Books to read if you know what's good for you.

[@jack_edwards]

your channel is PREMIUM youtube content!!!! every video is a banger

[@ayellowpapercrown6750]

Lovely to see you here mr sir!

[@Shellyish]

Agree so hard!

[@leenanorms]

STAWP

[@CraigSimmonds]

The algorithm will put this in people's suggested if it knows what's good for it 👊

[@Anna-pd6dc]

Love that you don't just read all the same books as every booktuber!

[@leenanorms]

hahah I'm still working through TBRs I picked up years ago, that's probably whY!

[@alicjaz2771]

Watching your videos about books is like looking through a bakery's window when you have a full fridge at home that you have to empty in like two days. I want to but I simply CANNOT buy these books yet.

[@CorinneDemyanovich]

I absolutely feel that guilt if I'm not reading as much as usual. But like you said, I gather perspective from more than just books - films, TV shows, podcasts, heck even KZbin enriched my life, whether for education or just for the lols. We all need an outlet just for the lols.

[@leenanorms]

Yeah definitely - my reading totally comes in 'seasons' - especially when there's a topic I'm interested in learning about that DOESN'T have a great book written about it, but DOES have a great podcast on the topic to listen to. And will defend lols outlets with my life ;)

[@luisarombach683]

what you said about your screen time increasing not necessarily being a bad thing and not meeting your reading goal being completely fine is something I totally needed to hear

[@verityh7121]

My eyesight has deteriorated a lot in the past couple of months to the point that most days I can’t read traditional books. It’s frustrating- I have complex health already and reading is a form of escapism for me. I’m now exploring different forms of literature such as graphic novels and poems, that are easier on my eyes. I’m finding it really hard but I’m proud of myself for adapting!

[@maleahlock]

I'm right there with you about health impeding "reading". The exploring different forms of literature got me excited! Thank you for that. I hope you have some lovely well days soon 😊

[@lunarose9]

I definitely recommend graphic novels, sometimes it can be fun to branch out, even because of unfortunate circumstances

[@carolinabyl1147]

have you tried audiobooks? maybe they could work as a substitute or as a help to follow along the lines but if you don't understand a word you'll hear it so you don't get stuck :)

[@emilyschettlers]

Leena giving us book recs but also letting us know it's okay to not read all the time is *chef kiss*

[@jenniferchristian8115]

As a nutrition student I found ‘why we eat too much’ fascinating! It explains obesity in such interesting and new way and explores why it has risen and how despite it being portrayed as a problem we have ignored it and seen it as self sabotage and thus discriminated people because of it. It allowed me to unlearn my own biases and helped me with my course; however I’m still unsure about how I feel about his ‘solutions’ towards it as such as it contradicts my body positivity beliefs. Would love to hear your views on it once you’ve finished. x

[@brittanylaster7255]

I just read all 3 of Caitlin Doughty's books(Ask a Mortician KZbin)! If you want to be forced to face your mortality but love every second of it, I recommend it 100%! Smoke Gets in your Eyes, (Her time in the crematorium and becoming a positive death advocate), From here to Eternity (her travels to find the Good Death and how other cultures handle death, spoiler, better than us), and Will my Cat Eat my Eyeballs (This one is great! Its her answers to questions children have asked her about death).

[@brittany7288]

I’ve definitely been in a reading slump lately. I got a bit burnt out trying to keep up with several (virtual) book clubs. So I’m trying not to feel guilty about the reading break I’ve had. But like you said, reading a book isn’t the only way we learn or enrich ourselves with others’ ideas. A lot of the KZbin I watch is video essays or informational in nature.

[@rainstorm1809]

Witch Please is my favorite podcast and the episode about structuralism blew my mind

[@elinisaksson351]

I've had a major reading slump the latest two months but it's becaues I've been so busy with work and new friends after a time of being out of work and isolated. So I'm thrilled with being in a reading slump and am sure I'll get back to more reading, but for now I love it!

