Bailey Reid

We all remember the excitement we used to feel walking into a Barnes and Noble as kids. However, as we got older, phones and digital books took over and became the norm. Now, TikTok’s #BookTok is making “old-fashioned” reading cool again, and many books are gaining unexpected popularity. 

#BookTok is a special community on the social media app TikTok. This hashtag is a place where creators make videos sharing book recommendations, bookstore hauls, and bookcase inspiration. According to articles by NPR and Insider, several books have gained popularity through #BookTok. These titles include Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us and Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles.  

One of the most interesting things about the recent popularity of these titles is that they were both published years ago. It Ends With Us was originally published in 2016, and The Song of Achilles in 2011. Taking this popularity into account, it is no surprise that The Song of Achilles currently has a spot on the #BookTok table at a Barnes and Noble not far from campus, located at 210 Commerce Boulevard in Fairless Hills. 

Another popular book on #BookTok, Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, is now ranked number one on the New York Times Combined Print & E-Book Fiction List. Surprisingly, this book has been on this list for nearly three years.  

If you are enjoying the resurgence of old-fashioned reading and are looking for a new book to enjoy for the summer, take a look at #BookTok, which currently has nearly 50 billion views.