 I know there's that whole war between America and the UK where like we try to own you and there's spilt tea or whatever. I don't know, we don't really learn about it because we lost, but it's time for the real war, the real battle between America and the UK who has a better taste in books. Hello friends, welcome back to my channel. Today we're doing a video that sounds amazing in theory. I actually have zero idea how this is gonna work. I've wanted to do a video for ages where we look at waterstones and Barnes & Noble bestsellers and I see who has a better taste, but there's no parameters, we're just gonna kind of look at the books and chat about them. I've wanted to put these two against each other forever because here's the thing, I'm grateful for waterstones as someone from the UK, right? I'm defensive of it, but I also do love a good Barnes & Noble. Whenever I go in America, I'm like, I want to see how similar our bestsellers are between the UK and the US. I thought this would be an interesting thing to look at, make them battle it out against each other and then we will deem a winner. I don't know how, just just on vibes basically. If you get it, you get it. If you don't, you don't. If you know, you know. If you don't know, like, I honestly feel bad for you. Like, and see, maybe it's really similar. Maybe James, what's his name? I want to call him James Waterstones. The guy who owned Waterstones then has bought Barnes & Noble. What is his name? James Bond? No. I think he's to blame for that awful remodeling you guys are having in Barnes & Noble right now. I'm so sorry. James Daunt. There we go. It's because there's Daunt Books. Did he own Daunt Books? Oh my god, he's the founder of the Daunt Books chain. How has he done all this? What the hell? Okay. Founded Daunt Books, Nowren's Waterstones, Nowren's Barnes & Noble. This man is a book behemoth. So yeah, I've got the best seller books up. I have not looked at them yet and I figure we'll just kind of switch between the two and see whose taste I think is better. Let's just begin. Right, opening up Waterstones. Okay. They've got 10,000 items here. I'm not looking through 10,000 items Waterstones. Apologies. Top four, we've got Lessons in Chemistry, which has been a massive book. Like that has won awards. That has been massive. I don't, I still don't know if I'm going to read it guys. What do you think? I'm unsure. Then we've got Board of Lunch, The Healthy Air Fryer Book. People love that. Oh, it's half price. I can be tempted. People love their air fry at the moment. We have one and we've used it like three times. I really need to use it more. I might try and use it more. Then we've got Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Julie McAllister, which I love. That's a five star thriller for me. I didn't realise it becomes popular, but actually I think it's Waterstones' Thriller of the Month. So Waterstones have a fiction, a nonfiction, a thriller and a kids book of the month every month. So Wrong Place, Wrong Time is that and they really push it in store. Like I've bought a few Waterstones Thriller of the Month in my dime. Me when a Waterstones bookseller even slightly suggests I might like a book. And then what is this? A fortunate woman. A country doctor's story. What? Is this? Oh, okay. It was a nonfiction book for last month. Interesting. Relation between landscape, community, roles, medicine, society. Okay, well I could be tempted. That looks interesting though. Okay, so from the top four, this I feel like it's pretty typical UK books. Like they love lessons in chemistry and Waterstones. Oh, I didn't see any of that. I scrolled down but I didn't see any of it. This kind of book, I don't think you would absolutely not see in Barnes and Noble's top, whatever. Interesting. Okay, let's look at maybe their top four. Oh, okay. Okay, okay, okay, okay. So Happy Place by Emily Henry is their number one. I get the feeling that maybe Barnes and Noble are better at like updating us. There's some Waterstones. I don't know. I just think Barnes and Noble will probably have it together more than me. I don't know. I'm kind of just, I love Barnes and Noble guys. I love it. I love that you have aisles of books. Whereas in Waterstones you just have books on the wall and then tables. Whereas that makes it so hard to film. Whereas if you're in an aisle you have secrecy. No one can see you. It's like private, intimate with a book. Whereas Waterstones, everyone can see you doing everything. I don't like that. Anyways, I still haven't read an Emily Henry. Do you guys think I should? Which Emily Henry should I start with? Um, so that's number one. Clanlands in New Zealand. What? And it's a pre-order. When does that come out? What? This