READING VLOG | i read dark academia books for a week and loved them🕯🕰📜 

why am i always in love with your thumbnails? you got that dark academia vibe on point. now i'm going to drag all these three books on top of my mountain tbr. i can listen to you talk aboout books for hours. love your journal spread too. great way to welcome the fall season. i can feel it in my bones. 🍁

PLEASE Katie we need a clothing lookbook from u. Ur outfits are always so cute IM BEGGINGGGGG

only katie can convince me to buy a book the second she says she enjoys it

This is so random but at uni I took 2 writing courses taught by Theodora Goss and I had no clue she had written a book until a year after I graduated when I saw a booktuber talk about The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter lol. She’s so sweet and a great teacher!

I’m so relieved you enjoyed Babel, finally a book I adore that you also loved ❤️ also new drinking game, take a shot every time you say “but” in the last minute of the video 💀🫡

Lately I’ve been trying to only watch booktube videos about genres I don’t like so that I don’t add even more books to my way-too-long tbr and so I clicked on this video, and you somehow convinced me to add both babel and a lesson in vengeance to my tbr when no one else has 😭

I love how you go into "if we were villains" w/o knowing much about it. I heard its very very very similar to "secret history" ( like in a "if you like ...read...) also I studied the "Julius Caesar" play briefly so I'm def making predictions about the plot lol ALSO i read what moves the dead and although i was in a reading slump I CAN ASSURE YOU ITS SO DAMN GOOD AND EERIE LOVED IT SM

I’ve read if we were villains… and your reactions to it are my reaction to it. I read it back in February and I still think about it

Glad you loved If We Were Villians, its one of my favourite books. I loved it so much more than The Secret History. 📚

If we were villains is such an amazing book, I read it last year and loved it. It was so beautifully written and I just loved the story.

the atmosphere/vibes of this video was everything I needed rn 🤎🕯️📚 so good

I've been convinced! I never wanted to read if we were villains after not liking the secret history but off I go to order it!

The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter is so fun! That whole series is so underrated.

Dark academia always seems like it would be a fun time, but I haven't really dived much into it. I've been wanting to read Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter it just sounds like a fun time. Most of these books you've made sound like a fun time. I'll add them to my never ending TBR.

Oh my gosh we live in the same city! I love the Kansas City Public Library! She is not lying when she says its so pretty. I love it. Also this vlog is amazing.

Love the library outfit!!!

I highly recommend watching Shakespeare, not reading it, they are written to be plays after all and it makes it a lot more digestible :)

I love watching your videos! And your thumbnails are AWESOME. The fall vibes, the way you explain and react to books is wonderful. I love it 😍

It's great that you're up always up for trying out different genres!

omg I love this!! I rlly badly wanted dark academia book recs so this is perfect! also I can’t wait for fall 🍂❤️‍🩹

Loved this 1 hour video!!! Watched it while doing some fall colouring and it was such a vibe. You've inspired me to pick up Babel again. I DNF'd it last autumn but think I'd like it after hearing your thoughts :)

your videos are the best. yours is one of my biggest comfort channels on booktube🥰

These vlogs are so comfy to watch. Also is it just me or reading fall books doesn't feel as amazing as the idea of it? Also some fall books reccomendat ion please! Something that is a little bit murder mystery like

I am SO HAPPY you loved if we were villians!! It’s one of my favorite books and I’ve been wanting to do a reread. I think I might soon👀I’m a Shakespeare girl and it definitely enhances the story to know the plays but you described the book so well + the Shakespearean elements

If We Were Villains is one of my all time favorites It is everything I wished The Secret History could be

your outfits for this vlog are impecable omg! so happy that fritz is spending more time with you ❤ i love seeing her in your videos. the only book i've tried to read from this vlog is babel and i had to dnf because i felt like it was trying to do too much. i got overwhelmed. my favourite dark academia books are real life, the picture of dorian gray, and dead poets society. but now i feel like i should pick up if we were villains.

14:27 so cute😭

I’m aware of Babel and its existence and I didn’t wanna read it cause I was afraid of not liking it but your explanation changed my mind. Okay, I’m sold. 😅

The library you went to in this vlog was so beautiful and that shot of you sitting at the desk in the library reading looked so cinematic ✨ In general, I LOVE the vibes of your vlogs during the autumn season 🧡 I just recently read Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher and I absolutely do think you're going to love the vibes of her writing!

Not dark academia, but in terms of T. Kingfisher I only read "The Raven and the Reindeer" which I highlyyyyy recommend for winter!!! It is the perfect combination of first Narnia movie + Polar Express, in terms of atmosphere and magical winter vibe, it's just soooo good to immerse yourself into during cold snowy nights! 💜 vibes are *chef's kiss*

Watching this while I spend my night catching up on school even though it's a beautiful rainy fall night :( can't read dark books while huddled up in a blanket, so instead I'm watching you do it

I started watching you last fall, so now this season and spooky fall books reminds me of you!!

