our favorite books battle it out march madness style

Welcome back!
We traded our basketballs for books a long time ago, so we thought it was only fitting to pit some of our favorite books against each other! All of these books are dear to our hearts, so some of these decisions were pretty tough! Let us know your thoughts on our choices in the comments.
As always, thanks for watching! We love having you in our little readers corner!
The challengers:
At Night All Blood Is Black - David Diop
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid
Transcendent Kingdom - Yaa Gyasi
Swing Time - Zadie Smith
Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng
Alone With You in the Ether - Olivie Blake
If An Egyptian Cannot Speak English - Noor Naga
Foster - Claire Keegan
Piranesi - Susanna Clarke
Panenka - Rónán Hession
Elektra - Jennifer Saint
Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
#booktube #booklover #blackbooktubers #literaryfiction #bookreview #marchmadness #bookduo #classicbooks

[@dobetterwithchristian4472]

Basketball! 🏀😂

[@andtheywerereaders]

SPORTS! 🏈⚽️🏀

[@LibrariesandLattes]

That final decision was so stressful for everyone 😆 So happy to see Tomorrow x3 so high on the list and you’ve definitely convinced me to read Piranesi!!

[@andtheywerereaders]

All of these books are amazing! Tomorrow x3 deserves all of its hype, but the real win is swaying you to read Piranesi

[@LibrariesandLattes]

@@andtheywerereaders for sure!! It’s been on my list for a while but I’ll definitely try to bump it up now!

[@katiejlumsden]

Excellent decision 😊 I loved Piranesi so much.

[@andtheywerereaders]

Thanks! This video was clearly just a ploy to talk about Piranesi lol

[@elledeq]

I was just watching basketball when this popped up :)) Madness!

[@andtheywerereaders]

Some would even call it March Madness ;)

[@tealorturquoise]

That was fun! Also, sports.

[@andtheywerereaders]

SPORTS

[@Idkwhat56]

That was so much fun!! I recently bought a copy of Piranesi and now I’m more intrigued to read it 💕

[@andtheywerereaders]

Thanks for watching! Definitely do and let us know what you think (unless you hate it lol)

[@alagatorinae]

Loved this video idea! I finished Piranesi about two month ago and still cannot stop thinking about it! I was absolutely crushed when I lent the book to my sister and she returned it because it "wasn't her reading style"💔 Still recommending it to everyone I know lol. I also think it will become a classic. Loved hearing you discuss this book as I find it doesn't get enough love!

[@andtheywerereaders]

We absolutely adore Piranesi. It's tough when a recommendation falls flat, but it's comes with the territory haha. Thanks for watching!

[@samantharose1001]

“I think sports are cool! I just don’t watch them.” 😂 relatable this whole video was so well done and fun!!! I enjoyed the whiteboard 💛

[@samantharose1001]

Piranesi Is such a special book!!

[@andtheywerereaders]

Thank you so much!!! We enjoyed the whiteboard too. Maybe it will make a reappearance in the future

[@andtheywerereaders]

the people that get it, get it

[@storiesbydesirae]

You guys sold me on Piranesi. I'm definitely adding it to my list. Also, I'd definitely be down for a video where you both share your other interests!! :)

[@andtheywerereaders]

Crossing our fingers that you enjoy it! We’ll definitely do a video about us down the line

[@jackiesliterarycorner]

I read Piranesi last year, and loved it. I read, because I hadn't finished her other book Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, because over 800 pages.

[@andtheywerereaders]

Any book over 800 pages is pretty scary. Happy you love Piranesi as much as we do

[@Loganfry10]

Not me emotionally invested in + rooting for Tx3 and feeling so defeated by your choice having never read Piranesi 😆

[@andtheywerereaders]

Tx3 as a runner up is pretty solid tho! Sierra almost took it from me at stage 1. Would’ve been devastating

[@janinejohnson1898]

I really like your channel. I often listen usually on the go. Any chance to list your reads in description box? Just a thought.

[@andtheywerereaders]

Absolutely we can! I’ll get on that - thanks for the suggestion!

[@DogEaredMusings]

Need to pick up a copy of Panenka!

