hi, remember me? uhhh I wouldn't... I'm gonna go with that.
this is a video and I have a bit of an update or you.
I have finally started reading things again! [oh, really? oh my god, that's so cool Kat.
thanks, I know, it's really great.] for the first half of 2021 I was in a BANANAS
reading slump. I would not recommend it. but, I have recently gotten back on my bullshit,
I'm reading things again (albeit at a much slower pace than last year, but I do not care....I
do NOT care). and uh, the BEST best part of that news is: the last four(ish) books that
I read have all been five out of five stars; which, if you know me, is unprecedented.
the other reason that this is so cool (other than, like, yay reading!) is because it means
I finally have the desire/the energy/the motivation to talk about these four(ish) books with you
because I miss getting hype about literature together. that is something that I have been
wanting to do, so the fact that I have the materials to talk about so that we can do
this ~thang~ is a delight! without further ado, four books that I read
and really liked. that is the title of this video (probably not, but in my mind at this
moment that is what this video is)....four books that I read and really liked. with Kat.
your host. me. I have my notes over here *gestures alexis
rose style* because it's been so long and I don't know how to speak to a camera anymore,
so if I keep doing this *idk head motion* that's why. uh, don't judge me. I'm fragile.
I will start with the obvious. a reread occurred. I will give you about negative seven seconds
to guess what it is... laugh at me. roll your eyes. make fun of me
in the comments. it's okay, I can take it. basically, it's a fave. I would even call
it THE fave. and, uh, no matter how far removed I am from reading this book for the first
time in high school and from that part of my life, my existence on this...space rock
that we call earth, there is always something about this book that continues to be on that
extra special level for me. Alice Oseman is like, "listen I got you. you're cool, you're
good, you're doing it, you're killing the game. let me reassure you. let me give you
a lil pat on the back. let me give you a lil warm hug, like, through the words that I wrote
in this book." *unscripted confusion*
I am so....not good at this anymore. we're gonna continue. we're gonna power through,
it's fine. I read this over the course of two or three months. I- I didn't zoom through
it or anything, but every time I felt like I needed a little bit of a boost I would pick
it up and read a few chapters. I'm gonna keep coming back to it, whenever I want to, because
that the beauty of books-- they will always be there when you need them.
I gave it five stars! (that's why it (the title) is four...ish and not four, because
we've already discussed. been here done that, but I wanted to say it again because it's
been a while since I've made a video and what would a paperbackdreams video be without a
mention of RADIO SILENCE BY ALICE OSEMAN??! you should read it. okay.
the next book is also quite guessable. I encourage you to throw your hat in the ring. ready?
set? Heartstopper volume 4! you thought it was
gonna be a different author? SIKE. *uncomfy laughs*
you know.......how it goes..... like with radio silence, I'll be kind of quick
because as with any Alice Oseman book my mouth cannot make the words good about why I enjoy
it so much. I can, however, tell you the main thing...the number one thing...that makes
this book & also all of its predecessors immediate five star for me; and why Heartstopper is
my second favorite thing (after RS) that Alice Oseman has created. This volume is the one
where the story takes a bit of a darker turn. Charlie's mental health is really on the decline.
Because of this, I was really nervous about reading this volume. I knew what was coming
from Solitaire and the novellas that go along with it. I'm happy to say, that I was pleasantly
surprised with the way that Alice chose to handle the events of this part of the story.
it was real and it was raw, yet it was not gratuitous, and that goes for any of the topics
that are approached in this series. Nick and Charlie both face a lot of moments that lead
to personal growth, and I see a lot of reviews where people say that they would prefer the
story to dig a little deeper. But, I feel the lighthearted tone that persists doesn't
overshadow the hardships that the characters go through, but a work of fiction doesn't
need to go to (ex.) A Little Life extremes to be hard hitting & to be emotional. I think this
series is a good example of that, especially as someone who relates to a lot of the things
that are covered in heartstopper, the choice to keep the portrayal of the darker shit surrounded
by more positive things and a healthy discussion is really helpful. And, that's a major reason
why I have given all the books in the series five stars and having them be a staple comfort
reads....pour moi (hello high school french??) *awk laugh*
I don't know why it's so hard to explain, but I fully wrote myself a whole ass script
for that little speech. *cue southern accent* I gave it five stars. I really enjoyed it.
I'm going to put it down now, and we are gonna move on to books that are not by Alice Oseman.
(oh my god, who'd have thunk?)
Next, the heart principle by Helen Hoang *YELL*
Ok, let's talk about how not only one, but two books that will be favorites of the year
for me are of the romance variety. we love that character development, DO WE NOT? So,
the heart principle is the third book in the trilogy by Helen Hoang (it starts with the
kiss quotient, the second one is the bride test, you've probably seen them around, you've
probably heard of..it..them...all of it. yes?) This book, will be released on August 31st.
