I haven't done this vlogging thing in a while, and I'm feeling pretty weird about
it. But hi! I'm gonna watch where I'm going when I cross the road. Anyway. It is
Sunday evening here in Melbourne, and I am going to a book event! The gorgeous
Amy* from polyreads? Polyana reads? Poly... ah fuck me I don't know. I'm just
gonna put it here, and then you'll know. She has organised a charity book swap
where we bring along a book and some gold coins, and swap them around, and
raise money for a charity that I'll also put here cause I've forgotten what it is... Anyway I'm going to that
tonight, and I'm gonna be meeting some Melbourne BookTubers, and other
Melbourne bookish people, and I'm gonna try and remember to film it as I do it,
so that you guys can see a bit of the Australian-Melbourne bookish community!
It's gonna be great! Alrighty, we're at the thing that I
told you about earlier, with the lovely lady who organised it.
A: Hi! J: It's Amy!
A: It's Amy. J: From polyreader.
J: Tell us about what we're doing as well, because I forgot to explain it properly. A: Okay.
A: So, raising money for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, for NAIDOC week, which is right now.
J: Tell me about the books that you got for yourself today!
A: I can't even remember what I got to be honest. J: You got so many books!
A: Lots of Australian fiction, which is usually what I go for,
lots of female writers, and lots of Stella Prize winners, and Stella Prize nominations.
J: Damn. A: That's pretty much it.
J: You are the reader I aspire to be. A: Haha.
J: That's amazing. A: The lighting is so bad!
A: It's all shadowy. J: I know! Like, shadows and shit everywhere.
J: It's all because of these things on the ceiling. The olive branches are ruining our lighting!
P: Hello! where's your camera I keep forgetting. J: It's there.
P: Oh over there. J: It's this lil thing here. P: Hi!
J: Remember Pip! Pip is the girl that I keep trying to make be my friend!
P: It's working! J: It's working?!
J: Tell us about the books that you've got, Pip!
P: Oh my god, I have so many guys, like, this is the situation right now.
P: A couple of them I've already read. We've got, like, a couple of plays which are looking
pretty good, we've got Sourdough, from.. Matthew ??? I think suggested that one?
J: Okay! P: And then we've got this one. J: Which I forced her to get!
P: Yeah! Yeah, and then I've got some more. J: Another one that I forced her to get!
P: There's too many! There's too many good books! J: I'm kind of bullying you into getting all the books
that I want you to read! P: Oh, that's totally fine! J: Speaking of which! P: Yes?
J: I want you to choose some books for me. P: Ooh!
J: If there's any around, that you've seen, that you think I should read.
P: Okay! J: That's what you should do. P: I'm definitely gonna find you some!
J: Yeah! P: Just one?
J: Yeah, well any! All! P: Yeah. We'll keep it easy!
J: As many as you want! Do it!
J: Hi guys! A: Hello! J: I'm just attacking everyone that I meet here tonight!
J: This is Alyce. A: Sup!
J: From a channel, that neither of us can remember. A: I can't remember
J: But I will put it somewhere when the time comes. A: Haha, yeah!
J: Tell us about the books you've found today! A: Okay, sure!
A: I'm... getting books that I have already read. J: I... I live that life. I live that life.
A:The Amber Spyglass, just because my copy doesn't match the other two in the series, and
it's really bugged me so I'm really happy I found this! J: I know that feel!
A: The screenplay of Sense and Sensibility! J: Screenplay?! Wow! A: Yeah!
A: I like reading screenplays. J: Is that from the..? A: From the movie version
J: From the Emma.. Emma Thompson movie? A: Yeah, Emma Thompson.
J: Wow! Keen! A: So I'm doing that.
A: And then, um, the Call The Midwife Trilogy. J: Nice! Good choices!
A: I love the show, I've read all the books. I'm getting it for my nan who I know will appreciate it.
J: I like your style. A: Yeah I just... I already have so many books
on my shelf that I still need to read, that I'm trying to get ones that I don't have to add to the pile!
J: What is this dilemma? P: I can't take home this many books!
J: Why not? P: Because my bank balance will be sad, and my shelves will be even sadder!
J: Oh no! P: I know! I have like a 'one in one out' policy guys! So I need to, like, really think hard about this!
J: Okay. What are you... what are you considering? P: Well, I'm thinking I've already read The Power.
P: And, like, what if I leave that one for other people to, you know, enjoy for the first time?
P: That seems like a nice idea. But then out of all the rest I've got, I don't know!
P: Okay, hang on, maybe you can help me. Out of these two, which one?
J: Oh no! You can't do this to me! P: I know I'm making her choose between her babies!
J: You literally are! P: Mmm hmm! J: Okay, well, I can.. I can actually lend you
The No. One Ladies Detective Agency. P: Ooh. Good compromise, good compromise!
J: So maybe The Buried Giant because I genuinely... like, this is a book that I know you will love,
and that is a book that I want you to love. P: Okay. Alright! I'm into it!
