My Year-Long Library Challenge Continues At a Brand New Library… 📚

[@GavinReadsItAll]

During the senseless riots in the UK, a library in Liverpool was torched and mostly destroyed by a fire. If anyone would like to donate to help this library, the gofundme is linked here: www.gofundme.com/f/books-for-spellow-lane

[@hannahwallis1290]

I live near that library so it would be great if you could!😢

[@Shelf_Improvement]

I'm so sorry for what's going on right now. Unfortunately over in the states we can relate 😢

[@Kafia_]

This is so crazy i can't believe this is happening

[@natashafearon9659]

@@hannahwallis1290 I'm from/grew up near County Road. Small world xx

[@billiep1603]

Wow they’ve gotten so much money! Incredible! Libraries are precious places.

[@reanna187]

Plot twist it’s not a library series. It’s a villain story where we slowly watch Gavin turn into the villain he never wanted to be “Florence” 😂

[@boxersandbooks]

"there are bigger fights to have and sometimes they're with yourself" man did that hit. Snaps for Gav

[@littlechicks3520]

The way you stop commentary to greet your cat is honestly adorable. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat animals and i always knew you were a good'un!

[@Bookish_Lattes]

That part really was adorable.

[@InfinitexLibrary]

Highly recommend Welcome to Nightvale, it's very like eerie fun stories from a radio host in a weird desert town. There is ALSO a podcast version of Alice isn't Dead which I highly recommend too.

[@lenrb1814]

Hi! Can you tell me that the podcast is named after? Or is it just named as the book? Thanks! :)

[@InfinitexLibrary]

@@lenrb1814 It's also called Alice Isn't Dead!

[@isaberuteuki]

I love that you made this library series! There is so much overconsumption on social media and it's so nice to see some content promoting libraries. Libraries are so important, particularly for working class people since they provide access to entertainment, information, the internet, a place to just be... And as a book lover, libraries are where my love for reading developed when I was a child. I can't stress enough how much we need to support our libraries. Loved your video as always!

[@AmandaShouldBeReading]

Jump scare because I forgot this one would start in the old house. I was sitting here like Robin Williams in Jumanji going, “What year is it?!”

[@childfreegamer8840]

In Birmingham, we probably won’t have physical libraries for much longer. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the council is bankrupt so 35 of our libraries pretty much all of them and our arts, the council wants to close it all down. Everyone keep going to your library because you seriously don’t know how long you have it for.

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

Not the Hannah Montana music 😂

[@BooksToAshes]

My little city has an INCREDIBLE library with great selections. They even allow us to rent video games along with a pretty good manga selection (if not physical than also ebooks on Libby and Hoopla). As someone who grew up poor and doesn’t have income now, libraries are literal life savers. I don’t know what I’d do without them. Thanks for promoting the use of libraries and supporting yours 🥰

[@kayceek7]

As someone whose library is one step closer to being taken away (as the vote didn't pass last month, lost by 72 votes! This is why voting on all levels matters!) as the government doesn't want to pay for it and people don't wait to pay more taxes to help pay for it. I love watching this series! The library has always been in my life and how I read most of my books. Thanks for showing how much fun the libraries are!

[@alsmirle]

i LOVE the idea of you being a little library's benefactor and donating to grow your community's collection! never a better source

[@iheartcats4life_]

Gavin if your local library has an app, you may be able to order library books within your larger system. My library system has 8 locations and they transport books between them all by requesting them online and I can pick them up at my location. That may be a thing for you too!

[@miamorgan2703]

I was thinking the same thing!

[@caspiansvensson]

I almost exclusively read library books right now. You have inspired me to do my own library challenge. But I will start in january 2025. In the Stockholm area here in Sweden we have over 40 libraries in our Capital city library system and I have never visited 37 of those. All can be reached by bus or train (the city tube) so I am gonna make a library challenge based on visiting new libraries. I haven't decided yet if I will try and visit as many of them as possible in 2025 or if I am going to mostly go to my closest and take like one excursion a month to a new library, and which 12 I will choose from the 37 I have to choose from. Maybe I will make a challenge based on the city bus and train-map. However I do it I think I will focus on exploring and enjoying getting to know each library. If I just have time to drop off books or pick up my next read in a hurry I will most likely just go to my closest city library. But, I haven't decided yet so we'll see. I am feeling inspired though.

