Season 1, Ep 8: Bookish Pet Peeves
Hi Friends! In this episode of TBR Lowdown, we:
Talk about their bookish pet peeves.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Castro, Overcast, Breaker, and iHeart Radio. See the AI-generated transcripts below!
Did you know you can also watch the UNCUT video version of the podcast? Watch at https://youtu.be/Cmx55kzXDvY.
Have a question or comment you want to share with us, email us at tbrlowdown@outlook.com.
Read a book that left you feeling like you really need to talk it out with someone? Leave us a message and tell us all about it at https://anchor.fm/tbrlowdown.
We have so many questions and thoughts about the book community to discuss. In this episode, we talk about it all and we don’t hold back.
Highlights:
🎙Slight Book of the Month frustrations
🎙Are you team TBR or team mood read?
🎙How we really feel about booktok and reels
🎙We talk about receiving arcs and working with publishers
Books Mentioned:
📚 China Room
📚 Damnation Springs
📚 Nightbitch
📚 Sex & Vanity
📚Ace of Spades
📚Unsettled Ground
📚 Beasts of Prey
📚 Great Circle
📚 Angel of Greenwood
* View all the books mentioned in this episode in our Bookshop.org shop.
JOIN US!
Read with us for our September book club picks! Visit https://www.tbrlowdown.com/blog/sep2021picks to see what books we’re reading this month.
Visit https://www.tbrlowdown.com/readalongs for information on our Ulysses and 1Q84 read-along. The Ulysses read-along started Sunday, September 5, 2021.
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Come chat with us and join our community!
Alyssa is @nerdynursereads on Instagram
Naomi is @bookladyreads on Instagram
Join our book club Discord server!
Transcripts are AI generated and are not perfect. Transcribed by https://otter.ai. Enjoy!
“Alyssa 0:08
Oh, I guess we’re on what are you doing?
Naomi 0:11
Trying to get it on my ear, but it’s like the headphones. It’s a whole hot mess over here. I’m actually excited about the uncut, raw and uncut TBR Lowdown raw should definitely put that in the title like raw and uncut. I like that. For those committed folks who want to spend two hours watching us. Just be ridiculous. Let’s do it. Alright, she is excited. I am excited. I am excited.
Alyssa 0:41
Do you know what i did recently? Probably you may or may not because I did post about it. You know, the feminist book club box that that Carmen gets. Yeah, that Carmen gets in. I think she does some work with. She says I finally tried it out because I’ve been like, thinking about it. And they had that this really great tumbler which I need like a hole in the head. Yeah. So I finally ordered one. So I’m excited to get it. Oh my god, I can’t wait to see it. I mean, I’m always impressed with her boxes that she gets. I feel like she like literally works with them. But maybe she’s just been rep for so like she’s so deeply entrenched in the repping that it feels like she’s like a founder. Does that make any sense? Yeah, you don’t get to choose your book though. Right? They just send you one of you don’t know what it is. You know what everything is in this bag. Oh, so can look it all up actually. Because there was a there were a couple of books subscription boxes that I wanted to join, but I didn’t because they don’t tell you what you’re getting. They just send you a book and I’m like, Oh, I can’t play those kind of games. They have different boxes it looks like that you can get that are sort of always available. And then there’s and you can see what the books were like last month was dial a for aunties, which I actually kind of really want to read that book and then they have different like the non they had like a June they had a non binary voices box and just look at their website here. They’ve got different bundles like poetry memoir, contemporary fiction. So you October theme, true crime, you might want that one anyway. So in this month’s box, it looks like you get a tumbler, you get this thing that says F student debt. I don’t know if that’s like a yes, I need that one. It’s a pan and postcard that says F student debt. The book is called Word slut, a feminist guide to taking back the English language, which just sounds interesting. And then there’s some book plates, and a notebook and snacky. And what I really want is the tumbler, right, that says, I’m doing a juice cleanse, except instead of juice. It’s Righteous Fury and, and the thing I’m giving up is subjugation to the male dominated power structures.
Naomi 2:56
Okay, I like that. How much is the box?
Alyssa 3:00
It was 60 which is expensive. That’s every month. I guess. Okay, but I think you can change. I don’t know you can buy it in chunks. But for like a one off thing. That’s not awful.
