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FRom popular book groups to the revival of edgy literature partybeing a book lover has entered. Dior has introduced new versions of their Book Tote inspired by vintage covers such as Ulysses and Dracula. Earlier this year, Coach agreed and Penguin to create little pocket charms – small readable books, from I Know Why the Caged Bird Iss to Sense and Sensibility. Miu Miu he has a Literary Club; Her Chanel A text conference.
Being a book lover is now adulterous, we are told. iD magazine He recently published a piece on the Whitney Review – a literary newspaper in New York – declaring his group a part of “hot literary criticism”. The founder describes the Review as “promiscuous, strange, rejected”, and the contributors are “interesting and beautiful” (confirmed by a series of shots in which Whitney’s group looks more like a group of models than anything else). But the piece raised eyebrows in iD’s comment section Instagram page: “the meaning of vacuous is vapid”, writes one user; “There’s no room for ugly, only hot things”, says another. Should we be suspicious of voguus conversion?
Author and producer Sihaam Naik believes that reading has become “hot” because of the financial problems faced by young people today: “Gen Z is a generation that will probably never be able to own a house, so we are very connected to investing in hobbies. So you buy books, art books and ephemera to separate yourself from your friends or show what you like.”
Popular book clubs Perhaps he is driving this, says Naik: the likes of Dua Lipa, Kaia Gerber and Reese Witherspoon share books written by “writers who need their platform… It works very well, but it’s sad as a sign of the times”, promoting the idea that “something is worth sharing on the Internet if you look beautiful.” Looking at how someone looks while reading as opposed to how they respond to criticism and words unconsciously creates a new barrier, apart from the culture of literature – you have to be willing to participate.
No doubt this came from BookTok and Bookstagram, where creators share fun reading spaces, shelves full of beautiful books and special editions. Bookmaker Sol Noya (@booksconleche on Instagram) thinks that this is good, “a welcome change from what readers had before to be indifferent or odd, especially since there is still a large number of people who did not read during the break.” According to YouGov poll conducted last January, 40% of Britons had not read or listened to a book in the past year.
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“Reading helps to think critically and empathize with others, which are two qualities that people need most.” So in this sense, reading to be ‘in’ is something that I love,” he continues. However, he says that the pleasure of reading is focused on consumption; reading as a new way to show “hidden wealth”. “Having many books means having money to buy the books and storage space.”
However, in an age where young people are trying to find ways to isolate themselves from the Internet and going analogthere are advantages to having role models to encourage people to buy and read books. Author Diana Clough (@literarydiana) tells the Guardian: “Choosing the right media for our phones is something we should wear proudly and be promiscuous about – even if it’s real.”
“Interacting visually with the written word puts our knowledge into the joy of reading, retelling the story into a spontaneous act. And it can be very hot, as the popularity of romance attests.”
Naik, however, is a bit cynical: “I’m happy to see people taking bookworms and reading as something cool to be cool again, but is it a fad, and will we be talking about it next year? Who knows!”
