This is an improperly long comment: TLDR; I felt defensive reading this, realizing how much I indulge in light, overconsumed media, especially fluffy, fast-paced books often written by white cis authors at the expense of deeper reflection and growth. It's made me confront how consumerism shapes my reading and writing habits.
This immediately made me feel defensive - defensive of my reading habits, the books I love, and of the types of books I want to write. Within the past few years, I've realized that I tend to live my life in the rose-colored shades of vapidity and ease, the world of fast (fashion, fiction, food, etc) and overconsumption (just look at my number of books read and the genre of the majority) and felt a mix of guilt and shame about these habits while at the same time leaning into the overconsumption of fluffy, "fun", popcorn books (seriously, look at my book stats) to the detriment of my own intellectual ability and personal drive.
All of this to say, it's something we need to hear and really take to heart. We, as readers, as humans, need to evaluate our habits and choices. There are plenty of other people saying this, BIPOC creators and authors have been saying this for years. If we're going to be critical about our reading habits, shouldn't we also consider the argument that a vast majority of these overconsumed books are written by white cis authors? (A rhetorical question mostly for me)
So yes, this did make me feel defensive, and that's OK. Thank you for sharing and contributing to this topic.
PS: I copied the idea of the TBR spinderella and it's really been helping me take back the hold consumerism had over me. Reading the books you actually own instead of going out to buy the newest trendiest one? Revolutionary. It's also helped me get a grasp on the idea that while I may have a lot of books, it doesn't make me any better of a reader if the books I'm reading don't have any substance. (It's fine if you have and like books that don't mean anything and are just a cute story, but you should also analyze what that means for you. And maybe pick up another book that makes you think.)
It feels like there’s genuinely no solution. There are too many people who subscribe to booktok and will keep buying limited editions, reading 100s of (I’m sorry) bad books a year, and scream at people who DARE to have an opinion. For me, I’m just happy I’ve found at least a couple of accounts on instagram that read actual literature
I personally love epic fantasies that are 1000+ pages but unfortunately for me, those kind of books are not the ones being published. Well, I guess it’s not unfortunate because reading all of Robin Hobb and Robert Jordans books is gonna take me 5+ years 😂
And on the whole brainrot book topic, when I was younger people would assume I was smart (I’m not lol but it’s nice to hear) when I told them I’m a reader. Now they ask if I read fairy smut and laugh, sorry but it’s SO frustrating
Your point about reading being attributed to intellect and now being attributed to "smut reading" is the exact problem!! You hit it right on the head with that ahah!
Great article! I especially love the section on the capitalistic consumption of books- which seems to be such a hot button topic these days (as I’ve learned the hard way haha)
This is eye opening and I agree. I don't write comforting books, I write heartbreaking and personal development fiction. Betas I've had for my debut showed me just how books have become fast, comforting and brain rotting. Where one labelled my work as a romance despite the actual story having extremely dark and convoluted scenes and themes. Others got the point but still focused on the romance (which is only there for a sub-point rather than plot, I could've made it a friendship). Literature, as you said "is meant to challenge, reflect, and change us". It's interesting to see how books have changed since the days of Shakespeare and Austen
"Because the moment you stop looking toward literature to learn, you’ve done yourself a great disservice, because nothing makes you broaden your worldview than reading someone’s worldview in their own words."
This is SUCH an important point. One thing my communications prof in university said that has stuck with me for years since is just simply "listen to voices unlike your own." It's so simple, but, as a straight, white person, it takes intentionality to seek out different voices. One easy way to do something like this would be to continue reading those "fluffy romances" - but seek out a romance written by an author of colour, an LGBTQ+ author, an author with different abilities, or an author who is neurodivergent. Just taking that one step could open up conversations and lead you to books you never would have read if you stayed reading books by people who look and act like you.
Yes! Thank you for so eloquently putting into words something that I too have been chewing on. The toxic side of booktok is so concerning, and I think it’s indicative of larger social problems too. I’m privileged to have an academic background in the sciences and humanities (mind you this was also pre-AI), and what I find deeply concerning is the dismantling and defunding of humanities, arts, and social sciences at the high school and post graduate level. Students aren’t being taught critical thinking and research skills, and with the rise of AI, those opportunities are being reduced even further. This happening parrallel to the rise of consumerism due to fast everything, and it’s creating this terribly perfect storm of instant gratification. People aren’t putting in the time and effort to critically read a text, or to read texts designed to make you think, because for so many it’s not something they’ve been taught to do or want. Which is incredibly disheartening, as well as frightening.
