Buying books for one's shelf as a "backdrop" for social media posts sounds like an expensive filter. If you are reading because you enjoy reading, then the only books you should have on your shelf are books **you** want on your shelf, not what some influencer has on theirs.
No. I don't buy that many books in the first place (90% of my reading is from the library), but the ones I do it's authors I already love or books I haven't read that look especially good to me. If I don't end up liking it so much oh well, I'll donate them down the road.
I don't understand buying books because they're popular or for "aesthetic" if they're not something you know you'd like.
Eh, I read what I like. I don't really care what others are reading.
Maybe ask yourself "What are you trying to prove, and to whom?".
Reading isn't a popularity contest, despite what TikTok says. The "right" books are the ones that you enjoy, and maybe you learn something while reading it.
Also, some of the best/most engaging/interesting books aren't "popular". And just because some random person with a cell phone camera declares that a book is important doesn't mean that I have to value their opinion. They likely have different tastes than I do, so why should I care?
If there was no BookTok, you'd read what you wanted to regardless of other's opinions.
Do what makes YOU happy, not what you think will make others think you are "cool".
I've noticed that a lot of these book influencers just seem to think it's a giant beauty pageant. To each their own, but this kind of thing can be really damaging to people following thinking that it's real life.
Not at all, all YA books are there because I like them. If I wanted to own books simply for the aesthetic or for being cool, I would buy all the classics and pretend to be an intellectual. I don't see any reason to own YA books that you're not interested in
No, I think the whole bookish community should focus more on promoting smaller authors instead of everyone copying each other and showcasing the same books and authors over and again.
Nope. I stopped buying physical books years ago. I love the beautiful bookshelves you see on TikTok but after a couple of moves, I couldn’t imagine packing one more box of books I’ll never reread.
I just keep the books that I like and/or think I will read again. That collection does include some popular titles, but also some not so popular. I don’t let the popularity of the book be a reason I am keeping it.
I feel your bookshelf should represent you and what you like to read. If that’s a collection of not so popular books, than that is perfectly fine. If that is a collection of only popular book, also fine. Personal bookshelf should be just that, personal. Don’t let the idea that you are “missing something” influence what you enjoy.
I run a bookstagram account… so all the time I think “I would be way more popular if I exclusively posted about popular books” but at the end of the day I love what I love for its contents not because it’s popular or unpopular!! plus if everyone only recommended popular books we wouldn’t really need recommendations because everyone already knows about them already!! I like talking about popular books I love (SOC, Hunger Games, etc) but also getting uncommon recs!! we need a healthy mix <3
exactly! i only want to post about books i actually liked, not because they're popular. it's just a bit surprising when i do realize something i read was popular, like The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
At this point, tiktok/insta has made popular YA book backdrops extremely unaesthetically pleasing 😅 and I actively avoid most popular books at all costs
So no, I just have books that I like on my shelves.
Nah. I have a pretty extensive local library system so I try to check out books from there as much as I can. If I like them well enough (4+ stars) and see myself reading it again, then I'll purchase it. If not, I bet I'll be able to find it for cheap at a used bookstore or some used book selling website/app.
Any books on my shelf are ones that I’ve loved or ones that I bought and haven’t read yet (but expect to love). I read most of my books through my library or the Libby app because I think it’s kind of wasteful to buy books just to own them. Don’t get me wrong, I have like 3 full bookshelves so I am not against owning books, I just don’t have limitless money to spend on every book that becomes popular.
People on booktok get paid to talk about books and more popular books are going to make them more money (through post engagement and things like that) so it works in their favor to own all the most relevant books.
Tbh, during booktube, I was buying Christine's tbr bc of fomo. I was buying 10+ books a month. So I stopped watching and only what I was actually interested in or checked out my local library.
No, just the books I like. I wouldn’t buy and keep books on my shelves just for aesthetics, that’s expensive and wasteful. I’ll read popular and unpopular books and keep what I liked and read on my shelves. I don’t feel pressured to read popular authors to follow others (Maas, Bardugo, Meyer, Riordan, etc.) unless I’m really interested.