Naomi 3:14
Yeah. a one off thing. Right. Right. And it looks like
Alyssa 3:17
it kind of changes some of the past boxes look like they’re like 50
Naomi 3:22
I guess depending on how much stuff they put on the inside of it, you know? Yeah. Yeah,
Alyssa 3:27
they’re not cheap. And but they’re not like, I mean, that’s a Luma crate and it’s not delivering like, I think they give a donation to some. Let’s see what it says. I think they give a donation to something Oh, it goes to the charity of the month. So that’s why I can’t see it. Because every month a different
Naomi 3:43
kind of different I like that. That’s nice to hear a good way to spread it around, you know?
Alyssa 3:49
Yeah, yeah. And if you can hear me barking I’m sorry. So like this month, it looks like oh, no, it still doesn’t say what the spotlight organization is for the month. It’s got to be somewhere and I’m just missing it.
Naomi 4:00
I don’t know. I’m not joining any more any more things. So look at the month is it for me, and they better start. They better get on with these selections.
Alyssa 4:12
Well what annoyed me about last month was that I didn’t really want any of the main picks but I got a main pick because I wanted something else and I think that they’ve caught on to that and they know that someone will get a main pick and then they’ll go in they’ll buy it like another one. So like I wanted what did I get? I got I got velvet as the night and I got the new Sally Rooney which, which were two bucks I really wanted Yeah, right. And I don’t remember what I even picked for my book of the month because I don’t remember what it was. Oh, we get that. Beautiful. I got a memoir. Yes, that’s what it was called. And it sounded very very good which is fine. And you know, part of what I like about Book of the Month is it can introduce me to or any of these books subscription things it’s not just unique to Book of the Month is introducing me to something that I otherwise wouldn’t have picked or known about. Like I just feel like now Because you said you didn’t like China room and I did that last month?
Naomi 5:04
I think so I skipped this month because I told you all that because I’ve had certain dark things by Sylvia Garcia Marino sitting on my shelf since 2019. As well as her other book gods have Jaden shadow that I was not going to buy Villa was a night until I read those other two books. So I didn’t get that and nothing else interested me. I think I did get one book in July, and that was damnation springs, which I was waiting for that book. And I was hoping, because I’ve had it. So that was great. I got that. And then the other two months I skipped,
Alyssa 5:38
yeah, they go through these logs, because I’ve been a member for years. And they like just go through these like, moments where they’re really, really great. And like every month is just like kick ass. And then they just yeah, and then they come back up and expect. I think for the long haul, it’s it’s a good investment.
Naomi 5:56
I think it’s super affordable. I mean, you cannot be like adding on a hardcover book for 999. I mean, that’s great. You know what I mean? Yeah, it’s fantastic. So I have no plans and ever cancel unless they do something crazy. But yeah, I’m glad they give you the option to skip. I’m hoping they have some really, really good stuff for October.
Alyssa 6:16
Me too. I really do hope they have a better a better main pick selection. Yeah. Because I don’t like having to go like why would you not make the Sally Rooney book and main pack? Right, right. Everybody’s been waiting for it wasn’t the Riley Sager the same way like last month? Everyone was waiting for that Riley Sager book Not that I gave two shits. But like, wasn’t everybody waiting for it? And that wasn’t that was somewhere else. Are they doing it so that people get more than one book? Oh, it
Naomi 6:45
wasn’t a main pick list with what I think it was? I
Alyssa 6:47
don’t think it was I thought it was like an add on book.
Naomi 6:52
Oh, I mean, I don’t I mean, I don’t I guess I guess I don’t think it matters. Whether it’s a main pick or an add on the point is I need to offer it because there have been a lot of months where I was like, how come you are offering this particular book, like, the book world has been talking about this book? How are you not offering this? Whether it’s as a main pick, or as an add on? Yeah, you know, let’s like, like, I don’t like, how are you guys sourcing what you’re going to make available each month? And like what what’s what’s that process look like? Because there have been some, like, heavily anticipated books to come out. And it’s like book of muscles like, Nope, not offered here. Go somewhere else. And I was like, This is odd. But whatever.
Alyssa 7:35
Well, I don’t, I’m not necessarily mad at them not offering, like all the really hyped books. And sometimes that’s the high ones just how to anticipate Yeah, but like some things just feel like they should be offered. Yes,
Naomi 7:50
I agree. Like,
Alyssa 7:51
I want you to introduce me to things I probably never would have read. But also, like you should have your finger on the pulse of the bookworld. Right and know that this is this is a goto and we need we need to offer this because this is something that people will be looking for.
