Are you looking for a new hobby during the time of a pandemic? Why not try reading? If you’re struggling with where to start your bookworm journey, look no further than TikTok and YouTube with their book-related content and community, known as BookTok and BookTube respectively.

BookTube is the term used to describe book-related content on YouTube. BookTube often has a wide reach as people can watch longer content on there such as monthly reading wrap-ups and reading vlogs. BookTok on the other hand, is the term used to describe book-related content on TikTok. TikTok only allows up to sixty seconds per video so the content there is often concise which limits the type of content released, the most common of these are book recommendations and mini book reviews.

With book-related content being more and more popular, social media has become a place for bookworms to share their favorite hobbies to the world. Social media has transformed into a place of not only dance trends, but also reading recommendation trends. Some of the most recommended books from BookTube and BookTok are Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston and Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. On the other hand, some of the most popular content creators, also known as BookTubers or BookTokers, include Jack Edwards, BooksandLala, Reading With Cindy, Jesse the Reader, and A Clockwork Reader. Because of BookTok and BookTube, authors have found a new platform to promote their works while reaching a larger audience than ever before. An example of this is when Irish author, Sally Rooney, sent an advanced copy to BookTuber, Jack Edwards to unveil her newest book at the time, Beautiful World, Where Are You, to his large audience of over 891 thousand subscribers.

Ever since I was introduced to the world of BookTube, I have been reading a lot more in this year alone than any other time. For example, in February, I read a total of seven books which includes the last two books of The Kiss Quotient Trilogy. I have found a new appreciation for reading as a hobby and its benefit to helping me through times of stress. Some of the books that I have read that were recommended to me on BookTube are These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong and We Were Liars by E. Lockheart.

If you need a new hobby to explore and/or want to read more, in a leisurely way, check out the different recommendations given by BookTubers and BookTok!