[@NoFaceInTheCrowd]

Yes to picture books! Since I've moved abroad, I haven't been reading them to children anymore. But I still get some every time I visit my local library because they are a great and fun way to learn a new language 😊

[@MadiThorne]

My dad died at the end of March and since then I’ve had the biggest reading slump. Although in the last few days I’ve got into reading a Bill Bryson book 🙂

[@tesstea7468]

my sympathies, wishing you comfort

[@user-qu8zs7vs1x]

So sorry! Maybe try reading some light, happy books .. like The house on the cerulean sea or Get a Life Chloe Brown, or some YA fiction to lift your spirits even a little bit. I hope things get better, slowly and gradually

[@booksandbroadway]

"Always Be Optimizing" from Trick Mirror literally changed my life. I feel VERY CONFLICTED about barre fitness and fast casual salad establishments now.

[@wolfsherz3279]

I haven't finished a book in a year. I've been trying to finish some I've started, but it hasn't been going anywhere. It's probably mainly depression and uni stress robbing me of the time and energy. But I find comfort in knowing that books won't go away. They'll still be there whenever I get to reading again. And this channel really makes me want to read again! I want to get into poetry! But I asked a friend to lend me Red, White amd Royal Blue while I'm in the area, because it seems like an easy and wholesome read and I need nice things to escape the current pile of stress that doesn't seem to have an end.

[@izzysieveking3977]

Wolf Herz, so sorry to hear that your depression has impacted on your reading. And I imagine university must feel more important when you do try to take the time to read. Definitely don't push yourself to 'finish' a book as from personal experience is only another pressure. Have you thought about re-reading something from when you were a teenager that you really liked? Then its familiar to you already, but not too recent. Your point about books always waiting for you is a really nice view on it. x

[@ecolourz]

I've just come out of a huge reading slump. One book that really pulled me out was conversations with friends, although I didn't love it, it was short, easy to read and really dragged me out of my slump. One thing that helped me was buying some second hand books and changing up my book shelf. Being in a slump, then staring at a shelf I wasn't inspired to read didn't help!

[@caitrionadoherty9166]

I definitely relate to that 'I want to read only this one specific type of book' feeling. Right now I've been getting into sci-fi and I've loved Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy of 'Annihilation', 'Authority' and 'Acceptance'. Five years ago I would have felt like sci-fi wasn't for me but because of these books the entire genre has unlocked for me. I've enjoyed other sci-fi writers like Luiza Sauma and Sylvain Neuvel since, and I'm now moving onto Adrian Tchaikovsky

[@pipmacrae]

I love Adrian Tchaikovsky and Sylvain Neveul! ‘Children of Time’ is one my favourite books of all time. I have never read Jeff Vandermeer or Luisa Sauma, thanks for the recommendation. I am a huge sci fy nerd!

[@LittlePrairieLibrary]

SOMEONE ELSE LOVES THE LAKE HOUSE??? Leena you just made my day!! I adore that movie!!

[@EyeGlassTrainofMind]

The Lakehouse is a really beautiful film about loneliness and family and time etc., I don't know many people who dislike it so much as people who don't know about it. Aside from that, lots of books I'm curious about especially First Comes Love.

[@evemyer3258]

just been in a hell of reading slump then finished uni for the summer and read the whole 'Ink' series - made me just want to get a shit tonne of tattoos, tell stories and question how we are governed. Jolly good time! now onto a non-fiction book all about Venus/Aphrodite :)

[@beckywilliams3672]

THANK YOU why does everyone hate The Lake House, it's top tier

[@spacedout8552]

im way too prone to reading slumps because i hated reading as an academic activity, but if I start a good non-fiction book i can't put it down. I always need to remember to buy books I really /want/ to read, not just books other people are reading or whatever

[@ninamccue]

The "thank you for being here today" reference just confirmed why you're my favorite youtuber.

[@emma.greenwood]

Loving the consistency of the same green leopard print dungarees (?) as Q1! You were in my dream the other day and my cat had escaped into your mysterious book-filled library-bedroom. I think you must have got into my psyche!

