If there is one thing I enjoy as much as reading, it’s listening to people talk about the books they love. And there is no better place for it than BookTube where you will get to watch some phenomenal people talk about books that they have enjoyed. I have discovered many books through BookTube, and I must confess that I’m a tad bit addicted to it. I probably watch several videos daily. Some, I rewatch, just to hear people talk passionately about books or authors they can’t get enough of.
There is a girl called Charu from Kitabi Cabins who talks about poetry with such warmth and enthusiasm that I have been inspired to read more poems. She has also introduced me to poets I would have perhaps never come across, like Shiv Kumar Batalvi and Amrita Pritam. I Will Meet You Again (Main Tainu Phir Milangi) is one of my favorite poems by Amrita that I have saved on my phone and read every other day. I must credit the channel for sparking a love for poetry in me. Even though I might not necessarily understand everything I read, something about how the words flow makes me feel at ease. My mind calms down and I feel recharged. And I might not have given poetry its due had it not been for Kitabi Cabins.
If you like to read but don’t consume content from BookTube then I must say you are missing out. Not only will you come across new books and authors you will also be able to hear multiple viewpoints about books you have read through reviews and discussions or better yet, sometimes even be a part of those discussions, if you register in advance. If you want to explore this fascinating side of YouTube but don’t know where to start or what’s good, I’m recommending three channels I’m hooked on at the moment. Maybe these can help you kickstart your BookTube journey that is sure to open up a whole new world for you.
Kitabi Cabins
I absolutely love Kitabi Cabins. It’s a channel dedicated to books that is run by Chalchitra Talks. I recently came to know about them but I must have watched all their content and there are around 400 plus videos. I love Vaani and Charu. The way they talk about books is so intriguing and I have discovered many books and authors through them. Their love for reading is evident in the way they speak about the books they have read. Both of them are into slow, deep reading. They don’t read to reach an annual target of say like 50 books a year. They read to learn, and to understand the world and themselves better. There are also some interviews with authors and actors who are readers where they actively discuss books. These are mostly hosted by the channels’ founder. I love the one with Prajakta Koli (also known as MostlySane on YouTube) and the actor Namita Dubey (on Chalchitra Talks). I highly recommend this channel if you want to hear readers discuss books they have read in a way that makes you want to pick them up too.
Read A Day Club
Run by two sisters, Read A Day Club can be your fix if you are into classic literature. Though the channel has been running since 2020, there are only 126 videos and most of them are under 20 minutes. But Amreen and Ayesha discuss classics with an unmatched fervor. I discovered Fernando Pessoa, a Portuguese poet and writer, through the channel and I’m forever indebted for it. I can assure you that Pessoa’s ‘The Book of Disquiet’ has life altering powers. The fragmented lifetime project that was published posthumously is a diary of sorts filled with thoughts, observations, and ruminations. It’s a great book for introspection and reflection. You can read it cover to cover but you don’t have to, choosing instead to dip in and out as you please. Read A Day club can be your entry point into a world of literature that you haven’t explored till date.
Service 95
Service 95 is Dua Lipa’s website and it has a YouTube channel as well. The Service 95 book club is where you will find Dua Lipa discussing books she has read with writers who wrote them. It’s so interesting that you will be torn between wanting to binge watch the videos and saving them for later, not wanting to run out of content too soon. Most of the book discussions are well over the 40 minute mark but they still feel short. Some conversations that I have loved are ones with Margaret Atwood, David Szalay, and Ocean Vuong. Atwood is the master of her craft and Vuong’s ‘On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous’ is a phenomenal book as is his poetry collection ‘Time is a Mother’. Next on my watchlist is a conversation with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi. I’m saving it for a mundane day when I need something to inspire me. Service 95 Book Club is where many bestselling and award-winning authors are discussing their work and it’s definitely worth checking out.
