EVERY BOOK i read this summer

[@aaaariane]

friends, wake up! ally posted🎉

[@Your_imaginary_companion]

The amount of joy I feel whenever ally posts is indescribable!

[@allisonpaiges]

🥹🥲

[@alexiakaravokiris493]

Same, she makes me like Sundays 🥹🫶🏻🌟

[@francescakyanda9182]

you have such a point about the ugliness of mental illness! my autism isn't just quirks and fun stims, it's also being overstimmed in situations all the time and having to disclose and being seen as a "buzzkill" whenever my routine is disrupted or when I don't mask properly, it's so so important for us to see the whole picture!!

[@guiawazlib9468]

I know it shouldn't matter whether or not we like the same books but THE GIDDINESS I feel whenever we do!

[@natalie5949]

The Girl With All the Gifts is an amazing read!!!

[@nissasbookcorner]

lovely video :)) you are like the one booktuber that i can actually pay attention to like i’m glued to the screen like 👁️👁️

[@DummyPages]

For a graphic novel that’s fun and sweet and absolutely perfect for fall I would recommend Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell. It’s set in a pumpkin patch on Halloween night and follows two friends who work at the patch together as they try to find one of the friend’s crush so that he can speak to her before he leaves for college and doesn’t get another chance. It’s silly and fun and a sweet little love story. And there’s just so much pumpkin patch goodness!

[@perry2564]

Yes!!! You’ve got to read this one! I did for summerween and I enjoyed it

[@ILoveJahangeer]

Get well soon, Ally! Hope you’re looking after yourself. Thank you so, so, so much for being so much joy to all of us. You make the world a little more special. Continue shining and striving!

[@whataprilreads]

Shout out to the Sims 4 build mode music. I see you have ✨taste✨

[@azu_rikka]

Just love your reviews, especially on "my year of rest and relaxation " and "strong female character ", they are spot-on!

[@tabitha_h2000]

I’ve only got to the intro & I already feel SO MUCH joyyyyyy✨

[@elimeg]

wait a second, have you read Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe? Because I read it recently and was absolutely blown away by it!! It's one of those books that pack really deep emotions and lessons for a teen becoming an adult into simple and beautiful words. It's just about a boy and his friend and his family and i loved it!

[@FfFfQqQqFQ]

ALLY the music in the ending from the old HARRY POTTER VIDEOGAME always brings back so many MEMORIES!!! AAAAAH!!! Also love you!

[@HarvestStore]

I appreciate you and thank you for making content.

[@msfrancesinha3272]

I read the Girl with all the gifts because you recommended it and it was so good! The ending left me speechless and thinking about it for some days 🤯 Love from Portugal 😊

[@jeehan8980]

i feel the same about my brilliant friend by elena ferrante! everyone seems to love it so much but not much for me tbh! last part was the toughest to get through:(

[@bethbcrafts]

I'll say it forever: The ending to The Girl with All the Gifts is the best ending of a book that I've ever read. Which is ESPECIALLY hard to accomplish in that genre.

[@ChemicalPenguinn]

Summer for me was reading 21 books in July and 4 in August 😂

[@ibei8484]

Ahhh I love Benji nate! I originally was introduced through "Catboy" which I would definitely recommend!

[@serenanoce9554]

Honestly Sundays wouldn't be Sundays without your videos. Your work and passion and videos brings me so much joy ❤

[@camillesim]

girl juice is amazing!! I’d also recommend catboy by the same author :)

[@amandagarcia1166]

For Iain Reid, his 1st book was "I'm thinking about ending things" which I liked but I loved Foe.

[@allisonpaiges]

you're so right! i got the pub dates mixed for those two. thanks for correcting me :-)

[@litwithkat]

ahh i haven’t read anything by benji nate but i’ve been wanting to read hell phone!! and now for sure girl juice!

[@DummyPages]

Hell Phone was good! But it is an incomplete story so you don’t really get answers to anything in the first book. Still totally recommend picking it up and hoping that the next book comes out before too long!

[@litwithkat]

@@DummyPages omg! thank you for letting me know, i hadn’t realized that it wasn’t a standalone book! okay maybe i’ll wait a lil longer and hopefully it’ll be closer to when the next one comes out!

[@DummyPages]

@@litwithkat I didn’t realize it wasn’t a standalone either so the closer I got to the end I started sweating thinking “there’s no way this can end yet! I don’t understand what’s happening!!” haha the art is goooorgeous though!

