T & T Book Haven

Popular BookTok Books

• Tyra & Tabitha • Season 3 • Episode 3

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0:00 | 21:41

Get ready to dive into popular BookTok books! Are they worth the hype? What are we adding to our TBR pile? Join us while we discuss all of our thoughts! 

SPEAKER_01

Hey book lovers, it's TNT Bookhaven. Where Tyra is chaotic and free-spirited. And Tabitha is organized and type A.

SPEAKER_00

And our TBRs are totally out of control.

unknown

Totally.

SPEAKER_00

So this one, this episode, we wanted to do something a little bit different because Howie mentioned, if you've listened to our previous two episodes, we're kind of switching things up a little bit and just trying to make things a little bit more.

SPEAKER_01

Rather than like, yeah. Rather than like specific book focus. Like we're gonna have one book a month that we're focused on. But part of what we love with books is just talking about all things books, not just one specific book. We love talking about everything that involves books.

SPEAKER_00

Yes. And just a quick little note if you haven't yet, this is probably going to be coming out um a couple weeks into May. But we are currently reading um Next of Ken by Hannah Bonham Young in our book club. So if you are interested, it's not too late to join. Go over to Fable. And we have shared all of this on our social media. So if you go over and find us, you can find that book club. And we would love for you to join and join us with reading this book for May.

SPEAKER_01

Yes. And then once we finish that book, we will be an episode will be coming out regarding that book on May 5th.

SPEAKER_00

Yay! But yeah, we wanted this episode to just be a fun um kind of just talking about book talk hype, social media books, um, the top books that we're seeing right now. And are we giving into the hype to add these to our TBR? Have we already read them? Um, so yeah, we're just gonna get into it.

SPEAKER_01

So um for whoever does not know what book talk is, um you it's just TikTok, but all things books is literally you can just watch video on video of book recommendations, book thoughts, of theories on certain books, just everything involving books. So it's called book talk.

SPEAKER_00

Which is funny because prior to us getting into starting our podcast and all that, I had never even been on TikTok, like in general. And then Tyra would tell me about, oh, did you see this on book talk or this got posted on book talk? And I kind of had an idea, like, I don't live under a rock, I know what TikTok is. Um, but I'd never been on it and experienced it. So then once we started our own TikTok and I'm seeing all these things, I'm like, oh my god, like these are my people. This is where it's at. These are the videos I want to watch. Exactly. Yeah, it does. It sucks you in, which is why it's so viral. I feel like if you go on TikTok and you um search book talk, it's like millions and millions and millions of videos because it is, it's just so popular.

SPEAKER_01

Which funny thing, so I uh heard this that before book talk, like Barnes and Noble was actually not doing too great. They were actually um gonna start shutting down some of their stores. But then TikTok came out and book talk started, and it got so popular that people started reading more and they started getting back into reading, and Barnes and Noble is actually thriving, and they're talking about opening stores in different areas.

SPEAKER_00

So, what you're saying is Barnes and Noble is behind Book Talk.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, they absolutely are.

SPEAKER_00

But seriously, what is it that you feel sucks people in? Like, I can give my opinion on obviously what I started looking into it, but what do you think is what makes it so viral?

SPEAKER_01

I think just like like specifically with book recommendations. Um, I mean, you're always told don't read don't judge a book by its cover, but I feel like that it's very easy to judge a book by its cover. So I feel like it definitely like the sprayed edges. Yeah, sprayed edges. But I definitely feel like the covers, like people are like, oh, that does look like it would be a good book. But also, I think something about book talk that completely gets me is like once I do read a book and I see all these things regarding the book, I just I can relate to it so much more. I know exactly what they're talking about, and that like I'm just like, oh my gosh, like yes, or oh my gosh, no. And like I just relate with everything.

SPEAKER_00

Yep, it sucks you in. I feel like it's the it's the whole experience of almost like you feel like you're in this community, even though you're not with those people. Um yeah, I think I think it is the obviously in the age of social media that we're in, it's the quick five to 10 second clips of something to like suck you in. But then you you get to see these videos and it is the recommendations where it's like, oh, I'm gonna save that and I'm gonna come back to this and I want to add that one to my TBR pile. Or um, I've seen so many people talking about this, like I need to see what the hype is. Um it really, it really is. It's a it's a craze for sure.

SPEAKER_01

Oh yeah. I I've oh I've already talked about this TikTok on on our um the last letter episode. But that girl crying and going off on Rebecca Yarros about the last letter. I just watching it, it was so funny and relatable. So relatable that it literally, I saw that before I read the book in it. Seriously, as soon as I saw that, I'm like, I know that she's like it's funny, and I've seen other videos of people crying, but that TikTok, I don't know. It she hooked me, and I was like, okay, I've had this on my TBR for a while.

SPEAKER_00

It's time to pick it up. Exactly. Yep, it does, it sucks you in. So it's like there's certain videos where you watch and you're like, yep, you've convinced me. I am officially going to read that or I'm officially gonna add it to the list. Um, so yeah, we wanted to go over some of the most popular book talk books that we're seeing right now. Um, we only have five on the list, and obviously there are way more out there, but these were the five that um kind of stuck out to us that we've seen all over the place. Um, and just wanted to touch, not like super in-depth, um, but just go over them and kind of give our thoughts.