The benevolent NetGalley gods granted me an ARC copy, and so I got to read it early, like
the lucky duck that I am. And, can I just say: y'all better get READY. y'all better
get HYPE. It is imperative to me that I convince at least one person to buy this book on Aug
31st. Get f*cking ready for it, ok? get f*cking ready. I'm swearing now because I'm jazzed
(she says, like that's the only reason) but I am jazzed for a reason!!! ARMS.
full honesty moment: I was a little nervous to read this because neither of the previous
two books were my favorite things...ever, so like this series and I have had a kind
of wobbly relationship. The heart principle? *AH* really said "f*ck your expectations,
Katherine" and then it proceeded to absolutely ruin my life. I wrote a whole review about
the book, so I'm kind of going to just regurgitate..uh, and baby bird you some bits of that (literally
could not have put that in a grosser way, sorry lol)
*incoherent words* [I just really want ppl to want to read this]
So, the story follows Anna. She is a professional violinist who is experiencing creative burnout
after a video of her performing goes viral on YouTube *pause for fake violin skillz* because
that's definitely how that looks. I was a band kid, you can tell. she is really struggling
with her professional life. at the same time, her long term serious boyfriend floats the
idea of opening up their relationship, because while he says he wants to marry her, he also
wants to make sure before he pops the question that he's not gonna have any "regrets". so,
Anna uses her new status of relationship freedom to shake things up in her romantic life, and
that leads her to tattooed motorcycle-riding QUAN (who we know and love from previous books)!!
Their relationship starts off pretty slow, but they won me over ridiculously fast. I
was all in SPEEDY quick. *YELL* I'm a cold hearted bitch. It takes a lot to
make me feel, yet this book really yanked me through the wringer. The sheer amount of
love and trust between Quan and Anna....they had the most sweet and swoonworthy energy.
I just-- AHHHHHH. Not only together were they immaculate, but their own individual plot
lines, their own fights for self-acceptance and happiness had me f*cking leveled from
page one. I ALMOST cried??? that should tell you something...I genuinely think that this
is Helen Hoang's strongest book to date. I- I- just-- it was so f*cking good. I cannot
say that enough (clearly). I'm being a little vague, just a smidge, because I never know
how much I should say when it comes to an ARC. Like, I don't want to accidentally say
too much because the book isn't even out yet. but, there's a little more info in my written
review, and hopefully this will suffice. Anyway, Aug 31st. I implore you: mark that shit down
on your calendar. buy it, borrow it, find a stray copy on the side of the road to take
home and enjoy, just f*cking read it! thank you so much [that was very aggressive im so
sorry].
The last book is They Never LEARN by Layne Fargo. *hits floor* IT IS SO F*CKING GOOD.
I'm calling all my "good for her" cinematic universe fans, this one right here? this one's
for you. I am someone who has encountered a lot of stories that fall under the "good
for her" label. some of them I love, some of them I hate with a fiery passion...it is
a very subjective subgenre. it is something where, like, in my experience not all titles
are going to work for every one person. that still remains true, here, in this case. however
COMMA, this is probably the most widely palatable "good for her" revenge story that I have come
across. it is hard to imagine someone not liking this a little bit (if they're open
to that type of plot line). What is it about? good question. the book
follows Scarlett. she is a college English professor who hunts and kills men in her spare
time. she finds the worst of the worst-- men who are rapists, abusers, stalkers, etc, you
name it-- people who are getting away with things they should not be getting away with.
she f*cking makes them pay. at the same time, you've got another POV, which is Carly. she's
a college freshman on the same campus that Scarlett teaches at, and she is just trying
to make it through her first year. so when she befriends her roommate Allison, and Allison
ends up being sexually assaulted at a party, Carly becomes obsessed with getting justice
& making her fantasies for revenge a reality. you can see how those two storylines might
interconnect. I will now give you three reasons why this
book broke my brain, metaphorically kicked the shit out of me, is one of the best books
that I've read this year (so far), and why it might be the same for you. who's to say?
I don't know. number one: there are a lot of similarities
in this narrative to the wildly popular film, Promising Young Woman. I personally did NOT
like PYW, so much so that I wrote a term paper last semester partially roasting the shit
out of it. unfortunately, that endeavor meant that I had to watch PYW multiple times, and
then stew in my dislike for it for weeks at a time until I was able to coherently form
thoughts. I couldn't, you know, write "f*ck this f*cking bullsh*t" over and over again
because that wouldn't get me the grade that I wanted. fair enough. this book was a balm.
it was a *struggles to say salve* *unscripted confusion again*
this book was a balm. it was a salve. it was the aloe motherf*cking vera that the burn
from repeat viewings of PYW that I had needed to heal. it is what that movie could have
(and one could argue SHOULD have) been. I will not elaborate further.
Secondly: outside of what this book actually covers, it is a well-crafted thriller. there
was a twist [no spoilers] a twist that made total and complete sense, and I was so confident
that the book was gonna go in a certain direction, but then Layne Fargo said, "bitch, you thought"
and then played me like a goddamn piano. I physically had to put the book down, I audibly
said WHAT, and I think it is one of those twists that is SO well done that even if you
do see it coming (at whatever point in the story it happens) it won't diminish your overall
enjoyment. Number three: there is a romantic subplot
that REALLY made this something special! I have seen people compare this to Killing Eve,
which based on my very very loose knowledge of that show, is 100% accurate. there are two
women in They Never Learn who make up probably one of the most powerful duos I've read in
a long time, and I don't even have the words to describe what they did to me. *screams
to show how I don't have the words* you know? Yeah, so that's the end of that review. in conclusion,
you should read this book. or don't, but like, it's my video so I'm gonna end it with a forceful
*hits camera* read it!!
Alright, so those are the four(ish) books that I had to talk about. hopefully you enjoyed
this video and that is all that I have to say. I think I'm done talking now. I don't
have an outro....okay, bye!