the BEST BOOK i've ever read (18 books from august)

[@Valeria-po3wq]

I never comment on your videos cause I get self conscious about my english but I want to say that you have been a great source of comfort. I have been struggling with and anxiety disorder for 7 years and when I get anxious I put your videos and let it be. You made me feel better about being a 22 years old without a degree or a clue of what to do next. You help this random women to feel less alone in the struggle of mental illness

[@DrCrazyEvil]

Never feel self conscious about your English, you're learning and best way about internet is nobody cares about it if they complain just ignore them and think of how sad they must be for feeling the need to put down others. Stay strong and keep working on yourself 👌

[@allisonpaiges]

you’ve got some 5 star english - never feel self conscious! 💛 thank you for your comment 🌻

[@gtfoara]

i keep saying this but your videos are the perfect wrap up of my exhausting weeks!!!! just being in bed all showered up and comfy and just ready to watch a new content from you is the best feeling ever !!!

[@francescakyanda9182]

DUDE I love the idea of reading Paper Girls in one nice thick compendium instead of all of the original issues, I wish my library had the biggie instead of all the littles 😭

[@ferventfei]

thank you for constantly being my little bubble of safe space in the internet. especially ever since you've talked about ur autism diagnosis and how transparent you are about ur mental health, it gives me so much reassurance. your videos feel like a warm hug

[@frannook]

A psalm for the wild built was a like a cozy warm bath for my soul, I can't wait to read the sequel

[@Cozyarthur]

Ahhhh my favourite booktuber has finally entered the Becky Chambers fandooom ahhh 😊

[@sierragray11]

no i swear ally your botm ads are my absolute favorite

[@alexhill2651]

"this one summer" is genuinely the graphic novel that sparked my love for reading at age 11 so seeing you (my favorite youtuber) like it now makes me so happy :))

[@ripstick2804]

so glad you're one of my "youtube book girlies", your videos have incredible style and you're so fun to listen to!

[@umetninaa]

i love how entirely incompatible out reading styles are, but how MUCH i love you despite it and will STILL pick up books you love just to feel what you felt

[@boringthings]

🥰 Your Sunday notifications are always a pleasant surprise! I hope you’re all having a beautiful weekend. I’m getting some reading in and books knocked out, myself. I finished Maus I and Mr Salary by Sally Rooney last night, currently reading Notes On Camp by Susan Sontag, then 84, Charing Cross Road. The last three are super short reads to help get me back on track to my reading goal for the year! 📚 47/75 so far!

[@laurencassidy2447]

How do you always wear the cutest outfits in your videos?? I am kindly begging you to make a video about your sense of style 😅

[@raccoonsnacks]

My favourite book that I read this month was Amy Tans memoir, The Opposite of Fate. Its a collection of some of the nonfiction writing she's done, from essays to journal extracts to public speeches. I don't know what it is but I find her writing so compelling, I read the first half of the book in one day which is unusual for me as I've been in ba reading slump for a very long time. She's witty and sharp and I like the way she thinks about the world and how she metabolises her life. I especially like the way she writes about her relationship with her mother, which is a key theme in the book. The fact that it was nonfiction meant I didn't need to spend the extra energy imagining a fictional world, and enough of the essays were low-stakes enough that I didn't feel anxious, but dhe also writes brilliantly on some important and heavy themes and topics. I'm not sure if you would like it but I did :) Hoping to get A Little Fish after watching this review.

[@janiris27]

just read a psalm for the wild built this august and felt the same way you did! cant wait for the second one bc i feel the potential for favorite-ness in my bones. love the dynamic bw dex and mosscap. my fav books from this month are the marvellers and exalted!!!

[@wordstowordlessthings]

Your discussion of bugs makes me think you'd love the song Bumblebee from the new ABBA album - a sweet little environmental anthem, maybe I cried, who knows 🐝

[@alexereads]

sunday became my favourite day of the week because of you 🤍 my favourite books this month were earthlings, the priory of the orange tree and the southern book club’s guide to slaying vampires!! :)

[@Cierva48]

It's so exciting to see others love the books I love. Monk and Robot is absolute gold, everything I love about reading and a hug and so much to work with in a small package. ❤️

[@caffeinatedsanity]

I genuinely look forward to every Sunday just to watch Allison ❤️ thank you for providing a little slice of heaven every week

[@KotaLuvsMusic10]

I really love the books you showcase - definitely haven’t seen them anywhere else and it’s nice to have a palate cleanser of new recommendations vs the books currently taking over the internet. Thanks!!

