F or the uninitiated, BookTok refers to the corner of TikTok dedicated to all things literary, from book recommendations based on popular tropes to guides on how to best annotate your favourite reads. Its influence is seen not just in the massive increase in book sales of viral titles, but also in the revival of brick-and-mortar bookstores. Some readers may bemoan BookTok’s leanings toward the romance and fantasy genres, but there’s no denying that the phenomenon has inspired many young people to start reading again.
Who better to delve into the intricacies and impact of the community than a BookToker? Having amassed over 566,000 followers on TikTok, Alexis Anunson—or @newlynova on TikTok—has cemented her place through diverse recommendations, incisive book reviews and a wicked sense of humour. Here, the literary influencer opens up about how BookTok has enriched her reading journey, and recommends three titles that she thinks the Vogue reader will enjoy.
What inspired you to start a BookTok account?
I started my account a couple of weeks after getting into a car accident in 2021. It was the same summer that I was getting back into reading as an adult and I spent a lot of my recovery reading and scrolling through TikTok. At the time, a lot of the long-form book reviews on TikTok were slow-paced. As someone with both an extremely short attention span—I have ADHD—and a decent amount of amateur video editing experience, I thought it might be cool to make the kind of videos that I wished I was seeing.
How has your relationship with reading evolved since you became a part of the BookTok community?
Everything I read now goes into my wrap-ups on TikTok and YouTube, which forces me to think critically about what I am reading. Sometimes this can feel pressurising; I read less often to relax than I did before. But frequently, it heightens my enjoyment. I see it like running a never-ending book club—I always have somebody to talk to about how I feel about a book I am enjoying. For a hobby that is so individual, it is a treat to be able to share it with so many people.
What are some misconceptions people have about BookTok?
That it is a monolith. Someone might see a BookTok table at a bookstore and think that every creator on the platform likes and recommends the same books. This is not the case. There are so many small and mid-sized creators who have given me fantastic, off-the-beatentrail recommendations for literary fiction, memoirs, science fiction and many other genres. Even within the stereotypical genres, there are many accounts dedicated to uplifting diversity: Black romance, queer coming-of-age stories, fantasy books inspired by East Asian mythologies.
How do you think BookTok has transformed the reading culture of today?
I am thrilled to live in a time where people, in particular women, feel comfortable talking about enjoying romance novels and other genres that have long been seen as intellectually inferior to highbrow literature. There are brilliant, layered and worthy stories in every genre. But even if somebody loves a book that is a little bit goofy, that is okay too. In almost every other form of media, it is acceptable to enjoy things that are not of pristine quality. There is a tremendous amount of love for bad action movies and so-bad-it’s-good TV shows. I think the best thing that BookTok has done is make people more comfortable talking and connecting with others about the things that they like without fearing judgement.
1 / 3
'Seven Days in June' by Tia Williams
“This is my all-time favourite romance novel. It’s sassy, sexy and serious in equal measure.”
2 / 3
'Beartown' by Fredrik Backman
“A book about a small-town hockey team that will break you in half and put you back together again.”
3 / 3
'Babel' by RF Kuang
“One of the most heart-wrenching books I have ever read and a masterclass in dark academia.”
The April ‘Pop’ issue of Vogue Singapore is available online and on newsstands now.