Your videos are so calming to watch and I love how you always have time to read wish I was like that 😂

I've never tried any dark academia books before because the vibe doesn't really match mine. But watched the whole vlog because I love you and your content!

Love Dark Academia esthetics of many things. 🦇📚☕🍂🍁📦🕷️📕🖋️🪦

love the outfit in the tumbnail 😍😍

i absolutely loved the secret history so i’ve had my eye on if we were villains for a while bc of all the comparisons between them and i’ve been putting it off but you gushing about it is making me want to give it a try 👀👀

I read If We Were Villains last month and I loved it! I need to read Babel soon as well

i mean… dark academia and katie sounded like a perfect fit from the start am i right?? also the sweater absolutely gave me like SERIOUS fall vibes!!!

I’m doing a Dark Academia September as well ☺️ I would recommend Vita Nostra, Ninth House and maybe The Maidens for some other DA reads. Also totally agree with If We Were Villians, it was my favourite book of 2022 🖤 I couldn’t get over that ending!

I feel like Babel is one of those books most people would be hesitant to say anything negative about because of the topics it discusses, and to criticize that book would be to essentially criticize the point it’s trying to convey.

Katie in her Dark Academia era

If you like academia vibes with fantasy elements the tv show His dark materials is amazing ! (The book which is based on I haven't read and it's more for children I believe) The tv show was also in part created by the book author Philip Pullman.

Even though you said babel wrong throughout the whole video I’m glad you liked it , one of my favorite books 😂❤

I read If We Were Villains a couple of years ago and I need to re-read it again. It was my favourite book of that year. I read Babel this year and it took a while to read it as it was so weighty and I felt I needed to process everything over time. It was so clever and good.

Yes! I love Strange Case of the Alchemist Daughter. The audiobook is definitely the way to go

I have been watching this with my husband and enjoying it..Your reviews are very detailed and helpful. I am just curious about something. Why have you never read any Shakespeare before? Not that I am demanding you should have, more that I thought it is taught in English at least one year in high school. I guess requirements have changed a lot over the years, cause I read Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar and Macbeth in high school. Of course I graduated like 25 years ago, so...anyway, I was just curious about that. I actually think Shakespeare is wonderful, have read several of his plays in high school and college. 😊

The vibes of this video are immaculate!!! 🤌🏾 I need to go read some dark academia books now! 😂

where did you get that edition of babel? the only thing stopping me from reading it is I can't find this edition anywhere and it's SO PRETTY!! if we were villains is my favorite book I've read in years, top tier, I am SO happy you loved it! your reactions toward the end of it made me smile so much! first video I'm watching of yours and it includes my fav book 🖤

i found your channel two weeks ago and i really LOVEEE your videos, you deserve more subscribers!!! 🥺💜

I also chose to read dark academia exclusively for September! you've got me so hyped to read "If We Were Villians." thanks for the cozy vlog

Your videos are the best thing in the world

Hi Katie! I managed to read Hamlet and Macbeth by Shakespeare and right now I'm in the middle of Othello and I can tell you that after a few pages you get used to his writing style and the words he likes to use. At first I tried to google all of the new words but after a while I just went with the flow, and even if I don't understand everything for me that's ok. After finishing a play I like to watch a few yt videos about it and that usually helps me realise if I missed anything. I think reading Shakespeare gets easier over time and I think you would love it. Also I love your videos, they're always so peaceful and fascinating

i just recently finished buffy the vampire slayer and it's definitely a new favourite!! im obsessed!

Ugh yes!!! You finally read babel! I have been seeing it in the background of your videos but never heard your thoughts about it!

the vibes in the intro were GIVING

Your crochet pillowcase looks fabulous! Lovely stitch definition 😍 what yarn are you using because that color is perfect!

So, a little tip for Shakespeare: read it out loud. :) The words were meant to be heard (in Shakespeare's day, you went to "hear" a play not "see" a play) and if you can get some adaptations to watch, then you can see how the words can be homonyms at times and inform the performance since spelling was still variable then

I’m currently reading Bad Blood in the naturals series! I love the series so much

About your comment about reading/not reading Shakespeare... Just a note from a Theatre Major, Arts Leadership MFA, Regional Theatre staff-person... be assured. Shakespeare wrote PLAYS. The point of his work was that it was a PERFORMANCE art, not a literary art. They were written to be PERFORMED, in which case, there's literally no shame on watching productions of his plays to learn the stories. You're actually watching it in the form he expected his work to be absorbed. You. Don't. Have. To. Read. Shakespeare. And the bonus of that is that the language is generally easier to follow when it's performed.

Oh my gosh I started watch your video and flipped the moment I saw you wearing the Haunted Library sweater, mine just came in the mail yesterday and I'm wearing it right now while watching!

I'm loving this vlog! Babel and If We Were Villians are already on my tbr, but I may need to push them in priority (especially Villians) after watching.