[@juliette6704]

Ahh I’m so glad you love Becky Chambers!! Her Wayfarers series is one of my favourites ever, and it is just EVERYTHING you love, it’s all about “what does it mean to be? And isn’t it enough to just be?”

[@nellien4802]

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa is another really great slow living/philosophical/thoughtful book. Prayer for the Crown-shy is also my new favorite book and I think you'd really like Natsukawa too

[@NatashaW1]

I bought that a few months ago (I had it wrapped up for Christmas so I couldn’t read it 😂🥲) and I also bought before the coffee gets cold. The covers were really cute and Honestly having a cat (and person) save books sounds awesome. It does remind me of those Christmas films that are about kids saving Christmas. Which I also love those films so makes sense why I bought it.

[@jaynm]

magic fish! that’s one my favorite graphic novels. happy you enjoyed it!

[@whatscarlareading]

I recommend Act Your Age Eve Brown by Tailia hibbert! I know romance isn't usually your go to, but this book is so funny and sweet. It has Black, Plus-Size and Autism representation and it's one of my all time favs! It's book three in the series but it can be read as a standalone ❤

[@whatscarlareading]

Also Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson is v good!!

[@elifyavuz8308]

i read little fires everywhere by celeste ng this month and it was so good, i loved it so much !!!

[@hannahbutler1595]

Number 1, your videos are my favorite! Number 2, just a fun fact, I am a 10th-grade English Teacher in Alabama and I am teaching The Kite Runner in just a couple of weeks! Eek! The education system may not be 100% all of the time, but we English teachers are trying our best to introduce students to books that are fantastic and diverse :-)

[@windinthetrees8573]

Thanks for always brightening up my Sunday. Especially when I'm stuck on the couch doing homework instead of out with friends. I'm being a real pessimist about it today more than usual.

[@Emma-yy5cn]

The paper girls tv show is also really good!!

[@AkaHeiwa]

Your choices of books are really interesting! Great video, I also really like the background music (acnh

[@Fiona_Co]

Less than 5 minutes in and I’ve already added multiple books to my TBR 👀❤️ Also I am permanently biased towards loving everything Tillie Walden makes and I don’t care. ITS ALL SO GOOD

[@Afrooz94]

Hey Ally! I literally always need to have my book wishlist open when I watch your videos, so I can add the numerous ones that peak my interest! I am definitely gonna give the duology (is that a word? 😅) a try! I'm pretty sure you've read every Riley Sager book, but I read Lock Every Door last month by him and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Lock Every Door HOOKED me so hard, I wanna read everything else, gotta love those cheap thrills! I also really enjoyed The Bell Jar but it's got some pretty heavy themes (TW suicide, suicidal ideation) but it was an extremely interesting character study (IMO it was) and set in the 50s, where we then get an insight of how (not so well) they construed and dealt with mental health. My current (re-)read is New Moon, the nostalgia just makes me feel 'young' even though I'm not a massive fan of romances as a 28 year old adult.

[@hannjords]

What a reading month! Hope your new week is less weighed down with migraines. I saw on Goodreads that you marked one of Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoirs as want to read. Butttt I actually want to recommend to you another one of her graphic memoirs: ‘The Secret to Superhuman Strength’. Thanks to you I’ve been introduced to graphic novels and read 7 in August including this one. Now THIS is my new favourite graphic memoir. With colouring by Alison’s wife Holly Rae Taylor, it combines an array of my favourite things and I think some of yours too (memoirs, exercise, nature, self-discovery) in a heartfelt and humorous way. I really loved the illustrations and colour choices. Funnily enough, given the discussions in the book around ‘flow’, I totally lost myself in it (in the best kind of way) and flew through it. Cannot recommend more highly.

[@sophiecarbone4977]

Your review makes me want to read The Magic Fish as soon as possible!! I can’t wait!

[@A_Novel_Journey]

I am newer to your channel and have been really enjoying the energy you put into the world. Thank you for sharing your light. Books that made an impression this past month were There There by Tommy Orange, The Clan of the One-Breasted Women by Terry Tempest Williams (anything by her really), and Writers & Lovers by Lily King.