comes out. Okay, so Happy Place comes out tomorrow when I'm filming this. Clanlands comes out in like two months. Why is a pre-order? That makes me suspicious that people can pay to be on these slots. I'm not gonna lie to you. This makes me very suspicious. As a detective, this makes me suspicious. I don't believe that. Can American people tell me, is this like a big thing? Do you see a lot of these books? I don't believe that. I do not believe that. It's number two. Anyways, number three. You can't joke about that. Why everything is funny, nothing is sacred, and we're all in this together. Is this like a cancel culture, like we hate cancel culture book? Oh my god, people are censoring themselves. Okay. Okay. Okay. Interesting. I've never heard of this woman before. Don't know if it's about that. That's something I've never seen. It's number three on their books. That is fourth wing. What is that? That looks pretty. It's a pretty edition. Why have I never heard of this book? Why have I never seen? Is this like a TikTok book? It's like fantasy. What? I'm so confused. It's beyond belief. This is just beyond belief. Why are there all these books I've never heard of? Okay. It's like a limited edition, limited print, special edition. It's a very beautiful edition, but I've never heard of this. There's many questions to be asked here. Okay. Right. So that's their top four. Interesting. Surprised that it's too nonfiction, especially because of the like, in the US, especially the rise of TikTok. I would have expected to see like a TikTok. I really thought, clicking on Barnes and Noble, there'd be like a Colleen Hoover in the top five, you know? Let's look at Waterstones next four. This is all we're doing guys, but I think this is interesting. Market research. Oh. Okay. Okay. So Murder Before Even song is a murder mystery by Reverend Richard Coles, who's like a famous celebrity, semi, you know, semi famous. He's not like the biggest. He's probably like B list, C list. Murder mystery, which is, it's been published on the back of Richard Osman's success. They've made that Richard big and bold baby. They're hoping people will think that's Richard Osman's murder mystery. And it's a guy who exists in kind of the same circles of, you know, British TV. I can see what it's about. I'm surprised. I suppose it's the paperback. People are buying paperback. Cleopatra in Frankenstein. I've seen everywhere, but I have no idea what it's about, but it's a very like, I mean, this whole section of these three just struck me as such like books you see on the tables in Waterstones. Like this kind of like literary fiction-esque book, like adjacent, literary fiction adjacent book is the kind of thing the British team to fucking eat up and love. Oh, it's like a Sally Rooney-esque book. Maybe, I don't know. That kind of turns me off a bit. Small things like these by Claire Keegan. Looks a bit naturey, Booker Prize. It looks like nominated, although last year Booker Prize. Winner? Winner? No, shortlisted. Okay, historical fiction Irish town there. That doesn't surprise me. And then How to Kill Your Family. I didn't realise it's been as successful as it has, but the people seem to love it. This is one that I've been vaguely interested in, but I just don't know if it's for me. Okay, next four for Barnes & Noble. I don't know how many we do this for. Maybe like top 20, 15. Simply lies by whoever this is, a David man. Like a thriller? Looks like a thriller, detective, not interested. Why have we not seen a Colleen Hoover yet? Or like, I don't know, TikTok. What the fuck is this? What is this? Guys, this is not real. Barnes & Noble are shilling out for spots on their top 100. I'm convinced. What? It's a conspiracy theory that I'm actually interested in. Like none of the British ones have surprised me. Maybe it's because I'm just, I'm not American. And like the British ones, some of you will be like, I've never heard of this one, never heard of this one. These don't surprise me because I know the lay of the land in the UK. But like what is this? It's like another fantasy romance-esque book, but I've never heard of it. I don't believe this. Oh wait, hang on, hang on, hang on. Your dates. I was like, it doesn't come out for like 10 years. When does that one come out? Wait! The clown adds one that's second, if we're doing UK- Hang on, I'm getting really confused as to- That doesn't come out to the end of the year. That comes out at the end of the year. That is not true. You're lying to me. Okay, this is one I believe. Oh, and then we've got lessons in chemistry. Let's talk about these together. I believe the last thing he told me, because the TV show for this has just come out on Apple. So like that I completely believe, completely