Your videos always give the best coziness to them! I love your Halloween/ fall decor and you have inspired me to grab some cute little knick knacks for my bookcase. 👻

I just started reading the cloisters by Katy Hays. It’s pretty good I’m getting the vibes are girl went from Washington to Manhattan when I see Washington I mean Washington state. So she studies the renaissance era history, and also a little bit of medieval stuff as well so she landed a summer job at the cloisters in Manhattan. I still need to get into it more.

i hope you love strange case of the alchemist's daughter! i also read it because of megwithbooks and i loved it! this video was perfect to get me through my physics homework. the vibes offset the pain caused by hand-drawn graphs lol i thought i may not like dark academia because of the secret history as well, but this has made me so excited to pick up babel

First thing I watched after a long day at school sitting here reading Mistborn while you speak of more books I now need lol

I've read The Secret History and I really liked it. But it's basically the only dark academia book that I've read so far. But I really want to read more and all of the books in this video are on my (never ending) tbr.

i just know this video is going to be good! thanks for another video Katie 🫶🏼

I am participating in the Vampire Diaries readathon this month and it's making me want to rewatch the whole series 😅 I even started rereading the books but those are hard to get through 😂

I recently finished If We Were Villains too and OMG it's definitely a new favorite!!!! Such amazing characters and so much drama and oh the heartbreak at the end, I wasn't prepared for that!!! Side note: I've been looking for that ghost pillow at target and I'm so upset because I can't find it anywhere!!!!!

I think The Coven by Harper L Woods could classify as dark academia. It is sooo good.❤ Great vlog!!

Learned a new word from your dark academia video which seems appropriate in a way. Intersectionality - which was apparently originally used in 1989 so thank you for that 🤓 I hope you enjoy your first TK book! I’ve read 5 of hers so far and still finding more in her backlist. Happy Fall 🍁💀🍂🧙🥰 PS I bought those same Halloween washi tapes last week 😊

So glad you liked Babel. Just read it with a bookclub, such an amazing book to discuss

i had to read othello for an english class. english is not my first language - it took me FOREVER! :D i can absolutely not blame you for not wanting to read shakespeare, the suffering was immesureable. (the story was fun tho!)

Your local library is soo pretty

otgw is an autumn must have i rewatch it every year too! i really loved this vlog autumn is your season. also where do you find all of your fun fall themed stickers?? you have inspired me to start a reading journal 🧡🥹

Loving your outfits❤❤❤..you look beautifull❤❤

I really enjoyed this video!! I'm really looking forward to reading if we were villains

Hey Katie, this is Tammy. I remember reading and liking If We Were Villains. I haven’t read Babel … But maybe now I will.

Hi Katie 😊 I read Babel last year, and LOVED it! The death was random though😂 but I enjoyed everything else. Now I'm super interested in "Lessons in vengeance"🤔. Also, I'm 20% into Assassin's Apprentice, can't wait for the love show🎉💃 Lovely video as per usual💕

I HIGHLY recommend Ninth House for dark academia but please check trigger warnings!

Dark Academia? Interesting. Thank you for your video!

Oh my gosh your outfits are to die for in this video! Where is the corset top from in your wrap up at the end? It's gorgeous

Oooo please do another dark academia blog and do ninth house and hellbent!

You should watch the show What We Do in the Shadow, I love it so much and I'm sad I'm done with the last season. We follow Vampires and one of their familiar it's just so fun!

love these videos but love the sword earrings even more, I need to know where theyre from

dark academia is my everyyything. i hated a lesson in vengeance, loved babel, haven't read but def own if we were villains 👀 the secret history is one of my all-time faves though lol but you should try ninth house JUST to be able to read hell bent hehe. ace of spades is great too, especially now that you've been reading a lot of YA murder mysteries! also, currently waiting on that same Haunted Library sweatshirt to come in😍😍

Yess I love Strange Case of the Alchemist Daughter! Hope you like it ♡ If We Were Villians is brilliant. Loved this video! Perfection

Another great video Katie.....I am hoping to pick up babel soon if my stores have a copy left....but for now im reading Hunting prince Dracula

Can you please do a video going through all vampire related books please

in if we were villains i eventually like half way decided i dont care about anything in Shakespeare format and just skimmed over it. best decision i ever made lol

Another dark academia with like magic elements is the grimrose girls! It’s a duology I’m pretty sure

I started Babel and will be continuing soon. I own A Lesson in Vengeance and I’m probably gonna read it before Babel so my love for Babel doesn’t make me hate it lol

if you're into dark academia and a lil spooky vibes try reading "Mexican gothic"! It's so good 🥰🍂🍁

I am binge-watching Gilmore Girls and I see a resemblance between Rory and Katie. 🥹

I love the vibes. I have not personally read dark academia but they are on my list like The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Ninth House. As Always great reading and hope September is going well.

vibes unmatched !

I Love your channel so much❤❤❤❤

I’ve read all of these! Totally agree with your opinions. definitely check out a study in drowning by Ava Reid coming out next week!! Dark academia with folklore elements and rivals to lovers💙

Well, Katie...you got me convinced to buy Babel and read it lol