A letter to the Booktube community / I joined Booktube!

3/30/2021


Well, this is a blog post that I never thought I'd make. Is it the lockdown bleakness, sudden courage, or gin? We'll never know! I've been watching Booktube for years now, I first discovered the bookish side of the Interest through various YA readers like, and it was a breath of fresh air. 

As a teen, I sometimes purposely triggered myself into self hatred with the channels I subscribed to. Whether they were eating centered ones, or even the OG British vloggers (hell, I remember commenting on Zoella's first video and partaking in the live shows her and Louise used to do.). At the time, I was incredibly lonely. I didn't have a group of friends outside of the Internet and suddenly there were these people who I could watch everyday who just filmed themselves living. It should of fueled my desire for life, but it had the opposite effect. Which is terribly depressing, but true. I ached to have people in my real life who understood me the way that these friendship groups seemed to. Looking back as an adult, I get that it's so easy to fake this perfect happy life. 

As I got older, my Youtube subscription box expanded to the likes of EssieButton, Hazel Hayes, SimplyNailogical, etc. Women who owned their lives and catered to an older audience. This really helped me have some self reflection, and heck, Hazel Hayes 'Time Of The Month' series led me to volunteering, to skyping my online friends, to putting myself out there. It was remarkable. Then one day I fell down a Booktube rabbit hole and haven't really left. 

I adore the book community online, whether Booktube, Bookstagram, or Book Twitter. It's filled with people who don't shy away from discussing mental health, dislikes, life, happiness, sadness. I personally think it's easier to be honest about where you are spiritually when you can then divert into a different topic without it seeming unnatural. Books are beautiful things, and being able to connect to people from all around the world through the shared experience of reading? Indescribable. 

The longer I watched Booktube, the more curated my own tastes became. I discovered my love of literary fiction. I shy'd away from YA, but know that if I want something of that genre someone online will be there to give me a recommendation. I discovered that classics aren't always so daunting, and it's okay when you hate them (hello, Lord of the Flies). It helped me feel more comfortable in my own shoes. Me and my husband have bonded over the love of books, and it really helped to give us something to do together when we were initially apart. Words are beautiful, and books are a collection of that beauty. 

The act of recording was a TRAIL. I still don't know how to edit, so I'm currently going through the process of teaching myself. (Spoiler: It isn't going well) My first video is now live and the camera is shaky a few times which made me want to scrap the video all together, but ya know, sometimes you just have to post the mishaps and hope that it'll only get better from there.

So, if you feel like watching me be awkward for 13 minutes, or are simply interested in what I'm talking about, I will link my video below. 


VIDEO LINK - CURRENT READS | HELLO BOOKTUBE!


If that doesn't tickle your fancy, I urge you to fall down a Booktube rabbit hole of other Booktubers and find someone you relate to. I hope that I remain comfortable with the idea of putting myself in video form out into the World Wide Web, but even if I don't, I will still have a great love for this bookish community of worms. 

Wish me luck! 

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