In August 2017, I took a leap and ventured into the world of Booktube.
(That’s okay, I had no idea what that was either.)
I discovered Booktube when I was browsing YouTube for videos of a book that I’d read. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that a few people had read the book and had even uploaded videos with their reviews of it. In one video, the vlogger used the term “Booktube”, which got me curious.
Booktube, I quickly learned, is the term used to describe the community of people who create YouTube content about books. Similar to makeup bloggers who post videos of makeup tutorials, reviews, and related topics, Booktubers create content that consists of books, specifically:
- “Hauls”: show-and-tell videos about a group of books purchased or borrowed from the library
- “TBRs” (“to be read”): videos that contain a list or description of books that the Booktuber is planning to read in a given time period
- “Wrap-Ups”: videos in which a Booktuber explains – and sometimes reviews – the books they read during a given time period – usually related to their TBR list
- “Tags”: quizzes created by Booktubers that go viral, in which the Booktuber answers a set of questions based on any number of themes
- “Challenges”: non-competitive games where Booktubers aim to meet certain reading tasks), and many more…
Delighted to find a community of readers, and hopeful to connect with lovers of Afrofuturism like myself, I brainstormed with my wife and we came up with the channel title “Onyx Pages” and the journey began!
It’s been quite a ride and continues to connect me with interesting and knowledgeable folks from around the world.
Take a look at some of the videos! If you’re interested in the content, you’re invited to subscribe.
Curious about Booktube generally? Here’s a very short list of the Booktubers I enjoy are:
- Brown Girl Reading: https://www.youtube.com/user/frenchiedee
- perpetualpages: https://www.youtube.com/user/perpetualpages
- books by leynes: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=books+by+leynes
- Musical Tati: https://www.youtube.com/user/MusicalTati
- Books Are My Social Life: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJWQahxmBl81gKs-OBls2Bw
- Maija Reads: https://www.youtube.com/user/MaijaReads
- sirbooksage: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMZz8-c_OPn-yGATPllPLNg
- Pretty Brown Eye Reader: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdXA0kXgLIwcCjZ92LIChZw
- Comfycozyup: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiapSdizzoImMMgkUQcfJAQ
Enjoy!
ONYX Pages 