BLACK & WHITE books · Rainbow Bookshelf Tour

[@9ol4]

Hi I just wanted to say that Leena inspires me to be a better person

[@leenanorms]

xxx

[@isidorag.k.8022]

Same!

[@KnightHunterBooks]

One interesting positive note on being able to update ebooks is that they can be updated if an author wants to change their name. I own one ebook by the non-binary author Neon Yang - when I bought it, the book was under their former name with a cover showing that former name too but it has since been updated to reflect their chosen name which is neat!

[@leenanorms]

That's such a good point!

[@IsabellaBoyne]

I have been binging all of your videos while I've been in quarantine (7 days left!) and you've made me feel so much less alone and give so much advice that has made me really reconsider how I think about my life! Thank you for creating the content that you do ❤️

[@leenanorms]

Xxx

[@Lizthebiz69]

Leena I just love listening to you talk about anything and everything

[@SamWest96]

My first thought when I saw the thumbnail: was Leena inspired by her jumper or was the jumper inspired by the video? Now to watch the video!

[@leenanorms]

CHICKEN AND EGG question (video inspired the jumper)

[@munkeyzoo]

SF Said came to my primary school in 2003 when he was promoting Varjak Paw and he was really nice. I remember my mum telling me to ask him if he got the name Varjak Paw from the character Paul Varjak in Breakfast at Tiffany's and he said yes.

[@Tabeasknitting]

Love this series, can’t somebody invent more colors so that it won’t stop?

[@whylal]

my favourite black book is everyone is an alien when you're an alien too! Super simple, adorable illustrations, and came into my life at the perfect time.

[@hannahuhlig9989]

Our bookshops are supposed to open on monday. I am excited and scared. From Hamburg, Germany

[@leenanorms]

Oh wow! Enjoy your self and stay safe etc etc xxx

[@clarajetter9929]

Omg I feel the same as you!! Just a different part of Germany. I miss bookshops

[@steph1102]

So exciting! Here in Berlin there has been a special rule that bookshops are necessary and can stay open. It's one of the things keeping me sane. Great that you can (hopefully) go book shopping again soon :)

[@georginachard8604]

I've never heard anyone else talk about Varjak!! I read it when I was younger and remember absolutely adoring it, it was like nothing I'd ever read before, really wonderful

[@leenanorms]

Aw yey lovely to see other Varjak stans out there!

[@mglouise97]

I love this book so much!!!

[@emmaclark9080]

Fitting watch for Oreo Day 😁

[@quinnshipton]

This is my favourite one of these I've seen so far. I love your reasons for picking books to talk about!

[@maya-gur695]

Hi, I discovered your channel just two hours ago and I'm already enjoying your videos very much. Have a nice day.

[@leenanorms]

haha aw yey - welcome!

[@emilielinstewart]

Totally unrelated, but your voice is lyrical & calming ✨💕

[@elspethchapman5638]

It’s so nice to see so many Varjak Paw fans! I need to find it and reread it as soon as I’m allowed inside my parents’ house. Also, I saw a stage dramatisation of Bambert’s Book of Stories in which the old man was a beautiful, tiny puppet: it was magical.

[@HF-uj4ck]

Hi Leena! This is nothing to do with anything, but in the "renting in your 20s" video, you used the term "authority literacy", which I have never heard of before - but sounds really cool and something I'd love to see research on and get better at myself. I tried googling it, but I don't get a lot of relevant results. If you know any, can you point me towards any good resources where I might learn something about this? I love your videos and I've picked up so many really good insights and points of view on things - thank you for working so hard on them! :D

[@caitie226]

It's an amazing term!

[@jessicaryan8393]

i love these kinds of videos - it's great to find out about "older" books rather than all those that are just / about to be published

[@jessjose3638]

9:30 YES! Yes! I do this! I have a copy of my favourite book that I borrowed from the library as a kid... called Igraine the Brave, with the same cover and everything :)

[@peggingmothman]

When I was in Year 4 my teacher used to end Fridays by reading us a Philip Ridley book and it was always my favourite part of the week! 😊

[@ryanneliza]

I don’t think I could ever actually arrange my books by color instead of purely alphabetically, but I greatly enjoy this series of videos and I envy your color coatedness! I also love getting ideas from you for what to read - you have such an eye for books that I would never have known about and, being American, you also bring a different perspective and a collection my own peers might not curate quite the same ❤️

[@LunaLynnLovegood]

I found Girl meets boy in a local bookshop years ago in the random "give a donation" basket at the entrance and I'm so glad I did. There is something so strange about how it's written but very beautiful. I love this book.