Naomi 8:08
And they should because they’re one of the few where you can get more than one book. Yeah, so you can get up to three books a month. Exactly. So you should always again have your ears to the ground on what the literary world is really talking about and anticipated to come out. So yeah, anyway, we still love Book of the Month. Yeah. Also.
sponsor us TBR Lowdown we Yes. Sponsor us, please. Thank you.
Alyssa 8:40
Thank you. I’ve given you enough of my money. Now. Give me some money back.
Naomi 8:44
Just a little. Just a little. So what I’m talking about today, what’s happening?
Alyssa 8:48
Do you did it not me. We’re just I think we’re just having a little Chitty chat about Jared. We’re weird things that we see on our that we hear slash see slash, whatever. Yeah. Instagram. Just a little Chitty chat. Yes. About just like some of the strange things about I guess bookish social media, social show,
Naomi 9:12
show, show, show show media.
Alyssa 9:16
Social media.
Naomi 9:18
This is when our personal conversations we realized, wait a minute, should this be a podcast episode? And the answer was yes. Yes. We were just talking about. We can’t
Alyssa 9:31
be the only people who find this a little strange.
Naomi 9:34
Or maybe we are maybe maybe. So that’s just going to be a very bookish conversation. We’re going to talk a little bit about some things we feel that are strange on books to Graham and we’re saying specifically bookstagram because we were also talking about because I know for me, I was wondering, like readers on Facebook. Do they have the same thoughts and ideals as the readers on bookstagram? like yeah, cuz I’m not in that Facebook world. I don’t I don’t like Facebook. I’m not at first. The world I don’t know what readers think why don’t keep joining Facebook groups and I don’t I’m not on Facebook anyway a whole other topic so I don’t know if it’s the same over there today I think the same have the same pressures and whatever as books yeah Ram. I don’t know
Alyssa 10:16
we’re much more entrenched in bookstagram I think I have a very tiny idea of what book tube is like, but I don’t really interact because like I don’t know how you build like a friendship on booktube
Naomi 10:26
that’s different. You don’t really build respect. People do but people do
Alyssa 10:31
and I don’t know how they do it and like, I don’t know how do I make friends? Like I don’t even know how I made friends on bookstagram it just happened but it was like really easy.
Naomi 10:41
I think on YouTube. I think it happens in the comments. Yeah, you know what I mean? Like let’s say you and I
Alyssa 10:47
need to stop watching things on my TV and actually like watch them somewhere where I guess
Naomi 10:51
part of the product is I like watching videos on my TV versus my phone there are certain people that just want to see like I usually watch yours. All of Russell’s Eric Carl savage Reeves Miranda’s set by Jess I like to watch you all on my big TV. But there are other people out on my watch it on my phone but I have a certain list I just need to see them on my big TV.
Alyssa 11:18
Yeah, and that stops me from leaving comments so then I don’t develop the relationship
Naomi 11:24
anyway let’s let’s let’s let’s get into it.
Alyssa 11:28
I was gonna say if you’re in those those communities on the book talks the tubes the Facebook book,
Naomi 11:37
right? What’s that? What’s what do they call it?
Alyssa 11:40
Book face?
Naomi 11:42
Do you read them out? If you’re a reader on Facebook Do y’all have a special name like a bookstagram but like what’s what do you call yourselves what do you call the community?
Alyssa 11:52
Yeah or do you have you have just say yeah, so if you see see weird things from you, your communities or if you have these same things that happen like leave us a voice memo on anchor or drop a comment somewhere and or shoot us a DM over on Instagram like just let us know MLS anything just let us know because like we’re so curious about the other communities. I mean, book, Twitter’s a terrifying place that I don’t think any of us really want to well in deep into.
Naomi 12:25
However, TBR Lowdown is now on Twitter at TBR Lowdown. So
Alyssa 12:29
we’re a safe space,
Naomi 12:30
we are a very safe space, feel free to converse with us on Twitter. no judgement here, we just want to make other bookish friends. And also we want to make other bookish podcast friends so if you have a podcast and you’re on Twitter, please follow us and send us a little tweet or something so that we know who you are and we can share what we’re going through in this podcast world.
