I love watching Emily’s videos. She has a tendency to not get on well with books dealing with SA. I’ve learned that just because she didn’t like a book with it doesn’t mean that I won’t. That’s something I don’t find personally triggering as long as the author is using it judiciously and isn’t glorifying it.

That's such a fun concept! I might have to do it too

I love this concept! Just so you know, Jack did indeed finish Pachinko. He just switched to Storygraph. He gave it a 3.75 lol

I think the worst part about mowing is getting the mower to start haha! Also that grilled cheese looked scrumptious!

Hmm, I think I will remove Weyward from my Goodreads TBR based on your review and Emily's DNF. I know that the SA and suicidal ideation will be too triggering for me. And I will put off Pachinko, which I own and do want to read, until I can take the heavy material and long length. Excellent choice for a video, Jesse. I'd be interested in you trying this again.

Ohh yay! I'm glad you did Emily's! I love watching her! I know you've been saying that you've been wanting to read more sci-fi, and Emily reads quite a bit of sci-fi, so you might find some recs in her videos 👀 Especially because she always mentions when a book is beginner friendly in regards to the genre.

Love love the little nature moments in between. So calming and relaxing.

Always love your Vlogs! You have such a great eye for those b-roll aesthetics Really enjoyed seeing you try to guess why the books were DNFed and then hearing your own thoughts on them! I've only DNFed one book so far this year - "Sun of Blood and Ruin". I was *so* excited for a fantasy Zorro retelling, but the plot and characters were just not it for me.

Yay for Emily!! I love her content, both books and the kittens hehe I just DNFed The Atlas Complex. I won’t go back to it bc I decided to read spoilers to see how it would end, but I was so disappointed it wasn’t working for me. Weyward and Pachinko are on my TBR, especially Weyward as I own it. I read Bloodmarked but decided to DNF the series. I don’t remember much now but I know at the time I thought it didn’t compare to book 1 and wasn’t liking the direction of the story so I got rid of my copies and won’t continue.

Yo, what I found off with Bree was how often she is crying. I don't think it was necessarily because she shouldn't have been crying-because damn her tears were valid-but maybe because everytime she did cry, someone else had to swoop in to pick her up. Which gave the side characters time to shine but also meant Bree’s inner strength never got a chance to fully bloom outwards on her own terms. Like if it did it was a surge of power she felt guilty for and then she'd cry about it and someone would come with words of wisdom to comfort her….

Don't think I ever comment on your video 😶‍🌫 but I love your channel since 2 or 3 years now & I HAVE TO comment in these one because of Pachinco 🥰 This was one of my favorite book of 2022, and I just want to advise the adaptation to you ! The series doesn't adapt all the book (I think it's suppose to have an 2nd season one day xD) but it's pretty amazing anyway. The cast is perfect and the aesthetic of the show is so beautiful ! (sorry if my English is bad, I'm French and my "English-brain" isn't working today 😅)

I've really been enjoying this style of reading vlogs! Always fun!

I am really enjoying the aspect of these videos where you try to guess the other person's thoughts and reasonings :)

Such a fun concept! I hope you end up doing more

Oh your shelves so beautifully organized!

Your editing is beautiful as always!

Yaaaay i love the vlog content, thank you for taking us on an adventure with you.

Great choices, love the video concept. Really like hiw you edit your videos. (The beautiful red bird!)

Your videos give me so much joy!

TWISTED WONDERLAND JUMPSCARE was not expecting to hear that title here lmaooo that mobile game has been my fixation for a couple years now 😅 the manga is an incredible adaptation to the game, i really hope you enjoy your time when you get to reading it!! 💕

Love your editing on this video. Your pacing was great. Also love your analysis. Great job as usual, Jesse :)

I'm glad booktubers are putting those trigger warnings out there; Weyward is on my physical TBR, but I didn't know it had that much heavy content. Still looking forward to reading it, but thanks so much for the warning! The last book I DNF'd was "The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels."

Such a cool video concept!

Love this idea!! I read Pachinko last year and dnf'd it too. I loved it sooo much, I did not mind the history info dumping lol. The reason I dnf'd this is that last third of the book. I relate to jack on that bit, there was way too much going on, too many new characters introduced in a "rushed" way, around the part where Haruki's wife discovers him in that park, it became overwhelming after that. But I am rereading it rn, slowly and i plan on finishing it this time after watching the series adaptation on apple+

Love this concept! one of my recent DNF's was Heartbreak Bakery. It was a highly anticipated read for me and I loved the concept, but I was just bored and couldn't connect to the characters at all and gave up at 25% of the way in

This is such a good video concept. 2/3 are also on my bookshelf…. I think we feel similar about Bloodmarked but will be sticking with the series.

