Book Guilt | Books I want to read in 2017

[@Whitney_Sews]

I have two kids under age two, so I get to do very little reading (outside of children's books). I really, really need to get back to reading. I used to read ALL the time and was actually an audio book narrator for almost 2 years. Going to work on reading more this year :)

[@MerrilyKristin]

I definitely recommend The Book Thief! People had been peer pressuring me in my comments to read it for so long and I finally did it in December! It's a really powerful story and I hope you enjoy it!

[@littlechibi2820]

Try borrowing the audiobooks version from your local library. That really helped me cut down my physical TBR pile this year. Also, The Book Thief audiobook is just as amazing.

[@welldonebooks]

you should check out Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng.

[@sarahbeeee]

I hope to finally read Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince! I had no time this year and I really want to say that I have read all the Harry Potter books! I also want to read Hannah Hart's book (Buffering) as well as maybe Milk and Honey :)

[@LevitLevit]

Speak is such an amazing book (granted I read it in middle school and looking back on some other things I enjoyed, I'm not sure how much weight 13-year-old me's opinions hold.) Also, I've had the Book Thief sitting on my shelf for years as well. You've actually inspired me to book-shame myself with all the books I own but have yet to read despite having some for 4+ years. Maybe this is the spark I need to actually make KZbin videos. Good luck with your 2017 reading!

[@rosebynoothername]

I haven't read these books yet, but in 2017 my book goal (in addition to rereading a few favorites) is to read more books by authors of color, and I'm particularly excited to read works by Junot Diaz and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie! I just finished 1Q84 a few days ago and loved it, so that's another recommendation, and I also really enjoyed Operators and Things: The Inner LIfe of a Schizophrenic, which is a short book based on the author's experience with schizophrenia. I'd highly recommend both, though they're completely different genres!

[@nastber]

I had the same problem with The Book Thief, now finally starting it. Loving the style so far!

[@hayley41190]

Station Eleven was one of my favorites that I read this year! And the Miniaturist has been on my list for a while too. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates is a really powerful read if you're looking for diverse books.

[@sheccabaw]

I just started Station Eleven, and I love it so far!

[@horsesrox2]

GIRL Speak is amazing! it's so so heavy but it has a resolve and in the end it doesn't make you feel overly sad and horrible and guilty for humanity like other books I've read of the same content.

[@SandraSaysStuff]

I'm so glad to hear you're making it a goal for yourself to read more diverse books. On that note, I'd like to recommend one of my favorite Puerto Rican authors, Esmeralda Santiago. In particular I really love her memoirs series and I'm willing to bet you'll really enjoy them!

[@Spiniflora]

Speak is absolutely one of my most favorite books and has been for many years. I try to reread it often.

[@natamalieee]

I only just saw that you uploaded this video, but I really liked 'Speak'! It had been on my TBR for so long, so I finally picked it up just three days ago, and finished it within 24 hours. I wouldn't describe it as being heart-wrenching overall, but it definitely has a difficult/upsetting backstory. It has such a great flow in the writing and the way it's set out (in four marking periods of a school year, and then with subheadings over each scene), and the voice of the narrator is so believably like a sarcastic young girl, which makes it so easy (and difficult, in difficult scenes) to read, making it overall a really enjoyable and surprisingly funny read :)

[@natamalieee]

(That being said, it could definitely be more heart-wrenching or difficult to read depending on the reader's own past experiences of (not spoilers; they're on the Goodreads description) sexual assault, being outcast, and depression. The protagonist deals with everything is in a sarcastic and funny way, but they still are overall really tough topics and situations to be in as a teenager, or a human in general. But it's just really well written from the voice of a girl who just kind of rebels and does the best she can given the situation she's in, making the book not focus on the bad things but rather on progression of the main character as she moves forward from things)

[@BlushinganticsBlogspot]

I've read quite a few books on your list. I highly recommend finishing the Chaos Walking trilogy, Vicious, and The Book Thief!

[@Rithene]

I just finished my Goodreads challenge for this year by reading Ivory and Bone. I do want to read two more to finish up my "meta challenge" of reading 50 _new_ books--due to a variety of factors, I ended up reading only two books I'd read before, when I usually re-read a lot. So 2017 will probably entail a lot of re-reads, but I also have an ever-growing TBR...and also like four books that I've started and didn't finish. I feel ya on the putting aside of good books for no discernible reason.

[@pianogg]

Speak is amazing, I read it many years ago in my first year of high school! My book guilt include the last 2.5 ASOIAF books, Outlander and a bunch of classics (aka my version of branching out)!!!