Alyssa 12:57
We’ve only done one wire view and we kind of need to do more collaborations like that because I think they that was a ton of fun so Episode Two with with Carmen was was so much it really was an issue I want to get set by Jess on Yeah, that’s what I want to do.
Naomi 13:15
Yeah, for sure. We’ve got a list of people we want to talk to so anyway, I’m excited about this bookish conversation.
Alyssa 13:24
Where do you want to start? Do you want to start with the bookish body count? We want to call it body count.
Naomi 13:31
Let’s do it. Let’s do it.
Alyssa 13:35
So I think that’s like one of my favorite weird things. And I especially I think I see it more on Book Two because that’s where I post my wrap ups. And how many people leave comments that say I thought I was doing really well at insert number but you read insert number Yeah, and I’m like what’s it matter? Did you read a book Were you happy? Yeah. It’s not a competition.
Naomi 14:03
But book sugar and makes you feel like it is for some weird reason. There. I just had a thought. I just had a thought. Here’s what I think it is. People let me know in the comments on the blog or on our Instagram at TBR Lowdown if you agree or disagree. So in the book community, people put a lot of emphasis on reading goals how many books a year they want to read. Now Lissa, you know, I don’t care about this. I don’t and I don’t go But But okay, sidebar to what I’m getting ready to say I don’t even know why you set a number. You’re going to like just you’re going to read a crap ton of books regardless, this is no seriously you are going to read a lot of books regarding because you read everyday you make it a point to at least read 510 minutes a day. If that’s all you have. That’s what you do. Yeah. Yeah. So You are going to read a lot of books no matter what So to me, to me it seems like you don’t need to set a number but also I don’t understand the need to set a number there are certain people that are like I like I just want to read this amount of number of books a year, I’m not really certain why there has to be a certain number. I don’t know what that means for someone I would love to know. I do not set a number I set my Goodreads goal to one that that’s it.
Alyssa 15:26
I think I put something on there just because I like to have trackable goals for certain things but because I not plus I’m already keeping track of every book I read on bookly I’m really behind on my Goodreads I have to get there before I’m like 50 bucks behind that I won’t I won’t update my Goodreads but i don’t know i think it’s it’s it’s kind of like meaningless, but I just do it sort of for myself. It doesn’t mean anything because I know I’m going to read whatever I’m going to read I read 200 books, or if I read 20 books, like I don’t really care. A lot of people do care. I know I’m not going to read 20 books, because like you said, I just I read all the time. So I know I’m not going to I know I’m going to read a crap ton of books.
Naomi 16:10
It’s a weird thing to me on bookstagram. But I think it is that reading goal that people set for themselves that drives this feeling of competition.
Alyssa 16:19
Yeah, cuz people are always saying, Oh, I they’ll post their Goodreads goal. And they’ll be like, Oh, my God, I’m five books behind. And I’m like, all right.
Naomi 16:30
But here’s something else. It doesn’t mean anything. But also I am some respects, I think that you, not you, but the you in general, those that set these reading goals, sometimes I think you may be setting yourself up to be in a position where you’re not really, you’re not really reading books that are fulfilling you because you’re trying to get to this number. Because what I see a lot of is Oh, I’m just gonna read a whole bunch of graphic novels, or short stories to catch catch up to my goal. But yeah, but understand that we all have different reading reading goals, right? I don’t want to rush to get to a certain number. I want to really enjoy what I’m reading on my own time, not for the sake of meeting a certain number of books to read by the end of the year. To me that feels like you’re sacrificing some of the joy of reading with trying to meet a number, which I think is ridiculous. But that’s my personal opinion.
Alyssa 17:30
I mean, that’s how I feel like when we do the read, like Lacey challenge and reading 50 books, I mean, I actually read a lot of books that I enjoyed. But I don’t read like that all the time for a reason. Because I just want to read what I want to read. I don’t want to try to think about like how many I can cram in,
Naomi 17:54
right, but like we just do that one month. That’s like a little fun little game between our little intimate, but great, but that’s not, that’s not our entire reading life.