I'm DNFing books left and right this year: "Awakened", "The Lost Village", "Daisy Jones & the Six", "White Horse", "Mister Magic" You'd think I care how these books end but I don't. They lost me. However, I've started reading Yellowface and I think I'm gonna finish it. Even though I have to take breaks to yell at the characters to just stop it.

Ahhh yaay reading vlog!! Your videos make me happy :D

first video I've watched of you 3 minutes in and its already an immediate follow

I love your videos Jesse thank you!!

I had to read Pachinko for my East Asian Folklore class and I really enjoyed it! I can definitely see why someone wouldn’t though.

Weyward was a top read for 2023 for me. I usually do not read these types of books so I was shocked I loved it as much as I did

Jack doesn’t use Goodreads anymore, he’s a Storygraph guy, so maybe did he finish & review it over there. 👀 Also Legendborn is going to be 4 books! Agree about Bloodmarked, it definitely has second book syndrome, but was still good!

i haven't personally read Weyward but the many, many reviews I've seen/read that made me decide not to read it talk about how people tend to think the things depicted in it were handled irresponsibly. the fact that it war marketed in such a way that so many people were blind-sided by the content in it is part of that problem. but in a lot of these reviews, recurring comments were "there was too much of it" and "it felt like the traumatic content was sometimes included for the sole purpose of the shock factor"

I love mowing the lawn! To be fair, I mow with a zero turn lawn mower and not a push mower so that might be a deciding factor. There's nothing like zooming around the lawn with grass clippings and dust flying.

Great reading vlog 📚☕

As someone who studies eng lit. and used to major in Korean studies I think Pachinko I kinda not a very well written book and tbh doesn't actually reveal very much about the Japanese colonial and post-colonial period. For me at least it really didn't offer anything I didn't already know, and the "glimpses" into Korean culture weren't very poignant either (for example, adding Romanised korean words in a tokenistic way). I think its an okay introduction to the historical period but I don't think its a good historical fiction, and the writing gets quite sloppy in areas. Idk I think it just kills me how many people I see using it as a reference or look into Korean modern history cos I think its kinda shit at doing that LMAO

Pachinko sounds interesting but id probably prefer a nonfiction historical account. Haven't read Bloodmarked yet, not looking forward to a tedious love triangle. I adore that you do horror. You seem like you wouldn't be into it all but here you are watching and being a bamf in DBD I LOVE twisted wonderland. And I love the mangas have different main characters as the "Yuu" it is so cute 🥰

Awesome vlog🎉🎉🎉

This was a fun video! I really like these videos where you choose your reading based on books that other BookTubers read. The last book I DNF'd was The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian. I had high hopes for this book because: (1) the premise sounded intriguing and (2) I really enjoyed The Flight Attendant (the book the TV show was based on) that was also written by this author. On the off chance you decide to read this one, I'll keep mum on why I DNF'd. Thanks for the great videos!

Completely unrelated, but am I the only one that wants cozy black fantasy shelves in the winter but bright clean white shelves in the summer, but I have to choose one 😂

I read Pachinko for school and I absolutely loved it, it’s now one of my favorites. Last book I Dniester was Powerless.

the worst part of the video is the pickle on pizza lol. Wonderful video as always Jesse :) the grilled cheese looked fire

Emily! ❤

oakley!!! hi, oakley!!! haven't seen his sweet face in so long. my dog is also getting old, and her terminal illness seems to be making her age faster, so i understand wanting to cry

YOU HAVE AN ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE IN MO??? I thought they were just a Texas thing. I live in Michigan, but I was in El Paso visiting family this past November and went for the first time. IT WAS LIFE CHANGING.

Hi Jesse, love the content, as always, but umm, WHERE'S SUPERNOVA ???? ( The 3rd and final book in the renegades trilogy by Marissa Meyer )

I feel like Wayward read like historical fiction with a slight magical element woven in it, but the blurb etc gives the impression of it being a more overtly witchy book! I also think some of the issues I had when I reflected back were that it kind of depicts women as having very little autonomy in their situations, other than with the use of magic.

I need that grilled cheese recipe and soup. I DNF Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo, Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross, and book lovers by Emily Henry.

Great video! Think you chose the right books 🎉

Ms Emily has a very particular taste. I’ve been a fan for a very long time, I’ve enjoyed the debacle of the garbage bins, squirrel picking my next reads. She can do no wrong. I agree this should’ve been a DNF. I don’t always agree with her but this one I do.

26:12 omg is Red from this is how u lose the time war

I recently dnf'd Powerless by Lauren Roberts. I'd love to see you read that and see what you think.

I loved Pachinko. But I think I read it at the perfect time for me. I read it just as I was finishing my masters in Baroque Studies so I was deep in the historical reading and I also was only like 2 years into my kpop journey. And when I like something I want to know everything about the history, the culture, the context, so I read everything I can that relates even tangentially to that thing. The joys of being a Nerd with a capital N.