[@meowies119]

i read only like 6 books in august haha but ive been enjoying reading :-) your videos are endlessly comforting, i've been watching all your old vlogs in the past few days and i just love them so much. 💗

[@meowies119]

my favourite book of last month was "The Soft Landing Collection" its a lesbian anthology with 5 different sci fi and fantasy stories and it was just so wonderful and charming. its short, its not perfect, but each story was so lovely and vibrant and transported me into each setting :-))

Since reading lonely castle bc of you and it also becoming my favorite book, I have a feeling I'll also fall in love with becky Chambers, adding it to my cart *immediatly* 🥰

[@lolapunk20]

favorites for August, I binged the Will Trent series by Karin Slaughter and finally got around to Crying in H Mart.

[@bri.nicolee]

I love sundays :))

[@prplrhinomilk]

I read life ceremony and convenience store woman in august, they were both fantastic! Favorite reads of the month for me. ☺️ FLIRTY & SLUTTY, WE LOVE TO HEAR IT YASSSSSS

[@ILoveJahangeer]

Alli’, you are PHENOMENAL!!! You absolutely nail every video with your beautiful soul! Stay amazing! ❤️

[@emmaopaline]

Little Eyes, Clementine, an the Magic Fish are on TBR now ! 🥰

[@annabelle42688]

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid was amazing!

[@ktcrich]

Happy Sunday friend! My favorite book I read this month was The Stardust Thief. It has elements from One Thousand and one Nights so there are fables sprinkled throughout moving the narrative. There are multiple perspectives but it's never redundant. There's also a lot of action & so many mysteries. I'm glad I picked this in my BOTM - they pick THE BEST fantasy series! I can't wait to pre-order the next!

[@mothumn]

finally read lonely castle last month and was definitely one of my favourites as well as some of the raven cycle series which i loved and cultish which really surprised me by how much i enjoyed it

[@sophia-xu6ry]

hi ally! i love ur videos they are the highlight of my week!!

[@twentysomething5055]

A NEW VIDEO 🥺🤍 !!! Been having a huge rewatch of all of the old gorgeous videos you made , and i wanna say , thank you for making the end of my stressful days delightful. Ilysm ❣️

[@SynsBookNook]

I have Paper Girls sitting next to my bed right now, starting it after I finish the Book Eaters. Looking forward to reading it! ☺️📚

[@caz4772]

I loved, loved, LOVED 'Love On the Brain' by Ali Hazelwood (and, after having devoured all her other books/novellas, I can say it's definitely my favourite of hers)! Very excited for you to read it - you're in for a treat, girl :) I'm also currently reading 'Dating Dr. Dil' and enjoying it tremendously - thanks for the stellar rec

[@emilyables7650]

oh my god you are going to absolutely love the wayfarer series, i cannot wait for you to read them🥹🥹🥹🥹

[@stefanienordstrom6750]

I keep being recommended Becky Chambers books, but you have convinced me to pick them up. I didn't realize she had slim novels! My favorite read last month was Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li - a literary heist novel that changed how I think about art and ownership - are museums creating access or just another cog in power dynamics?

[@snoopythegeek]

Just wanted to say that I love your videos, they really brighten up my day and I appreciate all the time and effort that goes into them :) My favourite book that I read in August was Blood Sugar by Sascha Rothchild

[@Robiniela]

Nnedi Okorafor, who wrote After the rain, also wrote novellas called Binti and the story is so unique and interesting I cannot recommend it enough. I had to read it for my first year in Uni and I still remember the story.

[@TheKris47]

Happy Sunday! My favorite read of the month was Spear by Nicola Griffith, a gender bent Arthurian tale with Percival as a girl disguising herself as a knight

[@ssymck]

Always makes me happy to see u =)

[@itmedana]

YAY i love sundays! i'm glad you had a good reading month :) and 100 books holy moly!!

[@someonesomewhere111]

I read On a Sunbeam after you talked about it in a video and OH MY GOD. so good Ty

[@GraceClift]

ABSOLUTELY no pressure to at all but if you felt comfortable with it i'd love to hear how you're dealing with some of the more difficult autistic traits and if you had any book recommendations :) i've recently got my diagnosis too and its so comforting to hear that one of my favourite content creators is like me in that aspect and shares the same love for reading as i do!! again, completely okay if not, just grateful to see a familiar face on the internet with similar experiences

[@hotaru_in_july9000]

My favorite book this month was "The Ogress and the Orphans" by Kelly Barnhill! It's a middle grade book that touches on great life questions (morality? trusting adults? how a society can/should function? the power of influence?) without feeling like the topics are watered down for kiddos. Also the crows are beautiful and handsome and we should all tell them how wonderful they are on the daily. Barnhill is an auto-buy author for me 💜I'm so excited to start "Lonely Castle in the Mirror" for this month's pocket pages pick!!