P: So that one's pretty easy then, I'll get that one!
P: And then there's all these plays. Which, some of them I have studied, some of them
I've worked on, and some of them I have very fond memories of, and some of them I really really don't!
But I'm just like "Ahh but I kind of want them," you know? J: Nostalgia!
J: Nostalgia, right?! P: Yeah it's the nostalgia.
P: This one is such a nice copy though guys. Like, you can't tell but it just feels really nice! It's got a
really nice feel. Oh you can't feel it either, because you're- J: I can't feel it cause I'm holding wine!
J: So I'll just have to trust her... P: Yeah, she's got her priorities right!
J: Wine or books!
P: Okay it's looking like these three, guys! J: Nice! P: I think so!
J: I think we've figured it out. Good problem solving. P: Definitely those two.
J: What else have you got there? Oh Sourdough, that's right, you told me about that.
P: Yeah it looks interesting! J: Noice!
P: And it's floppy, ya know? Like, it's... J: Hahah. Gotta love a floppy book!
J: I'm back home from the thing and I have a friend! H: Hello!
J: This is Heidi! H: Jeez I'm on video now!
J: Yeah you are! You have now been introduced to the world of BookTube!
J: Heidi is a gorgeous friend! She sings, she's smart, she wants to be a librarian.
J: I keep telling her that she should join BookTube. H: Eventually! It'll happen.
J: We're gonna start, like a soft launch with her on my channel!
J: And then we'll do a hard launch later, and it'll be great. I'm gonna get you on there!
J: Anyway I'm gonna show you the books that I got
from the book swap, and Heidi's gonna hang out as well, while we do it. It's gonna be great!
J: So what should we start with? H: Your pretty ones!
J: The pretty ones! We're gonna start with the pretty ones!
J: I found these two amazing vintage copies of... just random books?
I didn't even look at the titles, I just got them.
But we've got Under The Greenwood Tree, which is by Tom Hardy,
which is one that my grandparents have told me I should read anyway. H: Ooh!
J: And selections from Wordsworth! Which is, like... he's poetry and stuff, right? H: Yeah.
J: Yeah! So both of them are ones that I actually really want to read. But just look how pretty!
Look! Look at how pretty!
Then we have two prize-related books that I'm curious about.
One of them was A Case of Exploding Mangoes. There's Heidi in the corner.
Let's.... *pterodactyl noises* .. my arm isn't long enough.
A Case of Exploding Mangoes. I saw the title on the spine and was like 'this is a hilarious title.'
And then I picked it up, and saw that it's been like shortlisted and long-listed
for all kinds of things, and it actually sounds kind of interesting, so that's cool!
H: It looks pretty good! J: Then Elise, who you saw on the vlog earlier,
told me that I should definitely get this book, which is a Stella prize... winner?
J: So that's pretty cool. H: It sounds pretty cool. I saw the word 'dystopian' and was like 'tell me more!'
J: Right?! Right! And then Pip from Pip Reads I made her choose a book for me and she chose this.
The Light Between Oceans. Which is another book that I've heard and seen
around, all over the place, and I've been told that I should read. And so that's
cool. And then last, but definitely not least, we have a random memoir... Cause
he's written a few, right? H: I think he's written a few..?
J: There was another one there, that was a different title that I... so...
Anyway, memoir by Stephen Fry. Who is officially my celebrity crush. Basically.
J: I think he's amazing H: He's pretty cool.
J: He's amazingly eloqu-- J: Eloqq. Pfft. I'm not.
J: Eloquent and articulate. Two things which I'm not being now, because I
drank too much mulled wine. I've just been fascinated with his life
and everything that he has to say on almost every topic ever.
J: So... H: I love listening to him talk. J: Right?! He's so pretty.
H: And, like, narrating books. J: Yes! H: He should just be the narrator for everything.
J: He should! So I got that too, and that's my.. I.. I came home with more books than I went there with.
J: Anyway. Now that I've introduced you to Heidi. And Dave
D: Who's this? J: This is BookTube. Say hi to BookTube. D: Oh, hello book shoes.
D: Book shoes? J: Book... yes.
J: BookTube. Like YouTube, but for books.
D: BookTube! Hello BookTube. J: Yeah. There he is.
J: I'm gonna do a video with him soon. Now it's official. It's on a video. I've made the promise.
We have to keep the promise now.
J: I'm... this is terrible filming on my part. I don't think I've ever filmed a
video like this before...
H: There's a first time for everything! J: Right?! Anyway. So as you can see
I have a guest. So I should stop being a weirdo on camera, and say goodbye.
I hope you enjoyed meeting some Melbourne BookTubers at this Melbourne BookTube (kind of) event.
And seeing the books that we chose, and things. We'll be doing some more collabs with you soon, it's gonna be
great. I will see you for another video very shortly, I'm sure. And until then, as
always, stay classic!