i wrote a piece on the very topic of the rise of smut books!! reading is becoming into this sort of aesthetic, where youre seen as an intellectual and cool girl type if you do, and i have seen multiple people barely skim books and call themselves a bookworm. reading should be for your own enjoyment, not for life's aesthetic
This is the best thing I read today on this app! You are so right. I absolutely love Natalie Portman’s bookclub not only because she’s my favorite actress, super smart (literally has a Harvard bachelor in Psychology) and so poignant with her choices, but also because she chooses new authors, international and coloured authors, underground stories and even sparks a light in books that later on actually do become famous due to the quality of the writing/story. I do think these bookclubs can be “superficial”, but it also takes good taste to be able to know who to follow and which type of content you want to consume, and maybe that’s the problem today. Maybe some people just lack good taste nowadays, which is SO SAD. I get so happy when I see people yearning to read Joan Didion, Donna Tartt, Sally Rooney, Mary Oliver, Shakespeare… we need more of this. Yes, every now and then we need some stories that have nothing to do with quality and just serve us to get us through some hard times, but it is SO IMPORTANT to focus on quality and relevance on the content we choose to put out in the world. If we don’t, will there be anything to connect to at all?
Loved this. I genuinely enjoy reading for pleasure but the competitiveness of reading definitely has had an impact on me. And I realized that after reading your post. So, while I'm in agreement that hey, at least I'm reading, I also will be making the decision to be more intentional and reflect more on what I read rather than rushing right into the next book.
For the past few years I’ve set ambitious reading goals, and it’s led me to rushing, skimming, or reading things I didn’t like. It sucked the joy out of reading. This year, I reframed my “goal” to simply read a little bit every day. I’ve actually read more because I’m genuinely enjoying it and engaging with the material rather than trying to finish it as quickly as possible.
I find the book-tok trend nauseating so I’ve been avoiding talking about it like the plague. Despite that, I’ve been running into people who boast about reading Dostoevsky and Kafka within a day. Are you really reading for yourself if you’re pulling these names out of your pocket every chance you get? Exhausting. So, I really like that you touched upon how to mindfully read for pleasure instead of using books in a braggadocios way. We need more people to be mindful readers. Overconsumption really is stripping us bare by eroding our capabilities of divulging in more thoughtful actions.
This is so on point!!! I can admit that I'm sometimes guilty of wanting to read a book simply because it's famous/a classic even if I suspect I won't enjoy it.
I have to admit I participate in reading challenges, I set it for 52 books which is a book a week more or less because it keeps me accountable in a way.
I've started to keep a notebook with me when I read where I write quotes I and my thoughts on the book as I go. It has helped me enjoy the books I read a lot more.
This essay is so on point, thank you for sharing! The bit about "performative reading" captures exactly why I've always felt an odd obligation to read "the classics" instead of books that I know I'll actually enjoy.
There are some books whose language is so stuffy and outdated that I may as well be reading the back of a shampoo bottle, my comprehension is so minimal. Here's to reading for enjoyment!
hahah i so get that! i love classics and i love exploring how people from different times spoke and saw things, but this interest had to come from me. this pressure to be intellectual only drives people away from the classics. it’s like the feeling you get with mandatory reading at school, lol 😆
Totally, I feel that so much. It's like, my brain has to be warmed up for a lot of that older material. I can understand Oscar Wilde just fine but Melville, well I gotta sit down for that haha
The biggest game changer for my reading habits has easily been adopting a reading journal (I use notion) and getting rid of Goodreads.
Now, I’m reading according to my own interests rather than an algorithm, I reach out to people directly about what they are reading and get to talk about books more, and I feel vastly more comfortable writing about my journey with a book knowing that no on else has to see it.
Great piece of advice! You did a lovely job balancing various perspectives here while still having a stance, thank you for sharing your thoughts!!
i love my reading journal, but i keep a physical one. i love to create monthly and weekly spreads, doodle in it, and track my reading. it’s a hobby of a sort too, a way of being creative! and thank you ☺️
Loved this! 🧡 BookTok is what got me back into reading after not having read for almost a decade and I love that an online community got more people back or into reading in the first place. But I do agree with you that this online community has kind of ruined reading a bit. Like you said: it feels so unpersonal. For me specifically, I realized I hadn’t read one book in my native language (German) in over a year because BookTok is so heavily English-focused. While I still watch some creators in the BookTube or BookTok space today, I now find myself just browsing through my local bookshop and pick books that I find interesting. And I don't care anymore about whether or not this book is popular. And I’ve discovered so many new authors and series that I’ve never seen on BookTok.
thank you!! ☺️ booktube is what did it for me! and yes, i understand because i haven’t been reading in my native language recently either, and it scares me… i don’t want the english language to colonize me! i think there’s a side of booktok that recommends more diverse books, #literaturetok, and i love it! but it still is very much about aesthetics, looking a certain way, etc. i wish we could reconnect with books more organically, with a bookseller's recommendation, or a friend’s. something made for us, and less generic. we should all be reading different books instead of the same authors over and over.
