i asked professionals to pick books for me to read! 📖 librarians vs. paid service

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[@Meghan.Kirkland]

More proof that librarians are THE book professionals 😊

[@MrRorosuri]

You're not overreacting. The book sounds icky

[@dobetterwithchristian4472]

Second this. Blech

[@pink16ful]

$18 for book recommendations that's insane😂

[@CheyeW13]

the thing about those professional rec services is the more videos i see like this the more i start to think they don't read all the books they rec... whereas with librarians, they've either read the book they're recc'ing or have heard a detailed response from a coworker or patron (source: im a librarian. and also i feel weird recc'ing patrons things i haven't read myself)

[@ChanelChapters]

I’m so happy the librarian recd you a 5 star - I used to get sooo nervous when recommending books to our patrons, you never want to let people down with crappy books

[@mle2271]

Same when it comes to recommending books! The hardest requests are when parents are with their teens and asking for "age appropriate" content. Teen content spans such a huuuge range, from light violence to almost literal sex on the page!

[@_frijol]

Honestly, I'm shocked at how poorly the paid book recs went that in requesting queer books they suggested a blatantly transphobic book. 😬 I will be requesting Salt Grows Heavy at my library tho.

[@imaginepageant]

I had a year subscription to TBR once, and even though the ONE thing in put in my “dealbreaker” section was child abduction and murder… they recommended me a book that opened with a mother discovering her child gone from their bed, then the grisly details of how the girl’s body was found. The book was about a serial killer who preyed on children. The ONE thing I will not read. And I paid for that recommendation?! They are terrible. Terrible. I would never recommend them to anyone.

[@ollieb.9731]

I'd recommend Someone to Build a Nest In for you. It's a sapphic fantasy horror romance between a girl who is a monster hunter and a girl who is a shapeshifting monster who eats people. I haven't actually finished it but it's so good so far ❤❤❤

[@camryncraig5489]

I think the TBR service is just pulling keywords to recommend things without actually having read the books. They could be recommending trash books without even knowing. The librarians have most likely already read the books they are recommending, or have friends/coworkers that have read them.

[@maryambatool7127]

Librarians - 1 Capitalism - 0

[@tifftalkspages]

I love this librarian. She said “watch me werk” ❤

[@theaudiobookaficionado]

Oh man i was so disappointed the second i saw Meddling Kids recommended to you 😭😭 you were right to dnf, that book was soooo problematic

[@whitney8002]

I need another video if you reading the librarians recs!

[@murakamireads]

considering most "normal readers" (people who arent in the book community, just pick up books whenever and read a few a year) that i know don't even want to spend $10 on an actual BOOK saying that seems way too expensive... i have no idea who would use TBR besides a content creator...

[@Tazzie1312]

Truly this. Book collection videos from people who aren't really readers are the wildest thing ever.

[@ruki342]

I used TBR for awhile back before they raised their prices. I used it because sometimes BookTube, BookTok, Bookstagram all feel like an echo chamber recommending the same books back and forth. My first recommender from TBR was great--I could tell she was queer like me and had read the books. She sent me bonus recs too, a lot, mixed in with the explanation for why she was suggesting the books. I found some new favorites from her that I have never seen other people talking about. It was great. But then after a year or two I got assigned a new recommender and he was awful. I cancelled the service after two rounds of recs from him. So, I think with TBR it might partly be luck of the draw with who you are assigned to.

[@KittyAndTheBooks]

Not for a second did I doubt that the librarian would win this. :D I loved Ring Shout, but I also adore monster hunters. I still need to read the Salt Grows Heavy, it sounds so great. Not really interested in the other two.

[@ChemicalPenguinn]

I'd be curious to try the TBR service, but do I really want to spend $15 on recommendations when I could save that money for new books instead? 😂

[@aless.andra9620]

I think "Browse Similar Books" function on Storygraph does the same job if you're looking for books with compatible themes and vibes - I found some great reads this way!

[@kimberlyreads]

I’ve been trying to get everyone to read The Salt Grows Heavy because it’s literally stunning. So excited you loved it!!!

[@Tazzie1312]

Even if your library doesn't have a feature like that on their website, most librarians are very much willing to give you recommendations if you show up in person and just, you know, ask.

[@ellethinks]

The Meddling Kids rec went as well as i thought it would for you. That whole book felt so ... off. Yay for libraries!

[@kategrossi8717]

AI gives free book recs and asks you questions about what you like also.. for free. so I assume it would be the same thing as the TBR service, but free and instant..

[@Tazzie1312]

Ew

[@kristen0c]

Loving your haircut! Feels so fresh for spring 🌸 Adding Salt Grows Heavy to my tbr now!!

[@heyitsheatherc]

Love love love Cassandra Khaw’s work!

[@annas4975]

Literally read the salt grows heavy today haha, I really liked it and only wish it was longer

[@lifewithhollyt]

Yaaass! Love this idea ❤ also, you look STUNNING as usual 😍 I'm currently listening to Grady Hendrix's "How to sell a haunted house" and LOVING IT! I am currently reading Cloak of the vampire on netgalley, and I am also LOVING IT! Now got to add these to my tbr 😂 I need some more bisexual/lesbian romance recommendations 🏳️‍🌈

[@NinasLibrary]

I forget if it survived your unhaul, but the Salt Grows Heavy vibes-wise feels similar to In the House in the Dark of the Woods! it has the same clearly adult but also old-school whimsical fairy tale vibes, so it could be a good option if you're looking for more like that!