It feels like society is being stripped of its genuine curiosity for the world around it, and in its place is a shallow need for more without the depth to understand what that more is. It feels like books have become the new Pokémon cards, and in a few years people will stop caring and discard them as quickly they did their childhood deck. As a life long reader this makes me so sad, because there is so so so much joy, heartbreak, wonder, curiosity, frustration, knowledge, etc. etc. to be found, so much growth to be earned as a reader, and so many will miss out on that for the sake of collecting all the special editions. Every time I recommend a book to a friend I try to do it thoughtfully, choosing ones that I think they’ll like, but will also make them feel. Yet more often than not what they want is a carbon copy of what they just read.
Keep fighting the good fight Dylan. Thank you for your essay.
I loved reading your article! I've been thinking and feeling very similarly but had no idea how to put it to words. Everything was well thought out and the passion you have really shows!
I love following your page because I enjoy seeing what you read and your take on things. Even if our opinions differ, I still value your insight on these topics!
I don’t get much into special editions, but it feels really strange to see poorly executed ones being churned out. Bad sprayed edges? Dull foil on the title in a secondary? And then you’re meant to collect them all?
You’ve really made me think about when art meets that specific kind of consumerism. So fascinating!
Wow, this article was so poignant and needed- the amount of hate readers on either end are getting and putting out has been insane, especially considering as you said, the privilege of reading and the overconsumption of it. I remember when I was in high-school, my reading was seen as nerdy and weird, isolating. I suppose it can be, so when I saw that Instagram /booktok was reviving reading during the pandemic I was so happy. This meant that libraries and bookstores wouldn't die as we thought they would after streaming came along. Instead, as most coveted things do, it became over consumed in a destructive way, which saddens me. It makes books feel cheap. Especially when paying 40$ for a book that feels like a 10$ one, yet labeled special edition.
This reminds me of a conversation I had with my sil about the difference between reading for fun or education. I do both. I'm currently reading around the world. Poetry, nonfiction, fiction, memoirs. They are all sharing the human experience. Even the vapid books are telling of the human experience.
As far as the consumerism aspect, I can't agree more. The only books I own are dear friends. I'm grateful for living near such a great library system.
I am seeing a version of this in my very own micro-cosm in our local Friends of the Library. We have the "fun books vs good books" binary but personified in our volunteers. The old guard is VERY leery of young new volunteers who may not know the difference between Steinbeck and R.L. Stein. The new volunteers giggle when the old guard doesn't know who CoHo and EmHen are. Its SUPER interesting to watch and analyze- I am hoping that everyone can learn from each other and that, as you say here, fast fiction can be an entry point to a lifetime of reading for most. Your biggest point and the one that we can never forget is that literacy is a gift that can't ever be taken away. What readers choose to do with that gift is what remains to be seen. As Cesar Chavez famously said, "You cannot un-educate the person who has learned to read".
firstly, grateful that i got to read something so beautifully and politely conveyed. this topic has been going around the internet and it's either too aggressive or too soft. this is so perfectly explained, and everyone needs to read this.
I'm trying my best to change my perspective on books and reading cause of how i believe the whole definition of reading or being a reader has changed. for the past few years, booktok etc has been a starting point for so many readers, who, then get into the actual world of reading books and find the real value of being a reader. but now everyone seems stuck in the online definition of reading and being a reader than to explore what it truly means to an individual.
well i have a lot to say on this too which you have written in great detail. <3
Hey Dylan, what a great and balanced take on a very thorny topic. I thought I had subscribed to a cultural critic substack, but then I found out it was yours and was already subscribed.
I’m a very middle of the road reader, who will occasionally read some brain-rot books (though sometimes I can feel I’m losing neurons when I read things like Malibu Rising) and occasionally will dabble in classics or genre books with an explicit message. If I see anyone reading only the first kind I’ll have a hard time not to judge them as vapid, and if I see anyone reading only the second kind I’ll feel tempted to consider them pedantic.
Regarding the special editions, what I truly dislike about them is that they are a poor coat of paint on a common book and have terrible quality. They don’t have sewn bindings or acid-free paper like a truly premium publisher like Folio or even a true fine press.
I’m not quite there with the assertion that bookstores are filling with 1,000 page fantasy books: unless your last name is Yarros, Sanderson or Maas it’s well known in the industry today that nobody gets an agent if they submit anything north of 100,000 words, and that traditional epic fantasy has fallen out of favor. But other than that, your piece was very thoughtful. Congrats!
This is an improperly long comment: TLDR; I felt defensive reading this, realizing how much I indulge in light, overconsumed media, especially fluffy, fast-paced books often written by white cis authors at the expense of deeper reflection and growth. It's made me confront how consumerism shapes my reading and writing habits.