SPEAKER_01

So the first one is of course the Empyrean series. Whoop whoop.

SPEAKER_00

It is the best. Um I know we've talked about this on so many different episodes, but obviously, if you have never listened to anything that we've put out before, we are both really big fans, but Tyra is like a mega fan of this series. Um and I'm a huge fan. She is so much of a fan that she has this tattooed on her. That's how much she loves, she loves this series. Um, but yeah, I would say book talk-wise, this is everywhere. I feel like you can't flip book talk without seeing something about Fourth Wing or the new book coming out, or what is Rebecca Yarros doing, or Rebecca Yarros interviews, or there's just so much out there. Um and for both of us, it yes, and for both of us, we've read this series and it is 100% worth the hype.

SPEAKER_01

It is oh gosh, it is so good, it's so well written, it's such a like gosh, you're just you're so invested. You get so invested, you get so invested into each character, you get so invested into what's going on. And I have it's truly one of those books that I've read that I'm like, I have so many theories, I have so many thoughts, I have so many questions, like, and obviously it's not a finished series, but I I'm that type of person who that book that we don't even know what the book is that's coming out and it's all over right now, all over Amazon. It's been told it's not book four, but I I already pre-ordered it. I don't know what it is, but I've already pre-ordered it.

SPEAKER_00

And that's the fandom with this series is it doesn't matter what that book is, it's gonna get read. It has to be read because you need to know whatever these extra details are. Um, yeah, Rebecca Yaris is just a genius, she's a genius businesswoman. She just that whole thing, putting that book out, and I saw someone saying, like, she is such a genius because the pricing on that is like you're paying the same price for this 176-page book that you would be paying for the 500-page book, but it's because you have to know what's gonna happen because her fans are so invested in this series, they need to know all the details. Yes. Um, so no, 100% worth the hype. It is a book that is all over book talk, but for good reason. Um shifting into another series that I feel like is maybe not as heavily hyped, but definitely on the level of you kind of see it everywhere when you're going through book talk, um, is the Faye and Alchemy series.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Um we've touched up on this before. We did read Quicksilver, we finished Quicksilver. Um we did DNF Brimstone. Um and I hate that.

SPEAKER_00

I hate to say that we DNF'd it. That is something that is very, very hard for both of us. Um, but sadly, this is one that obviously this is our opinion. And I know that there are a lot of people that love this series and are very excited for the third book that's coming out. Um, but in our opinion, this one does not live up to the book talk hype.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I think that part of the reason why it was hyped so much in general is because with like Fourth Wing and other a lot of other fantasies coming out. Um fantasy is a huge book genre currently. And so I think that with this being fantasy, it ended up being uh pretty hyped and pretty popular. Um, I will say I love fantasy. I this I wasn't very excited with this one. I have read a lot of fantasy books and I have been very invested into fantasy books. Um, the Faye and Alchemy series is not one that I was super invested into.

SPEAKER_00

Sadly, no. It wasn't the worst. It's just for how heavily it was hyped, I don't think that it was worth it. And I think it was very long, very time consuming, um, and not something that I would recommend. I I didn't enjoy it. Um, so yeah, just it just wasn't for us, but I know that there's a lot of people out there that really like it. And that's the nice thing about book talk is I feel like you get such a wide variety of opinions and input and recommendations and all of that. So once again, that's just our opinion on that one that we've definitely seen all over Book Talk.

SPEAKER_01

But another book that we have seen all over Book Talk is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Which neither of us have read yet. Neither of us have read this one yet, but it does look very interesting.

SPEAKER_00

It does. I actually have seen it all over the place, but I've never really looked into what even the story is about. But I just before we started recording, I just looked into it and it says that it's a historical fiction centered on Hollywood glamour and complex relationships. Like, that actually sounds pretty interesting. And um, with how much it is hyped, I feel like I would hope that it's really good. Um, that's the fun thing. I honestly think that's the fun thing about book talk is even if it's super hyped up, you really don't know until you read it. And that's what exactly it sucks you in. And it's like, okay, I feel like I have to read it because I need to know for myself if it if it's worth the hype. Um so this one is on the TBR. We have not read it yet. Um, but hopefully it hopefully it lives up to the hype.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, if and uh as Tabitha and I have talked before, we're both the type of people who we're willing to give any book a chance. And we like all genres. We're not really, I mean, we have kind of our genres that we stick to a lot, but we're not really just dead set on, oh, I only read this genre. So I definitely we'll definitely be picking that one up at some point, and I'm excited to see.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, for sure. And then the next one is the Avatar series. I think specifically it's um what is it? I think it's the second book, A Court of Mist and Fury. Is that the second one?

SPEAKER_01

Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Uh-huh. I feel like that one is I so this is where Tyra and I uh part ways. I have not read the Avatar series. And I have.