Alyssa 18:06
And we don’t feel the need to function like that all
Naomi 18:09
the time. Right? Right. If you’re a person who sets reading goals, and you’re like serious about this goal, like it is your mission to make this goal we would love to know like what’s driving that and why you feel like you need to do that. I’m very curious, because I also think it just puts like, unnecessary pressure on yourself. Okay, so those are my my thoughts. They’re probably very unpopular and you know, maybe a tad bit salty. But you know, this, hey, she’s a little salty, you know, whatever. Anyway, I just, you know, it’s it’s, it’s, it’s strange. And you’re right, those kind of comments. When I do post a wrap up. They’re like, Oh, so many books, and I thought I was doing a great job. And it’s like, we’re all doing a great job. If you feel like, you know what I mean? Like, yeah. Did you have an enjoyable reading month? That’s the question. Did you have an enjoyable reading month?
Alyssa 18:55
Did you like what you read? Then that’s all that matters. That’s it. If you didn’t like it, you read, What didn’t you like about it? And can we find something that you like, no, this is your free time. This is the stuff that’s supposed to bring you joy? Like, exactly. Let it bring you joy don’t make it work, right. She says, Well, she’s started a podcast and various other endeavors. Don’t make it work.
Naomi 19:23
Here we are. I guess I would just implore you to maybe maybe, maybe some of you need to free yourselves of this annual reading goal number. Maybe some of you need to free yourselves.
Alyssa 19:38
I mean, I like seeing how many books I read every year. Yeah, but
Naomi 19:40
again, I just put down one book. It’s still going to show me how many I read. But my goal just says one book,
Alyssa 19:48
Mama Naomi says, After your goals, just read just read.
Naomi 19:53
I am not very precious about this thing. I just read. That’s it. I just read
Alyssa 19:58
well. I also find It annoying that like in bookstagram the pressure to read the new hot popular
Naomi 20:05
whatever Oh, can we talk about it? Can we talk about it
Alyssa 20:09
I don’t often give two shits. And sometimes I don’t want to read it like and we got some of the stuff that was hard for us probably through June of TBR Lowdown was getting sucked in with the pretty covers and the anticipated t ‘s and the hyped up books and all of that and really just trying to curate really good interesting reads for anybody who wants to join us and I think that like our reader ship has suffered as a result of that but I’m hoping that it’ll spring back when people do pick up these books and go oh yeah, it was a really good recommendation right but we can’t just chase the hype cuz I’m just disappointed.
Naomi 20:59
Well we don’t have we don’t have a general interest and chasing the hype that is not and that’s not to say that we don’t like new releases, we do enjoy new releases. But that is not our end all be all in our reading lives. Yeah, so again, like TBR Lowdown is focused on you know, diverse reads. And hey, guess what, that includes a hell of a lot of backless books as well.
Alyssa 21:24
Yeah, and it includes a lot of books that maybe don’t get as much time in your feed. Yeah, and maybe you should get more time on your feet I think that we should we should read Angela Greenwood soon and like that book needs more airtime like it needs more face time it needs more everybody needs to see that more because that book was phenomenally executed. And it was on a topic that we do not talk enough about and people still don’t even know about 30 something years old before I even knew that that happened and I just if no one else is gonna do it we need to step up and bring some awareness to an amazingly written why a beautiful book like it hits of the hyped book like checkmarks yeah just needs more attention
Naomi 22:20
Yeah, I mean if you look back at the books we’ve picked and your and your look like at the beginning so we’re coming up on our one year anniversary of the book club Okay, we just launched this podcast just you know a couple weeks ago but if you’re looking at our picks from the beginning of our book club to like now there’s been a slight shift in the selections because we’re trying to get back to the original mission of TBR Lowdown and also reading like what we enjoy which is reading as diversely as as we can and I don’t know someone may be asking you know, why don’t you all ever select you know, enter whatever popular book here. It’s literally like 2000 other book clubs on Instagram that are going to choose whatever the popular book is to read we have plenty of that. But what we could say for certain is lacking in the book club space. On the good Instagram is you know, more obscure diverse reads that’s that’s sorely lacking.
Alyssa 23:16
We need to broaden your horizons or in our horizons like we’re doing this with you it’s not just exactly now we’re back along with you so I don’t know I’m hoping that the podcast will help bring more people in and get people curious and reading along with us because I mean that’s the whole point of a book club but even if it’s just you and me All right, I’m still happy because I’m still getting enjoyment out of out of what we’re doing.
