Booktok became well known during COVID-19 when everyone had to stay home and not go out. The first booktoker is named Cait Jacobs, and she started creating the Booktok that is still here today. She started her book community on TikTok during 2020 when people couldn’t get out much because of COVID. She started to create her book journey there because it was a passion that she always wanted to share with others. And just by Cait being herself on Booktok, she gained a lot of followers that made most of her followers want to share a book community themselves. And that’s why we hear Booktok everywhere, just from the impact of Cait Jacobs and her followers doing the same as well.
It becomes a whole family tree to me. Ever since Booktok became well known like now, people are starting to stock Booktok books in bookstores all around. A few countries other than the United States… like, UK, South Africa, Europe, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and a few others.
Now let’s talk about the issues on Booktok. They can get a little heavy at times (especially in the romance genre). Parents need to keep an eye out for their children and teens if they’re reading 18+ books. There was news spreading for a while that one time that a few parents or book influencers noticed that the book named ‘Ice Breaker’ was in the children’s book sections. People got upset because so much detailed graphics were not made for kids, and some parents were convinced to allow the book because of how cute the book cover was. Whoever did this and put the book in the children’s section was definitely a book influencer, just by the videos shown on Booktok of them putting them in the children’s section.
It is not funny and not appropriate for those book influencers doing such a thing. It can get kids exposed to things they aren’t ready to know yet. I prefer that people shouldn’t read spicy books just because of how you’re exposing your mind to temporary things that aren’t even important. I feel like when you want to read an 18+ book that talks about spice, I think you talk about them appropriately instead of going into full detail. If your book reader loves romance books with little or no spice, I do have authors and book recommendations for you.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t read spice books. It’s free will we all have, but I do agree that there should be an age limit to what we all read. My romance author recommendations are anything by Lynn Painter, Katherine Center, Jenny Han, Stephanie Garber, Katherine Glasgow, Brigid Kemmerer. That’s what I know right now in the romance genre. Just be cautious of what you read. It doesn’t matter what age you are right now because having a pure heart can lead to many righteous good things in life. As a Christian, I do want to be cautious of what I read, because it says in passages like Matthew 6:22-23, Luke 11:34, Matthew 5:29, Proverbs 4:23-27, Job 31:1, Philippians 4:8, and a few others that we should be cautious of what we see and hear, because it does impact our lives. I hope you enjoy the book recommendations and this story I want to share with everyone here at this school. Stay safe out there!