[@ga75]

ur vids and the colors in them bring me such joy

[@rowan.27]

You sold me on The Employees with "anticapitalism and themes of what it means to be a human"!! Currently working my way though The Girl With All The Gifts on your recommendation and enjoying it so far ❤ also I recently bought Tillie Walden's tarot deck The Cosmic Slumber Tarot and the art in it is sooo gorgeous, if you're into tarot at all I think you'd like it!

[@allisonpaiges]

you’re so right - i love that tarot deck!!!! i got it last year i love waldens art so much it slaps

[@cheyenneadams1197]

I loved Nettle and Bone T. Kingfisher! I thought it was a great place to start with her books :) Get better soon!

[@uri65]

every other sunday i am like 'this week has been bleugh but atleast we got an ally video!!' and when its uploaded i'm like ':')) i was so correct'

[@_the_palest_3000]

AHHHH! I am so excited for this!!!

[@yemmie112]

my year of rest and relaxation is the only book by ottessa i would ever suggest someone read bc for me it's by far the best because it actually has something to say while the rest just feel like 300 pages meant to evoke disgust from the reader

[@mountainbikingvampirewitch]

I'm so so happy that you enjoyed The Tale of Despereaux!!! After I saw your first favorites video I thought "that's right up Ally's alley" (pun absolutely intended) I'll admit I was surprised that you liked My Year of Rest and Relaxation, but I'm glad you did! It's one of my favorite books, and although I love your videos and watching them is so relaxing, I've had to come to terms with the fact that we are bookishly incompatible. I've read Lonely Castle in the Mirror, The Little Prince, and Pew from your recommendation, but they just weren't a hit for me. But I keep trying because you never know where your favorite book will come from! And I think the fact that you liked My Year of Rest and Relaxation in spite of expecting not to like it just proves that! So happy you built a little little bookish community that is okay with not liking one another's favorites :)

[@allisonpaiges]

you're so right! and i'm the same i love having different bookish feelings than others and trying out what i might not pick up on my own. what are some of your favorites of all time?

[@mountainbikingvampirewitch]

@@allisonpaiges As an English major I can't legally answer this or they'll take away my degree 💀 Actually tho, some of my favorites are: A Certain Hunger A Tale for the Time Being Annie on My Mind (sweet and sapphic, I'm rereading it rn) The Shadow of the Wind The Miseducation of Cameron Post Braiding Sweetgrass (I remember getting so pumped when I saw you had started reading it, I knew you'd love it!) and anything by Neil Gaiman (Coraline was my first and dearest love of his books, I'm glad we have that in common!) Sorry to throw all that at just a silly little KZbin comment, but it feels incomplete to tell someone just one of my favorite books. Thank you for always providing such sunny content!

[@allisonpaiges]

@@mountainbikingvampirewitch legally speaking i saw NOTHING what favorite books? ;) i have two Neil Gaiman on my favs too! thank you for your list!

[@Imhrien]

I am not at all a thriller girlie, but I do like absurdity so you’ve got me convinced that I need to try The Only One Left.

[@baeticat]

I'm experiencing the Sunday scaries after being off work for three weeks :/ happy to watch for some healthy(?) escapism. ❤

[@Katiedora122]

For a graphic memoir, I recommend Hey Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka! It's a very emotional but beautiful family story, and also the author is from my hometown. We had very different experiences growing up there, but there's a scene when he's learning how to drive a car and fun fact, it's in the same cemetery where I also learned to drive, lol

[@bell2638]

i’m so glad you read strong female character!!! it’s been one of my favorites this year too , really had an effect on me and forced me to understand myself more and i just love fern so much (also i read it because i saw her on taskmaster which was also probably a highlight of the year for me tbh)

[@abi_rose]

have you watched any of fern brady’s stand up? she’s so funny! love her on taskmaster too, it’s one of my favourite things to binge on youtube when i’m feeling down

[@allisonpaiges]

i have i fell down a rabbit hole of her interviews and standup after reading her book what a peach :-)

[@samanthropologie]

Your videos bring me soo much joy ☺️

[@awildernessofbooks]

The duck decoy totally reminded me of the book Flying Solo 🦆

[@starrymak]

my favorite day of the week has become every other sunday🩷🩷

[@Dreamgirl6000]

I recently read Parenthesis by Elodie Durand, which is a sort of autobiographical graphic memoir about dealing with epilepsy and her eventual recovery. It was kind of grim and scary and stressful and sad but also sweet and hopeful and optimistic.