I'm truly starting to feel the effects of this. I've been an avid reader my entire life. It's always been something I naturally gravitate towards. Similarly to to you I started Goodreads in 2014 when the only person I knew in real life on the app was my mother. Fast forward 11 years later and i'm still as avid of a reader as ever but now i'm overthinking it. I have 72 friends on Goodreads and there are maybe only 3 that I don't know in real life. Now its a competition, how do I prove to these people that I am a "real" reader not just here after the emergence of booktok (I am not saying the rise of reading is a bad thing, it is just my ego talking). So much of my personality has been defined as being a "reader" my entire life. Now we are all readers and it's a race to see who can finish the most books in a year, regardless of content. I don't think that reading anything should be criticized because it helps us all but how do I stop myself from feeling like a failure because I finished 55 this year as opposed to some of my best friends finishing 120? Something i've been trying to come to terms with/work on, I loved this article, thank you.
I know how you feel. last year I read 56 books, and it's the most I ever read in quite some time. i feel super proud of myself, but as soon as I opened social media and saw people who read 100, or even 200 plus books, I started feeling bad about myself. it's so silly! we don't even know the realities of some of those people and yet we compare ourselves to them. and thank you so much, I'm glad you liked it!
Absolutely loved this! I have always been a status reader- both in terms of volume and trying to read more *intellectual* books. Romantasy books actually freed me up mentally to read whatever is fun- and now I mostly read more intellectual books but love the freedom of mixing in some spicy book tok easy reads from time to time! This is also the first year in about ten years I’m not setting a reading goal!
i love doing this! i love classic books, non-fiction books that make me think etc, but from time to time, i need a silly book, like a romantasy or something straight from booktok to relieve me from all that thinking. i think doing that mix of flavors in books give us a good balance!
This is so true! I have never set a “reading goal” because I feel it takes away from my joy of reading. And I rarely get physical books—I only have so much shelf space, so they have to be special.
I am not on booktok but do still wonder at the bookhauls on YouTube. I have at times being overly tempted by the charity shops when I visit friends in the UK and have been known to bring home a cabin bag of books. There is definitely a high with finding a good book in a charity shop. That probably won't stop 🤣. There are perhaps too many books in my house now but they sure make me happy. Will I read them all? Maybe not because I do get distracted by the rabbit hole. Maybe I have not seen the extremes but I think books are different things to different people. If you need to escape from life for a while by reading 500 spicey novels a year that is okay. Actually now that I say that I don't know what the long term effects could be 🤣. Hopefully they can raise their head up eventually and touch grass but, if for them it is making their life happier rather than hiding from life, it is okay. I often think of it in light of other hobbies. People playing computer games for hours on end or watching people playing. Watching hours of sports matches every weekend. I think we maybe all need a little help coping with life? Sorry for the ramble!!!!
i don’t think it’s a bad thing to be a book collector or to have a lot of books at home. i meant about people who are obsessed with overconsumption and buy a lot of books at once without even reading them! and about the spicy books, i totally get the need the escape - i do this myself with fantasy. but it gets problematic when they start harassing other people! idk i think evolving sex and sexual fantasies can mess some people up and make they lose a sense of reality. men also have this problem with porn. its important to remain critical, even of the things you do to stop thinking.
I recently came across this video https://youtu.be/0tY7Z53QJo8?si=QmEDVjHLfyiY7QRY and it really changed how I approach everything from movies to books. I think that reading a lot of books is great, but I would love to see more people approaching it as an engaging activity rather than just something you need to check out of a to-do list. For me this also has a lot to do with the whole productivity cult: you need to read more because if you read more, you are more productive than those who read less. Do you remember anything about what you read? Did that book change you in any significant way? That’s secondary. You just need to read more.
i need to check out the video! and that is so true. i just saw a guy on youtube who, allegedly, reads 1000 books a year. that’s insane! i don’t even know if it’s possible. and it gets impossible not to compare ourselves to these crazy people
What a great question to ask! I especially liked the nuance and depth of your essay, well done!