buy into that. Yeah, okay, and lessons in chemistry again, Barnes and Noble for the year last year, these are believable. That, the ashes and the star-curse king being above them is a lie. It's a lie. It's a lie. Okay, turns out this is actually quite a popular book that I'd just never heard of, so it might not be a lie, but I stand by my statement that there is something suspicious about these rankings. If you don't know, when you go into WH Smith in the UK, I don't know if they still do this, but those spots, they have like a top books, whatever. Those spots on that, number one, number two, number three used to be paid for. That's not real. That's like who's paid the most money. Next one, the French braid by Anne Tyler, never heard of it. Heart stopper, not surprised. Bluey, not surprised. This is what I believe this. I believe that parents are going there and buying Bluey. Stephen King pre-order, not surprised. Does that come out soon? Not really, but that doesn't surprise me. Whereas the clans, I'm sure are very popular, but like Stephen King doesn't surprise me, especially if this edition has just been released. I have no idea what this is though. French braid by Anne Tyler. Very mind I haven't been in the waterstones recently. This has come out in the last couple weeks. Pulitzer prize, Booker prize. Okay, this is another one for the literary fiction girlies, the clever girlies, family saga from the 1950s. Okay, none of this surprised me. Heart stopper being so high, absolutely. Bluey, you gotta love Bluey. That feature awaits me when I have kids. Okay, next four here. Oh, okay. Okay, right, right, right, right, right. Here we go. I'm starting to believe this. Sarah J. Marce. Yep, okay. Thank God you're here. Where have you been, bitch? Where have you bloody been? Finally, we got some TikTok books in here. My god, it only took us to the top 10. Wow. Yeah, I thought Sarah J. Marce would be on here. The girlies love her. I've never read a Sarah J. Marce, so moving on. The sun in the, oh, Rick Roy Alden. Now I believe, I refuse to believe that Ashley's and the star cursed king and these I'm dubious about, but like that one in particular, I just refuse to believe it. The fourth, fourth wing above Sarah J. Marce, I refuse to believe it. Yeah, Rick Roy Alden, everyone loves him. Oh, and then this twisted, oh, hang on, we've only gone on top 12 on whilst it's twisted, whatever. Another TikTok girlie. Finally, finally, the TikTok, people got some representation, very vastly underrepresented on our books. Okay, next four here. Anne Cleves is a big UK author or like very popular in the UK. I don't know where she's from. Never read her. Isn't she got, isn't it? Yes, Vera Stanhope is like the detective. Interesting. I might like this. She's like another famous detective, like Proro, kind of Vera. I suppose she's, yeah, she's a TV show. Here she is. Hey, Vera. The bookseller of, this has just come out, Scottish Waterstones Scottish Book of the Month for March. I didn't know they had a Scottish Book of the Month. That explains that. See, Waterstones is an explanation for every book that's on this list. I understand it. Barnes and Noble, bombastic side-eye, criminal of- I'm just a bit suspicious. That looks interesting. Crime novel, Stranger Dead. I'm keeping an eye on you. The cats we meet along the way. Hold up. I love cats. Winner of the Children's Book Prize 2023. That's why it's won. This is a kids' book, but like, I might have to dabble. That looks so cute. Eventful Road Trip Across Malaysia to find her at Strait. Cute. Okay. And then we have Seven Husbands of Evian Higo. I remember when I had to go to America to buy The Seven Husbands of Evian Higo because it like was not sold in the UK and I wanted to read it so bad. And when I went to America, I got my copy there and it's like one of those ones with like the weird cover where like the front cover doesn't extend as long as the book. It's one of those. And I just- I'm so- I love everything you go. I am quaking my boots that it's going to be a movie and not a TV show though. Like, why would you do that when you've got an episode per husband right in front of you? Next for Barnes and Noble, we've got two more Twisted Love. I didn't know these weren't that popular, but okay, the girlies love a bit of- love something twisted. The Wager. A tale of shipwreck mutiny and murder. Your America's books are so expensive. I feel so sorry for you. We're very lucky in the UK with how cheap our books are. Do I believe that you're really here? I suppose- okay, I'm gonna extend the benefit of the doubt. And another twist- okay. Oh my god, there's four twisted whatever books in the top 16. And no Colleen Hoover. Had the girlies just bought up all