In the past few months scrolling reddit approximately 75% of posts from this subreddit that have filtered into my main feed have been people are saying one of the following:
-They think Fourth Wing is bad
-They wish bookstores wouldn’t push TikTok books
-They think A Court of Thorns and Roses is bad
-They aren’t convinced TikTokers actually read the books they say are great
-They think Song of Achilles is *mostly* bad
-They compare BookTok books to bad TV, YA with swearing, self published web novels from when they were teenagers, porn, etc
I don’t like these books either, but I don’t really engage with them because I’ve learned the romance-fantasy genre doesn’t interest me. I read the first third of ACOTAR and quietly DNF’d it, and that was the end of my engagement with the subject. There’s no need to have a new thread every few days for people to rehash the fact that they don’t like these books. They aren’t for you. Don’t read them.
If this subs #1 favorite topic is that BookTok is trash then we have no identity. We’re an online community dedicated to hating on another online community. That’s not a good look.
And from another standpoint, if we as a sub constantly advertise that we think that particular genre sucks, we eliminate any possibility of people who *do* like those books (who are many) joining the sub and getting other book recommendations, or starting discussions about other books. I work with five different women that *love* ACOTAR and burn through *at minimum* a book a week- and they aren’t just reading BookTok books. They are all much more well read than me, and if they felt this community would be accepting of their interests I’m confident they’d be valuable members capable of contributing meaningfully. I’m sure there are many others we’ve driven from this sub just by being negative.
I don’t know if the solution is a weekly “venting” thread or just an adjustment in attitude, but I think this sub needs to change in some way.
by BagOfSmallerBags
17 Comments
Maybe we could use flair for posts so it’s easy to filter out social media. Won’t fully stop all of what you’re talking about, but I, too, am wholly uninterested in *anything*Tok.
i see this along with is blank ok posts. articles ect. feels disheartening because i just wanna talk bout the actual books.
Like I hate bringing my self up, but so far each time I posted about a book I just finished, it never really got traction or large discussions on said books. while other types of post I mentioned above gets a large amount of traction, even articles that feel out of place
I love this post, but it’s like casting pearls before swine. There are myriad ways to share critiques without being an asshole and these people are choosing to be rude. Trends are trendy for a reason and that has been true since the beginning of time, but there has always been a contingent of haters for every trend. Personally I think being a hater is usually a coping mechanism – feeling better about themselves, their taste and their intelligence by making other people feel bad about their preferences. A weekly venting thread would likely be a good compromise.
I find it very off-putting and I don’t even read most of the books they complain about. It just feels like the latest round of The Younger Generation Is Doing It Wrong combined with Cultural Trends Enjoyed By Women Are Shallow And Superficial.
If you don’t like the book, good for you. I probably wouldn’t like many of the books OP mentions either. But there’s a difference between not liking something and what is quite frankly bullying, belittling, and degradation towards anyone who does, which I’ve seen a lot of in online spaces.
I am soooooooooo tired of the posts you’re talking about. I don’t believe in making people feel bad about liking this book or that book; people reading is a good thing regardless of someone’s opinion of the quality of a book.
I also think these popular books are getting more people than we think into reading as a hobby, some for the first time in their lives. How is that a bad thing? Maybe someone reads A Court of Thorns and Roses and goes “Hey, I should see what other fantasy books are out there!” and goes on to love a series that’s better regarded, like Lord of the Rings or something.
I don’t think it’s the same person/people over and over. I think it’s new people starting the same threads over and over.
I don’t know what you are talking about this sub has an extremely defined identity. That identity being people who don’t like to read, but like to feel better than others.
It’s all opinion. I don’t hate on BookTok, but neither have I had good experiences with the major trends in popular books. If other people are reading and enjoying these books, talking about them, then hey – more the power to them! At least they are reading!
Different strokes for different folks – I think the key is to remember that everyone is entitled to their opinion, and that those opinions are not personal attacks. There should be room for everyone here, and if you see a ‘such-and-such book sucks,’ then just scroll past it. It’s what I do when I see the twentieth post about a book I have no interest in reading and could frankly care less about. The poster had a good time, they want to share, go for it. I don’t necessarily need to be a part of their thread. It’s not for me to rain on their book parade.
Wish more people would adopt a ‘live and let live’ philosophy – there is room for all opinions, not just positive.
I’ve discovered this subreddit is one big circlejerk of people who try to feel superior because of what they read or how they read. If a book is not your cup of tea that’s fine, but so many people actively hate on books and authors. I’d laugh if the books on BookTok end up being classics one day.
a good portion of Booktok just seems like an extension of the tumblr character shipping circlejerk
This is completely not my experience with this sub.
People have always shit on books that women like, going back all the way to Jane Austen’s time. Fifteen years ago, they were complaining about women who read Twilight. Plus ça change etc.
It’s the same post over and over and over. We get it, you don’t like ACOTAR or TOG, you don’t think it’s “top literature”, blah blah. Just don’t read it? Good lord
I have mixed feelings.
On the one hand: I hate the romantasy genre, which you’d expect, as it merges two of my least favorite genres. I also have some criticism of BookTok which is dominated by some very specific trends. Also, Colleen Hoover sucks, I said what I said.
On the other: there’s definitely a whiff of misogyny involved, and there’s only so much you can say about this whole topic. It’s rarely new or original.
>BookTok
Still a firm no.
>They think Song of Achilles is mostly bad
Wha-? Who says that?
I have never even heard the term “booktok” before this post. Are you sure this isn’t a you problem?
I mean nearly every BookTok trend is just paid promotion by nepo baby authors, kinda like TikTok/Insta Reels musicians, so I get the distaste. Promotions by people with no ethos tend to be a bit annoying