So, I did it. I filmed my first - and in all likelihood, last - vlog. I'm at a loss for how people are able to talk to a camera alone and act natural. I'm a fairly socially awkward person normally (I always find myself cringing in agreement with that Socially Awkward Penguin meme) so to put a camera in front of me is to magnify that awkwardness tenfold. And if I seem flushed and sweaty, it's because it's freaking hot.
Anyways, let me know what you think and if you have any feedback for me. And don't be surprised if this video magically disappears off the internet after a few days...
For Review:
The Blessed by Tonya Hurley (Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada)
Embers and Echoes by Karsten Knight (Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada)
Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis (Thanks to the author)
What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang (Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss)
The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver (Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss)
The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke (Thanks to Strange Chemistry and NetGalley)
Bought:
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Shadow and Bone is SO GOOD! You should read that one first, although Anna Dressed in Blood looks AMAZING too :D You should make more vlogs - it's nice to be able to see you! :) Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bella. I get the impression that blog readers often like to be able to see the face of the person behind the blog. I hope to get to Shadow and Bone at least before the year is up - but I can't make any more promises than that based on how busy I am!
DeleteYeah I'm pretty much not liking the idea of a vlog. You did great though. Liked the sticker in Glimmer.
ReplyDeleteValerie
StuckInBooks.com
Thanks, Valerie. The vlog was not only awkward but took a lot more time to film and edit than a normal book haul post would, so that alone is reason enough. The sticker made my day!
DeleteOMG you're so cute! :) You did awesome. BTW Your style reminds me of Felicia Day.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE The Host too.
Great book allowance idea! *high five*
I can't wait to try Anna Dressed in Blood too!
Question: Is that a denim sofa?
Thanks, Juju! Does Felicia Day make vlogs? I didn't know that. But I loved her in Buffy and Dr. Horrible. And thanks, the book allowance was one of my more brilliant ideas. Heh, it's not a denim sofa, but I can understand now how it would have come across that way on a non-high-def video.
DeleteYou're spot on, Juju! I definitely see the Felicia Day resemblance.
DeleteI am so jealous of Shadow and Bone! That one sounds awesome and Glimmer was pretty good and I also have Anna Dressed in Blood on my Kindle and I hope you enjoy them all! :) Sorry I didn't get to watch your vlog, my computer connection is being annoyingly slow and I only watched the first part where you said "Hi...hello" LOL, yeah that was me at my first vlog, but I guess you just have to get used to it :)
ReplyDeleteCheck out my Stacking the Shelves!
Heh, yeah the beginning and ending of the vlog were the hardest parts for some reason. There seemed to be no good way to start and end it. I'm very much looking forward to S&B!
DeleteAww I remember my first vlog. :) I was beyond nervous! You did a great job!! And yes, The Blessed is creepy but oh-so good. I hope you enjoy all the books!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bailey. Good to hear that about The Blessed! Really looking forward to it now.
DeleteYes! I have Cinder to, but haven't read it yet. It seems to be good.
ReplyDeleteI'm a new follower!!!
Here's mine: http://fiktishuhs.blogspot.com/2012/07/stacking-shelves.html
That's what I hear!
DeleteI want to switch to vlog for a few of my posts, but it's scary! Good job!
ReplyDeleteMy StS
It is! In the end, I just had to bite the bullet and do it!
DeleteYou did a great job Aylee! I am really curious about Anna Dressed in Blood and Shadow and Bone!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Avery. Yeah, I really don't know which I'll read first.
DeleteGreat haul and great job with the vlog, you are braver than me : )
ReplyDeleteThe Assassin's Curse is amazing!! I hope you like it.
my Stacking the shelves and Giveaway
Thanks. Good to hear that about The Assassin's Curse!
DeleteOMG - you got 'The Blessed', I am so jealous right now! I love Tonya Hurley's books.
ReplyDeleteShadow & Bone is awesome - you're gonna love it. :D
I haven't read Cinder either!
Great first Vlog - don't worry about it, it gets easier the more you do. The first one I did I recorded about 10 times and I ended up sounding like a robot. :O
Thanks. Heh, yeah I knew I was going to need to edit my vlog so that it didn't have to be all in one take. It's really good to hear that about Tonya Hurley because I really haven't heard anything about her books and writing before.
DeleteYou seemed to get a little more comfortable as you went along. Really- you did great... You Can Do It! I'm a recovering Potter addict, too! That's great with all those books (even if they are from the last few weeks)- great haul!