[@katiethebookvirgo]

Gavin's videos are becoming karaoke hour for me..loving the music!

[@lisavogelsong9350]

Our libraries sound very similar. I love that my local library is small because they know me by name and will even go grab my books that I order off the shelf. I feel like I am seeing my friends when I go in. Hope you come to love your local library as much as I love mine!

[@1313AnimeFan]

I love the idea of helping your new library start a manga section!!

[@laurend6931]

I adore Night Vale! It’s one of my favorite cozy spooky listens, especially when driving. I haven’t tried Alice yet but I’ve been meaning to.

[@KatherineM-j4o]

I have started using my library more. They are having to order in books for me now! As my local fiction section is mostly Catherine Cookson! (Great books for those who love them but not for me thanks!)

[@chaptersbywonder]

Watching these videos always makes me sad as my library has literally become three bookcases and the rest an empty room. Huge love and hope you’re able to kick off the manga section in your new place too!

[@LarkandLegend]

The Lockwood & Co. books by Jonathan Stroud are fabulous middle grade. The first book is okay, but the following four are fantastic.

[@Shelf_Improvement]

That would be so great if you could start a manga section at your library! 💙

[@ButtercupBooks15]

That walking path was absolutely gorgeous!

[@sleuthytv1228]

Also Welcome to NIghtvale is a must listen!!! Amazing podcast

[@koirena]

I love my local library. I always get so excited when I see on my account that a book is ready to pick up. It also saves a lot of money, as I often pre-read books from the library and only buy ones that I absolutely love. Also, the people working in the library are really nice.

[@LenaMcMurray]

I love this! Support your libraries. This could be a great community activity if you provide the reading prompts before hand and get your book community to go out to their own local library and find books that relate to what your book of the month theme might be! The different books that people come up with would be interesting! x

[@megan2625]

My local library used to be my haven when I was a kid. It was fantastic and had a wide range of books available; I remember reading Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics, Asterix comics and so many children’s/ teen books. I’m nearly 30 now and it makes me so sad and angry to see how downhill the whole building has gone. They ‘renovated’ a few years ago and it’s become so clinical, the books somehow feel more limited and less, the young children’s section is TINY now and they’ve even put customer desks at the back for people to talk to council members and they are so LOUD; it’s a library for goodness sake why are you taking council appointments?! My home town has gone downhill in the last 20 years in every aspect, but seeing what used to be a safe space become so cold and alien just breaks my heart 😞💔

[@kathyarrr]

I absolutely love my community library and use it often not just for book loans but for adult oriented activities as well such as a monthly book club, journal club and art activities. I have made many adult friends through these opportunities. And we all know that fostering friendships as adults is difficult. So ya libraries are frickin’ awesome!

[@readingintothevoid2930]

It was so interesting differences between your library and the libraries I’ve been to in the US. Like setting your returned book on a shelf instead of dropping it into a like book chute, how many more paperbacks there were, and the plastic covering hard covers looked different. Lol library nerd observations

[@TheVictorianHours]

My local library is small and doesn’t have self checkout either. It was nice when I was at uni because the public library near me was three floors and had all the things. But it’s kind of quaint taking a book up to the librarian and having it checked out by them. Feels nostalgic 😋

[@jodissweetlife3206]

I live in a small rural town. We are fortunate to have a library a few blocks from my home. I walk there usually 3x per week returning and taking out new books. If they don’t have what I am looking for they check the library’s at the 3 neighbouring towns, or will order it in for me. 📚

[@soulfullyalex]

Alice Isn't Dead is on my list to check out. I used to listen to Welcome To Nightvale and its an incredible, weird podcast. It's one of those things where its just weird and out there, and you either love it or hate it. There are major horror aspects but its not like horror in the sense that people are running from something. They're just living their lives in the horror world. As an aside, I just want to say I picked up Kakuriyo after you read it in the first episode of this series and I am absolutely in love with the series. I've caught up to everything thats been translated so far. I also got into manga because of you. So thank you Gavin for all the amazing content and book recs!