[@ella5452]

excellent video! Love your white/black jumper; very cute🧡😊

[@tl5808]

Iconic jumper to match the iconic video title. Serving looks 👀

[@LC-gw7tp]

Was waiting for you to talk about The Host 😔😂

[@leenanorms]

hahah sorry I ran out of time but .. in summary I'm a RIDE OR DIE for this book, it's great, I've read it like 4 times, it's fab.

[@ellieberry]

Okay I NEED to know your opinions about The Host because I remember when I read it years ago after twilight I really loved it and didn’t understand why it didn’t get the same fame as twilight. (Haven’t reread so don’t know how it holds up)

[@aisling_90]

SAME. It’s a cracking read 👁

[@felicityhemming9987]

Had a similar experience! I absolutely LOVED it when I was a teen! read it maybe 2 - 3 times - haven't read in years tho! also saw that Leena mentioned it in this video but didn't expand plus! just recommended it to Hannah Witton recently! Really want to hear her opinions about this!

[@leenanorms]

Hi, in summary I'm a RIDE OR DIE for this book, it's great, I've read it like 4 times, it's fab.

[@aisling_90]

@@leenanorms Agreed. Fun fact- it’s the book she’s most proud of, and has an idea for a sequel....

[@felicityhemming9987]

@@aisling_90 omg!! did not know this! just find it so much better than her other works! gonna give a re-read asap!

[@GrainneH984]

Love your hair in this video! I like the dedication to wearing colours that match the colour of the books as well!

[@beccainlecorner]

can you do a video about book covers please? Like what makes a good one from a publishing perspective, and maybe some of your faves. Idk I just think it would be interesting

[@JoMakerOfMovies]

After watching this, I had a dream last night where I was at a water park and Leena was in the middle of a kid's swimming pool giving a talk about body positivity as we all sat at the edge, dangling our legs in and listening. At the end, she gave every person a book she thought we'd like. Mine was a poetry anthology about mental health which, on closer inspection, was just a tattered copy of a 'RealLife' magazine from 2010. Brains are weird.

[@rosepetal34]

thank you for this series, anxiety has been bad this week and i find them really calming as well as interesting , also that jumper is great

[@leenanorms]

Xxx

[@t.w.2821]

Please do a video about all your favourite feminist books ✨✨🙏🏼

[@stargazer209]

Um that sweater is gorgeous and you should be 1000% proud in finding that

[@prrari22]

Rainbow Queen!! Unexpected but I love it

[@mglouise97]

VIRJAK PAW a childhood classic for me 🙌

[@andream.escobedo9145]

THE GIGANTIC BEARD THAT WAS EEEEVIIIIIIIIIIILLLL

[@michaeleberl2222]

I love how you have a book called The Black and White Book in your video about your black and white books.

[@eliodelio5600]

nooo you said you were gonna talk about so many more of the black books so i didn't look them up on goodreads during the first part of the video and now i can't find the ones i was interested in 😭😂

[@herotrice]

Loving the monokuma cosplay

[@Miss_Lexisaurus]

OMG! I saw Sparkle Shark at the theatre as a kid and loved it.

[@lizmarcobello]

The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil - I cannot remember who I heard this book from, and so seeing it amongst your shelves makes me think it was you in a past video. Assuming so, thank you, because it's possibly one of my most adored books.

[@MIOLAZARUS]

So many good books! I need to make a list.

[@sameatsham]

Holy moly what washload does that jumper go in?! I suppose it's neither... Febreze the pits!

[@clairewimbush3657]

I could watch you talk about books forever! So calming and just the best form of escapism (and so many good recommendations!!) 💕

[@leenanorms]

aw thank you!

[@gingerkara]

Two seconds in and I have to say the fashion and hair choices are impeccable for the theme 🙌🏻

[@niamhl6964]

I rarely comment but just wanted to say I deeply appreciate the work and heart you put into your content, it always makes me happy and/or makes me think

[@leeah8419]

The Lady in the Van, I saw the movie and loved it.

[@coffeemonster26]

absolutely love your collection and diverse taste. will definitely have to watch the other videos now. though arranging your library by colour stresses me out haha

[@asterismos5451]

I was JUST talking with a friend about how much we love Varjak Paw and how amazing/weird it is and I'm totally envious of you chatting to SF Said because that sounds like it would be so fun and interesting.

[@samiraschwannecke678]

It would be great to see how you make annotations in your books :)

[@bettyreads222]

enjoy these so much, that sweater is so brilliant!

[@ameerahalgohary]

I always love your book tour videos ❤️

[@charlotteboys3337]

We have the same edition of The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar! I loved that book.

