun like her books are. They are a total recommendation!

Congratulations! You reached 500 subs 🥳✨✨✨

RU-vid's algorithm let me down--I'm just seeing this an hour later! 😞Come on, notification bell! Hope you are well, Leonie! Congrats on half a million, well deserved!

So sad that you didn't love Wuthering heights 😢 I absolutely adored it, and felt very connected to the characters. I also really loved the narrative structure of it, so I think it's just to personal taste 🤷🏻‍♀️

I met Adalyn Grace on a book signing (there were multiple writers) and she was THE NICEST person ever. That’s always a plus on my book (pun intended lol). I have Belladonna on my TBR since then, I guess it’s time to put it up on the list haha Love your videos!

The Erl King is not only my favorite retelling that Angela Carter did, but it's also my favorite German folktale of all time??? I HIGHLY recommend looking up the song, they put the original poem to music and it's PERFECTION

If you haven’t read Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier you’d love it!

I loveee The Arrival so I’m definitely gonna pick up Ted Chiang’s book!!

I really recommend you to read ‘The invisible life of Addie LaRue’! I haven’t read Belladonna, but Addie LaRue will offer you everything you wanted Belladonna to be ☺️

I have bee waiting for your video for so longgg😭😭

It makes perfect sense what you said about wuthering heights: I read somewhere that Emily wrote from the perspective of her looking at the world/people around her, from the outside, tyring to make sense of it all. Her style is more on the poetic side. Many say that if she'd lived in the modern world, she would have been a poet (in that era, female writers were almost always only novelists). Whereas Jane always wrote from her own experiences, her own feelings and intense emotions, making you feel like you are in her characters' minds. She was a pure novelist, the novel being the perfect format for her writing style.

One dark window is sooo good ❤

OMG love your earrings. Also, can you reccomend some contemporary romance books?

my comfort booktuber is back

Could you maybe make a video reading/recommending more short stories? I have a hard time finding recommendations for them and I’d like to read more.

Get well soon ❤

so looking forward to this video!!!

Considering the interest you’ve taken in the retelling of fairytales, I think you would really enjoy Carol Ann Duffy’s collection of poems “A world’s wife”, most of which are written in the form of a dramatic monologue from the perspective of female characters of fairy tales, myths and real women, whose voice has remained unheard. It is witty and striking and I am sure that you will love it! Reading it is a real experience, pushing you to research more about the characters and about the author too ✨

oh i get you leonie, i have covid too and i miss when i used to breathe so easily 😭

I didn’t like Wuthering Heights and I couldn’t really put my finger on why I didn’t like it, but you put it into words perfectly! I just kept thinking to myself “who do these two characters like each other so much??”

Feel better soon, hope you are staying safe

First book just sounds like Deadpool relationship with Lady Death… But could be interesting to see how differently this idea can be tackled.

I've read so many fairy tale collections over the years but my library has a copy of The Bloody Chamber so maybe I'll check it out.

I bought Ted Chiangs book because of you ❤❤ and I agree about Wuthering heights and the tennant pov 😂😂😂

I've watched a few of your vids recently and just seeing you talk about how much you love fairytales makes me think you would also love "Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space" by Amanda Leduc It's about how fairytales have shaped and reflect our views/treatment of disabled people and the author brings up so many examples i'd never even considered and I feel like this might interest you!

general grievous: will make a fine addition to my collection

Love ur videos !!!! ❤❤❤❤

i really love your videos

I love your videos💜

"Arrival" is the perfect movie!

I haven't read anything by Ted Chiang, though I've seen Arrival. But the way you describe it, it sounds like Ray Bradbury's short stories could also be your thing.

Get well soon❤

was lit having a shit dayyy and so rwady to chill with ur video

Bluebeard traumatized me SO MUCH as a child, just hearing you mention it now gives me goosebumps😂

I totally get the point about Wuthering Heights. I feel the same way 😢

omg feel better queen

You should watch the 2009 adaptation of Withering Heights, I liked it a lot, it shows bit more of the Heathcliff and Cathrine and doesn't focus much on their kids.

New fan/ subscriber! I think you might enjoy a little known favorite of mine: The Eight by Katherine Neville. It's an epic historical fiction published in 1985. I think you would love it because it has a little classics flavor as well as some dark academia vibes. I hesitate to make this comparison but the most succinct way I can describe it is the DaVinci code if it was written by a woman, with a female protagonist, but written decades earlier and SO MUCH BETTER. It's about the search for Charlemagne's mythical chess set (which is a mystery I won't spoil for you) and it alternates between two storylines, one in 1970s New York and the other in 1790s France. The scope of this story is huge but is also just delightful in the way it brings the details of these time periods and places to life, owing to the fact that the author is pulling from a lot of personal experience. Disclaimer: the book is long, dense, and complex, and took me forever to get through the first time because the buildup of this mystery seems endless but I re-read it at least once a year now and always learn something new I hadn't thought about before. Hope you check it out!