While many seem to be experiencing “brain rot” from excessive screen time, it’s refreshing to know one corner of the online world is actually encouraging people to put their phones down, open a book and gain all the wonderful benefits of reading.
BookTok, a growing community on the app TikTok, has become a digital space where people passionate about reading come together to discuss the books they enjoy.
“It’s mostly women sharing their love of books on TikTok and sharing what they like to read and reviews on books,” Alexis Weber, founder of the Boise Book Club, said of the trending online community. “The big reason that books are popular again is because of BookTok.”
The Boise Book Club is a local club for women who love reading. Each member picks a book to discuss at each of their monthly meetings, Weber explained.
While the Boise Book Club doesn’t necessarily revolve around BookTok, Weber attributes a lot of the club’s selections to what is popular in the online community.
“The book club has grown because of BookTok,” Weber said. “There’s a new wave of young girls who love reading because of BookTok. We’re all influenced based on what we’ve seen online.”
Members of the online community say BookTok is one of the most positive and uplifting corners of the internet and is doing something many high school English teachers have deemed impossible — making reading cool again.
Amy Thompson, a BookTok creator who goes by the online alias The Blushy Baker, said the reason so many new bookstores are opening, including added locations of existing chains like Barnes and Noble, is because of online book communities. In fact, most Barnes and Noble stores now have a “BookTok” section where popular titles from the online community can be found.
Thompson’s content features book hauls, reviews and recommendations for future reads. Her cozy content has brought together a tight-knit group of over one thousand followers.
Viral BookTok videos and popular creators occasionally spotlight smaller authors and artists, allowing independent authors and books to gain popularity they may not have previously found on bookstore shelves.
“A lot of these authors are sending creators their books, and that’s free PR,” Thompson said. “They are reading the books and giving a review, and [authors] don’t have to pay for ads. It’s helping indie authors a lot.”
There are some negative side effects of this online reading obsession. One major drawback is the promotion of overconsumption with users showing off shelves with hundreds of books as a status symbol. Meanwhile, public libraries are suffering due to budget cuts and being caught in the middle of political battles over free speech and education. Just last summer, a bill passed in Boise that would fine or sue libraries that provided “sexual content” to minors.
These important public resources could be highlighted and supported by the BookTok movement, but most readers are opting to purchase from major retailers instead.
“People just love to show their shelves completely full of books, even though they might not read that book again,” Weber said. “It’s just going to sit there for the look of it. We’d be better off to use the library or borrow books from each other.”
Some creators are trying to inspire others to support their local libraries and shop secondhand.
“There’s actually a lot of creators out there that post Goodwill hauls where they go to secondary stores and buy books there,” Thompson said. “That [content] gets people into the Goodwills and buying those books that have been abandoned and need a second home.”
Despite some creators promoting the overconsumption of books, BookTok is still offering a positive service to those in the community. It allows readers, especially young women, to explore different genres of books and be open about the things they enjoy without judgment.
“In the past, a lot of women have been kind of afraid to share what they’re reading,” Thompson said. “Women have been afraid to talk about what they were reading, or they were embarrassed to talk about what they like.”
You don’t have to only read classic literature to be considered a “well-read” person anymore.
Sappy romance novels and over-the-top fantasy stories are just as valid as Charles Dickens and Jane Austen, because no matter what genre you’re exploring, at least you’re reading.
“Reading causes people to see other points of view,” Angel Miraya, a member of the Boise Book Club, said. “It ideally exposes them to things that are going on, or have gone on in our world. It sparks conversation.”
As Miraya put it, reading allows us to learn from perspectives or walks of life we may have never had the opportunity to experience firsthand. BookTok is reminding people how magical reading can be and how access to literature is not only empowering but necessary for new ways of thinking to thrive. BookTok is making reading cool again — and this is only the first chapter.
