I have the perfect pirate recommandation : the mermaid the witch and the sea by Maggie Tokuda Hall. It takes place in a pirate ship, it has a romance between a princess taken hostage and a gender fluid pirate, the sea has it's own chapters and the prose is stunning (reminded me a little of Kelly Barnhill). It explores a lot of themes and is very atmospheric ! I highly recommand (+ the audiobook is great)
AH! Ever since I commented, I have been so excited for this video cause I was so hoping you would choose mine because I so desperately wanted a book. When it was mine first, I almost fell out of chair. Thank you so much and I am putting in the library request immediately!
Another book about a relationship, that’s not about the meeting and falling in love part is Memorial by Bryan Washington. It’s about a gay couple living Texas, who have been together for years but things are a little on the rocks, and right as one partner is leaving the country to go reunite with his dying father, that partners mother shows up to stay and ends up stuck in texas with the boyfriend. I loved it, it’s a dual POV and is about long term relationships, queerness, race, family relationships and much more.
YES!!! I totally, 100% agree with the A Psalm for the Wild Built recommendation! I've had some stressful stuff going on in my life lately and that (and the sequel) helped me SOOOO much through all the stress and overwhelm!
Another graphic novel series I LOVE which is good for the "showing the relationship not just getting together" question is Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu!! It started as a webcomic and now is published into 2 volumes. It follows the main character through all four years of his college experience as a (not super traditionally masculine/bro-y) gay man on the university men's hockey team. He and his love interest get together halfway through the series, so years 3 and 4 show them navigating their relationship and I think it does an amazing job showing them supporting each other through life and figuring things out together. It has an excellent ensemble cast with their fellow team members/friend group, there's a lot of baking scenes since the MC loves to bake, it's both so funny and heartwarming and also shows real-world issues affecting the characters such as homophobia, complex family dynamics, and mental health struggles, and I simply love it so much 😭😭😭 (plus since it started as a webcomic you can still read the whole thing online for free!!)
For books that make you cry but appreciate life more, I recommend Hello Beautiful. For books that make you question your sanity, the book that quickly popped into my brain was Piranesi. This was great fun to watch!
I think you'll like Cinnamon and Gunpowder! It's about a notorious female pirate who kidnaps a chef, but then falls for his cooking. A kooky high seas adventure with lots of cozy food descriptions ❤
Thank you for picking my request!!! I am stoked to put down the adventures of Amina in my TBR, it sounds really fun! If I get to find some more pirate summer books in the future I will try my best to comment back on this video❤❤
Yes!! I can tell we are on the same wavelength, I love Kaikeyi! I can't wait to read Patel's new book too next month 😊. Thanks for including my request! I def found some new things to add to my tbr!
Totally agree with your picks for sad yet hopeful books, would like to add that for me it's Let the great world spin by Colum McCann. Heartbreaking, but I never feel more alive than after finishing this book. Highly recommend.
For the pirate recommendation I read this a very long time ago but I remember really liking it, Cinnamon and Gunpoweder by Eli Brown, there's a lot of cooking and a lot of pirates.
So excited that you picked my request!! However I have had House of Leaves on my TBR for over a decade 😭 I've tried to read it a few times but always end up having to put it down. Maybe this is the motivation that I need to finally read it. I'll probably need to read A Psalm for the Wild Built afterwards since I'll certainly be needing a break, which is perfect since I already have that one and it's follow up too 🥰
Katie!! I'm not quite sure if they're already translated to english since the author is mexican 🥺 (and she's a booktuber too! her name is Claudia Ramírez Lomeli) but regarding the pirate-cozzy recommendation you're asking for, I immediately thought about Las Crónicas de Fenrai (the exact translation would be Fenrai's Chronicles)
Adding to your recommendations: socially awkward main character, who just wants to live his life, but finds himself time and time again in unexpected situations, with found family, a lot of heart and humor: Fred, the Vampire Accountant. I highly recommend the graphic audios of this series: with a full cast, sound effects, background music, and ambient effects. Such a joy to read, listen to and experience
i shouldve guessed you'd say Gideon 😂 one of my favorite books from last year, havent gotten around to Harrow yet though, have you? does it have the same vibes and horror themes? i dont know what to expect after how Gideon ended...