[@autisticbucky]

a new ally video is just what i needed before heading back to school on tuesday 🥰

[@natbatrat-d7e]

i’m so glad you liked my year of rest and relaxation!!!! i fucking LOVED it!! it really validated the ugly parts of myself, the ones i’ve always kept hidden because i was ashamed of it. i was scared people would hate me for being a judgy, a bad friend, an unpleasant person to be around… but we’re all a little bit like that, aren’t we? there’s no such thing as a “good person” and a “bad person”, we’re all messy, we’re all going through stuff… and i feel like especially in the age of social media, we’re always encouraged to show off the most palatable version of ourselves, otherwise our ugly side will be on the internet forever and who the hell wants that? and while i kinda agree with that (like, i don’t want people to feel bad just because i feel like shit and my perception of other people gets distorted aka i hate everyone), but like… let me be unpleasant sometimes. also i personally love how it being set in 2000/2001 in new york inherently creates tension to the story. you know something awful is about to happen. you know when is going to happen. you don’t know it’s going to impact the characters, but it will, and that made me SO nervous.

[@temporalloop]

added tinfoil butterfly to my TBR but your quick review makes me wanna pick it up IMMEDIATELY!! & look at that cool cool cover! love love hearing from you as always 🩷🪴

[@clearlyseverely3155]

Your posting days are always my favourite. 🥰 Also if you want a heart-punch in the form of a relationship with your pet and what they get us through, I recommend "Lily and the Octopus"!

[@clearlyseverely3155]

Having read further on in this book, I still like the story but man there is some problematic writing in here as well that I just want to point out.

[@mszxhunnbunnsz]

Hope you feel better soon!

[@notstraightunathleticcarro3089]

You convinced me to read the girl with all the gifts and OH MY GOD IT IS SO GOOD!! I absolutely fell in love with it

[@SydneyKirsch27]

Your stance on My Year of Rest and Relaxation is my favorite thing. 100% support. Mental health battles are messy. Healing from trauma is messy and difficult, and when you're struggling to keep any semblance of control over your life, you do not always treat the people around you the way that you should. But there absolutely has to be compassion for the people who are in the trenches dealing with overwhelming trauma, I think. We don't have to say the way that they're acting is right or healthy, but we should realize the immense difficulty of what they're going through. Ive never heard a review of this book that actually made me want to read it before, but now I'm going to have to pick it up. Also, I was having a crappy week, but seeing your upload was a huge uplift. Have an awesome week, thanks for making another video ❤❤❤and best wishes to the cats

[@sarahstg]

Graphic novel recs! Not sure if you’ve read any of these already, but here they come. - All travel memoirs by Guy Delisle, but especially Jerusalem! It is so so so good!!! Also Factory Summers and Hostage by him, even though they are not travel related. - Ducks by Kate Beaton. This broke me, I cried and cried! - Black Hole by Charles Burns, so creepy and has a very interesting concept. I have recommended this to several of my friends who are not into graphic novels, and they have all loved it.

[@allisonpaiges]

omg i didn't know delisle had other books - hostage is a favorite of mine! i have ducks on my TBR i gotta prioritise for suuuuure thank you for the recs!

[@Cozyarthur]

Ahhhh what you said about mental health while commenting on my year of rest and relaxation was amazing! 🙌

[@hunnybee5759]

Quick Shawn and ally posted in the same day!!!

[@bridgettoren3526]

Have you read the Bone comic series? It was my favorite as a kid and rediscovering it as an adult is so fun

[@twoghostsinacornfeild]

ahh new Ally video! ♥️

[@laurajamespotter]

I'm so grateful to you and your channel. Your videos are such a comfort and from one migraine sufferer to another thank you for sharing ❤️

[@ChanelChapters]

Graphic novel rec: lightfall: the girl and the galdurian by Tim probert 🍂 A fantastical book with gorgeous illustrations - they give such comfy autumn vibes. The main protagonist is a young girl who seems to have anxiety/panic attacks and finds herself on a quest to find her grandfather - along the way she makes some friends and overcomes her fears.

[@Fiona_Co]

Omg! I’m so glad you read/loved The Tale of Despereaux! That was one of my favorite books as a kid, my mom used to read it to my sister and I and it has such a soft spot in my heart 💖

[@BooksWithCarah]

my day is instantly better

[@patgazza]

Yay it's Ally Sunday! ❤

[@eventyrlaeseren]

For graphic novels/comics, i recently discovered 'Fence' and would highly recommend :) i just bought the first two volumes of 'Giant days' based on your recommendation and i'm looking forward to them. But alas, school work takes precedence #studentlife. Thank you so much for your content and for being a reminder to always put mental health first

[@maddylovesbooks]

AHHHHHH SHES BACK SHES BACK

[@mkn906]

For graphic novels, I’ve got two recommendations! Thieves by Lucie Byron is a French translated, sapphic, slice of life about two teens who steal. The Sad Ghost Club by Lize Meddings is about anxiety and finding people like you. Also, I love how each book has its own background music! 🧡

[@small_and_dangerous2068]

Yay! An Ally post on my birthday 🥹 I’m so excited!

