Mid Year Book Tag 2024

So...‪@benreadsgood‬ tagged me to do one of these mid year book tags things. I don't normally do them but I thought i'd give it a go!
mentions‪@benreadsgood‬
I've tagged people who I reckon would hate doing a book tag haha...they may even despise the idea of them... but I enjoy their channels so keen to see what they have to say.
TAGS
‪@alanaestelle2076‬
‪@TheDiscoKingOfficial‬
‪@GuiltyFeat‬
‪@KDbooks‬
‪@OverlyAverageBen‬
‪@MatthewSciarappa‬
‪@NerdyNurseReads‬
Questions:
1. Best book you’ve read so far
2. Best sequel you've read so far
3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to
4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year
5. Biggest disappointment
6. Biggest surprise
7. Favorite new author (debut or new to you)
8. Newest fictional crush
9. Newest favourite character
10. Book that made you cry (or saddest book you've read)
11. Book that made you happy
12. Favourite book to film adaptation you saw this year
13. Favourite video you have made so far in this year
14. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received)
15. Books do you need to read by the end of the year

[@DanielSheenUK]

It's a crime that no one has offered you ARCs!! You are by far my fave booktuber and those publishing houses are fools lol

[@NerdyNurseReads]

so the trick is to just email publishers. You can ask to be added to their PR list or ask for specific titles or both. If you don't read ebooks you shouldn't bother with netgalley.

[@flufftronable]

Monetize the channel, you've earned it.

[@benreadsgood]

What a speedy turnaround! So glad you did it because I really enjoyed watching 👏 Your reviews are top notch but it’s so nice to hear your reflections on reading and creating. So much rang true for me too… funny to hear you say nice things about my content (thank you!) because every time I watch one of your reviews I’m like why are mine not this good?! 😅 And yeah, I’m always so intrigued and surprised by the number of people who unsubscribe, and what they unsubscribe in response to. As a sci-fi dabbler myself, please do continue (Hyperion is sitting on the shelf already 👀) Enjoy Glasto! 🔺

[@benreadsgood]

Also I have no idea how to message you privately, but happy to share some ARC wisdom. With the number of subs you have, it will probs be pretty straightforward!

[@rororeads]

@@benreadsgood thank you Ben!! I’ll wing you a message :)

[@rororeads]

Didn’t think I’d have the time today and yet the packing gods smiled upon me! Thanks for tagging me, got me out of my comfort zone / this was fun :)

[@TheDiscoKingOfficial]

Glad to hear your year of reading is going well, love to hear you going off the cuff too! I'm throwing Stoner on the to-read now as well thanks to you sir! Thanks for the tag, I think I'll do this one!

[@carolbresnahan1244]

Hi, just discovered you because Ben tagged you! Watching your back catalogue and loving the 1 book reviews and the fact that you are drawn to books rather than chasing the new stuff all the time. ( I'm a big fan of Stoner too.)

[@DanielSheenUK]

Omg the hair reveal!! 😅

[@claireguthrie201]

Hi! Came here from Ben's video. I appreciate so much that you're doing what you want with your channel, rather than sacrificing quality as some do in an effort to get more views. I saved most of the books in this video to my wishlist. Also, as a brand new booktuber who reads a bit of everything, it's good to know what to expect as far as people leaving cause you don't just stay within one genre. Thanks for squeezing this video into your schedule!

[@rororeads]

@@claireguthrie201 Hey! Thanks so much for watching. What’s your channel called?

[@Tensytheneedlesmith]

I thought I was the last one to read Stoner. I read it on vacation last week and was ambivalent at first, but wow by the end I was floored by its quiet depth. I also enjoyed the U of Missouri setting. My husband's parents were Univ. of Missouri graduates and students during the latter timeline of the book. I often visited the campus for meetings when I worked as an academic librarian and I could picture many of the locations mentioned in the novel. BTW, I really enjoy how eclectic your reading tastes are since I always enjoy your reviews, keep them coming!

[@Shelf_Improvement]

I saw Ben tagging you, and I'm so glad you did this tag! I think because of your one book at a time style it's great to get an overview of your reading.

[@thalesrock]

It’s fun to see this kind of video sometimes! Btw, your reviews have become some of my favourites to watch since I’ve found your channel. Cheers from Brazil

[@heatherkirkland9056]

I think this was your best video as we got to know how honest & lovely you are and you do this for the love books and connections. Love that you like to hold book rather than dreaded kindle. I have so many books , think my fear deep down is Eco warriors will protest stop paper printing , think vinyl records disappeared until back in fashion ! I do believe in Eco causes but Charity shop , pass on books etc... not land fill .That's my excuse to keep buying books (yes I've got a book addicted ) is there group to help or are they called book clubs. Stoner is hidden somewhere in the piles books I have , so I'm hunting out now ! Just finished Rachel Cusk new book " Parade "would be interested in your thoughts . You are doing great on utube ❤

[@rororeads]

Thank you!! Haha…Book group therapy. Thanks for commenting. I’ve been hearing mixed things about the new cusk book. I’ll look it up :)

[@alanaestelle2076]

Thanks for the tag! I was considering doing this one, so now I guess I have to 😂

[@KDbooks]

Nuzzle into the tag

[@alanaestelle2076]

@@KDbooks go away 🤣🤣🤣

[@rororeads]

Whey! Looking forward to it!