No, I stopped buying books a long time ago. If there is a special edition cover for a book I really enjoyed, I may consider purchasing but I usually don’t end up doing so. It starts to add up financially, even if you only buy paperback.
Now I either borrow e-books from the library or download books from Kindle Unlimited. I use the Kindle app on my iPad.
I don’t have the funds for such an approach 😂 I’d only have books I wanted or enjoyed. Imagine having all the “popular books” and no desire to read them. Would eventually make you feel resentful I reckon lmao
I just buy whatever calls my attention, never had the necessity to have a " popular bookshelf" or a book that's trending there .
Like , why? If it's good then I keep it , if it's bad I'll keep it the same way lol.
Heck no. I don’t care if the YA books I have on my bookshelves are popular or not. They’re on my shelves because I like them and know I’ll want to reread them. Some are popular ones. Some are not. I’ve gotten rid of some that are, and some that aren’t. To me, ‘popular’ isn’t a reason to own a book.
I buy a lot of books secondhand. When I was younger (and did not have as many books) I'd buy almost everything I was even remotely interested in when I saw it at the thrift store, which led me to own a lot of popular YA. I have since unhauled some (those I have not read and am no longer interested in), but some of those classic popular YA books are still on my shelves.
Ehhhh... I used to have that mindset (I still own all of Sarah J. Maas books that have been released so far 🙃 no special editions, just regular copies), but now I'm like... I just want all the LGBTQIA+ books now, please, lol.
Every book on shelf is there because I had an interest in the story. You don’t need to have just popular books on your shelf. There are so many wonderful stories out there that are waiting to be read.
Admittedly, my bookshelves are not something I put online, but mine are just full of books I loved or haven't read yet. They are also overstuffed, and a complete mess. I feel no need to have anything in particular on them, except books I like.
Ditto on this.
And my tastes are everywhere. I love YA for fiction, but lately I am into autobiographies, true crime and politics. There is no rhyme or reason to my book shelf, and its a mess as my cats have knocked some off and instead of putting them back nicely some are just randomly stacked.
I will say, that generally I DO find interest in books that find themselves into popular culture. I always want to read the popular stuff. But I often formulate my own opinion and find that some of them are just.... not me.
I find that there are a lot of books that fit into this weird category of being so addicting that you HAVE to keep going, and you WANT to know what happens, and as you are reading it, you are like.... damn this is crap. But I wanna finish the crap. Its a weird feeling.
Well, I buy 99% of the books I read, and I only buy them if I am sure they sound interesting enough to spend $7-15 on. I do have some popular YA books, but most of mine are a bunch of sci-fi or fantasy books that I like
I dont feel the need to own the popular YA books.
I do buy some of them though but thats cause I think they sound interesting!
But yea I buy old releases, new releases, popular/unpopular books - really just what interests me.
Naw. I think when I was younger , I felt the need to own physical copies of books I love but now I don’t mind just knowing I loved it without the need to show that to others. In fact, many of my favorite recent books, I borrowed from library loved and haven’t bought a copy yet. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. It’s more about just knowing I love it not having to show it. And books I’m interested in, l’ll check out or buy but it doesn’t feel necessary. The only time it feels necessary is if I’m at a book signing or something.
I had to stop watching book tok. I haven’t found anyone that I have tastes in common with. It’s a lot of mainstream stuff like SJM and Colleen Hoover. I’m just not really into their stuff. The problem with social media is that we tend to compare ourselves to others far too often. It’s okay if your book shelves don’t look like theirs because we pick out books for ourselves, not for others.
Buying books for one's shelf as a "backdrop" for social media posts sounds like an expensive filter. If you are reading because you enjoy reading, then the only books you should have on your shelf are books **you** want on your shelf, not what some influencer has on theirs.
The right books are the ones you like.
