The year is 2020 (ugh, wow. Writing that gave all kinds of flashbacks. Just hang on; this gets better). I’ve just created my first ‘bookstagram’ account. With a few taps, I start following #bookstagram, and gorgeous flat-lay photos fill my feed. I tapped on a creator’s handle to skim the perfect little squares on their profile, each an aesthetically pleasing book recommendations or topic of #bookish conversation. The bookstagrammer’s overall ‘aesthetic’ shifts with the seasons, but there is a wide variety of book reviews to skim and add to my TBR, or ‘To Be Read,’ pile. I’m also learning a boatload of other acronyms like FMC, DNF, ARC, and CW/TW that feel like an entirely different language. But the community is warm and invigorating, and I stay despite my general distaste for social media.
The year is now 2026. Reels were introduced shortly after I joined. They started okay–I didn’t want to dance and lip sync on video, but some of my fave bookstagrammers used the new method in exciting and entertaining ways, so I adapted. In time, Bookstagram became a delayed Booktok, with the most popular videos and recommendations from TikTok finding their way into my feed 2 weeks later. The curated aesthetics and variety has been replaced by snappy visual hooks and the same five series that everyone is reading. It’s seems I’m always fighting the algorithm to find the niche treasures amidst the brain rot. Sure, many an author has found virality with this new platform, but it’s short lived. Like fireworks, this new era of ‘bookstagram’ is bright, loud, and flashy, but leaves little more than smoke.
I probably sound like I’m 82 years old, waxing nostalgic like that. But I know I’m not the only one who has noticed the shift and who can feel their attention shrinking with every scroll.
But we don’t have to scroll anymore. We can get off the apps and find our next read ‘in the wild,’ while not just taking a random chance on the pretty book at the bookstore.
Here are 5 Places to Find Great Book Recommendations Outside of Social Media (#3 is sneaky but very effective):
- Your Local Librarians. Here’s the secret about people who work in buildings full of books: they actually like books. They’ll be curled up with a new release or an old favourite once they’re off-the-clock, and they also watch what books fly off the shelves. If you walk up to a local librarian and say, “Hi. I really liked *insert title* and *insert title.* What should I read next?”, you’ll leave with a handful of options to choose from. And, because it’s from the library, if you don’t like one, you can always bring it back without finishing it. If you don’t like talking to people, often libraries will have a shelf featuring the librarian’s current favourites, and a quick google search can help you decide if there would be any content warnings you’d want to know about. This applies to public libraries, church libraries, and school libraries.
- Your Friends and Family. It’s likely that you have some similar interests to your loved ones. It’s true you might like thrillers while your grandma is on her tenth re-read of Janette Oke’s Love Comes Softly, or visa versa, but asking “What have you been reading lately?” or “What are some of your favourite books?” is at bare minimum a great question to keep the awkward silences at bay during dinner. And who knows? You find might find a new mutual interest in a book you didn’t expect, or grow to understand someone deeper because you read one of their favourites. Maybe you’ll even start your own little family fan club.
- The Books on Your Shelf. You know that page at the front of a book that says, “Praise for *insert title here*” with a bunch of author names you don’t recognize? If you’re like me, you probably just skim over that page, but those are authors in a similar genre to the books you’re already reading, and are well worth investigating if you like the book that they endorsed. It’s also possible that the description on the back of the book will say, “For readers of *such and such a series.*” Reverse engineer that, and you have another few recommendations (and you didn’t have to talk to a soul).
- A Book Club. It’s old school, but it’s stood the test of time. Search out a few book clubs in your area (your library will likely have a few options), and commit to trying a few out. Not only will you get some book recs, but you’ll build yourself a little community of like-minded readers. If you’re really outgoing, start one with your friends and have your friends invite some people to join for even more recs than Option #2 gave.
- Your Local Bookstore. Okay, so the point of this list was to not take risks on a random book, and this entry is lower on the list because the people at the bookstore likely have incentive to sell you something, which could skew some responses. HOWEVER, all that aside, it has many of the same benefits to the library if you’re willing to ask (and maybe read the book in the aisle. No one is judging you if you wanna sample a few chapters). And if you’re fortunate to have an independently owned bookstore in your area, those people REALLY love books and are a wealth of wisdom.
I highly doubt we’ll ever get #bookstagram back, but this is a great way to find books (and maybe even foster some community along the way!)
What would you add to this list? Let me know in the comments!