Naomi 23:41
I’m getting so much enjoyment out of it. And I still think people even if they don’t choose to read it they still want to hear about it you know i mean this look this is a bookish podcast, we talk about the books we read what we want to read and yada yada yada so you know but it is you know, it would be fun for you all to come on come along for the ride because I think we’re choosing some really good books interesting reading Yeah, for sure. For sure. So I think we may have tapped on this before. So you know when people do readathons or whatever and we did talk about this like briefly at one point and they have like the you know, read a book with this you know, the checkoff you know, the prompts or whatever. Yeah, and you know, in terms of diversity, what you always see is like read a book by a PLC author and it’s like yeah, is that it? Like is that as far as we’re going and like diverse reading that’s that’s just not good enough, in my opinion, but this is what you see often read a book by a PLC author or a book awesome place
Alyssa 24:45
to start, but let’s break beyond just being like, just doing things by color. I guess exactly like oh, that’s me color code. My reading more colorful. I don’t know. I Right. I don’t know if that makes any sense. But like, no, there’s more than that like that can I don’t know, sometimes that feels more leaning towards the performative. Like I’ve checked a box, then really developing a love for a greater range of stories, authors, genre. Yeah. All kinds of things. So
Naomi 25:22
you’re right. I mean, there is definitely something that we got lost and the word diversity and thinking, or maybe just explain that it only relates to race. And when we’re talking about the world of literature, it’s also like for instance, how about let’s find a great book about nature to read. That’s diverse.
Alyssa 25:46
I really want to read The Secret Life of trees,
Naomi 25:49
the super life it was a sound familiar because it’s a classic where they talk about how like
Alyssa 25:53
trees even communicate with each other the hidden life of trees, Okay, there we go, what they feel how they communicate discoveries from a small world and I guess it’s a whole series of different books. It looks like Yeah, and it’s translating.
Naomi 26:07
So this is okay, there’s four works and trusting
Alyssa 26:10
right? Yeah, so you’re going to talk just about the life of trees it just sounds really interesting we have those books there’s all these things that like so much more and I’ve realized it with like my book to watching I’ve shifted from your more traditional cute book tubers you know your book biblio
Naomi 26:35
that was a while ago
Alyssa 26:37
you know I’ve shifted from all of those people that when you first sort of jump on you kind of end up in that bucket yeah cuz I saw you two shows you and then I’ve I’ve shifted over to you know, my Eric Carl Anderson’s the cutest dork in the entire freakin world.
Naomi 26:51
This is you watch this so adorable.
Alyssa 26:54
Did you watch his newest blog where he goes to the women’s prize? is totally jealous. Also, like when he’s talking to the Virginia Woolf statue. I’m just like, Hey, he’s a good hug. I could hug you right now sir. Um, you know,
Naomi 27:10
you need to watch savage reads I think you’d like Simon
Alyssa 27:16
Okay, I haven’t watched I haven’t watched that like I will admit that I don’t read I don’t watch as much booktube as I used to because for the most part I don’t find it all that interesting. Because so much of it is kind of the same thing over and over again. But there are those select people that really introduced me to new and interesting and more diverse reads Yeah, and I find them a lot more compelling and but I really just end up on YouTube getting distracted by anti MLM content I mean multi level marketing not men loving men. I don’t watch it I’m very pro man loving men I’m very anti multi level marketing Yeah,
Naomi 27:56
I I have aside from you and just because you know you guys my friends, people that I don’t know. I really just watch Russell’s Simon Eric and Miranda for the most part Miranda Mills. I adore her the name but I haven’t watched her I adore her. I just I adore her. So those are the ones I watch on a regular basis when I’m on booktube
Alyssa 28:21
Yeah, I want more people that I know they’re going to give me things that I haven’t heard of before. More are going to talk about something maybe I’ve seen but I don’t know much about like they’re not just going to give me the same old same old Oh, I
Naomi 28:35
did find two younger booktubers that I’ve really been into me and the other one’s name was Carolyn, Carolyn something.
Alyssa 28:43
Me Me, me a she British.
Naomi 28:47
She’s not British. What’s her channel called, which is called me. And she’s got the little Asterix, Asterix star thing. EMM ie Asterix star thing. That’s what I’m talking about. And then the other one is Carolyn, they do a series together where they do like Tolstoy versus Dickens or whatever. It’s really great. Oh, I’ve seen that I’ve seen that I’ve seen that’s how I found out so now I watched your channels individually as well. But I enjoyed those two young ladies. I really do.