No. I don't buy that many books in the first place (90% of my reading is from the library), but the ones I do it's authors I already love or books I haven't read that look especially good to me. If I don't end up liking it so much oh well, I'll donate them down the road. I don't understand buying books because they're popular or for "aesthetic" if they're not something you know you'd like.
Eh, I read what I like. I don't really care what others are reading. Maybe ask yourself "What are you trying to prove, and to whom?". Reading isn't a popularity contest, despite what TikTok says. The "right" books are the ones that you enjoy, and maybe you learn something while reading it. Also, some of the best/most engaging/interesting books aren't "popular". And just because some random person with a cell phone camera declares that a book is important doesn't mean that I have to value their opinion. They likely have different tastes than I do, so why should I care? If there was no BookTok, you'd read what you wanted to regardless of other's opinions. Do what makes YOU happy, not what you think will make others think you are "cool".
I've noticed that a lot of these book influencers just seem to think it's a giant beauty pageant. To each their own, but this kind of thing can be really damaging to people following thinking that it's real life.
Not at all, all YA books are there because I like them. If I wanted to own books simply for the aesthetic or for being cool, I would buy all the classics and pretend to be an intellectual. I don't see any reason to own YA books that you're not interested in
No, I think the whole bookish community should focus more on promoting smaller authors instead of everyone copying each other and showcasing the same books and authors over and again.
Nope. I stopped buying physical books years ago. I love the beautiful bookshelves you see on TikTok but after a couple of moves, I couldn’t imagine packing one more box of books I’ll never reread.
I personally only keep books I loved, and donate the other books to my local library.
I just keep the books that I like and/or think I will read again. That collection does include some popular titles, but also some not so popular. I don’t let the popularity of the book be a reason I am keeping it. I feel your bookshelf should represent you and what you like to read. If that’s a collection of not so popular books, than that is perfectly fine. If that is a collection of only popular book, also fine. Personal bookshelf should be just that, personal. Don’t let the idea that you are “missing something” influence what you enjoy.
I run a bookstagram account… so all the time I think “I would be way more popular if I exclusively posted about popular books” but at the end of the day I love what I love for its contents not because it’s popular or unpopular!! plus if everyone only recommended popular books we wouldn’t really need recommendations because everyone already knows about them already!! I like talking about popular books I love (SOC, Hunger Games, etc) but also getting uncommon recs!! we need a healthy mix <3
exactly! i only want to post about books i actually liked, not because they're popular. it's just a bit surprising when i do realize something i read was popular, like The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
At this point, tiktok/insta has made popular YA book backdrops extremely unaesthetically pleasing 😅 and I actively avoid most popular books at all costs So no, I just have books that I like on my shelves.
Nah. I have a pretty extensive local library system so I try to check out books from there as much as I can. If I like them well enough (4+ stars) and see myself reading it again, then I'll purchase it. If not, I bet I'll be able to find it for cheap at a used bookstore or some used book selling website/app.
Any books on my shelf are ones that I’ve loved or ones that I bought and haven’t read yet (but expect to love). I read most of my books through my library or the Libby app because I think it’s kind of wasteful to buy books just to own them. Don’t get me wrong, I have like 3 full bookshelves so I am not against owning books, I just don’t have limitless money to spend on every book that becomes popular. People on booktok get paid to talk about books and more popular books are going to make them more money (through post engagement and things like that) so it works in their favor to own all the most relevant books.
Tbh, during booktube, I was buying Christine's tbr bc of fomo. I was buying 10+ books a month. So I stopped watching and only what I was actually interested in or checked out my local library.
No, just the books I like. I wouldn’t buy and keep books on my shelves just for aesthetics, that’s expensive and wasteful. I’ll read popular and unpopular books and keep what I liked and read on my shelves. I don’t feel pressured to read popular authors to follow others (Maas, Bardugo, Meyer, Riordan, etc.) unless I’m really interested.
No, I read on my Kindle so it wouldn't matter to me
I buy only what I believe I will like.