[@likeliterallyliterary]

I did the same thing. I read The Virgin Suicides and bought Middlesex but never read it. Yes, listen to the audiobook of Yes Please instead of reading it. I really enjoyed listening to it and being able to experience the photographs too.

[@CRBungalow]

Ruta sepetys is one of my favorite my favorite authors!! I read speak in high school and it is one of my all time favorite movies.

[@KathyDubs]

I just want to be able to read a lot more in general in 2017. As a grad student, looking back on this year I realized that reading (one of my biggest forms of self-care) was lacking, which makes me sad! So I want to a) just read for fun but also b) like you, be a bit more intentional about what I read and why I'm reading it.

[@uploadingjess]

Good luck reading these books this year! Your videos always make me happy :)

[@cluttercowboy]

ahh finish station eleven! i have the first line tattooed on me so i'm a little biased but it's truly wonderful.

[@richardpatrick32123]

I'm so glad I'm not the only person with book guilt! There's just so much great stuff out there to read it's hard to get to everything! Keep making these book videos, Kristina :-)

[@Nataliejn]

(As a soon to be middle school English teacher I can only really recommend middle grade books these days lol BUT) I highly recommend Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. It falls into your own voices category. It's essentially a memoir by the author about growing up as well as becoming a writer and it's all in poetry. I'm not a huge poetry fan but the book is beautiful and amazing and I devoured it in about an hour so it's definitely worth it.

[@reneemartinez8459]

I totally agree that the audio book of yes please is just so great. So worth purchasing it.

[@CarverBain]

You inspire me to read more. Book thief is excellent. I'd also recommend Sasquatch hunters almanac. I'm reading it now and it's strange and brilliant.

[@reynoblecreates]

Omg Kristina you look so cute in this video! I LOVE your makeup and your hair right now. In the meantime my shelf looks very similar to yours...I can't help myself when it comes to buying books. It's the worst. It's an addiction... A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly is also a wonderful, wonderful book. I read it in middle school and adored it. I highly recommend it - don't purge it!

[@thebookishnerd24]

I'm currently reading Hollow City by Ransom Riggs, and I have read the first book but I have yet to read Library of Souls. I have Speak and also Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl, as well, but I have yet to read as well. I have read The Book Thief and I thought it was good.

[@basilboultbee2377]

Station Eleven was amazing! I really hope you do get to it in 2017. Book recommendation if you haven't read it yet is the Kite Runner. Granted, it is one of those heart wrenching books, but it is beautiful, and sad, and has some incredibly powerful ideas about growing up, guilt, and redemption.

[@nukemz]

I have their fractured light on my bookshelf, I think it's been there for ages because it's a big book and I usually read on the train and hate carrying big books around.

[@robynreads1367]

Please read Speak ASAP. It's been one of my favorite books since I was in high school. I promise it's a quick read and it's amazing.

[@yoongoongi4349]

Me and Earl and the Dying girl is the funniest book I've ever read in my life. I LOVED it!!! I literally cried from laughing so hard and couldn't keep the book still to read it from the giggle fits.

[@fabulousbookfiend9127]

Definitely do the audiobook of Yes Please! So great! Me, Earl & the Dying Girl I read in 1 sitting so I recommend for a readathon...

[@Laurelandiron2]

Finish Station Eleven! It's absolutely amazing!

[@steviesokoloskis2883]

The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin is so amazing! It's a fantasy/scifi and honestly I couldn't describe it very well, but it was so enjoyable and well written!

[@chuffwrites]

Speak is SO GOOD. The movie actually holds up really well, too.

[@katehickey2047]

Manuel Munoz would be a good author to check out for diverse books & own voices. He's a writer who taught at in my undergrad writing program, and he writes at the intersection of a gay Hispanic man. Also, can fully recommend the Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell audiobook for your carpool rides. It's really long and (tbh) kind of hard to get into, but in the end, it is easily one of the best books I've read in my entire life and took over the spot as my #1 favorite book ever. (A quick idea of what it's like is if Jane Austen novels and Harry Potter had a book baby.)

[@confessionsofabookaddict6862]

A Northern Light is very good- they had us read it in Library school and it was one that stuck with me.

[@Bramtic]

Not related to books, but your engagement ring is gorgeous. Congrats to you and Joe!

[@taurilynn]

Speak is one of my favorite books. I haven't read it in years though.

[@andreahestand]

I am planning on reading The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer and reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.