Alyssa 29:13
So I followed her and your savage reads Mm hmm. Who else you got Melanie melynda Mel
Naomi 29:20
Miranda Mills that topping on the cake for Simon or Miranda is they do video sometimes with their mothers. Ah, and you know, I love my mom, I love their mothers. So it’s just a good time. And like Miranda and her mom, they have this one segment where we’re serious where they’re like, they bake something, you know, so you got the baking segment, and then they sit down and they eat what they bake while they talk about a book. They’re just so wonderful. They are just so lovely. And they say that a lot. Oh, it’s so lovely. I just I love them.
Alyssa 29:52
We need to move next to each other so we can do shit like that. Talk about it but I will never be that prim because I say things like we need to move next to each other so we can do shit like that like you know my fucking
Naomi 30:03
I’m down
Alyssa 30:13
we got class friends we are classy classy broads
Naomi 30:20
oh man but you know oh so that book that I recently purchased called the feast by Margaret Kennedy that was a book that Miranda had been talking about and I was like God darn it that sounds good so I bought that because of her
Alyssa 30:33
if I could get my mother on the YouTubes we could have a whole mystery segments but she won’t go on Oh social media
Naomi 30:38
okay it’s Carolyn Murray reads that’s the other girl who me does the Tulsa versus Dickens Jackie out a video series and I enjoy them together and I enjoy them individually Carolyn Carolyn Marie reads so like they really like a lot of classic literature A lot of you know diverse stuff so I enjoy it
Alyssa 30:59
I think that I pick Tolstoy and not had to had by the way
Naomi 31:02
oh so but I think that we talked about this before these are people on booktube that I get a lot of really great book recommendations from for books to Graham I like it it’s like two people that I really trust to get book recommendations from a you know i i just find more value in the book recommendation world from booktubers these ones that I’m talking about specifically
Alyssa 31:30
we’ve discussed this because you know you really get to know how somebody feels about something when you see them really talk about it exactly. I think as opposed to just getting a photo or even one of our dumb bookish reels because most of our reels are stupid and I’m just going to say that they’re stupid and we’re all pandering to the algorithm.
Naomi 31:51
me angry I’m just doing my preach sister Do you want
Alyssa 31:55
me Do you want me to get go down that rabbit hole every talked enough about that with Carmen but I just think that it’s stupid like even my tik tok isn’t really like a book talk I’ve decided I think that short form video is not my jam for book reviews. And I’m happy to occasionally throw in a book review I’m happy to do but for the most part Tick Tock is like just another place for if the brand of nerdy nursery it’s for you to understand it’s like a little bit of a snapshot into my personal life right like it’s just like a little look at me as a human like Alyssa the reader not focused on just the books. Yeah, and because that’s the only way that I can see to use the content like the platform I mean, as to make more personal lized content that’s just a little bit more of a look into the creator than everything else because the stupid tech the stupid they’re so stupid. Listen,
Naomi 32:55
I’m just I’m getting ready to piss some people off I’m sorry guys, but these booktalk tax they are boring AF they are boring.
Alyssa 33:05
And almost everybody talks about the same freakin books and everything. So it’s like I got it. Yeah, you want me to read Colleen Hoover? Like she’s great. Okay, don’t get me wrong. I really enjoyed Verity. I need to read more Colleen Hoover, but like, there’s more than calling Hoover in this world.
Naomi 33:21
Right? I don’t know. I just I never went to tick tock for book talk before. Yeah, I always went for everything else. It is just very recently that I started following book talkers. And I honestly almost want to unfollow all of them. I’m just bored with that. I’m bored with the community. It’s not thrilling to me the tags dumb. I just feel like I think like, like Carmen said, like, the entertainment is the reading part. Yeah. I mean, you know, whatever, to each their own. But like I’m very I’m very bored with it. I don’t find it interesting at all. Every now and then go get a clever one every now and then. And you
Alyssa 33:58
think Carmen puts a lot of effort into trying to make hers?
Naomi 34:02
Oh, she she’s putting in more than
Alyssa 34:05
just, like, throw away so and but most of the other ones are kind of like, I’m going to put on a song I’m going to do a dance. Because we know that songs and dancing work. Yes, it does. And then it’s just like pictures of books. Okay, right. Like April’s reels are funny. Like, or, like, there’s a thought behind them. And they’re original and and they’re fantastic. The majority of the rest of it is just stupid,
Naomi 34:36
right? Because I know my most popular rules. I wouldn’t I don’t they’re not even bookish. I
Alyssa 34:42
think my most popular popular real is my brother’s dog.