ReplyDeleteAlana's Haul @DarkObsessionChronicles
Heh, thanks! Maybe it'll get easier the more I do it. I appreciate the cheerleading!
DeleteVlogs are weird - I always talk really fast and fell self-conscious about my accent - but your vlog was good! and you looked cute.
ReplyDeleteYou got some pretty awesome books, I remember hearing about Blessed and it did sound creepy (I've read the author before, though, and she's pretty good.
And I haven never read Lauren Oliver :P I know she's well loved and all but I've never gotten around reading her books.
Also, I the whole NetGalley-Endelweiss over requesting thing? I call it getting Request Drunk. It's like you go in thinking to just see what's there and they you're requesting five books before you know what you're doing and then you tell yourself that they are not going to approve you anyway, and when they do it's like o_0.
Thanks, Alex! You definitely don't need to be self-conscious about anything. It's so good to hear that about Tonya Hurley because I haven't really heard anything about her writing before. I would recommend giving one of Lauren's books a go - they're all pretty consistent, so if you find you dislike one of them, then at least you'll get a good idea that the rest of her books aren't for you.
DeleteRequest Drunk! Such a perfect term. It's weird, because it's not like I feel disappointed when I get approved for all of them because I wanted to read them all, but it's like an "oh crap!" feeling - why did I request so many?!
Haha I loved your vlog! I don't normally watch them but I watched yours and loved it. I filmed my own first vlog last week and decided not to post it because it was so weird! I'm with you - I don't know how people do it every week. And it's a lot of effort!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, about your books! CINDER IS AMAZING OHMYGOD! I hope you adore it!! It's one of my favorite books of 2012!
As for The Assassin's Curse, here's a tip: don't read the blurb!! If you already have, then wait a few weeks before reading it. The blurb actually contains spoilers! How messed up is that? It's basically a summary of the entire book and even reveals things you don't find out until the last 10-20 pages. I still enjoyed the book, but that was a huge letdown for me. :(
Have a great week!
My Stacking the Shelves
Thanks, Ashley! I'm kind of surprised that I ended up posting mine in the end. But I did go to all that effort of filming it when I could've just posted a few pictures instead. Gah, you're getting me so excited about Cinder! I hope I can read it soon. And that is so messed up. And dumb. Why would they do that? Thankfully, I don't tend to read blurbs in too much detail, so I'm safe. But I'm sorry for you :(
DeleteThanks, MaryAnn. I'm glad I just decided to bite the bullet and just do it. I never get tired of hearing how great S&B is. Absolutely cannot wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteI could tell that you were a bit nervous, but I didn't think it was that awkward. I'm sure you'll feel more confident the more you do it. And I'm really impressed that you made and posted that blog if you were so nervous about it. I would never have the courage to even start one of those! :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of the books that you mentioned, but I have Cinder upstairs right now, and I've heard of most of those books - or at least most of the authors. I've been a bit behind when it comes to popular books, it seems.
Also, thank you so much for linking the Socially Awkward Penguin! I hadn't heard of that before, but I'm going through them now and beating my hands on the table shouting, "OMG, that is so me!" and looking like a crazy person for doing so. So, thanks! :D
Thanks. It was a lot more awkward before I edited it... I wouldn't ever have had the courage to post it as is! And yup, Socially Awkward Penguin makes me feel so embarrassed because I literally do all those things too. You're welcome :) I used to let myself get behind all the new releases sometimes, and when I would finally wake up, it was like, when did all this happen? Then I would have a ton to read.
DeleteAh Shadow and Bone is freaking awesome! I hope you enjoy it! I still need to get my hands on Cinder though!
ReplyDeleteLetterbox Love!
Great to hear that! So excited.
DeleteI think your vlog was good :) as a first one to be ;)
ReplyDeletehopefully not last one :)
Haven´t read any of the books. But I got Cinder on my shelf. Need to read it soon. So wanna read Anna dressed in blood aswell.. Everyone is saying that it´s so so good..
Enjoy your books :D
Thanks. Maybe I'll give it another go sometime. And maybe it'll go easier. Cinder and Anna have been on my tbr since before they were even published!
DeleteOh I really need to read Anna dressed in blood, this book sounds amazing. Happy reading!
ReplyDeletehere is mine
Doesn't it? I only ever hear good things.