[@leenanorms]

hahah I hope I gave your cat back! And the dungarees thing was so unintentional, I just wear them A LOT

[@LarryS378]

So many of your book recommendations have been 10/10. Some ones that have stuck with me recently: 'no one is talking about this', 'bluets', 'this is pleasure', 'Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982', and 'mythos'.

[@estherurwin3487]

I sometimes wonder if all those targets and challenges, that these tracking apps encourage, do more harm than good. I like tracking my reading and having TBR piles at my fingertips, but I try not to get too ambitious with targets. I love reading, but at my own pace, and constantly chasing a target or other poses too much of a risk for me to turn it into yet another thing on my to do list that I just have to get done.

[@Asi895]

Yess exactly! For me also, ambitious goodreads goals only made reading a stressful chore and as you said a check in the to-do list. Nowadays I use goodreads only to document reading (if at all) and mostly track the books I read and *really* want to read on my journal. So I am skeptical like you, but also understand how it might motivate people to read (just that for me it’s a tad too much pressure).

[@EpicReads]

This video is STUFFED with fabulous reads OMG! We absolutely loved Blackout also! So great!

[@lunarose9]

I am currently working through all of derelict Holmes read by Steven fry, tiny habits, braiding sweet grass, and a few historical fashion books like Viking clothing to help me with sewing projects

[@nathpollen]

Three of the books you mentioned I have either read or am currently reading. Normally when I watch your videos, I'm just frantically writing down your recommendations. It's nice to sit back and enjoy your commentary on a book that I equally enjoyed (Jia's writing is A+ and super insightful!). Still had a bunch to add to my tbr though...

[@colecerys123]

Im on the 11th book im reading this year which is so good for me! Im currently reading the switch and i love it so so much!

[@Miss_Lexisaurus]

You're 50 books ahead of me...! Also I bloody love storygraph, thank you for introducing me to it!

[@wynonainaname]

The lake house is a masterpiece and one of my all time favs!

[@AmandaMarie59]

you made me feel better about audiobooks and reading multiple books at once and it's increased how much I read by a lot...nothing compared to how much you read in a year, but it's helped lol

[@celialopez3621]

Always a delight to see you on the internet!! I'm in a BIG reading slump, my goal for the year is only 12 books and I am BEHIND. So yeah, not good. Trying to read "Emma", since I read "Pride and Prejudice" early this year and I was DELIGHTED (I'm Spanish, so we don't read English classics that much). Trying to find the motivation to read anything really, but anything I start, I get kinda fed up? I think I'm a bit saturated with everything around me.

[@elletaylor2199]

Not feeling bad for decreased reading since I’m still engaging in the arts. Oh my. I felt so much relief from those words!

[@zzrdz32]

Just downloaded two more audiobooks. Thank you for picking me up from a reading slump, I really needed this!!!!!!

[@sarahdoodles]

I just had a week's holiday where I actually had time to sit about and read (mostly during football...). And one of the books I just finished was The Cancer Ladies' Running club which I couldn't put down. It has an expected squishy, happy ending but it's such a good read.

[@outgoesreed]

New Leena video... *immediately opens Notes app to add to my TBR list*

[@oliviapenny9306]

This is a random comment bc it doesn’t necessarily related to this specific video but I just read An Exclusive Love bc you’ve mentioned it in a few videos. It’s become one of my favorite books! I found your channel around the start of the pandemic and now I look forward to to your videos each week!

[@freyapetersen6087]

WELL. My to-read-list just gained some new cohorts. I'm currently climbing out of a two year reading slump - goal for this year: 20 books and struggling, but i'm so proud i manage to read at all again! Currently absolutely obsessed with N.K. Jemisin, waiting for one of her books to arrive.