[@MsHelloerz]

Your look is immaculate✨

[@bobsrussi598]

I loved hearing you talk about theatre! I feel like chats about plays are sorely missing from yt. I know it's very niche but I'd love to hear more UK theatre scene discussion haha

[@nenemaria-cornfieldsgarden]

I had to pause and go search my bookshelves as I was sure I had the same copy of Bambert's book of missing stories (that I'd 'borrowed' from my sister about 10 years ago if I remember correctly). I do and I'm going to re-read it tonight :D My book wish list becomes so much longer every time you do one of these videos! I appreciate your recommendations.

[@uuManu]

I could see you do this all day!

[@leenanorms]

I could probably do it all day tbh!

[@quirkygeekgirl]

Sci-fi -- Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang -- included the short story that was adapted into The Arrival -- his short stories are amazing and some of the best sci-fi written today Binti by Nnedi Okorafor -- a young woman trapped between two worlds of wanting to go to school but having to leaver her family/culture to do so The Chrysalids by John Wyndham -- a classic that holds up more than most books written in the 50s, just a really cool story. Fantasy -- The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson -- I've never had a book inspire me as an artist and give the emotion of what it is like to be an artist -- I wish Sanderson would write more short novellas because this one was great A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan -- a young woman goes against societal and family expectations to become a dragon naturalist -- it's awesome, love the series and it gave me the biggest book hangover but worth it, the audiobooks are fantastic. Empty Threat by Danny Bell -- Elana can enter any book she wants at will and observe the stories in real life -- need I say more, just a fantastic fantasy about friendship and magic

[@lotta_kannfastalles]

I discovered Kae Tempest on Spotify and really liked _Let them eat chaos_ and now you made me quite happy by telling me about their name change, which lead me to looking at their German wikipedia entry and nerding out about how cool it is to just see the non-gendered biography section (German is a nightmare)

[@CuppaTeaAndASitDown]

Oo I do hate when they change the cover on my ebooks! Especially when they make it the tv/movie adaptation version!

[@TheWoollyBat]

I am in love with your earrings

[@siobhanmelville3577]

My daughter’s primary school have named the classes after different books and Year 5 is Varjak Paw! First time I’ve heard anyone else talk about it!

[@leenanorms]

Aw yey it's great to hear it's still making the rounds in schools, so good!

[@nikkiwilliamson4665]

New American Best Friend (which I have) made me think of something- I’d love a video about accessibility of poetry. The way poems are laid out can cause accessibility problems for me/my disability. I really struggle to read some poems because of the layout of the poem (for example “Backpedal” from New American Best Friend). With poetry books, I rarely get the ebook version because the layout doesn’t always go over to the ebook version properly because the ability to change font size messes with the layout of the poem. But getting the physical book and not being able to make the font size larger makes it difficult for me to read it. Audio books would be an option, but that could mean missing some word play where the spelling of words and other visual parts of the poem is important. There’s not really much to discuss I guess apart from it is a thing that exists but I’d love a video with some recommendations of poetry that would still be fully experienced/appreciated in each format (like poetry that works well for audiobooks and poetry that is laid out in a way that works well in ebook format)

[@Franclinx3]

Oh my, I read Varjak Paw when I was a kid and completely forgot about it even though I used to love it. Need to check my parent's storage as soon as I have a chance and reread it!

[@whatlauraread]

your jumper is so gorgeous omg i've never needed something so badly

[@TamarZiri]

That is the greatest sweater.

[@sadie9356]

Yes I love varjak paw! Its illustrated by Dave Mckean who illustrated Neil Gaimans Coraline and also his art style was a big part of the film Mirror Mask ! Which Neil Gaiman co wrote i think! His art is very creepy and whimsical for anyone interested (:

[@MarcelaR-L]

If you’re searching for an ereader, pick kobo instead of kindle. It’s really good and it lets you lend books from your local library. And also, when you turn it off, it displays the cover of the book you’re currently reading!

[@leenatoivanen3787]

I'm so excited I found ur channel! You're like the more entertaining version of me 😀

[@azusenajimenez2325]

After this video I have a lot of books to add to my book wishlist

[@katarinakidd9450]

Me cheering at my computer when you said "We have to talk about the host by Stephanie Meyer!"

[@solseppies]

Your personality reminds me of Phoebe Waller-bridge; you seem so cool!

[@kaitlinberanek4539]

all the thanks to craig for the correct pronunciation of kazuo ishiguro ✨

[@Jojo13Lorin]

Listening on headphones and 20:58 scared the crap out of me

[@marlenecastillo]

Just in time! I needed a new list of books to read

[@samiansley5740]

Love Olivia Gatwood.

