This week, BookTok creators considered how content on the app changes as the seasons move from winter to spring and how BookTok works to combat the winter blues.
Suraka (@surakajanebooks; 16,500 followers) and Alice (@aliceandherbookshelf; 999 followers) agreed that “winter is definitely the season for reading”. Alice believes that “BookTok does really well” in this period and “becomes this cosy, warm and inviting place with comforting content during the colder months”. The creators agreed that the weather lends itself to “dark and moody storylines”. Rather than beating the winter blues, Brittany (@whatbritreads; 58,000 followers) thinks creators “just sort of plod along and sink into it. The books and the genres that get popular around this time of year definitely reflect that”. Busayo (@compulsivebookbuyers; 27,200 followers) agreed: “Sometimes even immersing yourself in dark reads helps because if it’s going to be gloomy, at least it’s gloomy in a fictional world too.” High fantasy, for Alice, is “such a winter read” alongside dark romance. “In my head, it’s synonymous with reading when it’s darker outside and I’ve got my candles burning.”
“As spring deigns to show up”, Suraka said, “our content tends to shift from cosy and introspective reads to more uplifting, adventurous and romantic books”. She continued: “There’s a rise in brighter aesthetics and a strong emphasis on fresh starts. This can be through romance, fantasy or even some motivational non-fiction.” Lighter evenings mean “people tend to have more time outside of working hours to film videos in good lighting”, Brittany added. Suraka, Alice and Busayo also flagged the increase in videos filmed outside. “Outdoor reading vlogs and aesthetic videos also become more common”, wrote the former, while Alice said content switches from “people’s home-reading environments” to “books to take away on holiday or people spending the day reading at the park with a picnic”. “We have a subtle change to the romance boom that always happens around spring/summer as people book holidays and look for something light, easy and feel-good to read on the plane and the beach”, added Brittany. Alice is a self-confessed “romcom girl” in the summer, looking for “easy, breezy and fun” reads.
Emily Henry’s books were a top choice for those looking to fight the winter blues. Although Henry does not have a TikTok account the hashtag, #emilyhenry, has been used in over 61,000 posts at the time of writing, while #happyplacemilyhenry has received over 23 million views. “People are starting to get Great Big Beautiful Life, so I’m starting to see more videos about this release which I’m sure will only become more frequent”, wrote Alice. Suraka recommended Funny Story and Brittany suggested You and Me on Vacation, both published by Viking. Talia Hibbert’s novels were also offered as a tonic to winter days by Brittany. “She writes very funny, very sexy, diverse romance books. Her backlist is extensive enough that there’s definitely a trope you’ll enjoy.”
Ali Hazelwood remains popular on the platform, her presence boosted by the publication of Deep End (Little, Brown). The conversation has “picked up again, especially leaning towards more discussions on spice”, noted Brittany. Layne Fargo’s The Favourites (Chatto & Windus) is “getting a lot of great traction now it’s out in the world. Lots of rave reviews and five-star reviews flooding in, which is completely understandable because I also loved it.” Read The Bookseller’s interview with Fargo here.
Alice is “seeing more” on the Zodiac Academy, an independently published 19-book fantasy series by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti. Dani Francis’ fantasy Silver Elite (Cornerstone), a Top 10 pick in The Bookseller’s May fiction preview, is “getting a lot of hype from early reviewers” too. Another fantasy nod went to Kristen Ciccarelli’s The Crimson Moth and The Rebel Witch, both published by HarperCollins, from Suraka. The books are “front and centre” and the latter is “landing on people’s doorsteps earlier than anticipated and people are so excited”.