[@814912]

I wish there was some way of recording when you read fan fiction, because I think that's really under-appreciated! A lot of the time there's this stereotype that fan fiction is always bad which I just don't think is true at all - like, it's not the height of literature but there are some genuinely really well-written fanfics out there if you know where to look for them and the thing is, there's so much passion that goes into them - because people write them for themselves, not because there's anything they want to get out of them! Anyway I say all this because my mental health has been so bad in 2021 that all I've really been able to read (outside of my uni reading list) is fan fiction - and it doesn't count and it's not something you can record, but I've read so many words and it's genuinely really helped me through the past few months - so even though maybe I could have got more out of more high-brow literature, I really don't regret reading any of it. I just really needed, at the time, to read something that really was purely for me and for my own enjoyment and nothing else - and I think that's valid! Hopefully when I'm doing a bit better I can go back to reading the kind of literature that's really life-changing and that can be recorded on sites like story-graph, but I'm just really thankful that I was able to keep reading at all, no matter what it was.

[@sarahagen756]

I would LOVE a video talking about your fave podcasts!

[@Larissa_KD]

I'm currently on 54 books / 11,594 pages, so I'm also living that short book life hahah. My favourites of Q2 (lololol) were: - Emma by Jane Austen - Sitting Pretty by Rebekah Taussig - The Brown Sisters trilogy by Talia Hibbert - A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende - Summer by Ali Smith - A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers Well would you look at that non-male power list, I didn't even do that on purpose

[@leenanorms]

Aw amazing! Glad you liked Emma

[@Larissa_KD]

@@leenanorms Ohh yes, I think you'll really like her!

[@procrastinatetolive]

I was on an absolute role this year but have had a major slump! I have loads of books bought and ready to read I just broke my stride of excellent books!

[@jessicaryan8393]

I started reading Mhairi McFarlene in your recommendation and just finished Who’s That Girl? Thank you for recommending! Although, now I’m very overwhelmed which of her backlist to get to next! 🧡

[@kavatwastaken]

I'm currently reading Educated by Tara Westover and it's fascinating. I know nothing of the mormon world (outside of Book of mormon lol) so it's really interesting to read about her life.

[@MG-zd2ep]

I just read The Poet X yesterday and it brought me to tears. I too am trying to read a million books at once, so that one was a nice book to focus on in one go. it might help me focus on the next one on my list :)

[@Jojo13Lorin]

Your book content in this is obviously tops- but just to let you know also:your hair looks so lovely in this!

[@Harrison_J_T]

I started Reputation Saturday night and finished reading it about half hour ago. . I literally could not put it down . The romance plot is lovely (and heartbreaking at times) but the real star of the show is Frances and Georgianna's friendship. There's been quite a few comparisons but I'll add my own - this felt like a regency version of Thirteen to me in a lot if ways and I feel for many that may be an odd comparison but as someone who watched Thirteen repeatedly as teenager and then made all my friends watch it that is very high praise from me.

[@bettyreads222]

looking forward to reading reputation. june was about memoirs for me; somebody's daughter and crying in h mart and randomly decided to continue the vampire chronicles so still reading the 5th one of that and oh anne rice's writing style just makes me giggle. been doing my best not to beat myself up for not wanting to read, since life has been a lot in the last 2 months; so for july just gravitating towards whatever is calling me after i finish lestat's musings on life lol

[@indubitablyzara]

I had had the same thoughts about Trick Mirror and wasn't interested, but I am now! And I just finished The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and am about to start The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker, which I am EXTREMELY hyped for, the excitement pressure is immense, aaaaahhh

[@merlyncharlesnieto]

I’m reading “Where the dead sit talking”. Highly recommend!!! Native voices need to be listened to

[@barbarabaker5552]

I recently read The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, which I loved. Before that I re-read The Madwoman Upstairs by Katherine Lowell, and Normal People. And I'm almost finished with a re-read of The Handmaid's Tale. Summer is a good time for reading old favorites, and I'm pretty sure The Thursday Murder Club will be one of those in the future.

[@Hillary429]

Started tracking all of my reading on StoryGraph at the beginning of 2021 and I really love it

[@gateau3144]

whatever i have read this year has been near singularly based on your recommendations. and i dont regret it one bit!