[@NatashaW1]

I’ve seen so many people use book of the month but it’s only available in the USA and Canada. 😀 the problem is I live in England 😂

[@meuhrows]

"Another Tillie Walden? Another Tillie Walden! 😡" I've been marathoning your videos and heard so much about her, but that bit has convinced me to finally dive into her books!

[@meuhrows]

HOL ON, Walden made The Cosmic Slumber Tarot??? Ok I understand. I am here for it.

[@CharlestonSocietyOfHorror]

I love “haters to lovers” 🤣🖤

[@allisonpaiges]

me too! that’s what it’s official term, right? my favorite is: “ooooops there’s only one bed oh noooooo”

[@kristenr563]

My reading slowed so much in August. I had a tonsillectomy, and the pain made it impossible to focus. I did finish four books though, and my favorite was All My Rage.

[@rowan.27]

If you like Becky Chambers's themes of friendship and morality and humanity you should definitely read The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells! Most of them are novellas and there's one full-length novel, but all of them are excellent and after reading the whole series this year I can say it's definitely my favorite book series now :)

[@allisonpaiges]

omg thank YOU i can’t get enough of this flavor

[@pretentioussunshine]

My favorite book in August was Howls moving castle Not only did I finally love a fantasy book the vibes and the world and the characters, everything was just so magical and fun I can't wait to read the other books in the series because I loved the world so much

[@alexandraramz]

your overalls are EVERYTHING!!! (also i love good books that are narrated from a child's perspective, they always hit me like a 10 tonne truck)

[@alexandraramz]

OMG silent earth sounds SO GOOD!!!!!!!! i am exactly the target audience !!!!!!!!!!!

[@alexandraramz]

i think i need to revisit paper girls just because you love it hehe

[@alexandraramz]

wow the fall of the patriarchy and capitalism, love it

[@alexandraramz]

i super appreciate your honesty about the books you read, especially when it's a book you love. it's nice to hear you talk about what you loved, what you didn't, what lost you.... makes it easier for me to understand the reading experience

[@alexandraramz]

~you excitedly talking about little eyes~ ~me, intrigued, but very very scared~

[@madireads]

I read NSFW and writers and lovers this month and both became my immediate new favorite books!! I’m so excited to read so many of these books you mentioned, my wallet and my tbr list are crying

[@Allyslovelylibrary]

You’re the first person I’ve seen (out of content creators) who selected the Attic Child from BOTM. It was my second choice but i ended up getting Killers of a Certain Age and The It girl as my add on. I just haven’t seen the Attic Child getting any hype

[@Allyslovelylibrary]

I’m excited to hear your thoughts on it though.

[@SantReads]

My favourite book was Boat Number Five by Monika Kompaníková (translated from Slovak to English). It was wild but such a solid read.

[@tiaraulfah8560]

I just read Beartown by Fredrik Backman, it is one of my favourite books now.

[@thelibrarydweller]

I just read Feelings a story in seasons, a graphic novel u read in a vlog & I really enjoyed it! You might like Housecat Trouble by Mason Dickerson. It's a really cute graphic novel from the POV of cats. I'm currently reading it & loving it so far!🧡

[@Taydelphia]

Read 11 books in August and my favorite August book was Maybe in another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid 😊 I’m excited for September Pocket book of the month!

[@sweetooth4eva486]

My favourite book I read in August was…. The girl who fell beneath the sea. It’s my favourite book of the year so far.

[@frierenstardew]

I recommend you read the book Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau! The character is a fourteen-year-old girl who became a babysitter for a summer in the 70's. The story was so wholesome and endearing but also discussed some important topics. I loved every second of reading it. It's my favorite book of all time! I'm curious to see what you think of it

[@ChloeTheePayne]

OOH i can't wait to hear what you think of love on the brain, it's been so fun to watch you find romance books that you enjoy! definitely took me some time as well, it's always fun to be a queer person reading hetero romance and just have those moments of "siiiiiigh i am not straight enough for this" 😅

[@isabellehall9217]

Heyy Ally, I hope you're doing good! My fav reads this month are Uzumaki (Junji Ito), The Secret History (Donna Tartt), and The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea (Axie Oh). I also reread Lonely Castle in the Mirror 😁😊😊 🐌