This immediately made me feel defensive - defensive of my reading habits, the books I love, and of the types of books I want to write. Within the past few years, I've realized that I tend to live my life in the rose-colored shades of vapidity and ease, the world of fast (fashion, fiction, food, etc) and overconsumption (just look at my number of books read and the genre of the majority) and felt a mix of guilt and shame about these habits while at the same time leaning into the overconsumption of fluffy, "fun", popcorn books (seriously, look at my book stats) to the detriment of my own intellectual ability and personal drive.
All of this to say, it's something we need to hear and really take to heart. We, as readers, as humans, need to evaluate our habits and choices. There are plenty of other people saying this, BIPOC creators and authors have been saying this for years. If we're going to be critical about our reading habits, shouldn't we also consider the argument that a vast majority of these overconsumed books are written by white cis authors? (A rhetorical question mostly for me)
So yes, this did make me feel defensive, and that's OK. Thank you for sharing and contributing to this topic.
PS: I copied the idea of the TBR spinderella and it's really been helping me take back the hold consumerism had over me. Reading the books you actually own instead of going out to buy the newest trendiest one? Revolutionary. It's also helped me get a grasp on the idea that while I may have a lot of books, it doesn't make me any better of a reader if the books I'm reading don't have any substance. (It's fine if you have and like books that don't mean anything and are just a cute story, but you should also analyze what that means for you. And maybe pick up another book that makes you think.)
Cheering you on!! ❤️
Love this!
It feels like there’s genuinely no solution. There are too many people who subscribe to booktok and will keep buying limited editions, reading 100s of (I’m sorry) bad books a year, and scream at people who DARE to have an opinion. For me, I’m just happy I’ve found at least a couple of accounts on instagram that read actual literature
I personally love epic fantasies that are 1000+ pages but unfortunately for me, those kind of books are not the ones being published. Well, I guess it’s not unfortunate because reading all of Robin Hobb and Robert Jordans books is gonna take me 5+ years 😂
And on the whole brainrot book topic, when I was younger people would assume I was smart (I’m not lol but it’s nice to hear) when I told them I’m a reader. Now they ask if I read fairy smut and laugh, sorry but it’s SO frustrating
Great article!!
Your point about reading being attributed to intellect and now being attributed to "smut reading" is the exact problem!! You hit it right on the head with that ahah!
Great article! I especially love the section on the capitalistic consumption of books- which seems to be such a hot button topic these days (as I’ve learned the hard way haha)
This is eye opening and I agree. I don't write comforting books, I write heartbreaking and personal development fiction. Betas I've had for my debut showed me just how books have become fast, comforting and brain rotting. Where one labelled my work as a romance despite the actual story having extremely dark and convoluted scenes and themes. Others got the point but still focused on the romance (which is only there for a sub-point rather than plot, I could've made it a friendship). Literature, as you said "is meant to challenge, reflect, and change us". It's interesting to see how books have changed since the days of Shakespeare and Austen
The evolution of literature is such an interesting topic to me. It's insane how much it's changed and continues to!
"Because the moment you stop looking toward literature to learn, you’ve done yourself a great disservice, because nothing makes you broaden your worldview than reading someone’s worldview in their own words."
This is SUCH an important point. One thing my communications prof in university said that has stuck with me for years since is just simply "listen to voices unlike your own." It's so simple, but, as a straight, white person, it takes intentionality to seek out different voices. One easy way to do something like this would be to continue reading those "fluffy romances" - but seek out a romance written by an author of colour, an LGBTQ+ author, an author with different abilities, or an author who is neurodivergent. Just taking that one step could open up conversations and lead you to books you never would have read if you stayed reading books by people who look and act like you.
Yes! Thank you for so eloquently putting into words something that I too have been chewing on. The toxic side of booktok is so concerning, and I think it’s indicative of larger social problems too. I’m privileged to have an academic background in the sciences and humanities (mind you this was also pre-AI), and what I find deeply concerning is the dismantling and defunding of humanities, arts, and social sciences at the high school and post graduate level. Students aren’t being taught critical thinking and research skills, and with the rise of AI, those opportunities are being reduced even further. This happening parrallel to the rise of consumerism due to fast everything, and it’s creating this terribly perfect storm of instant gratification. People aren’t putting in the time and effort to critically read a text, or to read texts designed to make you think, because for so many it’s not something they’ve been taught to do or want. Which is incredibly disheartening, as well as frightening.
It feels like society is being stripped of its genuine curiosity for the world around it, and in its place is a shallow need for more without the depth to understand what that more is. It feels like books have become the new Pokémon cards, and in a few years people will stop caring and discard them as quickly they did their childhood deck. As a life long reader this makes me so sad, because there is so so so much joy, heartbreak, wonder, curiosity, frustration, knowledge, etc. etc. to be found, so much growth to be earned as a reader, and so many will miss out on that for the sake of collecting all the special editions. Every time I recommend a book to a friend I try to do it thoughtfully, choosing ones that I think they’ll like, but will also make them feel. Yet more often than not what they want is a carbon copy of what they just read.
