If you were anything like me in middle school, you had your nose in a book consistently and that didn't make you the ~coolest~ kid on the block. However, I lived so many lives through reading books about romance, adventure, and fantasy worlds. I now walk into a used book store and can point at every book that I already own, making finding new ones quite challenging. That's where we are grateful to BookTok. If you don't know what it is, it is a community of TikTok users who are dedicated to talking about books, recommending new books, and developing a community of readers.
Brenda (@brenda.reads) has created a short video on TikTok with music Somewhere only weee knowwwww.
It is also a community that has introduced New Adult novels. Before TikTok I didn't know that there was a genre titled New Adult- let alone books that fell under that category. According to my good friend, Wikipedia, "New adult fiction, also rendered as new-adult fiction, is a developing genre of fiction with protagonists in the 18–30 age bracket." Which, if you think about it, makes sense as to why our generation of kids who spent most of their time in the library, book stores, or with their nose in a book are LOVING this new genre. The protagonists are now the same age as us and their problems are more real and relatable.
lucie 🍒 (@lucies..library) has created a short video on TikTok with music original sound.
BookTok as also made reading a sociable, cool, thing. I didn't ever feel that way in middle school. Now, there are thousands upon thousands of people on the internet who are so passionate about reading and share their enthusiasm with the rest of us. Reading is now the IN thing to do- even if all these books being recommended are on the platform of TikTok, which is an app I downloaded ironically.
Finally, aside from making reading cool again and giving me plenty of books to add to my amazon wish list, BookTok is creative. The few TikToks that I've shared have both singled out a specific type of book- so viewers know just what to expect when reading them. Sometimes the TikToks say "if you liked this book___ try these 5______" and it's so helpful! Or, the specific category is so detailed, like this one below that is a book for every type of love. Again, CREATIVITY. The reading community is passionate and creative. BookTok has highlighted these qualities and developed an amazing, safe, and non-judgmental place for people to share what they love.
BookTok, I thank you. My bank account, however, does not.
pauline (she/her) ☀️🌙 (@thebooksiveloved) has created a short video on TikTok with music original sound.