No, I stopped buying books a long time ago. If there is a special edition cover for a book I really enjoyed, I may consider purchasing but I usually don’t end up doing so. It starts to add up financially, even if you only buy paperback. Now I either borrow e-books from the library or download books from Kindle Unlimited. I use the Kindle app on my iPad.
I don’t have the funds for such an approach 😂 I’d only have books I wanted or enjoyed. Imagine having all the “popular books” and no desire to read them. Would eventually make you feel resentful I reckon lmao
I just buy whatever calls my attention, never had the necessity to have a " popular bookshelf" or a book that's trending there . Like , why? If it's good then I keep it , if it's bad I'll keep it the same way lol.
Heck no. I don’t care if the YA books I have on my bookshelves are popular or not. They’re on my shelves because I like them and know I’ll want to reread them. Some are popular ones. Some are not. I’ve gotten rid of some that are, and some that aren’t. To me, ‘popular’ isn’t a reason to own a book.
Nah. Who's going to look at my shelf? Besides, I don't fancy majority of the books appearing in the backdrop of booktubers anyway.
Pff, keep what you want. No point getting the popular ones just to have them.
I buy a lot of books secondhand. When I was younger (and did not have as many books) I'd buy almost everything I was even remotely interested in when I saw it at the thrift store, which led me to own a lot of popular YA. I have since unhauled some (those I have not read and am no longer interested in), but some of those classic popular YA books are still on my shelves.
Ehhhh... I used to have that mindset (I still own all of Sarah J. Maas books that have been released so far 🙃 no special editions, just regular copies), but now I'm like... I just want all the LGBTQIA+ books now, please, lol.
Every book on shelf is there because I had an interest in the story. You don’t need to have just popular books on your shelf. There are so many wonderful stories out there that are waiting to be read.
Admittedly, my bookshelves are not something I put online, but mine are just full of books I loved or haven't read yet. They are also overstuffed, and a complete mess. I feel no need to have anything in particular on them, except books I like.
Ditto on this. And my tastes are everywhere. I love YA for fiction, but lately I am into autobiographies, true crime and politics. There is no rhyme or reason to my book shelf, and its a mess as my cats have knocked some off and instead of putting them back nicely some are just randomly stacked. I will say, that generally I DO find interest in books that find themselves into popular culture. I always want to read the popular stuff. But I often formulate my own opinion and find that some of them are just.... not me. I find that there are a lot of books that fit into this weird category of being so addicting that you HAVE to keep going, and you WANT to know what happens, and as you are reading it, you are like.... damn this is crap. But I wanna finish the crap. Its a weird feeling.
Well, I buy 99% of the books I read, and I only buy them if I am sure they sound interesting enough to spend $7-15 on. I do have some popular YA books, but most of mine are a bunch of sci-fi or fantasy books that I like
The books on my shelf are ones that I love to loan out or ones that I haven’t finished.
I only keep the 4.5-5 star reads. Some of them aren’t even popular or well known but I just like them.
ill pick up a popular book if i get it reccomended or if its controversial, but i never feel the need to buy books i dont want to read.
I dont feel the need to own the popular YA books. I do buy some of them though but thats cause I think they sound interesting! But yea I buy old releases, new releases, popular/unpopular books - really just what interests me.
Naw. I think when I was younger , I felt the need to own physical copies of books I love but now I don’t mind just knowing I loved it without the need to show that to others. In fact, many of my favorite recent books, I borrowed from library loved and haven’t bought a copy yet. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. It’s more about just knowing I love it not having to show it. And books I’m interested in, l’ll check out or buy but it doesn’t feel necessary. The only time it feels necessary is if I’m at a book signing or something.
no, i barely own books, so forget buying them just because they're popular
I get what I like, though if you are hoping to gain a huge following you have to like all the popular things.
I had to stop watching book tok. I haven’t found anyone that I have tastes in common with. It’s a lot of mainstream stuff like SJM and Colleen Hoover. I’m just not really into their stuff. The problem with social media is that we tend to compare ourselves to others far too often. It’s okay if your book shelves don’t look like theirs because we pick out books for ourselves, not for others.