As for my personal DNFs (note: I did not finish these because I didn't like them, but because I got bored and/or got distracted), A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab Star Wars: Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse Star Wars: Most Wanted by Rae Carson Star Wars: Canto Bight by Various (bcs this is an anthology with each story written by different writers) Star Wars: Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai We Were Liars by E. Lockhart Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman Daring to Drive by Manal Al-Sharif Batman: Hush by Jeph Loeb & Jim Lee Planet Hulk by Grek Pak & Carlo Pagulayan Star Wars: Vader Down by Jason Aaron, Kieron Gillen & Various Artists (this was a comic book crossover event) The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson Prodigy by Marie Lu If anyone's reading this comment, let me know which ones I should finish (and no spoilers, please!)

Omg, I LOVE Twisted Wonderland!! There is a mobile game as well ❤

I read a lot of historical fiction and I did not like Pachinko, the first half was pretty good but the second half felt incredibly unnecessary and the writing got worse. If you want a historical fiction book that takes place in Korea and deals with heavy topics I suggest The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See. It has better writing in my opinion.

I ended up adding 2 of those books to my list and buying them. I want to see that movie.

When I'm struggling to get through a really long book, Ill check and see if theres an audiobook of it from the library (For anyone who doesnt know, most libraries have audiobooks available for free from Hoopla or Libby apps). If I'm enjoying a read but getting stuck at a slower part, listening to an audio book and sort of push me through. If I have a physical copy, I dislike having to buy it again in audio, hence the library.

The book I most recently DNFed is A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair! Also, when I DNF a book, I have no plans of returning compared to my pile of books I started, put down, and plan to pick up again because I lost interest at the time...the struggles of a mood reader.

The last book I DNFed was proba ly The Clockmaker's Daughter. I didn't get far into it and I want to give it another try at some point but it just wasn't catching me at the time I tried to read it. It was my second BotM pick and after The Silence of the Girls (which I loved) it was just too slow to be enjoyable. I'm getting back into reading again and I want to get through my substantial backlig of BotM books so I will have to give it another chance soon!

La Madeline's tomato basil soup is the best!

Was not expecting the Twisted Wonderland Heartslabyul Vol 1 manga pop up 😂 (and only the first volume could be called goofy in my opinion because it only covers the prologue in-game)

I don't DNF that often, tbh, sometimes is at 85% and others at 20%, I don't really have a metric, but once I do it's because I know the story is over for me, I don't care about anything that might happen. Not once I've said "Maybe I shouldn't have DNF'ed", I'm very unapologetic about it

There are two books I’ve DNF’d so far this year and that is the terraformers by annalee Newitz and Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hob. I would love it if you did a video on reading the DNF’d books mentioned in the comments. If you do desire to do that I can give you reasons why I didn’t finish these books if you need them.

19:03 pickles on pizza? Thats the true horror movie. 😂

I also gave Pachinko 3 stars and found it middling. Because I really liked the history to it and how much I learned about the culture through reading it. I also thought the depiction of women was done so well. But it was a dense slow and steady read, and I cared for the later generations a lot less because I really liked the original set of characters and then struggled with how much they didn't sympathise with what their parents and elders had gone through!! Which was the point but still 😂I think sagas might not be for me for that reason (I hadn't read one before).

I completely agree on Weyward. I think the problem is I think people were expecting cozy vibes, and it's not. I also didn't like how everything is very convenient in the storylines. When we learn about one thing in one storyline, it helps the plot move forward in another storyline. Overall, I liked it. But yeah, it's a heavy topic book.

Yes the Aldi tomato soup is good😊

I've DNF'd 7 books so far this year, but the last was Glitter and Kindling by Brittany Hester.

18:36 Oh honey. You got a big storm coming...

My last DNF was Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson

I too was cut on my ear by someone cutting my hair and get anxious every time I go

The last book I DNF'd was The Atlas Complex... The Atlas Six wasn't bad.. not 5 stars but I was interested in continuing the series.. The Atlas Paradox was a hard miss for me. I was soooooo let down by that book.. I was hoping that the 3rd book would wrap things up but it was even worse than the second. Was really disappointed by this series.. It could have been so good.

Last book I dnf’d was Where You End. I really wanted to finish it I was 138 pages in but then I got Night Watching and then Murder Road and One Of Us Knows, so I gave up. I might go back I have the audio so I might try that.

I feel you on the lawn. It might be better if mowers weren't so loud, so you could at least listen to an audiobook while mowing. (Admittedly, I'd probably be too worried about losing an earbud and running it over to do so anyway.)

