As a reader, there's really almost nothing I like more than encountering other people who enjoy one of my favorite pastimes just as much as a I do. So imagine my delight when I discovered the Booktube community on Youtube. I lurked for a long time. Mostly, I found a younger crowd that seemed intent on discussing mostly YA books. Few were the horror, suspense, science fiction, fantasy, or romance readers. Eventually, I did discover one or two people who seemed to read more widely.
A few of my favorites (I've embedded their most recent videos because I don't know how to better showcase their channel):
There are several others that I follow, too, but to list them all would make this incredibly long.
It wasn't long before I felt the desire to join. I wanted a channel of my own. So, I set up my Youtube Account with a second profile and recorded my first couple of videos. They are hideous. I am nervous and blathering. I was also using my iphone to record and lighting was a struggle.
Then I stopped recording. Stopped uploading.
There are reasons, of course. It's awkward talking to a camera. And I was painfully aware that my videos were not nearly as visually appealing as they could have or should have been. I don't have beautiful shelves filled with books. My collection sits in the basement on top of what used to be my scrapbooking desk, a suspended wooden headboard with shelves in it, and on a small metal bookshelf. Did I mention these are in the basement next to the furnace, water heater, water softener, and well pump? Oh, and let's not forget the spider webs and their lovely little denizens. Cement walls, cement floor.
Now, take a look at the rooms those lovely ladies up above are sitting in. What do you see in each of those videos? Bright, cheerful decor that highlights their bookshelves or whimsical book-related decor? Yeah, me, too.
Frankly, I started feel very self-conscious about my library that's not really a library. My books are in a pile. Sitting in front of my pile seemed...sad.
So, I stopped.
But I want to start again. I just need to figure out how to set up a more attractive backdrop in a place where I won't be self-conscious talking to myself when the hubby and kids are in the house.
A few of my favorites (I've embedded their most recent videos because I don't know how to better showcase their channel):
There are several others that I follow, too, but to list them all would make this incredibly long.
It wasn't long before I felt the desire to join. I wanted a channel of my own. So, I set up my Youtube Account with a second profile and recorded my first couple of videos. They are hideous. I am nervous and blathering. I was also using my iphone to record and lighting was a struggle.
Then I stopped recording. Stopped uploading.
There are reasons, of course. It's awkward talking to a camera. And I was painfully aware that my videos were not nearly as visually appealing as they could have or should have been. I don't have beautiful shelves filled with books. My collection sits in the basement on top of what used to be my scrapbooking desk, a suspended wooden headboard with shelves in it, and on a small metal bookshelf. Did I mention these are in the basement next to the furnace, water heater, water softener, and well pump? Oh, and let's not forget the spider webs and their lovely little denizens. Cement walls, cement floor.
Now, take a look at the rooms those lovely ladies up above are sitting in. What do you see in each of those videos? Bright, cheerful decor that highlights their bookshelves or whimsical book-related decor? Yeah, me, too.
Frankly, I started feel very self-conscious about my library that's not really a library. My books are in a pile. Sitting in front of my pile seemed...sad.
So, I stopped.
But I want to start again. I just need to figure out how to set up a more attractive backdrop in a place where I won't be self-conscious talking to myself when the hubby and kids are in the house.
Comments
Post a Comment