#similarly having special editions isn't the problem it's the overemphasis on having special editions

[themoonking]

im all for making fun of and criticizing the way booktok (and booktube) aestheticize reading to an insane degree, making it more about being percieved as a reader more than like. actually reading. but some people on here lump the most normal things ever into the booktok consumerism pile?

like yes, booktok/tube places a lot of emphasis on the visuals of "reading", but then someone on here just went and said that simply "not wanting to damage your books" is a stupid booktok thing??? what? it's not vain or pretentious to care about your posessions, especially if they mean a lot to you. simply wanting your books to remain in good condition is not the same as having 100 unread books, or five editions of the same book, or books you hated, purely because they look nice.

and someone else said that having a yearly reading goal was also a stupid booktok/tube thing? since when? i've met people who set themselves yearly reading goals before youtube even existed. it's literally just a new years resolution, but tailored to a specific hobby?

#anti booktok #kinda went off in the tags lmao #like if you don't care about your books being a bit beat up and worn all power to you but its just insane to me #to say that NOT wanting your books to get worn means that you don't really care about reading?? what? #like for some people their most worn books are their most loved #but before i really got into reading if i had a beat up book its because i did not fucking care about it #and wouldn't bother if it got gnawed on by my dog or if it fell off the table into water #it's almost like we're all different and show our love and care for things in different ways? #'taking care of your things is stupid' is not the hot take you think it is bestie #and this person said in their post 'well i was always taught-' yea YOU were always taught #some people didn't grow up that way and weren't taught that idiot #similarly having special editions isn't the problem it's the overemphasis on having special editions #of books you didn't even enjoy #purely for the clout and the status that comes with owning a lot of special editions #wanting a pretty bookshelf isn't the problem you know some people just like it when their space is nice who knew #its when the bookshelf LOOKING nice supersedes literally anything else #like it doesn't matter if you enjoyed the book or if you read the book it just matters that it looks really nice on the shelf #something something nuance #vagueposting