I absolutely agree with you. I also feel like a lot of the time the anger toward booktokers stems from their huge influence on the publishing industry in general. Today, if you go to any big bookstore - say Barnes & Noble - you'll see they've a separate stand for "TikTok Books" and I think what people are tired of is seeing these big booktokers pushing the same authors again and again. While that's not an issue, BookTok often gives the limelight to the most controversial authors, and some don't even wanna acknowledge their goof-up. So I do get the rage - there should be some responsibility from the creator's end as well, especially when they have a huge influence. But what I don't like is the generalizing of readers. Yes, reading is political (has always been), but bashing someone just because they prefer a certain genre is not fair. I am also going to cover this topic for my next article because this is something that's been on my mind for a long time now. This post gave me a new perspective to think from - subscribing to you because I would love to read more from you!
thank you so much ! i’m so glad you found a resonance within my work, it means everything to me <3
also, totalyl agree with you. there is some fault on creators with always pushing the same narratives, but i think most of that comes from the algorithm’s preference to buzzwords and the easy publicity “trope-fication” gives to novels. the fact that readers are always constantly being pushed into a box because of a few creators in the limelight just sucks. like all forms of art, reading has so many facets and nuances to keep in mind that generalization is just cruel.
i’m glad this gave you a new perspective! that’s really what i hope to do with all my pieces and i’m glad this resonated with you <3
I so agree with all of this. I've been in a "book crisis," not knowing what to read next. I feel like what I'm reading doesn't have enough depth. So I'm trying a genre I haven't read in a while. I feel like I've been tainted by the bookstagram world and don't post about books anymore because of all the things people say when they post about books. I've switched my account to focusing on my poetry because reading seems so polarized. I love this article. Definitely subscribing to see more of your content.
thank you so much ! i hope you find more insightful things in my writing <3
it’s really hard to try and find novels that are out of your comfort zone - and often it can be a bit uncomfortable to read something outside of your comfort zone. i’m glad you’re making the effort to read something you haven’t picked up in a while ! it might spark something and inspire you to write !!
i think poetry is a great genre to switch to, but i hope you indulge in some prose as well ! like reading, it’s great to have balance in your writing styles and your content. expansion never hurt anyone!
this was so insightful! i've actually written something like this too, about how sometimes people who read non-fiction or more "thought-provoking" literary work or watch things that aren't classified as fun sometimes come across as being pretentious. i think as people we just need to let each other breathe, and do what we want really.
omg i’ll have to go and give it a read ! please link it ! i think discussion on the importance of critical thinking and finding nuance is really important, but we do have to let people breathe when it comes to their choices. it’s definitely not pretentious to only read things that are “thought provoking,” but i wonder how that balances out with everything else. if we’re constantly engaging with the “logical” side of our brain, where does that leave our imagination?
I really resonate with your advice to your friend. As someone who reads similar books to her, while also loving cosy romance and mystery, it feels comforting to occasionally read something that doesn't augment my mental load. I definitely agree with your point that a good reader can extract value regardless. Thank you for this thought-provoking piece.
I absolutely agree with you. I also feel like a lot of the time the anger toward booktokers stems from their huge influence on the publishing industry in general. Today, if you go to any big bookstore - say Barnes & Noble - you'll see they've a separate stand for "TikTok Books" and I think what people are tired of is seeing these big booktokers pushing the same authors again and again. While that's not an issue, BookTok often gives the limelight to the most controversial authors, and some don't even wanna acknowledge their goof-up. So I do get the rage - there should be some responsibility from the creator's end as well, especially when they have a huge influence. But what I don't like is the generalizing of readers. Yes, reading is political (has always been), but bashing someone just because they prefer a certain genre is not fair. I am also going to cover this topic for my next article because this is something that's been on my mind for a long time now. This post gave me a new perspective to think from - subscribing to you because I would love to read more from you!
thank you so much ! i’m so glad you found a resonance within my work, it means everything to me <3
also, totalyl agree with you. there is some fault on creators with always pushing the same narratives, but i think most of that comes from the algorithm’s preference to buzzwords and the easy publicity “trope-fication” gives to novels. the fact that readers are always constantly being pushed into a box because of a few creators in the limelight just sucks. like all forms of art, reading has so many facets and nuances to keep in mind that generalization is just cruel.
i’m glad this gave you a new perspective! that’s really what i hope to do with all my pieces and i’m glad this resonated with you <3
I so agree with all of this. I've been in a "book crisis," not knowing what to read next. I feel like what I'm reading doesn't have enough depth. So I'm trying a genre I haven't read in a while. I feel like I've been tainted by the bookstagram world and don't post about books anymore because of all the things people say when they post about books. I've switched my account to focusing on my poetry because reading seems so polarized. I love this article. Definitely subscribing to see more of your content.
thank you so much ! i hope you find more insightful things in my writing <3
it’s really hard to try and find novels that are out of your comfort zone - and often it can be a bit uncomfortable to read something outside of your comfort zone. i’m glad you’re making the effort to read something you haven’t picked up in a while ! it might spark something and inspire you to write !!
i think poetry is a great genre to switch to, but i hope you indulge in some prose as well ! like reading, it’s great to have balance in your writing styles and your content. expansion never hurt anyone!
this was so insightful! i've actually written something like this too, about how sometimes people who read non-fiction or more "thought-provoking" literary work or watch things that aren't classified as fun sometimes come across as being pretentious. i think as people we just need to let each other breathe, and do what we want really.
omg i’ll have to go and give it a read ! please link it ! i think discussion on the importance of critical thinking and finding nuance is really important, but we do have to let people breathe when it comes to their choices. it’s definitely not pretentious to only read things that are “thought provoking,” but i wonder how that balances out with everything else. if we’re constantly engaging with the “logical” side of our brain, where does that leave our imagination?
https://wadzi.substack.com/p/maybe-i-am-pretentious?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=48e9db it's not amazing, one of my earlier works lol
I really resonate with your advice to your friend. As someone who reads similar books to her, while also loving cosy romance and mystery, it feels comforting to occasionally read something that doesn't augment my mental load. I definitely agree with your point that a good reader can extract value regardless. Thank you for this thought-provoking piece.
absolutely ! the most important thing in life - and subsequently, reading - is balance.