[@courtneyr5504]

I've had a similar situation when I moved. My library now is SO much smaller and I miss my old one so much!

[@TepidShambles]

In case you didn't know, "Alice Isn't Dead" started off as a podcast as well, the book is sort of a re-telling.

[@juniebooks6113]

I love libraries. However, I would have slight anxiety right now if I didn't have self checkout at my library because I'm getting back into reading manga and am restarting some old favorites; I'm the type of person that likes to check out whole series/all published volumes so I can binge. 😅 I just got/started Tokyo Revengers by Ken Wakui, and I'm really enjoying it.

[@nidiamacedo6247]

You just inspired me to register myself in my public library. It won't be as good, not by a chance because it's Portugal, but I'm all for it. 💗

[@ReadingNymph]

Library's are great for finding books you wouldn't have picked up otherwise!

[@EviLittlefoot]

Aaaah, your vlog through your library makes me so jealous. My local library got flooded because of a pipe freezing and bursting last winter and they’ve been closed for construction ever since. Luckily we can still borrow books from them. We just can’t go into the actual library part to browse. I miss it so much. 💔 Last I heard, they won’t be done until the end of the year. 😢

[@BroadwayBabyyy744]

Judt drinking my coffee, watching book library content featuring Gavin, withva striped down Whitney remix track......needed this so much you have no idea.

[@beckyduff]

It's perfect, the first 6 months/books were at your old library, the last 6 are at the new library! That walk to the library looks beautiful & so peaceful. Your personal health/fitness goal should be to be able to do the walk home without any breaks! (No judgment from me, I'd be taking lots of breaks too!).

[@riotreads]

I love seeing libraries beside my own but then I'm like envious that I can't check them out in person. 😅 Love this library series Gavin! ❤

[@billiep1603]

You got me into One Piece and now you’ve inspired me to want to use my library LOL the Gavin effect

[@ReinaMWilliams]

Yay for libraries! Thanks for taking us along. I don't really travel anymore, but I love visiting different libraries so this was fun. I hope your new branch starts carrying manga and graphic novels. It's interesting to me how your libraries look so much more like bookstores than our system here in the SF Bay Area (California)! Also, what a beautiful walk! Some middle grade recs: The Tea Dragon series by K. O'Neill, cozy fantasy graphic novels; The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett, a witchy twist on Anne of Green Gables; Bayou Magic by Jewell Parker Rhodes, kind of magical realism; Meet Me on Mercer Street by Booki Vivat, a funny and touching story about changes in community

[@dg_reads]

Love this series and love my library!

[@rhondasruminationsonreading]

Your new library looks pretty similar to my local library - one big room. I love visiting bigger libraries when I can too. Confession time ... Gavin, I was Florence last month!! I kept a book an extra week because I wasn't done it! I was such a delinquent. But it ended up being 5⭐️, so I don't feel as bad as i should ... *hides face in shame*

[@AshWednesday06]

I live in a tiny town in the U.S. and our library is so tiny! I still love and appreciate it but we are so limited! I think the adult section has 5 shelves total, the last couple of shelves are barely filled. I try to donate as many books as I can but they also don’t have tons of room. I still love my little library, it brings me peace! 😊

[@RainbowSunny1]

The walk to the library looks so cute and cozy through the „woods“

[@apgwilym]

Best municipal library I have ever been to was Newcastle Central library, it was amazing.

[@tareegibson9351]

Hi Gav, this video made my morning. I was listening and walking with my dog amidst a beautiful sunrise. It was idyllic ❤

[@ChattieTheMadChatter]

34:15 - 😂 so satisfying i also like to reorder bookshop and library booksb into chronological order!😂💜📚

[@BroadwayBabyyy744]

Great soundtrack. Love how you edited the whole vid

[@Nina_chitchat]

its so interesting to watch the journey and you now in your new amazing home! its only a few weeks but you look way more happy than before! loved it 🌈☀💛

[@queenkim8631]

The walk to your library looks so peaceful! And it would be great if you could donate some books to your library😁

[@ph_read_be]

I got so thrown off when you were in the old house at the start! It already feels like the new house was always your home 🏡

[@Thorn_n_thistle_reads]

Love thag you can still go to a cafe nearby after the library trips

[@cleg78]

Your library where you lived before is amazing. I can’t even use my library at the moment as it is a grade 2 listed building undergoing extensive repairs after they tried to join on a glass and concrete new build that went massively wrong. I can still use borrow box but it’s not the same x

[@PistachioGold]

Oh wow the switch between houses and libraries was interesting to see in one video ❤

[@KittyAndTheBooks]

As always, when I am home with a migraine, your videos just bring me joy. Thank you.

