YouTubers as Authors - Tyler Oakley and Mamrie Hart

[suzanneseidel]

I'll be the first to admit that I was very skeptical about anything created by someone whose literal profession is "YouTuber" but I have been very pleasantly surprised (dare I say impressed) with the works I've read by YouTubers Tyler Oakley and Mamrie Hart. I was, understandably and probably wisely, hesitant to fall down the rabbit hole of YouTube but I've been casually watching videos by Tyler and Mamrie for a couple years now and they're usually good for a laugh. Mamrie is the queen of puns (and drinks) and Tyler is giggly and sincere. So when they each released a memoir of sorts I checked them out.

I first read Marmie Hart's You Deserve a Drink and very much enjoyed it. I love her punny sense of humor and her ballsy tell-it-like-it-is-ness. She's not afraid to make a joke at her own expense but she knows how to be funny without calling herself names (I'm looking at you Amy Schumer). My only complaint about this hilarious compilations of "boozy misadventures" from the young YouTubers life is that it wasn't organized in the most sensical* way. When it comes to memoirs I think chronological is the safest bet but You Deserve a Drink was more random.

There is one story from Tyler Oakley's Binge that still makes me laugh out loud whenever I think about it. The entire book is worth reading just for The Cheesecake Factory story. Not only was the book funny, but it was also a fresh, not too deep, not too shallow, perspective on living as a gay man today. There was a story or two about his love life that I could've done without but I appreciate his willingness to be open and vulnerable. Binge was HILARIOUS and surprisingly uplifting/encouraging.

What books have you enjoyed that you didn't expect to? Are there any authors you underestimated before giving them a chance?

*I realize that "sensical" isn't technically a word, but "nonsensical" is, so I maintain that "sensical" should be a word and therefore utilize it like it is.

[clairesthilaire]

You make me want to check out some of these books by youtubers!

Honestly, I think the book that surprised me most was Ender's Game. A friend asked me to read it, and I did it to be polite not because I was excited about it. I usually enjoy classics, books that deal with social issues, or books that inspire thought. I figured Ender's Game would be a mindless sci-fi book with mediocre writing. I was mistaken. I ended up reading the whole thing in one afternoon!

I have also been pleasantly surprised by a few non-fiction books that I thought would be a stereotypical take on events in history but instead opened up my mind to some new ideas. And I've enjoyed some comedy/humor books I wasn't sure I would connect with. I guess it all goes back to the old saying, "never judge a book by its cover".

Great Topic!

[suzanneseidel]

Oo I loved Ender's Game! And the whole Ender Quintet. It's a unique series in that it definitely is sci-fi, but deals with social and cultural issues (especially in some of the later books in the series)! Definitely not a classic, though - good for you to give it a try!