the Colleen Hoover already and so they don't need to buy them again? Perhaps. Okay, let's do one more round. Let's do top 20 for each. Wow, UK got to Colleen Hoover before the US. I don't believe that. I don't believe that. Can't believe that. I actually can't believe that. I am living in a state of shock. Oh my god, okay. And then we've got Daisy Jones in the sixth. Absolutely. Tennessee Jenkins-Rude having two in the top 20 makes so much sense to me. Absolutely. Then we have another kid's book. We have The Dinosaur That Pooped Easter by Tom Fletcher and Ducky Pointer. If you don't know, they are members of a very popular boy band- boy band? Band? In the UK called McFly. You know, bigger than all teas. It's like Tom's thing. He writes a lot. Like he did The Dinosaur That Pooped. I don't know. There's lots of dinosaurs that pooped. Here we go. Oh, okay. They write it together this whole series. He's written so many books. Like what? Why does he have so many books? Tom Fletcher. Wow. I bet he's raking in. Because here's the thing, right? His fan base is now parents of young kids, right? Because like I was, when McFly were popular, they, I think they came out when I was like five, right? And if you're even a little bit older than me, like say you were 10 when they came out, you're five years older than me, you're like 28, right? You're having kids, whatever, you know? So like, he, that's so clever. What a business mindset. What a gal boss you are, Tom Fletcher, to bring out kids books when the parents who are your fans are gonna be buying them. That's clever. And then finally, Spare by Prince Harry. Not surprised. I still haven't read it. I got the, I pre-ordered the audiobook and I started on the date, came out and I was like, actually, you know what? I'm good. And then I am going to read it though. I'll read it soon. This year. Okay. Last top 20. If I don't see a Colleen Hoover in this top 20, I'm gonna, I will deactivate, no, I'm not going to deactivate my channel. Let's not say that. But like, I will be really surprised. Okay, there's obviously something I'm not understanding, because we have another, maybe that book is really on here, because we have The Serpent and the Wings of Night. Is this a TikTok thing? This must be a TikTok thing, because that's the second, this, the fact that Tejan could read, you know, Colleen Hoover, not what I like about Colleen Hoover, like all these big authors don't have a single book yet in the top 20. And this woman has two. This must be a TikTok thing. I'm, I'm confused because I don't even like the covers. I'm so sorry. Okay. King of Pride. Oh, it's by that author, the girlies love Anna. The girlies love Anna. Oh my gosh. Okay. We got a Colleen Hoover. My god. Only took us number 19. Special Collectors Edition. And then, oh, in the lives of, sorry, I just really knocked you. In the lives of Far Fitz by TJ Klune. Interesting. Interesting, interesting, interesting. I have that on pre-order. Yeah. Okay. Wow. I believe that. Okay. Who do I think had the better top 20? I think Warstones did. I'm sorry. Like Sarah J Maas, you know, just, just this, this doesn't excite me as much as this does. Like Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Reverend Richard Coles, How To Kill A Family's Interesting Heart Stopper, like Evan Hugo. There's, this is a more exciting top 20 in my opinion. I think Warstones win. Not that I'm biased or anything. The British win. But that was really interesting. That's not what I expected. See, the Warstones one, I also like because it's not confusing me, because I know where all of these books have come from. Every book on here has an explanation. Like they're either the thriller of the month or the nonfiction of last month or this month. Or their heart stopper. Do you know what I mean? Whereas there's books on here that are getting major sigh die from me, that I just don't, I just, I'm a bit suspicious. But I had a lot of fun. And let me know what you thought these top 20 lists and who you think had a better top 20. And let me know if you've read any books that I had never heard of and what you thought of them. And like, please, if you're American, give me some, you know, insight into why Fourth Wing, why is she written? What has this author written before? Why is that number four? That is like, you know, reminds me of the Atlas Six kind of fantasy. And then this is, I am, I have, I should not have clicked on her author thing because I'm even more confused right now. Please give me some insight on the Barnes and Noble list, because I'm a little bit confused. Anyways, guys, if you got to the end of the video, comment a confused face emoji because I'm a little bit confused. And I'll see you again in another video. Bye.