[@psimplegamer46]

You are so different from me. I'm physically incapable of not reading a book if it's in my possession even if it's a bad book, let alone leaving one unfinished that I enjoy. Then again I've got no life so have nothing better to do. Have a great 2017.

[@gonzolux]

The Book Thief, Speak, and Middlesex are must reads even if just for conversation.

[@pattierney33]

A Northern Light was a book I read in a YA lit class in 04. It was good.

[@bilingual0insanity]

Haha, I'm so glad you have The Book Thief on your list, I've had it on my bookshelf for definitely over 7 years, started reading it twice and STILL haven't finished it. God knows why, the beginning was fabulous. But that's just how it goes sometimes! Maybe we'll both finally get the pleasure of reading it this year. ;D

[@gracerracer3405]

Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl is amazing! I read the book after I saw the movie too but it didn't affect my enjoyment at all.

[@KaeliDee]

I love the idea of doing a book guilt! This makes me want to record one for the new year too! So many of my TBR books have went neglected. 😔

[@proudestmonkee07]

I am reading "Being Jazz" by Jazz Jennings, a transgender teen who is an advocate and one of the most outspoken transgendered people her age. it's an easy read because it's more geared toward YA. Highly recommend for the own voices challenge! She also has a KZbin channel!

[@bowtiesandcourage]

middlesex is my favourite ever book, hope you read it and enjoy it, even though it's kind of heartbreaking!

[@MagicalSoulMindStorm]

Speak. Oh, you need to read that one. I just got Station Eleven for the holiday. Excited to read that. Middle Sex I read for a college class. Middle Sex is a great book for diversity.

[@xthewolfwriterxbooks7699]

A Northern Light is a coming of age novel. It focuses on a real 1906 murder and a girl trying to decide if she wants to go college or stay home. I found it interesting since I am from upstate NY, but i hope you'll like it too. :)

[@marinac7149]

A northern light is so good!! Just do it, it's a quick read

[@kellyreadingbooks]

Night by Elie Wiesel (had for years) A Great and Terrible Beauty by liba bray (had for years lost it then found it) Divergent (had since the summer) The perks of being a wallflower (had since before the movie came out haha at least 4 or 5 years) Need to read these!!!

[@bookmarksandbookshelves3998]

13 chairs looks awesome just from the cover!

[@AmyCBooks]

Your hair is fabulous in this video! Love the pink and the curls :D

[@telkoch]

Starbird Murphy is a fantastic book! you'll love it 😁

[@actung74]

My favourite read of 2016 is The Ice Twins by S. K. Tremayne great, great read.

[@beckacs]

Haha, so most of these books I've read! I also haven't read the third book for Ransom Riggs and must get it. I had it from the library even and gave it back! I listened to all of The Knife of Nevsd letting go, very good audiobook. The miniaturist is not what you think. Def historical fiction but it's a very somber book. The Book Thief is also on my list. I really want to get to A monster Calls. Yet I just bought other books! A suggestion for out of your box (to my knowledge of what you post) is a 4 book series about feudal Japan that came out from a favored author is The Tale of Shikanoko by Liam Hearn. They were quick reads for me. Hope to see your opinion some time about these!

[@Seeker4Storiesreviews]

I just hope to read this year haha :P I haven't made a booktube video in forever, so in 2017 I want to get out of this giant reading slump I've been in for so long and at least read 30 books, starting with the new Rick Riordan releases that I've missed. And I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who hasn't got around to reading Me and Earl and the Dying Girl as well as The Book Thief :)

[@StephWeasley]

I can't remember if you've read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, if you haven't go get it. Either the physical copy or the audiobook, that one is narrated by Lin Manuel Miranda so you'd get the added bonus of hearing a Hispanic man tell the story of two Hispanic teens.

[@cecilia08yeah]

StephWeasley she read it and she loved it :D I really want to read it, but hearing that he reads the audio for it makes want to read it more

[@jadesham9401]

oh my gosh you have to read The Book Thief!

[@maggiespages]

I feel you with Library of Souls, I binged my way through Miss Peregrine's and Hollow City in like 3 days and then I still haven't gotten to Library of Souls and it's been like 4 months :P

[@leslieisepic]

George by Alex Gino is an excellent diverse/own voice middle grade novel that I read last summer.

[@AudreyDeary]

Station Eleven is so good! Put that one towards the top of your list! :)

[@sydziemniak3849]

one diverse book i really liked was the iron cast by destiny soria!

