we answer 20 bookish questions | booktag

[@EricKarlAnderson]

I’ve been loving watching your videos. What a great energy and rapport you have! So happy you mentioned Claudia Piniero, Sierra! 🥰

[@andtheywerereaders]

Awww thanks so much for watching! Happy to have you here!

[@francescakyanda9182]

Sierra talking about the flop factor of paperbacks made me feel so seen

[@andtheywerereaders]

Flop factor is so incredibly important - we got you

[@mirandahermes2554]

It's so funny, I seriously love watching you guys even though I would say we don't have similar interests. I mostly read fantasy and obscure books. But you guys have really awesome vibes and I can feel the passion.

[@andtheywerereaders]

That's so kind! Thanks for hanging out with us even though we may not read the same types of books. If you could pick three fantasy books to recommend, what would they be? Trying to expand our horizons

[@collected-stories]

So agree with the Becky Chambers and the Verity picks. Also will probably be adding many of these books to my TBR! Thanks!

[@andtheywerereaders]

Woo hoo! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts :) -Sierra

[@LibrariesandLattes]

Ahhh I absolutely loved Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow!!! I’m Glad My Mom Died was great too. And I guess I need to read Open Water since y’all love it so much 😆

[@andtheywerereaders]

Right?!?! Tomorrow x3 was so good. One of those books that you have to tell everyone to read. Let us know what you think of Open Water if you ever read it! - Jon

[@LibrariesandLattes]

@@andtheywerereaders yes it really is!! I will report back about Open Water 😆👍

[@KierTheScrivener]

I always listen to music with lyrics and everyone thinks I'm crazy. So here for the multiple things doing on when reading

[@andtheywerereaders]

My brain could never - jon

[@BonnieNicoleWrites]

Fun tag!! I also really like The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and The Picture of Dorian Gray. I can't listen to music with lyrics while I read. Sometimes if there's classical or lofi it's okay. But I do like just plain quiet the best.

[@andtheywerereaders]

There's a lot to be said for reading in silence. Definitely underrated at times

[@anasofiaaceves]

You guys are so fun! Also, I love all the books you mention. I can't wait to add them to my tbr

[@andtheywerereaders]

Thank youuuu! Can't wait to hear what you think of them!

[@BookDateYoutube]

Love your guy's vibe! We've gotta try out this tag, looks like so much fun. So many books I'm adding to my TBR

[@andtheywerereaders]

Definitely give it a shot. It's coo to see how the answers align or differ!

[@ednalee906]

I agree with you on Where The Crawdads Sing, I read it and was like why is everyone crazy about this book. I have no plans on ever watching the movie.

[@andtheywerereaders]

Yeah, I really wanted to like it! It definitely wasn’t terrible, just wasn’t for me (or you lol)

[@KierTheScrivener]

Ahhh Aang! 😍

[@andtheywerereaders]

I’m kinda maybe a little obsessed with avatar - Jon

[@YourTrueShelf]

I'm still feeling so happy I met Caleb Azumah Nelson 🎉 he was soo nice. Favourite book is so hard. I looked back through all my 5* reads on storygraph and wondered what on earth I was thinking for some of them 😂 consistent favourites that I re-read are A thousand splendid suns by Khalid Housseini and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I feel like you need to read a book more than once to make sure it's a favourite. Favourites feel like 6* books to me. Favourite non fic is the seat of the soul by Gary Zukav. Maybe I should just do this tag in full 😊

[@andtheywerereaders]

Wow! Love that you got to meet him. And I still have to read both of those books, but SO many people in my life love them. I gotta do it soon!! I haven't heard of the Seat for the Soul -- adding it to the list! -Sierra

[@josmith5992]

You two have way too much fun filming 😉 Favorite author and book are almost impossible to answer so I feel your pain! I like the flop factor but hardbacks are good for bigger type and older eyes 😉 I’m a silence while reading kind of person but have heard that thing about noise making you focus harder 🤔

[@andtheywerereaders]

Guilty! We love filming! Very good point on the hardbacks. Silence with reading definitely has its place - the peaceful vibes are immaculate!

[@WhyNot-WhyNott]

❤❤❤

[@andtheywerereaders]

[@AvidMari23]

The Spanish was spot on!!!! ❤

[@andtheywerereaders]

haha muchisimas gracias

[@azu_rikka]

My most recent dnf will shock both of you😂: Open Water, page 67. Yes, sad but true. I've heard so many good things from people with very similar reading taste to mine. For me, the writing style is over the top, dramatic. And I didn't like the premise, hesitant boy that can't man up and decides to hang around his girl/friend, hoping that things will change. It made me cringe, so I gave up. Transcendent Kingdom is in my top 5 reads of the last 5 years.

[@andtheywerereaders]

Oh dang! Fair enough. That's what I love -- books are enjoyed differently by everyone! :) And yes, Transcendent Kingdom is powerful! -Sierra

[@moonlight-sunriize]

20:40 for me, because I read *mainly* romance (the angsty, emotional ones tend to be my cup of tea lol), I tend to listen to sad love songs and I view it as similar to watching a show or movie where it's a scene and the music/song playing in the background of that scene just heightens the emotions even more of said scene- that's where my mind goes when it comes to me listening to music while reading a book.

