I need to be careful not to show my age here, but BookTok isn’t exactly my natural habitat. I’ve always been more at home with text. Maybe that’s the wannabe writer in me or just the reader who still thinks the subtweet (yes, back when Twitter was still Twitter) is the highest literary form. One sharp line at midnight, meant for no one and everyone.
But BookTok fascinates me. It's fast, emotional and messy, and just as sharp at boiling big feelings into small fragments. A single clip of someone crying over a paperback can sell it out everywhere. A moody edit can turn Dostoevsky into a whole aesthetic. Plath goes viral because a single sentence gets paired with the right song.
It makes me wonder how the greats would fare in our internet world. Kafka would be viral in a day: “Woke up as a bug. Hate it here.” Woolf would own aesthetic reels: teacups, waves, captions like “moments of being.” Wilde? The king of one-liners and he’d never miss a trend. Joyce… well, he’d post one chaotic rant about breakfast and theology, then disappear forever.
And maybe that’s the point. Books have always been remixable. They mutate. They slip into new formats, break down old barriers, and remind us that stories will always find readers, even in the most unexpected places.
So I’ll throw it to you: Which forgotten classic do you hope BookTok rediscovers next? You can share your thoughts with me at info@thestorystation.co.za.
PS. Yes, BookTok soon. No, I won't point at floating text.
Writing tip of the week
“Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. All they do is show you’ve been to college.”
Kurt Vonnegut
Local author spotlight
Thanks to those of you who reached out about our local author spotlight. I’m looking forward to sharing your work soon. If you’re a local author and want to be featured, drop me a mail at info@thestorystation.co.za.
Quote of the week
“Don't believe anything you read on the net. Except this. Well, including this, I suppose.”
Douglas Adams