[@andtheywerereaders]

Absolutely! I want that book cover as a painting for my wall

[@lindysmagpiereads]

The heart decides. That’s a great approach to rating books. 😊

[@andtheywerereaders]

It honestly was a beautiful moment 🥹

[@KierTheScrivener]

Transcendent Kingdom deserves all the love! Gatsby is one of my favourite classics but Dorian Gray was hard for me to finish (but I knew the story beforehand). I love tgis so much!

[@andtheywerereaders]

Transcendent Kingdom definitely deserves more hype!

[@scottieshereereads]

I live for the banter in your videos 🤣 This also lets me know that I have to pick up Piranesi ASAP haha

[@andtheywerereaders]

We’ll try to keep providing the banter lol. Let us know what you think of Piranesi!

[@lefttoread]

What a fun watch 🤣 I own Piranesi and now I feel like I HAVE to pick it up soon!

[@andtheywerereaders]

Jealous that you get to experience reading it for the first time. Let us know what you think!

[@YourTrueShelf]

Brilliant to watch, so fun 😊 I have added books to my wishlist - at night all blood is black, if an Egyptian cannot speak English, and alone with you in the ether. So thank you!! Controversial opinion time - I gave Gatsby and Dorian 3*... Maybe I should give them a second chance!! Piranesi was 4* for me, Transcendent Kingdom 4*, lessons is chemistry 5*. As a woman in a STEM career, with children, I could really appreciate Elizabeth Zott. I have 7 husbands and swing time on my shelves, waiting to be read.

[@andtheywerereaders]

I would pay a lot of money to be able to read if an Egyptian cannot speak English for the first time again. All bookish opinions are welcome! We love seeing what other people think about the books we discuss, so thanks for sharing! Also love that you could relate with Elizabeth Zott so much. We love women in STEM!

[@BonnieNicoleWrites]

SUCH a fun idea!!! Loved hearing you guys discuss the books and battle it out. I've been so curious by your top choice (not going to mention it and spoil it in the comments!) but so intimidated. by it for some reason You have convinced me to add it to my TBR!

[@andtheywerereaders]

Battling it out was stressful sometimes haha! Obviously we love that book, so let us know what you think if you decide to read it.

[@MLLatUtube]

This was fun to watch! And I agree - Piranesi is a great book.

[@andtheywerereaders]

Thanks for watching!

[@samantharose1001]

I loved Swing Time!! I do think about it every so often

[@andtheywerereaders]

Swing Time is solid, for sure!

[@prettyinpink9893]

Ahh I loved the discussion!

[@andtheywerereaders]

Thank you! We had a blast!

[@zoekirk8767]

I’m doing something similar to this but with the books I’ve read/will read this year! Right now it’s just my February reads, cause I haven’t finished my March ones and I don’t remember what I read in January lol! Also this video was such good vibes, you both are so funny and amazing!!

[@andtheywerereaders]

No, you're amazing! haha it was super fun to do and we had a blast discussing the books with each other

[@josmith5992]

The pain of choosing! 😩 Not sure I could do the same with my favorites, even a top ten best of list is beyond me so kudos for biting lips and conceding, or not 😉okay, okay, I’ll read Piranesi! 😜

[@andtheywerereaders]

Pain is right! This video was just an excuse to tell our community to read Piranesi 🤣

[@azu_rikka]

This was 33 minutes of grinning and laughing for me😂. I would have liked Transcendent Kingdom to win, though I also love Piranesi and find it very special...

[@andtheywerereaders]

We’re so happy you enjoyed! Transcendent Kingdom is phenomenal - even if I don’t remember it entirely 😅 - Jon

[@Thecatladybooknook_PennyD]

❤🎉

[@esjaymusings]

have you watched lessons in chemistry show?? it's so so so beautiful. i cried.

[@andtheywerereaders]

I think Sierra may have watched it. I’ve only seen the first episode so far, but I need to get back to it - jon

[@Rykel_R]

Sierra, have you read The Housekeeper and The Professor by Yoko Ogowa? It's maths and literature 🤍

[@andtheywerereaders]

Adding it to the list IMMEDIATELY. I read The Memory Police by that author, but this sounds perfect for me! -Sierra