Naomi 34:46
Right? Maybe I have one the one where I did when Booker’s get kidnapped. That one was very popular, but the other ones that are popular are not bookish. I mean, I held up a book and one of them, but it wasn’t bookish. Yeah, so I don’t know.
Alyssa 34:59
We’re just saying pandering to the algorithm and I’m too old, too old.
Naomi 35:03
I mean, we have like, I have so many things to do. It’s like data. I don’t know. Anyway. I do not care. Yeah, we do not care. So we do not care. Shall we tap on the TBR conversation? Oh, yeah. Yours. So in 2019 I tried doing TBRs every month and I don’t like it. I don’t like making TBRs a lot of the time I end up wanting to read something completely different. And I just for me, read into something that I’m doing over my lifetime. I’m going to read until the day I die. Okay. See these bookcases behind me for those looking at the video. Every unread book on the shelves is my TBR which means they are to be read over my lifetime
Alyssa 35:56
we get my shelves up that’s gonna be terrifying I’m gonna have to live three lifetimes you know what
Naomi 35:59
I mean? Like over my lifetime like there is no rush to read these they will get read sometime during my lifetime that is that is it that that is it so I know a lot of people say oh I need to clear up my TBR I need to clear out my TBR i mean i mean if you feel like you need to, to me There’s no rush
Alyssa 36:19
sometimes I feel like I need to clean off my shelves like there’s definitely books I’m never going to read like I bought them I’m never gonna read them Why did I buy this those are the books I can haul or like I’m not gonna keep this I’m never gonna read this and like I definitely need to purge my collection and I do that often but my TBR so obviously I make a list every month and I call it shopping my shelves and it’s more about making a list of things that I’m hoping I can get to because these are the things that I kind of aspirationally want to get to every month and it’s more about going and looking at everything that I have and saying like this is a really good book I should put this to the front of the pile and really try to read this and I often don’t read half of what I show people on my shot my shelves Yeah, and I don’t care like it doesn’t matter to me and sometimes I’ll read it like the next month sometimes I’ll read it the next year right but I didn’t even do a shot my shelves for this month because I didn’t shop my shelves you gave me freakin books to read and now I have too many books to read. So don’t you think there’s gonna be a shop your shelves for September because we’re in the middle of September and it’s like what’s the point now so I’ll just do my wrap ups and that’s it. Yeah, my my wrap up, I’ll have like Naomi picked all my books. So that’s why we have no shop your shelves. But I don’t like the idea of setting a firm TBR because sometimes you just don’t want to read it or something comes out or like you just you know you’re in the mood for something different. Your library holds command and you’re like, oh, I’ve been wanting to read this or like whatever and there’s only so many hours in a day and week and honestly the only thing that I hold firm to which is going to irritate me probably a little bit. But because the book is so challenging, I’ll be okay is I like to finish whatever I’m reading and start fresh each month. So the last day of the month I want whatever I have going to be done. And then I’ll start new reads but the Ulysses is gonna hang over until October which will probably irked me but right the whole book is irking me at this exact moment.
Naomi 38:31
Yeah, typically I don’t like holdovers typically now this No wait. This no August, I had to hold overs I think I had a holdover from ace of spades. And something else I think was unsettled ground. But typically, I whatever I’m reading for that month, like I need to wrap it up, you know, question month starts a fresh
Alyssa 38:52
book. And that’s just like a weird me thing. I don’t think that it matters. I just like to clear the decks and be like, Alright, it’s October now. Let’s great. Exactly. But I do like going through my books and pulling out books and showing people things and also just being able to promote the idea of looking at your collection. Absolutely. And pulling out things to read and not just getting distracted by the new stuff that is in your feed, right, which I think we are all guilty of. That’s what I’m looking for. I’m like, what’s the word? We’re all guilty of getting distracted by whatever the new thing is, or whatever. The thing that’s getting talked about now is sometimes it’s not new. Sometimes it’s a little
Naomi 39:32
backless. Yeah. And I mean, again, like we’re not anti new release, like, I had been waiting for night bitch to come out for months. I knew I was gonna read that book when it came out. I put that sucker on order at the library. They were actually quick this time to order it. So I got it fairly quickly when it came out. And I read that last month it was fantastic. So we’re not anti new release, but like our lives certainly do not revolve around what’s coming out next.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
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