[@KDbooks]

@@alanaestelle2076 I CANT AND I WONT

[@yenasung]

I’m always so impressed by your thorough review videos but i love how off the cuff you are in this one! Also whoa, hair reveal! So glad you found the time to make this video! ❤

[@rororeads]

Thank you! I know…a cheeky hair moment, didn’t realise until I was editing haha. Hope you’re well :)

[@artandbooks5850]

Just found your channel and subscribed. Great video! Thanks! I read Stoner years ago, time for a reread, I remember loving it. I highly recommend reading A Month in the Country by J.L Carr. Phenomenal.

[@OverlyAverageBen]

I want to read Stoner so bad! Just seems like it would be perfect for me. Thanks for the tag and you're right, I do hate doing them 😂😂 also Abercrombieeeee yesssssss!! I completely understand what you mean about seeing a channel suffer for not choosing a genre but I refuse lol

[@rororeads]

Haha! I knew you would. Can’t wait to start some first law fun times. Hope you’re good.

[@dougallen1611]

I agree, the 'crush' question stands out like a pimple on an otherwise flawless face. I'd much prefer to hear about a character who captured, engaged or emotionally captivated you, because then you would have been able to tell us more about the old man in the Murakami novel who seems to have been your 'crush' by any other name.

[@faustianecho]

You are my favorite book reviewer!

[@rororeads]

Well that's lovely to hear! Thank you.

[@rebecca.reader]

Awww! I loved this video and I love your videos. I love how real they are and how your ( fabulous) personality shines through. Glowing review of your channel there 😁. Keep up the good work! I also love how you read and review across many genres as that is how I read too 📚

[@rororeads]

Thank you ❤️

[@ullagomez4990]

Loved this video 😂

[@CaroReads787]

Really enjoyed this. The fact you read a wide variety of genres is partly what attracted me to your channel (along with insightful reviews)

[@Djcooksandbooks]

It is always so interesting to hear the creator’s thoughts behind making videos online! And I also got some recommendations from the video... Thanks!

[@FlLixZ]

Awesome video

[@SelinaAllinson]

I love your channel Roro. I really enjoy your style of presentation and also admire you greatly for how very naturally and intelligently you talk about books ❤️ Looking forward to following you with The Booker Longlist. I must read Stoner, I've had it on my shelf a while and a couple more people have talked about how incredibly good it is. Can't wait. I have read a couple Murakami's but not Kafka, keen to get to that too! Will try to check out Foster Dade, had never heard of it before now, thanks! Hope Glastonbury was a blast.

[@rororeads]

Thank you! Let me know your thoughts on stoner when you get to it. Glastonbury was awesome as always :)

[@onourpath]

I love your channel! I read almost exclusively literary fiction but will stray outside that circle occasionally. Most of what you read is right in my wheelhouse, and you're such an observant and intelligent reader, I trust you completely at this point. (I'm still looking for my lost copy of Stoner!) I'm still not going to read scifi/fantasy, but I can just skip your video that day. (Or even, still watch it anyway 🤪) Why unsubscribe? People are odd. I'm with some others here who liked this video because it really shows your personality. So, keep on doing what you want to! Also, I'm an American, so I still have no idea what your jobs are. Are there equivalent names in American English?

[@rororeads]

@@onourpath thanks so much!! In America I believe I’d be called an associate professor and theatre director.

[@onourpath]

Thanks, Andy. You've got a lot on your plate! Thanks for squeezing in these videos. 💚

[@jaimee-kate]

Ahh I love that you did this tag! So fun & this is perfect to get all your recs in one place

[@tabitha_h2000]

Loved hearing your thoughts about your reading so far this year! Thank you for sharing✨📚

[@lisaedwards8505]

This was fantastic! Thanks so much for taking the time to share with us! 📚💜

[@lauracorsi3309]

Thanks Roro! I loved this tag video.

[@curioushmm9027]

i hope you do more of these as it was so interesting...and have a great week..

[@fkyeah]

Keen to hear your thoughts on Martyr!

[@jaimee-kate]

I loved that through this tag we got to see a bit of a different side of you!

[@user-qo6tz1oe1v]

We love your videos! You're brilliant!

[@rororeads]

Thank you!

[@ecw199]

I'm new to your channel, came here because Ben tagged you and I love this video. As soon as you said Stoner was your favourite book of the year, I was sold and subscribed. Looking forward to checking out the rest of your videos. ❤

[@teaguebates5807]

I hope you do more of these tags. I dunno, it's nice to have a review of 6 months of recent reads.

[@andreluissoriano]

Just wanna say, you’re one of the great reviewers out there. I personally love your format and unedited videos. Edits make my skin crawl for some reason. Thanks for sharing your answers for this tag haha.

