Just like the millions of people who were not able to prevent themselves from downloading the application TikTok, I went ahead and deep-dived into countless sixty-second TikTok videos. Not long, I found myself in what they call BookTok, which serves as a marketplace of ideas, discussions, recommendations, and criticisms on literature.
For about four years, I have struggled with finding a book that would get me back into reading. And because of the pandemic, I thought I’d at least get one of my hobbies back. I slipped into the BookTok-verse because of my love for literature, to get updated with the hottest new books, and my eagerness to get back into reading.
In sixty seconds or less, viewers would get the synopsis of a book as well as the creator’s comments, and a rating. The dramatic reading lists vary from “books I would sell my soul to read for the first time again” to “books I physically couldn’t put down.” It was a hilarious way to grab the viewers’ attention and it definitely worked on me.
Ayman (@aymansbooks), a 20-year-old creator from Chicago, was one of the people who got me out of my slump. I would attribute it to her attention-catching intro: “stop what you’re doing, shut up, and read this book,” witty remarks, and dry humor.
The book that got me out of my four-year drought was recommended by Ayman, “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” by V. E. Schwab. This book was all over my For You page, and everyone was raving about how good it was. With my fear of missing out and my desire to get back into reading, I tried it out and it got the ball rolling for me.
My love for books never really faded during the time I stopped reading, but it got more intense when I started reading again. Knowing that I have a lot of books to read, catch up with the discussions in BookTok, and the new authors that I should check out just made me anticipate what my next read is gonna be.
I dropped the idea of “that’s out of my comfort zone’ or “I’m not into that genre,” because no matter what genre it is, if the book is good, then the book is good. I feel like I stepped into a new world, and rediscovered reading in a different light.
With my recent discovery of a genre called new adult, I realize now that I was just simply reading books that no longer suited my taste and mental age. I was still reading young adult books, which I no longer found mentally stimulating. It was no wonder that I had a hard time looking for a book that interested me--because I spent so much time at the young adult section of bookstores.
Just like clothes, you can grow out of your taste in books, too. Consuming the same thing for a very long time will no longer keep you wanting more. Having BookTok around definitely helped me find the books that now suit my taste and mental age. I now have one of my hobbies back, much to my (and my mother’s) delight. Not only was I reading again, but I also found a community that shares the same love for reading as I do. The discussions are never dull and every book recommendation is something to look forward to.
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