i wrote a piece on the very topic of the rise of smut books!! reading is becoming into this sort of aesthetic, where youre seen as an intellectual and cool girl type if you do, and i have seen multiple people barely skim books and call themselves a bookworm. reading should be for your own enjoyment, not for life's aesthetic
This is the best thing I read today on this app! You are so right. I absolutely love Natalie Portman’s bookclub not only because she’s my favorite actress, super smart (literally has a Harvard bachelor in Psychology) and so poignant with her choices, but also because she chooses new authors, international and coloured authors, underground stories and even sparks a light in books that later on actually do become famous due to the quality of the writing/story. I do think these bookclubs can be “superficial”, but it also takes good taste to be able to know who to follow and which type of content you want to consume, and maybe that’s the problem today. Maybe some people just lack good taste nowadays, which is SO SAD. I get so happy when I see people yearning to read Joan Didion, Donna Tartt, Sally Rooney, Mary Oliver, Shakespeare… we need more of this. Yes, every now and then we need some stories that have nothing to do with quality and just serve us to get us through some hard times, but it is SO IMPORTANT to focus on quality and relevance on the content we choose to put out in the world. If we don’t, will there be anything to connect to at all?
i’m so curious about Natalie Portman’s book club now!! i have to check it out
Loved this. I genuinely enjoy reading for pleasure but the competitiveness of reading definitely has had an impact on me. And I realized that after reading your post. So, while I'm in agreement that hey, at least I'm reading, I also will be making the decision to be more intentional and reflect more on what I read rather than rushing right into the next book.
i’m so happy that my post made you reflect 🫶🏻
This was incredible!
For the past few years I’ve set ambitious reading goals, and it’s led me to rushing, skimming, or reading things I didn’t like. It sucked the joy out of reading. This year, I reframed my “goal” to simply read a little bit every day. I’ve actually read more because I’m genuinely enjoying it and engaging with the material rather than trying to finish it as quickly as possible.
I find the book-tok trend nauseating so I’ve been avoiding talking about it like the plague. Despite that, I’ve been running into people who boast about reading Dostoevsky and Kafka within a day. Are you really reading for yourself if you’re pulling these names out of your pocket every chance you get? Exhausting. So, I really like that you touched upon how to mindfully read for pleasure instead of using books in a braggadocios way. We need more people to be mindful readers. Overconsumption really is stripping us bare by eroding our capabilities of divulging in more thoughtful actions.
This is so on point!!! I can admit that I'm sometimes guilty of wanting to read a book simply because it's famous/a classic even if I suspect I won't enjoy it.
I have to admit I participate in reading challenges, I set it for 52 books which is a book a week more or less because it keeps me accountable in a way.
I've started to keep a notebook with me when I read where I write quotes I and my thoughts on the book as I go. It has helped me enjoy the books I read a lot more.
This essay is so on point, thank you for sharing! The bit about "performative reading" captures exactly why I've always felt an odd obligation to read "the classics" instead of books that I know I'll actually enjoy.
There are some books whose language is so stuffy and outdated that I may as well be reading the back of a shampoo bottle, my comprehension is so minimal. Here's to reading for enjoyment!
hahah i so get that! i love classics and i love exploring how people from different times spoke and saw things, but this interest had to come from me. this pressure to be intellectual only drives people away from the classics. it’s like the feeling you get with mandatory reading at school, lol 😆
Totally, I feel that so much. It's like, my brain has to be warmed up for a lot of that older material. I can understand Oscar Wilde just fine but Melville, well I gotta sit down for that haha
The biggest game changer for my reading habits has easily been adopting a reading journal (I use notion) and getting rid of Goodreads.
Now, I’m reading according to my own interests rather than an algorithm, I reach out to people directly about what they are reading and get to talk about books more, and I feel vastly more comfortable writing about my journey with a book knowing that no on else has to see it.
Great piece of advice! You did a lovely job balancing various perspectives here while still having a stance, thank you for sharing your thoughts!!
i love my reading journal, but i keep a physical one. i love to create monthly and weekly spreads, doodle in it, and track my reading. it’s a hobby of a sort too, a way of being creative! and thank you ☺️
Loved this! 🧡 BookTok is what got me back into reading after not having read for almost a decade and I love that an online community got more people back or into reading in the first place. But I do agree with you that this online community has kind of ruined reading a bit. Like you said: it feels so unpersonal. For me specifically, I realized I hadn’t read one book in my native language (German) in over a year because BookTok is so heavily English-focused. While I still watch some creators in the BookTube or BookTok space today, I now find myself just browsing through my local bookshop and pick books that I find interesting. And I don't care anymore about whether or not this book is popular. And I’ve discovered so many new authors and series that I’ve never seen on BookTok.
thank you!! ☺️ booktube is what did it for me! and yes, i understand because i haven’t been reading in my native language recently either, and it scares me… i don’t want the english language to colonize me! i think there’s a side of booktok that recommends more diverse books, #literaturetok, and i love it! but it still is very much about aesthetics, looking a certain way, etc. i wish we could reconnect with books more organically, with a bookseller's recommendation, or a friend’s. something made for us, and less generic. we should all be reading different books instead of the same authors over and over.