[@whylal]

I started listening to Witch, Please because of your artists against algorithms video, and I've been loving the new run of it! My reading has been fluctuating a lot over covid, but reading graphic novels from Hoopla off my phone, and getting back into the library (and getting a second library card) has done wonders compared to how little I was reading before.

[@TangentialTif]

OMG! I’m so glad Witch, Please! is back! Thanks for letting me know

[@jillswan9654]

I am recovering from a near decade-long reading slump. Content like this reminds me not to take it all so damn seriously and just enjoy it. I just finished “The Henna Artist” by Alka Joshi for a book club and excited about “Blackout” by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon for my next read :)

[@aliceregan8204]

Still relatively new to your videos Leena but I’m loving this content KEEP IT COMING GAL

[@evrichardson6995]

These books all sound so good! I'm going to see if my local library has Trick Mirror. And in regards to your probing question at the end; I definitely notice that my reading pace has been fluctuating over the course of COVID. It used to bother me a lot more, but I have been trying to be kinder to myself. I'm currently reading the Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin (my favorite sci-fi/fantasty/dystopian author) and luckily I find the books to be really easy to pick up and fall back into.

[@claireeden8069]

Thanks for the recs!! You never steer me wrong. I know you read a lot of short story collections, could you do a video on your favourites?? I find it really hard to get reccomendations on short story collections.

[@Scrumpuscat]

I can't wait to read Trick Mirror and First Comes Love! Right now I'm reading A Tale For The Time Being and The Socrates Express and loving them both.

[@twebible]

I am so happy you gave props to the Lake House! I watched that movie three times in the theater because I loved it so much and I think it's a great story (once was at a regular theater and the last two times was that the $2 cinema). I am too baffled by people's reaction to it. It also doesn't hurt that it references Jane Austen's persuasion which is my favorite Austin novel.

[@grty35]

My favourites of recent were A Room with a View by E M Forster - so wonderful! and On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong - so so beautiful!!

[@vilmaoshea2829]

Ive just finished 'Still Life' by Sarah Winman (of 'When God was a Rabbit' fame). I just loved it - the quality of the prose and the interesting characters and now I just want to visit Florence! I've started Richard Flanagan's 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' which has been patiently waiting to be read for some time and so far I'm really enjoying it. My favourite book in the last year has to be Hamnett by Maggie O'Farrell. During lockdown I re-read my Agatha Christie novels which I collect - I forget 'whodunnit' so they are always a refreshing read hahaha

[@ckrwgn3753]

I just added First Comes Marriage to my list. As someone who’s in a long-term partnership but uninterested in marriage, I’d love to read more books on that topic! Currently reading Homegoing and Detransition, Baby.

[@stuffedtoylover]

my favorite person on the internet perhaps

[@dontkillthellama]

I read The Reader, as per your suggestion and I am so glad I did. I will always take your recommendations from now on! Thank you :)

[@honestexistence]

I've been reading some popcorn romances, just finished collected works of Li Po, I've just started Dracula again, and just finished Songs of the Kisaeng. Songs of the Kisaeng in particular got me in the mood to read more poetry, and the context given in the beginning of the book really helps you appreciate the poems that come. Strongly recommend. Oh jeez, after thinking about it I remembered I've also been slogging through Origin of Species. Uh, not exactly a fun summer read. Important to science history, and I wanted the context.

[@rachelsydd]

I absolutely LOVE the Lake House as well!

[@Clolou]

Currently reading why we eat too much and it is life changing

[@sirabarbeito9488]

I've recently discovered your channel and I am pretty sure I'm here to stay, love your content!

[@samiraschwannecke678]

I'm late to the premier about every time but i'm so happy to see you chatting with us viewers. It's similar to watching tv in the sense that if you missed it you cannot rejoin. (To be fair, it is possible in both scenarios to rewatch the content BUT it's impossible to be synced with other viewers) The pleasure livestreams give ^^

[@sparkleofskies]

Definitely going to add Reputation to my TBR pile! I need some escapism 🥰 I am reading Three Daughters of Eve atm as a result of your recommendation & LOVING it xxxx

[@inquries]

Your videos are always so great no matter the topic 😄 Also love the little funny edits like the whack a mole

[@cindyhaiken5644]

The Reading List is out in the US in August and I am eagerly awaiting its arrival. Favorite summer 2021read so far is The People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry.

