May-June Reading Wrap Up!

[@ArielBissett]

That's so exciting to hear your super positive review of Bird by Bird! I've had it for like a year now and you just pushed it waaaay up my TBR!

[@TheRainydayvideo]

I love the happiness and enthusiasm that you put out there when you talk about books.

[@osys11]

Where'd she go

[@samantha.irenes]

I love these bi-monthly wrap-ups! I work full time and am a full time grad student so I totally get being busy (someone please invent a time turner). Goldfish Ghost looks so cute! I'm a PreK teacher so I'll definitely need to check that out.

[@doggonebookaddict]

I'm planning on participating in the next round of Reading Bingo! I didn't find out about the first one until like halfway through, but the concept is really cool!

[@katehickey2047]

YES JKR's mystery series is INCREDIBLE on audiobook - I listened to all three and I am SO HOOKED it's SO GREAT

[@Kristina]

+Kate Hickey yay that's great to hear!

[@amyslushersutton1495]

I'm curious as to when you listen to audiobooks (other than your commute obviously). Whenever I try to listen and do background stuff, I find myself zoning out. Maybe I'm just not one who can multitask. haha I have been eyeing Orphan Island for a while, too! Can't wait to read that one.

[@amyslushersutton1495]

Oh and The Cuckoo's Calling is a really great mystery. Hope you enjoy that one!

[@Kristina]

+Amy S mostly on my commute, but I also listen sometimes while doing laundry, curling my hair or doing makeup, cleaning in general, running on a treadmill, etc.

[@amyslushersutton1495]

Those are good ideas! I didn't even think about doing it during laundry, but that would be smart. I probably need to be more intentional about using all those little bits of times.

[@theworldwhispers]

Okay, A) Just wanted to say that your hair looks super freakin' adorable in this video - had to get that out there. B) I genuinely love reading wrap-up videos. I'm not sure my wallet necessarily does, but I sure do! I also have the audiobook of The Hate U Give, but I haven't started it yet. This was a great reminder that I really, really need to. And C) Good luck with all the wedding planning and such! I know how hectic that can be from watching my friends go through it, so I'm sending you guys all kinds of good vibes. Hopefully it's not stressing you out too much!

[@biblioobscura]

I've been wanting to read Brain on Fire for a long time now. I'm so glad you said it was amazing. I watched the trailer for the movie and it kind of put me off (who judges a book by a movie trailer?!) but luckily you just put it back on my TBR! Thanks! :)

[@sarahjane120292]

Hey Kristina!! I hope you are doing some nanowrimo videos this year!!! I miss you

[@bestmermaid]

YAY! I read The Hate U Give too. I'd been putting it off for a while simply because I didn't want to experience this through a book when it's happening right now in the world but I'm so glad I pushed that feeling away and read it. It's definitely an important book and conveys how hard it is to live "two separate lives" (in a way, she always felt like she had to be two different Stars) and how the truth is not always portrayed through media. It was an eye opener for me too. I think anyone can learn from that book. I've currently been trying to read more diverse books too. I finished When the Moon was Ours and Nora & Kettle (both really good books!). I'm currently reading When Dimple Met Rishi (I've only just started but it already feels like a Bollywood film in word form which I love). If you're looking for a book with The Help feel, I suggest Midnight Without a Moon (it's set in 1955 and follows a 13 year old African American girl who "dreams of life beyond the Mississippi cotton fields") though I haven't read it yet. I've been finding most my books off of twitter lately and I stumbled across this is one, quickly putting it on my reading list. I definitely plan to read it soon!

[@TwinkTwinkle]

I watched the movie of The Help just a couple days ago, and it's really wonderful.

[@HipposCantSwim-j]

Try A Mercy by Toni Morrison in place of The Help. It takes place at the end of the 17th century and is told from the point of view of 4 different racially diverse women who are also various levels of free. It is beautiful and sad and wonderful.

[@sylviepatronus5044]

HarryBookGnome I second that. Anything by Toni Morrison is a must read. Truly a living legend.

[@christinemorse3987]

I loved the Help. It was one of my favorite books that I have read. I also watched the movie (I am a huge Emma Stone fan so there is that...) but if you watch the BTS of the film you get more from the side of the author that I really loved. She was telling the story just like the main character was trying to tell the story. A kind of "just because I live here and this is the 'norm' doesn't mean that I completely agree and really want to get the message out and the conversation started." I think that was what I appreciated the most about the story as a whole.

[@sarawawa8984]

This video is inspiring lol! I want to try and read more. Im in my junior year of college and ever since I started college I have been doing veryyyy little reading. I want to change that! I need to just set aside time to read and cut out Netflix... Also I hope you are doing nanowrimo again this year! I've never done it but I LOOOVE watching your nano videos!