[@cryingaboutbooks]

becky chambers really popped off with this series ladies~

[@SarahR1515]

I read "Black Cake" by Charmaine Wilkerson in August and absolutely LOVED it! I always feel like I'm FaceTiming with a friend when I'm watching your videos, and I end up adding just about every book you talk about to my TBR - thank you for making such welcoming and wonderful content! :)

[@s0urgrapesnape]

I think my favorite book from last month would have to be Starfish by Lisa Fipps! I have never resonated with a book as much as I have with this one! It is written in verse, and is about an eleven year old girl who goes on a journey of accepting her fatness. As a ~lifelong fat girl~, it cut me deep but also stitched me up so so nicely. It was just so wonderful and so healing and aaah I loved it.

[@elentari_]

You should read the decagon house murders, it's a murder mystery and I think you might enjoy it!! As always, I love your recs, my wallet doesn't haha, i'm excited to read lonely castle in the mirror with you this month!!

[@maybeillreadtoday]

i feel the same about anthologies but cursed bunny was sooooooo good 2 me too~ i loved it so much it made me feel so unsettled i loved it lmao

[@abigailyesso6262]

Hear me out - our taste in books is eerily similar, and if there's one book I think will bring you all of the joy it is Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki. I know you're not a sci fi girlie, but if Becky Chambers is for you, then so is this gloriously weird and moving novel. Aliens who own a donut shop, a violin teacher with a Faustian deal, and a young trans girl searching for her found family all somehow come together to make the most lovable cast of characters I've read in a long time. Easily my favorite book last month (maybe even of the year??) and I think you would also love it muchly.

[@allisonpaiges]

omg you SOLD THIS ONE ✨

[@soleirisse]

There is a Filipino movie entitled Deleter (TW: death, triggering graphic content) that seems like We Had to Remove This Post.

[@ChemicalPenguinn]

I was expecting you to enjoy The Magic Fish!

[@anissaxma1770]

Definitely agree with you Paper Girls had me a little confused and I was left feeling like okay cool loved it but what was it ?

[@mountainbikingvampirewitch]

Every time they call us “punks” at the beginning of the video I flinch so hard 😅😅😅😬

[@HarvestStore]

Great video.

[@k7cos]

I just finished The Degenerates by J. Albert Mann and I think you might enjoy it! It's about a group of girls at Fernald State School, an institute for 'feeble-minded'. It's very much based on real events and gives a glimpse into the eugenics movement in the US in the 19th and 20th century. I read 5 books this month and I enjoyed all of them so much omg??

[@juananjones]

I haven't read that much in August, compared with other months, but I've been very lucky: Legends & Lattes, I'm Glad my Mom Died, the second volume of Lightfall and the first one from The Montague Twins. All of them 😚👌

[@jeannareadsbooks8475]

The Wandering by Imtan Paraditha. A choose your own adventure literary fiction where you are a woman from Jakarta who makes a deal with the devil to travel the world

[@leafscholar2945]

Thank you so much for all your videos!!! They have brought so much joy and wisdom to me in a very tumultuous time. I think you would enjoy reading We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker (a childhood friend of mine!--now an amazing author). This is speculative fiction in which a brain implant allows people to become superhuman multi-taskers. Is this good? What about those left behind who can't accept an implant for medical reasons? What about those people whose brains are hurt rather than helped by this new technology? Are we meant to live faster all the time? Give it a read!

[@bimbim4054]

Oh no, my tbr list is getting longer and longer 😅

[@AlexAnn210]

I love your videos!! I always watch them while eating yogurt, so now I associate you with yogurt… ok have a nice day!

[@allisonpaiges]

hahaha pavlovs yogurt

[@HeatherB81]

If I wasn’t a 40 year old woman (or maybe even if I’m a 40 year old woman) I would want to be your friend… like, when I was a girl, who only had school and friends to worry about… I feel like we would have been great friends 🤣

[@144jenjen]

My fave book from August was Trans-Galactic Bike Ride! Have you read A Map to the Sun by Sloane Leong? I feel like it would be up your alley! :)

[@allisonpaiges]

oooh not yet! 👀

[@payholaa]

WHERE did you get a copy of Cursed Bunny?!

[@allisonpaiges]

paard van troje in ghent!

[@sugarbaybee1421]

Where are your bookshelves from!?

[@allisonpaiges]

ikea!

[@readingwarlock]

A subscriber's random wish: for you to check out The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells and share your thoughts with us 😊

[@Julie_ao]

😍