[@jasmeenmalhotra2225]

I read Piranesi cos of your video and it just blew. Me. Away.

[@regenfunken3628]

Witch, Please is perfection!

[@albaruizdunbar4565]

I read "On writing" by s. King :)

[@anothergreatetcetera]

OMG THERE ARE NEW WITCH PLEASE EPISODES LEENA YOU JUST MADE MY WEEK

[@LunarLugh]

Yes isn't it great! They started their "reboot" 10 or so months ago and it's been so interesting and GOOD! :D

[@thomasdiaz1317]

I’ve been reading Red, White & Royal Blue along with a couple of non fiction books for class about education. In the last year I’ve typically had two or three books I read for pleasure but now I’m set with just the one. It doesn’t feel like a slump but more so acknowledging that one book (outside of class reading) is all my brain can handle at the moment 🥴

[@natalihoeg227]

I'm listening to A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James and it is so good!

[@meltheissa]

I've just finished 'The Panic Years' by Nell Frizzell - best discussion of the complexities of deciding whether or not to become a parent that I've found! For me the acknowledgement of how much brain space it can take up was strangely freeing.

[@lucilasandoval3084]

I've just read 5 books from the Grishaverse by leigh Bardugo, I very rarely give myself a chance to read fantasy and YA, but it's been such a welcomed escapism, now I'm reading Fierce Attachements by Vivian Gornick, and I think I'll follow with Dimensión Desconocida by Nona Fernández

[@eryzish]

I just finished The Reading List and it was AMAZING

[@theonlyenekoeneko]

I’m reading The Vanishing Half in an attempt to get out of my reading slump. But also I read a lot about trees (one of my special interests) and I feel like that should count even though it’s not a single book.

[@mansi3420]

honestly, this channel delivers 🤌🏼 in terms of variety.

[@dancinggouine9909]

I'm genuinely impressed with your reading! I'm mostly fine with my reading capacity (key word mostly) but still I'm 3 books behind my goal of 24 books in a year lmao

[@lauracorsi3309]

I'm coming off my Women's Prize reading as well and so am treating myself to a re-read of Anne Bishop's The Others Series. Reading slumps always make me feel panicky, so I am avoiding one by reading purely for pleasure.

[@AnanasAbanaan]

I’m currently reading the Dutch translation of How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue. Literary fiction is one of my least read genres and I picked this book for it’s gorgeous cover. I have no idea where the story is going (I’m 3/5 in), but I’m flying through it!

[@ellen8165]

The story graph is open on my phone while watching this because I know I’ll be adding everything mentioned to my tbr

[@immeremma]

love your makeup and your mind! both brilliant!

[@whammy8139]

Holy Moly I love your videos !!!! Currently reading Blackout and it's warming my heart bit by bit and I've been wanting that, thank you for the recommendation. Take care :)

[@Elientjepientje.]

I am reading the only good indians by Stephen Graham Jones. It's very unsettling and very good. I also read shadow life by Hiromi Goto and illustrated by Ann Xu. It's a graphic novel about a 76 year old japanese canadian woman who wants to stay independent and live in her own apartment. I love the illustrations and the way it talks about aging and mortality.

[@joleinscheijgrond3692]

🔥🔥Seriously love these kind of videos! The way you explain and share your perspective on books is wonderful and inspiring ✨

[@ReReChan]

You're one of my go-tos for non-fiction!

[@lindseymp6897]

Always love how you describe books :) Helps to put me in the mood to read more!

[@jacdyson]

In currently reading Hank Green’s “a beautifully foolish endeavour” and it’s such a good sequel

[@sadvegetableperson]

I was physically and mentally enable to finish the first one. So i, will never know and I’m glad for it