[@kizzyneetyan]

I actually listened to Salt to the Sea, and it was gorgeous. But it's very hard to read, yes.

[@AnastasiaColes]

Okay I feel a bit better about not having finished the Book Thief yet. I got part way through and LOVED it but never got back to it. Yes Please is on my list as well.

[@alecwinner]

You have to read Salt to the Sea!!! It's amazing!

[@augustwogsland3309]

Kristina! You have to finish the series and read Their Fractured Light!!!! It's ridiculously good!!!!

[@EmilyHornburg]

The best own voices books I've read this year were Homegoing (historical fiction about two half sisters from Ghana and their families) and If I Was Your Girl (contemporary YA about a transgender girl)!

[@djslayyy]

What happened with you and Station Eleven is EXACTLY what has happened with me and A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. Read it on a plan, simply adored it, and put it down. We can do this.

[@reynoblecreates]

Also including the white chair there's 14 chairs!

[@cecilia08yeah]

you should kindred by Olivia E. Butler. it about a black women who lives in the 70s but for some reason gets sent to the 1800s during slavery. another book you should read is in the country we love my family divided by Diane Guerrero (she's in the show orange is the new black and Jane the virgin) it's about when her parents and brother were deported to Colombia and that she didn't know this til she came home and her neighbors told her she was only 14. I know you have a lot on your plate but it would be really cool if you read those books

[@tropetrinitytrilogy8533]

I love Salt to the Sea!

[@Ben-eu8sc]

Love this channel.

[@Caraphatash]

i have some great diverse books to recomend Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst: fantasy, f/f romance, one of the girls is bisexual the other is a lesbian (own voice) Proxy by Alex London: poc gay mc, sci fi (own voice in sexuality not in race) Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour: f/f, contemporary (own voice) Under the Lights by Dahlia Adler: f/f contemporary, poc lesbian mc, bisexual love interest (own voice) Bad Boy by Elliot Wake: trans mc, contemporary (own voice) Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg: m/m romance, gay mc (own voice) Almost Like Being in Love by Steve Kluger: adult m/m romance (own voice) Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden: f/f romance (own voice)

[@dustbinflowers]

Please read Illuminae if you haven't!!!!!!

[@dizzyskiier911]

Please read Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi! It is my favorite book that I have read this year!

[@clarajohansson3091]

Hi Kristina! Can you recommend any books that takes place during college? I am getting a bit tired of all YA-books that are set in high school. :)

[@arleenanderson4760]

I liked "The Virgin Suicides" as well. Read "Middlesex" later and though it was well written the hermaphrodite subject was not my favorite.

[@KrisTeaWarrior]

Yes amy poehler's audiobook! She's so lovely

[@daphneseguin4933]

I strongly recommend Yes, Please :D

[@shooqnasser266]

When I bought many books I also not fished ,when I began reading one i told my self maybe anther one best , but now i change i should finish what i read 😅i tired to writ in English

[@saraamariex]

HIGHLY recommend Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik. This is a contemporary novel following a muslim girl writing a book on muslim dating. It's absolutely hilarious but also touches on cultural and racial issues.

[@namelimitsuck]

I read "the miniaturist", even in two languages because I hated it so much that I had to read it in English to get on with it. You can understand the plot twists from 10 miles away, the style is very simplistic... It really is terrible book. I have a terrible book guilt, I love buying books but I don't have enough time to read them!

[@MissMizzle27]

You should read The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.

[@ShannonMcCarthy322]

Noughts and Crosses was an incredibly impactful book for me in high school when it came to explaining my privilege in relation to race, so I highly recommend it!

[@keepsmiling15]

Shannon McCarthy I second this

[@ms.razzledazzlepants3819]

book theif is heart-wrenching so get ready

[@TheIrisMessenger]

You should get on that Jesse Andrews!

[@tqdinh2]

Read it

[@dowyacht]

And for some reason I still haven't bumped in to you at Half Price Books

[@atropiaveteran]

The real question, when can we buy and read YOUR books?

[@flaviaresende7477]

Station Eleven is not good (2 stars). I didn't even finish it.

[@Stefaneedee]

Great video. Good luck with Middlesex. I tried to read it but couldn't get over the fact that it was an incest story. DNF'd it

[@keepsmiling15]

I will always recommend The miseducation of Cameron Post as my fav LGBT book and just googled the author and she is in fact gay

[@WanderingKumquat]

hey I know this is annoying what happened to team hyper cube

[@playrespawn5258]

I love you 😍 😍 😍