[@Hikariko11]

Watching your videos and guessing/recognizing the music is so fun! I think I recognized Sims (2, if I'm not mistaken), and Kingdom Hearts! :D

[@allisonpaiges]

yesssss to all of the above :-)

[@WestTexasGothic]

I loved my rest and relaxation too. Something very cathartic about it.

[@ideknic]

I watched the a kind of spark tv show and it was so cute and so good! still hope to pick up the book one day!

[@allisonpaiges]

omg i must watch

[@alyssacascos8665]

Tinfoil Butterfly is so good! ❤️❤️❤️📚

Have you read Drama Queen? Since you liked so much Strong Female Character I think you will also like this one! Is also a memoir of a late diagnosed autistic women!

[@allisonpaiges]

i haven't! thank you for telling me about it!

[@books_with_m]

Hiii, just wanted to say you should read Tom Lake by Anne Patchett ! I’m reading it right now and they were talking about trees and it made me cry and I thought of you haha very gentle book set on a cherry farm where the mom is recounting her youth when she was in a play, to her daughters during lockdown. It’s beautiful and mundane 💕

[@elenareadsbooks88]

I love seeing what you have been reading such a joy to watch your videos. I think you would like the aster graphic novels there are currently 2 out very sweet and quirky.

[@elenareadsbooks88]

Also I don’t know,if you get bbc over there but they made a series of a kind of spark and it was really well done

[@gypsypunk747]

Can you do a video of how you plan out your video editing shot list?

[@benwrex6280]

I really loved My Year of Rest and Relaxation! I'm so glad you liked it. Hope you feel better soon!

[@MicahRion]

The Tale of Despereaux! My 2nd grade teacher (I was 7) read that to us. I should revisit it :)

[@Incognito-lv4zk]

if you love graphic novels, you should definitely check out PIlu of the woods if you haven't already! It has to be my favourite thing ever.

[@allisonpaiges]

it's in the video! hehe on my tbr :-)

[@ChemicalPenguinn]

So happy you enjoyed A Kind Of Spark!! Elle McNicoll is one of my favourite authors!

[@clarag0373]

THATS EXACTLY HOW I FELT ABOUT THE END OF MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION!! I've talked to people who thought it made sense and I was just kinda like, huh??? i have thoughts on what would have been a more impactful ending (for me) but it would include spoilers so I shall not say it here. it was still a very good book, and I did really enjoy the way the ending was written... just the plot near then end seemed a little silly to me

[@theblairbookproject]

the tale of despereaux 🥹 my childhood 🥹 love that mouse 🥹

[@BigPotatoStuffedWithPotatoes]

I needed this today😅 Also just so you know, there is a Desperoux movie, and it is brilliant, and Emma Watson plays the Princess.

[@theeldritchfox]

I remember my fifth grade teacher spent about a month where for 30 minutes of class each day, she would read us The Tale of Despereaux. It's been too long and I don't remember anything about the book, but I remember that I always looked forward to the reading time.

[@allisonpaiges]

:') such a sweet memory

[@jay_poet]

If you loved Desperaux, I highly recommend Kate DiCamillo’s Raymie Nightingale trilogy. It’s girlhood in the 70s and the friendship between the three girls is so beautiful.

[@tazaryeet]

since starting my apprenticeship i haven't had much time to read! a lil sad about that. hopefully i can incorporate that back into my rountine :)

[@nvtqis]

this is not a comics or graphic novel recommendation, but a manga recommendation. i´m not sure if you are into manga but if you are, you should really read skip and loafer. I think you would enjoy it!

[@jellierfish]

i've read only one book by t. kingfisher and i enjoyed it tremendously! that is nettle & bone. cozy fantasy with adult characters (and i mean 30+ years old) idk why i said cozy because the plot is obviously not, but reading it felt like listening to a serious and adventurous story while being wrapped in the warmest blanket.

[@sarahburgess7306]

Have you ever read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell? It's a little like To All the Boys I've Loved Before (YA romance) but if the main character was headcanon autistic and a fanfiction writer. For me it was a really easy, comforting book to escape into.

[@JustSamW]

I’m currently reading Lonely Castle in the Mirror because of your recommendation and I was looking to see other covers it had and surprisingly there’s a anime for it so I was wondering if you’ve seen it and if so do you like it? Also I love your videos it makes my day whenever you post

[@allisonpaiges]

it comes out in december i'm excited!