[@MagicalSoulMindStorm]

Death is everywhere! Ha, loved the author silently walking through the crowd. 💀

[@otivaa]

Hi Kristina! Not fiction, but The Fire This Time is a GREAT anthology of essays featuring exclusively black writers (mostly women, I believe). A great way to diversify your reading list and discover amazing contemporary black writers. There's not one bad essay in the collection, I seriously can't recommend it enough!!

[@Kristina]

+otiva thank you for the recommendation!

[@klarissaguzman4753]

Always looking forward to the NanoWrimo video every year.

[@Danele31]

I've definitely been missing your KZbin videos, but I totally understand being busy! Hope things are going well for you :)

[@beckacs]

One book I thought I knew about and had heard of often was I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. This is the story of her life and the abuse she dealt with, definitely up your alley for historical perspectives.

[@beckacs]

Also Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zoe's Neale Hurston was excellent. I taught it last year and it is written with specific dialogue and tragedy.

[@daantjemaantje]

I was the Dutchie in your instagram live chat you taught you hou to say I love you in Dutch. And I was the one who paused this vid to watch your live stream. So now I am going to watch the rest. XD I had a blast attending your live stream! And I do hope you will visit my country. :-) Puff Pride 💖

[@AnthonyMichalak]

I know you said you don't like super hero "bang pow" type graphic novels or stories but I think you would like the Black Widow/Red Widow novels by Margaret Stohl. Black Widow: Forever Red and Black Widow: Red Vengeance.

[@Emily-up3dk]

Good luck with everything you're doing this summer! Question: What is that white book behind you?

[@michaelinthebathroom7560]

If you have not read The School For Good and Evil, you really need to read that, it's my favorite series.

[@christinahuang6733]

I really want to read The Hate You Give.

[@ZarriahRose]

Ditto!!

[@MsMayonaise]

Still patiently waiting for you to read 'The City of Dreaming Books' ^^;

[@lydiaoverend252]

I was wondering if somebody can help answer this question I'm doing NaNoWriMO this year and i'm searching the website so I can get used to it before I start it. Quick question when it comes updating your word count during it, it says you can go to my novels, and than stats. Can you only update your novel in number and if is there is something on your stats page where you can do it?

[@xotbirdox]

Lydia Overend I'm confused as to what you mean. To update your word count, all you need to do is go to the top-right of the page, hover over your word count (you may need to click it actually, I forget which), then enter your new word count in the box provided. This will obviously not be available until November.

[@elizebradshaw7752]

Do you still do things with Ministry of Magic

[@iGwinnie]

So happy to see another video from you! But also omg I have to ask has anyone ever told you you look like Emma Stone? Because the entire time I was watching I could not get that out of my head.

[@cecilia08yeah]

great video

[@SMFortissimo]

You making a NaNoWriMo Pep Talk video this year? I depend on those to reconvince me to keep writing every year.

[@lessthanbutterflies]

Sarah Vowell voiced Violet in The Incredibles! If that's interesting or relevant to anybody (:

[@Kristina]

+lessthanbutterflies what! I had no idea.

[@lessthanbutterflies]

Yeah! She has an awesome featurette on the DVD about her experiences and her writing and such (:

[@lordcoyote2000]

Kamala Khan is one of the best new characters created in the last decade.

[@xompeii]

She's the reason I started reading comics. I love her.

[@Shadowhuntedwizards]

lordcoyote2000 She is my favorite comic book character, I love her so much. It's the only comic I keep up with.

[@mxmissy]

Kamala Khan/Ms Marvel is such an amazing series, I honestly recommend it to anyone who wants to get into comics. I also recommend Squirrel Girl, for both Kristina and anyone who wants to read it.

[@MissEnas]

Where are you?

[@SunriseFireberry]

In the booktube wikipedia article en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BookTube , lots of booktube channels >100K got mentioned but yours got no mention. What you want to do or not do is up to you. Thought you ought to know.

[@TTTAKFilmStudios]

Awh what happened?

[@galnamedmal]

Did anyone else read this title too quickly, and have to do a double take because they thought it said "Mary Jane"? Hahaha...

[@lizziemartin6113]

Wow. The Five Awesome Girls are like non existent really anymore. Trips me out because they were the big thing or one of the bigger deals like 8 years ago on KZbin and now they just are letting themselves just fade away on here.

[@Yashahiro_]

Wow, you seem nice in videos. But I found this channel trough a hate comment you posted on a video. Not cool.