[@becklebooks]

Yay I’m so happy that the librarian recs won out, libraries are the best! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@lia-uu9hj]

the salt grows heavy sounds interesting i’ll be checking it out now! we tend to like similar books so im sure ill enjoy it

[@hobsyllwin2562]

You like spooky books in snowbound settings in old big mansions in the woods? Then The Dark Winter Series by Darcy Coates is a MUST 😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

Okay but wonderland sounds so good to me 😩

[@justaylin5139]

You inspired me to check if my library had this service and they do but oml I was nearly blushing writing about what I wanted to read 😳 saying the word “smut” to my library was a hurdle I didn’t imaging myself tackling. I kept imagining an elderly librarian opening my request and being a lil scandalized or heaven forbid a MAN open my request

[@justaylin5139]

My library knows too much about me now

[@anjalibhat14]

I’m a librarian, and my coworker & good friend (in her late twenties like me) is THE resident expert on smut. For her, the spicier the better! She eats it up, talks about it openly, and would be so over-the-moon thrilled to get a request like yours! I’m sure your request will be passed on to your library’s best-suited person for the job BUT, if not, tell me what you’re looking for and I’ll pass it on to my friend 😉

[@carissa1446]

Meddling Kids seemed like it would be so good 😢. I love Scooby Doo.

[@alexia4239]

I also got the same weird feelings about the queer relationship in Meddling Kids and DNFed it! Glad I'm not the only one who thought it was very weird

[@cat.book.nook.]

I'm so happy there's a new video from you. 💜

[@listenwithprecious]

Like this series! Is it a series?

[@reading_faerie]

30:22 stop it I’m from providence 😂 I will have to read this asap omg 😳

[@anikamercier2651]

Where are your overalls from? They are so darn cute! This was so fun to watch!

[@cgygflkj]

Yes! Stone mountain is the real place where the second rising of the kkk happened and it has been turned into an amusement park. Growing up in Georgia we used to go there as kids on school field trips and I had no idea until I became an adult 😰😰😰

[@user-jv3vu4ln6h]

Hi Riley can I ask you where your home library is? The rec service sounds great I wish we have that

[@kaireads569]

Highly recommend dead silence by SA Barnes for some space horror.

[@elehlers]

I got TBR reqs from Rey as well and they gave me 2 of the 3 that you got…The Book Eaters and We Have Always Been Here. Have a feeling they just have go-to’s based on keywords. I got two sets of reqs and wasn’t impressed with the service at all. Nothing that I loved and only one I liked. The rest were meh.

[@emmeff3339]

Now i just want to know your list of horror stories that you think are just romance !lol

[@arafisms]

did the librarians give you an option to link your Goodreads so they don't give u recs of books u already read? don't know if there is one but I just missed that.

[@Ms.SpookyNerd]

Great vlog. Gotta love horror 🦇💀😈👻📚☕

[@cleverkrowbooks13]

You should look into getting the UK version of The Salt Grows Heavy. The cover is sooo much better.

[@MaijaReads]

The covers have very different approaches/vibes, for sure. But I actually love the US cover, I think it's beautiful!

[@KristenReads]

The premise of Meddling Kids sounded so fun, but the actual book...yeah, it was not good.

[@libbylava]

I have to know where you got that cloud cardigan from. It's not a want. It's a need ❤

[@meljstephan]

There's a very popular thriller with a "trans (?) / queer villain" twist and I fuckin hated it and hate that nobody else ever mentions it. Spoiler: title below - - - - - - - True Crime Story by Joseph Knox

[@ChanelChapters]

The book eaters had so much promise but the lack of world building and magic system was disappointing

[@MeMyshelfAndI]

I really enjoyed Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cantero so I picked up Meddling Kids and I HATED it. Also DNFd The Book Eaters 😅So while the other book recommendation that service gave sounded good.... yeah, I think this person doesn't share my taste in books lol

[@lexitriesreading]

Love this video but most importantly where did you get those overalls? Curious minds want to know and by curious minds I mean me. 😌

[@moonbook12]

Amazing look

[@jamieserrano827]

Okay, you're not overreacting the queer representation in meddling kids sounds like it sucks and I might not read it it'll probably give me the ick too

[@abbywonder3825]

I did my tbr.condor 2 years. Out of the ones I’ve read, I haven’t enjoyed many and have DNFd several. So while it was fun to have books recommended, I have better luck with google

[@ChanelChapters]

Dudeeeee that meddling kids book is MESSED UP

[@rebeccamarsden2128]

💗💗

[@lydialuvs]

The transphobia and weird queer messaging in Meddling Kids is WILD 😭😭 gross

[@sandraareads]

$15 and you don’t get a book or at least the ebooks? No thanks lol

[@just_bea_weird]

Ugh Struggling Kids sounds awful 😬 yikes