Keep fighting the good fight Dylan. Thank you for your essay.
I loved reading your article! I've been thinking and feeling very similarly but had no idea how to put it to words. Everything was well thought out and the passion you have really shows!
I love following your page because I enjoy seeing what you read and your take on things. Even if our opinions differ, I still value your insight on these topics!
I love both kind of books, they both enjoyable in their own way, loved the post
Thanks for writing
Thank you! :)
I really want to expand my reading horizon. Give us recommendations Dylan.
The fast fashion era of books is so sad!!
I got sucked into it, i’ll admit it. but it just looks so bleak looking at it now.
I don’t get much into special editions, but it feels really strange to see poorly executed ones being churned out. Bad sprayed edges? Dull foil on the title in a secondary? And then you’re meant to collect them all?
You’ve really made me think about when art meets that specific kind of consumerism. So fascinating!
I would love to see the art of special editions take precedence over the profit one can make.
This essay embodied so many of my thoughts after I finished reading Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, particularly surrounding consumerism.
Wow, this article was so poignant and needed- the amount of hate readers on either end are getting and putting out has been insane, especially considering as you said, the privilege of reading and the overconsumption of it. I remember when I was in high-school, my reading was seen as nerdy and weird, isolating. I suppose it can be, so when I saw that Instagram /booktok was reviving reading during the pandemic I was so happy. This meant that libraries and bookstores wouldn't die as we thought they would after streaming came along. Instead, as most coveted things do, it became over consumed in a destructive way, which saddens me. It makes books feel cheap. Especially when paying 40$ for a book that feels like a 10$ one, yet labeled special edition.
So much to think about!
Love this!! Completely agree
This reminds me of a conversation I had with my sil about the difference between reading for fun or education. I do both. I'm currently reading around the world. Poetry, nonfiction, fiction, memoirs. They are all sharing the human experience. Even the vapid books are telling of the human experience.
As far as the consumerism aspect, I can't agree more. The only books I own are dear friends. I'm grateful for living near such a great library system.
I am seeing a version of this in my very own micro-cosm in our local Friends of the Library. We have the "fun books vs good books" binary but personified in our volunteers. The old guard is VERY leery of young new volunteers who may not know the difference between Steinbeck and R.L. Stein. The new volunteers giggle when the old guard doesn't know who CoHo and EmHen are. Its SUPER interesting to watch and analyze- I am hoping that everyone can learn from each other and that, as you say here, fast fiction can be an entry point to a lifetime of reading for most. Your biggest point and the one that we can never forget is that literacy is a gift that can't ever be taken away. What readers choose to do with that gift is what remains to be seen. As Cesar Chavez famously said, "You cannot un-educate the person who has learned to read".
firstly, grateful that i got to read something so beautifully and politely conveyed. this topic has been going around the internet and it's either too aggressive or too soft. this is so perfectly explained, and everyone needs to read this.
I'm trying my best to change my perspective on books and reading cause of how i believe the whole definition of reading or being a reader has changed. for the past few years, booktok etc has been a starting point for so many readers, who, then get into the actual world of reading books and find the real value of being a reader. but now everyone seems stuck in the online definition of reading and being a reader than to explore what it truly means to an individual.
well i have a lot to say on this too which you have written in great detail. <3
Hey Dylan, what a great and balanced take on a very thorny topic. I thought I had subscribed to a cultural critic substack, but then I found out it was yours and was already subscribed.
I’m a very middle of the road reader, who will occasionally read some brain-rot books (though sometimes I can feel I’m losing neurons when I read things like Malibu Rising) and occasionally will dabble in classics or genre books with an explicit message. If I see anyone reading only the first kind I’ll have a hard time not to judge them as vapid, and if I see anyone reading only the second kind I’ll feel tempted to consider them pedantic.
Regarding the special editions, what I truly dislike about them is that they are a poor coat of paint on a common book and have terrible quality. They don’t have sewn bindings or acid-free paper like a truly premium publisher like Folio or even a true fine press.
I’m not quite there with the assertion that bookstores are filling with 1,000 page fantasy books: unless your last name is Yarros, Sanderson or Maas it’s well known in the industry today that nobody gets an agent if they submit anything north of 100,000 words, and that traditional epic fantasy has fallen out of favor. But other than that, your piece was very thoughtful. Congrats!
Love hearing other people's takes on this!!
(Also just a heads up, the 100k rule usually only applies to debut authors!)