[@mari6294]

i’m gonna have to start a recommendation list because i’m never gonna get to all these great books!

[@FlipFlop2729]

what a perfect jumper!

[@mayasdaydreams]

i really want you to do a video on the London underground

[@hiddenrainbow12]

I love this series! I read Let them eat chaos bc of your recommendation and what a mindblowing experience good god.

[@zZizify]

As someone who seems to be unable to pause the video to a clear picture of the book covers (to search for them in my book app) can you please write down the titles & authors (of the books you talk extra about) in the description? I'd highly appreciate it!

[@meganlilyflower]

In America at least we call “YA plays” TYA which is theater for young audiences and it could be communicated as TYA14 (to mean for teens) or TYA generally which applies to some pieces that border on children’s theater.

[@shnn1a]

I actually really like your jumper

[@oliviamay614]

Is Why Fonts Matter worth the read?

[@twontree]

unus annus 🥺👉👈 i love these color coordinated vids!!

[@Hillary429]

I can never look at a Black White combo again without thinking of the year of Unus Annus 🖤🤍🧅🖤🤍

[@erindillman]

Have you seen the video of Umberto Eco's library? If not you will drool. I drooled. Drooling is okay.

[@ellent8686]

Just wanted to pause and say that the book at 1:56 contains what many people in the group consider to be a racial slur. As far as I've been told, Romani is the correct term for most of the instances in which people use the g word. RomaniUprising on instagram talks a lot about this and does really cool awareness work.

[@sophiaz.1083]

I love the color of your lipstick! has anybody an idea where to buy it and what it is called?

[@leenanorms]

Sure! It's from this company called Le Papier, I have an Instagram post about it here :☺️☺️☺️. instagram.com/p/CK3tzFFHH8g/?igshid=8ealy6dx92lo

[@sophiaz.1083]

@@leenanorms thank you very much ❤️

[@vivaglam3466]

Having just read 1984 the concept of updating ebooks terrifies me haha

[@felicityhemming9987]

Also does anyone know which video Leena mentioned when she was talking about buying 1984 half in Mandarin and half in English?

[@leenanorms]

It's linked in the description :)

[@felicityhemming9987]

@@leenanorms silly me! Thank youuuu!!! x

[@nonno318]

I am struggling with adulting...like quite a lot... Would you recommend ‘Being an Adult’ or is there another read you’d recommend? Maybe there’s a school of life one🤔...

[@katykatarsis]

Leena, you look so gorgeous omg🥺

[@Mariliaap1997]

Hi, Leena! I was wondering if there is any way that we can read your Masters essay! It is a topic that really interests me and I would love to read more about it! Totally understand if you don’t want to or can’t share it tho :) Loved the video!

[@leenanorms]

it's a bit pants tbh so it's not public anywhere, but one day I might make it in to a video!

[@Mariliaap1997]

@@leenanorms that would be really cool! :)

[@hannahmay11]

i put the rainbow queen in my nana's stocking last year 😂 (after i looked through it first hahha)

[@FlipFlopsInWinter12]

just an fyi, Vanessa Kissule's name is pronounced ' kiss - ooh - lay'! :)) she's amazing, i love that you spoke about her! she's my City Poet

[@Louisyed]

How can you keep one book in a series and not the rest?! I would always want to read the rest once I've read one again!

[@leenanorms]

I think for the hunger games the first one is really well rounded and contained, I don't need to re-read them all to have a satisfying experience :)

[@Louisyed]

@@leenanorms I agree that's true, I just don't think I could cope with the sense of it being unfinished 😂

[@Hillary429]

I feel like my re-reads are almost always in audio form so I feel like I would also just keep the first as a little visual reminder if I needed to declutter

[@johnnymissesme7464]

Hi Leena ! A bit random but I just thought I'd love to hear your thoughts on why you think in the 21st century we are still so fascinated about Jane Austen (and other similar authors) who represent such old-fashioned romantic relationships in their stories ? And are we less feminist if we fantasise about them ? Someone asked me this question not long ago and I'm sure you'd be able to provide a much better answer than me !

[@itsjudeyork]

Not only do you inspire me to read more but I slowly feel some Leena-isms sneaking into my vernacular ✨ Keep up the amazing work.

[@rootedreinvention]

"and now I only look at it naked" - I do this too!!!!

[@quirkygeekgirl]

Please tell me you have read Text From Jane Eyre

[@moonbook12]

The history of poem does it good book?

[@carolinabyl1147]

can we read your masters thesis? sounds like a very interesting topic :)