[@rororeads]

Thank you ❤️

[@user-qo6tz1oe1v]

Love love love Middlesex

[@marcevan1141]

So far, my impression of Sally Rooney is that the parts of her books are greater than the whole.

[@jsjim]

Really enjoyed the tag! Thanks for the recs. I completely understand your feelings regarding your videos, however, you're one of my favourite content creators precisely for the quality, honesty and originality of your videos. I was actually telling my husband this morning that I love the way you structure the reviews and how you focus on key aspects of the piece such as character development, writing and pace (and the fact that you do it all in 90 minutes is impressive 🤯).

[@rororeads]

Thank you ❤

[@chrismohan]

Not bad at these tag videos 😀 Can recognise that the videos that we make are more about capturing our own thoughts and ideas about a book for future evaluation. Lots of great books discussed. Enjoy Glastonbury!

[@rororeads]

Thank you ❤

[@TKTalksBooks]

How can you not like your videos??? You are one of my top five channels! PS My FAVORITE book of all time is probably Stoner.

[@rororeads]

That’s lovely to hear. Thank you ❤

[@katrianamacmillan3342]

I can’t believe you hate your videos! I too am incredibly busy so I don’t have time to watch much booktube and because of that I only subscribe to four channels. Yours is one of them! My friends only read fluffy romance (I’ve tried but just can’t with that specific genre) so I read all these amazing books and never get to talk about them or hear other people’s thoughts and interpretations. Your channel allows me to hear a different perspective of some of my favourite books, and your videos are almost always short and to the point which is a bonus because as I said, my life is pretty hectic. The eclectic mix is great too, it introduces me to books I would have never considered but thoroughly enjoyed, like Stoner. Anyway, just wanted to say that while you may not like your videos, I, and plenty of others very much enjoy them 😊

[@rororeads]

Thank you! That’s lovely to hear ❤

[@NerdyNurseReads]

Ok sir! I’m prepping myself for this tag ❤

[@rororeads]

YES!

[@NerdyNurseReads]

@@rororeads film, edited, and ready for export! Also, Stoner from his wife's perspective would be amazing. I need someone to write it stat!!

[@rororeads]

@@NerdyNurseReads who would be your pick to write it?

[@NerdyNurseReads]

@@rororeads I've been thinking about this and I'm honestly not sure. Mona Awad would be great if we made it weird. Maggie O'Farrell could be interesting. She likes to write about historically adjacent characters so why not a fictional adjacent one. Could Groff do it? IDK this is too hard!

[@rororeads]

@@NerdyNurseReads I think Groff is a great choice. Atwood in style would be interesting. I’ve just seen you’ve dropped your tag…across to your channel I go!

[@pocketfullofponder]

Your book reviews are my favourite, top of my list for sure. What a pleasure to get to know you more in this video. I so appreciate your thoughts and video style. You should feel accomplished because I thought your videos had such quality and intentionality. Honestly, I often speed up videos or scrub through them 🫣 but never yours hehe.

[@rororeads]

Thank you. That’s so nice to hear ❤️

[@rororeads]

Thank you! That’s really nice of you to say ❤️

[@Shelf_Improvement]

OMG you are going to L❤VE First Law. It is amazing. Highly recommend the Stephen Pacey audiobooks too. So excited you're going to read them!

[@rororeads]

Whey! I can’t wait to get started.

[@SupposedlyFun]

Thanks for the reminder that I need to catch up to Stoner!

[@SupposedlyFun]

By the way, your videos are great! It's hard to look at your own videos objectively, so I get it. But they really are good!

[@rororeads]

Thanks Greg! Appreciate ya ❤

[@KDbooks]

Expect a long voicenote on how the play “the game” 🤣

[@jobuckley2999]

I would love to hear your thoughts on the novel Empire of the Sun by Ballard. This small novel packed such a punch with a brilliant story and writing. Give it a go sometime when you get a chance. Stoner was fabulous as well as Butchers Crossing. Your reviews and channel are pretty amazing. You seem to get so much more out of a book than most people. Maybe I need to reflect or take notes more.

[@rororeads]

Thank you Jo. Always enjoy your thoughts and recommendations ❤

[@flufftronable]

Have you read any Donna Tartt?

[@rororeads]

@@flufftronable the secret history and goldfinch :)

[@Rainierbooks]

I also wait for the Murakami novel and I also disliked Penance a lot. Penance is the attempt to write sth sinister and blamming about the true crime genre, but it is as you said so full of clichés and I hated the characters, all of them. Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll is ways better, portraying women who were affected by the life of Ted Bundy who is just called "the defendant" in the book. Tag video are questionable, yes, but this one I do every year. I never got contacted by a publisher and probably never will. They want booktubers who are 99% positive about what they get. It s a part of the industry,

[@rororeads]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. We’re just too honest! Haha

[@user-rw7tw5tx6h]

You're fabulous. I wish you'd ease up on your use of the word "incredible". It's come to mean nothing, not just with you, of course. From you it's disappointingly shallow. That's my only tiny little problem with you. I revel in your reviews. The main reason: your obvious honesty and lack of pretentions. Cheers.