DeleteGreat first vlog, Aylee! What's Left of Me sounds fantastic (love The Host, too). You can't go wrong with a Lauren Oliver book, too. Anna, Cinder, and Shadow are all amazing!
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy them all :)
Thanks, Lea. Yup, I'm really looking forward to them all!!
DeleteI have never vlogged and probably never will, I TOTALLY hear you on that one! although you did a great job. Glimmer has a terrible cover but sounds fascinating- one for the Nook!
ReplyDeletehope you like Cinder as much as I did (a lot !)
Thanks. If I do make another vlog, it won't be a regular thing. Just an occasional thing. Heh, kind of agree about the cover for Glimmer.
DeleteLoved your blog! You are a much braver person that I. I would never do one lol
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karen. I don't know though, I think it would be more brave to post an unedited vlog. I needed to edit the crap out of this thing.
DeleteYou are such a cutie pie! I thought you did a great job for a first vlog. So good that you made me want to try one!
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I would write out a whole script because it might come off as if you are reading something. But maybe like a list with title/author, where you got the book, genre, and any talking points you wanted to hit on for that book. That way you can glance at your list to know what you wanted to talk about next.
Glimmer + Shadow and Bone are both on my to-read list. Cinder is wonderful! I'm so excited for Scarlet. Like crazy, insane excited. Wheee! Hope you like it!
Awesome job!
Lauren @ Hughes Reviews
Thanks, Lauren! You should make one! I would love to see it. And I am definitely conscious of the not wanting to sound like a robot thing if it was too closely scripted. But I'm definitely going to want to plan out a few talking points ahead of time. Probably save me a bit of time! And I will never get tired of hearing people tell me how great Cinder is. It makes me so uber excited to read it!! I can't wait.
DeleteYes! We got a good Canadian "sorry" and an "about" in there. WINNING! :)
ReplyDeleteYou are the cutest. And no, I never found vlogs to be any less awkward, and that coupled with the fact that they take so long to edit and post meant that I quit doing them. But I liked yours a lot.
I still need to read Cinder and Shadow and Bone as well. I loved Anna though!
Thanks, Logan! Wait - do we really say "sorry" and "about" in a different way? I honestly don't notice. Though I hardly ever hear my own voice. That was one of the most awkward things I think - like, do I really sound like that? Is this really the way I come across to people? Definitely not something that I am going to want to repeat too often if at all. And yeah, way too much time to prepare and edit, compared to simply posting a few pictures and be done with it. But I feel like it might be a novel thing to do every once in a while.
DeleteVlogs are so hard to do! I've only done 1 so far. You did great. I think it's fun to see what you look and sound and act like. :) You got some great books! I LOVED Cinder!! I also have Assassin's Curse to review. Looking forward to that one as well.
ReplyDeleteKathryn @ Clean Teen Fiction
Thanks, Kathryn. I know I love that about the blogs that post vlogs too. Very curious about The Assassin's Curse!
DeleteAww, I'm super awkward too but vlogs can be fun. I think you did totally fine! SO MANY GOOD BOOKS on this list. Super excited for The Spindlers and What's Left of Me. I also hope you enjoy Shadow and Bone!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Elena. It wasn't TOO painful. I'm excited for all of my reads that I have lined up even if I do feel overwhelmed!
DeleteGood job on your first vlog was crazy too! I hope you enjoy everything you got this week and here's my IMM!
ReplyDeletehttp://paigebradish1996.blogspot.com/2012/07/in-my-mailbox-44-weekly-wrap-up.html
~Paige @ Comfort Books
Thanks, Paige.
DeleteOh you lucky duck! I really want to read What's Left of Me, Cinder, and Shadow and Bone. I hope you enjoy them all. I can't watch the video at the moment ,but I know how you feel...making vlogs is awkwarddd.
ReplyDelete-lauren
I have a feeling I'm going to end up loving them, thanks!
DeleteAhhhh, kudos on your first vlog! One of these days I'll take the plunge and do one myself, but I must admit that it will take a lot of courage, haha.
ReplyDeleteYAY for awesome books -- especially Cinder and Shadow and Bone. LOVELOVELOVE! :)
You should totally do one! I would love to see it. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming that you really needn't be scared. And yay, for awesome books, indeed!
DeleteYou have just introduced me to Awkward Penguin aka STORY OF MY LIFE
ReplyDeleteIt's scary how many apply to me lmao
haha, I KNOW. They make me kind of uncomfortable to read because they hit a little bit too close to home.