SPEAKER_01

I honestly I got Avatar because of book talk, because of the hype that it received. And I bought it without knowing anything about it. I didn't know what genre it was, I didn't know not one thing about it. As soon as I got it, I bought it without realizing. I read what it was about and realized it was fantasy. And at this point, yeah. At this point, I was like the type of person who did not think I would like fantasy. Don't get me wrong, I love the Harry Potter books. But I was definitely that type of person who didn't think I would be into fantasy, didn't think I would enjoy reading fantasy. And so when I picked this one up and I bought it, I it took me a long time to actually pick it up and read it. I am so happy that I did pick it up and read it. I think it is I think Sarah J. Mass is just brilliant in general. Um, her books are definitely very complex, and there's a lot of characters that are brought into her books. I will say um a lot of people are a huge fan of uh core of silver flames. Um and I'm not as huge of a fan about that book in the series. Um I think it was good, but I wasn't completely invested in that one particularly.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and this is another one where they have another book in the series coming out later this year. So I think it is um at least from what I've heard, it is appropriately hyped. I obviously can't give my own opinion on that, but I think it it deserves the recognition that it's getting. And hopefully in the near future, I made that a goal of mine that I would rate Avatar this year. So hopefully by the end of 2026, I can say that I have read at least the first book in this series.

SPEAKER_01

And the last one that we're gonna cover is Verity, which is becoming a movie this year. And this is a book we have both read.

SPEAKER_00

And I love this book. I think this is one of my favorite books just in general, but definitely one of my favorite Colleen Hoover books. And I feel like Colleen Hoover is a little uh divisive. I don't know if that's the right word. I think there's a lot of people that really don't like her, and there's a lot of people that really do like her. And honestly, I try not to get into the I don't know if the right term is political game of when it comes to the author stuff, because it's like, yeah, I just want to enjoy the art that they put out there. Yeah, and I don't want to get too invested in all of the other stuff to where it ruins it for me. Because I will be very honest, and I don't, I know that this is probably an unpopular opinion. I really enjoy Colleen Hoover's books. I think that everyone that I have read have been very fast reads, they're really enjoyable, she has really good stories. Um, so again, maybe an unpopular opinion, but I personally really like her.

SPEAKER_01

I do too, and I honestly I'm kind of the same way. I haven't even digged into it. I don't even know why people don't like her. So I'm just kind of like, you know, I enjoy her books, and that's all that matters. I just enjoy reading and I just want to I just want to read.

SPEAKER_02

You know, I just love books in general, so yep.

SPEAKER_00

And I think people may be annoyed with that opinion of like, oh, you're not informed and you're supporting someone who does X, Y, and Z. And that again, to each their own, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. And if you're super passionate about something, by all means, do whatever you need to do to feel good about what you're doing. Um, but in my opinion, I enjoy her books and I want to continue to enjoy her books. So I that's all I gotta say. But Verity itself, I am so excited to see this as a movie.

SPEAKER_01

That is all the books that it's gonna do kind of. I think it's gonna do really, really well.

SPEAKER_00

Um have been hyper. Yeah, and the book itself was awesome.

SPEAKER_01

So I think it is it is what you've seen, what you love, what you hate, what you think is worth the hype, or what you think is not worth the hype. Um, or something that is hyped up that we didn't mention and you want to just tell us about it because you you want us to like I said, read it because we love every single genre.

SPEAKER_02

Yep, exactly.

SPEAKER_00

The um the sometimes the more underrated books end up being even better than the the super hyped books. So we would love recommendations if there's something that you've read, it's like no one's ever talking about this book and it's so good. We would love to to know about that as well. Um so that's kind of the the question are like are viral books actually better because they're so viral and you have like that community of with everybody everyone reading the same thing, um or is it more of a pressure thing like enjoy what you're reading and enjoy the book?

SPEAKER_01

I love every book, and that's kind of what makes everybody unique is you know, we all are different in ways with with what we enjoy and what we don't enjoy.

SPEAKER_02

Yep, exactly.

SPEAKER_00

Uh I think it's the using your time on things that you enjoy, like how we were talking about Colleen Hoover. If it's something that you really feel passionate that you just don't appreciate her as a person and it taints the experience for you, um, obviously I think you have to do whatever makes you happy, but the reading what you enjoy, I think is the the biggest takeaway there. And um, yeah, I think book talk is just a fun thing of like there's some crazy stuff on there, there's some really good content, there's some uh funny stuff, sad stuff, all of that. It's just it is a it's a fun space. But I think on the flip side of that, of like trying to limit it to where you're not being so consumed to where you're feeling the pressure that you need to like live up to. I have to read 150 books a year because this influencer does that. It's like, no, it's whatever, whatever works for you. Um but I know that was a a quick, a quick one, but that is also all that we wanted to talk about for this episode just to do something a little bit different and short. And we um have but that is it for this mini episode of T T Book Haven. Um make sure you're following the show so you never miss a bookish moment.

SPEAKER_01

Um, but we'll see you in the next one. So happy reading, book lovers.