[@andtheywerereaders]

ah I can see that - you just read with a soundtrack. That's dope!

[@eliotopian]

I almost never read a series. ill often read a book 1, and just pretend its a standalone with a very open ending leading my imagination into the future for the story lol

[@andtheywerereaders]

SAME -Sierra

[@_sydchats_]

I’m so interested to hear your thoughts on The Tenant Of Wildfell Hall Sierra! I just started reading it and I’m really enjoying it so far. I also am a huge Caleb Azumah Nelson stan

[@andtheywerereaders]

I’m gonna re-read Tenant, and it will have its *moment* on our channel 😂 -Sierra

[@seandmckinley]

Yes, please do a Becky Chambers video. I loved Monk & Robot #1, but hated Monk & Robot #2. So much so that I don't even want to read her other series now. I need you to convince me again to try it.

[@andtheywerereaders]

Fair enough! I will read more and report back 🫡 -Sierra

[@magpie9340]

Being a library worker has taught me the very true and literal meaning of people using anything as a way to save their place in a book 😂 honestly not complaining either, keeps things interesting lol Love watching y'alls videos! 😊 -For me 3 books in a series is pristine -Rude but also I get it -Hardback so I can clip my reading light onto it and read far past my bedtime and be exhausted the next day but being ok with it because it was worth it -Non-Fiction: Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah Fiction: The Wild Robot by Peter Brown (audiobook is mesmerizing) -Depends but mostly no -Argylle by Elly Conway (ran out of time) -What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama, translated by Alison Watts & Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson -Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (recommended it to a patron at the library looking for a Dune read-a-like) -Aeneid by Virgil -Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson -Shakespeare mainly because I have read the majority of his works than any other author -Borrow then buy if I liked it 😊 -I definitely know there are books that I have put down upset and disappointed about but I think I have mentally blocked them out of existence in my brain -Bookmarks -Abarat by Clive Barker or The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien -I have to have background music without lyrics while reading -Depends -Multiple days -The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai, translated by Jesse Kirkwood

[@andtheywerereaders]

Lol... I'm so curious about the weirdest thing you've found! And great choices. Will have to look more into so many of these!

[@lefttoread]

I guess I really need to read Open Water 😂 Also, the series thing.. I love a series! I'm currently reading The Wheel of Time series which I believe is a 14 book series, also two of my favourite thriller series, Will Trent by Karin Slaughter and Robert Hunter by Chris Carter are both detective series with at least 10 books each and they're still going 😅

[@andtheywerereaders]

WOW! Maybe we need to venture into the world of book series. Percy Jackson was great for me, but I wonder how far I can make it when nostalgia isn't a motivating factor. - Jon

[@TheFallonDynasty]

I love your banter. I'm on book 4 of a 6 book series and I'm sad that there are only 6. Lucky for me there are a couple other series that are connected. I can't deal with a cliff hanger without a follow up book. I'm Glad My Mom Died is on my TBR, I have to try a Caleb Azumah Nelson book. Oh and most of the time when I'm dozing off, I have one of those falling dreams.

[@andtheywerereaders]

Ooo what series is it? Definitely give our boi Caleb a shot and let us know what you think. I'm reading a fantasy-ish book right now and am starting to understand why a series could be enticing. - Jon

[@TheFallonDynasty]

@andtheywerereaders I'm reading the "Ethic" series by Ashley Antoinette. It's raw street fiction that has no mercy on anyone yet so addicting wishing the best for main character Ethic.

[@supuchan]

You guys are lovely! I really enjoy your videos, so many great recommendations. Now I feel like I really need to read Open Water 😂 I always find it hard to name a favourite, but I guess the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and the Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez are up there for me

[@andtheywerereaders]

Lol I didn't realize how much we spoke about Open Water until I rewatched! And right?! So hard to name a favorite... -Sierra

[@ddkfavorites]

Check out To Be Taught, If Fortunate. It was my first Becky Chambers book. I literally couldn't put it down.

[@andtheywerereaders]

Will do!! I can't wait to get to another unputdownable Becky Chambers :) -Sierra

[@renee1292]

Bookmarks not dogears. Fave author: Jodi Picoult. DNF: Killers of the Flower Moon. Number of books in a series depends on how much I like the characters.

[@andtheywerereaders]

Interesting! I've heard Killers of the Flow Moon is a great movie. Gotta look into Jodi Picoult. Thanks for letting us know some of your answers!

[@renee1292]

@@andtheywerereaders Yes, I heard good things about the movie too. I do plan to watch it.

[@DogEaredMusings]

John-you may already have read this, but if you liked I’m Glad My mom Died-you may have also like Crying in H Mart :)

[@andtheywerereaders]

You know me! I have read it, and I enjoyed it! I was left feeling both sad and hungry, so mission accomplished