DeleteI'm totally late to the party on this, but OMG AYLEE! We get to see your gorgeous face! :D
ReplyDeleteBeing in front of the camera gets less awkward the more you do it--promise.
I'm excited to read The Blessed, too! It sounds like nothing I've ever read before.
Aw, thanks Lauren! That means a lot coming from you - vlogess extraordinaire. I can't imagine I would ever be quite as smooth as you at speaking to a camera! And yeah, that's the main reason I'm curious to read The Blessed too.
DeleteWoot! Great job, Aylee. I hope you're not serious about this being your last vlog.
ReplyDeleteI really want to read Shadow and Bone and I can't wait to hear what you think of The Spindlers and What's Left of Me - I'm so curious about those.
Thanks, Jessica. I would like to try another one, just to see if the process ever improves. It definitely won't become a regular, common thing for me though. Yes, I haven't read any early reviews for those ones yet so I am definitely curious about them too.
DeleteWell, I hope it's not your last vlog because I think you're great at it, but yeah, I tried a vlog once, and never again. It was so awkward for me too. I hadn't head of The Blessed before, but now I definitely want to get my hands on it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I think I'll probably give it another go at some point, but because it's so much extra work, it won't be something I do often at all. I'm really curious how The Blessed will turn out.
DeleteI loved your vlog!!! It was fantastic! I can't wait to see more! Anna Dressed in Blood was really good. And it's set in Thunder Bay (good ole' Canadian town). I hope you enjoy all your books!
ReplyDeleteSara @ Just Another Story
Thanks, Sara! It would be nice to vlog as often as you do. If only it wasn't so much work as writing out a post is! And I didn't know that about Anna! Well, that's exciting.
DeleteAwwwww Aylee look at you!!!! I would be so, so awkward if I attempted a vlog. It would pretty much be me staring at the camera with a deer in headlights look on my face while my mouth moves an nothing comes out. Awesome. I think you're adorable, and I hope you do another vlog!!!
ReplyDeleteAw. Thanks, Jenny! What you don't know is that I actually edited out all of my "deer in headlight" looks, of which there were a ton of them, just me gaping like a fish, not knowing what to say. The editing was my saviour.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSuper nice to see you in person. Your personality is so darn hilarious. I loved the blog! I think having a bit of a script may help you with the books and all, otherwise, don't change it, it was great!
ReplyDeleteAs for the books you received this week looks like a bunch of great ones. I'm having the same problem with requesting E-books. I'm always going overboard too, then suffering for it later as the pressure builds when the release dates approach faster than I could have ever imagined - wtf was I thinking when I pushed that darn "request" button anyways? I need to stop doing that at night after having a couple drinks.... never a good thing lol.
The books you bought from working for your dad ARE AWESOME. I've read both Cinder and Shadow and Bone - both Rock! I purchased Anna But haven't found the time to read it yet. Yeah, I know, I suck! Enjoy your books, I really look forward to reading your reviews.
Aw, thank you so much, Gina! And yeah - I guess, isn't that always the problem? We are all huge book lovers, so naturally, we are always wanting to read a ton a books at any one time. But our eyes are bigger than our brains and we don't have the reading time needed to get it all done. Heh, it's a good thing that I've never drunk-requested - that would be absolutely disastrous! I'm so looking forward to reading the books that I bought, given the chance to read them! I just know I'll love them if you and everyone did!
DeleteEverything about this post is just exploding with awesome, Aylee!! First, your vlog! Don't worry about a script. You are adorable and it was so nice seeing you. Also, Shadow and Bone!!!! :) And your header is different! I can't tell you how relieved I am that your Potterpuffs are still there and they're still having the same convo. I love it so much that I need to compulsively read it every time I visit your site. And then I giggle, Every. Single. Time. :P
ReplyDeleteThanks, Small!! I think it's possible a script might even make me more awkward, so maybe that's not the right route for me. And thank you - I don't plan on ever changing the header too drastically... it took too dang long to make it that it would feel like a waste! I'm glad it brings you enjoyment :)
DeleteYou are so cute. I loved watching your vlog and getting to know you a little better. I totally did the same thing on my first vlog of just staring at the screen and waving LOL It got easier for me the more of them that I did.
ReplyDeleteJessica @ Books: A true story
Aw, thanks Jessica! haha, it was really hard to start it and really hard to figure out how to end it!
Delete