Thoughts on the BookTube/BookTok phenomenon

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading is better than not reading. Full stop.

Someone who uses full stop is probably better off doing something else. The reading is promoting mindless cliches for you to parrot.

Do you have any friends?

[Anonymous]

You sound like a snob OP. I do not want to pick my books by some random measure of "quality". I read long, boring contracts, briefs, and other corporate legal documents all damn day. When I read for pleasure I want something easy, light and relaxing.

I do keep track of the number of books I read on Goodreads, but I don't sweat if I don't meet my goal. It's for fun. I'll meet my actual goals at work.

I love the Booktok trend. Sometimes I watch quickly to see someone's top five thriller list, or recent five star reads. That doesn't mean I am picking my next read based off of the video, but it's interesting to see what other people are reading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reading is better than not reading. Full stop.

This is my opinion.

I follow my niece on a reading app and I see that this year she has already read 30-something books. I don't even think she'd read 30 books over the last 5 years we've been following each other on there.

It's lots of YA and BookTok popular picks, but so what? She's reading! She's finding new authors she enjoys, as I've seen her read a popular BookTok pick and then follow it up with another book by the same author.

Sometimes you want a heavy book that makes you think and sometimes you simply want a book that allows you to read while doing other things like listening to TV/movie, attending a kid's sports practice, or sitting by the pool.

[Anonymous]

Reading is a gateway drug. I don't care if Colleen Hoover got someone hooked if it brings them into the world of books. And I cannot stand CH books myself. There are phases of life for everything. I have read many great pieces of literature but I've really enjoyed going down the Sarah J Maas rabbit hole this year. I'm a middle aged woman democrat with three small kids, ESCAPISM its not a dirty word!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anything that gets more people to read is a positive in my book!

People who seek out “quality books,” however they define that, will do so with our without BookTok etc.

But so many people who otherwise would not be reading these days are picking up a book or two because of BookTok. So I see it as adding overall readers, which is great!!

I see it in with my teenage daughter and her friends. They’re all smart, academic kids who used to read A LOT until middle school (and their phones …) But they're back into it now - squeezing in some “fun” / recreational reading in between Macbeth for school and sports practices etc. It’s great!! (It also got DD back into going to B&N and the library, where she’s also come out with “better” books, in addition to the latest Emily Henry book or novel with a pretty cover and “Summer” in the title. 😂)

This is me! I hadn’t read a book in ten years (kids, man) and saw a booktok and decided to give it a go. 8 months later I’ve read 120 books. They definitely don’t meet your threshold of “quality” 🙄 but I don’t care. I’m thrilled the gate has been opened.

[Anonymous]

The great think about tiktok is that the algorithm is really good.

If you watch Jane Austen videos, it shows you more Jane Austen and throws in some Brontë to see if you engage. If you watch SJM videos, it shows you…SJM and starts throwing in JLA, etc.

Someone who actually uses TikTok and says it shows them “trash” is engaging with that content. The app is telling on you! Haha!

There is a corner of that app for literally everything. It can be super fun and nerdy.

[Anonymous]

I don’t subscribe to the ‘any reading is good’ belief. Most people can read. There’s nothing inherently virtuous about it. Reading terrible, cliche books does nothing for one’s intellect or anything. If you want reading to be a past-time like Marvel movies or trashy tv, that’s fine, but don’t expect people to run to you for opinions on what is and isn’t good and definitely don’t expect people to think of you differently because you’re a “reader.”

Popular books like James Patterson and Brandon Sanderson are like candy. Fun in small doses, unhealthy if it’s all you consume.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t subscribe to the ‘any reading is good’ belief. Most people can read. There’s nothing inherently virtuous about it. Reading terrible, cliche books does nothing for one’s intellect or anything. If you want reading to be a past-time like Marvel movies or trashy tv, that’s fine, but don’t expect people to run to you for opinions on what is and isn’t good and definitely don’t expect people to think of you differently because you’re a “reader.”

Popular books like James Patterson and Brandon Sanderson are like candy. Fun in small doses, unhealthy if it’s all you consume.

How are they unhealthy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t subscribe to the ‘any reading is good’ belief. Most people can read. There’s nothing inherently virtuous about it. Reading terrible, cliche books does nothing for one’s intellect or anything. If you want reading to be a past-time like Marvel movies or trashy tv, that’s fine, but don’t expect people to run to you for opinions on what is and isn’t good and definitely don’t expect people to think of you differently because you’re a “reader.”

Popular books like James Patterson and Brandon Sanderson are like candy. Fun in small doses, unhealthy if it’s all you consume.

How are they unhealthy?

Agreed. It's an elitist take that probably has the PP missing a lot of fantastic books.

Not saying I read James Patterson (not my genre), but I feel a kinship with every bookworm in this forum, regardless of what they read. It's a little sad to see some kinds of readers as less then because they engage with books you don't enjoy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t subscribe to the ‘any reading is good’ belief. Most people can read. There’s nothing inherently virtuous about it. Reading terrible, cliche books does nothing for one’s intellect or anything. If you want reading to be a past-time like Marvel movies or trashy tv, that’s fine, but don’t expect people to run to you for opinions on what is and isn’t good and definitely don’t expect people to think of you differently because you’re a “reader.”

Popular books like James Patterson and Brandon Sanderson are like candy. Fun in small doses, unhealthy if it’s all you consume.

How are they unhealthy?

Agreed. It's an elitist take that probably has the PP missing a lot of fantastic books.

Not saying I read James Patterson (not my genre), but I feel a kinship with every bookworm in this forum, regardless of what they read. It's a little sad to see some kinds of readers as less then because they engage with books you don't enjoy.

Definitely elitist with this nasty comment “Reading terrible, cliche books does nothing for one’s intellect or anything.” Many people just like to read for fun. Not because they are trying to increase their intellectual capabilities.

Also, no one said that they “expect people to run to you for opinions on what is and isn’t good” nor did they say they “expect people to think of you differently because you’re a “reader.””

[Anonymous]

Does PP read for clout? What a weird thing to assume that people will think of you differently based on what you read.

[Anonymous]

Its great people are celebrating reading but why did Fourth Wing need to happen???? 21 hours of audio that I will never get back - book club pick

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Its great people are celebrating reading but why did Fourth Wing need to happen???? 21 hours of audio that I will never get back - book club pick

I also regretted fourth wing— until it started a conversation with a co-worker who happened to have read it and we got to hate-discuss it and pick apart all the problems and all the missed opportunities. This isn’t someone I’ve discussed books with and while I don’t personally book-tok, if thats what got me a fun book chat on a Tuesday afternoon than thanks book-tok!

[Anonymous]

I read Fourth Wing for laughs. I had to check my brain on the whole war college where everyone's dying, but the baby dragon was really cute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reading is a gateway drug. I don't care if Colleen Hoover got someone hooked if it brings them into the world of books. And I cannot stand CH books myself. There are phases of life for everything. I have read many great pieces of literature but I've really enjoyed going down the Sarah J Maas rabbit hole this year. I'm a middle aged woman democrat with three small kids, ESCAPISM its not a dirty word!

Absolutely. Once someone is able to read with ease, for pleasure, through trash like CH, their taste may evolve and they might be more willing to pick up better books.