[@SpaceyBooktrovert]

Wow, that is a modern library lol

[@zara6472]

I saw The Mars House by Natasha Pulley on display in your May library clip. I also picked it up from a library display on a whim and it turned out to be one of the best reads of the year so far (tied with The Will of the Many). My local library is a small 1 room mainly crime and general fiction books, so I've been exploring other libraries in my county. I could request books but its so much more fun to visit the libraries and browse. Thanks for the great library content

[@amethystoak9984]

This is my first video of yours and I wanted to say I LOVE the music you use while showing the b roll. And the Hannah Montana “oh whoah oh” when you left the library had me rolling 😂

[@gabbyreads]

No manga in the new library??? That’s devastating 😭😭😭 I’m so sorry for your loss

[@CandiBookishHobbit]

Love the 80’s song ❤❤ totally was singing and dancing to it

[@LourdesEsmeralda]

Your apartment feels cozy, 👁️ ❤️ it!!

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Visuals of well stocked libraries are the closest I can get to howling 😭

[@anikamercier2651]

Haha, yes extreme makeover library edition!!!

[@PeaceofthePlans]

I recently read Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei Brenyah and Binti by Nnedi Okorafor from my neighborhood library. Both were really good!

[@jordansev61]

Oh Gavin!! Welcome to Nightvale!! Please listen to it! It’s so good! … I’m pretty sure Alice Isn’t Dead is also a podcast too but I don’t know how the book and it vary … also good though!! Woohoo!! Enjoy sir 😊

[@tawnyachristensen7310]

I loved The Lighthouse Witches!

[@kittyfuggle-hops7904]

I reccommend James Herbert. 'The Fog' was a fantastic book

[@KellyB918]

I rewatched episode 1 yesterday! So happy to see the new video. I hope you are doing well Gavin! Thank you for all the videos you do. You are my happy place especially on stressful days.

[@Bonbookreviews]

At least the walk to your new library is beautiful - great for audiobook listening :) - My new library doesnt have a cafe either and its certainly a luxury you miss!

[@jamiebbooks]

I did a library reading challenge for a few years before I started doing my booktube channel,. I started in the "A"s in our local branch library's adult fiction section and was reading pretty much all the books in that section. I allowed myself to skip only a few books, so for a while I knew a lot about books whose author's last name begins with A. Might try this game again next year, but let my subscribers select the letter.

[@meikusje]

I think you might enjoy Not Quite A Ghost by Anne Ursu for your middle grade read! It's a retelling of The Yellow Wallpaper, and it sounds great. "The attic bedroom in their new house is shadowy, creaky, and wrapped in old yellow wallpaper covered with a faded tangle of twisting vines and sickly flowers. And then, after moving in, Violet falls ill-and does not get better. As days turn into weeks without any improvement, her family growing more confused and her friends wondering if she’s really sick at all, she finds herself spending more time alone in the room with the yellow wallpaper, the shadows moving in the corners, wrapping themselves around her at night. And soon, Violet starts to suspect that she might not be alone in the room at all."

[@miamorgan2703]

In New Brunswick 🇨🇦, the libraries are all connected to the same provincial collection of books. When I go to reserve a book online from home, I see its current library location and it gets shipped free of charge to me to my local library, giving us so much access. Maybe I misunderstood what you were saying, but if your library is restricted to its own shelves that is unfortunate! It is still a cute spot!

[@ellie-elles.bookshelf]

Another great video Gav! I felt the same about Open Water 👀

[@ZarinaRae]

You were right Gavin, the music in this video is top tier. 🎉

[@Hillary429]

Now we 100% need a Co-Star picks my reads vlog! It would be so unhinged!

