Inspired by an article in the winter issue of The School Librarian¹ written by Beth Khalil, I thought I would take a look at some video blogs devoted to books.
I have looked at a small proportion of video blogs (vlogs) devoted to books for young adults (YA for short). These can be an entertaining way of keeping up-to-date with what’s available and of finding recommendations for books you might enjoy. Publishers recognize the value of blogs and vlogs and frequently provide bloggers with free copies of books or what are known as ‘galley proofs’ for advance reading, in exchange for honest assessments; most bloggers make this clear in their reviews.
The real test of how useful a book vlog proves to be, lies in whether you warm to the personality of the presenter and whether they have similar tastes to your own.
Try a few of the links below and see if you get hooked. A few words of warning: whilst I have watched selections of all these blogs, I cannot guarantee that everything in their broadcasts will be age-appropriate, so please exercise caution and use your own judgment.
UK Book Vloggers
Benjaminoftomes
https://www.youtube.com/user/Benjaminoftomes
Ben Alderson is an enthusiastic vlogger with his own YouTube channel plus lots of other social media accounts.
Books and Quills
https://www.youtube.com/user/booksandquills
Sanne is from the Netherlands but lives in London. She is in her 20s, has an MA and works for publishers Penguin Random House.
Lucy the Reader
https://www.youtube.com/user/bumblingbibliophile
This is the blog of teenager Lucy Powrie. Since her blog’s creation in April 2012, she has won the UKYABA Champion of YA award, and spoken at both the Cheltenham Literature Festival and Oxford Literature Festival.
Lucy Powrie aka Lucy the Reader
Sarah Churchill: Books, Geekiness and Life Stuff
https://www.youtube.com/user/ClumsinessisaCurse
Sarah appears to have been vlogging for a few years and produces monthly updates.
Jean: Bookish Thoughts
https://www.youtube.com/user/BookishThoughts/featured
Jean Menzies is a student at the University of Edinburgh and studies the Classics. Her recommendations are more for Sixth Formers and older readers.
USA Book Vloggers
Tiernan Bertrand-Essington, a US blogger
Tiernan Bertrand-Essington: The Book Tuber
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEEjKu_ukYY3L-eKonCdj9w
The interestingly-named Tiernan Bertrand-Essington not only reviews books but interviews some big-name authors.
Jesse the Reader
https://www.youtube.com/user/jessethereader
Madly-enthusiastic doesn’t quite describe Jesse’s book reviews – he is extra-super wildly enthusiastic about books he likes.
The Peruse Project
https://www.youtube.com/user/PeruseProject
Regan says she spends her time on the Internet but lives in books. In her latest video she plays a fun game with friends where she asks them to guess the plot of a book from its cover.
References
1. Khalil, B. (2015) ‘Vlogging: YouTube book reviewers’, The School Librarian, 63(4), pp.212-213.