I'm truly starting to feel the effects of this. I've been an avid reader my entire life. It's always been something I naturally gravitate towards. Similarly to to you I started Goodreads in 2014 when the only person I knew in real life on the app was my mother. Fast forward 11 years later and i'm still as avid of a reader as ever but now i'm overthinking it. I have 72 friends on Goodreads and there are maybe only 3 that I don't know in real life. Now its a competition, how do I prove to these people that I am a "real" reader not just here after the emergence of booktok (I am not saying the rise of reading is a bad thing, it is just my ego talking). So much of my personality has been defined as being a "reader" my entire life. Now we are all readers and it's a race to see who can finish the most books in a year, regardless of content. I don't think that reading anything should be criticized because it helps us all but how do I stop myself from feeling like a failure because I finished 55 this year as opposed to some of my best friends finishing 120? Something i've been trying to come to terms with/work on, I loved this article, thank you.
I know how you feel. last year I read 56 books, and it's the most I ever read in quite some time. i feel super proud of myself, but as soon as I opened social media and saw people who read 100, or even 200 plus books, I started feeling bad about myself. it's so silly! we don't even know the realities of some of those people and yet we compare ourselves to them. and thank you so much, I'm glad you liked it!
This is soo true! sometimes the FOMO of getting the new, viral book takes away the real purpose of reading culture.
same! 😣
Absolutely loved this! I have always been a status reader- both in terms of volume and trying to read more *intellectual* books. Romantasy books actually freed me up mentally to read whatever is fun- and now I mostly read more intellectual books but love the freedom of mixing in some spicy book tok easy reads from time to time! This is also the first year in about ten years I’m not setting a reading goal!
i love doing this! i love classic books, non-fiction books that make me think etc, but from time to time, i need a silly book, like a romantasy or something straight from booktok to relieve me from all that thinking. i think doing that mix of flavors in books give us a good balance!
This is so true! I have never set a “reading goal” because I feel it takes away from my joy of reading. And I rarely get physical books—I only have so much shelf space, so they have to be special.
i’m so jealous! i have been setting reading goals since i first joined goodreads 😣 now i’m trying to let that go
You will!! You’ve got this
I am not on booktok but do still wonder at the bookhauls on YouTube. I have at times being overly tempted by the charity shops when I visit friends in the UK and have been known to bring home a cabin bag of books. There is definitely a high with finding a good book in a charity shop. That probably won't stop 🤣. There are perhaps too many books in my house now but they sure make me happy. Will I read them all? Maybe not because I do get distracted by the rabbit hole. Maybe I have not seen the extremes but I think books are different things to different people. If you need to escape from life for a while by reading 500 spicey novels a year that is okay. Actually now that I say that I don't know what the long term effects could be 🤣. Hopefully they can raise their head up eventually and touch grass but, if for them it is making their life happier rather than hiding from life, it is okay. I often think of it in light of other hobbies. People playing computer games for hours on end or watching people playing. Watching hours of sports matches every weekend. I think we maybe all need a little help coping with life? Sorry for the ramble!!!!
i don’t think it’s a bad thing to be a book collector or to have a lot of books at home. i meant about people who are obsessed with overconsumption and buy a lot of books at once without even reading them! and about the spicy books, i totally get the need the escape - i do this myself with fantasy. but it gets problematic when they start harassing other people! idk i think evolving sex and sexual fantasies can mess some people up and make they lose a sense of reality. men also have this problem with porn. its important to remain critical, even of the things you do to stop thinking.
I recently came across this video https://youtu.be/0tY7Z53QJo8?si=QmEDVjHLfyiY7QRY and it really changed how I approach everything from movies to books. I think that reading a lot of books is great, but I would love to see more people approaching it as an engaging activity rather than just something you need to check out of a to-do list. For me this also has a lot to do with the whole productivity cult: you need to read more because if you read more, you are more productive than those who read less. Do you remember anything about what you read? Did that book change you in any significant way? That’s secondary. You just need to read more.
i need to check out the video! and that is so true. i just saw a guy on youtube who, allegedly, reads 1000 books a year. that’s insane! i don’t even know if it’s possible. and it gets impossible not to compare ourselves to these crazy people
1000 books? I wouldn’t even remember my own name after that lol
Are they children's books? You could maybe read three of those a day 🤣