[@ellajanis8555]

It would take me 3 hours probably to walk to my local library so 30 mins sounds good to me haha

[@lostaj7287]

It's always so interesting to see how the same story affects two people. Madita's life was turned upside down by Open Water, she brings it up in every video and Gaving dnfd it halfway thru lol. Now I want to read it too, see how I feel about it

[@Sheep_commemoi]

I have the Welcome to Nightvale book by Joseph Fink who I knew of through his podcasts. Didn't realise Alice Isn't Dead has been made into a book! I will have to check it out!

[@YW2324]

Your shelves are everything ❤. Love it

[@tuesdayblues1455]

“Alice isn’t dead” also has a podcast, I didn’t know there was also a book!

[@jordansev61]

Me neither! I listened to the podcast lol 😂

[@AmataRayne2492]

I love your library videos, Gavin. My closest one is under construction right now, and I have a huge physical TBR that I have to get to, but once I cut down on several... I want to use mine more. You asked for middle grade recs. Have you ever read Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston, the first book in a series by Esme Symes-Smith? Esme is a doll. They always put in excellent LGBTQ+ rep, including Callie, who is born a girl, but only boys can be knights... but Callie wants to be a knight! It goes through the horrors of how adults can be so stupid, close-minded and prejudiced, and kids should be kids, not to deal with not being heard. I think you would enjoy it a lot if you haven't read it. * Esme themselves is non-binary, part of the LGBTQ+ community, a bubbly little British butterfly, and just an absolute best part of humanity. You can really feel their emotions through the page. And, if you like Sir Callie, there's currently 1 additional book out (and 1 on the way come October). I believe it's only 4 books, but Es also has another series coming up too.

[@kateadale7100]

How do vloggers put down their phones/camera and walk away and just let it film i wish I knew. I just could never I do not have enough trust on people. But love my local library use ot all the time and ao glad that others enjoy their library its certainly not something anyone should take for granted

[@lhans1368]

I used to walk past this library every day.

[@OliviasCatastrophe]

Sad you didn't like open water as I loved it, but your reasons were valid!

[@delioncourt34]

i have to say i find so many great songs to add to my playlists from these vlogs so thank you for that 🤣

[@EmmaLiz1984]

I desperately miss libraries. I'm living in Dubai and we have a lovely big library, brand new books and cafe BUT you can't take any books home.. which defeats the point of a library. I miss the beautiful old buildings and musty smelling books and scanning books in and out. People should use libraries a lot more

[@No8Named8Shadow]

12:15 “I don’t want to tap a button. That’s not fun.” Goes to library and taps button.

[@FiFiReads_BookBlenderReviews]

I brought the Ghost Woods from a charity shop... i will get to reading it eventually haha :P

[@iana.2973]

Yay, Alice Isnt Dead. Thats the first time I see it pop up in a booktube video. I have not read the book yet though I own it, but I really love the podcast it is is based on. Very emotional and thoughtful. Im glad it seems like the book achieves evoking the same emotions. I think the audiobook narrator is the voice actor from the podcast too. Wonder what you would think of Jonathan Sims' books. He's also a podcast writer (and voice actor. His voice is Great). He too is quite good with themes like grief and anticapitalism, but I feel the horror is stepped up and a bit more compelling to me. He has Thirteen Storeys and Family Business out.

[@AbiofPellinor]

Kitty!! Honestly Gav, I'm here for the cats

[@olgapikul3328]

Another good one by Joseph Fink is The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home. Parts of it are in second person, but it's talking to a specific character, kind of like it is in Alice Isn't Dead. The story is told across centuries and there are pirates and conspiracies. And the story itself is beautiful and sad.

[@fanpiresam482]

Hoping we don't have any more Florence issues 👀

[@MegaCOOLBUG]

Currently in recovery from an accident - your videos make my day Gavin💕

[@AnnabelleFr]

OMG you have been there for a month already? In my brain its been like a few days o.O

[@lilyroxmysox]

a Gothic recommendation if you're looking for more is any book by Laura Purcell! i've read 2 of her books so far and gave them both 5 stars!

[@Feralcat649]

The Wishing Game is incredible!! Highly recommend!

[@heather3272]

such loud buttons on the machines! they make me so nervous at my own library that everyone is looking at me, plus I struggle with the barcode scanner it's tricky.