[@JustSamW]

Whoops I thought it was already out well when it releases I’ll definitely check it out

[@Hfun7]

YES YES MY FAVOURITE DAY

[@RamonaBrands]

ughh Ottessa Moshfegh is so brilliant! i love everything she writes :) lapvona & death in her hands are both 5 stars for me

[@perpetuallycurious]

Love hearing your feelings on all these reads Alli! I just wanted to add some context for What Moves The Dead that Alex the main character is non-binary! It's subtle but as an enby I super enjoyed this representation in the book. It wasn't an overt/heavy insert and helped give me the wonderful feeling that just existing as a non-binary person is perfectly natural. Peace and love!

[@allisonpaiges]

that's true! thank you for reminding me. i liked how subtle and effortless that was weaved in there especially with the military components.

[@gtfoara]

oh great ! my favorite person on the internet just posted a video ! 💖

[@erikadoniecova4406]

Also, if you would like to read something from Czech, really good is Hana by Alena Mornštajnova. But it is sad, and during WW2, so check trigger warnings.

[@DummyPages]

What Moves the Dead… I agree with your assessment of lack of character connection and convincing relationships. I totally see that. This book reminded me SO much of reading an 1800s classic spooky story but with slightly more modern pacing and because of that I enjoyed my time enough with it. It was a short shot of nostalgia in that way. And in that sense the relationship dynamics made sense to me. Relationships in those old books often feel stinted and formal compared to modern relationships and that’s why I think it didn’t bother me while reading this. They were believable in that sense. Also the MC’s relationship with the sister was stated to be barely meaningful since they only knew each other as children. It was because of the MC’s wartime bond with the brother that he came to the house. That also made the relationships believable enough for me. Again, I agree that there was potential lost to make this story feel more personal to the reader through those relationships, but I don’t think that’s what the author was going for with this re-telling and so, in that way, I think it was good for what it was. 🤷🏻

[@cheddyju]

Hi! I haven't read this one yet, but read amazing reviews on Storygraph; "Cantoras" from Carolina De Robertis. Seems to be a Queer Woman book about the dictatorship that happened in Uruguay 50 years ago. Seems like something you'd like!

[@shayleecarter30]

oh no!! im so sad you didn’t like alls well but understandable. I hope you read Yellowface or shark heart soon!! I loved both and I think you would too :)

[@carissahughes9991]

I can't wait for these days!!!! 🎉😊

[@herbybib]

If you haven’t read these already I think you might like The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland and Finna by Nino Cipri! Very different vibes for sure but both have elements I think you’d enjoy! Thanks for the content, it always makes my day, and your honest discussion about your experience with ASD has helped me sooo much. All the love to you! ❤

[@booklovingnerd]

I have a book recommendation. You need to read Sixteen Souls by Rosie Talbot. I must know what you and others think of it lol.

[@pepperwings]

Gahh... I'm reading The Memory Police now, and I've been thinking the pacing is really stop and go as well. I'm about 30% into it and it feels like it's finally hitting a stride, I hope it gets better for me, but my hopes are not high.

[@moonflower1616]

Girl Juice reminded me of a Japanese manga called Azumanga Daioh, which is about some high school girls and a couple of their female teachers. They're mostly four panel comics and it covers their daily routines/adventures. It's not wild or anything, but I still get a kick out of it. They have an omnibus now if you want to get ahold of it. ^^

[@sophsbookss]

completely agree abt Pageboy

[@aaaariane]

since my tbr just got longer again, i am contractually obligated to share some recommendations too, such is the law📚 Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan: the main character is a heavily neurodivergent coded 12yo, it touches on big themes but it is also very hopeful and human and i genuinely cared about all the characters🌱 it's been compared to Some Kind of Happiness and A Kind of Spark :) Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt: about a woman in her 70s, who works as a cleaning lady at the local aquarium and befriends a giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus🐙 it's got chapters from the octopus' pov, there is a sprinkling of mystery and similar to Counting by 7s, it features a cast of characters who are all very different but work really well together :) i loved both of them, i hope you enjoy🌟

[@ginahaug6896]

I'd love to get more into reading graphic novels but don't know where to start. I've read heartstopper and want to go back into the graphic world. Where do u recommend I begin?

[@allisonpaiges]

give the tea dragon trilogy a scoop! (highly recommend you read all 3) 🐉 ❤️

[@ginahaug6896]

@@allisonpaiges I will! Thank you!

[@emperorcupcake]

I think you would like Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher! It's cosy and feminist and fun 😃And Bone Dog is a delight!

[@chy8697]

i had no idea tegan & sara wrote a book! omg

[@allisonpaiges]

they have one called “highschool” too apparently i gotta get my hands on it!