Growing up, I always had a passion for reading as a hobby, though I lost interest during my teenage years when I thought it wasn’t a cool enough pastime. This was a short-lived phase because I could never stay away from books for too long, and life’s too short to let the fear of others’ opinions hinder you from enjoying what you love!
Now that I’m in my early twenties and a self-proclaimed bookworm, I’ve witnessed an exciting rise in reading popularity, thanks to sub-communities on social media outlets known as BookTok, BookTube, and Bookstagram. These spaces have brought book lovers together to interact with each other and create content about their favorite books. I’ve always felt this community is one massive, supportive book club!
Being a part of this sweet corner of the internet gives me a sense of belonging, and I have to thank wonderful book content creators like Sara Carrolli and Lauren Sydni for that. These are two of my absolute favorite women on BookTube and Bookstagram, and I recently had the pleasure of chatting with them about what the online book community means to them as creators.
When I asked Carrolli about her community of followers, she shared that “no one feels like just a follower. I look at everyone as my friend. Interacting and talking about our favorite thing [books] together makes my day every day!”
Carrolli actively engages with her followers across all her social media platforms, and her primary content consists of weekly YouTube videos that include bookish vlogs, recommendations, and fun reading challenges. I love watching her videos because they’re incredibly visually pleasing and create a calming atmosphere that I frequently have playing in the background of my everyday life.
Her long-time friend and fellow book content creator Lauren Sydni also posts vlogs on YouTube about her reading experiences and is active on her gorgeous Instagram account, Lauren’s Reading Corner. I adore Sydni’s YouTube videos because they realistically depict how you can weave reading into your weekly routine without compromising full-time positions like work and school.
Life’s responsibilities often overwhelm me, which can determine how much time I devote to my hobbies. Sydni’s reading vlogs inspire me to prioritize my passion for reading. I was curious to learn more about how Sydni creates this balance to achieve being a full-time professional, content creator, and reader all at once.
She shared, “I find that I’ll go through phases where I am extremely motivated and creative, so filming videos or reading books after coming home from an eight-hour workday won’t feel like any work at all. However, there are so many days where I come home from work and the last possible thing I want to do is sit in front of a camera and talk or even just read one page of a book. I’ll just always force myself to remember that reading started as a hobby, and social media is just a perk that comes along with it.”
Sydni’s insightful response serves as a friendly reminder not to put pressure on hobbies and as inspiration for you to achieve amazing things outside of your professional or scholarly roles.
Another aspect that has made the online book community notorious is its ability to promote books and authors that may not ordinarily receive such exposure. Recently, there has been some discourse among creators and readers about whether BookTok and related sub-communities are “ruining literature.”
I asked Carrolli what she thought about the trendiness of books, and her outlook was refreshingly positive. She expressed how she loves to witness so many people she’s never seen show interest in reading and suddenly be introduced to it because of the online traction that some books receive.
When chatting with Sydni about the same question, her feelings were more mixed. She finds that the “trendiest” books never end up being her favorite to read, but she acknowledges this is because reading is entirely subjective. It’s perfectly okay if she dislikes a book many others may love. On the other hand, she spoke about how she loves to see excellent books gain popularity and praise.
I am impressed by the power of the online book community and its impact on promoting books, even if the books that receive attention aren’t always my personal favorites, as Sydni also pointed out. It seems silly to criticize the choices made by others, as everyone has unique preferences and seeks out reading for entirely different reasons.
Ultimately, the popularity of “trendy” books is largely attributable to a group of enthusiastic online book lovers who are predominantly women. Influential book content creators such as Carrolli and Sydni have a commendable impact on many people’s reading choices.
It’s my love language when someone takes up a book recommendation of mine, so I can’t imagine how it feels to experience this feeling on a much larger scale, like Carrolli and Sydni do.
Carrolli shared, “I know part of my job is to read and recommend books, but still, the fact that people truly do listen to my reviews and buy the books that I enjoyed is so surreal. It’s just an amazing feeling because then we can all share opinions and talk about this same loved book together!” Sydni agreed with this sentiment and also commented on how this strengthens the bond between her and her followers and motivates her to create content.
Carrolli and Sydni spoke highly about their roles within this online space and the joy it has brought them. This made it all the more clear to me that the creators behind the online book community are kind and genuine people who love to share their favorite things with like-minded individuals.
If you want to get into reading but don’t know where to start, I highly recommend checking out these fantastic women’s content for guidance!
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