The last book I DNFed was We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver.

now I want to read Pachinko even more I don't know 😅 I DNF Invisible friend by Stephen Chboski, it wasn't bad it just felt so long and I wasn't invested to much

for a silly good I really think you should read starter villian

Hi Jesse, I am not a big commenter and I've only recently found your channel (Yay for the YT algorithm!). I hope my comment comes across the way it is intended - respectful and non-patronizing. Also, I have not (nor will I ever) read Weyward. But I am with Emily on the topic of SA in media. A topic doesn't need to be glorified or romanticized to be problematic. It has become such a common place thing in the media to show SA scenes and use the guise of well-meaning intent to justify it. Those well-meaning intents reach from giving voice to the victims, taking back the power, breaching a societal stigma, etc. But I am of the opinion (and I'm guessing that's what Emily is saying, too) that showing an SA scene IS a sensationalist act. It IS used to capture the viewers'/readers' attention. It has shock value and is therefore a captivating instrument. Even if you do follow up with all those well-meaning reasons. And whether you mean it or not, the showing of those acts *does* cater to the audience that enjoys such voyeurism, it does stimulate an audience that likes watching violence happen. And that, in itself, is disrespectful to victims. You use their horror to grab the attention of your audience. (Again, I have not read Weyward. I am only trying to explain why SA needn't be glorified to be problematic.) And also because there *is* a way to talk about such horrors in an emotional and respectful way without also abusing someon's experience to sell books/movie tickets. I don't know if you're familiar with the British show "Shetland" and I don't mean to spoil it if you're not. But so far it is the only show I've seen that handled the sensitive topic of SA without ever showing a single scene of the heinous act, and without giving voice to the perpetrator. It is focused exlusively on the survivor's experience - no sensationalist drama at all. I think a lot of film and show makers as well authors and artists can learn a lot from it. I know it helped me understand the difference of a story that truly aims to tell the survivor's tale vs. a story that only uses that as an excuse.

I am so bad about DNF’ing! Once I start a book I feel like I need to finish it. The last book I DNF’d was Jane Eyre a few years ago, but I went back and restarted/finished it last year

SWEET OAKLEY 😭🥹

Last book I DNFed was Cemetery boys. I did not think it was well written and one of the characters really annoyed me.

The last book I DNF was Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold by Stephen Fry

My most recent DNF was The Forest Demands it’s Due by Kosoko Jackson and I’m still sad about it 😭 I was really enjoying it, the black queer protagonist and creepy horror elements had me HOOKED but then over halfway through when the quest element kicked in the characters started doing the stupidest shit like where did their brains go cause it was rookie mistake after rookie mistake and I couldn’t take it anymore and DNF’d

A fellow once on booktube!!!! ❤

I skipped huge amounts of Bloodmarked. I thought it was excellent but there was just way too much of it, it needed to be about 150 pages shorter.

Pichinko sounds interesting!

Me watching this as I ignore my ever growing lawn. Next week, next week for sure.

Jesse over here calling us out on our unhealthy antique shop behavior 😅

I had to DNF Lindsay Ellis' Truth of the Divine. I was just NOT at a place to deal with the heavy topics it delves into. Someday though, I will try again.😊

I just DNFed Keeper of Enchanted Rooms. There was no real reason. I just wasn't wanting to pick it up, and when I was listening(Audio book) I just felt meh about it. I made it to 37%, but that is actually pretty far for me to DNF. Usually I know between 15 - 30% if a book is going to be for me.

Too bad Weyward isn't as cozy as that gorgeous cover. I really enjoyed Bloodmarked, but I think part of that might have been the frequent setting changes. Legendborn was set almost entirely at the university and Bree *never* seemed to be studying! lol

Weyward was a five star for me and I loved it.

One man went to mow..,

I soft DNF'd Bloodmarked (aka read like half of it then skimmed the rest) because the main trio felt so ooc. It felt like they were lifeless chess pieces in a plot. The first book shined when the main trio were together but in this book Nick was weirdly benched the whole time, and Bree and Sel were always making choices counter to their characters so they could be in cringe situations. I don't mind the ship, but goodness was it forced. Bree lost her independence and strength, Sel lost his drive and loyalty, and Nick was just lost. lol

ohhhh you came to a Vietnamese restaurant. I'm Vietnamese. Hope you enjoyed the food there :))))

Last book that i remember dnfing was red rising

The last book I DNFed was Daisy Jones & The Six

The last two books I DNF'd were The Tattoo Murder by Akimitsu Takagi, and Falling by T.J Newman. The Tattoo Murder I got about 30% through and whilst I found it a generally easy read, I just did not care enough about the characters, particularly the murder victim, to continue. I do think it is a good book, just not thrilling enough for me. And Falling, I stopped at about 25%, and I just found it so boring, and it dragged. I know there's not much you can do story wise with a plane in flight, but the antagonist on the ground was not compelling, and literally told their hostages he was the one to do [thing] to get them there in the first place. Again, I am sure it is a good book, but it just wasn't my book.