The Ritual Master Hello friends, and Happy New Year to you all !
I thought I’d start the new year with a classic book tag, to introduce myself properly. The Ritual of Reading is turning 9 months old in a couple of days, there have been some trials and some errors, many lessons learned and more to come. So before I dive back into my reading, here is my BookTube Newbie tag for you.
Why did you start this channel?
I could say I wanted to share this or that with the world, or because I like to read, like everyone here on BookTube, but the honest answer is that I wanted to see how my way of enjoying books would look like on camera. I knew right from the beginning that the summary of my reviews would never take up more than a phrase. But what I found more interesting to share were the different windows that a book opens in my imagination. So talking about how it made me feel while reading, or the life lessons I took from the story, maybe a favourite character that I felt drawn to and of course all the little things inspired by it. I often cook a recipe inspired by the plot, I always choose my cup of tea to suit the story, visit a museum because I was just reading about an art movement or listen to a particular music album that creates the perfect sound ambiance for my reading time. I wanted to see how I could put all of this together in videos that make you dream a little, where the images would transport you or compliment my book review, and maybe give you some inspiration to make your own reading experience richer.
What are some fun and unique things you can bring to BookTube ?
A sense of immersion into the world of a book, by combining a review on my terms, not revealing too much of the plot and speaking about the elements that I found valuable or entertaining, while bringing the book out into the “real” world and letting it infuse in every day activities that make life more pleasant. Travelling to discover the places I read about or just testing out unique flavours in my own kitchen, I am sharing my version of bookish escapism in a cinematic way.
What are you most excited for about this new channel ?
I think that joining a community of readers is always exciting, and I am always curious to see what others enjoy, since that can inspire me to try new genres and expand my imagination. As for my own activity, finding new ways of filming the elements that best convey my impressions of a book, is a challenge that keeps me on my toes. I have had experience with photography but never with cinematography, and while I’m not imagining myself the greatest movie director of all time, I am excited to see improvement and innovation in my way of constructing my videos.
Why do you love reading ?
First of all because I love words. I am a linguist, I studied languages and literature and even though during my studies I had the feeling that I was moving away from this passion, once I got my diplomas I was free to reconnect with the elements that give me joy. I do not read by obligation anymore, so there are very few books I do not finish, but if I don’t feel good while reading a certain book, you can be sure I’ll put it down for good.
But I am not only a literature major kind of reader. The reason I enjoyed it even before college was that it stimulates my imagination like no other activity. I currently read books, both fiction and non-fiction, in 5 languages, so this might be an extra incentive for the imagination, but I am a strong advocate of the book before the movie !
Which book or series got you into reading ?
I made two videos talking in depth about the first book I ever enjoyed and that became the first of many many others. You can read about it HERE. I do however want to mention this here again : I only started enjoying books at about 13, and they were already grown-up books, so if you feel like it’s too late for you, or if you have children that don’t enjoy reading yet, do not lose hope. It’s all about that one book that speaks to you, and that can come at any age.
What questions would you ask your favourite BookTubers ?
How do they manage to read so many books every year ??? Maybe because it’s January and I’ve been seeing all these stats about last year’s reading from everyone, but I’m always baffled when I see 150 books read in a year ! So yeah, I’d like to know how they do it.
What challenges do you think starting a BookTube channel will be the hardest to overcome ?
Because I have so many ideas about videos I want to make, and the fact that my filming and editing are quite time consuming, I think the biggest challenge will be making everything happen while having a full time job. I will have to learn some productivity techniques, so if you have any tips, let me know !
When did you start reading ?
I’ve already talked about this before, I started later than most, and skipped the children’s stories and YA entirely. That’s why I feel like I have some catching up to do as an adult, so I’m always looking to create variation and discover some children’s classics.
Where do you read ?
Everywhere, depending. Some books ask for silence and reflection, so I don’t feel comfortable reading them on my commute. Others, with a plot so exciting you can’t put them down, can find a moment no matter the background. My most precious reading moment in time and place, remains reading in bed at night. That feeling of “one more page” when you know you should turn the lights off but can’t stop reading, and suddenly it’s 2 am and you only have 60 pages left so you decide it’s going to be a 3 cups of coffee day tomorrow.
What kind of books do you like to read ?
I read both fiction and non-fiction, though not quite 50-50. These last few years I do enjoy historical fiction a lot, and I go back and forth between continents and centuries. Poetry is always relaxing, and memoirs are very stimulating, I do enjoy well written and original “self-help” books, though so many of today’s titles are just rewrites of famous concepts so I am picky about that, and I always like to go back to the classics every so often, some that I know, and others that I need to discover. Science-fiction and fantasy are probably my least visited genres, but never say never.
Thank you for being here, we’re going to have a great time together in 2022 !
Until next time, enjoy your reading, and your rituals !
